New Sermon Notes: Pastor Joseph Prince taught us about the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit and how God will cause these gifts—especially the revelation and power gifts, to operate through us more frequently this year.

Praise and worship songs performed:
1. Great Things - Phil Wickham
2. Supply - New Creation Worship
3. Hide Me In The Shelter - Cheryl Thomas
4. You Alone - Don Harris

The best way to help a person is to give an unbeliever Jesus.

The best thing you can give your children is Jesus.

God does not choose to send lazy people for evangelism. He chooses people who are equipped and who have spent times and seasons studying God’s word.

There are 9 spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit:
3 Vocal gifts
3 Revelation gifts
3 Power gifts

The word of knowledge is a spiritual gift where you supernaturally receive knowledge about the present from God.

The gift of discerning of spirits allows you to supernaturally tell what kind of spirit a person is operating by—whether godly, demonic, or fleshly.

A believer can move in the gifts even when they have bad character. Gift is given by grace, not because a believer earned it.

Ideally, we need to have both the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit and the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit so that both the power and character are maximized.

The gifts are distributed by the Holy Spirit as He chooses. A believer can operate in all 9 gifts, but some believers move more frequently in certain gifts than other kinds of gifts. We cannot decide when to start moving in a specific gift, except for the gift of speaking in tongues. The rest of the gifts are distributed by the Holy Spirit.

We will move more frequently in the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit this year.

New Sermon Notes: Pastor Lawrence Lim taught that we will see greater miraculous works than Jesus did two thousand years ago, and that there will be a huge end-time revival and harvest for the church of Jesus Christ!

Praise and Worship Song Performed:
1. Raise A Hallelujah - Elevation Worship
2. Worthy - Elevation Worship
3. Jesus At The Centre - Israel Houghton

God does not just have love, He is love.

You will receive your awaited breakthrough as you hear the preached Word about Jesus Christ.

Matthew 25:35-40 - This is why the church is involved in good works like alleviating the suffering of refugees in Ukraine.

“for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew‬ ‭25:35-40‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Matthew 5:16 - Sometimes we do not have the opportunity to preach the Gospel directly to a person, but through our good works, people will glorify God.

“Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Galatians 3:13 - God has redeemed us from the curse.

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”” (Galatians‬ ‭3:13‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Ephesians 1:3 - God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;” (Ephesians‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

John 10:10 - It is the devil who kills, steals, and destroys. God’s heart is to bless man.
It is even better for one to be a blessing to others than to be a receiver.

“The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” (John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭WEB‬‬)
​

New Sermon Notes: Pastor Joseph Prince encouraged us to rely on God’s ways rather than the ways of the world. With God’s power backing you up, even simple things will produce mighty results!

Praise and Worship Song Performed:
1. Cornerstone - Hillsong Worship
2. Lavish Love - New Creation Worship
3. I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever - Martin Smith

1 Samuel 13:5-7 - Saul was the first king of Israel. People followed him while trembling with fear.

“The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in tombs, and in pits. Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.” (1 Samuel‬ ‭13:5-7‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

1 Samuel 13:11 - Saul was a fleshly man who lived by sight. He offered up a sacrifice that he was not allowed to. Samuel should have been the one to do it.

“Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you didn’t come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash;” (1 Samuel‬ ‭13:11‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

2 Corinthians 5:7 - We are to walk by faith, not by sight.

“for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

1 Samuel 13:14 - The flesh does not want to wait upon the Lord.

“But now your kingdom will not continue. Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which Yahweh commanded you.”” (1 Samuel‬ ‭13:14‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Exodus 14:13 - We are to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, instead of acting upon the impulses of the flesh.

“Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again.” (Exodus‬ ‭14:13‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

In leadership, we operate by the Lord’s leading, not to please the people.

1 Samuel 13:15-16 - The Philistines came so close to the capital of the territory of Benjamin, Gibeah where Saul ruled from.

