I once heard a brilliant statement which I find to be more and more true in my life and ministry. “A man does not shape a vision… a vision shapes a man.”
As the vision which God is unfolding for us at ICCJ comes more into focus, I am amazed and I understand why God could not have revealed the entire vision to me in the beginning but is revealing more with every step.
Our Church has been planned by God to be a “Resource Church.” For a long time, I questioned Him about this because I had a wrong impression that Churches had to be big to be influential. I now understand that not only do they not have to be big to be influential, but often times, when a Church becomes big; it sacrifices much of its real influence. I would rather run with a few hundred soldiers then walk with a few thousand… though running with many thousand is possible and is something I’m looking forward to.
In order for not only Indonesia, but every nation of the world to become filled with Christ-followers, we must embrace Television as a necessary tool for evangelism and discipleship. ICCJ has now been on the air in Indonesia for a little more than a year. We have been broadcasting “Alive at the Connection” which is our English speaking service broadcast on Cable TV… a limited and mostly upscale market. We have experienced wonderful results in Church growth, in testimonies of many people blessed in other Churches and in exposure of our Church vision to those who are interested in TV ministry who are committed to Churches which do not operate with that specific vision.
For those who have been following our Church progress… you know that we recently separated Missions from Multi-Media Missions. Our Missions Department is powerful and reaches out through Orphanage Work, Disaster Relief, Church Planting and more… If we had to choose one emphasis, it would be Church Planting which we understand historically and currently yields the greatest Kingdom results. With this separation, we have developed a way to fund Multi-Media Missions not only from within but also from outside of ICCJ so that more people and institutions can partner with us. The separation has also allowed me to establish this vision: “To Plant 1,000 Churches (through Missions) and to Help 100,000 Churches (through Multi-Media Missions).”
Our greater vision and what is already being developed is to put Television programming on a National Platform in the Indonesian language. The programs reach out to Youth, Business People, Moms, Health, Young Professionals and more in a non-threatening way in which the communities that they air in appreciate because of the public service value. In our partnership with MTC Productions, a ministry run by veteran missionaries Pat and Linda Cochenour, this is not a new concept. They have been running radio programming with the same basic concept of Public Service Programming leading to Christian influence for more than 10 years, now being aired in 80+ cities with stellar results. Television ministry is the natural progression of this… and of course the radio programming will continue.
There is no effective ministry without Follow-Up. Our counseling ministry has developed a successful SMS (text message) ministry and is developing a Hot-Line ministry to handle the follow up of the Radio Broadcasts and for the National Public Television Broadcasts which are being prepared to launch in the next few months. Think with me for a moment: When people call in to our hot-lines or SMS us, we offer them practical advice and unashamedly pray with them. People are touched, people are saved and people are identified. Identification means we now have the information of people who want to be assimilated into Churches or to form the founding membership of a new Church.
ICCJ is an Assemblies of God (GSJA) Church, but we have a vision to help all Churches. In any given City or Town, we will feed the information of the people we have served by our ministry to the local Pastor that we have found to the be the best, most proactive, most responsive, most effective match for that person or family we have been in contact with. And in areas where there are no effective Churches, we will be able to target those locations as potential Church planting sites and will assist those initial disciples of Christ until such a time that a Church is planted.
I believe that what I have described is a unique model of ministry that God is going to use in a tremendous way which actually utilizes Television to build the local Church. Powerful! Can you believe it? Television ministry not building a Television empire but building local Churches?!? God has entrusted us with much and we need your partnership in prayer, in becoming one of our advocates and in finances.
There are currently 3 Pastors on our staff who are working this vision. Pastor Rishi Anandani who oversees our Missions Department, Pastor Sammy Roslim who oversees our Counseling Department and Pastor Pat Cochenour who oversees our Television Department. All three of these men and their teams are performing their responsibilities wonderfully and I am very proud to be working with them in this Church and in this nationally impacting vision and venture!
I believe that in the coming months, the major Church groups in Indonesia will benefit from this ministry and will endorse what we are doing in partnership with them for the sake of God’s Kingdom as we unify to accomplish even greater things for His glory in this time!
There is one more point that I would like to share. What makes this vision different then seemingly similar visions that many Churches have attempted and presented is that we are not interested in building any particular denomination and we are not trying to promote our Church. ICCJ is a Church with a very specific kind of person we are reaching for. God will build our small Church anyway… as we strive to build all Churches. On our Indonesian language programs, we do not mention our Church. What of the 1,000 Churches that we plan to plant and the many Churches we have already planted? We do not control them. They are all accountable directly to their respective denomination and we do nothing but offer them the help that they need to succeed. Yes, that is very different from the controlling way that many Churches try to expand their influence. We aren’t building our kingdom, but God’s Kingdom. I know somebody just said amen!
Thank you friends, for your prayers and encouragement as we continue to move forward together in effective partnership!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Hung by the Tongue
Today's message kicked off a series on the book of James. Because of Family Camp (June 27, 28 & 29) and several up-coming guest speakers including Roberts Liardon and Ray Llarena, it will take 9 weeks to fit the 5 sermons in. I entitled the first sermon "Hung by the Tongue." I take this from the title of a book I read a few years ago which made an impact on me written by Francis P. Martin. If you look it up on Amazon.com, you will see the picture on the cover which is laughable but makes it's point.
"Hung by the Tongue" is not only a book title but has become a "life-phrase" for me. I often see situations which I will discuss with my family that someone has been hung by their own tongue. I have even hung myself with my own tongue (haven't you?). There is another saying, "Give Them Enough Rope and they Hang Themselves." My father used to say this to me as advice when I was faced with any kind of conflict. The implication is that you should never fight your own battles, but give it to the Lord... And when you do that, the other person usually keeps accusing, fighting, decieving, so on so forth. You might look bad or be stressed out for a season, but what invariably ends up happening is they have made themselves out to be foolish and you have been vindicated. People who talk too much will always end up under a landslide of their own scheming words.
For the full text from today's sermon and to further your own study, read James 1:19-27, James 3:1-12 and Proverbs 18:20-21. If you would like to order the DVD or Audio CD of the sermon, please contact me at my e-mail address and I will have our resource office make the arrangements. Allow me to share just a few of my favorite points which I believe will encourage you today.
After instructing us that we should be 1) Quick to Listen 2) Slow to Speak and 3) Slow to Anger, we are additionally instructed to "humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." (James 1:20 NIV) Note that James is referring to the word which is already in you. He isn't saying to initially learn the word but to "ACCEPT" the word. It is already inside of you... available to you... it can save you. But have you accepted it? Truly? Accepted it in the context of the situation that you are facing now? Is it the highest wisdom, the highest authority and the final word for you? You cannot be saved by the word unless you accept it to the point that you reject every other possible option. (Jesus called this Binding and Loosing) Wow!!! What a wake-up call!
