ICCJ Pastors Journal

Pst Ray's 67th Birthday

2011-07-27T16:43:00.000+07:00

We all had a really wonderful time celebrating Pst Ray Llarena's 67th. This is a photo of Ethan and I from the party... Leah jumped into one of the pics :-)

The difference between Unforgiveness & Hatred

2010-04-29T12:07:00.001+07:00

This is a sample posting from my new blog at www.sjmjournal.blogspot.com

One of the greatest challenges we face in the Church is blindness. I am of course referring to a spiritual rather than a physical blindness. I am speaking from experience because though I hate to admit it, I have spent much of my time “flying blind.”
This is a dangerous thing especially for leaders as evidenced by the words of Jesus when some of the Pharisees had a problem with Him.
Matthew 15: “12Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"
13He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Jesus was clearly saying that there were, and I believe there still are blind leaders in the religious systems of the world, even in the Church of the One and True Living God. He said they are blind guides and that both they and the ones following them will fall into a pit.
I don’t think I have to ask you if you would want to be on a bus or an airplane with a blind driver or pilot. I don’t think you would want a haircut from a blind barber, directions from a blind police officer or anything else of the sort. But would you want to attend a Church led by a blind Pastor or with a committee of blind Elders or Deacons? Think about it. Especially if you are a leader… And hold your breath because it’s not too late. The Word of God offers the solution.
1 John 2: “ 9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness (not being regenerated). 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness (stumbling); he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”
I recommend that you go all the way from verse 1 to 11 in 1 John 2, but I will just use these 3 powerful verses in this posting. If you read the scripture, it is very clear that those who love their brothers are in the light and that those who hate their brothers are walking around in darkness.
It’s important to identify who John is talking about at this point. My opinion is that he is speaking primarily to believers, though this of course at some level would also differentiate those who are saved and those who are lost. But check out the final statement in verse 11. “…the darkness has blinded him.” We normally get blinded by light. We would not use the term that we were blinded by darkness in normal conversation. The picture that we get from this terminology is clear that those who hate their brothers are walking around in a lighted situation (the Church), undoubtedly surrounded by others who may or may not be blind because this is an individual condition. It doesn’t matter how bright a room is if you are blind. You will still stumble over the most well lit item. In other words, it’s not about the light in the room, it’s about the darkness affecting your eyes. It matters not whether it is day or night to a blind person.
Does this mean that you can be saved while hating your brother? Well now… that is a difficult question to answer and it gets down to technicalities regarding terminology and a study of the original language used to write this letter. Let me just offer a few thoughts and my humble yet studied opinion.
The Bible is clear that your sins will not be forgiven if you fail to forgive the sins of others against you. Plainly, if you don’t forgive others as Christ has forgiven you, then you have no part in Christ and you are on the express train headed for the eternal damnation station. So the question remains, can you have forgiven someone and still hate them, therefore rendering yourself saved but blind? I think so and I think it is more common then we could possibly comprehend. Forgiveness can be viewed as a more technical exercise even when genuine where as hatred is more emotional…
Now for the hopefully interesting example from my own life which I will boldly share with you. There was a guy many years ago who cost me much! Specifically, he cost me well over $100,000 because of a hostile business transaction (before I entered ministry or was even a dedicated believer in Christ). I hated him. I did not forgive him and I never intended to forgive him.
I went to Church one Sunday and Dr. Joe Fuiten at Cedar Park Church in Bothel, Washington delivered a message about forgiveness. I responded and went to the altar and I got right with God and forgave that man. I really did. I was free and heaven bound again!
A few months later, I was in a restaurant enjoying my meal when the culprit walked in the front door. My countenance fell. My wife asked me what was wrong. My ears turned red, my face was flushed and every muscle in my body tensed up. I still hated him even though I had forgiven him. He saw me and left immediately…
I spent a restless and sleepless night before my God considering the evil that was in my heart… asking him to remove it from me. I asked some wise and spiritually devout friends of mine how to achieve this and I made it my immediate goal in life. My finding was that I needed to pray for him. I was told (and the scriptures verify) that if I were to truly pray for him, that I would eventually replace the hatred with genuine love for him for it is impossible to pray for someone, filled with God and led by the Spirit who helps us to pray, without our hearts being changed. If genuinely and intentionally doing so.
I embarked on my journey of prayer. I even prayed for his wife… who I hated too. And his son… who I despised. I didn’t have to pray for his daughter because I liked her but I prayed for her anyway. I’m not going to lie to you. It was not easy. It was one of the most difficult purging processes of my life and it took I don’t know how long… probably the better part of 3 or 4 months. I kept it in writing in my Bible and I did it every day. I sometimes had to begin by playing worship music to soften my heart and get “in the mood.”
One day I woke up and I realized that I didn’t hate him (them) anymore. I still didn’t trust him and I’m pretty sure I still wouldn’t today, but I loved them with a strange, surprising, supernatural love. Today when I think about them, I truly hope that they are doing well. Actually, by all appearances, it seems that they are doing well because I have checked on the internet.
But the best news? I received my sight! It was soon after that when I started to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and I gained new understanding when I would read God’s Word. It changed me!
As long as I keep purging myself from hating anybody, I won’t be a blind guide, leading people into a ditch of death but rather leading them on the narrow path in the light. As the great Charlie Peacock song chimes, “I want to be in the light as You are in the light, I want to shine like the stars in the heavens. Oh Lord be my light and be my salvation, cause all I want is to be in the light.” And we of course know that He indeed is the light .

New Web Site

2009-06-22T21:05:00.003+07:00

Hi Guys! It's still a work in progress but my new web site is

www.pastorstevemckinney.com

New Blog

2009-04-05T18:47:00.000+07:00

http://sjmjournal.blogspot.com/

Go For It ICCJ!!!

2009-03-09T19:09:00.003+07:00

This is my first blog posting here, not as the Pastor of ICCJ. Therefore, I will be setting up a new site in the near future and this post will end this era but I will leave the blog up for those who want to reminisce with me :-)

The services this past Sunday in which Joy and I resigned were marked with hugs and tears. I told someone that I think my shoulders were still wet hours after we left the sanctuary. Because of the amazing growth in the Church over the past couple of years, it has become impossible to know everyone by name, and so some of the good-byes were with people we only know by face. Joy had one person come up and exclaim that she has only been with us a few months and had never talked to us, but she will miss us, the Worship and the Word. It's amazing how connected we get in the House of God in a supernatural way!

I looked around the facility, which is not the Church because the people are the Church, but I took a mental picture of all the places where so very many memories were made as we sought the Lord together. Joy and I will never forget the mighty things that the Lord has done among us and our supernatural bonds.

We are grateful to all of you, past and present who have had a part in our lives. You are in our hearts and we love you very very much!!!

I want to now address just those who are presently a part of ICCJ. Obviously, things are going to change quite a bit. The Pastor who mainly preaches and the Pastor who mainly leads worship are leaving. This is big and we admit that. But I want you to know that there is a new preaching Pastor and new people who will lead in worship who have also been appointed by God to lead this congregation. I'm encouraging you to expect great things from Pastor Gordon Myers and his team. Do not allow your emotions to bring you down, but immediately believe God for more of His presence and explosive growth in the Church. Here is some advice. Go to the Church that God tells you to, and never ever leave a Church unless God tells you to. Stick together, pray, and watch what God will do in amazement!

Some are asking about the prophetic word that I received that Pastor Joy and I will be coming back to Indonesia at a later date. Because of the wonderful time we have had, many are asking that it would be soon. Though that is very flattering and touches our hearts, we want you to know that we will only return in God's timing and we do not know how long that is. I further want to say that when that day arrives, only the Lord knows if that will be back to ICCJ or to another Church or even another city. We belong to God, the Church belongs to God and we are simply given assignments by Him for the good of the Church of Jesus Christ. If one day we come back specifically to Jakarta and Pastor a different Church, the same advice applies as I have already stated. Never go to or leave a Church unless God tells you to. Be loyal and stand together in unity.

Pastor Joy and I are praying for a smooth transition and that ICCJ will reach levels never achieved yet in our ministry or any other previous Pastors ministry. Go for it ICCJ! Make us proud and do even greater things through the strength that Jesus Christ gives us!!!

A Resignation to Begin a New Season

2009-03-07T05:58:00.002+07:00

It is with gratitude to the Lord for the great things that He has done, but also with sadness as we close a chapter as I write this entry for the ICCJ Pastors Journal and prepare to leave many close friends behind.

This coming Sunday, March 8, both Pastor Joy and I will resign from ICCJ as Pastors. The Lord has made it clear to us that it is time to make a shift. Pastor Gordon Myers one of the previous Pastors of ICCJ and one of my Spiritual Fathers has come and he will be an interim Pastor until a time that God provides another great Pastor for this wonderful congregation.

I want to thank the leadership of ICCJ for your love and support during these last three plus years. You guys are awesome! Keep up the good work!

We love you ICCJ'ers! I am confident of much fruit that will remain and am looking forward to hearing the wonderful progressive mutual testimonies from here onward. May God bless us all as we continue to walk step by step in unity with Him!

Pastors Power Up... Wow!

2009-03-02T13:53:00.002+07:00

Pst Joy and I have been needing a breakthrough in many areas but especially in our own personal relationship together for some time. This last week was spent at a ministry called Pastors Power Up (pastorspowerup.com). It was amazing and God performed the very miracle that we were needing and much much more. I cannot even believe the amazing difference that Joy and I are experiencing in our lives together. For those of you who have been praying with us, thank you so much for your love and support! We are looking forward to our return to Jakarta this week and the powerful ministry that this fresh start will allow! God is faithful!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2009-02-14T09:02:00.000+07:00

Saint Valentine, the Priest who's name we commemorate on this day was supposedly executed by Claudius II (also known as Claudius Gothicus) who was persecuting Christians in Rome during his rule. Among the charges against Valentine, he was marrying Christian couples which is why his execution is linked with this Romantic day which makes the card, flower, restaurant, entertainment and candy industries a few extra billion dollars worldwide.

We're not really sure if this is the only Valentine that was traditionally celebrated, because as it turns out, there were many "Valentine's" executed back in the day. As a matter of fact, the Catholic Church removed him from the Catholic calendar of saints for universal liturgical veneration in 1969 because of the lack of clarity. All that we really know is that this one Valentine was buried on February 14 at Via Flaminia north of Rome. Pope Gelasius I in speaking of Valentine and others who are remembered in feasts, "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God."

And so we have Valentines Day. I remember in elementary school, giving a valentine (an actual card, usually heart shaped) to everyone in the class with the help of the teachers... even the boys... ugh! And receiving valentines from everyone in the class including the boys~! I think they were trying to make sure that nobody felt left out??? Sick, man!

Of course as we grew, we switched the giving of valentines to just girls, then later, just a few girls, and then later still, just one girl ~ per year (although I know some guys who gave more). And for the last 25 years, I have given only one valentine to one woman (I'm including the couple of years we celebrated Valentines Day before we were married). For those of you who don't know, Joy is my one and only Valentine until the Lord returns because I highly doubt we will be celebrating Valentines Day in Heaven :-)

I can't help but think about the hurting people on a day like today... The ones who won't receive a card maybe even if they gave one... The ones who don't have anyone even in mind to give one to or who may be too frightened to give one... The husband or wife who are in a difficult situation right now, waking up not knowing whether it is safe to say it --- "happy valentines day" or not. Maybe one of them touched the other one and the touch was not reciprocated (returned or received)... The widow or the widower walking down the street watching the other couples holding hands and feeling especially empty on this day... etc...

If you are one of those and even if you are not, allow me to propose this thought to you. If Saint Valentine really is a Priest who gave his life so that Christian couples could be married in the sight of God, then he is a Priest who had a heart after God and was very much one who followed the example of Christ. Jesus gave His life because God loved the world so much that He sent His only son, Jesus Christ into the world so that whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life. God is Love and our Love is made complete in Jesus. Jesus is everyones ultimate Valentine!

All the love that you need for eternity is available through Jesus, the one who binds up the broken hearts and fills us with hope and joy. This can be a great Valentines Day for all who put their trust in Jesus. Happy Valentines Day!

Chad & Steve in SD

2009-02-07T03:42:00.000+07:00

Chad and I enjoy a moment during our visit to he and Krystal this week in San Diego. The weather here is much warmer then Seattle... but we are heading to the airport in 5 minutes... oh nooo... cold!

2009-02-07T03:20:00.003+07:00

A visit with Duane and Violet Parrish (long time friends of ICCJ) at their home in Salem, Oregon, after a powerful Church service in at Hope Community Church in Stayton, Oregon on February 1... Such a wonderful service as a matter of fact, that everyone forgot to take pictures :-) It turns out that Pastor John Jendreson and his wife are more connected with us then we knew. Duane set up the meeting, John used to be the Worship Pastor for Pastor Warren Bullock (long time family friend and current Pastor of Calvary Temple in Auburn, Washington) in Spanaway, Washington (my Mom's home Church), and Johns secretary used to be Jean Ohlerking and Johns wife used to be Dave Ohlerkings secretary. The Ohlerking's are also long time family friends who ministered in the Philippines for a long time. They now run a powerful ministry called Children's Cup (http://www.childrenscup.org/). Small World!

Ethan can sleep anywhere

2009-02-07T03:14:00.001+07:00

Ethan sleeps while Parti looks on at the Duck King restaurant on January 26. Parti is married now and lives in her village. She does not normally work for us anymore but she came back to Jakarta on special request to be with Ethan while Joy and I are travelling.

40 Day Multi-Media Fast Begins 27 January

2009-01-26T21:49:00.002+07:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Chinese Lunar New Year! For those of you in America, we celebrated a major holiday today in Indonesia as did many people in countries with large Chinese populations.

I declared a 40 day Multi-Media Fast beginning tomorrow, January 27 for ICCJ. The focus for the Fast will be layed out week by week on the blog here and also through E-mail and in the Pastors Pen of the Church Bulletin. If you don't know what a Multi-Media Fast is, it is refraining from any form of entertainment through TV, Movies, Internet, Radio, Etc. This can be a complete Fast or a Limited Intake fast. For instance, you may want to limit your TV watching to two hours per week or less. Additionally, ask the Lord to lead you to any kind of Fast additional to Multi-Media. Usually, pushing the plate back (limiting food) is involved. Some might eat one meal a day, or exclude meat and desserts, others may go with liquid only... there are many options. You can E-mail me or do the research for yourself if you want more information.

Allow me to encourage you not to conduct a complete no food for 40 days Fast unless you have definitively been led of the Lord to do such a Fast, and I would ask that you check with your Physician first. Please.

In the last year, we have conducted 3, 10 and 21 day Multi-Media Fasts with incredible results. One person I know who was addicted to watching Korean and Japanese movies has no more desire for them and is a different person (more on fire for God). Healings occured, relationships were restored, a new sensitivity to hearing the voice of God was increased in many and so much more!

