Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel
Reading : Acts 9:1-16
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go" ( Psa 32:8 )
While talking about the will of God, we must understand two aspects. One is the general will of God and the other the specific will of God. The former is basic and it is the same for all of us, but the latter is different for each individual. Sanctification, Praise, Doing Good, etc., relate to the first aspect ( 1 Thess 4:3 ; 5:18 ; 1 Pet 2:15). When we are faithful in fulfilling this aspect, we will be able to understand God's specific will.
There are usually four means by which we can ascertain God's specific will. First, the teaching of the Scriptures. The Word of God is the final authority in all matters of life and conduct. Once a course of action cannot be fully endorsed by the Scriptures, there's no further consideration. Next, we have the inner voice of the Spirit. The indwelling Spirit leaves impressions on our hearts and minds. He is the Divine Helper to lead us. Thirdly, we refer to godly counsel. Mature believers and leaders can guide us with their knowledge, experience and gifts. Finally, we consider the circumstantial evidence. Generally this serves as a confirmation because it is God who orders situations in our lives. When these four things are aligned, we can safely proceed. The inner peace over the matter is further evidence. But there are times when in spite of taking all these steps we still may not be sure of God's will. There could be several reasons—
a) God sees that we are not mentally, spiritually or physically ready yet to execute His will should He reveal it to us ( Jn 16:12 ). We must go on spending more time in reading and meditation, and doing actively things about which we are quite clear.
b) In our life there may be certain areas of disobedience to the Scriptural principles. When it is more obedience that we need, God does not give more light. He would have us search ourselves and set matters right ( Psa 50:23b ).
c) God leaves an element of uncertainty to strengthen our faith. That's what makes Christian life exciting. He doesn't give us a blueprint for life, but only a compass. As we proceed, if we deviate to the right or the left, we will hear His voice from behind ( Isa 30:21 ).
Lead, kindly Light! Amid the encircling gloom, lead Thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead Thou me on;
Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see
The distant scene, one step enough for me!
(John Henry Newman, 1801-1890, Written while sailing)

A Letter from Ps Christopher K

Dear Friends and Partners in the Kingdom of God ,
Consider this wisdom that is from above as we build what God is building:

Ephesians 4:11-16 (NKJV) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Instruction

Jesus has given 5 ministries. Please do not receive just 1 or 2 ministries. Receive all the 5 ministries. Do not receive only what you are comfortable with. God’s goal for our life is not to make us comfortable but to be like HIS SON, Jesus.

Verse 13. The knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

For the above to happen we need all the 5 ministries which Jesus has given.

The 5 ministries are given to the “body of Christ” for equipping and edifying.

They are not given to control and manipulate the flock but be examples and to equip and edify the Church.

They are given to activate the church into God’s ministry.


Question

The Church is about 2000 years old. Has the Church received all the 5 ministries?
If the Church has received the 5 ministries then the Church will be equipped and be edified.

What should be happening?

Let me begin with the most recognized and exalted ministry in the church.

Pastors

If the pastors are equipping and edifying the church, the church would have caught the shepherd’s heart and will be disciples and be discipling.

Teachers

If the teachers are equipping and edifying the church, the church will be able to explain [teach] the truth that they believe in. Even the illiterate will be able to do that.

Evangelist

If the evangelist are equipping and edifying the church, the church will be able to do evangelism as a lifestyle.

Prophets

If the prophets are equipping and edifying the church, the church will be able to move with authority and power like Moses and Elijah.


Apostles

If the apostles are equipping and edifying the church, the church will be able to finish the unfinished work of touching the nations and prepare the nations for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Questions

Has the church received all the 5 ministries? Why not?

Could the reasons be –fear / suspicion / controlling figures ?

Are we a people of faith [people who live by the Word] or fear?

Is your church [every believer] doing the ministry of God? Why not?

Is there unity in the faith in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ? Why not?

Is the church becoming more and more like Jesus or more and more like the world? Why?

There are many churches and mission schools in different nations who need help from us and they have requested for us to go and teach and train them but we are not able to go though we are ready to go? We have just cancelled our trip to Nepal . Why?
These nations that invite us do not have the means of taking care of our transport? Why?
Is the church poor? Why?

