Fire!

This weekend was a great Holy Spirit filled weekend! Let's start with Saturday... went for worship practice and the presence of God was just awesome in the place! While we sang fire fall down, the Holy Spirit came upon me and i fell down right where i was and there came deep cries and groans of intercession from deep within my spirit. Actually, even before the prac, on my way to church, i was singing fire fall down and worshipping God and i could already feel His presence with me moving me to tears... So anyway, during the prac, there was a deep sense of God's holiness and reverential fear in His presence. There were angels in the place and the Lord was just removing hindrances to worship! Being there in itself was changing something inside of me...

Then we went for the photoshoot and so many youth came. Then we started youth service and i was so happy seeing all the people responding to God so openly during worship and even singing the new song that we sang! Then towards the end part of the worship, we called down the fire of God and prayed for one-another. I felt that God was releasing His fire down upon, the fire of His love.. to melt away all the bitterness, anger, hatred inside us.. the fire was there to melt away the lies from which we have taken our identity.. the lies of the evil one that says we need to be like this or be like that in order to be loved.. many times, we have taken our identity, our sense of value and self worth on the thigs we do, people we hang out with, our relationships, etc.. but the fire of God came to burn all that away cos what really matters is His deep ever-lasting love for us that none can quench! Period. After the worship, i sensed that something happened, there was a change in the spiritual atmosphere...

Alvin shared on holiness... While sitting there, the Lord just reminded me the verse from hebrews that says He makes His angels winds and His servants flames of fire. Then the Lord put in my heart that holiness is one key to evangelism cos when we set ourselves apart for Him, the whole world will wonder why we're so different. The bible says that God is a holy God and that our God is a consuming fire.. we his children are likewise called to be holy, having that same spiritual DNA of being as fire... His servants who release His redemptive message upon the earth are flames of fire... and when we truly grasp what it means to be holy, guess what.. the angels will be bringing us around as the winds carry the fire around so that it spreads.. and nothing is left unchanged and unsettled wherever the fire goes.. fire begets fire, the same substance... :)

After that, had 40th anniversary rehearsal den went to eat with Alvin and den came back home pretty late lah.. but i was still quite awake and i really thank the grace of God for sustaining me.. cos is pent until 6am or something typing stuff on friday night. Den woke up at 11 something and didn't get much of a chance to eat the whole day cos had so many thigs to do.. only managed to grab a sandwhich during the break during prac.. but God sustained me and he was faithful!

Went for new team this morning and it was good! The yonger musicians are rising up and we spent time worshipping in the presence of God. There were angels in the place getting ready for what God is doing.. we're releasing a new sound, the sound of war, the sound of love.. the sound that even churches have never seen before! I'm really believing God that He would birth forth though us this new worship movement... and perhaps that's why until now, we still call it new team cos of the new wineshkin we're entering into. We're really moving there! And God put in my heart the importance of this new wineskin, this new sound to come forth.. cos if it doesn't come forth from the church, there's another sound- the sound of the world, the sound that would bring destruction upon the younger generation that's gonna invade their senses.. so we have to come up with the real thing- we have to take the ground for Christ cos if it's not taken, the devil will take it instead and bring in his plan of destroying the younger generation! It's gonna be a pure sound, a holy sound unpolluted by the world. In churches in Singapore, worship ministries have compromised with so much worldliness in their worship- the glorification of man, pageantry, the worshipping of music, gifts and talents, taking focuss off God and putting it on man instead... God is bringing forth a pure sound to win the hearts of the young generation. The reason why the 70s hippie counterculture emerged was because the traditionalist western church couldn't provide that generation with the reality of God's presence and Person! Just imagine how many of them came from traditional "Christian" backgrounds! But now God is raising up a company of forerunners to pioneer this new wineskin, this new worship movement that will spread accross the world and even invade the arena of culture, arts and media. Creative expressions will rise up and challenge traditionalist religious structures with the power, presence and Person of Jesus! [I am prophesying as i write this.. i could feel the Holy Spirit's presence.. :) ]

After new team, i saw Jonathan playing around the place getting ready for Children's Church and as i watched him and felt the love of God for children burn in me, the Lord just put it in my heart that it will be His fiery love that will win the hearts of the next generation to Himself.. cos if there's one thing that's increasing through the generations, it apathy... but the fire of God's love is gonna melt this apathy and turn an entire MTV generations into fiery men and women after God's heart- apostles, teachers, prophets, evangelists, pastors, politicians, businessmen, researchers, doctors, scientists, etc... kings and queens in their own right who have a part to play in the unfolding of God's great manifest purposes upon the earth! The love of God can and will raise up a people for Himself from the very pits of human depravity and sin into godly people raised in Christ-likeness, gentleness, meekness and holiness!

After that, sat through the sermon during 2nd service and the speaker released a prophetic word saying that there were some yound people in the church involved in pornography. He wasn't the first person to say that... but coming from a backgound of getting involved with that before, i can identify with how hard it is to come out of it so as i was praying while walking home, i was bringing this issue before the Lord. Then God showed me that when we come into His kingdom, it's not us who chose Him but Him who chose us... so if He was the one who chose us to come into His Kingdom in the first place, He won't let us fall away just like that but He Himself has a responsibility according to His covenant to work in our lives! If God can deliver me out of it and turn me upside down- or rather, rightside up- den He can do it for you too.. and whoever else out there that needs Him and is humble enough to acknowledge it. I was really praying that God would show up with a greater sense of His presence and His holiness in our youth meetings to bring about a greater reverential fear of Him that would change us, leave us amazed, undone and undignified before His holiness and grace...

So anyway... stayed back with the 40th anniversary band as they practiced. Auntie Esther is quite pro leh! I watched her just now and was able to see and appreciate just how musically pro she is! I tried Uncle Jem's durian mooncake. It was soooo niceeeee! Anyway, din go out today cos people had something on. Besides, was quite tired lah.. but had a fulfilling weekend in church nonetheless! :)

You are Here

You are here among us
For we have gathered in Your Name
We can feel Your presence in tis place
You are here among us
You are enthroned upon our praise
You are here, here to heal
And here to save

You are here in our midst
How we've waited for moments like this
Have Your way in this place
Holy Spirit come do as You wish
We are changed as You move in our midst

God bless! ;)