PRAYER: DON'T LET ME LIVE WRONG

Prayer: Don't Let Me Live Wrong

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept
the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and
not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
-- 2 Timothy 4:7-8

For years I have made a practice of writing many of my earnest
prayers to God in a little book--a book now well worn. I still turn
often to the petitions I recorded in that book. I remind God often
of what my prayers have been.

One prayer in the book--and God knows it well by this time, for I
pray it often--goes like this:

Oh God, Let me die rather than to go on day by day living wrong. I
do not want to become a careless, fleshly old man. I want to be
right so that I can die right. Lord, I do not want my life to be
extended if it would mean that I should cease to live right and
fail in my mission to glorify You all of my days!...

As you will recall from Second Kings 20 , the Lord gave Hezekiah a
15-year extension of life. Restored to health and vigor, Hezekiah
disgraced himself and dishonored God before he died and was
buried.

I would not want an extra 15 years in which to backslide and
dishonor my Lord. I would rather go home right now than to live
on--if living on was to be a waste of God's time and my own!
Jesus Is Victor! pp. 141-142

"Please, Father, help me to finish well. Amen."
Christopher and Vijaya.K.

WHAT MAKES AN ASSEMBLY?

Dear Friends,
What makes an assembly an assembly of Christ Jesus [Church of the Lord Jesus Christ]?
 
1] Is it when they gather in a building?
2] Is it when they have a sign board which says it is a church?
3] Is it when other local churches recognize it as a church?
4] Is it when it is registered with the government?
5] Is it when they sing some songs and collect offerings, and have some religious activities?
 
Matthew 18:20 (NKJV) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
 
1] It is when we are in fellowship with Jesus.
2] It is when our character is being changed to be like Jesus’ character. [The name of a person speaks of his character].
3] It is when we are in agreement with Jesus will and purpose.
4] It is when we are in agreement with each other.
5] It is when Jesus recognizes it as HIS assembly [His Church].
6] It is when we are committed to Jesus’ purpose and are fulfilling it.
 
Jesus is with those who are with HIM. Those who are with Him are those who walk in obedience to His word. They take Jesus’ words seriously and go out and make disciples. They do not fear man but God. Very, very few churches are disciples of Jesus Christ and are making disciples. Very, very few churches are involved in discipling nations. There is a need for the gatherings to become gatherings of Jesus Christ. There is a need for the gatherings to become disciples of Jesus Christ. Then they will be able to disciple others.
 
Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Will Jesus be found in their gathering? Can it be a gathering of Jesus Christ? Will Jesus manifest Himself in those gatherings? Or are we going through the forms of religion and not having the power of God?
 
I had a dream last night and was shown the condition the church.
 
1] It was a large gathering.
Was Jesus there?
 
2] The gathering has kept up with the latest technology that is found in the latest modern church. They have kept up with the latest songs. They have kept up with the latest “spiritual clichés”.
There is a need to keep up with God.
 
3] There were many sick and limping people.
Their prayers are not answered. Many are spiritually sick and limping.
 
4] There was chaos in the gathering yet nobody realize it.
No God in their gathering, no order and no discernment.
 
5] There was no godly leadership.
There is a need for godly example shown by leaders. Pharisees produce Pharisees. Sadducees produce Sadducees. Hypocrites have produced hypocrites. Sons of hell produce sons of hell.
 
Matthew 23:15 (NKJV) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
 
6] There was no reverence for God.
Gatherings full of man pleasers. Need for God pleasers to rise up.
 
7] There was wrong attitude.
They wanted to appear good and nice before men. There is a need to stand upright before God.
 
What makes an assembly an assembly of Christ Jesus [Church of the Lord Jesus Christ]?
 
In His Majesty’s Service
 
Christopher.K.