This week, I am asking for specific prayer for myself, my wife Pastor Joy, my kids, and the entire Pastoral Staff of ICCJ. We are under attack and we asking your partnership in Fasting and Prayer!

In the following scripture, we see that Jesus was strengthened by an angel from God in order to be able to pray with more earnest. Friend, if you receive nothing else through joining us in the Fast, to simply receive the strength from God to pray more earnestly would be mighty!

Luke 22:39-44 (NIV) Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

God bless you all!

Don't Miss Sunday 25 January at ICCJ

2009-01-20T08:21:00.002+07:00

Hi Everyone! It has been a busy time and I apologize for neglecting the blog!

I want to emphasize the importance of the services, Sunday, 25 January at ICCJ. Please do not miss! I will be sharing a very significant message and if you are a part of ICCJ, please understand that you will not be on the same page with us if you miss. I can't get more clear then that. Please re-schedule anything else that you have going on, and workers, please make an extra effort to attend the service at which you are not serving.

I love you and appreciate you all and look forward to seeing you in service on Sunday!

Chowing down b4 the Count down

2009-01-01T12:01:00.000+07:00

Leah, Ethan and Joy make the rounds at the buffet for a late night dinner before the new year arrives... Oyah!

Minutes til the New Year

2009-01-01T02:25:00.000+07:00

With minutes to go until the Countdown; Ethan and Steve prepare to make some noise!

If you will Work, He will be Mightily with You

2008-12-22T21:01:00.003+07:00

These are challenging times for many. If your Church is anything like ours these days, numerous guests are coming to find answers from God. After conversations with several friends and especially with much prayer, I began a series on the book of Haggai, 2 Sundays ago. Normally, I would not do such a thing around the holiday season when I might go with more traditional Christmas sermons. But the urgent messages for those seeking Kingdom understanding in this time cannot wait.

As I prepared for part 2 this last week, I started with the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple when both Simeon and Anna met Jesus and family in Luke 2:22-38. I then went into Haggai 2:1-9. Here are some points for your consideration. I would encourage you to go deeper on your own since I'm not delivering a sermon here today.

Many great people met Jesus when He arrived. Shepherds, Magi and Simeon and Anna were the most notable...
Simeon and Anna met Him in the House of God
Great People can always be found in God's House... they are drawn to the Church
Most historians believe that the Shepherds were Temple Shepherds in order to have been there at the time that Jesus was born
Haggai prophesied in chapter 2, to a people who had been inspired by his previous prophesies in chapter 1 to finally re-build God's Temple, but they had lost heart in the midst of the building program.
He asked, how does the temple look to you know? Does it seem like nothing?
After more then 2,000 years of building the Church, it seems like we haven't accomplished much. I get discouraged if I look with my physical eyes for many reasons. I can relate to those who were rebuilding the temple in Haggai's day for sure.
Winning the lost to Christ can be hard work for sure... especially since it's not just about getting people to pray a prayer but is actually measured by the words of Jesus in "making disciples." Wow...
But Haggai tells us to be Strong and Work and that His covenant from the Exodus is still in-tact!
If we will work, then God will be with us in a close Working Relationship!
Wait a minute... Isn't He always with us? Yes... but not in the same way. You are always within reach of God if you will cry out for help. But if you want to experience His deep presence continuously in your life, side-by-side, the promise is that you will have it if you work for the advancement of His Kingdom. (Read Haggai 1 for more and look at the sequence on working and God saying He is with you. Also look at the sequence in the Great Commission Mt. 28:18-20)
He says He's gonna shake things up (He already is!)! And the shaking is going to bring His desired into His house. He's pulling you... He's drawing your friends! It's harvest time!
And as He fills the Church with people, He is filling it with His glory! There is glory when there is salvation!!
He then reminds us... as the economy is reminding us, that the silver and gold all belong to Him. That's good news for those who trust in Him and are Heirs with Jesus Christ! Bad news for everyone else! Ooops! If you're hanging onto your wallet it will end up empty. But if you're a co-signer on God's account, you have nothing to fear but fear itself (watch out for that one...)!
And finally... The glory of the Present House is greater then the Glory of the Former House! Hallelujah!! Thank God!!
Not the Future House, but the Present House... Stop using the future as an excuse for mediocrity now.
Fill the House of God with People now, today, don't hesitate! His glory is here, His presence is here, He will not leave us, He is with us as we work to build His house!
The promise of God is that we can be like Simeon and like Anna who were mightily used by God in the Temple! We need to be God's agents... strategically planted in and building His Church, proclaiming the salvation of God Almighty through Jesus Christ! Amen!

Have a most excellent Christmas and may 2009 be the most amazing year so far!!

Christmas Season Service Schedule

2008-12-20T07:43:00.003+07:00

In your planning of Christmas and New Years, I want to let you know what to expect schedule-wise from ICCJ:

Christmas Eve Service (December 24) 6pm til 7:30pm

At the Bellagio

New Years Eve Celebration (December 31) 10pm til 1am

Location to be Announced but definitely not at the Bellagio (Kuningan is macet sekali for New Years Eve)

I know that there are a small number of people who would want us to offer Christmas Day and New Years Day services, but the majority want to spend these times with their Families and Friends... which is what I recommend. OK? Come and join us on Christmas Eve and on New Years Eve. Both will be great!!!

God bless you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Journey to the Manger was Incredible!!

2008-12-14T07:39:00.001+07:00

Wow!!! Cast and crew!! Thank you so much!!! We are so very proud of the awesome job you did which touched hundreds of people!!! You couldn't see it with the bright lights shining in your faces on the platform, but there were tears rolling down the cheeks of many of the attendees of the production. God moved in a powerful way!!! Amen!!!

Pictures will be posted as soon as I get them...

Journey to the Manger December 11 & 12

2008-12-05T23:59:00.000+07:00

Jakarta is a bit short on it's offering of great Christmas Productions. But Pst Joy and the ICCJ Team is bringing you Journey to the Manger on December 11 & 12 in Kuningan at the state of the art, Usmar Ismail Hall. Bring the family or some friends and get into the Christmas spirit by enjoying this quality, "Charles Dickens like" presentation. Click on the link below for further information or to make arrangements.

http://www.daretoconnect.org/JTM/

2008-12-05T23:35:00.000+07:00

Joy with Andrae Crouch! It was a dream come true for her to spend time with one of her musical mentors!

Kid's Production Sunday 07 Dec 10:30am

2008-12-04T10:22:00.000+07:00

Hi ICCJ! This coming Sunday, 07 December will feature our Kid’s Production at the 10:30am service. It will be a wonderful and special time! Please don’t miss this blessed event and use it as an opportunity to invite your friends who have kids. Kids love to watch other kids! Of course we also have our 8:30am service but not with a Production. See you this Sunday!

Andrae Crouch visits ICCJ

2008-11-30T18:32:00.000+07:00

Pst Joy and her team were instrumental in bringing Andre Crouch and his team for the Jakarta Jazz Festival this year. We spent a wonderful evening with Andre and his Manager, Ramon Hervey at a private dinner on Saturday night. Time got away from us, something I don’t normally allow for before ministering on Sundays, but we were engaged in fascinating discussion with two men with a “touch” for consisitantly making musical hits. Andre of course in the Christian music realm and Ramon both in the Christian and secular arenas. Ramon has managed and continues to manage the careers of many influential music artists. They agreed to come to the 10:30am service on Sunday... just to attend.

It was an awesome service! Pst Joy and Soul2Praiz took us into an amazing worship experience and we had a special dedication for Munesh & Mona’s baby, Nikhil Vasandani. Then I asked Andrae to greet the people. He must have felt the pull of the Holy Spirit, because he shared a powerful testimony and then had one of his team members, Sue Merriett, go into a worship set while Andre got onto the Keyboard. The power and presence of God swept over the place and I cannot possibly describe what was happening in the lives of countless people! We will undoubtedly be receiving testimonies of miracles in the next few days. It was awesome! The service ended much later then normal, but the people of God were incredibly blessed... even the ones who had to duck out and leave before it was over. Obviously, I did not preach this time... I am so refreshed!!

Pst Joy and I are in the car on our way to JakJazz as I write now, where we will watch Andrae and Abraham Laboriel perform on the main stage... But even if we weren’t, we would already be satisfied with the awesome work God has done at ICCJ through His servant Andrae Crouch. Thank you God!!!

The River Deepened at ICCJ Last Sunday

2008-11-28T15:12:00.000+07:00

There is an amazing awareness of God’s presence and power that is increasing as God is continuously touching His people!
Towards the end of the service last Sunday as Pst Joy was leading us in “Shout to the Lord,” I experienced a difference in a sensation that I often have. Though I wade through something that feels like water on a regular basis, especially while preaching or standing at the area that we conduct prayer time in front of the altar, this time the water was significantly higher. It was almost to waist level. I interupted Pst Joy for a moment and expressed this to those in the congregation.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, other people were experiencing much the same thing... in particular, the musicians and singers!
Pepe the lead guitar player experienced it first, and he is not the kind of guy who “feels” these kinds of things. For a moment, they thought that there was an earthquake because they were having trouble standing. Nyonk the drummer heard the sound of angels singing and felt the swirling of the river around him. Others too!
I asked Pst Joy to lead us in some more quiet songs after the dismissal so that I could pray with those who wanted it near the front of the sanctuary. Prayer lasted for well over 30 minutes and I was surprised that the entire musical team kept going... Normally, they would give it another 2, maybe 3 songs and then would fade out and go to lunch. When I went to them, they were weeping, some on their faces and crying out to God... even an hour after the service was finished.
There is a hunger that is growing and the Lord is encouraging us to press in many ways! There is more my friend! Much, much more! Let us both individually and mutually go after God with all that is within us! The river of God’s presence is deepening...let’s go!

Picture of Joy on Stage with Israel Houghton, Sidney Mohede and New Breed

2008-11-16T16:36:00.002+07:00

Joy McKinney & Soul2Praiz and Sidney Mohede & his band both opened for Israel Houghton and New Breed on Nov 14. My personal favorite part, and I am biased, is when Israel asked both Joy and Sidney to join he and New Breed on the platform for the final song... "I Am Not Forgotten." The place erupted with energy and it was a memorable time.

The concert was fantastic and God was glorified! Amen!

Catch the Wave

2008-11-16T15:17:00.000+07:00

There is a swell in the Spirit. It is a powerful surge, a force that is building as we continue to pray, follow the leading of the Spirit and to build our lives according to the specifications of God’s Word.

When ocean waves reach a coral reef, they hit it and crest into something that a surfer can ride. As a young man, my brother and I would paddle out on our surfboards at 5am to catch the best waves. We would sit out just beyond the place where the ocean waves converted into surfing waves and we would choose which waves to catch. We became good at sensing which waves were bad, good or great! Once the wave converts, it is too late to catch it. Some mornings there never would never be a good wave... or even worse, there would be only ONE good wave and we didn’t sense it in time and we watched others who caught it have an amazing ride.

If you want to catch the coming wave of God, you must sense it before it crests and get on that wave. Let this be your fair warning. Get ready to ride! Start paddling! Begin to position yourself now! Pray, fast, worship and expect! Turn off the radio and turn on the Christian CD’s. Moms, turn off “Desperate Housewives” and become a desperate housewife... desperate for the presence of God! Working men and women, put your career on a better track and don’t miss your CARE group this week! Get your priorities straight! Rush home to spend time with your spouse and your kids! Start talking about what God is doing to everyone you can! Build excitement and expectancy! Get ready, get ready, get ready!

Live or Die by the Word

2008-11-10T21:26:00.003+07:00

Moses had a talk with the people which was a prelude to their hearing all of the laws given them by God. He said in Deuteronomy 4 (NIV): " 1 Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you."

Many in our congregation have been experiencing intense warfare in the last few weeks. Some would say it is the most intense they have ever experienced. For me personally, the warfare has ranged from family and financial all the way to physical. This past Sunday was one of those that I didn't know how I was going to make it to the Church, let alone preach, but I knew that if I did, that God would deliver me and use me. I had spent the previous 3 days laying flat on my back being crushed with something like food poisoning, though it wasn't food poisoning.

There had been a warning the previous Sunday. Over our speaker system during the 10:30am service had come a sound which had made the hair on the back of many knecks stand up. It said, "Darkness is hovering over this place, darkness is hovering over this place." It came over a muted speaker, louder then anything else happening at the time and many heard it though not all did. Some were fearful, others were excited. Pst Joy and I were some of the excited ones. You see, we have declared war on darkness and we are a force fighting for Jesus and I believe that the enemy often exposes himself when he is getting desperate. It is darkest before light. But when we are warned, when we know that the enemy is circling, hovering, looking for opportunity, we need to make certain that we "circle the wagons" and close every opening that he might enter. It is a time to unite, and especially to be careful to follow God's commandments completely, as Moses encouraged us to.

God has a plan for you and for I... it is a plan to prosper us and not to harm us... to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11 paraphrased). According to His Word through Moses, He has already given us the land. We are already able to enter into this land freely. But entering the land and moving about in it, touching it and feeling it, is a very different thing then actually possessing it.

Lots of people enter the Church which is the vehicle that will help you acheive your destiny in Christ, but few people will actually possess their destiny. I'm not trying to discourage you friend. I'm just calling it like I've seen it for 40 years in every Church and Christian home I have ever known.

I said these words this last Sunday: "The Church is the safest place in the world!... for people who are careful to obey completely, the Word of God. The Church is the most dangerous place in the world for people who are not careful to completely obey the Word of God." I whole-heartedly stand behind what I said then and have written here today. You will either live and take possession of your promised land or you will die... in the Church!

Get all the wisdom you can, obtain all the wealth and prosper to your hearts content, cast demons out, go deep into the realms of prophecy and prayer, heal the sick, preach with eloquance and amazing revelation, value family and fellowship as your highest priorities, feed the hungry, house the homeless, send missionaries, plant Churches... do all of those things and do them well... but more then anything else... be careful to follow the decrees of God so that you may live and not die.

1 Peter 5:7-9 (NIV) "7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."

The services on Sunday were powerful, Monday has been even better and an hour from now, Tuesday will be even more amazing!... for those of us who are being careful. God is full of grace and He loves us! Thank you for your prayers and loyalty to God and to His Kingdom! To the One who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more then what we can ask or imagine, to the One who is able to KEEP us until THAT DAY, we give You all the glory and commit our lives fully to YOU!

Michael's Baptism

2008-11-04T21:08:00.000+07:00

Michael Wilson Setjaadi was baptized at the Bellagio swimming pool on November 02, 2008. We had a wonderful service as we praised the Lord for Michael's public decision and testimony to live completely and on fire for God!

