This is a combined testimony on the topic of giving from both the recipient’s and the giver’s point of view.
A member of our church saw a need for a drummer in the worship team and decided to offer his service to play with the worship team. However he has not undergone any prior formal training but decided to give it a try any way. Things turned out well and Pastor Amos decided to ask if he would like to take up formal training in drumming lessons to upgrade his skills. However the volunteer was not sure if this is a permanent role for him and to use the church fund for training would inevitably demand a certain level of commitment to play with the worship team seriously. Therefore he decided to reject Pastor’s offer but prayed to God that if it is His will, send someone to provide for his training.
Around the same time, another member of the church saw the above mentioned volunteer took up the position of the drummer and was very glad. The drummer’s involvement would definitely add more resources to the worship team was well as allow a wider variety of worship songs to sing and play. He thought about how he could help the drummer and God later impressed in his heart to send this volunteer for drumming lessons. Hence he checked out the rates in the market and felt that he was able to afford the course. So he later obeyed this leading and offered the drummer to send him to a beginner’s course in drumming.
During the conversation, the drummer asked if it is ok if he does not continue to play for the church after the course. The giver told him it is ok. In fact the giver told him that this arrangement is even better because the drummer can go for lessons without the pressure of commitment to the worship team and if the drummer felt that he would like to seriously play with the worship team, he could then probably consider using the church fund for subsequent lessons. At that point in time, he was not aware of any prior arrangements that were made between Pastor and himself. Immediately, the drummer knew that this was the person God sent to settle him
Praise God! Two parties seeking ways to bless the church and God divinely connected them together while increasing their faith in the process.
Steve
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Be more than a follower of Christ, be a disciple of Christ
When we are young in Christ, we find that our prayers are answered almost very easily and God blesses us in many different ways that are personal to us. As we grow spiritually through knowing God better, God starts to expect us to act on His word and put our faith in Him through the various situations and circumstances that we found ourselves in. This is similar to the difference in the expectations we have towards a baby and an adult.
Nevertheless apart from the above area of Christian living, there is also another aspect of Christian walk that God wants us to engage in as well. Being a service to others.
Jesus came to serve and not to be served.
Matthew 20:28, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
When we experience God in using you to touch other people lives, you will not find yourself being contented with just leading a passive Christian life. You will want to be someone who wants to get involved in the “works” of Jesus. Such experiences might include:
- Someone whom you thought would be the least likely to accept Christ actually act on it when you ask him.
- Laying hands on the sick and seeing them recover before your eyes.
- Sharing your testimony with someone and you see tears welling up in their eyes.
- Giving someone a sum of money that God led you to do so and later you found out that he has been praying for this exact amount of money.
Experiences of the above nature often require the obedience on our part. Most of the time, thoughts of doubt or fear (of rejection, appearing stupid, saying the wrong things etc) come into our mind each time we felt led by God to give more financially, to share the gospel with a fellow friend or extend an act of love to someone else, just to name a few examples. However this is exactly when you will know that there is a divine connection when we act upon this leading and we see that act of blessing making an impact upon the person's life or when we experience the unexplainable joy in our hearts.
This is the point when you start to consciously look out for opportunities to bless people and see how God moves creatively in your life to do so through divine intervention and connection.
This is the also level of Christian walk that Pastor Amos has encouraged us to pursue and persevere. We serve because we love God and also because we love the people God loves.
Be a useful vessel!
2 Timothy 2:21, “… he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Steve
Nevertheless apart from the above area of Christian living, there is also another aspect of Christian walk that God wants us to engage in as well. Being a service to others.
Jesus came to serve and not to be served.
Matthew 20:28, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
When we experience God in using you to touch other people lives, you will not find yourself being contented with just leading a passive Christian life. You will want to be someone who wants to get involved in the “works” of Jesus. Such experiences might include:
- Someone whom you thought would be the least likely to accept Christ actually act on it when you ask him.
- Laying hands on the sick and seeing them recover before your eyes.
- Sharing your testimony with someone and you see tears welling up in their eyes.
- Giving someone a sum of money that God led you to do so and later you found out that he has been praying for this exact amount of money.
Experiences of the above nature often require the obedience on our part. Most of the time, thoughts of doubt or fear (of rejection, appearing stupid, saying the wrong things etc) come into our mind each time we felt led by God to give more financially, to share the gospel with a fellow friend or extend an act of love to someone else, just to name a few examples. However this is exactly when you will know that there is a divine connection when we act upon this leading and we see that act of blessing making an impact upon the person's life or when we experience the unexplainable joy in our hearts.
This is the point when you start to consciously look out for opportunities to bless people and see how God moves creatively in your life to do so through divine intervention and connection.
This is the also level of Christian walk that Pastor Amos has encouraged us to pursue and persevere. We serve because we love God and also because we love the people God loves.
Be a useful vessel!
2 Timothy 2:21, “… he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Steve
God divinely arranged an opportunity for me to minister to my sister
It was amazing how God lead me to minister to my sister who was a non believer recently. She has not been open to the gospel all these while and it is rare that we share our hearts out.
I remembered a few weeks ago, my sister dropped by my house with my dad for dinner. She was lounging in my living room when I noticed she saw a Christian book that I was reading then lying on my coffee table. She took a while looking at the book but did not picked it up. Nevertheless, I could sense that she was interested in the content of the Christian book. That instance, I smelled an opportunity to reach out to her. I felt impressed in my heart to buy the book by Joel Osteen: Be A Better You for her; and I did just that.
