Expectations of God in a church camp

Church camps are fun and exciting, but really, what entice me the most are the revelations and wonders God work through them. I was amazed at how God was faithful in fulfilling my expectations of Him during the church camp. It is important to expect something from God if we want to experience Him. There has to be some form of expectation, which could be expressed as a desire to be touched by the Father, the Holy Spirit.

I have been to countless church camps but this church camp 2010 is the first one that I expected something from the Lord and in turn gained much from Him. I was telling the Lord of how I desired to experience Him in a different way and as much as I wanted all of Him for myself, I wanted everyone else to have a little something from Him too. I wanted salvation upon my best friend and I wanted God to reveal Himself to every individual camper in His own special ways. I did not want just one or a few to be touched by Him, but everyone. And I saw how, progressively, the Lord revealed His glory to us in all three days at camp.

I honestly did not expect much in Day 1 because I thought in most church camps I’ve been to there weren’t ministry time after the night teachings. Being a faithful God as He is, He allowed the speakers Pastors Elijah and Deborah Chan to minister to us after teaching. I could not possibly remember (or eavesdrop) every single one’s prayers and prophecies but I could remember God answered our cries and my best friend received salvation that very night. Prior to the camp he had some issues with his visa and coming for the camp was simply impossible. Somehow I knew God would make a way and bring Him to the camp because a few days before that, I had a vision of him standing right where he stood that night, lifting his hands and in tears, which also came to past. This was the first experience, an amazing one, I encountered with the Lord.

That wasn’t all. When I got prayed for, the Lord said that He will harvest the seeds that I’ve planted and Pastor Elijah had a vision of God holding a sickle in His hand and angels as well, ready to harvest the ‘crops’. The Lord encouraged me with his promise that the tears I shed did not go in vain but certainly He has seen and collected every drop of tear and that He would take control from now on. I stood on the floor, lifting my hands high up thanking the Lord for being so good to me and tears just couldn’t stop flowing down my cheeks.

Much as I was deeply encouraged by the Lord, others were delivered from their past and bondages. Many were slain by the Holy Spirit; others receive emotional, physical and spiritual healing. In short, everyone was moved that night. No one was left untouched.

Second night was a more in-depth manifestation of God’s glory and presence. I told the Lord I wanted to be prayed for last as I wanted to see everything God has done for the rest before I received my share. And I did. I stood by the side, praying in tongues, asking the Lord for more. I felt like His presence needed to come even more strongly and I hoped that His fire would fall so mightily. Again, God is faithful. More were slain by the Spirit, hearts were set free, prophecies were released, two new believers received the gift of tongues and God’s healing grace came upon those who needed it.

I encountered the Lord the first night; the second night was an affirmation from the Lord.  First, He assures me that He sees my hard work and the seeds I’ve planted will grow and bear fruits. Then, He anointed me. The word for me is that the Spirit of the Lord is upon me and I would carry the presence of God wherever I go. As Pastor Deborah could feel heat radiating from my face and toes, I felt it too. It was like fire, burning, consuming. It was for the first time I knew how to really enjoy His presence. My mind was just resting in the Lord. I felt so light, literally. It was an amazing experience I had with the Lord. I can never express enough these experiences with God. You have to experience it on your own, only then would you be convinced, and only then would you fully comprehend this joy.

Likewise, the third day morning was like new bread from heaven. The Lord didn’t fail to minister to us again. And this time, it was all four, Pastors Elijah, Deborah, our home pastor Charis and Elder George, praying for every one of us. Again I couldn’t have listened (or eavesdropped) everyone’s prayers but I remembered mine so clearly. That God was going to use the articles I’ve written in a much more powerful way and that God has a mission for me that I am to accomplish. I hold on to that prophecy and I believe that the eternal God’s promises are Yes and Amen and His kingdom will be established on earth.

I am so grateful to the Lord for these fulfilled expectations and I believe in His time, His appointed time, you too will return to Him, to the heart of worship – and the heart of worship is God Himself. Take courage, my friends, and expect something from the Lord for He will surely show you great things beyond your comprehension.

Got it, or rather, done it?

"the day I came to receive Christ"

This is a wonderful testimony written by my dearest friend who have just received Christ. I was deeply moved as I read this article and it is my prayer that many will come to know Christ after reading it. Praise be to God for salvation belongs to Him and Him alone!

Written by: Anonymous

17^th December 2010, a day I will never forget.

That was the day I came to know Christ, and here is my testimony to His greatness.

