I was telling Kevin and a couple of folks that I chatted with earlier,
this feels like a really good church.
I'm not just saying that because I want to be polite.
I'm here and I want to say nice things.
But when I was looking at faces earlier,
and we were looking at certain texts,
I could see some of your faces were lit up
as those texts were being explained.
And that is always a wonderful sign
that people are responding to the Word of God.
And just observing you guys praying together,
that was a beautiful sign, really.
I can really tell that the Holy Spirit is at work here.
So if you're expecting the Holy Spirit to be only at work
when you see very spectacular signs,
that often would be the wrong expectation.
He is at work in your hearts, changing life.
And one of the sheer signs of a church that is filled by the Holy Spirit
is a church that loves each other.
It's a church that loves each other.
By this, they will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.
It's the Word of Jesus.
And I have just been, what's the word?
Flawed by the hospitality here.
Every person that I experience is so warm, so welcoming, so loving.
And looking at how you guys interact with each other,
the Spirit of God is at work in this place.
So Watermark Church, please don't take this for granted at all.
This is the grace of God given to you.
Let's continue to guard this and build this.
I'm going to continue from the first topic by talking about missions.
Missions and purpose.
The Holy Spirit doesn't just come so that we enjoy a life of comfort and convenience
for the rest of our time on earth,
but we experience a life that is purposeful,
energized by Him, sent by Him to be a blessing in this world.
So earlier, I mentioned about fire.
Fire coming upon every person.
Do you remember that account where Moses experienced a burning bush?
The holiness of God.
A fire that cannot be quenched.
And what was the burning bush about?
The presence of God.
Moses was told that this is holy ground.
As he stepped into the presence of God.
And now in the book of Acts,
every believer, you and I,
we are burning bushes.
Do you know what that means?
Let's pause for a while.
Just to indulge in the awe,
the profound truth of what it means.
It means that the way the world comes to know who God is,
is through an experience with you and I.
You God's people.
We are sent out into the world,
filled by His Spirit,
to testify,
to proclaim,
that we belong to Jesus,
and Jesus is good.
So,
as we go along,
in the book of Acts,
let's turn back to Acts chapter 2,
and read with me,
from verse 5 onward.
Are we there?
Acts chapter 2,
verse 5.
I'll try to keep this to half an hour,
so that you don't end up,
have to wait for your lunch for too long.
Verse 5.
Let me read for us,
from verse 5 onward.
Wow.
So those tongues
were language that could be understood.
And they were amazed and astonished,
saying,
Are not all these who are speaking Galilean?
And how is it that we hear each of us
in its own native language?
Pathians and Midas and Elamites
and residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea, Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia,
Pergia,
Pamphylia,
Egypt,
and the parts of Libya
belonging to Cyrene,
and visitors from Rome,
both Jews and proselytes,
Cretans and Arabians.
We hear them telling in our own tongues
the mighty works of God.
And all were amazed and perplexed.
They were perplexed.
They were saying to one another,
What does this mean?
But others mocking said,
They were filled with new wines.
So here is Peter,
Peter coming into the stage
to explain this.
Peter standing with the eleven,
he lifted up his voice
and addressed them,
Men of Judea and all who do in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you
and give ear to my words.
For these people are not drunk,
as you suppose,
since it is only the third hour of the day.
But this is what was uttered
through the prophet Job.
Verse 17,
In the last days it shall be,
God declares,
I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.
And your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy.
Your young men shall see visions.
Your old men shall dream dreams.
Even on my male servants
and female servants,
in those days I will pour out my spirit
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show wonders
in the heavens above
and signs on earth below.
Blood, fire, vapor of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness
and moon to blood
before the day of the Lord comes,
the great and magnificent day.
And it shall come to pass
that everyone who calls
upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.
Now what does this mean?
Do you see some Old Testament reference here?
They are not that obvious.
The obvious one would be
the book of Job.
This is a fulfillment
of the prophet Job,
declaring that the spirit
will be poured out on all men.
Every person will now be filled
by the Holy Spirit.
The contrast is this.
In the Old Testament,
we see God's presence dwelling.
Often in the place,
we see that in the ark,
we see that in the temple,
we see that in specific men.
And now,
the fulfillment of the promise of God
in the Old Testament
is that it shall now be poured
upon all flesh.
The Holy Spirit
coming upon all of us.