Another favorite point is found in James 1:22 (NIV) "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." I often pray and instruct ICCJ and our Television audience to not only be "hearers of the word" but also to be "doers of the word." Good advice, but not only good... urgent. After thourough study of this text, I have changed my view on the structure of this teaching in verse 22. Rather then seeing this instruction as applying to 3 tiers of people in this order:
"Hung by the Tongue" is not only a book title but has become a "life-phrase" for me. I often see situations which I will discuss with my family that someone has been hung by their own tongue. I have even hung myself with my own tongue (haven't you?). There is another saying, "Give Them Enough Rope and they Hang Themselves." My father used to say this to me as advice when I was faced with any kind of conflict. The implication is that you should never fight your own battles, but give it to the Lord... And when you do that, the other person usually keeps accusing, fighting, decieving, so on so forth. You might look bad or be stressed out for a season, but what invariably ends up happening is they have made themselves out to be foolish and you have been vindicated. People who talk too much will always end up under a landslide of their own scheming words.
For the full text from today's sermon and to further your own study, read James 1:19-27, James 3:1-12 and Proverbs 18:20-21. If you would like to order the DVD or Audio CD of the sermon, please contact me at my e-mail address and I will have our resource office make the arrangements. Allow me to share just a few of my favorite points which I believe will encourage you today.
After instructing us that we should be 1) Quick to Listen 2) Slow to Speak and 3) Slow to Anger, we are additionally instructed to "humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." (James 1:20 NIV) Note that James is referring to the word which is already in you. He isn't saying to initially learn the word but to "ACCEPT" the word. It is already inside of you... available to you... it can save you. But have you accepted it? Truly? Accepted it in the context of the situation that you are facing now? Is it the highest wisdom, the highest authority and the final word for you? You cannot be saved by the word unless you accept it to the point that you reject every other possible option. (Jesus called this Binding and Loosing) Wow!!! What a wake-up call!
Another favorite point is found in James 1:22 (NIV) "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." I often pray and instruct ICCJ and our Television audience to not only be "hearers of the word" but also to be "doers of the word." Good advice, but not only good... urgent. After thourough study of this text, I have changed my view on the structure of this teaching in verse 22. Rather then seeing this instruction as applying to 3 tiers of people in this order:
(worst) No Word > Hearer of the Word > Doer of the Word (best)
I know see it as applying to 3 tiers of people in this order:
(worst) Hearer of the Word > No Word > Doer of the Word (best)
The logic for this is that a person who merely hears the word and does not do what it says is deceived. This person is worse off then a person who never even heard the Word. In my opinion, to be a constant "hearer" and never a "doer" is to be moving down the road leading to a hardened heart... possibly as far down that road as to reach a back-slidden state. There is really only one status that you want to achieve if you want to be a genuine Christ-follower... a Doer of the Word, completely hot for Him (as opposed to luke-warm).
James 3:2 (NIV) states, "We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." I thank God that everyone ever born of a woman other than Jesus was and is imperfect, stumbling in various ways. Misery loves good company... But if there was anyone who was perfect, the Bible says that the way they achieved this perfection was because of one God-given tool... not his conscience, not his heart, not his attitude or intentions, not because he prays allot or excels in many spiritual gifts... it is because of his controlled tongue. James then tells us that our tongue is like a bit in an animals mouth, like the rudder of a ship, like a spark that ignites a devastating forest fire, that it is itself a fire set on-fire by hell and that it is the only beast in the world that cannot be tamed. In other words, your worst problem, if tamed supernaturally (because it cannot be tamed naturally) is also your greatest weapon and solution. Do you believe that? Do you believe that every wrong decision, every sin, every temptation could have been avoided/overcome if you had simply said the right thing? Believe it or not, that is what the Bible is saying here and the Bible is completely true. If you don't believe it you won't achieve it. Your miracle my friend... is in your mouth.
But check this out: James is speaking to believers. Your tongue IS set on fire by hell. Whether you have been saved 5 minutes, 5 days or 50 years... the natural state of your tongue is that it is an instrument of destruction... if un-checked, a tool for hell. It always has been and always will be. Forget about joining Alcoholics Anonymous, we need to set up a new association called Evil Tongues Anonymous. It is a bigger problem. We are hopelessly and helplessly at the mercy of this beast in our mouths and we need God's continuous help as we continue to renew our minds to be more like Jesus.
We must live disciplined lives, aware that we will be held accountable for every careless word. We must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger... only speaking intentionally with our words in alignment with God's word, will and vision for our lives. It will be our greatest struggle all of the days of our lives.
In James 3:9-12, we are further exposed. James brings to light that with the same mouth, we praise God and curse men. He says that it shouldn't be that way, but you and I both know that he was right and that it is that way. We are told that fresh water cannot flow from a salt spring. Isn't James contradicting himself here? We praise God (pure) and curse men (salty --- like putting salt in someones wound or giving them a drink of water that cannot satisfy). But he says it isn't possible.
I'm injecting a word here... "Encouragement." You can praise God all day and all night long but you don't need to minister to God. You don't need to encourage Him. God is not depressed and His disposition is not affected one bit by your encouragement. But your Brothers and Sisters in the Body of Christ need encouragement. Is your tongue capable of ministry? I know you can praise God, but can you encourage His people? I know you can feed the poor, house the homeless, donate millions of dollars (collectively or individually)... I know you can teach, lead worship, build houses for earthquake victims... But are your words fresh water? Anybody can praise God but not just anybody can minister... really minister personally through their words. Only those who with God's help are in control of their tongue.
Can you handle one more? Trust me... get the DVD and you will see that we have only touched on this teaching in this posting. Proverbs 18:20-21 (NIV) "From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
This is a popular scripture which easily brings an enthusiastic "amen." But let's look at it closely. So God is saying that YOU fill your own stomach with your own words? Hello? I thought that Jesus satisfies us and that God's Spirit fills us! Well, yes, but remember that your miracle is in your mouth. God wants to fill you and He wants to satisfy you... He wants to bless you and heal you and set you free... but He needs something.
He needs your tongue! He needs you to overpower the fire from hell that naturally inflames your mouth causing damaging words to blurt out, and instead, begin to allow the fire of God to overcome that strange fire... Begin to fill yourself with good things right now and allow God's Spirit to utilize your tongue. Your future depends on it. Begin to speak with a spirit of faith and with expectation as you fill yourself with a loud and confident voice. There is nothing neutral about your words. You are either saying things under the inspiration of a tongue set on fire by hell or you are supernaturally speaking words of life inspired by the Word... Jesus Christ... who is sending His word to heal you right now. You know you can do it!!! But can you keep it up? If you make this a priority and become a Doer and not just a Hearer then your life will never be the same and other peoples lives will be changed too! Are you gonna go 55 minutes or 55 years?
