Jesus has many names. But was reminded today that the apostle John, in choosing the adjectives to describe Jesus on his return, went with "Faithful and True".
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True." (Rev 19:11)
So, so comforting to know… !
"Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." (Psalm 36:5)
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:15)
"For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." (Psalm 100:5)
"Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it." (1 Thess 5:24)
"God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" (Numbers 23:19)
It reminded me of an old song "My Redeemer is Faithful and True". Here is Steven Curtis Chapman - the composer - singing it. He wrote it as a young man, and now is more elderly, but says in this clip that if he has breath left and were to sing a song, this is the one he would sing. Hearing him sing it gave me the goosebumps!!
Just attended Kingdom Invasion 2017, at the Singapore Expo. This year, the lineup of speakers included Bill Johnson, Heidi Baker, Ed Silvoso, Sean Bolz and Lou Engle.
One thing that stirred many was a prophetic word released by Lou Engle on 16 March, 2017, and am documenting it here because of its significance for the Singapore Church in this hour. Lou had said to the congregation that the leaders of our nation must judge the word, and see if it is from the Lord. I feel, too, that it warrants a response. Lou's word to our nation was a weighty one, and the Bible says "Do not despise prophecies but test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thess 5:20-21). If what Lou says is from the Lord, then we need as a people to ask God what our response should be, instead of going back to the routine of life next week, and let this word fall to the ground.
This is a clip of the prophecy, and below a transcript of it.
In his message to us, Lou shared two dreams. The first was by a friend of his, a trusted intercessor, in the days leading up to or during Kingdom Invasion 2017.
The first dream
Speaking of Singapore, this friend said: "Books ... had been lost or simply misplaced. Lou and our
team would give them these books. Singapore was about to graduate into an
apostolic sending base that would carry prophetic clarity to transform
economies but they could not fulfill their mandate without these books. In the
dream, I was in 1978, and then back today. And one of the books was the book of
Daniel, and I knew a cyclical review or visitation was close at hand for
Singapore."
Lou said that in his friend's dream, he heard this phrase: “Honour the father Nashes
and give abundant honour to the mother Nashes for they have kept the leaders
and the nation on course. "He’s in 1978 in this dream, and he says that
Singapore is about ready to graduate into its anointing as an apostolic base to
disciple the nations and economies."
In 1978, Billy Graham came to Singapore and prophesised. Next year - 2018 - will mark 40 years from 1978.
Said Lou: "I think Billy Graham was a prophet …
he prophesised that Singapore would be the Antioch of the East. What was
Antioch? It was the apostolic sending base of the New Testament. And there was coming a
cyclical review. I would like to suggest that the dream actually means that 40
years ago, Billy Graham released this word, and God is coming in a cycle of 40
to review Singapore right now. He’s coming to see if you will fulfill what was
spoken by the prophet."
The second dream
Lou said that as he shared the first word to a number of Singapore leaders the night before, one of them shared this dream by his spiritual daughter earlier this month. So this second dream documented below is by a Singapore Christian leader. Lou said this dream did not make sense to the lady because she did not know that Billy Graham's crusade in Singapore was in 1978.
In the dream, she said, "I ran into a white room that had no walls, on an endless expanse of white marble floor. And right in the middle of the room was a throne that was made up of the same white marble and was one body with the floor, not just another piece of furniture in the room. On this throne sat a grandfatherly-like figure with a face so bright I could barely make out his features. He wore pristine robes, had snow-white hair, and a short beard. I remember running up to the man on the throne, exclaiming excitedly: 'Did you know that the greatest revival in the history of mankind is about to happen in Singapore?' In the dream, he looked at me and laughed at me with a deep baritone. He was not laughing at me, but was delighted with me. However in that moment in the dream, I felt like a little child, thinking: 'Why is this old man laughing at me.' And as if he heard what was on my mind, the Father said, 'How about the old church and the new church? The new move of God and the old move of God.' And next, I saw the air before me shimmer, and a rustling of white curtains appeared and disappeared, and Billy Graham walked into that room. That millisecond, I knew that Billy Graham was 60 years old.'