Now,
in Pentecost,
what was unique
is they were uttering
in different tongues,
in languages
that could be understood.
And each man
were giving praise
and glory to God
in their own language.
And everyone could understand.
Let me just,
I know that there are many ways
that we can look at this text, right?
Does that mean that
the feeling of the Holy Spirit
will lead to us
breaking out in tongues
and languages?
It's 1 Corinthians 12-14
that talks about tongues
and prophecy,
language of angels,
and how,
when the church gathered,
Paul encouraged us
to prophesy
so that it can build up,
edify the church.
And there's a place
for tongues
in 1 Corinthians 12-14
which was implied there
and in fact written there
quite clearly.
in this text,
in Acts chapter 2,
there are reasons,
there are levels of clarity.
Again,
it just describes to us
what happened.
But I found it very,
very interesting
that this seems to
in some ways
paint a contrast
to another incident
in the Old Testament.
In the book of
Genesis,
chapter 11,
there was a verse
that says,
the Lord came down.
Genesis 11,
verse 5.
And when that verse
talked about
the Lord came down,
it was not a good thing.
It was not in a good way.
Let me share with you
the context.
The Lord came down
to see the city
and the tower
which the children
of man had built.
That's the famous story
of the Tower of Babel.
The Lord came down.
The transcendent
supreme God
of the universe
descended
to take a look.
And there's some kind
of a condescension
in the language.
It's almost like,
wow,
these folks,
they were trying to build
a tower to reach me.
Let me come down
to look at how tiny it is
because I actually
have to come down
in order to see it.
They think they can build
this tower to reach me.
I had to come down
to take a look at that.
The Lord came down.
It was a form of
mocking in some ways,
saying that there's
no way men
can reach God
by their own efforts.
So let's contrast that
to Acts chapter 2.
This time,
when the Lord
came down,
it is good news.
Holy God
who made a way
so that sinful men
can now reach Him.
Not by their own efforts,
but by what He has done
for them
through Jesus Christ.
And now,
as a sign of that,
the Spirit being poured out
upon every believer.
Now,
often we look at Acts chapter 2
and we get distracted
by the signs
of the tongues,
right?
But again,
recall
Genesis 11,
that building
of the tower
when God came down
and He exercised
some form of judgment
upon them
by scattering them
through
the different languages,
confusing the languages,
dividing them.
Friends,
this is a form of grace.
What do I mean by that?
Remember in the book
of Genesis,
in I think
chapter 6 or 7,
you have God
having to destroy
the earth
because the earth
was filled with
pride and evil
and wickedness
that the Lord
almost pressed
a reset button,
a great flood
and only Noah
and his household
were saved.
And now,
just five or six chapters
after that,
we see that humanity
once again
fall back into sin
and evil
and pride.
And when God
dispelled men,
it is actually saying
that I'm going to
control that evil.
I'm going to control
those evil
by scattering them
so that they cannot
do further
atrocities
and commit further
sins
against me.
So in Genesis 11,
the Lord came down
to judge
and to scatter.
In Acts chapter 2,
he comes to restore
and to unite.
Now there are many ways
that the Lord
could have done this, right?
He could have come
among the people
and unite them
back to one language.
But no,
something far more
beautiful is happening here.
In the book of Revelations,
you have almost like
a picture of
Watermark Church.
Different nations,
different tribes,
different people group,
gathering.
I think right now
we have the English language
that unites us.
We all understand each other
because of that one language
that we are using.
But I so look forward
to the day
that will come
when we will hear
the multitudes singing
in different languages,
different tongues.
I often enjoy
attending Mandarin services
and singing Mandarin
worship songs.
For some reasons,
because I speak two languages,
English and Mandarin,
there's something
about the power of language
where it brings out
certain things
more beautifully, right?
So if you have,
if you speak more
than one language,
I assume most of you are,
and worshipping God
and reading about Him
in your other language
often brings about
different kind of emotions
and understanding.
That's something beautiful.
That is something
that God has gifted us.
and we see here
in this text,
in Acts chapter 2,
there is a picture
that points us forward
that when God
redeemed and saved the world,
it is not just
to reunite us
back to what it was,
but to point us
in a new direction
so that everything
that is broken
will not just be restored,
but be turned
into something
far more beautiful.
Far more beautiful.
Can you imagine?
Can you see
this picture,
this image here?
huge sin
and transgression.
Genesis 11.