Commit to being that person who with your dying breath, many many people will gather to pay their respects because of a tongue that imparted life and not death.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Don't "Settle Out-of-Court"
One of the analogies that we have of the Kingdom of God is that of a Court Room. God is the Judge, Jesus is our Attorney and the devil is prosecutor.
In the earthly legal realm, the majority of cases are solved before they get to court. This is because most people would rather make a deal then get into a situation where Jurors and a Judge decide your fate. Most would rather have a "sure thing."
In the heavenly realm, at the end of this life on Earth for all the generations collectively, God the Judge is going to have the last say and there will be no settlement. Only a decisive judgement will be given and it will be perfect. In order to negotiate this life properly, it takes eternal focus...
In the "out-of-court" negotiations which attorney's often busy themselves with, one of the key considerations is to know what evidence there is. Without evidence, the defense wins. With evidence, the prosecution wins. On Earth, a nice smile might sway the jury, but in Heaven, it is a matter of truth and the jury is impartial.
The devil is the "Accuser of our Brothers" (Revelation 12:10 NIV) who hurls accusations at us before God "day and night." And for some reason, God allows it (so that we can become stronger and grow and more...). Interestingly, much of it is happening before our very eyes and not only in heaven. What is going on here on earth is a projection of what is going on before the Father in heaven. When the devil accuses you up there, be certain that somebody... some unsuspecting pawn is hurling the same accusation down here... Christian or non-Christian.
But check this out: Psalm 130:3-4 (NIV) "If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared."
Once you have asked the Lord for forgiveness, He eliminates any record of sin. Therefore, anytime anyone brings up your past, God has no record or recollection. That evidence is outdated and inadmissible. But the devil would like for you to settle out of court based on old evidence. It is at this point that he (and his agents) begin to use fear and intimidation tactics. They use the tool of public humiliation or embarrassment, but God says anytime anyone brings up your past, that is a time to give your testimony. They will even use the hypocrite trick. But forgiven people are never hypocrites. Hypocrites think of themselves as above forgiven tax collectors, prostitutes, mechanics, pastors and students! Don't empower the old evidence with fear... because God has not given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and self-discipline... so you won't freak out and give in. Hello?
Don't give in my friend... don't settle out-of-court. The enemy is trying to gain control in any area of your life that he can. Draw a line and declare reality: "I am forgiven and I am free! You cannot intimidate me devil and we are going to court and I win in Jesus name!" Go ahead... you know you've always wanted to say it... "I'll see you in court!"
I want to be in the light as He is in the light... don't engage the prosecution in the dark my friend but engage him in the light... in court and never out of court.
1 John 1:7 (NIV) "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."
In the earthly legal realm, the majority of cases are solved before they get to court. This is because most people would rather make a deal then get into a situation where Jurors and a Judge decide your fate. Most would rather have a "sure thing."
In the heavenly realm, at the end of this life on Earth for all the generations collectively, God the Judge is going to have the last say and there will be no settlement. Only a decisive judgement will be given and it will be perfect. In order to negotiate this life properly, it takes eternal focus...
In the "out-of-court" negotiations which attorney's often busy themselves with, one of the key considerations is to know what evidence there is. Without evidence, the defense wins. With evidence, the prosecution wins. On Earth, a nice smile might sway the jury, but in Heaven, it is a matter of truth and the jury is impartial.
The devil is the "Accuser of our Brothers" (Revelation 12:10 NIV) who hurls accusations at us before God "day and night." And for some reason, God allows it (so that we can become stronger and grow and more...). Interestingly, much of it is happening before our very eyes and not only in heaven. What is going on here on earth is a projection of what is going on before the Father in heaven. When the devil accuses you up there, be certain that somebody... some unsuspecting pawn is hurling the same accusation down here... Christian or non-Christian.
But check this out: Psalm 130:3-4 (NIV) "If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared."
Once you have asked the Lord for forgiveness, He eliminates any record of sin. Therefore, anytime anyone brings up your past, God has no record or recollection. That evidence is outdated and inadmissible. But the devil would like for you to settle out of court based on old evidence. It is at this point that he (and his agents) begin to use fear and intimidation tactics. They use the tool of public humiliation or embarrassment, but God says anytime anyone brings up your past, that is a time to give your testimony. They will even use the hypocrite trick. But forgiven people are never hypocrites. Hypocrites think of themselves as above forgiven tax collectors, prostitutes, mechanics, pastors and students! Don't empower the old evidence with fear... because God has not given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and self-discipline... so you won't freak out and give in. Hello?
Don't give in my friend... don't settle out-of-court. The enemy is trying to gain control in any area of your life that he can. Draw a line and declare reality: "I am forgiven and I am free! You cannot intimidate me devil and we are going to court and I win in Jesus name!" Go ahead... you know you've always wanted to say it... "I'll see you in court!"
I want to be in the light as He is in the light... don't engage the prosecution in the dark my friend but engage him in the light... in court and never out of court.
1 John 1:7 (NIV) "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."
Monday, May 12, 2008
When the enemy says "You are Finished..."
Recently, an angry person delivered a smug and threatening message to me based on their opinion of something they didn’t agree with. They looked me in the eye and said, “You are Finished.” This persons intent was to personally make it happen, whatever that means. But within a few seconds of hearing those words, just as fear had begun to grip my heart, the Spirit of God spoke His words to me and I will never forget them. He said, “You are not finished, IT IS FINISHED.” Praise God! Of course I knew Jesus said this as He was dying on the cross to complete His earthly mission to destroy the works of the devil (John 19:28-30).
This experience was so mighty and meaningful for me personally that I delivered it as the sermon theme for our service in Sunter on Friday and for our main services in Kuningan on Sunday this past week.
I won’t write the entire sermon for you here, but you can order our audio or video sermons by contacting the ICCJ office or by E-mailing me. Here are just a few points which I believe will bless you today.
Jesus gave his first statement which could be miss-construed as a complaint during his crucifixion when he said, “I am thirsty.” It wasn’t a complaint at all, because like a lamb to the slaughter, silently, His body was abused leading up to this time. It was a statement which would cause the soldiers to give him the vinegar which would fulfill the prophesy in Psalm 69:21 stating that he would be given vinegar to drink before dying. It also fulfilled the prophesy in Psalm 22:15 stating that he would have used His energy up and have become so thirsty that His tongue would stick to the roof of His mouth. But additionally, this statement Jesus made translates into a powerful lesson on how we can become even more victorious.
