*Kado Kendo*
REACH Production Inc. Proudly Pesents..
Coming September 2007
RMIT Capitol Theatre
*Never Been Unloved*
You and I and everyone else in the world..
We all.. have..
"Never Been Unloved"
*Regional IFGF GISI Australia & NZ Easter Camp 2007 At Port Hacking*
*Actions that bring power (Mat. 14:12-21)*
When Jesus heard, He departed from there by boat into a deserted place apart. And hearing, the crowds followed Him on foot out of the cities.
And Jesus went out and saw a great crowd, and He was moved with compassion toward them. And He healed their sick.
And evening coming on, His disciples came to Him, saying, The place is deserted and the time has already gone by. Send the crowd away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.
But Jesus said to them, They do not need to leave, you give them something to eat.
Mat 14:17 And they said to Him, We have here only five loaves and two fish.
Mat 14:18 And He said, Bring them here to Me.
And He commanded the crowd to recline on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to Heaven He blessed and broke, and gave the loaves to His disciples. And the disciples gave to the crowd.
And they all ate and were filled. And they took up twelve hand baskets full from the fragments that remained.
And they who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
I. Introduction
We are having a movie project. Some of you could have thought that this movie is going to be screened in a certain cinema and will bless 1,200 Indonesians students in the city. Well, it's very good. Some of you may have thought that this is a very good start, as we've never been in the film industry before. Well, I am thinking that this movie is going to bless so many people. So many, till all of you is going to be astonished by the work of the Holy Spirit.
- In 1899, 3 men prayed and started an association called: "The Gideons". Today, the Gideons distribute 1,000,000 Bibles every 6 days
- In 1950, a young Christian missionary in China have a compassion for needy children, then start a great vision about eradicating poverty amongst the kids. Today World Vision is one of the biggest charity organizations in the world, with revenue of more than $ 900,000,000 a year
- In AD 27, a young man have a vision to save the world and started to have a small fellowship of 12 people in Jerusalem. Today, 2 Billion Christians associated themselves with that small fellowship.
What has been started as a small thing doesn't necessary to always be small. 5 bread and 2 fish can be considered as small. It's worth about A$35, if we compare them with 5 Subway sandwiches price. Yet after some consideration those A$35 thing was suddenly transformed become something worth about A$50K (5000 men plus maybe 2,300 women and children times $7). Can you believe it!!! Don't be surprised, especially if we realize the power of 3 faith actions that we see in the text.
II. Body
A. The Power of expectation (v. 13-14)
A view moment before the text (Mat. 13:54-58), Jesus were facing some of his own folks who were experiencing an "expectation crisis", due to His long time acquaintance and association with them. They didn't expect this son of the carpenter and this son of Mary (their neighbour) and brother of James and others to be someone really worth to be expected to perform great things.
So, since they expect nothing from Jesus, they received nothing.
Yet the people on the text was having a great expectation by following Jesus by foot though they've seen their master left by boat to the another side of the lake. They expect Jesus to heal and teach them even though they didn't have a proper preparation or expectation about transport, accommodation, food and beverages.
Friends, how you expect God to breath in your small project, small cell group, small household, small church, small business, small movie, small pastor or any other thing worth about A$35 will determine it's future.
- If you start something and expect it will grow just as what normally happened. So be it according to your faith.
- If you start something and expect it will explode supernaturally. So be it according to your faith.
So, do expect God to multiply what you give, multiply your ministry, multiply your prayer, multiply your project, then you will see His mighty hands work upon them.
B. The power of surrender (v. 18)
Can you imagine, surrendering A$35 notes to the Almighty God. It's totally abomination, insulting and ridiculous. Yes, it will be an insult unless that's the only thing you have. These people were blindly following Jesus, without any concern about time and space, hungry for His word
- A young man and his armour bearer defeated the whole army of enemy (1Sam. 14) because they were the only brave people remained in the army of God.
- A little bit of oil in a jar has never been finished after being used for many months (1Ki. 17:14). Because it's the only thing the widow had.
Sometimes God limit our resources till it reach to the point of "Nothing" or "Small" in order to make us surrender everything to God, thus enabling Him to breath upon it. Sometimes when the resources are high and sufficient, we don't even think to surrender it to God. Why surrender to God, we have enough anyway... We don't even think to surrender our 10% of our income, because it's too big, too many, too risky, too painful.
Luckily, we had one boy who was willing to sacrifice his dinner, to be surrendered all to Him.
The real meaning of surrender is: give up, release, and abandon the control.
C. The power of blessing (v. 19)
While He looked up to heaves, he speak blessing and broke. So, hold your $35. Expect something great out of it, Surrender every values and worth of it to God and start to speak blessing into it. Miracle started to happen. It's broken but it's never finished, till it grew into $50,000. And all the need is fulfilled. So, even it's small, don't take it lightly or underestimate it. Speak blessing upon it. Then you will see that this small thing grew very fast in God's hand.
III. Conclusion
It's not a matter of size that counts
But it's a matter of attitude
If your resource is small but your attitude is big, you will harvest a giant
-Arman Sundjaja-
Sunday 4 February 2007 Sermon
*The Stump*
Do you know the legend of theCherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?
His dad takes him into the forest blindfolded and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on the stump the whole night and not take off the blindfold until the ray of sun shines through it.
He is all by himself.
He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a Man.
He cannot tell other boys his experience for each lad must come into his own manhood.
The boy was naturally terrified. He could hear all kinds of noice. Beasts, rattles of dry leaves and wood. Anything could hurt him. The wind blew the grass and the earth and it shook his stump. But he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold.
It would be the only way he could be a man.
Finally after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he saw his father sitting on the stump next to him - at watch the entire night.
"I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." (Hebrews 3:5)
If God takes you to it, He'll lead you through it.
Mikeys Funnies
*Merry Christmas 2006 and Happy New Year 2007*
A birth one night
A long time ago
A Saviour from Heaven
To man below
The peace He brings
I wish for you
And His blessings
The whole year through
*You are who you are for a reason*
You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.
You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what He wanted to make.
The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God’s plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.
No, the trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.
You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God.
*By Russel Kelfer