Acts chapter 2.
Redemption and restoration.
And the outcome,
the angle of that
redemption and restoration
is something
far more beautiful
than the original picture.
Friends,
that is the gospel.
That is the good news
of Jesus Christ.
Let me just
pause for a moment
to say this.
One implication
of understanding
God's redemption power
through the good news
of Jesus coming
and the Holy Spirit
dwelling among us
is that your scars
will be turned
into glory.
I can probably guess
just now
when some of you
are gathered
to pray,
gathered as you
long for
God's intervention
in your life,
God's presence
in your life,
as you long
for restoration,
healing,
breaking of bondages,
there is a sense
of pain, right?
I noticed
some of you,
you had a very
serious expression.
A couple of you,
you were tearing up
as you were praying.
I don't mean
to use this phrase
in a loose way
when I say
your scars
will be turned
into glory,
just as some kind
of Bible plaster
over your wounds.
That's not the intention.
But I just want
to remind you
that you have
a wounded Savior.
Notice that
when Jesus
appeared before
his disciples,
this is the Lord God
that we are talking
about, right?
He could have
restored his
nail pierced wounds,
but that was not
the case.
That was his way
of identifying himself
as the Lord
who went to the cross
for his people,
that they could
verify and see
that his hands
were scarred.
And you know
how that's going
to be turned
into glory?
We see in the
book of Revelations
when the tribes,
the nations,
the people from
different tongues
gathered to worship
him.
If you go to
the book of Revelations,
this is the way
they describe Jesus,
the Lamb that was
slain.
They were looking
at him
and they knew
from how he looked
like that this
was the Lamb
that was slain
for us.
And therefore,
he is worthy
of all praise
and glory.
Now what it means
for you and I
is that if you are
part of this
redemptive story,
restoration will
come not in a
way that simply
return you
to what you
have lost.
But because of
what you have
lost,
because of the
scars and losses
in this world,
what you will
receive will be
far more glorious.
Now this is
another topic
that we can go
into,
but I really
want to honor
our time and
not dwell here
for too long.
Acts chapter 2
gives us a picture
of the multitudes,
of what is to
come.
And then we
have verse 22.
Let me continue
reading.
This is what
Peter said.
Man of Israel,
hear these
words.
Verse 22.
Jesus of Nazareth,
a man attested
to you by God
with mighty works
and wonders
and signs that
God did through
him in your midst.
You yourself know
this Jesus
deliver up according
to the definite
plan and foreknowledge
of God.
You crucified
and killed
by the hands
of lawless men.
And God raised
him up,
losing the
pain of death
because it was
not possible
for him to be
helped by it.
So,
Peter,
filled by the
Holy Spirit
in the context
where the Spirit
was being poured
out upon every
flesh,
notice that this
is his message.
Jesus crucified.
Jesus
raising from
the grave.
Jesus,
Jesus.
And if you
were there
as one of those
receiving this
message of
so-called good
news,
it really isn't
that pleasant
to receive that,
to be honest.
Because look at
the language here.
You crucified
and killed
him.
He is
revealing
that when God
came down
this time,
instead of
honoring him,
instead of
worshiping him,
we nailed him
on the cross.
Now,
I don't know
how much you
want to cover
that in your
workshop later
on reform and
charismatic,
because this
verse,
if you just
came on
verse 23,
according to
the definite
plan and
form knowledge
of God,
and the next
time you
crucify and
kill him.
So the
question is
who killed
Jesus?
According to
the plan of
God,
definite plan,
you know,
and the
form knowledge
of God.
God actually
planned for this
to happen,
but look at
the responsibility.
He fell on
you.
You
crucified him.
Okay,
we are not
going to take
five minutes
to resolve
this,
and I don't
think the
workshop is
going to
resolve this
for you.
What it
means that
God is
completely
sovereign,
understanding
him and
appreciating
reformed
theology,
and then
that active
participation,
that active
yearning,
that active
walking in
the spirit
of what the
charismatic
churches are
really good
and strong
at.
And I
think it's
not either
or.
The book
of Acts
shows us
it's both
trusting in
the sovereign
plan of
God and
knowing that
the spirit
of God
dwell and
abide in
us and
us pursuing
him.
So the
spirit power,
as is revealed,
point us to
the word of
God.
And as the
word of God
is preached,
the spirit
exercises his
power,
demonstrate his
power to the
conviction of
hearts.