Jesus knew the prophecies… He knew the things that He would have to go through in order to fulfill His God appointed life journey. You and I have not been prophesied over to the extent that Jesus was and certainly not for many lifetimes before we were born, but there is a plan for our lives. There are things that we must go through and if we run from them and do not face them, we go around again and again until we willingly face our cross. To live and to live more abundantly as the scriptures claim that we can, requires death and resurrection. Our flesh dies, our spirit lives. Our desires die, God’s greater desires for us and within us come to life. We die to sin and become alive in Christ. Awesome!
After He took the vinegar, He said “It is Finished” and he bowed His head and willingly died. Whatever the sour thing is that you are going to have to endure, face it as Jesus did… say that you thirst… say “come on, let’s get this over with”… and then willingly bow your head and let your flesh die in that experience so that you might really live!
Have you ever been thirsty, really thirsty? You must say you thirst before you can say “It is Finished.” Thirst represents coming to the end of yourself. You have fulfilled your journey requirements (for this phase or level of life) and you have also come to the conclusion that you have no other options. Only Jesus can heal you, touch you, bless you and save you. You only want peace from Him, comfort from Him, strength from Him. Without a drink from heaven, you will die. That is genuine thirst.
In High School, I ran for the Cross Country team. The goal was to cross the finish line having depleted the last bit of strength I could muster. Once, I even blacked out and when I came to, I felt so good about myself knowing that I could not have done better. But I needed water desperately. I had come to the end of myself and was experiencing intense thirst.
Samson is a type of Jesus in the Old Testament and he came to the end of himself as well. There are many like Samson which are useful for us to study as we strive to become more like Him even though we are human like them. Let’s read:
Judges 15:18-20 (NIV)
18 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.
20 Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
Samson had just killed 1,000 men with a bone… something beyond human ability for sure. And he was so expended that he couldn’t even walk home and he knew he would surely fall into enemy hands or die. For the first time in his life he experienced real thirst. He needed miracle water that only God can provide. And let’s face it; he only cried out to the Lord because he was thirsty. Prayer is one thing, but crying out to the Lord in desperation is another. We don’t cry out to the Lord unless we are thirsty or desperate.
Something else happened. He admitted that God had given him the victory. If you study his life you will see that he was an arrogant young man up until that point and all of the fighting he did was spurred by anger, pride, competition, etc. Even though God had given him the strength (you could say talent or ability), he was not doing these deeds for God but because of his own selfish desires. Samson is the same as we all are. God has given us our strength and our abilities and rather then giving Him the credit; we are usually proud of ourselves and want others to take notice. It takes real thirst to admit that it is only because of God… and He deserves all of the praise, glory, honor and credit.
Think about this. Knowing Samson’s basic human character flaws… don’t you think if God had not have humbled him that instead of admitting that it was God who gave him the victory, that Samson would have been basking in the glory of it and letting the girls touch his muscles as he told them how great he was? Hmm, yes, I think so.
After he admitted his thirst and gave God the credit, God revived him and then in verse 20, established him. Israel had not recognized Samson as a leader up to this point. He was just a selfish brat who had experienced a bad marriage to a Philistine woman. Who in their right mind would even consider a man who had lived through such a scandal to lead Israel as its Judge for 20 years? Impossible! Remember, Israel had sent an army of 3,000 to tie him up and deliver him to the Philistines. But God is the one who establishes leaders and through this fleshly victory and through the humbling of the one who performed it… through thirst… God raised Samson up.
Say what you will about the Delilah debacle which comes later… Samson had 20 good years and even after Delilah, his hair grew back and God still used him one last time. Friend, if you have had loss in your life, your hair will grow back too! Don’t let anyone tell you differently! As we used to say in Chicago, “The devil can’t give it to you and the devil can’t take it away!” If you have received Jesus, then you belong to God and are firmly in the grip of His grace!
I am a sinner saved by grace and I go through humbling experiences too. It is in these humbling times that we must admit our thirst and begin to declare that we are not finished, but It is Finished! No matter what you have done or how long you have been doing it for, no matter what your weakness is (Samson’s was Philistine women), God has a plan for your life. As the Prophet Jeremiah said, it is a plan not to cause you harm you but to bless you and to give you great hope and an awesome future!
Let us today admit our thirst, our lack, our dependence on Jesus. Let us come to the end of ourselves and receive all that we need from Him. When we are weak, He is strong and He is faithful!
Declare with me over your past right now: It is Finished! Declare with me right now over the habit and iniquity you have been struggling with: I Thirst for You Jesus and It is Finished! Over the wrong relationships or over the bad business practices: You are My Source Jesus and It is Finished! Friend, apply this to everything in life. Jesus, we thirst for only one kind of water and that is the living water that only you can provide! And we thank you for the work that you did on the cross, destroying the power of sin, declaring and enabling us to declare, IT IS FINISHED!
This experience was so mighty and meaningful for me personally that I delivered it as the sermon theme for our service in Sunter on Friday and for our main services in Kuningan on Sunday this past week.
I won’t write the entire sermon for you here, but you can order our audio or video sermons by contacting the ICCJ office or by E-mailing me. Here are just a few points which I believe will bless you today.
Jesus gave his first statement which could be miss-construed as a complaint during his crucifixion when he said, “I am thirsty.” It wasn’t a complaint at all, because like a lamb to the slaughter, silently, His body was abused leading up to this time. It was a statement which would cause the soldiers to give him the vinegar which would fulfill the prophesy in Psalm 69:21 stating that he would be given vinegar to drink before dying. It also fulfilled the prophesy in Psalm 22:15 stating that he would have used His energy up and have become so thirsty that His tongue would stick to the roof of His mouth. But additionally, this statement Jesus made translates into a powerful lesson on how we can become even more victorious.
Jesus knew the prophecies… He knew the things that He would have to go through in order to fulfill His God appointed life journey. You and I have not been prophesied over to the extent that Jesus was and certainly not for many lifetimes before we were born, but there is a plan for our lives. There are things that we must go through and if we run from them and do not face them, we go around again and again until we willingly face our cross. To live and to live more abundantly as the scriptures claim that we can, requires death and resurrection. Our flesh dies, our spirit lives. Our desires die, God’s greater desires for us and within us come to life. We die to sin and become alive in Christ. Awesome!
After He took the vinegar, He said “It is Finished” and he bowed His head and willingly died. Whatever the sour thing is that you are going to have to endure, face it as Jesus did… say that you thirst… say “come on, let’s get this over with”… and then willingly bow your head and let your flesh die in that experience so that you might really live!
Have you ever been thirsty, really thirsty? You must say you thirst before you can say “It is Finished.” Thirst represents coming to the end of yourself. You have fulfilled your journey requirements (for this phase or level of life) and you have also come to the conclusion that you have no other options. Only Jesus can heal you, touch you, bless you and save you. You only want peace from Him, comfort from Him, strength from Him. Without a drink from heaven, you will die. That is genuine thirst.