“Samuel arose, and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.” (1 Samuel‬ ‭13:15-16‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

1 Samuel 13:17-18 - Some of the Israelites were fearful and defecting to the Philistines.
A part of the body of Christ today have this mindset of expecting to be oppressed by the enemy instead of expecting the God-kind or overcoming victory.

“The raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual; another company turned the way to Beth Horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looks down on the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.” (1 Samuel‬ ‭13:17-18‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Zechariah 4:6 - We cannot fight the devil with his own fleshly weapons. It is only possible by the Holy Spirit.

“Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is Yahweh’s word to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of Armies.” (Zechariah‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Faith is the only way to receive blessings. There is only one thing that blocks your blessings. Find out what that is in this article. 

Have you ever heard a teaching that if you refuse to forgive someone, you can be blocking your own blessings? 

This is false—unforgiveness is not what stops the blessing. It’s your unbelief, which is demonstrated in your unforgiveness. 

When a person refuses to forgive someone even though Jesus asked us to forgive one another just as He has already forgiven us, he is not fully trusting the Lord. 

He is still insisting in his own ways, instead of placing faith in Jesus—like somehow if he forgives the offender, that person will get away scot free and Jesus won’t do anything about it. 

The underlying unbelief is what blocks the person’s blessings. He is not able to receive because he is not willing to just surrender to Jesus and believe. 

What about sin? Can sin block your blessings? No they can’t, but the unbelief produced by the condemnation and sin consciousness can cause one to feel unworthy to receive God’s blessings—it is a self-imposed stumbling block to faith.

“You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life; that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter‬ ‭3:7‬ ‭WEB‬)

In the verse above, we see clearly that treating your wife badly can become a hindrance to your prayers. 
A man who beats his wife can’t boldly stand before Jesus to receive every blessing.
His conscience will keep nagging to disqualify him from every blessing. 
That’s how sinning produces unbelief which blocks your blessings. 

“But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” ‭‭(Jude‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

There’s faith, and then there’s a “most holy faith”.

Holy means to be set apart. 

When we pray in the Holy Spirit, also known as praying in tongues, we are using a “most holy faith”.

It is a faith that is uncorrupted by worldly beliefs, unhindered by our mind’s tendency to produce unbelief in our hearts and un-limited by our understanding of Scriptures and God’s heart for us.

Praying in tongues is truly a gift that sets us apart unto God’s will—Jesus Himself praying for us through His Spirit living inside us, offering up praise and prayers that are perfectly aligned with God the Father’s will. 

“In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God.” ‭‭(Romans‬ ‭8:26-27‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

It’s the gift that allows the holy Trinity to work in tandem, having free rein over your life—destroying whatever obstacles are in your way, orchestrating blessings in your path, building you up in all ways (body, soul and spirit) and even praying for others who need urgent help. 

“So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.” ‭‭(James‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

As ignorant unbelievers, we once used the power in our tongues to speak death and destroy what is good in our lives, sabotaging our destinies. 

“Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.” ‭‭(Acts‬ ‭2:3-4‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

On the Day of Pentecost when Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit upon the church, the Holy Spirit manifested Himself as tongues of fire to show the nature of the gift of praying in tongues. 
 
Through the gift of praying in tongues, God catches hold of our tongues and uses its power to burn away what is evil and set up what is good and life-giving in our lives. 

If you were to ask me which is the creepiest, scariest and most gruesome chapter in the Bible, I would have to say Judges 19. 

In it, the depths of moral degradation and depravity can be seen, even though in terms of the volume of bloodshed, it's nothing compared to the Book of Revelation.

If you thought the Bible doesn’t depict or describe sin, then be prepared to be challenged in your belief. 

The Bible doesn't portray violence and evil just to scare you or for shock factor like in horror movies. There is a purpose for it, and it's always God-centered.
In this case, we are given a frightful chapter to show what happens when man doesn't want God to be in charge.   

Today, we see the world descending into deep moral darkness, just like the times which we will examine in Judges 19. 

Sin is not only being tolerated, but even celebrated. If you don’t accept it, then the world will say that you’re being hateful, discriminatory, and intolerant. 

“Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.” ‭‭(Genesis‬ ‭6:5‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

When we live as though God isn’t King over all and try to be upright according to our own biased sense of morality (we tend to excuse the sins that we or our loved ones commit), the inevitable outcome is wickedness and evil. 

“The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”” ‭‭(Genesis‬ ‭11:1-4‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

There was a time that the whole earth under the sky spoke one language. 

The Bible teaches that the sky is a solid structure shaped like a dome:

“God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.” ‭‭(Genesis‬ ‭1:6-8‬ ‭WEB‬)

The word “expanse” in the passage above  is “rakia” in Hebrew which means a solid structure that stretches out like a dome.

Mankind wanted to built a tower that reached the dome of the sky (to try entering Heaven), to make a name for themselves—based on their own strength and ability, apart from God. 

The pre-incarnate Jesus came down from Heaven to see the tower that man was building, and He made an interesting statement: 

“Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.” ‭‭(Genesis‬ ‭11:5-9‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

God said that the people were united, and that in their oneness, nothing would be withheld from them—there is greatness in unity. 

God is not against man ascending to Heaven, but He doesn’t want them to try and do it by their own strength. 
God had a plan to restore mankind and bring them to Heaven through faith and not by works—it would be by God’s goodness and not by man’s strength.

That plan is the cross, and we know that no one is saved by their works. 

“yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.” ‭‭(Galatians‬ ‭2:16‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

The word Babel comes from the Hebrew word “balal” which means “to confuse”.
God confused mankind’s language and from then on, they lost the power they had in their unity. 

“Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil. Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground—man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky—for I am sorry that I have made them.”” ‭‭(Genesis‬ ‭6:5-7‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

When Bible skeptics read the account of God sending a flood to destroy all living things on earth, they claim that God is a cruel dictator who committed the worst genocide. 

However they don’t consider what kind of evil mankind was doing on earth at that time. 
Back then, mankind’s lifespans were incredibly long due to the pre-flood atmosphere of the earth which was still good for supporting life. 
Imagine what kind of evil contraptions, corporations and activities can be imagined and produced by villains who live for multiple hundreds of years? 

People were probably raping others in plain sight, having sex with all kind of creatures, torturing those weaker than them and so on. 
Not to mention, the fallen angels led by the devil were making everything worse by filling the earth with their half-man, half-angel offspring calledthe Nephilim. 
They were giants—huge in stature and very strong. 

“The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.” (Genesis‬ ‭6:4‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Yahweh (the pre-incarnate Christ) saw all the evil that was happening on earth, and gave Enoch a prophecy, warning him about the flood that would come many years later. 
That explains why Enoch named his son Methuselah, which in Hebrew means “his death will bring”, in reference to the flood that would come upon Methuselah’s death. 

“Enoch lived sixty-five years, then became the father of Methuselah. After Methuselah’s birth, Enoch walked with God for three hundred years, and became the father of more sons and daughters. All the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not found, for God took him...All the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, then he died.” ‭‭(Genesis‬ ‭5:21-24, 27‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

From the time that God gave Enoch the prophecy to the time of the actual flood, was 969 years—the length of Methuselah’s life. 
Methuselah also happens to be the longest living person in history.
This is definitely not by coincidence, but was designed by God out of His patient and longsuffering character. 

God does not enjoy executing judgment—He delights in showing mercy and Grace.

“Tell them, As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, house of Israel?” ‭‭(Ezekiel‬ ‭33:11‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

After receiving the prophecy from God, Enoch probably began preaching strongly about God’s impending judgment, urging hearers to repent before it was too late. 

“About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”” ‭‭(Jude‬ ‭1:14-15‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

After revealing the truth about the impending flood to Enoch, Jesus (Yahweh) also warned Noah about it.

“Yahweh said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; so his days will be one hundred twenty years.”” ‭‭(Genesis‬ ‭6:3‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

For about 120 years, as Noah was building the ark, he was also preaching to the people, telling them to place their faith in God and to repent of their ungodly ways. 

