Is God Sitting On Our Throne?

Jesus has to be truly the Lord of our lives.

This can only happen until we fully renounce our lives, carry the Cross and relinquish the desire to direct our own paths in this world.

If we refused, then we will never be able to understand what it meant to be a real Christian or a true Disciple of Christ.

A true follower of Jesus is a person who has died to the soulish self, been born again of the Spirit, and who is now walking by faith in a precious relationship with the Lord. 

Only then, we can say that God is sitting on the throne of our hearts and that we are the real subjects of His Kingdom.

Albert Kang

Praying for others in your Handing-over Prayers

When you pray for others in your Handing-over Prayers, you are recognizing in others, the image of 

God. Your prayers will touch the lives of others through the hands of God. He takes what is hidden in their hearts and reveals it for confession and repentance. What once was unreachable, it is now available for divine healing. 

When you become a person of prayer, you will continue to indirectly guide others away from their confusion and towards clarity - from darkness into His wonderful light.

As you learn to "hand-over" all these precious souls in your daily "Hand-over" Prayer to the Lord, you will be working closely with the Holy Spirit to lead these struggling souls from their self-centered pursuits to the enlightening Christ-centredness. 

Because of your prayer, they will sense the love of God that seems to mysteriously surround them. And the peace that is beyond understanding, touching their innermost beings. They will seek for the source and the Holy Spirit will guide them to the source which is Christ and Christ alone. 

Your prayer life is indeed an integral part of the Lord's Prayer that invokes "Thy kingdom comes, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Amen.

Albert Kang

The Most Effective Prayer Approach - Handing-over Prayer

In your prayer and daily devotion, learn to accept all the thoughts and issues that you have subconsciously or consciously been gathering in your mind. 

Yes, you have not read wrong – learn to accept all these thoughts. Whether they be good, negative, lustful or holy, welcome them. However, you are not the reservoir for all these thoughts, but you are a clear channel. 

This means that nothing stays in you and everything flows out through you to the hands of God.

Take time to hand over gently all your comforting or troubling thoughts during this quiet moment with the Father. Whisper to Him every thought that runs through your mind. Do not fight the thoughts or treat them as unwelcomed issues. Just receive and let go.

There is no condemnation, stress, or demand on your part. Just come confidently before your Father in heaven, let go and let God handle all your thoughts and struggles. Despite your difficulties, God has given you the assurance that He is most willing to carry your burdens.

Tell God that “this thought I give to you” or “this thought I surrender to you”. If the thought comes back many times, simply hand it over again and again. Do not resist it – just hand it over to God.

Some of you may never experience this permanent love of God the Father. However, this is a good new adventure for you. Until and unless, you take time to have a solitary moment with the Father, you will never have a chance to know Him more and more.

God has said in Jeremiah 31:3 - “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.” The reason why this assurance of an everlasting love is because we are created to be everlasting. We all experienced this eternity within our souls because of the sense of this everlasting life cries out from within us.

Moreover, it is God who first loves us (1 John 4:19). We are not an afterthought. We are the apples of His eyes. Therefore, we should learn to lean upon God for this “perfect love” instead of leaning upon the people around us. God is a permanent God and our relationship with God is permanent. We can safely place our lives in the hands of God and we will never need to be afraid.

Albert Kang

Please read the first part of this article, "How To Experience God's Perfect Love"

https://faith2ndhalf.blogspot.com/2020/08/learning-how-to-give-everything-to-god.html

How To Experience God’s Perfect Love

As Christians, many are calling God as their Father, but somehow, they do not experience Him like a real father. God, to them, is like a detached parent and an unfamiliar relative. This lack of intimacy with God has caused many to seek for his “perfect love” elsewhere. Thousands of songs and ballads have been written seeking for this “perfect love”. But sadly, none of these songwriters or singers has ever discovered it or lived it out in their life. The music industry continues to serve as an aimless prophetic voice of the generations, seeking an elusive dream.