What do you read in the Bible? How do you read it? When a church [people of God] was going through difficulty what did the apostles do?

2 Corinthians 8:13-15 (NKJV) 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; 14 but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

We are a faith ministry. When you are lead by the Lord to give, do send your check to

KRISHNASAMY A/L RAMASAMY

I/C Number -540303-07-5307

May Bank account number : 107125195025

Home Branch number 07125 -KAMPONG BHARU

Swift Code -MBBEMYKL

The Favor of God is upon the righteous ones.

Christopher and Vijaya.K.

HOW SHALL THEY PREACH UNLESS THEY ARE SENT??

How shall they preach unless they are sent?
ZOE MINISTRIES
01-21-02 GL Garden
Solok Paya Terubong 8,
Paya Terubong
11060 Penang , Malaysia
Phone: 604-8277554
Handphone: 60165318276
Email: zoemicvs@hotmail.com
zoemicvs@tm.net.my
Romans 10:15 (NKJV)15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Dear friends in the Kingdom of God ,
As the year 2007 comes to a close we do want to take time and refresh your minds of

What we do?

We are helping local Pastors and ministry leaders in different nations to equip their leaders and members with the gifting that God has entrusted us with.

How do we do it?

MLDS – Ministry Leaders Development School . [A Mobile school] –Focused on teaching, training, activating and mentoring Kingdom minded leaders to give godly leadership and to restore lives.

SOPP- School of Prophets and Prophetesses –Focused on teaching, training and activating members of the “body of Christ” to their full potential so that they would live and serve with authority and power.

What it is not?

It is not to compete with the local pastors but to stand alongside with them to help build the “body of Christ”.

How long?

It is a life time ministry. As we receive from above we pour out into lives.

How much?
Freely we have received and freely we give.

What we need?

We need a team [consisting of churches and individual members] who would stand alongside with us to be our friends who will support us through their wise counsel, prayers and finances. We need faithful men and women who will help us do what God would have us do. We need churches like Air Itam Baptist Centre – Penang who have been faithfully supporting us for 2 years without any condition. They trust in us and in what we do.

Covering

[We give covering through counsel, teaching, prayer and finances –this is a covering that comes from God above]

We have been faithfully pouring out our lives all these years into local churches both in Malaysia and outside of Malaysia [ Thailand , Singapore , Philippines , India , Indonesia , Russia , New Zealand , and England ].
We have been praying for key pastors and ministry leaders everyday without fail [many of them do not know that we are covering them with our prayers daily].
Through the teaching of the Word of God we have been covering them.
Through financial support [from time to time individual ministers/ and also by paying for our trips ourselves –many of these churches and ministries could not afford to take care of their own ministers].

Pray together

Pray together with us that you also together with many others will stand together with us to build what God builds.

Time is running and there is so much to be done but when we stand together with HIM we can do it and finish it.

Those who are moved by God to become our senders please contact us.

We are a faith ministry. When you are lead by the Lord to give, do send your check to

KRISHNASAMY A/L RAMASAMY

I/C Number -540303-07-5307

May Bank account number : 107125195025

Home Branch number 07125 -KAMPONG BHARU

In His Majesty’s Service

Christopher and Vijaya.K.

Prophetic Word for 2008

The Trumpet by Bill Burns -- December 18, 2007: It is imperative that My people use the last two weeks of this year as a time of rejoicing for the goodness of the Lord. This rejoicing will open the door for the Father's great grace and divine favor that will come in 2008 - the year of the open door. On some level victory has come to ALL of My people in this season, but you may not understand the fullness of it at this time. Again, I say rejoice, for if you do, the fulfillment of that which has begun in the spirit will manifest in your lives in this next season, says the Lord.
Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns -- December 18, 2007: Beloved, pay attention and observe. Things that have been problematic and uncertain will now begin to be settled and fall into place. You will suddenly be aware that your inward struggle and worry did not help one bit. Let this time be a mile-marker in your journey that will always bring to remembrance the certainty of My mercy and grace. Certainly, I am with you to bring resolution to every dilemma and to simplify even the most complex problems. Trust Me with your whole heart, says the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-25 Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
2008 and YOU!
By Rodney W. Francis
Founder/Director: The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry.

