The Apostle Paul says in 1Cor.14:4, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.” And in the next verse, he says, “he who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.” The underlying reason why Paul said the one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues is this: edification of the church is more important than edification of self. This is consistent with what Paul said in v.1 too – “follow the way of love”. In the preceding chapter, Paul had defined what love is and the futility of exercising many gifts without love. We must be careful never to place self-edification above church-edification. Some people do for they have been influenced by the secular philosophy of our day – “serve yourself first, seek your interest first”. When believers are not alert and prudent, we may unconsciously allow this diabolical mindset to influence our reading and application of “love your neighbor as you love yourself”. We end up focusing on loving ourselves, we become obsessed with it and not move on to loving our neighbors. As you begin your walk with God today, submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Choose to give priority to edifying your brothers and sisters-in-Christ over self-edification. Choose to love fellow believers over loving yourself. Choose their interests above your own.  It is not that we cannot or should not edify ourselves or love ourselves, it is about emphasis and priority, it is about recognizing the heart of God to give rather than to receive, to bless rather than seeking to be blessed. It is about following God’s way of love – He first loved us. Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

“He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.” (1Cor.14:4)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

Today’s recommended video:  I will build my church ……

I Will Build My Church
Lord, we stand in awe of You, the One who’s making all things new
And as our hearts to You are raised, build here Your holy church of praise
Lord, make us part of this, to see Your Kingdom come and exist as …

A church in victory, a light for all the world to see
Making a difference in this world
A church in unity, displaying love wholeheartedly
Bringing salvation to the world

Jesus, You have said, “I will build My church”
“I will build My church”
Jesus, You’re the Rock, come and build Your church
Come and build Your church

What is my motive for wanting spiritual gifts? Do I want to be a gifted preacher of God’s Word, moving in the power of the Holy Spirit because I want to be respected, well-known, powerful, better than others, served by others and adored by them? The Apostle Paul prefaced this passage on desiring spiritual gifts with “follow the way of love”. He said, “follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts”. Thus, desiring spiritual gifts is part of the Christian journey of following the way of love, the way that Jesus has first shown us – to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love one another. This is something we tend to forget sometimes which is why every now and again, you and I see gifted people exercising their spiritual gifts without love. Sometimes, we do that ourselves. I should always eagerly desire spiritual gifts because I love God and because I want to serve Him in the most effective way, employing the spiritual gifts that are available from the Lord so that His will is done His way in my life. Then, my ministry will demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit instead of a display of my own wisdom and my persuasiveness. Also, I should eagerly desire spiritual gifts because I love people and love to see their lives transformed. When my ministry is spiritual and not carnal, then the faith of those whom I serve and minister to is built not on man’s wisdom but on God’s power (1Cor.2:4,5). As you begin your walk with God today, why not take time to examine yourself and eagerly seek God for spiritual gifts with a pure heart, and with the intent to use these gifts to glorify God and build up the faith of the saints. Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” (1Cor.14:1)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