A few verses
later on,
they were cut
to the flesh.
The spirit
convicted their
heart.
And more
than 3,000
souls were
added to
the kingdom
that day.
And it
became a
faith community.
Now let me
just pause
here.
You don't
have to go
back to
John 14,
but I'm
just going
to read
out a few
more verses
from John
14 and
tell us
his implication.
I started
at John
14.
I'm going
to read
selected
verses from
John 14,
15,
and 16.
John 14,
verse 26.
The helper,
the Holy
Spirit,
whom the
Father will
send in
my name,
he will
teach you
all things
and bring
to remembrance
all that I've
said to you.
So the
Spirit's role
is to take
whatever that
you know
and have it
to remember
and apply.
Friends,
why do we
need that?
Because you and I,
we are forgetful.
You're forgetful this
morning that you are
loved by God,
that He speak,
that your sins
are forgiven.
I pray,
I hope,
that by now
you're reminded
of that
and you will
continue to
forget and
you need
reminder.
That's why
we need
one another.
But the
Spirit is
the one
that helps
us to
do that.
John 15,
26.
When the
Spirit comes,
whom I
send to you
from the
Father,
the Spirit
of truth
who proceeds
from the
Father,
He will
bear witness
about me.
The Spirit
bear witness
about whom?
Jesus.
The Spirit
make much
of Jesus.
John 16,
verse 13 to 15.
When the
Spirit of truth
comes,
He will
guide you
into all
the truth,
all the
truth,
the full
truth,
for He
will not
speak
on His
own
authority,
or whenever
He hears,
He will
speak,
and He
will declare
to you
the things
that are
to come.
He will
glorify me,
me referring
to Jesus.
Wow.
When the
auditions,
the Spirit
will glorify
me,
Jesus
declaring that.
They are
equal.
For He
will take
what is
mine and
declare it
to you.
All that
the Father
has is
mine,
and therefore,
I say that
He will
take what
is mine
and declare
it to you.
Whatever
the Father
has belongs
to Jesus,
and the
Spirit will
take what
is Jesus
and declare
it to us.
Now,
I'm just
building a
case for
us to
see,
very simply,
that the
Spirit
serves to
magnify,
to point
to Jesus.
And you
and I,
going back
to the
image in
Acts 2,
little burning
bushes,
right?
The fire
of the
Holy Spirit
now rests
upon all
of us.
You are
filled by
the Spirit
as God's
holy
temple.
And our
role is
to go out
into the
world to
keep pointing
to Jesus,
to keep
proclaiming to
the world
about the
redemptive,
powerful,
wonderful,
marvelous story
of Jesus
Christ.
Now,
what it
means is
that a
Spirit-filled
church will
never get
bought of
Jesus.
We must
never get
bought of
Jesus.
The cross,
the good
news of
who Christ
is,
it is always
real,
it is always
relevant,
it always
speaks,
it always
ministers
to us.
Whenever I
hear any
kind of
notions that
we have
to go
beyond
Jesus,
to go
into
something
greater,
I often
feel a
little bit
discouraged
in comments
like that,
because what
can be
greater than
the most
precious gift
of Jesus
himself?
The Spirit
points to
Christ.
Friends,
do you have
the Holy
Spirit in
you?
If you
have two
monks that
we will
see,
even from
the text
that we
have been
going through
so far,
a high
view of
Jesus,
deep
appreciation
of
him,
we keep
going
back to
him again
and again.
It means
we belong
to Jesus
forever.
Now,
Acts chapter
2 is the
biggest
miracle,
because God
pours his
Spirit upon
us.
Because you
and I,
unworthy of
who God
is,
now is
able to
receive the
Spirit.
And the
agenda of
the Holy
Spirit is
to keep
reminding us
of that.
And because
of Jesus,
we belong
to God
and we
are now
developed
by him.
I know
I'm
repeating
myself
a lot
here,
but repetition
is part
of
communication.
I'm just
repeating
to you
the same
things in
different ways
so that
it gets
true.
The Spirit
dwells in
you because
of what
Christ has
done for
you and
the Spirit
will compel
you to
keep talking
about Jesus.
I never
get bored.
I'm tired
of that.
We can
never get
bored and
tired of
that.
Now,
one thing
to say is,
I don't
know how
common
it is
in Hong
Kong,
but in
Singapore,
where I
come from,
many Christians
use a
language that
needs to
be a
balance
between
the Word
and the
Spirit.