Two weeks later, I had a phone conversation with my sister to learn more about an unhappy incident that she has experienced lately. I was able to share some of my thoughts with her concerning the incident and we had a few laughs here and there.
As we chatted, I was seeking how to bring God into the picture into the course of conversation. God amazingly led our conversation from one topic to another topic. The conversation slowly evolved into a counseling manner whereby I shared my views and suggestions on approaches that I would adopt if I was in her shoes that were Christian based. She then talked about a motivational course she has attended lately but felt very uncomfortable with the intrusive methodology the course employed into her personal life. It was not cheap either and I do not feel good about the tactics and content of the course from the way she described it. It was at this point in time I found the opportunity to encourage her to read the book that I gave her a few weeks ago (she has not look at it yet at that point in time). Most importantly, I concluded by telling her that all the precepts that I shared with her concerning the issues that she is facing came from the bible and my experiences with God and they were free.
Towards the end of the call, I could feel that she was lifted up in her spirit and I now know why God specifically led me to get the book for her. Joel Osteen’s books are motivational based with underlying Christian values but yet not too heavy or aggressive for a non believer to read it. On my part, this is definitely one of the closest opportunities God used me to touch her in this manner after all these years. Praise God!
Anonymous
I remembered a few weeks ago, my sister dropped by my house with my dad for dinner. She was lounging in my living room when I noticed she saw a Christian book that I was reading then lying on my coffee table. She took a while looking at the book but did not picked it up. Nevertheless, I could sense that she was interested in the content of the Christian book. That instance, I smelled an opportunity to reach out to her. I felt impressed in my heart to buy the book by Joel Osteen: Be A Better You for her; and I did just that.
Two weeks later, I had a phone conversation with my sister to learn more about an unhappy incident that she has experienced lately. I was able to share some of my thoughts with her concerning the incident and we had a few laughs here and there.
As we chatted, I was seeking how to bring God into the picture into the course of conversation. God amazingly led our conversation from one topic to another topic. The conversation slowly evolved into a counseling manner whereby I shared my views and suggestions on approaches that I would adopt if I was in her shoes that were Christian based. She then talked about a motivational course she has attended lately but felt very uncomfortable with the intrusive methodology the course employed into her personal life. It was not cheap either and I do not feel good about the tactics and content of the course from the way she described it. It was at this point in time I found the opportunity to encourage her to read the book that I gave her a few weeks ago (she has not look at it yet at that point in time). Most importantly, I concluded by telling her that all the precepts that I shared with her concerning the issues that she is facing came from the bible and my experiences with God and they were free.
Towards the end of the call, I could feel that she was lifted up in her spirit and I now know why God specifically led me to get the book for her. Joel Osteen’s books are motivational based with underlying Christian values but yet not too heavy or aggressive for a non believer to read it. On my part, this is definitely one of the closest opportunities God used me to touch her in this manner after all these years. Praise God!
Anonymous
I asked God why my business venture did not take off
Recently, I looked back at the amount of preparation and ground work that I have done two years ago in setting up a business. It was quite a hefty amount of work and I poured out my heart into this business venture. All these were done while I was holding a permanent normal working hours job.
Disappointingly, it never really took off but by God’s grace, I did manage to clinch a deal that paid off all my initial investment plus a couple of thousands in profit. After that, I tried many ways and means to make new sales but have been unsuccessful. I was really discouraged and wondered if I have missed God in any way or this business was purely out of my own will and by the mercy of God, He helped me to pay off my initial investment. Nevertheless at the same time, I do not believe God will allow me to go through something in vain. There must be at least something I can learn from this experience. I have been asking God many “whys” and recently I felt that God was trying to show me two things.
Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says the LORD:
“ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the LORD.”
Firstly, you can have all the resources on hand, you can have all the brains and even the best business plan. However things might not always turn out in the manner you thought it would be ideally no matter how hard you try. Nevertheless this does not absolve you from doing your best in whatever you set you hands on.
Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might …”
Secondly, by God’s grace all things are possible.
Isaiah 43:19, “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Therefore this is a good reminder to me that God is Lord and we should always depend on Him in everything we do. We need this.
Anonymous
Disappointingly, it never really took off but by God’s grace, I did manage to clinch a deal that paid off all my initial investment plus a couple of thousands in profit. After that, I tried many ways and means to make new sales but have been unsuccessful. I was really discouraged and wondered if I have missed God in any way or this business was purely out of my own will and by the mercy of God, He helped me to pay off my initial investment. Nevertheless at the same time, I do not believe God will allow me to go through something in vain. There must be at least something I can learn from this experience. I have been asking God many “whys” and recently I felt that God was trying to show me two things.
Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says the LORD:
“ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the LORD.”
Firstly, you can have all the resources on hand, you can have all the brains and even the best business plan. However things might not always turn out in the manner you thought it would be ideally no matter how hard you try. Nevertheless this does not absolve you from doing your best in whatever you set you hands on.
Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might …”
Secondly, by God’s grace all things are possible.
Isaiah 43:19, “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Therefore this is a good reminder to me that God is Lord and we should always depend on Him in everything we do. We need this.
Anonymous
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