Today’s recommended video:  Love is patient ……

In 1Cor.14:1, the Apostle Paul tells us to desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. He goes on to say in v.5 that the gift of prophecy is greater than the gift of tongues and the reason is because it edifies the church. Interestingly, despite Paul’s instruction, the pursuit and exercise of the gift of prophecy are quite absent in many churches. We emphasize many gifts – the gift of love, hospitality, leadership, tongues, discernment, etc. but seldom the gift of prophecy. I believe one reason for this lack is because of the abuse of the gift of prophecy. There are strange believers and so-called teachers of the Word who have given “prophecies of the flesh” instead of prophecies of the Lord. The reaction of many in church is unfortunately, throwing the baby out with the bath water. However, the solution of the problem of abuse is not disuse but proper use. What we need to do is to teach the church properly about the gift of prophecy – how we should desire and practice it. The most important starting point is to learn how to hear from God. This is not something anyone can claim to have mastered, but we can most certainly grow in being more and more discerning of God’s voice. I started the process of learning how to hear God’s voice as a young believer, having learned it from the church I was a part of. I began asking God questions about many things. For instance, “Lord, should I speak to this person about this issue or not?”, “Lord, should I buy this at this time?”, “Lord, should I do this or should I not?”, etc. After asking the question, I would wait quietly for a while, sometimes longer, and then I would respond to the first prompting I get in my heart believing that it is what the Lord wants me to do. I got it wrong sometimes, but most of the time, on hindsight, it was truly of God! Then, I started asking the Lord before praying for a person, “Lord, what would you like me to say to this person? Do you have a word for him?” The Holy Spirit would prompt my heart, I would then speak whatever I felt in my heart. To be prudent, I would usually say, “I feel the Lord impressed this on my heart ….”. I would also ask the person if the words made any sense. If they did, fantastic, if not, I’d ask the person to leave it at the back of their mind for sometime because it may become relevant later. If the words remained irrelevant, I’d ask them to just throw it out because I could have been wrong. As I did this more and more, I found that the accuracy rate also increased. Glory to God! As you begin your walk with God today, why not begin by desiring the gift of prophecy and boldly yet humbly practice it. I believe when you do so, you will begin to edify many, including non-believers! Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” (1Cor.14:1)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

Today’s recommended video: Prophesy (Christian City Church Oxford Falls) ……

God wants to give you His best! The Bible says every good and perfect gift is from above. (Jas.1:17). Many believe that God gives us only the best, but do not realize that God’s best may not always be the same as what we consider to be the best. God’s thoughts are higher than ours, His ways are higher than ours. In His infinite wisdom, He may choose to give us something truly wonderful yet it is not something we want. For instance, the Lord told Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh, but Jonah refused and ran in the opposite direction. Jonah could not reconcile the fact that God could love the sinful people of that city. He forgotten that his wisdom and understanding of God are at best limited. Like Jonah, sometimes we forget that too. We think just too highly of ourselves and we think that our definition of “God’s best” is always correct. For instance, many believers actually think that all material blessings are good and perfect gifts from the Lord. If that were the case, Jesus would have chosen the material blessings offered to him by the devil during the 40-day fast in the wilderness! Many believers today would blindly do just that! This is how I see it. Material blessings that compromise our devotion and service to God are not of the Lord. For me, that’s the litmus test. As you begin your walk with God today, submit the desires of your heart to the Lord. Don’t let your desires rule you and dictate how you live, instead desire the pure Word and purposes of God. Ask God for revelation in every situation, so that your understanding of God’s best aligns with what is truly God’s best. Know that He who began a good work in you will complete it. Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa.55:9)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

Today’s recommended video: He who began a good work in you will complete it ……

“A minute to learn, a lifetime to master” – that’s the phrase on the box of my first othello set. It’s so true, othello is an easy game to learn, but a difficult game to master. Likewise, the Christian faith. Important truths such as “trust and obey”, “keep in step with the Spirit”, “count it all joy when the trials come” are easily understood but require a lifetime to master. To make matters worst, the enemy complicates things and deceives us. He would do everything to make a non-believer think that it can’t be so easy to get saved – how is it possible for a person’s sins to be forgiven just by believing in Jesus and what He did on the cross? Many non-believers have said how can one man’s death two thousand years ago make a difference in my life today? The devil is also successful in deceiving believers! As a result, there are Christians who are so distracted by the things of the world that they find it really difficult to simply trust and obey. They are so busy with the concerns of life that going to church or cell group meetings or church prayer meetings has become a burden rather than a joy. Serving the Lord has become drudgery instead of a refreshing service. As a young believer in my early 20′s, the Lord taught me about trusting and obeying Him. We were encouraged by our pastor and prayer ministry leader to attend the weekly Tuesday night prayer meetings, to gather together as a group of believers each week to pray and intercede. I was a student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic then and I had an accounting tutorial every Wednesday morning which required some serious preparation each week. Thus, Tuesday night was an important night for me to finish my assigned accounting homework. Since it was clear that Tuesday night prayer meetings were important for the life of the church, I decided to attend it every week (and I did most of the time) and trusted the Lord to help me finish my accounting homework in a shorter time that normally required. In response to my simple act of trust, the Lord did just that and helped me finish all my accounting homework every week! It was truly fascinating! A non-Christian classmate of mine often rang me about 10 plus in the evening on Tuesday to ask me how to answer certain questions. I would tell him, “let me have a look at the questions”. He would ask, “have you done the work yet?” My reply was usually, “not yet, but I’m working on it now, I just came back from church prayer meeting.” He often questioned my commitment to attend prayer meetings when there was so much work to do. At the same time, very often on Wednesday mornings, he would be really surprised that I’d be at the accounting tutorial with all my work done. Eventually, the Lord gave me the privilege of leading him to receive Jesus as His Savior. Today, my friend is still a believer in Christ and I thank God for that. As you begin your walk with God today, don’t allow the enemy to clutter your life, don’t allow him to complicate your faith, instead simply trust and obey, faithfully practice and live out the plain truths of Scripture and God will certainly honor you and bless you. Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall make your paths straight.” (Prov.3:5,6)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