Chocolate Cake

2008-10-25T01:06:00.000+07:00

I just attended the 22nd anniversary for the Indian Theopholis Ministry (ITM). This ministry has been instrumental in reaching countless Sindhi's, other Indians and other peoples through the years and has been an integral part of our Church. Many of our leaders and the Pastors and many of the other leaders from two other Churches here in Jakarta were raised up through ITM. We had a wonderful celebration!

Of course there was a cake cutting ceremony and the flavor was Black Forest (chocolate and cherry). This reminded me of a prophetic word I received almost two years ago which I am "compelled" to share now before going to bed...

Two other Pastors (who I know but I am not going to identify) and I were in a room and there was Chocolate Cake served. The other two Pastors are both quite senior to me in age and experience. They were enjoying the chocolate cake, but I was inspecting it, unsure as to whether or not I wanted to even touch it to my lips... The other two Pastors were coaxing me to eat, relax, stop criticising and enjoy. But I just kept talking about the cake and not trying it.

At the time, I was the new Pastor of ICCJ, in transition and in crisis, really. I was stressed out because of the extreme challenges that I was facing. I was letting it get to me and I was not enjoying the process. I was failing to focus on the many great things that were happening and I was letting the little negative things get to me.

God sent me that word and it was in due season... I received it and I took it to heart. Tonight was a reminder (of the reminder) to always eat the cake. Focus on the good and enjoy the journey! Perhaps you have been eating the brussel sprouts, broccoli and the tofu and have been neglecting to eat the cake. My friend, don't forget to eat your vegetables, but also, don't forget to eat your cake too! Enjoy every bite! Bon Appetit!

ICCJ Staff Christmas Picture

2008-10-20T14:17:00.000+07:00

Another year has gone by and another Christmas Pic has been taken! What an awesome year of transformation and growth!! I think we got just about all of the Staff and Finance Committee in this picture except for one of our Finance Committee members, Bro Felix Wong and his wife Uli because they were travelling. We have a great team including the Little Steps School folks. God is good!

To see Up Close Pics of Joy, Ethan and I, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/stevem.iccj/Christmas2008#

Ethan and Aya at Farewell Dinner

2008-10-19T22:53:00.001+07:00

We said good-bye to Ilya, Vivi and Aya at a dinner last week. They have been a wonderful part of the ICCJ Family but they are moving back to Perth. Ethan and Aya were class-mates at the Little Steps School in the Bellagio and enjoyed one last video and one last juice together. We will miss you Ilya, Vivi and Aya!!! May God bless you as embark into this new season!!!

Link to album: http://picasaweb.google.com/stevem.iccj/FarewellDinnerWithIlyaViviAya#

Back from Palu, Sulawesi

2008-10-19T22:03:00.001+07:00

Pst Rishi and I had a memorable time in Palu! Our hearts are connected with the 80+ Pastors who attended the daytime seminars and with the hundreds of people who attended the revival meetings at night. Thank you for praying!!!

Album Link: http://picasaweb.google.com/stevem.iccj/PaluSeminarAndRevivalOct2008#

Pst Rishi and I Departing for Palu - Please Pray

2008-10-13T19:36:00.002+07:00

Hi Friends! Pst Rishi and I are Departing for Palu on Tuesday morning for a week of ministry. Pastors seminars by day and revival meetings at night. We will return to Jakarta on Saturday late afternoon. The schedule is packed and we are expecting a mighty move of God and an awesome refreshing especially for Pastors & their wives, most of whom do not have the resources to go elsewhere to receive such a refreshing. Thanks for your support!

Palu is located in Central Sulawesi. Click on the link below to check Palu out on wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palu

Xtra Special Christmas Program December 11 &12

2008-10-10T00:04:00.002+07:00

Pastor Joy and the ICCJ Team are happily and busily preparing to present a very special Christmas program at a state of the art facility in Kuningan. The title is "Journey to the Manger" is a full and modern "Christmas Carol"/Broadway style production. This event will bless all who attend, believers and non-believers alike and those from any Church. The seats are filling fast and many people are flying in from other cities to join. The seats are numbered and assigned, so the sooner you buy, the better your seat selection will be. Click the link below for full information. Come, bring others, and share the Good News of Jesus Christ in this effective and non-threatening manner...

www.daretoconnect.org/JTM

3 Day Fast

2008-10-09T00:32:00.000+07:00

Hi ICCJ'ers and All! I am fasting and have asked all who are willing to fast with me for 3 days going into Sunday. The Lord spoke to my heart that many will be healed and this fast is simply for consecration/preparation. The text for the sermon this coming Sunday is James 5:13-20 which includes the admonition to ask the elders to anoint with oil and pray for the sick so that they will recover. We will be conducting an altar service to do just that and we are convinced that God will perform mighty miracles because He is faithful to His word! As usual in this past year, the primary thing that I am fasting from is all forms of entertainment multi-media along with food. If you are compelled to join me, the Lord will speak to you about how you should fast and will enable you to do so. I'm excited!!

delete the devil --- a Young Adult camp report

2008-10-04T19:28:00.003+07:00

Posted above is a picture with a few of the 130 campers at a Young Adult Camp in Batu Malang last week. Joy, Ethan and I returned late Friday from this 7 day ministry trip which also included ministry at 3 Churches in Surabaya. We are now happily recovering from the intense schedule as we prepare for services at ICCJ in Jakarta tomorrow.
During the 2nd to last service at the camp, the breaking of bad habits and addictions became the main focus. After a powerful time of ministry, I asked all there who had paraphernalia connected to these addictions to go to their rooms and bring those items to the altar. Specifically, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, pornography, stolen items and condoms. The campers responded willingly!
One of the more interesting items was several cellular phones with pornographic videos and pictures on them. The leaders deleted the pornography and returned the phones to the owners after initiating proper counselling.
Here in Indonesia, the statistic is more then 40% of teenage boys who reside in major cities regularly watch pornography which they mainly get from the Internet and “under the table” from DVD retail shops.
In this day and age, it has become necessary to DELETE the devil from our lives… our computers, cellular phone and especially from our hearts and minds.
As we had traveled to this camp, Joy and I had sensed an urgency that many lives were hanging in the balance and it certainly was true. We thank God for the opportunity to serve God and His people in this way and we ask you who read this report to pray for those who were delivered by the power of God…. That they will make good decisions and persist in their continued deliverance until they are able to stand strong in the Lord. Amen!

Link to the Photo Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/stevem.iccj/Oct2008GSJAEbenezerYoungAdultCampBatuMalang#

Pastors Pen for Sunday, 28Sept2008

2008-09-24T10:33:00.000+07:00

Pst Joy and I are in Surabaya to minister in 2 Churches and to speak for a Youth Camp for another. You are in good hands today and Pst Rishi will be preaching a timely and important sermon. We are blessed to have great Pastors and Staff!

Next week, I will preach the second to last sermon in our series covering the entire book of James. Please familiarize yourself with James 5:1-12 in your personal devotion time.

Speaking of personal devotion time, allow me to encourage you to persist in receiving God’s Word into your life everyday. A friend of mine recently told me that many of the members in the Church he Pastors have become upset that he strongly encourages them to read the Bible every day. They have become hyper obsessed with one of the latest popular teachings about grace… many people world-wide have. They now believe that because of God’s grace, that they don’t need to be so devoted & are angry that he is "placing guilt" on them. But God’s Word balances its teaching on grace by stating, “3Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. 5Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe." (Jude 1:3-5 NIV)

Friends, we will not maintain our relationship with Christ and we will not grow in discipleship without regular, daily meditation on His Word. I pray that receiving hard copies of the sermon notes has been a help for you and that you have been using them to truly get the Word of God WORKING in you. I have not sensed an urgency so strong to help our congregation to understand the Word of God as strongly as I have for our entire congregation to understand the book of James. It is imperative. Thank you so very much for being students of the Good Book and for your devotion and loyalty to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith!

Pastors Pen 14September2008

2008-09-14T16:43:00.000+07:00

ICCJ is a household of believers united by a vision to have a hand in Indonesia becoming a nation of Great Commission Disciples. I believe that God will hold us as a Church, accountable not only for individuals but also for this great nation which all believers here have been called to transform.

Psalms 9:17 (NLT) “The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.”

God holds all people accountable individually… but during the time that He will judge the earth, there will be an accounting regarding which nations acknowledged the one and true living God and which nations did not. Even if a nation is judged to go down to the grave, individuals can be saved from that judgment because God will save some from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. (Revelation 5:9) The reverse is also true. One could be a part of a nation which serves God but not accompany their countrymen into eternity united with God unless they had forged a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

So if it is an individual decision and our fate is ultimately an individual one, then why is this idea of saving a nation so important? There are two answers… the scriptural and the practical. The spiritual is simply because Jesus said to go and make disciples not only of all men, but of all nations. I believe he did not imply to go and just make a few disciples out of every nation, but to actually pursue the majority of every nation. (Matthew 28:19 “of” and not “from”) Jesus always spoke of evangelism in terms of the Kingdom of God being here on earth, inside of us, and more... The practical answer is simply that to affect society to the point that a nation becomes predominantly made up of Christ followers, is to ensure that more people will enter into eternity knowing Jesus then otherwise. It is both a matter of practical mathematics and the command of the Great Commission.

For a Church to believe that evangelism is merely something that we reserve for touching individual lives is to fall into a trap of very small thinking and action.

Chad is Married!!!

2008-09-03T11:01:00.000+07:00

This is a 1st picture of our son Chad's wedding to Krystal!

This may come as a surprise to some of you but they have been courting a long time already. Due to a decision to move to Vancouver, Washington together from San Diego, they decided to marry right away and this small ceremony will be followed by a larger ceremony which all family will be able to attend within the next year.

In the meanwhile, they are finding housing, getting settled in new jobs, and they have already made a decision on a great Church in the area which happens to be where my brother Doug and his family also attend.

Please pray for them as they embark on their new life together and on the transition to Vancouver, quite a different environment from San Diego.

Psychology Serving the Church Seminar

2008-08-03T01:09:00.000+07:00

We have been privileged to host a seminar the last 3 days for the English speaking Church community in Jakarta, entitled "Psychology Serving the Church" with Dr. Eolene Boyd-MacMillan. Eolene is the co-author (along with Sara Savage) of a book which has helped me greatly, entitled "The Human Face of the Church." She will be preaching at both of our services this Sunday and will be working with our staff 2 days next week as a part of an extensive 6 month evaluation process we are conducting in order to improve our structure and performance.
Pictured from left to right are Rosani Sufian, Pst Joy, Dr Eolene and me (Pst Steve). Rosani is the consultant whom we have retained to guide us through this often difficult but always productive process. Dr Eolene was one of her teachers in seminary.
I have enjoyed every conversation and session with Eolene and fully endorse her ministry. I also would encourage any Pastor in Indonesia to get in touch with Rosani to see about enlisting her help in improving the effectiveness of your Church staff... if you have the nerves to handle such a process.
Many Pastors are looking for consultants who will leave everything alone and validate them (help them to prove a point). If that is you and you are not looking for honest constructive criticism which will lead to genuine improvement, then Rosani is not for you. She is honest, straight forward and motivated only by serving God completely. In one word, she is "awesome!" Thank you Rosani and thank you Eolene!

Reunion Camp in Malaysia

2008-07-31T23:51:00.000+07:00

Pst Joy, Devin, Pst Anand, Sis Sassha and myself joined an intimate camp in Malaysia. The attendees mostly used to attend a Church from which we conducted several camps over the course of many years when these now young adults were youth. The camp was aptly themed "reunion" and it was wonderful to reconnect with each other and experience a powerful move of God!

Farewell to Pst Rich & Elizabeth Primo!

2008-07-30T16:02:00.000+07:00

We are preparing to bid farewell to Pst Rich & Elizabeth Primo! I am confident that God is with them as they move on towards their next assignment and that they are leaving behind what the Bible calls, "Fruit that Remains." Their last Sunday at ICCJ will be on August 10. Please make sure to say your good-bye's in person before then. Rich & Elizabeth, you guys are awesome and you will be missed!!!

This picture if Jessica feeding Sassha at the party. For more pics of the party, please click on the link below...

http://picasaweb.google.com/stevem.iccj/PstRichElisabethPrimoFarewellParty

Joy McKinney & Soul 2 Praiz Concert Pics

2008-07-18T23:06:00.000+07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/stevem.iccj/Soul2PraizConcert01July2008

Click on the above link to see some pics of the Soul 2 Praiz concert this last July 1st... Awesome!!

Alpha Course is Awesome!!

2008-07-07T22:23:00.000+07:00

This last week-end, we launched an actual Alpha Course for training purposes. Normally Alpha runs in a small group setting over 10 weeks. We are doing it in 3 week-ends, Friday at 6:30pm (dinner served) and Saturday at 9am (breakfast served). Members of ICCJ and also from our good friends at IES joined together and the first week-end was POWERFUL!

If you missed it, it's not too late to come and be a part of one or both of the next week-ends. Even if you can only come to one session, you will benefit from gaining even some understanding of one of the new and effective ways that God is reaching this generation. To date, Alpha has been attended worldwide by well over 10 million people with 1 million people making the quality decision to be Christ Followers.

We snapped a few photo's of last week-ends training if you want to click the link below...

We hope to see you Friday! Anyone is welcome from any Church or even if you don't go to Church or even if you simply want to find out more about Jesus. ICCJ maintains an environment where you can "belong before you believe." We love all people and simply want to offer you a caring and safe place where you can check things out!

http://picasaweb.google.com/stevem.iccj/AlphaWeekEndJuly452008

PS... lunch on Saturday is from Amigo's... Thanks Ron! Awesome!!

Family Camp 2008

2008-07-05T00:10:00.000+07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/stevem.iccj/FamilyCampJune2008

Click on the above link to check out some pics of Family Camp 2008. It was an amazing time of fun, fellowship and receiving from God!! More then 250 of ICCJ's members were in attendance at the Mount Herman retreat center in Puncak. On Sunday, we held our normal services at Bellagio and the other 150 or so ICCJ'ers who weren't able to attend the camp enjoyed feasting on God's Word in His presence as well!

Bishop Ray Llarena from Chicago, Pastor Joy's afther, was our guest speaker and he delivered a "now word", affecting change in the lives of all who were prepared to receive! Awesome!!

Israel Houghton is a Classy Guy!

2008-07-04T23:28:00.000+07:00

The bad news is that things did not work out for Israel and New Breed to perform their concert on July 1. The good news is that they did re-schedule with us. The new concert date is tentatively November 25 and possibly earlier. The further good news is that the seminar conducted by Jakarta City Shakers Community was well attended and blessed many and the concert was a success. Even though Israel and New Breed did not perform and everyone who bought tickets was informed ahead of time, still well over 1,000 people came to worship that evening as Joy McKinney and Soul2Praiz did the full concert instead of the opening concert. And it was awesome! The new songs which were played live for the first time were very well received and even more importantly, God showed up in an amazing way!!! He knows the end from the beginning and His timing is always perfect!!