TO OUR PARTNERS IN KINGDOM OF GOD

Dear Friends and Partners in the Kingdom of God ,

Accountability

We greet you in Jesus name. We thank those who have stood by the side of us in prayer and financial support.
Especially Air Itam Baptist Centre – Penang (the only church) who stood by the side of us from 2005 until now.
In 2005 they began supporting us RM500 per month and in 2006 and 2007 they increased their support from RM500 to Rm600 per month and this year they are supporting us RM700 per month . This has been helpful for us to take care of our house rent [ RM450 ] and other utilities [ RM200 plus].
We also thank God for those who have support us financially from time to time.

Please pray for our coming meetings and also for the nations.

Malaysia
4/5/2008 Grace [AOG] - Penang
6/6/2008 to 8/6/2008 –Air Itam Baptist Centre’s Church Camp at Cameron Highlands
12/6/2008 Emmanuel Word Centre –Kulim
15/6/2008 GROW –Bukit Mertajam - Penang

Indonesia 5/5/2008 to 2/6/2008

Surabaya, Probolinggo, Jember, Malang

India 4/8 to 31/8/2008 [Tiruvanthanathapuram / Chenganur / Kotayam / Cochin ]

JUNE and JULY set aside either for Sabah or United Kingdom or both.

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.

In His Majesty’s Service

Christopher and Vijaya.K.
29/4/2008

PASTORAL MINISTRY: HOW MUCH I COULD HAVE DONE

Pastoral Ministry: How Much I Could Have Done

And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the
Lord, and then to us by the will of God.
-- 2 Corinthians 8:5

Before the judgment seat of Christ my service will be judged not by how much I have done but by how much I could have done. In God's sight my giving is measured not by how much I have given but by how much I could have given and how much I had left after I made my gift. The needs of the world and my total ability to minister to those needs decide the worth of my service.

Not by its size is my gift judged, but by how much of me there is in it. No man gives at all until he has given all. No man gives anything acceptable to God until he has first given himself in love and sacrifice....

In the work of the church the amount one man must do to accomplish a given task is determined by how much or how little the rest of the company is willing to do. It is a rare church whose members all put their shoulder to the wheel. The typical church is composed of the few whose shoulders are bruised by their faithful labors and the many who are unwilling to raise a blister in the service of God and their fellow men. There may be a bit of wry humor in all this, but it is quite certain that there will be no laughter when each of us gives account to God of the deeds done in the body. That Incredible Christian, 105.

"Help me to give of myself completely today, Lord. I hold nothing back, even if at the end of the day I'm the only one with a bruised shoulder. Amen."
====================================================================================

Pastoral Ministry: We Languish for Men

Then Paul answered, "What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." -- Acts 21:13

The Church at this moment needs men, the right kind of men, bold men....

We languish for men who feel themselves expendable in the warfare of the soul, who cannot be frightened by threats of death 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 act out of mere custom; nor will they allow themselves to be influenced by the love of publicity or the desire for reputation. Of God and Men, 11-13.

"Lord, what would it take for me to be that kind of man? Do in me whatever work You need to do today, that I might die to the allurements of the world and serve You with high motives. Amen."

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

This week's Meditation: “What is The Church?”
By Tom Sparks
 
The Church is a people, not a place.
The Church is a living being, not a building.
The Church is founded on Christ, not man.
The Church is a Bride, not a business.
The Church is a relational community, not a programed event.
The Church is about Jesus, not centered in man.
The Church is called to reveal Jesus, not the will of man.
The Church is universal.
The Church is local.
The Church is a place to come to learn of Christ.
The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth.
The Church is a revelatory environment.
The Church is a participatory experience.
The Church is Jesus’ Church.
The Church is under grace, not law.
The Church is free, not bound.
The Church is alive, not dead.
The Church is about Jesus, not money or man’s traditions.
The Church is His body, not our place of legacy.
The Church is for His glory, not the development of our significance.
The Church is secure in Him, not in numbers, resources, or bank account.
The Church’s leadership is based in Jesus’ headship, not man’s hierarchy.
The Church’s leadership is servant based, not user oriented.
The Church’s leadership is gentle, not harsh.
The Church’s leadership is example oriented, not control oriented.
The Church’s leadership is overseeing, not domineering.
The Church’s leadership is about giving, not demanding.
The Church’s leadership reflects Jesus, not personal aspiration.
 