The effort to find this “perfect love” in people around ends up in disappointment. This creates a sense of loneliness in the soul and many have discarded this pursuit as an impossible goal. Even those who are married, if you are not careful, you would be seeking for this “perfect love” in your spouse. You may end up putting a lot of burden upon the spouse because this is an unrealistic expectation. Your spouse has no capacity to respond as to how God can respond. If these unworkable demands persist in your family, then you will encounter relational problems, tensions, disagreements and conflicts.

Another reason why this internal struggle continues within you is because your soulish self is seeking soulish solutions for spiritual requirements. This will never do. It is like trying to plug a square peg into a round hole. Many people are already so exhausted searching for the answer.

Nothing can fill that spiritual emptiness within you except a personal encounter with God the Father. Even though you are a Christian, that deep spiritual vacuum will continue to be there because you have never taken this journey to encounter the heart of God. A cognitively generated image of God is usually just a god of your imagination.

That is the reason why some Christians left Christianity because they could not find the fulfilment deep within. No matter what slogans the churches may use, what clichés they may apply or what scripture verses they may share about God loving mankind, the person simply says, “I don’t experience God and I really don’t know God.”

Little did most people realise that this encounter and experience with God can only happen when they take a definite journey inward. This is a journey of carrying your own cross – a journey whereby you deny yourself (Luke 9:23).

You may think that it is very difficult to carry your cross or deny yourself. Now, exactly, what are you trying to deny in yourself and how are you going to deny yourself? To put it simply, it is your soulish self that you need to let go of and go for the spiritual self that God has prepared for you. Once you understand that within yourself there is a soulish self and a spiritual self, then it will become a lot easier for you to make your decisions and choices daily.

The soulish self has to do with your self-will, a constant desire to promote yourself, a sensitive attitude that can be hurt easily, and a spirit of comparison and competition that challenges anyone whom you see as a threat. This is the part of you that is taken from the Adamic nature of self-will and self-rule. This is the part of you where you sit on the throne and that you are king.

The spiritual self has to do with your spirit fully surrendered to Jesus. In this spiritual self, God is the King of your life and you function fully under His rule, power and authority. What do you need to do to surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ? You need to let go of all the external trappings and status that you have depended on all your life. You need to have a clear understanding that your identity does not come from other people or in the things that you do or have. This is your first step of liberation – seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

Albert Kang

Please read the second part of this article in "The Most Effective Prayer Approach - Handing-over Prayer"

https://faith2ndhalf.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-most-effective-prayer-approach.html

 

Learning To Live Without The Soulish Self

Where do I even begin with this article? After having been a Christian since 1974, I begin to realise that most of the time, I have been operating from the "soulish" self. 

What is this "soulish" self that I am talking about? 

Paul the Apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:14 - "But the natural (psuchikos, soulish) man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

This is the carnal self that gets easily provoked into anger or jealously. This is the self-centred self that loves to compare and compete. When meeting a new pastor of another church, subconsciously, the spirit of comparison and competition would take over - "Is his church bigger than mine?" "Is he smarter than I am?" "Is he a better preacher?" etc. The ego and pride, though, subdued, is regretfully there.

You may have encountered this "soulish" self in you. This is the self that is very calculative and always concerned about what is it that I can gain from the situation. 

If there is any wisdom granted by the Lord, this soulish self would have converted it into scheming, manipulating and plotting how to get ahead for himself.

Even though, the teaching of the Bible, from time to time, drags this reluctant soulish self to face the spiritual truth so as to produce something godly, it rushes back to its throne once the job is done. Yes, this soulish self has a throne and it will not surrender this precious seat to anyone - not even to God. 

This soulish self is egoistic and self-centred. It loves to be served, accepted, respected, supported, cherished, honoured and appreciated.  It enjoyed being dressed up and pampered. It is unstable and insecure and so it perpetually guards against all attacks - real or imagined. Thus it is very sensitive and defensive so much so that it can easily be hurt and offended.