I really
find that
to be an
unhelpful
false
dichotomy.
We really
don't see
the Bible
talking about
that.
Because I
mentioned
that we
are a
church
that is
big on
doctrines
and theology
and gospel
centeredness,
sometimes I
get folks
giving
suggestions
like,
can we
maybe
move on
from that
a little
bit?
Because keep
going back
to doctrine
and theology
is really
dry.
It's dry
and it
gets boring
if we just
keep going
to the Word
and keep
teaching and
making clear
about theology
and so on.
And I
just want to
present a
thought experiment
here.
If you have
this idea
that there
shouldn't be
too much
Word,
we need to
have more
spirit and
we need to
have that
balance,
try going
without the
Word for
a season.
Don't read
your Bible,
drop that
from the
radar and
try going
without
reading the
Word for
a season.
And you
realize that
the dryness,
the sense
of not
walking
closely with
God,
it's not a
problem of
having too
much Word
in your
life,
really.
It's actually
an issue
of sin.
It's actually
an issue
of us
constantly
straying
away from
God because
our hearts
gravitate away
from Him.
And the
thing that
is surest
and clearest
that speaks
to us all
the time is
the Word of
God.
And when we
go to His
Word,
the Spirit
of God
uses the
Word to
convict us
and point us
back to
Him again
and again.
I'm going to
close with
this.
In your
witnessing,
the Spirit
is going to
move powerfully
through
Watermark Church
by helping us
to move
in the
supernatural.
Kevin is
like,
wow,
what am I?
Supernatural.
No,
I'm completely
serious here.
You should
expect the
supernatural
in our
midst as
the Holy
Spirit
work in
us.
Let me
explain what
I mean by
that,
just so that
we can
build up
some context
instead of
just applying
that without
clarity of
what I mean
to the Word.
I'll use
this testimony
of someone
that I've
been pastoring
for the
past few
years as
an example
and also
many other
folks back
in Singapore
that I
walk with.
I wish I
can use
some examples
here.
Normally,
when I
preach at
Redemption
Hill Church,
I would
mention
things that
the Spirit
of God
is doing
in the
life of
the
members.
Anonymously,
of course,
especially if
it's something
that's
uncomfortable
for them
to share
and just
highlight and
encourage the
church that
God is
with us
and doing
His work.
And over
the years,
I've had
the privilege
working with
many folks in
how God
has been
working in
their life.
Just before
the lockdown,
that was early
2020,
I had the
privilege of
marrying a
couple in
my church.
And that
was during
the time
that she
was diagnosed
with stage
4 cancer.
Stage 4
cancer.
That was
very serious.
So in
their marriage
preparation,
in the build-up
towards the
wedding,
there was
always a
lingering
thoughts of
how long
she would
live.
And it
was the
most moving
wedding ever
because when
he came to
the part of
in sickness
and in health
and pledging
his love
to her,
all eyes
were wet
at the
point of
time.
That was
just before
the lockdown,
early 2020,
when the
wedding happened.
And I
remember
experiencing
at that
point of
time,
seeing up
front in
front of
me,
how is it
possible to
have a
couple
who is
going
through
such
trials
and
difficulty
and
they
were
constantly
praising
God.
They were
constantly
making much
of him.
When they
were making
the covenant
before us
and before
God,
their focus
is we
want to
glorify God.
Even if
this marriage
lasts for
three months,
let's use
three months
to make much
of God
through this
precious
covenant
that he
has given
to us
in the
picture of
marriage.
One
man,
one
woman
committing
themselves
to each
other.
That's a
picture of
Christ and
the church.
I thought
that was
pretty
supernatural.
I was
praying and
knowing very
clearly this
cannot be
natural.
This cannot
be assumed.
This cannot
be taken
for granted.
The Holy
Spirit
accomplished
something
supernatural
in their
life.
At the
same time,
we as
a church
were praying
for them.
The way
I was
praying for
them is
this,
that God,
disease and
sickness,
they are
part of
the fall.
God,
you are
not
pleased
with
that.
Every
time
someone
is
sick,
every
time
someone
enters
the
grave,
it's a
reminder
for us
that this
word is
separated
from God.
It's a
reminder
for us
that this
word is
broken
and
fallen
away
from
God.
This
is not
something
that God
is
pleased.