Interpreting the dream, Lou said to us at Kingdom Invasion, with Billy Graham turning 100 next year, that means this lady's dream was about 1978. Both dreams are connected, and "had to do with a word that was spoken 40 years ago, and a cyclical review".
Lou's questions to the Singapore church:
"You need to judge these dream(s) but I’ve a feeling it’s not just a dream. I wonder when those spies went into the land and they find out the land is flowing with milk and honey, and grace. They saw the vision. I wonder if those people thought it was just a dream. I believe dreams are like spies. They show us the future promised land, but if you treat it as just a dream, you will never go to war in faith, to take the promised land, because you want to live for self-preservation. I think there is a cyclical review coming."
"Next year, you’re entering into the 40th year, and the question is this: 'Will you see the greatest revival or will you live for self-preservation? … I woke up with these words ringing in my head. More will be given to those who humble themselves."
Referring to the father and mother Nashes of our land, he said, "Maybe God is saying it’s not enough to remember your past,
you must honor them by entering into their sacrifices and passions, and birth
the revival." (Blogger's note: Daniel Nash was the intercessor to the great preacher Charles Finney during the second Great Awakening)
"Maybe He’s coming with a review for Singapore and wondering
if you are well-satisfied, rich, and in need of nothing, or maybe He’s coming
to a people that are so hungry to fulfill their divine destiny that they are
willing to do anything to fulfill it."
On the lady's dream of the old church and the new church coming together, Lou went on to say, "Two generations must move together into the next generation,
they must cross over into the promised land, and they must fight the wars of
the Lord." Israel as a nation was brought to the threshold of prophetic promise, but apart from Joshua and Caleb, the men decided to play it safe because they did not want their kids to
die fighting the giants. And so a generation died in the desert after wandering for 40 years.
Singapore: what will your response be?
1. Unity among the denominations. Apparently, the Charismatic revival in Singapore in the 1970s fizzled out because of lack of unity among the denominations. So one question Lou asked is, "Could you bring together a generation that loves God more
than their denominations?"
2. Praying and fasting. Would we be like the Antioch church, and fast and pray, and minister to the Lord? We all laughed nervously when Lou challenged us to a fast … !
"If we are going to be an apostolic people, we’re going to have to go back to the apostolic word, and they were fasting and ministering to the Lord in Antioch, and the Holy Spirit spoke, “Hurl forth labourers into the harvest field.”
He mentioned that key leaders, and even Jesus, in the Bible fasted 40 days:
Moses fasted 40 days, and ushered in the covenant of the glory of
God
Elijah fasted 40 days and ushered in a double-portion, signs-and-wonders
generation (the Elisha generation)
John the Baptist fasted his whole life to bring in the apostolic era
of Jesus
Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness and fulfilled what Israel could not fulfill in 40 years
On Singapore's role in thrusting laborers into the harvest field, Lou said, it was not just missionaries but "...workers and leaders in the highest parts of the economy and government that
Singapore is being raised to affect the globe if she is hungry enough to humble
herself to enter into her promise at this time."
In sum
"I want this word to be judged by leaders. Something has been in
the works for 40 years and Singapore is at the threshold of the Jordon. My friend dreamed
that there is coming a cyclical review; I believe there is something about 40
years or a generation, that God comes to nations and reviews them and sees if
they’re going to qualify for the fulfillment of the promise." My reflections
As mentioned above, this is a weighty word by Lou. Among my friends, a few were stirred by this word in their spirit too. At the end of the final day, Dr Ed Silvoso said Singapore needs to respond, and prepare ourselves for the 40th year of Billy Graham's word to us this year.
How would we respond? I believe there needs to be a personal response and a corporate response.
When the Jewish people were in exile in Babylon, Daniel was not passive about their return to the promised land from their time in captivity. The prophets had pronounced that the Jewish people would be in captivity 70 years, and as this period was nearing its end, it is said in Daniel 9:1-2 that "then I (Daniel) set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession…"
The date of this was 539 BC, about 66 or 67 years after the Jews initially went into exile to Babylon. In studying the scriptures, Daniel came to understand that it was to be 3 years before the number of years of the desolations of Jerusalem would be up.