The Bible has an answer for this soulish self and it is found in Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Cross-referencing to Luke 9:23 - "Then Jesus said to all of them, 'If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.' 

This is the soulish self that needs to be crucified on the cross in order for me to truly follow Christ. Denying myself does not mean that I lose my personality. It simply means that now I know that I belong to a Master. From now on, I will consciously recognise Jesus as my Master and actively obey His every request. It is a paradigm shift to a different consciousness. 

When this transformation seriously happens, then I would be learning how not to operate from the carnal soulish self but rather function from the "spiritual" self under Christ. This spiritual self is my true self - the one that God wants me to be. It is free because it has nothing to judge and nothing to defend. In Christ alone, it placed its trust. 

This is my new journey - Learning to seriously take up my cross daily and follow Jesus. Kindly pray for me as I take this pilgrimage to the heart of Christ. Thank you.

Albert Kang

Flowing From the Heart of God

All our actions of God's love are not mere human effort to try and create a loving and peaceful society.

These actions are already in the heart of God and what we are doing is to bring them to actuality.

Therefore, what we do, whether we preach the Gospel, visit the sick, conduct healing ministry, or feed the poor, our actions only flow out naturally and effortlessly out of God's love and intention.

And so, let the love of God remain in you so that you will fulfil the highest calling in your life and that is to serve God by serving others with His Spirit.
Albert Kang🕊️

Colonel Sanders and Our Church

What can we learn from the testimony of the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken?

Did you know that Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, was a devout Christian? Apart from being a successful Christian, he was also a very successful businessman. He testified that it was his faith in the Lord that provided him with the motivation to succeed even when he was already 65 years old. He had since gone on to be with the Lord in 1980 but the testimony of his success continues till this day.

Colonel Sanders started out in the food business when he opened a restaurant to complement his automobile service station. He was quite a creative cook and one of his culinary inventions was a Southern fried chicken. He had marinated this with his own special blend of herbs and spices. Being a curious person, he sought after new ways and methods to improve his cooking. Soon he learned about a newly invented cooking pot known as the pressure cooker. It was said that this appliance could reduce his cooking time drastically. At that time, his existing customers were already complaining about the food preparation time being too long. So he decided to try out frying his chicken with this new invention. To his pleasant surprise, his chicken tasted much better when prepared in this way. His restaurant business blossomed and grew even beyond that of his automobile service station.

Just as he was about to enjoy the success of his restaurant business, a crisis hit him. He was forced to close his restaurant and automobile service station because a new interstate highway had redirected most of his customers elsewhere. He was then 65 years old and had nowhere else to go. He could be like many of his aged friends, who had retired and lived off the government retirement benefits. However, that was not the kind of life for the Colonel! He knew that his special recipe would be his next key to success. Colonel Sanders made a bold decision, took his recipe and pressured cooker and traveled around the United States looking for restaurants that were willing to buy his franchise.

In the1950s, this idea sounded as crazy as it sounds today. Imagine an old man with a chicken recipe-franchising scheme, driving around selling franchises that no one ever ask for. This just does not make sense.

Countless restaurant owners rejected Colonel Sanders’ franchising scheme. It was said that not less than 1009 restaurant owners turned him down before he was able to make his first sale. By 1964, Colonel Sanders had signed up more than 600 franchisees and later sold his business for a huge sum of money. The rest of the story is history.

What has the story of Colonel Sanders to do with our church growth? Here are some interesting principles that we can learn from this courageous man:

The Colonel believed in what he had.

Belief is a powerful motivation. Colonel Sanders believed that his chicken recipe was unique and probably the best. He believed that to be a fact even when no one else did. Today, Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants are found worldwide because of that singular conviction.

The church in the Book of Acts was a believing church. It went through dark time of persecutions and attacks but it triumphed because the apostles and the early Christians believed in what they had.