Is this the Church and Leadership you know?

LEFT OR RIGHT?

Left or Right?

Reading : John 3:16-20
"Whenever you turn to the right or the left,
you will hear a word from behind you: This is the way; walk in it" ( Isa 30:21 )

Extremism leads to eccentricity, and eccentricity to seclusion and sectarianism. Christians are divided and dwarfed because of imbalance. Biblical truth is parallel. It's like a bird; it cannot fly on one wing! If we are sincere to the Holy Scriptures and submitted to the Holy Spirit, we can claim the promise in the memory text of today for all our understanding and undertakings. Let's balance two truths today.
Love of God and Wrath of God
Someone said, "God is too loving to send anyone to eternal hell." The other person answered, "At the same time God is too holy to allow a sinner into Heaven!" For a broken and repentant sinner the love of God must be presented. For a stiff-necked person the wrath of God must be stressed. Apostle Paul balances this twin characters of God beautifully in Romans 11:22 . "Consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you goodness, if you continue in His goodness." When the wrath and holiness of God are not sufficiently stressed there will be no fear of God. The love of God and the wrath of God are inseparable on the Cross. A minister who speaks only about the love of God will produce spurious converts and the one who speaks only about the wrath of God sad Christians. Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), known as the Prince of Preachers, put it rightly: "The sword of judgment threatens us no more; but the rod of parents is still in use!"
Present and Future
There are some who insist on the fulfillment of several eschatological promises right today. Others are content to be hoping of a glorious future at the Second Coming of Christ. The first group calls the second as futurists. I believe most of the New Testament promises have both a present and a future fulfillment. For example, take the subject of holiness. We can be "purified" today but will be "perfected" only at the Coming of the Lord ( 1 Jn 3:2 , 3 ; l Thess 5:23). Similarly the question of healing. We can enjoy the benefits of Calvary only to a certain extent in our bodies today. But the full benefit will be enjoyed at the redemption of our body which we await ( Rom 8:23 ). Disease or death is not totally eradicated today. The "last" enemy that will be destroyed is death ( 1 Cor 15:26 ). Another subject of interest is the Kingdom of God . The spiritual Kingdom is already "within us," but the literal one is still in the future ( Lk 17:21 ; Rom 14:17 ; Mt 6:10 ; 2 Tim 2:12).

A LETTER FROM REGGIE

8th November 2007
Dear Pastor Christopher,
Thank you for forwarding this email to me not once but 3 times! It must be real serious and for me, it is a way of God affirming something very important. On the morning of 6th November, I led a morning devotion with 5 missionaries in London . I spoke about the Christian leadership and the present problems of extravagance. Yesterday, when I lecture at the Bible College , on the topic; Kingdom of the Cults it led to the area of prosperity. There was a good discussion on how a Christian should live and how they should use their resources.
 Of late there has been reports on the extravagance of some preachers who travel by their own private jets, own mansions, chauffeur driven in Rolls Royce, dine at the best restaurants, make ‘diva’ demands.... and the list goes on.
 