In
fact,
he sent
Jesus
to
address
that,
to
redeem
that,
to
restore
that.
So God
is not
pleased
with
that.
I
remember
when we
were praying
for her,
often my
language of
prayer is
I am
full of
faith in
asking God
to heal
her.
Even
though the
doctor
is not
giving
very hopeful
signs,
we are
trusting
God,
that he
alone
has
the power
to heal
her.
And
every time
I pray
for her,
I remember
I'm often
asking God
for this
appetizer.
What do I
mean by
that?
So this
is my
theology.
I'm
just going
to review
a little
bit of
what I
believe
about
signs and
wonders
and
healings.
I
believe
that
in the
end,
all of
us
will
be
healed.
We
will
be
healed.
Every
affliction,
every
brokenness,
every
scars,
every
wounds,
every
illness,
we will
be
finally
healed.
The
day
when we
are
glorified
fully
in the
presence
of God.
In the
here and
now,
even if
you experience
a miracle
like Lazarus,
you know what
happened to
Lazarus after
that?
He went
back to
the grave,
right?
He was
resurrected
from the
tomb and
he went
back into
the grave.
So even
that those
signs and
wonders,
divine
healings,
resurrection,
at the
end of
the day,
we still
have to
go to
the grave
of physical
death in
order to
experience
the true
resurrection,
which is
the good
news that
we're
declaring to
the world,
applying to
ourselves and
declaring to
the world.
So each
time I
ask for
divine
power and
healing and
intervention and
miraculous healing,
I often ask
God to show
us that
appetizer.
We are
going to
enter into a
great feast
in the book
of revelations
where there
will be no
more tears,
no more
sorrows in
the here and
now God,
give me the
appetizer.
It's like if
you have
attended a
Chinese banquet,
you know,
the iPhone
serves like
those peanuts,
right?
Braised peanuts
or pickles,
it's not really
enough to fill
your tummy,
right?
But when you're
famished,
you're hungry,
what do you
do?
You eat them.
It becomes
really enjoyable.
But what you're
waiting for is
not those peanuts.
If you attend a
banquet and those
peanuts are the
main dish,
then you're
missing a point
there,
right?
They are not
the main deal.
You don't go
there for those
peanuts.
You eat them
as appetizer in
anticipation of
a greater feast
to come.
I'm pleased to
announce that
for Vinolia and
Jun Yu,
these are real
persons,
God has healed
her miraculously.
She has been
healed and we
saw through
this couple's
testimonies that
there are two
supernatural things
that happen.
One is their
heart and their
faith.
As we pray for
God, the Holy
Spirit,
to move in
the supernatural
in their
life through
science and
wonder.
One area that
we mustn't
take for
granted is
that their
faith was
strengthened as
a result of
the trials
instead of
falling away.
Have you ever
seen people
going through
real difficulties
and instead
of holding
on to God,
they begin to
fall away?
And there are
folks who go
through similar
things, maybe
even worse
things, and
their faith
strengthened.
that was a
real miracle
there.
As if that
is not
enough, I
think for
this case,
God has
exceeded my
expectation by
granting us
that appetizer,
that healing
that we're
looking for.
Two weeks
ago when I
saw her in
church, I
asked her
about how
are you.
She's been
going through
remissions for
the past few
years, looking
really good,
healthy,
radiant.
And he,
the husband,
joked that
the last time
when they
went for
the appointment
maybe a
couple of
months back,
the doctor
was joking
that he
should look
out for
his health
instead.
Because he
wasn't looking
as good.
He's tired
from his job,
very busy,
and she's
looking better
than him.
Now, obviously
we do not
know when it
comes to
stage 4
cancer and
remissions,
it could
come back
any time,
but we are
really seeing
this as God's
divine miracles.
And through
their life,
so many folks
have been
encouraged.
Can you
imagine?
So this is
the power
of the
burning
bush.
The burning
bush,
and these
two person
testifying of
Jesus,
pointing,
making much
of him.
Now,
Watermark Church,
you are in a
city where
you have tons
of opportunities.
This city
is built
on,
what do you
call that?
When I come
to this city,
you can sense
there's a great
motivation
towards
wealth,
achievement,
accomplishment.
People come
into Hong Kong
to get rich
for their
careers.
They are
building their
life on
sands,
and they
need to hear
the good
news.