It all began when I first got to know Grace through a mutual friend. One day, she asked me whether I was keen on joining her church camp in December. I told her I would, without hesitation. At that point of time, all I thought was it would just be a normal holiday to Johor Bahru where I’d learn a little more about Christianity. Little did I expect that those 3 days would be a turning point in my life.

(Disclaimer: Many miracles have occurred in my life, thank God! However, this is the first miracle, relevant to the camp)

God’s First Miracle

Being a Permanent Resident of Singapore holding a Chinese passport, I required a Visa permit to grant me entry into Malaysia. When the date of departure drew nearer, after much procrastination, I finally decided to go down to the travel agents to get my Visa done. Thinking that visa applications would take only 3 days to be processed and given to me, I went down to the travel agents (the Malaysian Embassy doesn’t handle walk-in visa applications anymore) on a Friday afternoon – 3 working days before the departure.

Upon arrival, I enquired about visa applications and to my horror, the agent told me that processing time would require 5 to 6 working days. This meant that I would receive my visa only on the following Friday, which was also Day 2 of the camp.

I began to panic. I tried calming myself down and started looking at the options I had:

1. Call other agents and whine

2. Call my mum and whine

3. Call the Malaysian Embassy and whine

So I tried everything I could, 1 didn’t work very well because they sounded like they couldn’t be bothered; 2 didn’t work very well either because my mum was not sure what else I could do.

Left with no other option, I decided to call the embassy, already knowing that the embassy does not do direct visa applications. After relentless re-dialing, the personnel at the embassy finally answered the phone. To my extreme joy, the person told me that Visa-On-Arrivals (VOAs) were available at the customs (VOAs were actually visas with an expensive price tag that could be acquired directly at the customs, for the convenience of travelers who could not get their visas in time in their own country).

Taking that for granted, I sat back, relaxed and waited for Thursday 16^th December to come.

On Tuesday, two days prior to the trip, Grace asked me to check with the embassy again regarding the VOAs. This time, another person answered the phone and (I almost fainted, really) she told me that VOAs were revoked in August. Simply put, there was no way I could enter Malaysia.

Utterly defeated by my own procrastination, I was lost. I didn’t know what else I could do to gain entry into Malaysia. On Wednesday, one day before the trip, I texted Grace to apologize and tell her I couldn’t go anymore. I even called my camp to cancel my leave. Agnes tried to email the embassy but received no reply. It was then when Grace’s mum, Pastor Charis, told me to go down to the embassy personally.

I hesitated. I’ve read online and I’ve called them before, they don’t do visas anymore, would it be of any use if I went down? Someone in my head told me, “You have nothing to lose.”

So I went down to the embassy. I headed straight for the Visa counter which was closed but with people handling visa applications from travelling agents there. I tried to explain my situation and asked for their help but to no avail. The only replies I received were “No” and “Here’s the list of authorised travel agents, please go to them, thanks.” No matter how hard I tried talking to them, they just ignored me.

Defeated once again, I decided to head home.

At the very moment, somehow God spoke to me. At that point of time, I didn’t know it was Him. He told me that I came all the way down here for a reason, that I had nothing to lose, why was I giving up just like that? I stopped at the door and turned back.

“I want to see your superior.”

After waiting for 10 minutes, I was asked to meet the superior in an interview room. Feeling extremely hopeful, I walked in only to get reprimanded by her. She told me off for requesting for an urgent visa even though it was ultimately my fault for applying for a visa at the very last moment and that I had so many excuses to cover up for my mistakes. Knowing that it was pointless to negotiate with her, I was ready to leave.

“Sit down.” She said, as I was heading towards the door. “Write down your name and your contact and I’ll see what I can do, let me talk to my superior.” Those were the exact words she said. She asked for a copy of an official invitation to the camp from the camp commandant which,  thankfully, Agnes, Grace and Pastor Charis helped me with. She told me to go home and wait for her call, but she had no guarantees.

I reached home at roughly 1.40pm and at 2pm, she called.

“Can you get down here in 30minutes? Bring your IC and your relevant documents.”

I almost fell from my seat upon hearing that, I sped (sorry traffic police) down all the way to the embassy in 15minutes. There, everything was settled and I was to collect my visa the following day before I left for JB.

As I look back, I wondered why God put me through all the trouble and still gave me the Visa. I realised that He was teaching me a lesson – never to procrastinate. Being the merciful Lord He is, he still gave me a chance and granted me the visa. J

God’s Second Miracle - Accepting Christ, the day I embraced the Holy Father

On the day of departure, my mind was everywhere. What was I to expect from the camp? Was it going to be really awkward for me, being the only non-Christian? Was it worth all that trouble just to come for a camp that I might potentially feel like an outcast?