The reason why I entitled this posting that Israel Houghton is a Classy Guy is because he made a video clip just for us which we played at the seminar and concert. He explained that he couldn't come, encouraged us to make the best of the night and told us about how excited he is to come at the re-scheduled time. He certainly didn't have to do that but he did! Thank you Israel Houghton!

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgement

2008-06-29T07:37:00.000+07:00

James 2:12-13 (NIV) "12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”

In the sermon at ICCJ on June 22, I delivered a teaching which is a continuation of the series on the book of James, focusing on chapter 2, verses 1-13. This passage deals with favoratism, ties it in with the Royal Law of Scripture which is to "love your neighbor as yourself", goes on to point out that the sin of favoratism/discrimination is equivalant to adultery or murder and then wraps up with the truth found in the above scripture verses 12-13 that Mercy Triumphs Over Judgement. An interesting and brilliant progression of concepts which takes time and study to understand.

But today I want to focus on the ending idea that Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment. James encourages us to speak and act as those who are going to be judged. The Bible teaches us in Matthew 12:35-37 (NIV) "35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

The day of judgement will include a separation from those who have been qualified by receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior over their lives to receive eternal life, from those who will spend eternity in hell. It will further involve a judgement of those who are heaven bound and there will be a determination of rewards. And so we as Christ Followers need to be mindful that every word that we speak will count as evidence, one way or the other on the day of judgment.

James further elaborates that God will show judgment without mercy to those who have not been merciful in life on that day. Think about that for a minute... do you want to receive judgement from God without mercy? I don't think so. But it is a fact that this is what you will face on the day of judgement if you have not been merciful to other people in this life. Sowing and reaping has a much larger impact then only that of your finances.

Matthew 7:1-3 (NIV) 1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

Can the Word of God be clearer? There are different measurements that God will use on the day of judgement and those measurements are determined by none other then you and I. I am right now determining how God is going to judge me by how I deal with other people... sobering.

Think of it this way: If on the day of judgment, there is a TV screen which will show the key moments of your life for your trial (Jesus is your Advocate or Lawyer), picture how you treated your worst kid on his worst day, or your worst critic on his worst day. God will play that clip and He will then determine that based on the measurement of mercy you showed them, that is how you will now be judged... How're you doin'?

OK... the good news is that it's not too late. We can change! We can get our mis-treatment of others not only washed away from the Hard Drive of Heaven, but we can also renew our minds in the Word and change our behaviour. All you have to do is confess your sin and God will be faithful and just to forgive us our sins... even the sin of judging others mercilessly.

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgement. A powerful quote straight from scripture to always remember. But for the sake of further clarity, I want to add to it a bit:

Your Mercy for Others Triumphs Over God's Judgment of You.

Check this out: You are already being judged in this life... not just in eternity. If you have not been shown mercy, you have probably not been very merciful to others as a result. And you excuse yourself by making a statement like this: "Nobody looks out for me, I need to look out for myself." But if you are thinking that way, you have it backwards. It doesn't start with others, it starts with you. The reason mercy and grace are not being shown to you even now is because you have not been showing mercy. You can change your life even right now by stopping this cycle lacking in mercy by becoming a "mercy person" today. If you will start, mercy will come your way faster then you can imagine. Trust God and develop a new cycle in your life.

Can you handle one more point?:

Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV) "14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

With this teaching and with this scripture in mind, I want you to consider the following three statements which I hear allot. Fill in the blank if you can... and be honest:

“I can forgive anyone except for ___________________________”

“I can forgive almost anything except for _____________________”

“I’m not ready to forgive ____________________________ yet…”

Time for the test results. If you believe God's Word... and you really should believe God's Word... If you were able to put anything in any of the blanks above, your position in heaven is not secured.

Don't get mad... just get right. I'm not mincing words with this teaching because it is a fact and no excuse will change that. It is God's Word and the only way to deal with it is to submit to it and obey it.

You are determining the measurements that God is going to use on you right now. Your Mercy for Others will Triumph Over God's Judgement of You! That's good news if you will make a decision right now not only to be a Hearer of Gods Word, but also to be a Doer of God's Word.

Joy McKinney & Israel Houghton

2008-06-08T19:24:00.000+07:00

Joy McKinney and Israel Houghton met today at a press conference as preparations are being made for the Israel and New Breed Concert coming up in Jakarta on July 01, 2008. The city is buzzing in anticipation and Joy McKinney & Soul2Praiz are preparing to open for the Concert with a 45 minute set with original music. Please pray for this event which will transform lives and shake this nation!

Crying on the Scroll

2008-06-08T19:00:00.000+07:00

Psalm 56:8 (NIV) “Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll — are they not in your record?”

One of the Psalms that I often turn to when I am under duress is Psalm 56. David asks God to record his tears in the heavenly scroll.

Another statement in Psalm 56 that particularly touches me is found in verses 4 and 10. David says that he praises God’s Word.

When the pursuers attack and when the slanderers speak, there are a variety of reactions which we can choose. You can go and cry on someone’s shoulder, you can cry in your pillow (a good choice if you don’t want anyone to hear), you can cry while listening to sad songs, you could cry at a bar or tavern, you might call someone and cry for hours on the phone… even long distance and then you’ll cry again when you get the bill, you might cry while holding your cat or your dog, you might even cry while eating a pint of your favorite ice cream. Your tears might be hot and angry, they might be big and helpless and they might even put a salty taste in your mouth if they travel in that direction.

David’s attackers were people who he knew. He said that they attacked him in their pride. Feelings, positions and relationships were involved. He called them “my slanderers” (vs 2). That would imply that they pretty much had a full time job slandering him. My generals, my servants, my family… my slanderers. Wow!

There is one place to cry that I would recommend based on this Psalm of David. Cry in your Bible. In your torment, Praise God’s Word. Some of the best pages in my Bible… the most meaningful ones to me that have my life-line verses in them are crispy and stained from tears. The Bible that I use most is 12 years old… 1000’s of tears on 100’s of pages. The Word of God viewed through tearing eyes is beautiful and meaningful!

One of the differences between those who overcome and learn through trials and those who do not, is where they cry. Trust God and go to His Word in good times and in bad. Gain strength from His promises and gain advice directly from Him.

Verse 4 asks, “What can mortal man do to me?” And verse 9 says that “God is for me.” Awesome!

Commit that the very next time you cry… you will not cry on somebody’s shoulder but cry into your Bible. Get his Word deeply in you while you are broken and it will change you!

With this in mind, take a few minutes to read the 13 verses of Psalm 56 now. Be blessed!

Psalm 56 (NIV)
For the director of music. To the tune of "A Dove on Distant Oaks." Of David. A miktam . When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack.
2 My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.
3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?
5 All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me.
6 They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.
7 On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.
8 Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll — are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise-
11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
12 I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

A Stiff-Necked Man

2008-06-08T18:59:00.000+07:00

I delivered a Mini-Sermon at ICCJ today because the bulk of the service consisted of a powerful testimony from a Jakarta businessman. He shared about his process of salvation which included getting free from a 15 year affair in which he even provided a house and car for the "other woman", how he stopped cheating on taxes and bribing government officials in business, and how the Lord restored his health, his family and his wealth. As a matter of fact, he has gone from bankruptcy procedings, oweing more then 35 million US dollars just 2 years ago to literally making 1 million dollars per month now that he has dedicated his life to the Lord Jesus and has eliminated corruption and sin from his life (of course as with all of us this is still on-going). When I booked this man of God to share today, the Lord immediately gave me this message to go with the testimony. I pray that this teaching outline will be a blessing to you!

Proverbs 29:1 (NIV) “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.”

Reasons why a person would stiffen their neck or their neck would become stiff:
· Brace themselves for a crash
· Hold their head high (sometimes arrogance?)
· Sleeping in the wrong position or sleeping too long (laziness?)
· Brace themselves to receive a beating (this is the main reason)

One of the tragedies of life is that when a drunk driver hits another car, causing a crash, if one dies and one survives, it is usually the drunk person who survives. The reason for this is that their body is relaxed in its drunken state. The sober and alert person, perceiving the danger and stiffening their body up is less likely to be able to handle the beating and more damage is done.

Interestingly, the scripture reminds us to be alert and sober, but also to be drunk by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18 & Acts 2). Alert to navigate but drunk and un-worried enough (at peace) to be able to withstand the crashes and challenges of life.

This is not only true in a car crash but in interpersonal relationships as well. An uptight or a controlling person is not able to handle conflict as well as an easygoing or less forceful person. The emotions of a stubborn person are more likely to crash (anger, depression, revenge, etc) when they don’t get their own way. Their happiness is based on coming out ahead of other people… life is a competition to them. One of their main objectives in life is to always look good in front of other people or even to always look better then others. What a stressful way to live!

One of the main reasons that a person will not make changes (remain stiff-necked) for the better is pride. They never want to admit that they are wrong. At the least, they want to be right more of the time then other people.

Proverbs 27:5-7 (NKJV) “5Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed. 6Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 7A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

Hebrews 12:5-7 (NIV) “5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

Wounds and Discipline are necessary… but so are Friends and Love
Balanced Ingredients… 2 & 2
Role-play with me for a moment: “Jesus, my spouse won’t listen to me and I know I’m speaking the truth and they need to change or they will end up like the stiff-necked person and they will be destroyed.”
How Jesus Might Answer: “Did you wound them like a Friend would? Did you treat them (discipline) like someone who you deeply Love?”
If you need to Wound your Friend or your Family Member, do it the way that a doctor or a dentist would do it. The doctor most likely will need to inflict pain in order to deliver the cure, but it will be very specific and as gentle as possible.
Think of it in the form of an injection of medicine.
Use the right dosage.
Put it in the right place and leave the rest alone.

We have now covered both sides of this issue:
We need to accept the blows that come our way because if we remain stiff-necked, we will be destroyed.
Proverbs 20:30 (N IV) “Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.”
We also need to strike blows in a godly way… as Jesus, the Great Physician (Luke 5:32) would do it.
If we don’t admonish and warn those in our lives in a loving way (to dissuade --- opposite of persuade), then their blood will be on our hands.

Ezekiel 3:17-19 (NIV) "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.”

Christian Television that Builds Churches

2008-05-31T23:32:00.001+07:00

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!

Hung by the Tongue

2008-05-26T06:04:00.000+07:00

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:

(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.

Don't "Settle Out-of-Court"

2008-05-20T21:39:00.000+07:00

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."

When the enemy says "You are Finished..."

2008-05-12T23:39:00.000+07:00

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!

A Mess God Uses

2008-05-10T15:51:00.000+07:00

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!!!

ICCJ Missions and ICCJ Multi-Media Missions

2008-05-05T22:09:00.000+07:00

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!

Confirmation for My Interpreter... Awesome!

2008-04-17T21:31:00.000+07:00

I took an unusual leave from ICCJ last Sunday and preached at another Church... CWS in Karawaci. A few days before the service, I received a message from Astrid Halin, a young women whom I had not met who said she would be my interpreter for the upcoming service. She asked me if I would E-mail her my sermon notes so that she could prepare. She further explained that this would be her first time to interpret from English to Indonesian.

I apologized but I did not yet know what my sermon was going to be and I explained that I might not know until the morning of the service... depending on when God speaks to me about what I would share. I usually know and have planned weeks or even months ahead but sometimes only a few days or hours before. As it turned out this time, I went to bed on Saturday night not knowing what the sermon would be the next day with my alarm clock set for 3am, as usual on Sunday mornings.

So you can imagine how Astrid was feeling... She was going to interpret for the first time with seemingly no way to prepare. And so she went to one of her spiritual mentors and asked for help. He told her to pray because the Lord would reveal it to her. Simple right?!? So she did.

Now you might think that God would give her a dream or send a prophet or something right? God can do that, but in my experience God often uses more "normal" ways that to the non-spiritually inclined person might think is coincidental. She went to the internet (yes, God uses the internet too). She came across a blog post on a social web-site which had been written by a young person who had attended a youth camp I had spoken for years ago. This young person had been touched by a sermon and had outlined it on the internet. Astrid read it and digested it.

At 6am on Sunday, I sent her an SMS with the scripture and she sent me back a smiley-face. I had woken up and the Lord had spoken to my heart to preach that same message. God had taken Astrid to the message on the internet and she was prepared!

Astrid is a great interpreter, mightily anointed and Spirit led too! Astrid, you have my endorsement for anyone who needs an interpreter!! We had a wonderful service! My interpreter knew the message I was going to speak before I did! Awesome God... Again!!!

My encouragement to you today is to see God's hand at work preparing you for everything ahead of time... He is always doing it whether you know it or not because the steps of righteous men and women are ordered by God. But there is an added blessing when we recognize it!

TWO VISIONS THIS WEEK

2008-04-13T23:54:00.000+07:00

Two visions came to my attention in the Church this week which confirm the things that the Lord has been speaking to me and to other pillars within ICCJ. The reason to share them is that in vision (dream) form, the Lord gives us metaphors which reveal to us a powerful perspective more than what words alone can describe.

The first was shared in the prayer meeting of our newly developing ministry to reach those with sexual brokenness, homo-sexual and otherwise… Currently, they are meeting in a small prayer group as God leads our initial leaders and participants step by step. (for more information, contact Pst Sammy at ICCJ)

There was a cart and horse traveling down a path between fields which were ready for harvest meant to transport the harvest. The workers were not harvesting because the sickles (cutting devices) were dull.

What a sad, sad message from the Lord. What we have come up with so far on the interpretation of this message is that the Church (I believe most Churches world-wide) is generally unable to bring in the great harvest which awaits, particularly from among the fields of those who are misunderstood and not trusted by the Church. People like homosexuals, but also those who have not grown up with any exposure to general Church culture. The Church as it is will not reach atheists, agnostics, those from most other religions, and statistically speaking, most of those over the age of 18 years of age who do not yet know Christ. We are failing because our tools are irrelevant. There needs to be a sharpening of our tools in order to bring in the harvest of this age… a radical shift in how we “do Church…” Maybe the key is to stop “doing Church and to be the Church…!!!” Well, I’ll preach more on that another day.

The second vision was from a dream received in one of our members sleep. The people of our Church were on an airplane which was moving very fast but was traveling on the ground. We had not taken flight. Only one of the passengers was aware of this and was trying to tell the other passengers that we are not flying. The other passengers were criticizing her for saying such things because to them, the fact that we were moving quickly was proof that we were flying. They felt the movement of the plane but did not see the mountain with two tunnels in it ahead. We were going to crash into the mountain having not really flown at all… even though most everyone thought we were safely in the air.

Friends, we are not flying and our sickles are dull. I am not saying this to criticize myself or any of you. I am simply pointing to where we are. In a sermon I preached awhile back, I asked the question, “What is the most important place to identify on a navigational map?” The answer is not where you are going or where the hazards are… it is to know where you are. To know where you are going is pointless information unless you first know where you are.

