Giving - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Giving - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Are you intimate with God? We are designed to experience nearness with the Lord, as a man is intimate with his wife. There are five ways in which we can test how intimate we are with Him.

1. The Test of Communication

   Do we communicate with God? Do we listen to Him? Do we obey Him? When we love someone we desire to constantly talk with that person.

2. The Test of Companionship

   Do we get excited with opportunities to spend time with God? Or would we rather do something else? When we love someone we try to spend every waking hour with that person.

3. The Test of Service

   Are we able to submit with delight in service to our God? Do we enjoy doing ministry work despite not getting paid or not being praised? When we love someone we seek to serve that person anyway we could.

4. The Test of Fear

   Do you fear you will displease Him? Are we confident that God will help us in our time of trouble? When we love someone we are scared to hurt that person.

5. The Test of Giving

   Do we find joy in giving our time, talent and treasures? Or is it a challenge? When we love someone we give gifts to that person. For we can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving.

Giving has always been an area of controversy and difficulty. But God takes joy when He sees us giving back to Him with a cheerful heart. His desire to bless us with more, if only we give. For those who love God, giving should never be painful. He seeks to bless us so we can bless others. But how do we become instruments of God’s blessings?

Partner with God

We are mere stewards. When we partner with God and become intimate with Him who owns everything, we are assured that all our needs will be met. We are then reminded to be worry-free and put our trust and confidence in Him alone. God desires to be involved in every aspect of our life, even with our finances. He has given us a promise that if we seek His kingdom first, He will be faithful in providing for all our needs. (Matthew 6:33)

Planning to Prioritize God

We must plan to prioritize God. Faithful stewardship begins when we give our tithes to Him. This can only be done by faith, and it is only through faith that we learn to trust and put Him first.

Prompting by the Holy Spirit

God often communicates with us through the prodding of the Holy Spirit. More often than not, these promptings will challenge us to go out of our comfort zones as He uses us to become channels of His blessings to others.

God desires for us to be a blessing for others. He desires that we pursue intimacy with Him through our giving–for the extent our giving and our willingness to trust God will all our needs show how intimate we are with Him.

Pursue Intimacy With God Series
Speaker: Bong Saquing

God’s Word - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

God’s Word - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

What is your highest priority in life? Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple.”For most of us, the problem is not that we pursue the wrong thing, but that we fail to pursue the one thing—the most important thing – intimacy with God.

God wants us to know and experience Him, to connect with Him in personal way. But intimacy with God is not natural for us. We need to depend on His grace to be truly intimate with Him and to respond to Him by “training ourselves in godliness” (1Tim 4:7).

Intimacy with God cannot be realized apart from God’s word. The Bible is one of the most audible ways by which God reveals to us His character and promises, will and ways, and His power.

Like in the psalmist’s experience of God’s guidance in his life through His word (Ps 119:105), intimacy with God is a gradual process—it requires a step by step obedience. In essence, God’s truth is learned not just by listening but by obeying His word.

God promises us in Joshua 1:8 that if we meditate on His word and obey what is written in it, He will grant us success. God longs to bless us. When God tells us to do something, it is always for our good. If we obey and apply God’s word in our lives, we submit ourselves under His protection. It always helps to be reminded that God is infinitely wise and sovereign. There are no accidents with Him, only incidents. Everything that happens to us will work together for our good (Rom 8:28). When we choose to take God at His word and obey Him even when He is calling us to an obedience that is beyond our own reasoning, we are then being sanctified by His truth. This is because God’s word is powerful. It penetrates the hearts of men and transforms people (Heb 4:12).

Through the example of Moses and the Israelites, the Bible gives us a contrast between people who know God intimately and those who do not. When the Israelites were moving out of Egypt, God led them by the way of the desert—a fairly long way. Because of this, the Egyptians caught up with them. The Israelites found themselves caught in between Pharaoh’s army and the sea. They responded to this problem by panicking, complaining and grumbling against Moses and against God (Exo.14:11). By contrast, Moses encouraged them by saying: “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today…” (v.13)

Once you know the truth through God’s word, you will have an accurate view of God that you can appropriate whatever your circumstances are. You won’t judge God through your circumstances. Instead, you would judge your circumstances in light of who God is. Do you know God personally? Is your view of Him consistent with what the Bible tells about Him? Intimacy with God is a lifetime journey. It is a constant holistic process.

Do you value God’s word? We have the luxury of having the Bible readily available to us yet we have taken this freedom for granted. Reading the Bible must not be a duty but a delight. If you struggle with reading the Bible, ask God to change your heart. Be honest with Him. At the same time, respond to Him through obedience. Be intentional—pursue intimacy with God through His word!