In High School, I ran for the Cross Country team. The goal was to cross the finish line having depleted the last bit of strength I could muster. Once, I even blacked out and when I came to, I felt so good about myself knowing that I could not have done better. But I needed water desperately. I had come to the end of myself and was experiencing intense thirst.
Samson is a type of Jesus in the Old Testament and he came to the end of himself as well. There are many like Samson which are useful for us to study as we strive to become more like Him even though we are human like them. Let’s read:
Judges 15:18-20 (NIV)
18 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.
20 Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
Samson had just killed 1,000 men with a bone… something beyond human ability for sure. And he was so expended that he couldn’t even walk home and he knew he would surely fall into enemy hands or die. For the first time in his life he experienced real thirst. He needed miracle water that only God can provide. And let’s face it; he only cried out to the Lord because he was thirsty. Prayer is one thing, but crying out to the Lord in desperation is another. We don’t cry out to the Lord unless we are thirsty or desperate.
Something else happened. He admitted that God had given him the victory. If you study his life you will see that he was an arrogant young man up until that point and all of the fighting he did was spurred by anger, pride, competition, etc. Even though God had given him the strength (you could say talent or ability), he was not doing these deeds for God but because of his own selfish desires. Samson is the same as we all are. God has given us our strength and our abilities and rather then giving Him the credit; we are usually proud of ourselves and want others to take notice. It takes real thirst to admit that it is only because of God… and He deserves all of the praise, glory, honor and credit.
Think about this. Knowing Samson’s basic human character flaws… don’t you think if God had not have humbled him that instead of admitting that it was God who gave him the victory, that Samson would have been basking in the glory of it and letting the girls touch his muscles as he told them how great he was? Hmm, yes, I think so.
After he admitted his thirst and gave God the credit, God revived him and then in verse 20, established him. Israel had not recognized Samson as a leader up to this point. He was just a selfish brat who had experienced a bad marriage to a Philistine woman. Who in their right mind would even consider a man who had lived through such a scandal to lead Israel as its Judge for 20 years? Impossible! Remember, Israel had sent an army of 3,000 to tie him up and deliver him to the Philistines. But God is the one who establishes leaders and through this fleshly victory and through the humbling of the one who performed it… through thirst… God raised Samson up.
Say what you will about the Delilah debacle which comes later… Samson had 20 good years and even after Delilah, his hair grew back and God still used him one last time. Friend, if you have had loss in your life, your hair will grow back too! Don’t let anyone tell you differently! As we used to say in Chicago, “The devil can’t give it to you and the devil can’t take it away!” If you have received Jesus, then you belong to God and are firmly in the grip of His grace!
I am a sinner saved by grace and I go through humbling experiences too. It is in these humbling times that we must admit our thirst and begin to declare that we are not finished, but It is Finished! No matter what you have done or how long you have been doing it for, no matter what your weakness is (Samson’s was Philistine women), God has a plan for your life. As the Prophet Jeremiah said, it is a plan not to cause you harm you but to bless you and to give you great hope and an awesome future!
Let us today admit our thirst, our lack, our dependence on Jesus. Let us come to the end of ourselves and receive all that we need from Him. When we are weak, He is strong and He is faithful!
Declare with me over your past right now: It is Finished! Declare with me right now over the habit and iniquity you have been struggling with: I Thirst for You Jesus and It is Finished! Over the wrong relationships or over the bad business practices: You are My Source Jesus and It is Finished! Friend, apply this to everything in life. Jesus, we thirst for only one kind of water and that is the living water that only you can provide! And we thank you for the work that you did on the cross, destroying the power of sin, declaring and enabling us to declare, IT IS FINISHED!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
A Mess God Uses
One thing I’ve learned is that “flesh protects flesh.” I find this to be especially true of myself. When being led by the Spirit of God, occasionally He has me do things or allow things which cause not only great discomfort but even conflict and division. How can this be if God is never the author of confusion? How can it be that when God moves in certain ways that His people can become uneasy?
An example of this occurred recently. Some brothers from the Church introduced me to a person that they wanted to be a guest speaker. The Holy Spirit instantly “informed” me that this Man of God (he really is a great Man of God) was not to preach, but that he was to speak some things to me and to the Church.
I met with him personally and it was a very uncomfortable meeting but he told me truths that I needed to hear. Truths that others around me for various reasons either cannot or do not share. It hurt but it was necessary for my personal development. I then had him share/pray with the Pastoral Staff, and again, it was painful but productive. There was one item which was spoken over one of our Pastors which I don’t believe was accurate, but after many years in the ministry, I have learned to “eat the fish and spit out the bones” and to not judge a prophet but the prophecy itself. I know this is difficult for many to accept, but I can receive prophesy from a believer, an un-believer, a person of character or a person of ill-repute, and more importantly, through a person that I like or a person that I dislike… if through a donkey, then let it be so. God will speak through whomever He wants to speak and it is up to us to discern what is from Him and what is not no matter the messenger or the style (packaging). God’s Word says that nobody sees in full and we all speak in part… even those who walk in the office of prophet. I asked him to be available for our two services on Sunday and to be ready to pray should the Holy Spirit lead me to allow him to do so.
In the early service, he delivered a powerful word targeting the musicians. The word specifically dealt with two cases that I have now been made aware of but it was addressed to all of them. The problem with this is that they all felt embarrassed as if it was an issue for all of them. For those who have been around prophetic ministry, this is a minor thing but for those who have not been, it is major. The amazing thing is that the timing was right on… we were in the midst of recording ICCJ’s first album and this kind of “cleansing” was needed in order for us to be and to do better.
It is messy. The embarrassed people had questions, and fortunately, our Pastors and more mature leaders have mostly been able to explain things and turn it into a positive situation. Messy but worthwhile if seen all the way through to life changes and understanding.
In the second service, the Lord spoke to me and instructed me to allow the Man of God to close the service with prophetic prayer rather then to pray after worship as he did in the first service. When the time came, I balked (backed out) … I was going to just end the service and not let him close. It’s easier and less messy. After all, the people who would be “targeted” would surely get their breakthrough at another time in a more comfortable way…right? Well, I can’t answer that because I am not God. Only He knows that. I must do as I am instructed by God’s Spirit.
So the Spirit of God arrested me. Actually it felt more like a kick. I knew that I would grieve my Father if I did not allow this Man of God to pray at the end. I said to the Lord in one of those split second conversations, “what if he makes a mess?” The Lord answered me, “there WILL be a mess, but don’t worry about it because there are some things that must be learned.” I thought to myself… “GREAT... WONDERFUL...”