ICCJ is in transition due to natural circumstances. Ours is because of a change in pastor. I was at an Alpha conference in Singapore last week and Nicky Gumbel challenged us (the Church) by saying that you have to change just to maintain. I believe that God forces changes so that we will continue to make the radical changes necessary to become real, relevant and ready to bring in the harvest.

There is a growing dissatisfaction in me and I know that it is the Holy Spirit of God who is busily stoking this fire. I can’t stand the way Church is… It’s so extreme that by Monday morning, I want improvement from the way our services went on Sunday. I want to fly!

What we are doing at ICCJ is changing the atmosphere, preparing the leaders, sharpening the tools, redefining the priorities, shifting the mindsets so that we can bring in this harvest. It is hard work but we can and we will make it if we don’t give up. The thing is that we are going for it… cars can make it through the tunnel but we have to fly (I know some of you are catching this). We are going for big things. I relate to what D.L. Moody said, “If God be your partner, make your plans large.” The incredible reality that we are facing as a Church is that we are realizing that the greatest hindrance to the harvest is us. Christians… religious people! We must change!

I am not saying in any way, shape or form that the message of the cross can be compromised. No way! But I am saying that the packaging must change… the method MUST change.

Hear me now… We are going full throttle down the runway and there is no turning back. If you like things the way they used to be, don’t weigh us down. We need lift off. There is only one way to go and that is to fly or we will crash trying to fly. Many preparations have been made and many more are coming more and more rapidly. Be ready.

It’s all about reaching the lost. This is the great commission and it is our greatest priority. If we will reach the lost, we will fly!

"Your sermons lately are hard for me to take..."

2008-04-12T20:01:00.000+07:00

The Bible teaches that we should not only be “Hearers of the Word” but “Doer’s of the Word.” This is easier said then done…

One of the most solid, prophetic and submitted people at ICCJ asked me for a 10 minute meeting today. This is someone who I rely upon as an intercessor for myself personally and for the Church. Oh, and by the way… I love 10 minute meetings. They are usually more effective then 1 hour meetings.

She shared a significant dream from the Lord which confirms another dream received this week from a different congregation member which I will share in the next blog post.

And then came some surprising remarks. Surprising because she is one of the most supportive people, constantly encouraging me. She said, “Your sermons lately are hard for me to take.”

Now this is not a foreign concept to me… allot of people don’t like my sermons and allot of people do. The only concern that I have in this department is whether or not I have properly discerned and been faithful to release what God entrusts me to teach.

She then explained to me that when she first joined our Church 2 years ago, that she also attended another Church in the evenings… a Bahasa Indonesia speaking Church. And though she enjoyed that Church immensely that God told her, after 6 months attending our Church, to stop attending the other Church. He said that though the spiritual food there is good, that it is not the food that she needs… that she couldn’t digest it. And until recently she loved the spiritual food here at ICCJ… that is until I started teaching about mentoring (discipleship) in recent weeks.

She told me that all of her life, she has avoided mentoring relationships and doesn’t want to be mentored. She also finds home groups difficult because even though in theory to her, they are good, the problems that arise in relationships are bothersome. She shared that at one point her heart’s cry to God was for Him to mentor her directly with no human involvement. That would be great, wouldn’t it? But then how could we as humans learn how to disciple others unless we had first been discipled by a human…. Since we are also flawed.

And so for almost 2 months, she has not enjoyed the sermons… but she knows that she needs to not only hear the sermons but begin to apply them. Hard even for a deeply wonderful, sensitive and devoted follower of Christ.

It reminds me of the Prophetic Word about the Turtles a few days back which I shared two blog posts ago. Pastor Joy closed the door and grabbed turtles, holding them still so that I could more effectively shoot them. She told the turtles, "stay here and deal with your problems here." What this means is that ICCJ is a Church in which people with problems are supposed to come and get those problems addressed and healed… not moving from Church to Church on a never ending journey to not change.

I thank God for this ICCJ member who recognizes that though the food is tough to take at times, that it is the right food for her… and for all who God has planted in this wonderful Church in this season!

On a personal note, thank YOU ICCJ attendees! Thank you for your commitment and loyalty which sees you through even uncomfortable seasons of growth for you!

Changes...

2008-04-05T21:17:00.000+07:00

Hi ICCJ! I want to inform you about some changes that are being made which are designed to improve our serving people as a Church. We have prayed, researched and considered all of the ramifications for many months and are instituting these changes, knowing that God has been involved in this process.

1) Limited Announcements: the only announcements that will be made are for urgent items (such as a change in date or venue for a function) or special items (such as promoting a retreat). For normal ministry information, please visit the information table.

2) Shorter Services: the 1st service is designed to be a 90 minute service. Previously, the 2nd service was designed to be 120 minutes. The 2nd service will now normally be 90 minutes but with the flexibility to go to 120 minutes depending on “God’s Flow” in the service. The 1st service of the month is expected to last 105 minutes because of serving Communion.

2.a) However, I want to assure you that we will never quench the Spirit of God, and so when the Lord is moving in worship or through a message or prayer time, we will allow this 2nd service to go longer.

3) CARE Emphasis: we are emphasizing the CARE ministry (Home Groups) above all other week-day ministries. Though we appreciate every ministry at ICCJ, God has been very clear that the CARE style of ministry is extremely effective because it BUILDS COMMUNITY and gives everyone an opportunity to BE a MINISTER.

4) Thursday Service Change Coming: April 24 will be the final Thursday night regular service. There will be no more regular Thursday night services beginning May 1. Instead, a prayer service will be conducted every other week on Wednesdays. We will emphasize this change closer to the time. The goal is that for those who choose to join, Wednesday is “Church Night” and Thursday is “Family Night.” And so Prayer and CARE are on the same night of the week, alternating from week to week. If anyone gets confused and comes to Bellagio on a CARE week, the CARE group at Bellagio will be meeting in the sanctuary foyer and all will be welcome to attend.

The items listed above were hi-lighted in the bulletin, but I wanted to share more with those of you who "need" to understand the reasons in greater detail:

Though our purpose includes ministering to existing members, our greater purpose is to reach the un-churched. Most of our current members enjoy 2 or even 2 1/2 hour services, but visitors do not. And since our greater purpose is to reach them, this is why we are initiating the change of normally limiting the services to 90 minutes and eliminating unnecessary items.

CARE ministry has been extremely effective and I have often advised people that I would rather, should they have to choose, that they attend a CARE group then any other week-day ministry. This is so that community can be emphasized, relationships strengthened and all who participate have the opportunity not only to be ministered to but also to touch someone elses life. If all of the people who previously regularly attended the Thursday night prayer meeting stopped coming and went to CARE meetings instead, I would be pleased. Please hear me out on this. All of the meetings we conduct in the Church including CARE meetings ARE prayer meetings and more. In the days at ICCJ prior to the time that we had a CARE ministry, the many previous Pastors would disciple the people primarily at the mid-week prayer meeting or in the Women's and Men's ministries. As the CARE ministry has developed, the primary place for discipleship in the Church has shifted. We recognize this and are simply doing what the scriptures describe as "putting new wine in new wine skins."

But this is not a replacement of a prayer meeting, men's or women's ministry. What I am anticipating for many is a deeper commitment by both groups of people...those who have been attending the Prayer Meeting and those who have been attending CARE groups. For the Thursday night Prayer Meeting attendees, this is an opportunity to join an interactive CARE group and become more involved in relationships within the Church... and to continue joining the prayer meeting on alternating weeks. For those who have been in CARE groups, they will now be able to dedicate every Wednesday evening as a time given not only in serving others but also in further developing their prayer life.

Our entire staff and our Pastors have for the most part been attending the Prayer Meeting and not the CARE groups with the exception of Pastor Rishi. This is because of our truly heavy schedules which often include being at the Church as a staff until late night most Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and a very early start on Sundays. We will all be joining CARE groups/Prayer now on Wednesdays, freeing up our Thursdays for family time and are all excited about developing the new relationships destined to be forged in the homes of ICCJ... just as the Bible describes as primary ministry in the early Church in the book of Acts.

For those who will miss the Thursday night gathering who do not need this time with family, might I suggest going out into the world and being salt and light and doing something evangelistic? Maybe having dinner with people who you can then invite to your CARE group after you develop trust? By the way, did you know that most of the salvations these last 2 years at ICCJ occurred because of CARE groups? Pre-believers are more likely to come to a home gathering then to a Church facility.

Thank you for your loyalty and support ICCJ! Thank you for allowing us to put new wine into new wine skins. The old wine skins though they were perfect in the past are not to be re-filled now. Please join me in emphasizing and participating in CARE groups. This is not to say that our other week-day ministries are not valued. They are and they are helping specific people in a mighty way. But if you must choose between joining one or another ministry, please choose to join a CARE group.

Dealing with Turtles - A prophetic word received...

2008-04-01T00:34:00.000+07:00

Pastor Joy and I received a prophetic word from one of our most trusted members at ICCJ on Sunday afternoon. It resonated completely with us and I want to share it with you:

In the sanctuary, turtles were popping up out of the ground and I was shooting them. I wasn't killing them but whenever I would shoot, they would recover from whatever issue they had. But they didn't want to be shot. It was truly hunting but for the turtles own good.

Then because many turtles had already been shot, some were heading for the door of the sanctuary but Pastor Joy closed it so that the turtles could not escape. She said, "No! You aren't leaving here until you deal with your problems!" Then with discernment from God knowing where the turtles would pop up would grab them, not allowing them to hide again, giving me more time to shoot them. As a team we went on a very effective turtle shooting spree.

The turtles of course represent people in the Church and we were able to help them to overcome their challenges even more effectively when we worked together. Me with the God given method of effecting change on them (the shooting) and Joy with the God given fore-knowledge to identify them. This of course represents the never ending process of making disciples in so many ways...

Some of the most amazing "light-bulb" moments that I have experienced have been when I have given prophetic words. Sometimes these words seem as important for me as for the ones receiving them. I remember several years ago praying for a Pastor and his wife who were very obviously beaten up and heart broken through the rigours of ministry. I perceived they were using up the last of their strength and were considering quitting at least the Church if not their marriage. I saw and spoke that she was supposed to take the role as a sword in his hand. That the key to their effectiveness in ministry was to work together. If he would learn to skillfully utilize her in their joint ministry, then they would have the strength and the courage to once again achieve fruitfulness and happiness. If he would realize that though she is sharp, she won't cut him if he will work with her properly... that she will only cut things when submitted to his hand and then they would once again make great strides for the Kingdom. They had stopped working together for many reasons but it had been a mistake.

Pastor Joy and I are committed to working together more and more and we want other couples in our Church and otherwise to commit to doing the same. It is God's plan that husband and wife work together. That doesn't make it easy, but it is worthwhile. We thank God for once again reminding us of the power of unity and I pray that you are also blessed as you consider God's guidance and apply it to your life as well.

2008-03-30T10:42:00.000+07:00

This is a picture of Jesus carrying His cross in the Law-Breaker Easter production. In order to view the rest of the pictures, click on the slide show on the right and go to the public album for Law-Breaker.

Wow! "Law Breaker" was Awesome!!!

2008-03-24T07:20:00.000+07:00

Our ICCJ Extreme Reality Youth delivered an awesome Easter Production! It was primarily a combination of advanced mime and multi-media. Pastor Joy and I were a bit nervous because due to intense schedule, we fully entrusted this to the youth and we did not see the presentation until Good Friday and then on Easter.

I told the congregation today that I have not seen a better Easter Production... yes, I have seen more complex, even with live animals and Roman Soldiers and the like, but not better. Amazing!!

And of the course the Praise and Worship was incredible as usual and the messages were well received. Many gave their lives to the Lord and many were healed and touched in other ways!

ER Youth... We applaud you and we want you to know that we are proud of you and that God used you in a marvelous way! Thank you so so much!!

God is Awesome!!!

Schedule for Good Friday and Easter Sunday

2008-03-17T10:28:00.000+07:00

We will be having a powerful Good Friday service on March 21 at 7pm. Please come early to ensure favorable seating. The production name is "Law Breaker" which is conducted by the ICCJ Extreme Reality Youth. It is creative and exciting! The Friday performance focuses on Jesus' Sacrifice. Pastor Joy and I are looking forward to seeing it in it's entirety. I will be serving communion and delivering a short message.

We will also be having a wonderful Easter Service on Sunday March 23 at 10am. This is a different schedule then our normal Sunday services at 8:30am and 10:30am. Once again, please be early since we are expecting a large crowd and we are combining the two services. "Law Breaker" will be presented again but it is a continuation, although the two productions can be understood individually as well. The focus this time is on the Resurrection of Jesus. We will serve communion and I will deliver a different short message.

Pastor Joy, myself and our entire ICCJ Team are looking forward to seeing you! Have a blessed Easter Week!

More on Gideon...Prophetic Word

2008-03-13T22:47:00.000+07:00

As I was writing about Gideon a few weeks ago on this blog and was sharing those thoughts with key leaders of ICCJ, I didn't know that someone was E-mailing me the following prophetic word regarding the same topic. The thing is that I never received it. The person asked me if I "got it" and when they found out I hadn't, they re-sent it. This person, though they reside in Jakarta had not heard me speak on it and had not read the blog. Amazing! What in incredible confirmation with some additional nuggets of wisdom... If you are a Pastor or Leader, be encouraged by this Word, based on THE WORD...

"Binding and Loosing" repeat Thurs 13March

2008-03-10T22:24:00.000+07:00

Sunday March 9 was an awesome day! The worship was amazing...the presence of the Lord was tangible to the point that some who have not previously been "able" to sense God's presence testified that they experienced Him in a new way. Praise God!

I spoke on the familiar topic of Binding and Loosing but in a manner that many in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles have not looked into previously. At first, many in our congregation looked at me as if I had lost my Pentecostal heritage until they began to understand that I was not trying to limit the use of this teaching (tool) that Jesus gave us but that I believe that we are not using it to the fullness that He intends.

The one thing that I asked ICCJ attendees to consider is to no longer pray using the phrase: "I Bind You satan." That was tough for many to swallow because this phrase is so commonly spoken. On any given Sunday, I'm sure that it is pronounced in thousands of Churches around the world. But we do not see in the Bible that the Apostles ever used this term. Why? Because the use of Binding and Loosing is not limited to Spiritual Warfare and even when used in Spiritual Warfare it needs to be applied differently. Please don't get me wrong... I'm not trying to stop anyone from conducting Spiritual Warfare, I'm only asking that we apply the correct terminology in the correct place and use the right weapons for the right assignments.