Pursue Intimacy With God Series
Speaker: Peter Tan-chi 

God establishes a unilateral covenant with Abraham.- Quiet Walk

Quiet Walk

Genesis 12

1Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;2And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great ; And so you shall be a blessing ;3And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all thefamilies of the earth will be blessed."4So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram wasseventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.5Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew , and all their possessions which they hadaccumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land ofCanaan ; thus they came to the land of Canaan.6Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now theCanaanite was then in the land.7The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he builtan altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.8Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, withBethel on the west and Ai on the east ; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.9Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.10Now there was a famine in the land ; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for thefamine was severe in the land.11It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman ;12and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife '; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.13"Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I maylive on account of you."14It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was verybeautiful.15Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh ; and the woman was taken intoPharaoh's house.16Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake ; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys andmale and female servants and female donkeys and camels.17But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram'swife.18Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tellme that she was your wife ?19"Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife ? Now then, here is your wife,take her and go."20Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and allthat belonged to him.

God establishes a unilateral covenant with Abraham.

INSIGHT

The opposite of obedience is unbelief; the essence of obedience is belief. If you truly believe God is totally good and all powerful, if you truly believe He always acts for His children's benefit, you will obey whatever He asks of you. It is when you doubt these truths that obedience to the Lord becomes difficult.

The New Testament tells us: "Abraham believed God" (James 2:23). Therefore, he obeyed when God said, "Get out of your country" (Genesis 12:1).

Are you struggling with obedience in an area of your life? Perhaps there is something in the Scriptures you do not truly believe. Search your life, and in the tradition of the disciples, ask the Lord to increase your faith (Luke 17:5).

PRAYER

· In faith and obedience, offer to the Lord the praise of your lips:

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,

Who only does wondrous things!

And blessed be His glorious name forever!

And let the whole earth be filled with His

glory (Psalm 72:18-19).

· Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity

of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. As you agree with God's will, voice your affirmation of His Word:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new

(2 Corinthians 5:17).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

· greater love for the lost,

· the work of missions in Africa,

· the concerns of your heart.

· Offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;

His understanding is infinite.

The Lord lifts up the humble;

He casts the wicked down to the ground

(Psalm 147:5-6).

The Lord will command His lovingkindness

in the daytime,

And in the night His song shall be with me

(Psalm 42:8).

Walking Away from God -In Touch Daily Devotional

In Touch Daily Devotional

Luke 15:20-32

Like the father of the prodigal son, our heavenly Father will not force us to remain with Him. If we ignore His guiding Holy Spirit and insist on following an ungodly path, He’ll let us go our own way. Examining the parable, we learn what happens if we move outside of God’s plan.

• Our fellowship with the Father is significantly affected.The wayward son was no longer in close contact with his dad; their relationship was not as important to him as it had been. If we wander and make ourselves higher priority than the Lord, we will also experience a disconnect with our heavenly Father. As Christians, we cannot move off God’s chosen path without first closing our mind and heart to His truth and His call on our lives.

• Our resources—time, talent, and treasure—are wasted. The son squandered his money on frivolous things and ended up worse off than the laborers at his father’s house. God has bestowed spiritual gifts and material resources to build His kingdom, and He’s also provided His Spirit to offer guidance. Pursuing our own plan wastes what He has given us.

• Our deepest needs go unmet. Chasing after dreams that are outside of the Lord’s purposes will lead to discontent. Only in Christ can we find true fulfillment.

A great weariness will overtake us if we live apart from God. Poor choices can result in lifelong regrets, but they don’t have to dictate our future. The heavenly Father will welcome us with great joy and love when we repent and turn back to Him. Have you wandered away? He’s waiting for you.

Hunger and Thirst for God - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Hunger and Thirst for God - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

We all have a drive to satisfy what we think we need. We give our time, energy, and resources to the passions that drive us, thinking that attaining our desires will satisfy us. Most basic to our existence is our need for food and water, but these are only physical needs. Beyond the physical, we are spiritual beings who have a hunger and thirst that only God can fill. We have a God-shaped vacuum that only He can fill.

Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds His disciples that the only passion that can be fully satisfied is our passion for God and His righteousness. When we hunger and thirst for God, seeking Him with all of our hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

However, we are often distracted by the things of this world. We sometimes have a lukewarm attitude towards God, limiting our passion for Him to mere curiosity instead of giving Him our utmost. History tells us of notable people and famous figures who have achieved great measures of riches, worldly success, pleasure, fame and notoriety, but ultimately destroying their health, relationships, and not finishing well.

In contrast, we look to outstanding men and women of faith who are “heroes” in God’s Kingdom. Though the world may mock or view them as “foolish for God”, we are encouraged by their sacrificial love for God. Psalm 63:1 shows David as a man after God’s heart. David was as early to rise and earnest in honoring and seeking God’s righteousness in his life.