Any time
when those
things are
pulled away
from them,
as their
life falls
apart,
we are
here to
witness and
testify of
the good
news.
And you
know,
before you
can do
that,
you know
what God
is going
to do
to us,
remember
the part
about the
renovation
of the
house,
the CSW
is going
to use
your life
as that
beautiful,
wonderful
testimony
first,
that Jesus
is enough.
And as
you go out
into the
world,
declaring
that Jesus
is enough,
I want us
to be also
in full
anticipation
that He's
going to
exceed our
expectations.
He's going
to heal.
He's going
to provide.
So don't
just pray
for someone
who is in
a job
situation
that is
bad.
Oh God,
I pray
for him
to persevere
through this
dark time
and come
out safely,
full of
faith on
the other
side.
That is
good.
We can
also pray
for God
to provide
breakthrough
in the
circumstances.
It shouldn't
be mutually
exclusive.
I always
pray for
people in
those two
categories,
circumstantially
as well as
for their
hearts.
Yvonne and
I, over
the past
years, we
have many
couples in
our church
that struggle
with infertility.
We have
three boys
and when I
think about,
because we
don't struggle
with that,
when I
think about
that unique
struggle,
naturally I
don't really
feel it
because I've
never been
through it
before,
but as a
pastor,
as I pray
and cry
with so
many people
who are
going through
that,
I think over
the years
I've developed
deeper empathy
of how it
feels like
to wait,
to wait.
And we
have also
looked back
in looking
through the
number of
people,
couples that
we have
prayed for,
and so many
of them,
at least 70-80%
of them.
Over the
time of
waiting,
every time
we see
them,
we are
praying that
God will
provide a
child,
either through
natural means
or through
adoptions.
And now
looking at
those lists,
we were just
talking about it
the other day,
most of them
actually end up
becoming parents.
And what is
precious here is
not the prayers
that were answered,
but through the
process of the
waiting,
we saw the
Holy Spirit
making much
of Jesus
through every
life.
Whether
desire met
or unmet,
Christ Jesus
is lifted up
and glorified.
And through
the process
of that,
notice this talk
is actually about
missions and
purpose,
I'm talking about
this,
because this is
the news,
this is the
kind of testimony
that the world
need to hear,
that Jesus
is precious.
I don't think
that the city
that we live in
is lacking in
knowledge.
Most people,
if they just want
to have a clear
presentation of
the Christian
Gospel,
you can go
online,
read a good
book.
But you know
what is the
most powerful?
Life transformed
through you and
I.
And that is
the power that
we have through
the Holy Spirit
to witness and
to proclaim
Christ to the
world.
So my point is
very simple here
today,
the Spirit
fills you so
that we can do
His work of
witnessing to
our city and
making disciples
for Jesus in
Hong Kong.
Can I pray for
us?
Yes.
Can I pray for
us?
Let me pray for
us before I
pass the time
back to
Kevin.
Lord, I
see these
faces,
faces that
I love
before even
knowing them.
These are my
brothers and
sisters in
Watermark Church
and I know
that my
imperfect love
for each
one of
them is
nothing compared
to your
love for
all of
them.
You who
created them,
make them
into your
image,
save them,
redeem them,
and is still
right now
conforming them
into the
image of
Christ.
Every
sorrow,
every pain,
every
discouragement,
every
disappointment,
every tear,
God, you
understand,
and you're
holding on to
my brothers and
sisters here.
And I pray
right now for
the Holy
Spirit to
affirm,
to let
every
wearish soul
here know
that you are
near.
Every
anxious person,
I pray,
may we
experience your
nearness.
and through
every longing
in our life,
both met and
unmet, as we
bring these
longings to
you, Jesus
we pray for
you to be
glorified.
And we pray
by the power
of the Holy
Spirit that
we will
witness to
the world
with clear
proclamation
of this
message of
salvation that
Jesus is
Lord.
And not
just through
words, but
through life
transformed by
the Holy
Spirit.
Whether in
riches or
in poverty,
prosperity,
or in
seasons of
great
afflictions,
we pray that
we will
always make
much of
Jesus and
keep pointing
to Him.
And through
that God,
you will
help us
to be a
church,
help Watermark
Church to
be a
church that
testifies to
the gospel
in Hong Kong
powerfully,
with love,
with conviction.
I really pray
for the Spirit
to strengthen
my brothers
and sisters
here.
We pray all
this in
Jesus' name.
Amen.