This would be yet another one of those times that my Counselor, the One who leads me into truth would take me on a journey that will cause people to question whether or not I am really hearing from Him. I already knew in my mind and heart what was on the horizon and I had a choice to make. I chose to not quench the Spirit, though with the understanding that He would be flowing through a human vessel with some undoubtedly human things coming through along with what the Spirit would bring.
I asked the Man of God to close the service with prayer, sharing what God asks him to speak. He shared some things, valid things, and then started to call some people out specifically. Many in the audience freaked, especially because they were scared that they might get called out. I personally did not want it to continue because I felt that in an Indonesian context, sensitive things should be spoken of privately… at least without the microphone. I moved towards him to take the microphone and then the Holy Spirit kicked me again, telling me “do not interrupt My servant.” And so I simply re-positioned myself to the other side of the altar. I cannot describe to you how much I wanted that microphone back… I wanted to tackle him.
I will likely never know if everything spoken was completely accurate or not, but that is not the point. The point was to be faithful to the voice of the Spirit of God. Based on my knowledge of those spoken over, it was at least mostly accurate. It went long and many people left... many fearful and many angry. If I could do anything over again, I would have invited anyone to leave if they needed or wanted to, because in Indonesia, people will generally wait to leave until the benediction prayer. This is a very respectful culture. If I made a mistake, this is what it would be, but I don’t know if it was or not. Maybe if I had done that, many who needed to experience this might not have. One of the beautiful things which can also be a frustration is that when we walk with God, He turns both positive and negative experiences into something that He uses for His glory.
Now comes the flesh with the Spirit on the visiting Man of God’s part. He used a very rude term when addressing me. There was an audible gasp in the congregation. One of the big complaints in the aftermath was that he was disrespectful to me. But to be fully honest, I didn't feel that way and I felt loved by God and saw it necessary that my congregation would see me submit to public correction. Technically, it was not swearing because he did not take the name of the Lord in vain, but it was rude enough that I cannot write or repeat it. I understand that in the country he comes from… on an entirely different continent… that this kind of talk is common even from the pulpit. For those of you in Indonesia who were in the service, you would be surprised to know that I have heard that very term spoken from the pulpit in Singapore at least 3 times because though Singapore is near, the culture even there is not like it is here. People in Churches in Singapore wear clothing to Church that most Indonesians would not dream of wearing. Wrong? Let God decide and speak to hearts individually my friend. "Judge not unless thou also be judged." We have to understand culture. That man of God now knows how rude that term is in Indonesia and should definitely be sensitive to the culture here and not repeat the experience. It’s sad, but this kind of thing takes from the credibility of what God is doing.
I left that service wondering what in the world God could possibly have to teach me and others through this service and experience. I also knew that my phone would be ringing off the hook once everyone finished their now very late lunches.
I received reactions across the board from people wanting me to have him preach in the future to people being anxious that some are so upset that they might not come back to the Church. It is possible that some might not come back… particularly some of our visitors and newer people. But shall I listen or shall I not listen to the Holy Spirit of God even if a mess occurs? If I grieve Him then I might as well become a business person again… which I am not willing to go back to. One man sent me an SMS (text) saying that this is an answer to prayer… that God would establish more of the prophetic ministry in the Church so that more would receive deliverance and breakthrough. Another brother told me (not in a rebellious way) that my “approval rating” as a Pastor used to be a 10 but is now very low… That’s a scary thought when scripture is applied to it. Should Pastors make decisions based on a public approval rating when God has already clearly spoken to their hearts?
Much of what I “learned” is that though I do not want or believe that this exact format of prophetic ministry is what ICCJ needs, it did identify the fact that we are lacking and must make improvements. The “words” spoken were mostly correct but they were delivered harshly and not in uniformity with the culture of our Church. I am praying that God will show me how to establish more prophetic ministry in a way that is both sharp and gracious. I believe that it is possible and I thank God for this rough experience. I am among the first to admit that I sometimes need a kick to get moving in the right direction.
As the calls, SMS’s, E-mails and conversations have unfolded; it has become increasingly clear that the public element of the “words” delivered was necessary. The cases represented there were in need of unified efforts to help them and the right people heard the prophetic words and were able to coordinate their efforts. People were helped. They received ministry coordinated by the Spirit and delivered by the Body. But again, as I develop myself to implement the changes to making ICCJ what God desires, I understand that there is a limited public where this would be more beneficial then a general public. But ultimately, I promise you that whether I like it or not, whatever, whenever I hear God’s voice instructing me to do or allow something, I am committed to doing it exactly… no matter what the public back-lash brings. This is God's Church, not Steve's Church.
God is good all of the time and I am grateful that He knows exactly what we need in order to grow… I even thank Him for this “radiation treatment.”
We had a prayer meeting 3 days later and several people, including 2 of my Pastors testified that they were against what had happened… very much against it. But that in the 3 days since that Sunday, they discerned that it was God and it was supposed to happen. Here is another lesson. It doesn’t matter how people “feel” at the time of ministry. It is about long term results. Several people admitted that they left or hid because they did not want to be exposed. How can this be anything but beneficial? They ended up getting right with the Lord because it was a wake up call which exposed the need for repentance.
There is much more but I will begin to wrap it up here. Maybe I will write more on this in the near future as God teaches us more. Many of us sense that this has somehow sparked a huge change for the better at ICCJ. You may be asking if I am going to let that man of God preach? Probably not… I don’t let anyone preach unless I have heard from God. But if God says to allow it, then I will. We shall see.
Flesh protects flesh, but no flesh can approach God and live. It’s a problem for all of us. I want more of God and I will do whatever I can to kill my flesh so that I can experience more of Him. I’m looking for those who will go with me to the mountain of God, not just sending their Pastor as the people did Moses because they were afraid of the thunder and lighting. Will you go with me? Are you willing to face discomfort and fear in order to glimpse His presence? Are you willing to die?... even to be embarrassed or uncomfortable? I pray so. Let’s go!!!
An example of this occurred recently. Some brothers from the Church introduced me to a person that they wanted to be a guest speaker. The Holy Spirit instantly “informed” me that this Man of God (he really is a great Man of God) was not to preach, but that he was to speak some things to me and to the Church.
I met with him personally and it was a very uncomfortable meeting but he told me truths that I needed to hear. Truths that others around me for various reasons either cannot or do not share. It hurt but it was necessary for my personal development. I then had him share/pray with the Pastoral Staff, and again, it was painful but productive. There was one item which was spoken over one of our Pastors which I don’t believe was accurate, but after many years in the ministry, I have learned to “eat the fish and spit out the bones” and to not judge a prophet but the prophecy itself. I know this is difficult for many to accept, but I can receive prophesy from a believer, an un-believer, a person of character or a person of ill-repute, and more importantly, through a person that I like or a person that I dislike… if through a donkey, then let it be so. God will speak through whomever He wants to speak and it is up to us to discern what is from Him and what is not no matter the messenger or the style (packaging). God’s Word says that nobody sees in full and we all speak in part… even those who walk in the office of prophet. I asked him to be available for our two services on Sunday and to be ready to pray should the Holy Spirit lead me to allow him to do so.