But he didn't passively wait for 70 years to come to pass. Three years before that particular fullness of time, he actively pressed into God, and was visited by the angel Gabriel, who gave him further understanding and revelation of the things pertaining to his nation and people.
How will we respond? I pray that the Church should weigh Lou's word above and collectively seek the Lord on how we will respond, personally and corporately. Daddy God, please do not let Singapore miss the hour and your purposes for us as a nation.
Postscript: On 27 August 2017, Ps Yang of Cornerstone Community Church preached a sermon titled "Discerning Singapore's Destiny and Call". It is a very important message for the church of Singapore in the run-up to 2018. Please take some time to listen to it.
For the schedule of nationwide prayer for 2018, please click here. This is a call to prayer for all believers who feel the weightiness of the word above.
Sang it recently at church and it brought tears to my eyes, especially the last verse. As the days grow darker, and things seem to be reeling increasingly out of control, it is so comforting to know "That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." Amen.
This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise, The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise. This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair; In the rustling grass I hear Him pass; He speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done: Jesus Who died shall be satisfied, And earth and Heav’n be one.
I recently bought a jigsaw and as in times past, would assemble the border first -- for the border frames the picture and prescribes how long and wide the puzzle is. The funny thing was that each piece fitted the other, which is the most bizarre situation because all of us know with jigsaws, two pieces fit each other in a unique combination. I couldn't understand what was going on, and so a few times, I tried to make the border, only to give up and keep the pieces back in the box. It was only a 500-piece puzzle and I had done more complex ones before. But this one truly stumped me.
Finally, I went back to the shop one day and asked the shop assistant if she had encountered my problem. Her answer surprised me -- "Oh, she said. With the border, each alternate piece is similar and therefore interchangeable."
Once I knew what the key to the problem was, making the puzzle was a breeze. Whereas I had previously been stuck for weeks, now construction of the puzzle was easy! I had found the key.
It made me realize how important keys are to unlocking solutions and accelerating the completion of the assignments God gives us.
And so this passage from Torrey on prayer really struck a deep chord:
"When men and women are on praying ground and meeting the conditions of prevailing prayer, prayer will have as much power today as it ever had. God has not changed; His ear is just as quick to hear the voice of real prayer, and His hand is just as long and strong to save, as it ever was.
Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God's infinite grace and power. But we must use the key. Prayer can do anything that God can do, and because God can do anything, prayer is omnipotent. No one can stand against the man who knows how to pray, and meets all the conditions of prevailing prayer, and who really prays. The Lord God omnipotent works for and through that man."
2015 -- Cornerstone was holding a dinner event called "A Night to Honour Israel", to honour friends of Singapore in our year of Jubilee. Israel had helped Singapore set up our defence force when we first became independent, at a time when no other nation would. Our first Chief Minister David Marshall is Jewish. And the Jews have left a heritage here in small ways and big.
Anyhow, I really wanted to attend the dinner, but no single seats were sold. Instead, one had to buy an entire table for over $1,000. To secure my own seat at the dinner, I thought to buy a table. The only conundrum was how to fill 10 seats, since I only wanted to invite people who would appreciate the heart of the event. The few people I had in mind to invite had already been invited by others, or weren't as enthusiastic about the dinner as I imagined … and before I knew it, all 50+ tables had been sold out.
Disappointed as I was, I prayed to the Lord, saying "Daddy, could you have someone invite me. I would really like to go."
A few weeks later, an acquaintance at church whatsapped me out of the blue, saying there were two spare seats at her table and would I like to come. She had prayed to see who to ask, and my name came up.
Am chronicling this as the second story of the Father … as a memorial to how the Heavenly Father hears every cry of our heart. Here I was trying to satisfy the desires of my own heart, my own way. Thinking that because finances are not an issue, I could make things happen in my own flesh. But the Father heard my little prayer, and satisfied the desire of my heart without me having to spend a whole load of money buying a table for 10.
2014: I decided to go to Istanbul for a photography trip. My classmates and I had to each do a project around a subject we wanted to photograph: mine was around the fish trade in Turkey, another one wanted to chronicle the plight of the Syrians fleeing their land, a third was interested in following police raids, and a fourth focused on capturing scenes of desolation on Princes Island. Usually bustling in the summer, Princes Island in winter (which was the time we were there) is pretty desolate, as no sane tourist would go there. The scenes she captured were lonely scenes, quite atmospheric, and spare.