In Matthew 16:19 (NIV), Jesus told Peter that "...whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Jesus did not introduce a new term here and did not need to explain it to the Disciples at that point because they were already familiar with the term. Indeed all who were familiar with the Jewish traditions were familiar with the term. The literal meaning of "binding" is "forbidding" and the meaning of "loosing" is "permitting." Rabbi's customarily bind and loose teachings and this is the first purpose for which Jesus gave this tool to Peter. You can see how Peter Bound and Loosed ideas which became Church policy in Acts 15... Peter spoke up against placing the burden of circumcision on the Gentile Christians, James agreed and the argument was resolved. Another purpose for Peter was to give him an understanding of the anointing on his life to open access (permit) to the Kingdom of Heaven. Of the original 12 Disciples, Peter was particularly used by God to win large numbers of people to the Lord.

Binding and Loosing is taught again to all the Disciples in Matthew 18:18 by Jesus in the context of dealing with a believer who is unrepentant and does not submit to the proper process of rectifying the situation. Jesus said in verse 17 that "if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." Binding and Loosing was used then to either open or to close access to the Family of Believers. Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 5 that we must expel immoral brethren who refuse to come to repentance. This is tempered with the idea that we do this with the attitude and hope that they will come back to God and to the Church in repentance. In Matthew 18:18, Jesus spoke to all who were with him and did not limit the teaching of Binding and Loosing to Peter. It is for everyone.

One of the scriptures that many people marry with these that we have discussed thus far is the infamous "binding the strongman" scripture found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. In Matthew and Mark, the terminology includes the word "bind" but not the account in Luke 11:22 (NIV). "But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils." The same teaching in Luke does not include the word "bind" because it is a metaphorical teaching of Jesus in which the main point is that Jesus is stronger then the devil and He has the power to overcome or to bind up the strong man in your life.

One young lady came up to me on Sunday and asked, "what do we do about demons then?" The answer is surprisingly simple... don't bind them, cast them out. Jesus and His followers did it all the time even before He taught on binding and loosing and we in the Church still do it worldwide everyday in 2008. It may seem like a different teaching and a different method, but it is more the use of a different word...the right word. One of the reasons I will never again (because I have) say "I bind you satan" is because in Matthew 16:19, Jesus said "whatever" you bind or loose, not "whoever" you bind or loose on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven. In our use of this teaching, we must remember that we do not bind or loose people (even the devil), but we bind and loose things.

The proper additional scripture to marry with Binding and Loosing is not about the strong man but it is found in John 20:23 (NIV) "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Jesus spoke this after He breathed on them, giving them the initial impartation of the Holy Spirit. The reason that this is the appropriate scripture to put together with Binding and Loosing is that the concept works the same way and was given in the form of a commission to the Disciples. These were not metaphorical teachings. There are many examples of how forgiving sins and not forgiving sins works. We in Evangelical Churches do not practice confession and do not interpret this scripture to mean that we have the power to forgive or to not forgive sins. Only God forgives sins through the work of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross. One example is when the Prophet Nathan came to King David to confront him about his sin of adultery and murder as found in 2 Samuel 12. When David had not yet confessed to being "that man", his sins were not forgiven and he was still bound. But when he confessed by saying "I am that man", Nathan proclaimed that he was loosed or forgiven of his sins.

Today, though we do not forgive people of their sins against God, we have the important job of informing people of thier condition whether in confrontation towards an unrepentant attitude or with mercy towards an repentant attitude. Many suffer from shame or guilt after they have been forgiven and we need to loose them into knowledge that once they have applied the merciful blood of Jesus, receiving forgiveness from Him, they are free and are no longer bound.

But finally, what I believe is the greatest use of Binding and Loosing is that daily, with every thought, we must Bind (forbid) every thought that does not build us up in faith, in the knowledge of God and we must Loose (permit) only those thoughts that increase and build up our relationship with Jesus! We must learn to Bind and Loose as a daily and integral part of our walk with Christ. Binding and Loosing is a teaching which is most importantly used in your own life so that you can take control of your own thoughts so that they will come into alignment with the truth of God's Word... Forbidding and Permitting... Binding thoughts not of God and Loosing the accurate and powerful Word of God into our lives so that we can grow into the people that God wants us to be... to be people increasingly more and more like Jesus.

I will give this teaching again this Thursday, March 13. For those of you in Jakarta, please feel free to invite anyone who you believe would benefit from this teaching which will enlarge our understanding of God's Word and increase the power that Jesus has given us through His Word!

Israel Houghton is Coming to Jakarta

2008-03-03T22:45:00.000+07:00

We are extremely excited that one of the most prolific and prophetic Musical Ministers of our time is coming to Jakarta on July 1st... Israel Houghton!

I am also not only excited but "blown away" that Joy McKinney and Soul2Praiz will be conducting the opening worship concert for Israel and New Breed! The ICCJ Music Ministry Team is honored, amazed and are preparing in expectation for another awesome move of God! We are grateful to God for allowing us this opportunity!

I want to thank the many ICCJ members for agreeing to bathe this event in prayer and I would also like to ask those of you on the world-wide web who follow this ministry to also cover Pastor Joy and her entire team as she prepares for this event!

Please pray for Israel Houghton and his team as they prepare to come. The enemy would not want this worship concert to take place and we must enforce this victory in prayer.

We would also ask for prayer for our friends at Jakarta City Shakers Community who are organizing this worship concert and we also thank them for allowing us to be a part of this event which will change many lives!

Amazing Returns!

2008-02-25T19:48:00.000+07:00

It's great to be back in Jakarta after 2 Sundays away! This last Sunday was an Amazing Return! Joy and I feel like some of the most blessed Pastors in the world to lead this wonderful Church in Jakarta! There is no place like HOME!!!

However, we had a wonderful time on this trip in the United States! We visited family, tied up loose ends and engaged in powerful ministry. The service on Sunday, February 17 at Crosslight Family Ministries (www.crosslightfamily.org) in Alta Loma, California was truly awesome! Pastor Paul Scheumack is a wonderful and great man of God and this Church is on the verge of great enlargement for God's Kingdom!

During the closing prayer for that service, I encouraged the congregation to continue to release Pastor Paul to traveling, especially to places like Africa which he has been going to. The reason is that as a spiritual Father, he brings spiritual "gifts" home just as any Father brings gifts back home from a trip abroad. It is important for Pastors to travel and to bring "Amazing Returns" back home to their Churches.

I want to thank the people of ICCJ for investing... for allowing Pastor Joy and I to sometimes go so that we can gain what we need in order to bring gifts back home to share.

If you are a Church leader and it is a stretch for your Pastor to "go" somewhere, either financially or because of time restraint... let me encourage you that for the sake of your Church, that you need to encourage him or her to go and get that refreshing so they can then bring a refreshing to your Church. To go and take care of personal business so that the business of the Church can be better accomplished.

Building God's House with Spiritual Kids

2008-02-08T22:33:00.000+07:00

When Solomon wrote Psalm 127, he explained in verse 1 that "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain." This is one of the most quoted scriptures in the Bible, commonly used to encourage Church leaders to make certain that we are not building our ministries according to our own agendas, plans and with our own strength. Though I agree with these applications to this scripture, if we take the time to read further in Psalm 127 we find greater application relevent for us to better build God's Church. Let's look...

Psalm 127 (NIV):"1Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to [a] those he loves. 3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. 4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. 5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

Solomon immediately begins to discuss the blessing of having many sons, calling them a heritage from the Lord and arrows in the hands of a warrior. He says that to have a quiver (archers arrow holder) full of them is a powerful thing. The promise is that if we have many spiritual off-spring, that when we contend with enemies at the gate of God's city on the day of battle, that we will not be put to shame... we will not lose.

Jesus commanded us in the Great Commission to (Matthew 28:19) "go and make disciples", the basis of everything that we do as a Church. I explained to our Church this last Sunday that God is looking for us to produce fruit which is going to last. I believe according to my understanding of scripture, that the person who stands before the Lord having "discipled" (mentored) 5 people will have acheived a greater reward then the person who has "converted" 500 people. Why? Because the command is to disciple, to raise up spiritual sons and daughters. How pleased do you think God is really, when we convert someone and then leave them hanging indefinitely to live a life of Christian mediocrity? Much of that kind of fruit will not remain.

The kind of house that God is building is filled with disciples. The kind of house that survives when the rains come down and the floods rise is built on the Rock and on His command. We build God's Church through discipleship, through mentorship. Unless God builds His house, the builders labor in vain. But He builds His house through us. If we fail to raise up sons and daughters then what we build will crumble and will have been built in vain.

This scripture has personally challenged me in recent weeks. The Lord and I were talking about this a few weeks back. He said that the Television ministry will yield great results, that the Church planting efforts and mission projects that we have going are going to yield incredible results... He confirmed that much of what we are doing at ICCJ will acheive lasting fruit. Then the Father told me that the greatest result that I can acheive for His Kingdom with my life is to raise up leaders, to raise up sons. I have decided to develop a quiver full of spiritual off-spring. It is the best thing that I can do for my Lord! And on the day of battle, we will stand together and not be put to shame!

Let us consider the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10 (NIV) "But each one should be careful how he builds."

Joy, Ethan and I are in Chicago this week and will be in LA next week. We have some business and ministry to attend to and we will miss the people of ICCJ for these two Sundays! I have asked the Lord to show me who I am to mentor over the next few months. I have laid the names of all the possibilities before the Lord and I am confident that He will show me. Please pray with me and also with Pastor Joy because she is going through the same process of asking the Lord to show her who to invest the bulk of her time with mentoring for these next few months. We appreciate your prayers during this time. Not only prayer that God will lead us specifically, but that those who are chosen will respond appropriately and also that those who are not chosen at this time will be patient and understanding until their time (or mentor) comes.

After we arrived, the snow started to fall heavily and we ended up trapped in the home we are staying in for the first two days. Ethan loved it and has spent hours and hours in the snow! We have enjoyed "catching up" with family and friends!

A Time of Identification...

2008-01-27T02:31:00.000+07:00

In Judges chapter 7, Gideon was preparing to go to war. God told Gideon that he had too many fighting men and that he needed to reduce the numbers. This was so that God would receive the glory and not the army. The 1st step in reducing the numbers was that Gideon announced that anyone who was fearful and trembling should leave. 22,000 went home and 10,000 remained ready to fight. God then instructed Gideon to have the men go down to the water so that he could further "sift" them. Based on how they drank, they were chosen for battle or were told to return home. Out of an initial 32,000 men, God chose 300. He said that this was all that Gideon would need and they accomplished an astonishing victory.

Two Thursdays ago, God told me to scan the crowd during the teaching time of the service. He told me to make a mental note of who was there and who was not there. It was not a complete checking of the Church roster, but the Holy Spirit showed me very specific cases of who was missing and who was there. Both lists surprised me. He told me that this was a moment of IDENTIFICATION. I saw one person in particular who I would not have expected to come to the prayer meeting and God has already directed me to involve him more as a leader in ministry. There were 3 people who were not there who God has instructed me not to give leadership positions in ministry at this time. 2 of those 3 were at the prayer portion of the service but they left during the teaching which is when the Lord told me to take count. Why? I could guess but that is not my responsibility and I don't want to assume. God knows why and I need to simply obey Him.

Is that unfair? They probably had important things to do... maybe they needed to meet with someone and maybe even pray with people. These are not wrong things, but God chooses people at His time. All of those soldiers in Gideon's day had good intentions and God was not saying that some were necessarily better then others... they drank from the same pool of water. But there are times when your actions will IDENTIFY you. I'm not talking about skill, talent or anointing... I'm talking about something more in the spirit realm then that. I'm sure some of the 300 wondered why they used their hands to drink that time and that others who put their face in the water to drink wondered why they drank that way, that time as well...

Thursday night has not been the only time that the Lord has been speaking to me about IDENTIFYING people to serve and lead. This is a time that we are re-structuring the Church. These last two weeks have held many similar experiences for me. God has assured me that He doesn't need a huge force to do great things... He just wants the right people in the right place at the right time. If all of the right leaders are not here yet, they certainly are on their way...

I simply want to encourage you that God's positioning is best. Just be faithful to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit so that you will not only drink of the wonderful pool of refreshing at ICCJ, but that you will IDENTIFY yourself by the manner in which you conduct yourself.

Here are a couple of examples. Though we all love God, we don't all know how to express His love and we must learn to connect with people in a way that opens their hearts to receive His love. The same water can be dispensed differently. Though we have all heard the vision of ICCJ, some embrace it and know how to communicate it and integrate it, and others need to learn how to do this. God honors preparation and He chooses us based on the manner in which we drink of and share His goodness with others.

One last point... please don't be offended if you aren't chosen for a position or ministry that you have your eye on, even if you feel you are prepared. It is God who promotes and it is God who sometimes says to go home for awhile. The battle belongs to the Lord!

An Appointment with God is Available for You

2008-01-18T09:31:00.000+07:00

The Prayer Meeting last night was awesome! ICCJ Mission Pastor Rishi Anandani led us in focused and powerful prayer, much of the time in small groups as we lifted up the various Mission ministries of ICCJ.

For me personally, the time that we spent from 6pm until 6:45pm in individual prayer was especially wonderful. From the moment I stretched out on the carpet, the sweet presence of Jesus washed over me repeatedly… He touched me.

One of the things Jesus whispered to me is “I was waiting for you.” This does not mean that Jesus hadn't been speaking to me earlier in the week. He had been. But there were some things which He waited to release to me at 6pm on January 17, 2008. It was a memorable occasion. I liken it to a Wedding Anniversary dinner. I say loving things to my wife many times everyday, but there are some things which I reserve, that I plan to say which are beyond the normal things, on the night of our Anniversary.

I remember a significant testimony from a Pastor and his family when I was in Panchkula, India. They had moved to Panchkula from New Delhi to plant a Church. When the Lord led them to lease their apartment, He very clearly spoke to the heart of the wife that one bedroom was to be dedicated for prayer and that they were to meet Him there at 5am every morning. They had wonderful experiences with the Lord and He led them as they established a great Church in that city for His glory. They never missed meeting Him at 5am… until one day. They had a function late the night before and they all over-slept. They rushed into the room but they could not sense His presence. They repented and waited but the presence of the Lord, at least in the relatable form that they were now accustomed to could not be sensed. They found themselves feeling alone in the room that morning. They made certain to show up early the next morning! They testified that God did not express anger, but He made it very clear that He had said, 5am and He truly meant it. They were not late again.

Friends, if you have been missing your appointments with God, He is not mad at you… disappointed maybe, because He loves you and He wants to be with you… but it’s not too late.

As your Pastor, I understand that not all of you are able to attend Thursday night prayer. I once attended a Church that had no meeting that was specifically for prayer. The reason is because God told the Pastor that all of the meetings need to include prayer. He was doing what God told him for that Church. That Church was and is large and effective. The point is that it is not a religious exercise but it is obedience with passion, allowing God to set our structures, schedules and appointments with Him. But I need to ask you, when are your appointments with God? Sunday morning is obvious… if you don’t meet God on Sunday mornings in ICCJ then it is you and not Him. Is it at CARE group on Wednesday, Women’s or Men’s Ministry time? Good… but when do you meet Him alone or just with your spouse or family? I firmly believe that He has room on his calendar for you if you will make room on your calendar for Him.