In the early service, he delivered a powerful word targeting the musicians. The word specifically dealt with two cases that I have now been made aware of but it was addressed to all of them. The problem with this is that they all felt embarrassed as if it was an issue for all of them. For those who have been around prophetic ministry, this is a minor thing but for those who have not been, it is major. The amazing thing is that the timing was right on… we were in the midst of recording ICCJ’s first album and this kind of “cleansing” was needed in order for us to be and to do better.
It is messy. The embarrassed people had questions, and fortunately, our Pastors and more mature leaders have mostly been able to explain things and turn it into a positive situation. Messy but worthwhile if seen all the way through to life changes and understanding.
In the second service, the Lord spoke to me and instructed me to allow the Man of God to close the service with prophetic prayer rather then to pray after worship as he did in the first service. When the time came, I balked (backed out) … I was going to just end the service and not let him close. It’s easier and less messy. After all, the people who would be “targeted” would surely get their breakthrough at another time in a more comfortable way…right? Well, I can’t answer that because I am not God. Only He knows that. I must do as I am instructed by God’s Spirit.
So the Spirit of God arrested me. Actually it felt more like a kick. I knew that I would grieve my Father if I did not allow this Man of God to pray at the end. I said to the Lord in one of those split second conversations, “what if he makes a mess?” The Lord answered me, “there WILL be a mess, but don’t worry about it because there are some things that must be learned.” I thought to myself… “GREAT... WONDERFUL...”
This would be yet another one of those times that my Counselor, the One who leads me into truth would take me on a journey that will cause people to question whether or not I am really hearing from Him. I already knew in my mind and heart what was on the horizon and I had a choice to make. I chose to not quench the Spirit, though with the understanding that He would be flowing through a human vessel with some undoubtedly human things coming through along with what the Spirit would bring.
I asked the Man of God to close the service with prayer, sharing what God asks him to speak. He shared some things, valid things, and then started to call some people out specifically. Many in the audience freaked, especially because they were scared that they might get called out. I personally did not want it to continue because I felt that in an Indonesian context, sensitive things should be spoken of privately… at least without the microphone. I moved towards him to take the microphone and then the Holy Spirit kicked me again, telling me “do not interrupt My servant.” And so I simply re-positioned myself to the other side of the altar. I cannot describe to you how much I wanted that microphone back… I wanted to tackle him.
I will likely never know if everything spoken was completely accurate or not, but that is not the point. The point was to be faithful to the voice of the Spirit of God. Based on my knowledge of those spoken over, it was at least mostly accurate. It went long and many people left... many fearful and many angry. If I could do anything over again, I would have invited anyone to leave if they needed or wanted to, because in Indonesia, people will generally wait to leave until the benediction prayer. This is a very respectful culture. If I made a mistake, this is what it would be, but I don’t know if it was or not. Maybe if I had done that, many who needed to experience this might not have. One of the beautiful things which can also be a frustration is that when we walk with God, He turns both positive and negative experiences into something that He uses for His glory.
Now comes the flesh with the Spirit on the visiting Man of God’s part. He used a very rude term when addressing me. There was an audible gasp in the congregation. One of the big complaints in the aftermath was that he was disrespectful to me. But to be fully honest, I didn't feel that way and I felt loved by God and saw it necessary that my congregation would see me submit to public correction. Technically, it was not swearing because he did not take the name of the Lord in vain, but it was rude enough that I cannot write or repeat it. I understand that in the country he comes from… on an entirely different continent… that this kind of talk is common even from the pulpit. For those of you in Indonesia who were in the service, you would be surprised to know that I have heard that very term spoken from the pulpit in Singapore at least 3 times because though Singapore is near, the culture even there is not like it is here. People in Churches in Singapore wear clothing to Church that most Indonesians would not dream of wearing. Wrong? Let God decide and speak to hearts individually my friend. "Judge not unless thou also be judged." We have to understand culture. That man of God now knows how rude that term is in Indonesia and should definitely be sensitive to the culture here and not repeat the experience. It’s sad, but this kind of thing takes from the credibility of what God is doing.
I left that service wondering what in the world God could possibly have to teach me and others through this service and experience. I also knew that my phone would be ringing off the hook once everyone finished their now very late lunches.
I received reactions across the board from people wanting me to have him preach in the future to people being anxious that some are so upset that they might not come back to the Church. It is possible that some might not come back… particularly some of our visitors and newer people. But shall I listen or shall I not listen to the Holy Spirit of God even if a mess occurs? If I grieve Him then I might as well become a business person again… which I am not willing to go back to. One man sent me an SMS (text) saying that this is an answer to prayer… that God would establish more of the prophetic ministry in the Church so that more would receive deliverance and breakthrough. Another brother told me (not in a rebellious way) that my “approval rating” as a Pastor used to be a 10 but is now very low… That’s a scary thought when scripture is applied to it. Should Pastors make decisions based on a public approval rating when God has already clearly spoken to their hearts?
Much of what I “learned” is that though I do not want or believe that this exact format of prophetic ministry is what ICCJ needs, it did identify the fact that we are lacking and must make improvements. The “words” spoken were mostly correct but they were delivered harshly and not in uniformity with the culture of our Church. I am praying that God will show me how to establish more prophetic ministry in a way that is both sharp and gracious. I believe that it is possible and I thank God for this rough experience. I am among the first to admit that I sometimes need a kick to get moving in the right direction.
As the calls, SMS’s, E-mails and conversations have unfolded; it has become increasingly clear that the public element of the “words” delivered was necessary. The cases represented there were in need of unified efforts to help them and the right people heard the prophetic words and were able to coordinate their efforts. People were helped. They received ministry coordinated by the Spirit and delivered by the Body. But again, as I develop myself to implement the changes to making ICCJ what God desires, I understand that there is a limited public where this would be more beneficial then a general public. But ultimately, I promise you that whether I like it or not, whatever, whenever I hear God’s voice instructing me to do or allow something, I am committed to doing it exactly… no matter what the public back-lash brings. This is God's Church, not Steve's Church.
God is good all of the time and I am grateful that He knows exactly what we need in order to grow… I even thank Him for this “radiation treatment.”
We had a prayer meeting 3 days later and several people, including 2 of my Pastors testified that they were against what had happened… very much against it. But that in the 3 days since that Sunday, they discerned that it was God and it was supposed to happen. Here is another lesson. It doesn’t matter how people “feel” at the time of ministry. It is about long term results. Several people admitted that they left or hid because they did not want to be exposed. How can this be anything but beneficial? They ended up getting right with the Lord because it was a wake up call which exposed the need for repentance.