PERHAPS this is a good time to draw your attention to the goals and ambitions you have for 2008, and beyond? Remember, it is God’s will that you live life to the full through Jesus Christ Who lives in you. With Him in your life you can be an overcomer every day. You can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you ( Philippians 4:13)!

Make 2008 (and beyond) to be the greatest, grandest year ever in your walk with God and in your service for Jesus Christ the Lord. To do this you will need to have a right and positive confession ~ based on the Word of God ~ that will cause you to rise above every obstacle and triumph in every situation.

 What changes need to be made?
 What obstacles need to be removed?
 What is stopping you?

Whatever the time, date and year, YOU can cultivate YOUR faith in the Promises of God NOW and be the man or woman He says you can be, and what He has called you to be. Say what God says about you today ~ it really does do wonders, increases your vision, opens up new dimensions to you, and gives opportunity to be a powerful witness for Jesus Christ.

 Does your faith move mountains ~ or do mountains move your faith?

Be a mountain mover in 2008 and beyond! Be a mountain mover on the authority of God’s Word given to you through Jesus Christ and the revelation of the Holy Spirit! He will not fail you.

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, ‘Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’” ( Mark 11:23-24, NKJV).

LEADERSHIP: CRITICISM AND CONFRONTATION

Leadership: Criticism and Confrontation
Numbers 12:3-14 (NKJV) 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!" So the three came out. 5 Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?" 9 So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!" 13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, "Please heal her, O God, I pray!" 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again."
Leaders can bank on two truths.
First, they will be criticized.
Second, criticism always changes the leader.
Unhappy people tend to attack the leader. Moses’ own family criticized him.
Notice what God and Moses teach us on how to handle criticism:
1] Maintain your humility (vs.3)
2] Face the criticism directly (vs.4)
3] Be specific about the issue (vs.5-8)
4] Lay out consequences (vs. 9,10)
5] Pray for the criticizers (vs. 12, 13)
6] Restore them when appropriate (vs.14)
Beyond that, consider ten ways leaders should handle criticism:
Understand the difference between constructive and destructive criticism [who benefits?].
Do not take yourself too seriously [ but take your God very seriously].
Look beyond the criticism to see the critic [do you respect him or her? What’s his or her need?].
Guard your own attitude toward the critic [do not get defensive; stay objective-we are in the restoration ministry].
Recognize that good people get criticized [do not be hard on yourself].
Keep yourself physically and spiritually in shape [weariness distorts our perspective].
Do not see only the critic; see the crowd [is the criticism widespread?].
Wait for time to prove the critic wrong [be mature enough to be patient].
Associate with people of faith [spend your optional time with optimists].
Concentrate on your mission; change your mistakes [focus on the big picture].
(Notes from John C. Maxwell)

OTHERS MAY - YOU CANNOT

Others May – You Cannot

If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience, that you will not be able to measure yourself by others; and in many ways, He will seem to let other people do things which He will never let you do.

There are others who seem very religious and useful, can push themselves, pull wires and work schemes to carry out their goals, but these things you simply cannot do. Others may boast of their work or their writings or their success, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you ever try it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, but most likely God will keep you poor, because He want you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence on Him and the joy of seeing Him supply your needs day by day out of an unseen Treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and keep you hidden and unappreciated because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others do a work for Him and get credit for it, but He will make you work on and on without others knowing how much you are doing; and then, to make your work still more precious, He may let others get the credit for the work which you have done, and thus make your reward ten times when Jesus comes.

The Holy Spirit will rebuke you for little words or deeds or even feelings, or for wasting your time, which some never seem to be concerned about, but you must make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and He has a right to do whatever He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in the way He deals with you, but if you will just submit yourself to Him in all things, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and bestow upon you many blessing which come only to those who are very near to His heart.

Settle it then, that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not seem to use with others. Now, when you are so possessed with the living God that your secret heart becomes pleased and delighted with this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, then you will have entered the very vestibule of heaven itself.

