IGGC

Jesus Heals the Bleeding Woman & Paul Praising God for Pressures
By Cheah

Woman suffered bleeding for 12 years

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:43-48‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

– Not just a matter of health but society’s acceptance
– Touch different even though among crowds
– Touch of faith
– Healing happened because of faith
– If we want to see wonders we need to trust & have faith in Him
– Wanted public confession from this woman
– Important that the cure be known publicly
– Referred tenderly as “daughter”
– Had spent all her livelihood on cures

Paul Praising God for Pressures

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” (‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:3-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

– Face adversity with intensity
– V3: ALL comfort (bleeding woman who could find no comfort VS God who provides all comfort)
– Many, many “alls” in our Bible…

7 Godly Reasons for Pressure
I. Pressures let us discover the God of all comfort
II. Pressures allows us to comfort others like how God comforts us
III. Develops in us the quality of endurance
IV. Pressures mature our faith rely on God not ourselves (Our spectacular God of the impossible!)
V. Pressure cultivates in us the quality of hope
VI. Pressures spur us to prayer & recruit others to prayer
VII. Pressures leads us to thanksgiving as God listens & answers

We can come to God in all our troubles & challenges in life.

Galatians 3
By Johnny

“My word is my bond

I. God’s enduring promise: the origin
God’s promises will be kept

“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

II. God’s enduring promise: the confirmation
Covenant > agreement (irrevocable)
To be fulfilled – nothing: no one can stop

III. God’s enduring promise & explanation
As if God promised us like Abraham
God’s promise is resilient
The messainic law did not void the covenant
God’s promise is amazing
Why are gifts given? Relationship
Greatest gift of salvation

“Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Revealed Man
All of us guilty & unable to keep the law
Justified by faith, made right by God

Christlikeness by Sinnappan

Topic that bothers & haunts the speaker?!
The only way to attain Christlikeness is to keep going forward
There will be many obstacles along the way

Christlikeness = live like Jesus

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

1. Excellent relationship with men & God the father (Luke 2:52; Matthew 17:5; John 8:29)

2. Prayer Life (Luke 5:16; John 17; Luke 23)

3. Compassion – relationship & concern for others (Matthe w 9:36)

4. Devotion to the Word (Matthew 4:4; John 17:17)

5. Holy, pure & righteous (Collosians 1:21-22; Hebrews 1:9; John 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Let the Beauty of Jesus
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
All His wondrous compassion and purity
O Thou Spirit Divinr all my nature refine
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me

1 Thessalonians 3-4
By Wong
Theme: Practical Christian Living
In relation to the Lord’s return

Recap nearby chapters:
Ch 1: salvation in relation to the Lord’s coming
Ch 2: service in relation to the Lord’s coming
Ch 3: sanctification set apart to be holy in the coming of the Lord
Ch 4: certainty of resurrection
Ch 5: security of the believer in the days of the wrath of the God

The good news from Thessalonica
• Being a Christian could cost us everything
• We can trust God to do what we cannot do

1) Perfecting that which is lacking
Paul not looking at absolute perfection
But to be completely equipped to continue a journey or perform a task

The sermon on the mount is NOT an ideal list of perfection
God is absolutely perfect

2) Sanctification the will of God
• The Christian life is progressive
• It must be growing towards Christlikeness
• Set apart for holy use (more importantly set aside for God)
• Worshipping a Holy God demands the worshipper to live a holy life

3) A challenge to balanced living
• … Your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business & work with your hands
• Answer to the problem of restlessness & wanting to seek attention
• Often mistaken as being zealous for the Lord
• (Not) a compulsive urge to set other people right in their own sight & forgetting to take care of their own problems first
• We serve not only man, but God. Our occupation becomes a powerful sermon when it is done with honesty, diligence & faithfulness
• Our lives are sermons that daily draw others to Jesus or push them away from Him
• How we work is as crucial as how we pray

Summary
• A holy life – free from immorality
• A harmonious life – always increasing in brotherly love
• An honest life – living quietly, minding your own business, working with our own hands

Ezekiel 18
Father’s Day
By Mr Ung

Introduction
Is God just? Yes!