Do we believe that we, The Living Word Fellowship, have a unique and powerful message to share with the world? Of course, we do! We believe that God has raised The Living Word Fellowship for more than being a ministry to our community but also to the rest of the world.

The Colonel acted on his belief

It was said that Colonel Sanders often slept in his car while he was out selling his franchise. He even ate the very chicken that he cooked as samples for the restaurants. He did not just expound a theory but acted upon his belief. He was willing to sacrifice so that he could succeed.

Many years ago, Nehemiah believed that the wall of Jerusalem should be built and set out doing it. In spite of tremendous opposition from the enemies, Israel was willing to sacrifice. The citizens believed and stood with their leadership. They acted together upon that belief. The end result was that the wall was built!

The Living Word Fellowship is acting upon its belief too. We are taking the step of faith and adding another opportunity for greater outreach - the 8:30 AM International Worship Service. It will a time-consuming venture and more sacrifices will be expected. We will also be making many changes so that we will be able to serve the Lord and His people better.

The Colonel refused to respond to his limitation but only to his potential.

Most 65 year-old think that they are too old to launch any new projects. They are intimidated by the magnitude of these new challenges and so they simply give up. As for the Colonel, he refused to respond to his limitation but only to his potential. Age was never a barrier but an asset. He felt that he was more experienced and wiser to fulfill his dream.

In the Bible, Caleb was one of the old Israelite generals who refused to surrender to the limitation of his age. Instead, he believed that the Lord would bless him even at that ripe old age of 80 (Joshua 14:7-14). He was a dreamer who sought only after his potential.

We must learn from these testimonies. We do not need to surrender to our limitation either. The Lord wants to bless our potentials and we should maximize them for the glory of the Lord. Join a ministry today and be active for the kingdom of God.

The Colonel was willing to try new method

One of the primary reasons for Colonel Sanders’ success was his willingness to look for new ways to do things. By taking advantage of new invention, Colonel Sanders produced a winning formula that became the key to growing his business.

Peter, Paul and the other apostles were willing to preach to the Gentiles even though it was a completely new concept. They learned to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit even though they had to do what they had never done before.

The Living Word Fellowship will be trying out some very new approaches to evangelism and ministries. There will be critiques sitting at the wings, ready to mock when we fail. However, we must never allow the fear of failure or embarrassment to prevent us from using new methods to achieve God’s objectives.

Colonel Sanders would not be defeated

When the highway destroyed his business, the Colonel went on fighting. That’s the kind of fighting spirit we must have. When one door is closed, let’s trust that the Lord is opening another door. When the restaurant business closed, Colonel Sanders came out with the chicken franchising scheme.

Even when he was on the road, the Colonel proved to be a tenacious fellow. He did not give in to difficulties at all. After being rejected 1009 times, he went to sell a franchise to the 1010th prospect. Could you imagine what would happen to KFC if Colonel Sanders had given up after being rejected by prospect no. 1009?

The second temple took the Israelites twenty years to complete. They could have finished building in a few short years but there were much objections and resistance from the enemies. However, the Israelites under the leadership of earnest dedicated men like Zerrubabel, Joshua, Haggai and Zechariah, refused to be defeated. Their tenacity paid off and the second temple was ready for consecration in the spring of B.C. 516, twenty years after their return from captivity.

Tenacity, when applied positively, will get us over the “River Jordan.” We do not pretend that growing this church will be easy. If it were that easy then we would have done it years ago. The journey will be tough! There will be criticisms, objections, and even rejections. Whatever the cost, as long as we are patient and willing to pay the price, we will make it.

We have to continue to invite our friends and loved ones to church and cell meetings. Many of them will turn us down. Do we give up? No! We just need to work wiser and harder. We will not use anything as an excuse to fail because we know that, by the grace of God, we cannot be defeated!

We may face hardship but our church leadership is resolved to lead us to overcome every mountain and obstacle. God is giving us the “Promised Land” and we will be facing “giants”. The going will be tough but we must never, never, never give up!