The teaching on Thursday night by Sister Linda Cochenour was life changing! It explained why the Lord led me to call for a 3 day fast. We are being prepared and given an opportunity to settle our back accounts and to put things in order so that God will allow us to go to a new realm, a new level… (see the blog post for “You Cannot Escape to a New Level”). There was soooo much more but that was an appointment as well. But next week will be powerful too!

The author of Hebrews explains that God is a “rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” He wants to bless you and if you will seek Him you will find Him… It’s a promise. When God promises, you can bank on it.

Pastor Joy and I love you guys and we are blessed to serve the King and His Kingdom with you!

You Cannot ESCAPE to a New Level

2008-01-14T12:07:00.000+07:00

Yesterday's services were POWERFUL! Pst Joy and her team took us into an incredible realm of worship and released some new songs which were captivating! We are going to need to add another row of chairs in the 10:30am service before next Sunday... Yesss!

I wasn't able to finish my message and so Part II will be delivered on Sunday, January 27. This coming Sunday the 20th will be our Vision Service. You shouldn't miss it if you want to be on the same page as we launch into this New Year.

One of the key thoughts from yesterdays sermon is that "You Cannot ESCAPE to a New Level." It is impossible because God will not allow it. I want to encourage you to examine your life, taking a close look to see if what you are probably singing about and praying for is really going to happen. I hope you are singing the songs about going up and reaching higher and going to a new level, but it isn't going to happen for us just because we sing about it or listen to messages about it. Let me explain...

In Jeremiah chapter 12, the Prophet was complaining to God about why wicked people are prospering and such... you know the complaint... it's the same one that you and I have had at times. Jeremiah even accused God of being the one who established the wicked people and made them prosper. God answered him in verse 5 asking him this question: "If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?" (NIV) How I would say the same thing to you in today's language is "If the challenge that your facing right now is wearing you out, what makes you think you can handle more?" God has more for you and he wants you to go to a new level, but you must conquer this level first. You can't get promoted to the "horse" level until you can contend with "men" and not be worn out by it.

When you walk through the door to the new level, you will need to be like a soldier who has won a great victory, had some good Rest and Recreation (we call it R & R) Time and is reporting for duty ready to fight. With the combat experience, the training and with eager anticipation for the next level, the soldier will not be surprised that with the new level, maybe even with a higher rank this time around, there will be more responsibility, greater challenge and fiercer warfare then ever before! And the rewards and the glory will be greater as well! But the main point is that the soldier is prepared.

So, are you ready to run with horses? Ordinary men who have not conquered ordinary challenges will not be able to. Are you truly ready for the next level? Are you worn out? You can't show up for duty worn out. That would be like going to court as a lawyer without a law degree. What a mess that would be! God honors preparation and is not pleased with un-finished business.

So what must we do? Two words sum it up nicely: GROW UP. The wrong attitudes, the habits, the broken relationships, rebellion towards God's structure, lack of covering, ignorance of God's Word, the lack of prayer, unforgiveness, refusal to tithe... all of these things are examples of what must be dealt with in order to finally graduate. It's time! May God bless you as you wrap things up and finally take and pass the tests so that you will finally hear God say, "You are Ready to Run with Horses!"

Singing About the Healing Rain

2008-01-09T12:33:00.000+07:00

If I had to pick a favorite song for the year 2007, it would be “Healing Rain (Michael W. Smith).” It became one of the anthems of ICCJ not only in 2007 but even half-way back through 2006. I was preparing to lead worship and was going through songs when the lyrics for Healing Rain grabbed my attention. I vaguely remembered hearing the song a few years back on the radio but I didn’t recall ever hearing it in a Church. I bought the song on I-Tunes and was immediately hooked by the words and the tune.

That next Sunday as the band and I attempted to deliver a new song which the congregation had never heard before, we struggled for a few minutes but then things clicked beautifully… 300+ people rushed to the altar and the tears flowed as God’s people sang about Healing Rain. In that state of spiritual awareness, the Spirit of God then led me to transition to another song, “Open the Floodgates of Heaven (Let it Rain)” and then back and forth between the two songs several times. Congregation members later described sensing a “washing” and something like tides flowing over them. We were engulfed in the Glory of God for more then 45 minutes. I walked away from that experience knowing that God had accomplished more then I would ever know about in this life-time…

A few months later, we were visiting the hospital room of Irene, one of the dear women of ICCJ… the kind of woman with such gentleness, a helpful and positive attitude and such class that everyone knows and loves her… The doctors had just removed a 6 kilo, 27cm long tumor. God had worked through those doctors to perform an amazing miracle! The family members were still worried but Irene was full of faith. She said that from the moment she found out about the tumor, God kept reminding her of the healing rain and she sang about it almost non-stop. Her husband Franz said that everyone was amazed because it’s like she wasn’t concerned. She sang and sang about the healing rain along with other favorite songs of hers, re-living all of the times in which the congregation of ICCJ had proclaimed the song in the sanctuary… not necessarily aware that we were proclaiming a healing in advance for Irene.

A short time later I traveled to Jogjakarta to visit Riel Pasaribu who was a survivor of the Garuda Airlines crash. He had been burned to the point that his face was black and the rest of his body was covered in bandages. God had saved his life and he was having divine experiences which we will have the privilege of hearing and reading in the near future. But he mentioned to me in that hospital room that among the many songs which he was singing and writing (he had never done that before) as God gave him new songs was Healing Rain. He explained that those times in the sanctuary that we had been consumed by God’s power as we had worshipped the Lord with that song had prepared him to receive the miracle when he needed it.

I love testimonies about healing, deliverance and salvation! I love to hear from people about how their lives have been changed by applying the lessons learned through a steady diet of God’s Word! But these two experiences again reminded me that when we come together as a Church, we are often accomplishing victories in advance! My friend, let me encourage you to PARTICIPATE in worship, in prayer and in the study of God’s Word with all of your focus and strength! Your future and somebody else’s future depend on it!

In preparation for posting this writing today, I asked our photographer to snap a picture of Irene and Franz on Sunday. Even though Franz seemed perfectly strong and served as a Greeter in Church, he was later rushed to the ER on Sunday evening due to a heart attack. After 16 hours in the Intensive Care Unit, he was finally admitted to a hospital room late Monday. Pst Joy and I just visited Franz, this time with Irene at his bedside. He is out of danger because God has once again healed another person by pouring out His healing rain! Please help us to enforce the victory as Franz achieves full recovery as we come together and pray for him. That picture from Sunday is posted below…

Pictures

2008-01-03T09:44:00.000+07:00

You will see on the right hand side of the blog page (only at iccjpastorsjournal.blogspot.com), two slide shows... the 1st is of the Christmas in Reverse production which we conducted on December 9. Lower down on the page is the Little Steps School Christmas production. I must admit that I put alot of Ethan pictures there as this is after all, a blog in which I try to share my ministry and personal life, but I tried to put pictures of other students as well... You can click on the slide show to open it up in a larger on-line photo-album presentation.

Fantastic Services!!! Welcome Back Riel!!!

2007-12-29T18:07:00.000+07:00

The Christmas Eve and the Christmas Morning Services were AWESOME!! Brother Riel Pasaribu made it to service for the 1st time in 10 months after surviving the Garuda Airlines crash in Jogjakarta!!! The congregation surged with thanksgiving as we welcomed Reil back!! We are looking forward to giving Riel an entire service soon to share his amazing testimony!!! God's Spirit moved in such an amazing way on Christmas morning that I am still shaking my head in wonder. Thank you all for praying for our family during the service!! We are a part of a wonderful family... Joy and I have been talking much about how blessed we are to be a part of the amazing destiny that we all share!! We are looking forward to a blessed, splendid and breakthrough New Year this 2008!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-25T14:12:00.000+07:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! May the time that you spend with family and friends be refreshing and memorable as we focus on the greatest gift of all and the reason not only for the season but for all of life... Jesus Christ!!!

It is Christmas Eve in Jakarta and we just arrived home after a wonderful service! We will need to get to bed soon because we have another one first thing at 9am on Christmas Morning!

But I wanted to get a message out because I have been leaving you all hanging much too long and I apologize. The main reason is simply that we have been extremely busy, though it has mostly been Christmas Church related fun! The other reason is that I ate something that messed me up... hives all over my body, my face swelling up and the worst part...my tongue was about double the normal size and I couldn't breath properly. The doctor says it was an infection caused by bad or badly cooked sea-food. I never want to deal with that again! It took more than a week to truly get back on my feet. Thanks for your continued prayers because I still can't imagine eating certain things that I normally would be able to.

Hi-lights of the Christmas Season include the Christmas in Reverse production which was conducted by our youth and children on December 9. It was beautiful, powerful and not to mention downright fun!

The Little Steps School which we run on the same premises as the Church conducted a wonderful production entitled "The Stars of Christmas" which was very nicely produced. Many Children participated as every element of the production explained the true meaning of Christmas to all who attended!!!

Jevan Jal Assemblies of God Church and our ICCJ Indian Theopholus Ministry conducted a combined Festive Outreach to the Indian Community of Jakarta and it was awesome! Well over 1,000 people attended, more than half of them being "pre-Christians"... Many were touched and saved and many more brought further along in their quest of seeking truth! Amen!!!

The Women of Harvest Christmas party was a major success which is still being talked about. The food was great, the music, games and mesage were wonderful and attendance was triple of what it was last year... I think the word has gotten out that Pastor Joy knows how to throw a great party!!!

The ICCJ Staff Christmas Party held at our house was a blast and the food was fantastic... no left overs at all!

We conducted our final Wedding for the year on December 23 at 6pm... for Shelin (long time youth member and youth leader) and Neeraj at the Sunlake Hotel in Sunter. It was awesome and I am confident that this couple is going to accomplish much for God as they work together in His purpose!

All of the services here at ICCJ continue to be marked with the Presence of God as we endeavor to move forward into all that God has for us as a Church! I want to thank all of your for your support, loyalty, enthusiasm and especially prayer. 2008 is going to be even greater if we don't become weary in well-doing! Keep up the good work! Merry Christmas!!!

The Secret Series and Christmas

2007-12-06T01:44:00.000+07:00

We have been getting incredible feed-back on how the sermons loosely inspired by "The Secret" (Rhonda Byrne) have been impacting lives! Not that I agree entirely with the book, because the Secret Things of God are entrusted to the Church.

As it turns out, the holiday season has been a wonderful time to release these sermons because Christmas can bring with it, feelings of hope and joy for some... or of pain and hopelessness for others.

One principle that we have unlocked is that feelings are important for one very large purpose. They reveal to you what you are thinking. It is impossible to feel good or positive, if you are thinking bad or negative thoughts. Conversely, it is impossible to feel bad or negative, if you are thinking good or positive thoughts. Your thoughts determine your destination which is why the Word of God encourages us to think about good things, holy things, positive things, to have faith and to trust God with our future, to worship Him in spite of our circumstances and to allow the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ to instill in us the Peace that Surpasses all Understanding... I could preach but I'll stop.

Friend, if you have the blues... don't take that as your que to sing the blues. Instead, sing praises to the King and allow thoughts of His goodness, greatness and love to overwhelm your feelings. Take your feelings right now and change them by focusing your attention on Jesus, the one who even though He was God, was born a human in a lowly manger so that He could experience what we experience, grow up and become the only needed sacrifice to save all who would believe in Him and receive Him!

"Christmas in Reverse" 09 Dec

2007-12-06T01:19:00.000+07:00

Our Christmas production for this year, brought to us by the ER Youth and ICCJ Children, is titled "Christmas in Reverse." It is coming up on 09 December and will be a combined 10am service... let me put that in black and white... there is no 8:30am and no 10:30am service. Only the 10am service. Don't be overly early and don't be late :-) See you all there! This will be a great service to bring friends to!

Pastor Joy Leads Worship at JakJazz 2007

2007-12-03T12:55:00.000+07:00

Pastor Steve Shares the Word as Evangelist Chanda Interprets into Indonesian at JakJazz 2007

2007-12-03T11:59:00.000+07:00

Joy McKinney with Soul2Praiz at JakJazz 2007

2007-12-03T11:58:00.000+07:00

A Season of Harvest and Blessing Jakarta

2007-12-02T22:29:00.001+07:00

We here at ICCJ are thrilled to be in this season of Harvest and Blessing in which God has allowed us to participate with Him! Firstly, several dozen precious people received the gift of eternal life in paradise with our Creator and have joined God's family in many Churches throughout Metro Jakarta at JakJazz!

Also, the Financial Seminar was a success! Many testimonies have been submitted from attendees about how the teaching challenged their perspective and will change lives as God's Word is put into practice. The one testifimony that blows my mind is from a man who did not understand the difference between tithes and offerings. He has been giving all of his tithes to charities outside of his Church. Amazing (and sad)! Imagine having been giving big 5 figures every year (he is well to do) and to still be under a curse for not understanding and therefore not obeying God's Word! I wonder how many others there are like that?... People who feed the children and support televangelists with BIG dollars but are still living their lives from a position outside of God's blessing! I thank God that this man will now be enforcing God's blessings in his life by giving his whole tithe to the "storehouse" so that there will be "food" in God's "house" (Malachi 3... read it if you don't know it). In plain language, that means that we must give our tithe (the 1st 10% of our income) to the one Church in which we are planted, covered and from which we receive a steady and purposeful diet of God's Word in order to be blessed.

May God continue to add to His Kingdom and may we who are in His Kingdom continue to improve and be strengthened in every way... all for His glory! Thank you friends for your prayer support over these last couple of weeks. We so appreciate the CARE (Home Group) Pastors and Lay Leadership of ICCJ who are busy following up with those who have received eternal life throughout the last few weeks! Our Pastoral and Staff teams are fairly tired from the demanding schedule at the moment and we would appreciate your further prayer coverage as we take this time to recover and interact with our families during the blessed Christmas season.

Financial Seminar Saturday Dec 01

2007-11-30T17:29:00.000+07:00

It's time to bless Jakarta again! The Financial Seminar is on Saturday and those who have enrolled are mostly not from ICCJ. The organizer is estimating attendance of 300 to 400. I cannot adequately explain how excited I am! Many will hear Spiritual Principles which are foreign topics even in Churches... many will become aware of their need for a personal relationship with Jesus and all will be blessed by hearing the Word of Truth! Could I get my "readers" to pray again? Primarily for salvation of those who are not walking with Christ? The first session is Saturday 10am-1pm and the second session (same material different group) is 2pm-5pm. Thank you so much prayer warriors!! You are a blessing!!

Pst Joy & Soul2Praiz with members of Kool & the Gang at JakJazz 2007

2007-11-27T10:12:00.000+07:00

Saved Souls and Kool & The Gang at JakJazz!!