P.S. My apologies for the lateness of today’s post. Had a long first day of Chinese New Year, I had a headache and overslept ……

Today’s recommended video: Trust Him more (believe me, this video will send shivers down your spine) ……

Amidst spiritual warfare, sometimes we do not know how to pray and what to pray. What do we do? Each time this happens, I would pray in tongues naturally and spontaneously. In Rom.8, the Apostle Paul said that the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express when we do not know what we ought to pray for. I remember being involved in a case of deliverance some years ago. While praying for a 27-year old lady who was possessed by an evil spirit, we frequently prayed in tongues because there were various points when we didn’t know what to pray. After a couple of hours of battling in prayer, the sickly and pale young lady who had problems passing urine requested to be helped to the toilet. It also appeared at this point that the evil spirit had left her. While in the toilet, the lady leading our team spoke to the young lady and led her into a prayer of confession while the rest of us waited outside the toilet. The reason this was necessary was because the young lady had blasphemed the Name of the Lord when the evil spirit took over her speech at some point. The moment the young lady confessed her wrong and asked the Lord to forgive her, she immediately passed urine and cleared her bladder! The sickly, pale lady we saw earlier came out of the toilet quite a different person! She was full of life and color returned to her face. She was smiling when she saw us and immediately requested to sing a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord! At 2am that night, we sang “amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me”. As you begin your walk with God today, remember this, the next time you’re engaged in spiritual warfare and don’t know what to pray, pray in tongues and watch how the Lord does amazing things to strengthen you and bring deliverance. Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

“26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Rom.8:26-27)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

Today’s recommended video: Keep on praying ……

Keep On Praying (Bob Fitts)
Keep on praying in the Spirit, keep on praying in the Spirit
At all times with all kinds of prayer
Ephesians six eighteen says, keep on praying

Keeping this in mind, stay sharp in the Spirit
Praying all the time for the people of God

In his song, One Of Us, Bob Fitts wrote, “just one of us can put a thousand to flight, then two of us can send the legions fleeing, just one of us can put a thousand to flight, then two of us can rout evil principalities!” This song is about strength and power in unity. United we stand, divided we fall. A very important truth about fighting the enemy is that we need to fight him together, not alone. The devil loves to destroy our unity, divide us and get us to be out on our own with no fellow believers standing with us. He would try every way and means to achieve this. He would tell us lies about each other, discourage us, disturb us through in-fighting, through sickness, through laziness, personal sin, etc. etc. An affected believer would begin to go to church and cell group meetings infrequently. He or she would begin to avoid too much contact with church friends before and after church services, coming after the service has started and leaving before the service ends. Finally, the victimized believer stops going to church altogether because she has allowed whatever is bothering her to destroy her from within. As you begin your walk with God today, beware of the enemy’s devices and choose to hang around and spend quality time with fellow believers. Choose to go to church even when you don’t feel like it. Do not stop attending cell group meetings because of a disappointment which is exactly what the devil wants you to do. Persevere in true Christian fellowship and God will honor your determination and bring healing and restoration to you. Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