Our discussion came up with the followings;
Some of the students thought that Christians or leaders should not be poor but rich as our Lord bless us and enjoying their wealth is a good testimony of His providence.
Others thought that pastors must not live like kings.
Most agreed that there are two extremes but there should be a line drawn on how we interpret the blessings of God.
All agreed that God's work is not funded as the blessed refuse to part with the blessings.
The truth
There is obviously a mix reaction from the students and I was able to see their back grounds and the kind of impact it has on them. Since this matter of wealth and blessing has been constantly in my mind culminating in my sermon ‘Leadership and Servanthood and the flurry of emails I am getting on this topic, I would want to expound on it.
I believe in the blessings of God. The West has been blessed by God for many centuries as they were faithful to God. Look at their past heritage; churches, evangelism, missions, charity, and so many organizations to help others. Today we have a different form of Christianity that uses the blessings of God differently. The problem is how we interpret the word of God. When we want to hold on to the blessings of God and enjoy it, we quote Abraham, King David and Solomon and use all the scriptures we can find to proclaim our right to wealth. Preachers living a luxurious lifestyle are very common today. Even in poverty stricken Nigeria , we have Pastors in 3 piece suits driving BMWs while we see young children hungry in the streets. All this is because of the American form of Christianity that champions the leaders to enjoy their blessings without any or little conscience.
I do not mean that leaders or pastors must lead a meager life style but at least a moderate one which reflects humbleness and meekness that will not distance ourselves from the average man.. If there is anything to follow, we must take on the role model of our Lord Jesus and His teachings. When Jesus came, He came as a Servant King to serve and not to be served. When approach by the rich man on how to enter the Kingdom of God, he told him that if he want to be perfect, sell off everything, give to the poor and follow after Him.
In Matthew 16:24 (NKJV) Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Why do you think the blessing of God is an issue today? I have come to the following conclusions;
        We do not read the word of God in a balance perspective; we often manipulate it to serve our own gain because we think that it is in the word and God is silent (in the physical sense), we think it is approval.
        We lust for the material things of the world and want to make this world our ‘home’
        We think wealth is our entitlement.
        It is a greed culture that has no depth.
        The present day theology is distorted in many churches
 
I have arguments from some quarters that their financial success is not from the church as they do not take from the church as they are business people. I am sad that they forget Deuteronomy 8:18 that says, it is God who gives us the power to get wealth. Many preachers got their wealth for speaking in seminars, teaching the word and selling CDs. They copyright their product and forget that all that they use are from God. What about His copyright?
 
Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)
18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
How then should we treat wealth and blessings?
        Freely you shall receive freely you shall give- Many of us have forgotten about this wonderful song or scripture but that is what we ought to do. The blessing of God is like manna, it is not for us to keep but to be given. If Christians do not hoard the money that they are blessed with, then God’s work will move a hundred fold with more lives being saved from the crutches of hell
        The money do not belong to us, we are only stewarts.
        Live moderately. Keep our lives simple and it will be a good testimony to many.
        A river of living water- when God bless an individual, the money stays with him/her. He owns the private jets, mansions, holidays money, comfort, cars and …only one person and his /her family enjoys it but if it flows out many will enjoy it.
        Use the money wisely, for evangelism, missions and meeting the needs of the under privileged. There are so many missionaries waiting to be sent. Just because they are not from our church we cannot send them. This church mentality need to be replaced with a kingdom mentality. I know of so many missionaries struggling to serve God simply because, we are so indifferent.
 
JL Grady wrote an excellent article on this. Click on to the appended website and you shall be blessed richly.
http://www.charismamag.com/fireinmybones/Columns/show.php
 
Why is the US Senate Finance Committee investigating the 6 big TV ministries?
All this ministries are registered charity and are not subjected to tax because it is supposed to be used to help the needy. It is clearly define by law and the government  of the past which was Christian in nature, gave this right to the church.
 
 
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/ihtmanual/ihtm11112.htm
http://www.cdi.gov.au/report/cdi_chap2.htm
When preachers used private jets, live like kings, and have millions in the banks, the secular too can sense something is wrong. Money that is supposed to be used for charity is now being used for worldly pleasure. This supposedly leaders of God think it is their entitlement and the government is now questioning.   Do you not think they should be taxed like everybody else. In the name of charity, many have abused the privilege. You do not need to be spiritual to know the truth but yet many of us who has the word are deceived into believing that it is an entitlement to live extravagantly. If this men and women who were blessed by God live a moderate lifestyle like Billy Graham and use all their blessings for charity, then the government will not give problem or investigate. It is sad God has to use the world to teach us a lesson. I pray that all rich men and women of God read this article and understand our requirement. Remember MUCH IS GIVEN MUCH IS REQUIRED OF US.
REGGIE