2007-11-25T19:30:00.000+07:00

Hi Everyone! I want to share just a brief report about the Jakarta International Jazz Festival Gospel Concert with Salvation Message this morning. I don't have any pictures for you yet but will get some up in a few days. We have little time right now because Pastor Joy and I will be leaving on Monday for the CWS Pastors Annual Retreat (at the CWS Retreat Facility in the Hills a couple of hours out from Jakarta) which is a welcome spiritual renewal and rest time!

The morning did not go without it's hitches... we started a bit late due to sound system challenges and the clock was ticking as we had to be off of the stage at 12:30pm in order for Kool & The Gang (their most famous song which is still widely played especially around New Years time is "Celebration") to do their sound check for tonight's JakJazz main stage performance. But once we started, the sense of stress was quickly replaced with a strong awareness of the presence of God! "Joy McKinney and Soul 2 Praiz" rocked the house for His glory! I don't know what the attendance was yet, but it was solid with as many numbers of people we didn't recognize as numbers of Church members who we did.

Though the concert was in English, I used an awesome interpreter (Sister Chanda) for the message. I utilised a "layered response approach" when appealing to the people for salvation. The prayer of salvation came first, a showing of hands second and then an invitation to come to the front third. I estimate around 70 hands that were raised for salvation and a couple of dozen who braved coming to the front. Praise the Lord!!! The bottom line is that many people were saved and touched who had not previously even stepped foot in our Church! We truly must use this as our Que to keep on reaching out... out of the facility and normality of what we usually do.

I want to thank the membership of ICCJ for your support of this event! I know that many of you sacrificed to become workers and it wasn't very convenient for us to cancel our Services in the regular venue... but you pulled together and the Kingdom of God has been enlarged! You are awesome!!

From reports I have received this afternoon, many were not able to reach the venue for the Concert due to terrible traffic jam. For those of you who made the effort and were not able to attend, I apologize that you missed the concert and I want to thank you for your support! May the Lord bless you richly! You are awesome too and we love you!

Now to close with a little more about Kool & The Gang... We did end about 15 minutes over time with the permission of Brother Ireng Maulana, the founder and owner of JakJazz who is thrilled with what God did this morning. Because of lateness, members of Kool & The Gang caught the message and the closing songs and they made comments... "Awesome Sermon!" "Incredible Worship!" These are among my High School days music heroes... I never thought I would meet them but they ended up in the service! Pastor Joy and some of our other folks were able to hook up with them some more and had a "Kool" time. God is so good!!

JakJazz Prayer Request & Web-site

2007-11-24T07:47:00.000+07:00

Hi Friends of ICCJ! Please pray for a great harvest at JakJazz this Sunday morning! We are believing that God will bring many people to Himself through this great event! Please also pray for protection and favor from the Lord in every way.

Even though we are conducting an official Special Program of the Jakarta International Jazz Festival this year, this is JakJazz's first time to incorporate a Sunday morning Christian "event." In the nation that we are in, this can be a sensitive step to take and there must be great care in how the service is promoted in order not to end up with a religious firestorm. And so there is not allot of promotion on the part of the JakJazz coordinators themselves but we applaud them for the courageousness in making this event happen. They have listed the the service as a special event on their web-site at www.jakjazz.com, click on "Line-up & Programme" and then click on "Special Programme" and you will see us there for Sunday Morning listed as "A New Sound Is Coming." We as a Church and some other Friends have been busy inviting people and 4,000 tickets have been released. We have none left... The event has been mentioned on radio and media, posters and ads have been placed in a variety of key places throughout the city and our phones have been ringing off the hook as a result. We have no idea how many will come but we do know that God will draw just the right ones and that He will be glorified! We are EXCITED!!!

Thank you everyone for your prayers! I'm looking forward to informing you of the results soon!

Eternal Connections

2007-11-19T15:58:00.000+07:00

Most of you know that our Church Slogan is "Real People, Real Answers, Good Connections"... Recently I have been thinking more about what Good Connections really are and I believe the best way to describe them is Eternal Connections!

Our vision is to provide opportunities to make the ultimate connection with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. This connection is the only relationship which will give you entrance to heaven... into eternal life with God. We further want to provide opportunities to connect with people... all kinds of people who have the Jesus Connection in common. These connections which we share in the Church will last beyond this temporary life! We are making connections... making friendships which will last for eternity! Wow! What a great thing the Church is and what an awesome privelege that we have been granted by our Father!

Thank You Alex and Ria!!!

2007-11-19T15:45:00.000+07:00

For the last 3 Sundays, the owners of the Epicure Patisserie, a new Restaurant in the Bellagio have provided Pastries for our membership after the 10:30am service. I don't think there were any left-overs! Wow! The quality of their pastries and desserts is amazing! There is no better dessert in Jakarta! And Pastor Joy and I had a chance to eat in this Patisserie and their food is equally amazing! It is on the UG level, unit 02. The menu completely changes every couple of weeks and there is nothing offered that is not of the finest quality! The prices for what you are getting are very fair. (get the Paella) The restaurant is cozy and the staff is knowledgeable. Perfect for a romantic occasion with your spouse or for a business meeting.

Mexican Food at the Bellagio is Coming!

2007-11-19T15:28:00.000+07:00

Since food is an important subject for most of us, I want to update those of you who are following the ministry of ICCJ from a distance about the food situation here at our facility... the Bellagio. Amigo's Restaurant is coming! Yes... Mexican food will be available in the building. For those of you who don't know... one of the things that American expats miss the most from the USA is Mexican food (almost every neighborhood has a Mexican restaurant). Most of the people that I know in the USA have a once a week or more Mexican Restaurant habit. Pst Joy and I are excited! Ron, if you are reading this... thank you for putting a branch in our building!!! I know that it will be a success because... well... because we plan on eating there quite a bit! (-:

BTW, there are many wonderful restaurants at the Bellagio, all of which we and most of our members enjoy regularly. The building is filling up nicely and we are very happy to be a part of the Bellagio Community.

JakJazz Festival Sunday Morning Service Nov 25

2007-11-15T10:36:00.000+07:00

ICCJ is honored to be conducting the Sunday Morning Service for the Jakarta Jazz Festival this year! It is a Christian service which is being promoted in a variety of ways including print, radio and on school campuses.

Our Church is going to hold it's regular Sunday service at the festival instead of conducting our 2 regular services at the Bellagio facility. And so there is one service at 10am on November 25. Please come at 9:30am and join us in prayer and ready to kick off right at 10am so that we have optimal time for the Live Recording Worship Experience! Amen! We are excited to bring the Church to the people rather than the usual method of bringing the people to the Church for this special event that will bless the city of Jakarta!

The tickets are available at the Church (free of charge) and will also be available at the door. Please contact Sassha at (0811-138-870) or Donna at (021-30019980). There will be a "free-will (no-pressure)" opportunity to make a donatation.

The venue is the Istora Senayan. Please come and join us in this event which will unify and bless the City of Jakarta and give glory to God!

Steve & Joy at Trisno & Indah's Reception

2007-11-13T21:55:00.000+07:00

Service this past Sunday

2007-11-13T21:09:00.000+07:00

What a service we had this past Sunday! In both services the presence and power of God overwhelmed us and I did not preach my message. The worship was awesome and the waves of glory kept coming. One of the testimonies is that a visitor who had not experienced any type of a charismatic service in the past received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit spontaneously during a time of corporate prayer. Another visitor was so consumed that even in the visitors greeting area, she could not stop jumping up and down because she was filled with so much excitement and happiness from the touch which Jesus blessed her with. Wow!!! Keep pressing in guys! God is full of surprises and He has more for us all!

Intercession --- a different approach

2007-11-12T00:27:00.000+07:00

Often times in intercession we visualize standing in a gap of a wall, birthing, or some other picture of what we are doing as we pray. The Lord spoke to me a little while back that we are entering a strategic time in our Church and to encourage our congregation to pray in this way:

Pray like we are giving "cover fire"... this is different than a covering prayer which is like a shelter or a blanket. This is like we are shooting over the heads of our own troops as they advance. It is warfare and advancement prayer which offers a more aggressive type of covering which is literally an assault on the enemy.
Pray like we are shedding our skin. I hesitated with this one because I never want to be looking at things from a perspective that we are being like a snake because snakes shed their skin. But this is what God told me to do and I am learning to do it. We need to pray until we are changed, transformed, renewed, revived and regenerated... like we have changed our skin. Awesome!
Pray like we are hibernating... literally not leaving our prayer "cave" until the season has changed and "rest" in the Lord has been acheived.

Leaders of all ministries including Care Groups... please lead that people in forceful and productive prayer in a purposeful manner at this time. People of God, please don't miss the Thursday night prayer meeting if you can at all make it. This Thursday it will again be held in the main sanctuary. God bless you!

Welcome Kate! Alvin & Shelly's new arrival...

2007-11-10T20:53:00.000+07:00

Pst Joy and I stopped by the hospital earlier this evening and were thrilled to meet Alvin Lim and Shelly Antonio's new baby girl Kate, born Saturday. She is healthy, beautiful and has plenty of hair! God is sooo good! Welcome Kate and congrats Alvin & Shelly!

God's Presence at a Wedding

2007-11-10T15:23:00.000+07:00

For those of you who were contacted by E-mail and prayed for the name of Jesus to be clearly declared and for the presence of God to be made manifest at the wedding of Trisno and Indah yesterday, THANK YOU! It was an awesome wedding! Tommy Barnett (one of my heroes) often says that if you want to experience God's presence and anointing, then go to where non-believers are. In this wedding, I personally experienced the presence of God in an amazing way, I believe largely because the number of believers were far less than then the number of believers possibly 10 to 1. People of all faiths joined in prayer to Jesus Christ, many with eyes wet from tears. I believe that seeds were planted and watered and that God is continuing to draw all people to Himself! I want to encourage you that when you find yourself in a situation in which you are outnumbered, to recognize that God is moving in a powerful way... maybe even more so then what you sometimes experience in Church. This so that God can use you to make Himself known to the lost and dying which you and I are surrounded with on a daily basis. It is at those times that He will strengthen you and will put words in your mouth which will melt hearts and touch lives both now and for eternity!

MISSION to AMBON

2007-11-08T00:20:00.000+07:00

Our Pastor of Counseling, Sammy Roslim and I went to Ambon for a ministry trip this last Friday and arrived back this Monday. It was an awesome time of ministry in several Churches and venues! Every service in which either one of us ministered uniquely accomplished each God appointed mission. The primary Church which invited us was Kuda Mati GSJA (A/G)… a Church which has experienced incredible growth over the last couple of years in direct correlation to their Missions Emphasis. They have been maintaining a pledge campaign every 6 months for two years. Though the monetary figures which they are giving to missions cannot compare to a big city Church, for Ambon and for their size, 140 people, they are off the charts in their giving… truly sacrificial! They are sponsoring Bible School Students, supporting Church planting efforts, buying chairs for Churches which have none and much more! I am so excited to see yet another Church that “Get’s It…” When our focus is outward and when we honor God’s plan for missions, He is moved to bless and increase our inward work in a mighty way!

It was good to catch up with AGWM Missionary and friend Donna Brown who coordinated much of the additional ministry. God has opened a door for her and lavished her with incredible favor to advance God’s Kingdom and also to work towards greater cooperation and unity in the Ambon Churches. It was also wonderful to work with Eka Tupamahu (from APTS background and working at SATI in Malang currently... his blog is www.tupamahu.blogspot.com) who did all of my interpretation and added so much to what God was doing!...as usual!!

I and Pst Sammy have developed a heart for Ambon! The many Pastors and people whom we met have touched us! It is a needy area which was in the world press quite often many years ago because of a conflict which claimed thousands of lives and ripped the infrastructure of the Island to shreds… and the residue (hatred, distrust, hopelessness, etc) of this conflict still remains even though the world has mostly forgotten. But God does not forget and we at ICCJ are committed to Ambon. Pst Sammy will undoubtedly be assisting the region with counseling, I am certain that our Missions Pastor, Rishi Anandani will be involved along with myself to possibly assist in the planting of an English speaking Church… talks are underway but it must be God’s way, of course, and we are planning with our Creative Arts Ministry already, a large evangelistic and unification concert sponsored by several Ambon Churches in the summer of 2008! It has been confirmed through some of our intercessors who prayed for us while we were there that we will be also be involved in some “healing events.” This we will definitely be considering further in prayer and discussion.

Friends, please pray for Ambon! The Lord strongly impressed me that as Ambon heals and progresses in unity, that He will use Ambonese people in a powerful way to not only to be a shining example to the rest of Indonesia and beyond, but He will send these wonderful people throughout this nation to make a tremendous impact towards what is to come as God turns this nation into a lighthouse for the gospel to the world! Let us enforce God’s plan with purposeful prayer!

2 Weddings in 1 Day

2007-10-25T23:57:00.000+07:00

Pst Joy and I were involved in 2 Wedding Rehearsals today in preparation for 2 Weddings on Saturday! A new marker for me... but I don't want to try 3 in a day! Arya and Tiwik will be married at the Bellagio in the morning and Sunny and Mansha will be married at the Hotel Manhatten in the evening. These two awesome couples launch into this new phase of life with the full support of our ICCJ Family and I would like to ask you to pray for both of these couples and for good fruit from both of these weddings which are designed to minister to many from other faiths as they "rub shoulders" with us during these blessed events! Thank you for praying!

New Sound System Offering Next Sunday

2007-10-25T23:49:00.000+07:00

Thank you all for your exuberant response in preparation for next weeks offering for the new speakers and sound equipment! The system that we are planning to purchase (which we are already using) will serve our needs for years to come. It is important that most every member of ICCJ shows a "vote of confidence" since we are a community and we work together in every area. The number of people who give towards the sound system is equally important to the amount collected. I am looking to see at least 200 envelopes submitted from small to large amounts... remember the slogan of the campaign that raised the funds for the facility we all enjoy now... "equal sacrifice, not equal giving." Giving what you can... even what you feel might be a small amount adds up and is powerful! Thank you for your generous and sacrificial effort! You are blessed and you are a blessing! Amen!

My Birthday --- Thank You ICCJ!!!

2007-10-21T21:30:00.000+07:00

I want to thank all of you for giving me such a wonderful surprise birthday celebration at the 2nd service today. Pst Joy and I are blessed to be connected with all of you and we are grateful to God that He has allowed us to be your Pastors! This time also marks my 1 year and 1 month mark as the Sr Pastor of ICCJ. As I reflect on what we have accomplished together, I am amazed... but I expect even greater things this year! Thank you for your support, loyalty and dedication to the Kingdom of God!

Looking back at a 2004 Fave Foto of Ethan and Mommy

2007-10-21T18:57:00.000+07:00

Steve & Joy Christmas Foto

2007-10-20T21:26:00.000+07:00