“7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.” (Lev.26:7,8)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

Today’s recommended video: Here’s a song that talks about what we believe in, great words to pronounce too ……

One Of Us (Bob Fitts)
Just one of us can put a thousand to flight, then two of us can send the legions fleeing
Just one of us can put a thousand to flight, then two of us can rout evil principalities

Oh, and there are many of us here exalting the Name of the Lord
And in His Name we declare a victory in spiritual war
We bind the powers of the air by wielding the Word as a sword

So what does one do when the enemy has already successfully discouraged him or her? Is there a way to get out of that discouraged or depressed state? Yes, there is! The Lord showed me Prov.18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Thus, what we say and confess with our mouths matters, it has the power of life and death. And if we love it (say what is good and not abuse what the tongue is intended by God to say), we will enjoy fruitfulness! There was some point a couple of years when I felt discouraged over some things. The Lord reminded me about the importance of what I confess and say. Then, suddenly these words were impressed in my heart and head, “I am Rev Barnabas Chong, Pastor-In-Charge of Cairnhill Methodist Church!” The impression I had was that I should say these words, like announcing it to myself, to my innermost being, as though something or someone has robbed me of this fact about myself. Initially, I felt very uncomfortable saying it, it felt like an ego trip. However, the Holy Spirit prompted my heart again and said to me that what I was effectively doing when I say these words aloud to myself, is that I was affirming who God had made me and called me into. Furthermore, by doing so, I was reversing what the enemy was trying very hard to do – which was to undercut God’s call, appointment and anointing in my life. I wasn’t supposed to go round saying it  to people, that would be an ego trip, but I was to say it to myself. (Of course, right now I’m mentioning it for the purpose of teaching and instruction which I believe is alright too, so that you may also practice this for yourself the next time the enemy seek to cut you down. Remember, it is meant to be announced to yourself.) And by pronouncing these words about who I am to myself nullified the works of the devil! This is one way of applying Prov.18:21. The important thing is we should always watch what we say and say only what is good and right. This includes what you say to people around you especially your children or teenagers at home. Your words can either heal or hurt. As you begin your walk with God today, if you’re feeling discouraged or disheartened about anything, why not remind your innermost being who you are in Christ and what God has called you to. If you are a cell leader, then say, “I am your-name, Cell Leader of name-of-your-church.” Find a private space (so there’ll be no one around who would think you’re crazy) and say it to yourself aloud several times, louder and louder until you’re absolutely convinced how important that appointment God has given you is. If you’re not serving in any capacity in church, you could say, “I am your-name, son/daughter of the living God, called by God out of darkness into His marvelous light!” You may decide on your own what words to actually say, the point is to announce what God has made you to be to yourself verbally so that you can hear it to strengthen yourself, also that the enemy can hear it and he will have to flee because you are exalting and glorifying God when you honor God’s work, call and destiny in your life! Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Prov.18:21)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

Today’s recommended video: Here’s a song that talks about what we believe in, great words to pronounce too ……

Creed (Petra)
I believe in God the Father – Maker of heaven and earth
And in Jesus Christ His only Son, I believe in the virgin birth
I believe in the Man of Sorrows bruised for iniquities
I believe in the Lamb who was crucified and hung between two thieves

I believe in the resurrection on the third and glorious day
And I believe in the empty tomb and the stone that the angel rolled away
He descended and set the captives free
And now He sits at God’s right hand and prepares a place for me

(Chorus)
This is my creed – the witness I have heard, the faith that has endured
This truth is assured through the darkest ages past
Though persecuted, it will last and I will hold steadfast to this creed

I believe He sent His Spirit to comfort and to reveal
To lead us into the truth and light, to baptize and to seal
I believe that He will come back the way He went away
And receive us all unto Himself, but no man knows the day