There is much more but I will begin to wrap it up here. Maybe I will write more on this in the near future as God teaches us more. Many of us sense that this has somehow sparked a huge change for the better at ICCJ. You may be asking if I am going to let that man of God preach? Probably not… I don’t let anyone preach unless I have heard from God. But if God says to allow it, then I will. We shall see.
Flesh protects flesh, but no flesh can approach God and live. It’s a problem for all of us. I want more of God and I will do whatever I can to kill my flesh so that I can experience more of Him. I’m looking for those who will go with me to the mountain of God, not just sending their Pastor as the people did Moses because they were afraid of the thunder and lighting. Will you go with me? Are you willing to face discomfort and fear in order to glimpse His presence? Are you willing to die?... even to be embarrassed or uncomfortable? I pray so. Let’s go!!!
Monday, May 5, 2008
ICCJ Missions and ICCJ Multi-Media Missions
Two Mission Departments:
With our Mission Convention held this last month, we introduced a second Mission Department specifically for Multi-Media… We at ICCJ have for many years been concerned with Missions. I am honored to serve a Church with such an awesome vision. I would not Pastor a Church without a strong mission emphasis and I am happy to say that most of our members would not be involved with a Church without a strong mission program.
The reason that we started the second department is that we understand that the Multi-Media (TV, Radio, Follow-up Print Material, etc) ministries which we operate and/or partner with are endeavors that most Churches will not attempt to operate. Multi-Media ministry requires major resources as much in the area of creative and committed people as of finances. We started because God brought together an undeniably divine mix of people without which we would not move forward. Corporations, other Churches and people from all Churches and nations will partner with us in Multi-Media Missions.
The first group of partners submitted pledges and I was amazed! When God is in something, it will always succeed. We are able to move to the next phase of ministry. The Bible says to “despise not small beginnings” but when a small beginning is this big, it is a sign of incredible things to come! For those of you who made pledges, I thank you from the very depths of my heart. This vote of confidence has imparted great strength to us. Of course what has been committed is not nearly enough to reach every Indonesian city with the various programs that we have developed and are developing, but as ICCJ Multi-Media Missions grows through partnerships, I am confident that we will be able to saturate the airwaves of this nation for God’s glory. If you are following this ministry from a distance, please do prayerfully consider partnership with us, particularly if you are a viewer and benefit from our regular program, “Alive at the Connection.”
Here is the basic idea… The programs are primarily in the Indonesian language which are well-received by people of all faiths and by the communities they are aired in because they are designed to be of public service benefit. The programs target families, marriages, business people, youth, health and more. There is also the powerful use of music and the arts. Formats range from ½ hour talk shows to 3 minute information segments. As viewers and listeners call in to our hotline and SMS ministry, we are not only able to provide them practical answers, but we are also able to pray with them and connect them to local Pastors.
My vision as Pastor of ICCJ is double edged. I am committed that our Church will directly plant 1,000 Churches through ICCJ Missions but also that we will bless and help to build 100,000 Churches as a result of ICCJ Multi-Media Missions.
I am grateful for Pastor Rishi Anandani for his leadership of the ICCJ’s Missions Department. He is wise beyond his years and is doing an awesome job building a powerful team of ministers who are mightily impacting this nation. I am also grateful for Pastor Pat Cochenour for his leadership of this newly formed ICCJ Multi-Media Missions department. Pat and Linda Cochenour have been in Indonesia for 25 years and run MTC Productions with whom we are partnered in certain areas of ICCJ Multi-Media Missions.
Please pray for ICCJ Missions and now also for ICCJ Multi-Media Missions. I cannot explain how much we need your prayers right now. As our Church public profile goes up, the warfare is increasing… and the need for spiritual protection is urgent. Thank you so very much!
With our Mission Convention held this last month, we introduced a second Mission Department specifically for Multi-Media… We at ICCJ have for many years been concerned with Missions. I am honored to serve a Church with such an awesome vision. I would not Pastor a Church without a strong mission emphasis and I am happy to say that most of our members would not be involved with a Church without a strong mission program.
The reason that we started the second department is that we understand that the Multi-Media (TV, Radio, Follow-up Print Material, etc) ministries which we operate and/or partner with are endeavors that most Churches will not attempt to operate. Multi-Media ministry requires major resources as much in the area of creative and committed people as of finances. We started because God brought together an undeniably divine mix of people without which we would not move forward. Corporations, other Churches and people from all Churches and nations will partner with us in Multi-Media Missions.
The first group of partners submitted pledges and I was amazed! When God is in something, it will always succeed. We are able to move to the next phase of ministry. The Bible says to “despise not small beginnings” but when a small beginning is this big, it is a sign of incredible things to come! For those of you who made pledges, I thank you from the very depths of my heart. This vote of confidence has imparted great strength to us. Of course what has been committed is not nearly enough to reach every Indonesian city with the various programs that we have developed and are developing, but as ICCJ Multi-Media Missions grows through partnerships, I am confident that we will be able to saturate the airwaves of this nation for God’s glory. If you are following this ministry from a distance, please do prayerfully consider partnership with us, particularly if you are a viewer and benefit from our regular program, “Alive at the Connection.”
Here is the basic idea… The programs are primarily in the Indonesian language which are well-received by people of all faiths and by the communities they are aired in because they are designed to be of public service benefit. The programs target families, marriages, business people, youth, health and more. There is also the powerful use of music and the arts. Formats range from ½ hour talk shows to 3 minute information segments. As viewers and listeners call in to our hotline and SMS ministry, we are not only able to provide them practical answers, but we are also able to pray with them and connect them to local Pastors.
My vision as Pastor of ICCJ is double edged. I am committed that our Church will directly plant 1,000 Churches through ICCJ Missions but also that we will bless and help to build 100,000 Churches as a result of ICCJ Multi-Media Missions.
I am grateful for Pastor Rishi Anandani for his leadership of the ICCJ’s Missions Department. He is wise beyond his years and is doing an awesome job building a powerful team of ministers who are mightily impacting this nation. I am also grateful for Pastor Pat Cochenour for his leadership of this newly formed ICCJ Multi-Media Missions department. Pat and Linda Cochenour have been in Indonesia for 25 years and run MTC Productions with whom we are partnered in certain areas of ICCJ Multi-Media Missions.
Please pray for ICCJ Missions and now also for ICCJ Multi-Media Missions. I cannot explain how much we need your prayers right now. As our Church public profile goes up, the warfare is increasing… and the need for spiritual protection is urgent. Thank you so very much!
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