“and didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly;” ‭‭(2 Peter‬ ‭2:5‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

​““But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap; and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to Yahweh offerings in righteousness.” ‭‭(Malachi‬ ‭3:2-3‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

I was just meditating on the passage above, about how Jesus is a Refiner and how He purifies is to become useful to God. 

To understand the illustration that Yahweh (the pre-incarnate Jesus) uses, we must first understand how gold and silver are refined. Here is how it works, based on a good article by Precious Metal Technologies (PMT):

"Gold is processed into it’s purest form through smelting and refining. High heat, pressure and chemicals are used to remove impurities from the gold.

A gold refinery receives the raw material such as rock, gold nuggets, scrap gold and re-liquefies the metal in a hot furnace, then adds various chemicals to the molten substance to separate the gold from the other metals.

A sample of the gold is used in an assay to measure the purity of the gold content, usually found to be 99.9% pure. The gold can now be used in many applications, including in electronics and jewellery making."

When you first believed in Jesus, you were like a gold nugget trapped encased in rock. 
Your spirit was reborn and perfectly holy, righteous and perfect, but your mind and body were still carnal—wanting to obey the desires of the sinful flesh.  

The high heat and pressure in Jesus’ illustration represents the trials, persecutions and sufferings that we experience in life—they are sent by the devil, not by God. 

Sometimes, God protects us from them, such that we don’t even know they were planned against us in the first place.
However at other times, when God allows us to go through them, He is with us through His Spirit, leading the way.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to experience this high heat and pressure from the devil’s temptations as well as the inhospitable heat and dryness of the environment

In this case, Jesus didn’t need to be purified because He was already sinless and perfect in all His ways. 
He was allowed to be tested by the devil to show us that He is really pure gold. 

I just read an article recently about how Pope Francis just officially approved the change of a verse in the Lord’s Prayer. 
He changed “lead us not into temptation” to “do not let us fall into temptation”—this change only affects the Catholic religion. 

“Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’” ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6:13‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

This is a big mistake—an example of man trying to make sense of God’s word according to his own understanding. 

“Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.” ‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭3:5‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

I wonder what’s the new hit song they have composed that is the equivalent of “Let It Go”? 
One thing I know is that it’s going to be super catchy and extremely attractive, and everyone around the world is going to be crazy over it. 

The world is so skilled at producing high-quality animation that captures the imagination and arrests the heart. That’s the danger of the quickly incoming Frozen 2. 

I have no qualms watching it myself because I know that it’s just for entertainment and I don’t covet magic or anything, but to a little child watching it, it is tempting them to seek magic.

The main character, Arendelle’s Queen Elsa, is a character designed based on the Snow Queen from Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, who is basically a witch. 

Elsa was born with ice magic and is able to use these magical powers whether for good or evil. 

““‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am Yahweh your God.” ‭‭(Leviticus‬ ‭19:31‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

We know that magic and witchcraft is of the devil. He has an extent of supernatural power, but it is greatly inferior to God’s power.  

“The magicians tried with their enchantments to produce lice, but they couldn’t. There were lice on man, and on animal. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is God’s finger:” and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken.” ‭‭(Exodus‬ ‭8:18-19‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Try as he may, the devil can’t create life. His powers are no match for God’s. 
After all, he is a creature whereas God is the Creator. 

Should we allow our children to watch Frozen 2? I think it’s ok if they are able to understand that it’s purely for entertainment and enjoying a well-written, fictional story. 

However, if they don’t understand that, you may find them dressing up as Elsa after watching the movie, and pretending to have ice magical powers. 

Don’t underestimate what a sampling of the occult from a young age can lead to — it’s not just harmless fun. 
As they grow up, they may be tempted to seek hidden power from dark sources, such as playing with ouija boards, casting magical spells, or practicing witchcraft.  

Satan wants them hooked from young, so that they will be easier to tempt and deceive when they grow up.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs‬ ‭22:6‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

The question I want to ask you is: Who is training up your child in the way he/she should go? 

Are they acquiring a taste for God’s word, or for the deceptions in the world? 

This is important because what they are trained in from young, will be difficult to  remove from their programming when they are old. 
​