However, thank God for the awesome family of brothers-and-sisters-in-Christ, not only was I not an outcast, I was treated like an awesome guest (really, couldn’t thank everyone enough).

After a day of ice-breaking games and sumptuous meals, we reached the highlight of the night, the night service. Pastor Elijah was invited to this camp to speak to us in relation to the camp’s theme “Empowered to serve”. Listening to his captivating talk, my understanding of Christianity grew so much in those few hours! However, it ended there, I thought we could call it a night and feel happy that we learnt something new.

However, God’s work didn’t just end there. Then came the ministry. We were all asked to step forward to be prayed for, one by one.

Standing there, waiting for my turn, my mind started to wander. I thought about my paternal grandfather who passed away one year ago, I thought about my parents and how my family wasn’t close-knitted like many other families, and I thought about a rough relationship I had with a girl. Somehow, I just couldn’t get those thoughts out of me and I was overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed with sorrow, disappointment and guilt, so much so that I began tearing.

Pastor Elijah finally came to me, and that was when God spoke to me.

“Before I can pray for you, I need to ask you, are you ready to accept Christ?”

At that point of time, I felt His presence. It was so strong, my knees began shaking uncontrollably, and I felt warmth inside me and everywhere around me. I began tearing and I opened my eyes and looked at Pastor Elijah for a moment. Then I closed my eyes again and there I was, in the face of God. He was there, reaching His mighty hand out to me and ready to hold me like how a grandfather would embrace his dear grandson.

“Yes, yes, yes I am ready.”

I couldn’t articulate my words properly as I felt so overwhelmed by His presence that my mind just went blank and I felt like I submitted myself to Him. Having never thought that religion was my cup of tea, feeling His presence was another miracle.

Pastor Elijah led me in a prayer, and there I was, a newborn child of God.

It was at that point of time, my sorrows, disappointment and guilt vanished as if an emotional atomic bomb was dropped, wiping out all the demons in my heart.

This is the testimony of my journey which led me to accept Christ. Praise God!

As I look back at that very day, it all came to me as a revelation: All this time, God had it all planned out for me. He sent Grace into my life, then her family, then He brought me to the church camp and it was there, did He embrace me.

And it was there, did I feel safe, peace of mind and utmost joy.

I hope that whoever reads this will understand that every single word I have written here is nothing but the truth and none of it is from the figments of my imagination. My only wish is that this would serve as in inspiration to fellow brothers and sisters out there who have yet to accept Christ as their Saviour, that you would open up your arms and embrace Him as I did; and to fellow brothers-and-sisters-in-Christ, that you will never forget God’s love for you and that He will never forsake you.

Thank God and may God bless all of you.

27/12/2010

The glory of God revealed

The End of November 2010 marked one of the most significant moments in all of my years in Christianity. It was then that I realized how real God is and that He works in ways unknown to our human mind. It was a mission trip to Ipoh, Malaysia, that I saw with my own eyes how amazing it is when God chooses to reveal Himself – to anyone.

It all began weeks before the trip.

I felt an urge and conviction to fast and pray for 10 days and in the midst of doing so, I was asking the Lord for many things. One of which was to show me something in the mission trip that I could write for Him. I was telling Him how much I desire to write for Him, you know, with all my abilities and haves – and with all I am.

And He showed me things way beyond my understanding, things I have never experienced. I have heard of them before, yes, but having to experience them gave a whole new meaning to everything.

On the second night, the anointing of God came so strong that two elderly women were slain by the Holy Spirit. As I was recording the service on video and taking pictures, I thought my mom, who was also the invited speaker, had started ministering to them. Then, I took a glance at the stage. My mom was on stage. She was still on stage! She was speaking in tongues and that was all it took. God’s glory was manifested so amazingly! If you do not get what I have been trying to express, I am telling you that the elderly women fell backwards WITHOUT anyone touching them. This is what I call a miracle and this is the glory of God revealed.

Subsequently, I was led by the Spirit to go along with my mom to minister to the people who came forward to be prayed for. When we got to this man, the Chinese character “xin” which means heart, came to my mind. I was not sure if it was from God or if it was my own imagination. When my mom prayed for him, she mentioned that God wanted his heart. At that point, I remained skeptical.

But God is good and merciful. I missed it the first time but he allowed me to experience this again the third day. Again I was snapping shots and taking videos and I felt led by the Spirit to pray for this lady in front of me. I prayed in tongues and the Lord put the word “intercession” into my head. Then, my mom reaffirmed this when she prayed for her, saying that God will raise this lady up as an intercessor. I was amazed at how God allowed me to experience this.