I believe He is the Judge of all men, small and great
The resurrected souls of men receive from Him their fate
Some to death and some to life, some to their reward
Some to sing eternal praise forever to our Lord

A very important way to fight and overcome the enemy is to read and memorize the Word of God. The Bible tells us in Heb.4:12 that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, and it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. That is exactly what Jesus used the Word of God for when he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness during his forty-day fast – to judge the thoughts and attitudes of the devil’s heart! At every point where Jesus quoted and pronounced the Word of God, the enemy had to move on and eventually left the scene completely. That’s how powerful God’s Word is and the devil is afraid of it. When God’s Word is pronounced, God arises and His enemies are scattered like smoke that is blown away! God’s Word is our spiritual sword to fight the enemy. I remember when I was a one-year old Christian at the age of 23, while serving full-time for a few months at the Singapore Youth For Christ office, I was asked to counsel a young student probably 14 or 15 years of age. When I first saw him, he looked terrible. His body was slightly bent, he was pale, frail and sickly. I sat him across a small table from me and started to talk to him. I prayed and asked God for wisdom as I had never counseled anyone before! As I listened to him share his troubles at home with me, the Holy Spirit surfaced in my heart various Bible verses that I had memorized. I quoted those verses to the young man and each time he would nod his head in agreement and he would also brighten up a little. As the minutes passed, I witnessed a truly amazing phenomenon. With every Scripture shared with him, he looked better, brighter and stronger! By the end of our time together, we prayed, and when he stood up to leave, he was no longer bent, neither was he looking frail and sickly. On the contrary, he was smiling and strength appeared to have returned to him! That day, which I still remember vividly, the Lord showed me in a very real and physical way how powerful His Word is and how it can defeat the works of the enemy and transform a life! It all happened right before my eyes! Since then, I have always known the power of the written Word and have always sought to grow in my understanding of the Word of God. As you begin your walk with God today, invest time in reading and memorizing God’s Word. When the need arises, the Holy Spirit can then use what you have committed to memory to help you fight the enemy. This is often how the Holy Spirit works – He works with what you have diligently learned. Conversely, every time I met a Christian who is troubled and discouraged, I usually also find someone who has been out of touch with the Word of God. Don’t fall into that trap, instead, always read and think about God’s Word, do it day and night and it will prosper your soul. Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Mt.4:4)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

Today’s recommended video: The Sword of the Spirit …..

Another thing about the enemy we need to know is that Satan thrives where truth is absent for He is the father of lies (Jn.8:44). How should God’s children walk in truth? First, always speak the truth for the truth liberates. As God is the God of truth and righteousness, He protects those who speak the truth from the deception and devices of the devil. When a person chooses not to speak the truth or when a person speaks half-truth, that person has given room for the devil to make a playground out of his or her life! But always remember, the truth must be spoken in love (Eph.4:15). Second, walk in truth. Live out what you believe, do not fear walking in truth. Again, because God is the God of righteousness, even though we may sometimes suffer in some way because we walk in God’s truth, God will always defend us whether now or later. God cannot and will not do anything less than what is right, therefore the righteous can and will always be glad! I have always chosen to speak the truth and walk the truth as best as I could and the result of it is God’s blessings and protection. He has protected me many times from the devices of the enemy and I know that as long as I stay on the side of truth, God will continue to protect me because the side of truth is the side of God. As you begin your walk with God today, determine to always speak the truth in love and walk the truth with conviction and boldness, knowing that this decision you make is one that aligns fully with the fact that we are children of the light and God will bless and protect you as you stay on the side of truth and righteousness. This is how you fight the enemy! Enjoy Him, love Him, serve Him.

“You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” (1Thess.5:5)

Pastor Barnabas Chong
Email us at twc@cairnhillchurch.com

Today’s recommended video: Wow, this is a truly enlightening yet brief message on speaking the truth in love by Paul Tripp!