A Christian Response To Covid-19 Pandemic

Rev Albert Kang speaking online

The Covid-19 virus or now scientifically referred to as SARS-CoV-2 is affecting millions around the globe. At the time of this writing, the news that came from the USA is not good at all – the number of people infected has surpassed that of China. In fact, on 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 to be a pandemic.

Grace and I have to observe the Movement Control Order (MCO) implemented by the Malaysian government. After staying home for 12 days, we are feeling a little like caged animals. There are still two more weeks of MCO to obey. 

Despite how we are feeling, it is better to maintain the physical distance from all our brothers and sisters in the Church until this crisis is over. Physical distance does not mean that we no longer can socialize. 

We are glad to be able to connect through the internet and maintain our social interactions with each other. How should we as believers and disciples of Christ respond to this pandemic?

1. Time to Build Your Faith – The Lord is still in control of this world and its situation. We should never succumb to fear because “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1). In the Gospels, there are numerous records of the disciples being afraid and the response from our Lord Jesus was always for them to fear not. 

Today, amid this difficulty, we, the modern disciples of Christ, have to do the same – we are to “fear not”. Apply the law of displacement by displacing the feeling of anxiety with the powerful Word of God. 

As you read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will help you to comprehend the deeper meaning of the truth of God. When fear shows up, your faith that has been greatly enhanced by God’s Word, will hit it like an avalanche. Not even death will frighten you because the promise of God cannot be denied – when you have eternal life, what can anybody do to you?

2. Time to Pray – Paul the Apostle challenges us in Ephesians 6:18 to pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. 

The power of prayer lies in you confessing your sins to your loved ones who are now living together with you in the same residence. With a clear conscience, you will be able to pray with power and authority for one another and even receive the healing you need. 

The prayer of a righteous person has great power indeed. Begin to pray also for the people affected by this pandemic especially the patients to get well and medical personnel who have been working overtime to take care of the patients.

3. Time to Practice Physical Distancing – As many who have been to our Church, know that how the brothers and sisters in Faithline Church are very loving and really enjoy socializing after church services and cell meetings.  

However, in this time of crisis, you can continue to socialize with each other through the internet. For the last few weeks, we have been using a video-conferencing app to meet online. 

The Movement Control Order (MCO) cannot control our spirits and souls to engage with another person and the best part is that during our online worship, the Holy Spirit is in every home and saturating us with His presence. The Word of God continues to touch lives and many have gone on a soul-searching mission while having more time for themselves and their loved ones.

4. Time to Exercise Good Hygiene – I heard this idiom “Cleanliness is Godliness” even before I knew God. Now is the time to bring this idiom to work for everyone. The advice that is coming across loud and clear is for you to wash your hands regularly with soap and water. The scientists are thrilled by what this simple soap-and-water could do to the virus. It actually kills the virus. You can use alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are temporally not available. 

It’s a good practice to cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue and if you have to sneeze or cough, flex elbow when you do. Don’t touch your face, especially your eyes, nose, and mouth. If you have to go out, put on a mask, carry a small bottle of disinfectant, and be sure to stay at least one meter or three feet from anyone. Please remember that the infected person may look perfectly healthy and still be able to infect you. Be responsible and stay home and self-isolate from others, especially when you are not feeling well.

Finally, remember that you have been given this privilege to spend more time with God. Your days of busy-ness are being put on hold for a while. Learn to praise and worship God no matter how tough this time might be. 

Learn to be thankful to Him for the provision that He has given you. If you are the one preparing all the meals, thank the Lord for giving you the creativity and strength to churn out all these wonderful meals. 

If you are one eating, then thank God for this blessing and be sure to thank the one who is cooking. In all things, be patient and forgiving. Always be kind to one another. If you are upset, instead of verbalizing with harsh words, go to your prayer closet and talk to God. 

May the Lord bless you and prosper your soul as you spend time with Him.

Rev Albert Kang

Lead Pastor 

FaithLine International Ministries