It did not end here. While my mom was praying and ministering to one of the leaders of the church and the word was that God would give her a dancing anointing and that she would dance in the Spirit, I felt an inexplicable overwhelming joy from within. I could not comprehend the joy I felt till my mom said, “Nehemiah 8:10, the joy of the Lord is your strength”. Then, I understood it was another revelation from the Lord.

I praise God that He manifested His glory during the mission trip. And more significantly, I thank the Lord for choosing to reveal His glory to me and through me that I may write this to testify of how great my God is. To God be the glory!

23.10.10 - God's perfect gift to me

I loved my grandma very much. All of us did. It came to a point where my grandma’s existence brought great pain. She was surviving on liquid food and oxygen tubes. I stood by the hospital bed, and thought to myself, “God, please take away all the pain. If it is time, take her with you. If it is not, restore her health.” This was all I could think of when I saw the agony written all over her face. I hoped she would recover and come back home with me. Yet, in my heart I knew that was it – it’s over.

Throughout the few months my grandma was in and out of the hospital, I struggled with God. I felt that everything went wrong and where was God really? Many times, I told the Lord, “I can’t do this anymore. I need your strength.” With all that was happening, my grandma’s hospitalization and my family shifting house, it was more than I could bear. I was overwhelmed and swallowed up that I started to feel breathless. I could not breathe well; I felt as if my heart had to pump thrice as hard. I broke down in tears. I cried, “I need you Lord…”

The Lord showed me a vision of my grandma on her deathbed. Two of my cousins and aunt were there by the bed at the hospital. I thought perhaps God was telling me He was going to take my grandma away. No, I was wrong. I did not know when the time was. It was a mere guess. Still, God is good. He filled my heart with joy and peace. He heard my cries and delivered me. More significantly, He allowed my grandma to remain hospitalized during the time we had to shift and pack for the new home. There, I was certain grandma was taken good care of by the angels that were by her bed. God is faithful; His mercy endures forever.

Few days later, grandma got better and could return to the new home. Just when I thought the worst was over, about a week later, she was hospitalized – again. I grieved. Just when would this all end? Questions after questions, yet God remained faithful. Each time I was in school, or in the hospital visiting my grandma, I could feel God’s strength upon me. I felt peace in my heart. And one night, I prayed, “Lord, won’t you show me the angels that would take my grandma to be with you in heaven?”

Days passed and 23^rd October arrived. That morning, I asked the Lord, “Lord, what is my present from you? Are you gonna take grandma with you?” I gave no more thought to it and had a birthday celebration with my family at lunch. Then, we went to the hospital to visit my grandma – for the last time. My sister and I left the hospital at about 3.30p.m. At the lobby, we met my two cousins and aunt who were about to visit my grandma. I had mixed feelings that afternoon. My grandma, my birthday, doing my work at home on my birthday……I felt terrible. It was like the “damnedest” birthday. Just then, my sister received a call from my mom. Grandma had passed on. Was it for real? Was I prepared for that? What was going on?

Thoughts raced across my mind. Then, my mind went blank. How was I supposed to react? I didn’t know. Voices in my head cried out, “God! God!”

We rushed down to the hospital. Tears flowed down my cheeks. I whispered, “Thank you Lord……” Then I recalled. God had revealed all this to me through a dream weeks ago. In the dream, grandma was counting down to her death. I could recall vividly that from then to her death was 50 odd days. It all came clear to me. Those were the cousins and aunt that I saw in the vision. I should have known, really. I was just blind to the dream and vision God had revealed to me. But, I thanked the Lord.

I was overwhelmed with chagrin. God did not allow me to the see the angels that took my grandma to heaven. But, God is faithful and good. During the wake, the Lord reassured me through what my mom testified. She said, “If anyone sees angels receiving her back home to heaven, she would smile on her deathbed.” She testified that my grandma had died peacefully, with a smile on her face. Then, I knew. I thanked the Lord – once again.

This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. He made 23.10.10 so special to me - the greatest birthday gift I've ever had, and will ever have. Praise the Lord!

Holy revelation from above

There I stood, convicted and guilty. Thoughts ran wild. All I thought about was how angry God would be at churches and so-called Christians today. That holy anger, so powerful and mighty in its subtle ways, was overwhelming. God is a respecter of no man. He desires our obedience to Him. “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6).