-G.D. Watson (1845-1924)

OUR MOST CRITICAL NEED

Our MOST CRITICAL NEED
by A.W. Tozer.
THE MOST CRITICAL NEED of the Church at this moment is men - the right kind of men, bold men. The talk is that we need revival, that we need a new baptism of the Holy Spirit - and God knows we must have both - but God will not revive mice. He will not fill rabbits with the Holy Spirit. We languish for men who feel themselves expendable in the warfare of the soul because they have already died to the allurements of this world. Such men will be free from the compulsions that control weaker men. They will not be forced to do things by the squeeze of circumstances. Their only compulsion will come from within - or from above.
This kind of freedom is necessary if we are to have prophets in our pulpits again instead of mascots. These free men will serve God and mankind from motives too high to be understood by the rank and file of religious retainers who today shuttle in and out of the sanctuary. They will make no decisions out of fear, take no course out of a desire to please, accept no service for financial considerations, perform no religious acts out of mere custom, nor allow themselves to be influenced by the love of publicity or the desire for reputation.
Much that the church - even the evangelical church - is doing today, it is doing because it is afraid not to do it. Ministerial associations take up projects for no higher reasons than that they are scared into it. Whatever their ear-to-the-ground, fear-inspired reconnoitering leads them to believe - or fear - the world expects them to do, they will be doing come next Monday morning with all kinds of trumped-up zeal and show of godliness. The pressure of public opinion calls these prophets, not the voice of Jehovah.
The true church has never sounded out public expectations before launching its crusades. Its leaders heard from God and went ahead wholly independent of popular support or the lack of it. They knew their Lord's will and did it, and their people followed them - sometimes to triumph, but more often to insults and public persecution - and their sufficient reward was the satisfaction of being right in a wrong world.
Another characteristic of the true prophet has been love. The free man who has learned to hear God's voice and dared to obey it has felt the moral burden that broke the hearts of the Old Testament prophets, crushed the soul of our Lord Jesus Christ, and wrung streams of tears from the eyes of the apostles.
The free man has never been a religious tyrant, nor has he sought to lord it over God's heritage. It is fear and lack of self-assurance that has led men to try to bring others under their feet. They have had some interest to protect, some position to secure, so they have demanded subjection from their followers as a guarantee of their own safety. But the free man - never. He has nothing to protect, no ambition to pursue and no enemy to fear. For that reason he is completely careless of his standing among men. If they follow him - well and good. If not, he loses nothing that he holds dear. But whether he is accepted or rejected, he will go on loving his people with sincere devotion, and only death can silence his tender intercession for them.
Yes, if evangelical Christianity is to stay alive, it must have men again - the right kind of men. It must repudiate the weaklings who dare not speak out, and it must seek in prayer and much humility the coming again of men of the stuff of which prophets and martyrs are made. God will hear the cries of His people as He heard the cries of Israel in Egypt, and He will send deliverance by sending deliverers. It is His way.
And when the deliverers come - reformers, revivalists, prophets - they will be men of God and men of courage. They will have God on their side because they are careful to stay on God's side. They will be co-workers with Christ and instruments in the hands of the Holy Spirit. Such men will be baptized with the Spirit indeed and through their labors He will baptize others and send the long-delayed revival.

ZOE MINISTRIES

ZOE MINISTRIES - MALAYSIA
For equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4: 12 NKJV)
Ps Christopher K and Vijaya are really such a great blessing for me, my family and ministry. They are my spiritual parents. I met Ps Chris when I was a Discipleship Training School student (One of "Youth With A Mission"/YWAM School) in Jakarta – Indonesia in 1995. He taught us on Holy Spirit topics, he is not only teaching us knowledge but we also experience God. He is a different lecturer, he is not only a good preacher but he also gives us the example from his own life. He is a man of faith.
Now he is going around the world to equipping the leaders of the church, so they can also equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. He believes that all the leaders must disciple all the saints. The church must be a positive impact for their villages, cities and nation.
I can’t give him money or valuable jewelry but what I can do is to make this blog for him, as a gift to a person that always encourage, be a living example and believe in me to move in the Lord, Jesus Christ.