Towards the end of our trip, she asked me one day if I would want to join her there. I had on previous days spent full days at the fish market and perhaps there might be an alternate scene at Princes Island that fit my theme. So we went.
To get to Princes Island from Istanbul, we took a ferry. As we stepped off the boat, some locals warned us about the stray dogs roaming around town. There was one shaggy, slightly overweight one, who kept hanging around us in particular that we should be careful about, one said. He recently bit someone. Uh uh… that made me wary of the dog. But he kept following us, which made me somewhat nervous.
After we explored the main town, which was pretty small, we decided to go and check out a monastery up the hill. It didn't seem so far from the map. The shaggy dog followed, as did a black mongrel which looked even more menacing. What is going on, I thought! They were wild dogs, and made me nervous.
But as we walked, these two dogs would flank us on both sides, always walking just slightly in front of us, as if protecting us. And as we journeyed on, in this desolate island, I began to be thankful for their presence. For practically two hours, not a single human was in sight … but we would periodically encounter another wild dog in our path, baring its teeth, growling … and appearing like it would pounce. I found myself picking up a rock on the road, ready to throw it at these wild dogs … once, we saw one ahead of us who looked so menacing, we kept backing away, hearts pounding. Our two protective guard dogs meanwhile faced off with them, baring their teeth, while we backed off and detoured via another route to avoid trouble.
Their face-off done, our dogs came back to look for us, and then flanked us again as we proceeded on. Only when we finally descended back to town did the two dogs stand down. The overweight one plopped on the floor like he was totally wiped out from his assignment. Needless to say, I patted him a few times to express thanks for keeping us safe.
I have no doubt looking back, that the heavenly Father sent these two dogs to protect us the whole way. He who is Creator God, and who commands the hosts of heaven, the angelic hosts, the starry hosts, the animal hosts etc, commanded his creatures that day to watch over us. What else could explain the behavior of these two dogs, who like sentries, walked with us the whole way, never behind us, always slightly ahead, always one on each side with us in the middle…
The Great God of the Universe is also Abba Father, Daddy God … who is tender and loving, and who watches over every detail. When I think of this episode, it breaks my heart. Do we trust the Father to take care of every aspect of our lives, even commanding his hosts to participate in helping us? May we come to love the Father and to trust Him to take care of every little detail, because He is good!!
Jesus loves you, and He died to save you from the penalty of your sins. He wants you to be reconciled to Him. If you want to be reconciled to God, and begin an exciting relationship with Him, forgiven and free, all you have to do is to say this sinner's prayer with all of your heart.
"Heavenly Father, I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of my sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesus is your Son, and that he died on the Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and Jesus, I ask you right now to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my sins and will worship you all the days of my life!. Because your word is truth, I confess with my mouth that I am born again and am cleansed by the blood of Jesus! In Jesus' name, Amen."
(If you said the sinner's prayer with all your heart, then praise the Lord as you have been saved and you are now a child of God! You have been adopted into His family. To grow in relationship with your Father God, and Christ Jesus your Saviour, find a Spirit-led church and join a community of believers so they can encourage you in your walk!)
Christian blog of the week
Thank you Cyberanger for awarding my blog entry Christian blog of the week for May 3. What an encouragement! & Thank you Abba Father. Would your name spread far and wide, and may your glory fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.
Starting a journey
On 2 Jan 2009, I began a journey with like-minded Christians in the Wesley prayer team ...over the next 12 months, we were to read the same Scriptural passages each day, and pen down the insights God is revealing to us. And so began this blog… to encourage each other on the Word of God.
Since then, the Lord has moved me to Cornerstone Community Church, and this blog has also morphed along with it. My heart is for revival for Singapore and the nations, worship, prayer, my nation's destiny and call and, above all, that many in my land will be reconciled to Papa God. It is of these things that I find myself often musing on as a redeemed one. And I hope in the days to come to continue chronicling the mighty and loving acts of God in our generation!