A
God’s law governing individual responsibility (Eze 18:1-4)
1. Misunderstanding of the proverb (cf Exo 20:5)
“Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭24:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬
2. God’s response to the proverb

The last 5 kings of Judah
1. Josiah
2. Jehoahaz
3. Jehoiakim
4. Jehoiachin
5. Zedekiah

B
God’s law governing the individual’s righteousness

Relevant Qs for today in the light of the laws of yesterday
• Can this Law (principle) be applied to a present day sinner who seeks salvation?
• Is salvation by works of righteousness?
No (cf Rom 3:9, 10)
• How can a person be saved?
Cf Eph 2:8,9
• Does a sinner inherit his son from his father/ancestors
Yes (from Adam) but covered by Jesus’ death in the cross (cf Rom 5:12-14)
• How is the Sinner responsible for his personal sun?
Cf Rom 3:23; 6:23
• Should a righteous parents feel guilty for a prodigal son?
A righteous person should surrender to the will of God

3 Fathers
1. Righteous son of righteous father
2. Unrighteous son of righteous father
3. Righteous son of unrighteous father

Summary & Review
All people or are individually responsible for their own behaviour. We are not saved by good works but are saved to do good works.

Full exposition available at www.berita-bethel-ung.com

Sun Message May 8
By Sinnappan

On prayer meetings

“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why do members not attend prayer meeting?

1. Lack of will (need to set aside time to pray together w brethren in prayer meeting (discipline, commitment))

2. No sense of need for God (purpose: to worship Him)

3. Don’t consider prayer mtg as a priority (priority to pray as one body)

4. Privacy & unwilling to share own problem (accountability, trust & love)

5. Lack of love (praying is an evidence of love)

On Galatians 2:11-21 by Johnny

“When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!””
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:11-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

– Obey 10 commandments
– Not self sufficiency
– A perfect obedience to the law is beyond all of us
– Justification is by faith in the Lord Jesus
– Not a religion but a personal relationship w God
– By observing the law, no one will be justified
– If a person can be easily justified, leads to sin
– A person in Christ has become a new life
– Our old life is finished upon our death & resurrection (from sin as a human)

– Living by the law vs justification by faith
– Law = restricts freedom
– Living by faith leads us by the HS & to the Lord
– To communicate with God daily
– Living by grace produces good food
– Living by faith lives freely instead of legalism

1 Thessalonians 2
By Wong

Recap 1 Thessalonians 1: Burden lifted as God working in the life of this young believer

“You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God blessed the message & God saves

“But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:2‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Dare to preach the Gospel in view of persecution
Boldness not on own strength but God’s strength
Bold despite suffering
We should not worry what others think of us when we share the Gospel

Why do we share the Gospel?
1. As a believer we have received the grace of God & He is worthy, thus we must speak of Hik
2. Because we care & love others (love your neighbour as yourself)

“For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be a WA today as a lot of teachings are not from the word of God, often with partial truths mixed with errors
Paul’s message was without any false motive

“On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Final test of every sharing to others & any Christian life lived = What does God think about it?
Each of us have this ability to serve in church & share the Gospel, pleasing God

“You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Came not to tell them they were good but that they were lost in sin & needed Jesus’ salvation

“Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:7-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul loved the people whom he had never met before
Labouring day & night in those days was extraordinary
Paul took upon himself in a personal way to share his life & bring others to Christ
We may be unaware that many non believers are looking at us & our lives as Christians
As believers we are saved from the penalty of sin but we are still in a sinful world
God calls us to live our lives as children of God

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

People received the gospel not because Paul is a good speaker but because it is the word of God

“But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our way.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:17-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul in situation had to leave due to severe persecution & hindered by Satan but was very concerned & cared for them

We simply do not what is next in a series of events in our lives
We need to be content knowing God is working in our lives
E.g God’s plan for Joseph

Paul looked to these young Thessalonians as his crown of rejoicing
There will be complete justice & Jesus will right every wrong

Luke 2:22-40
By Wong

“When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord” ), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:22-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/luk.2.22-40.niv

1st event circumcision.
2nd event purification & ceremonially clean (v22).
3rd event presentation of firstborn child.

Simeon & Anna actually testified that He is the messiah.
Revealed by the Holy Spirit & praised God with no hesitation.
Strange that Simeon sang a song saying that the savior would be a light for the Gentiles (v29-32).
Anna is a widow yet came in the same way praised God as the savior.
Both Simeon & Anna were watchful for the savior, praying with the right attitude & praying for the savior.
We as well can apply the same principles as we await the 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
With 2015 we have seen brutalities, economic & political instability.
We have seen bankruptcies not of individuals & companies but countries.
In Malaysia as well scandal after scandal.

In the new year we look at many things we have done & plan to do the following year.
It is good & continue good works, but importantly like Simeon & Anna we need to be watchful for the coming of Christ.
Don’t be like watchmen sleeping on our jobs.
So not be worried but watchful as Christ is coming soon.
Let us be like the two Godly people.
Blessed new Year!