As Christians, we are called to accept Jesus’ invitation to follow Him. Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28), compared to the worries and fears we carry. Despite this wonderful promise, we are often hesitant to seek God and grow in intimacy with Him because of the following:

FEAR. We are fearful that we will appear foolish when we put our trust in Him. This fear is remedied when we know the character of God. Is God good all of the time? When we place our trust on God’s incomparable goodness, we will not fear as we seek Him. We are fearful that we will lose control. We have the illusion that we are in control of our lives, yet the truth is we are not really in control. When we give God full reign and control of our lives, He will never fail us. As we start seeking God, He will teach us His ways and His love. Following Him leads to knowing Him, and knowing Him means loving God more and trusting in Him.

IGNORANCE of GOD & PUSHING ASIDE GOD. What is our security blanket? What is it that we are fearful of setting aside so that we can put God first? Our intimacy with the Lord is dependent on pursuing the things of God and not of this world. When we love what God loves, and hate what God hates, we draw closer to God. Our intimacy with God is not dependent on rules or regulations. Instead, it is simply a commitment to choose God above all things. God is pushed aside when our thirst for God is overpowered by something which has replaced Him.

Intimacy with God is restored by following these practical steps: telling Jesus you want a closer walk with Him; initiating conversation through prayer; confessing your failures; reading His love letter, the Bible; and expressing your love through worship and praise.

Each one of us must ask ourselves, what is the passion inside my heart? Am I hungering and thirsting for God first and foremost? As we decide to seek God above all things, He will have His way in our lives, and we will live abundantly in Him.

Pursue Intimacy With God Series
Speaker: Dr. Harold Sala 

God's Perspective on our Troubles -In Touch Daily Devotional

In Touch Daily Devotional

James 1:2-4

Today’s passage seems to make an impossible demand: how on earth can we “consider it all joy” when we face terrible hardships? Doesn’t this admonition belittle our honest troubles and concerns?

Scripture never instructs us to ignore situations that cause us heartaches, doubt, fear, or worry. In fact, the Bible is quite honest about what we as Christians can expect from a life devoted to Christ. Jesus proclaimed, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33niv). Because we seek to live by biblical values, the world does not understand our motivation and will therefore often stand against us.

How, then, can we rejoice when we face trouble? It is through our hardships that Christ often makes Himself known in our lives. If we lived trouble-free lives, what need would we have for a Savior? Rather, it is because we live fragile lives that we can see Jesus clearly.

When we face a problem head-on with the certainty that God will provide a solution and the strength to endure, we gain spiritual stamina. It is similar to training our physical bodies. Only through the resistance of an opposing force, such as a barbell, do our muscles grow. Likewise, our faith develops as a result of dealing with spiritual resistance.

Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can find the faith to rejoice in our pain. This is possible because we not only have the assurance that God will provide, but we also can trust that when we walk with Him, we will be better prepared to face the next obstacle.

Intimacy Affects Decisions - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Intimacy Affects Decisions - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Intimacy with God changes our perspective. It determines our priorities. It guides us in making the right decisions.

Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” We have two choices in life. We can either take the broad road or the narrow road. Most people pick the more prominent path. But Jesus warns us that the wide gate and broad road leads to destruction. Therefore, we must seek the small gate and narrow road that leads to Him.

In Genesis 13, Abraham chose the narrow, less popular road. By faith, he left his homeland and went to where the Lord led him (Hebrews 11:8-10). He did this because he knew God had a better plan for his life (Genesis 12:1-8).

Abraham also honored and worshipped God. Everywhere he settled he built an altar for the Lord (Gen 13:18). Abraham constantly prayed and called upon God. It was this intimacy that helped Abraham make the right decisions in his life.

Abraham was blessed and found favor with God because he continued to obey by faith. He listened and followed the Lord. He persisted in developing an intimate relationship with God and did not cease to worship the Lord.

Like Abraham, we must learn to listen and to seek God. We must be still and wait for God’s direction. This can only be done if we have an intimate relationship with the Father. In contrast to Abraham, Lot chose the wide gate.

Abraham and Lot’s possession were so great that the land can no longer support them together. They had to part ways. Abraham gave Lot first pick of the land. Rather than consulting with God, Lot immediately gravitated towards the well-watered plain near Sodom (Genesis 13:5-8).

Lot was a just and righteous man, but he compromised. The people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord (Genesis 13:10-13). The city started to consume him and his family (Gen. 19:24-26, 30-36).

Similar to Lot, we sometimes go for the easier road. We ignore God’s word and we tend to do things our way. Instead of waiting to hear from God, we act according to our will. Lot chose his own comfort over what would give God pleasure. In the end, he lost everything.

Jesus wants us to take the narrow road and enter the small gate. He invites us to have fellowship with Him. He desires us to constantly listen to His word and surrender to Him in obedience. Only a few find their way to the narrow road, will you be one of the few?