The house of God is no longer holy, no longer truthful, and no longer passionate for Christ. Pastors preach on half-truths, all about how merciful God is, nothing about the repentance of sin and taking up of the cross. A diluted gospel is not a gospel at all. Man, out of their wits, think of ways to “save” lost souls by reaching out to the carnal flesh. There is no longer deep spiritual cleansing to salvation. This is why Christians back-sliding and turning away from the church is becoming a phenomenon. The church entices people by depicting how great the worship songs are, how good the music system is, how powerful the speaker is, and not how great our God is. There is no longer joy in the church today. Entertainment has substituted the joy. It is an embarrassment to be in the house of God today.

Where is the house of prayer that God desires? God delights in our worship and prayers. But what have we become? We have become worshippers of the world, just like the Israelites who worshipped idols. Satan is knocking at our door-steps. The Bible says that Satan is like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Have we crossed the line to open that door that pushes God away from us? There has to be a revival today.

We are called to be holy, because God is holy. We are so bothered by what the world perceives about us rather than how God looks at us. Scripture says that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. We turn away from God because someone says we are “holy cows”, fearful that we would be unable to fit in to society. We are called to be the light of the world and salt of the earth. As a light to the world, we bring God’s glory to them through our actions and words. We are reflectors of God’s glory. Christians living in darkness, following the ways of the world, getting drunk, getting obsessed with gambling and dabbling in the occult, speaks of nothing but disgrace to the holy God.

Satan is planting evil into our lives. Hence, it is so important to seek God and safeguard our hearts. When people say “this is normal, everyone does it, it’s alright”, we ought to think twice. We have to be aware of Satan’s little tricks! We think reading the horoscope is no big deal, think again – IT IS DABBLING IN THE OCCULT! We think studying astrology is no big deal, think again – IT IS DABBLING IN THE OCCULT! And we naively think “There’s nothing wrong listening to music from this particular band”, rethink and rethink – certain music have a satanic tone to it, THAT IS DABBLING IN THE OCCULT!

We often get confused about our own desires and what God requires of us. It is written in Micah 8:6: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”. This is the Word of the Lord and we must obey.

Stop Satan at our doorsteps! Turn from our ways and repent, because Christ is returning, judgment is coming!  And forgiveness of sin calls for a repentant heart, repentance is forsaking the old nature self and living in God’s ways.

Got it? Or, rather, done it?

miracles beyond disasters

Do miracles happen after a disaster? And is there hope beyond all the pandemonium and mayhem we experience in one way or another? Is there a God of miracles? Many remain skeptical, yet I for one, beg to differ. Having gone through countless disasters, I am certain that yes, with God, miracles do happen.

The Bible illustrates faithful servants of God, who more often than not, faced disasters upon disasters. They were all-so-faithful and trusted in the Lord. Daniel was one such man. When he was thrown into the lion’s den during the reign of King Darius, unlike the norm, he trusted in the Lord. He was confident in God and trusted that he would be saved, somehow. True enough, God extended his help to Daniel. He shut the mouths of the lions and kept Daniel unharmed. Because when God saves, He saves completely.

“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Of course, it is very unlikely that I would be thrown into a lion’s den or even find myself in one – and I thank God for that! I often hear of disasters occurring in Third World Nations; nature turning its back on mankind is simply inevitable. I cannot fully comprehend the emotions involved – heartbreak, haplessness and chagrin.

In April 2010, I saw with my own eyes, destruction and devastation, the aftermath of a disaster. An extremely strong wind blew, tearing down the newly-built school in an uphill village in Northern Thailand. I was there. I witnessed it all. Just as the many roof tiles were fragmented and scattered, our hearts were broken. One thing that kept us ever-thankful was that God’s grace and mercy was shown. None of the children or adults there suffered from injuries. A miracle we ought to thank the Lord for indeed!

  

Albeit struggling with the overwhelming disappointment, the team of us including the Pastor-in-charge there bowed our heads and gathered with contrite hearts in prayer. Our prayers were not of complains and whys, conversely they were of praises and thanksgivings. I saw how much faith the Pastor there had despite it all. It was truly commendable. And this, I couldn’t help but to thank the Lord for this faithful man, a man after God’s heart.

It did not stop here. We were deeply encouraged when we saw the children clear the debris with bare hands and brave young men replace the missing roof tiles under the scorching sun. There was no sign of reluctance at all. This is faith. No questions; No second thoughts. They trusted in God and did what they had to do. We then offered our help in whatever ways we could. And by God’s grace, the school was restored and the debris cleared.

Throughout the Scriptures, faith seems to be of paramount importance to God. The Bible reminds us that “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Faith is plain and simple. It’s not about your problems! Faith is letting go and trusting in the Lord and with faith, comes miracles.

Got it? Or, rather, done it?