‘Pastor's Heart’

We talked about pursuing His presence last month. For this month, we are going to explore what happens when people encounter His presence. As we search the Scripture, we discover that there are many instances whereby people do encounter God’s presence, resulting in their lives deeply impacted. Take for instance, Abraham. An encounter with God and he was called the friend of God. The encounter changed Abraham’s life and he received a son. Moses’ face shone for 40 days after he encountered God. Jacob limped for the rest of his life after encountering God. Jacob’s physical limp was an outward reminder of his seeing God face-to-face and an inward reminder to walk humbly before God. Something died when Paul met the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. After his encounter with Christ, Paul faced death so many times: beatings, shipwrecks, stoning and robbery. He lived as though he didn’t fear death because the old Paul had died when he encountered Christ. A new Paul unselfishly served the Lord after that experience.

We may think that only people in the past encountered God and that God met people in the Bible but He doesn’t do it today. But Jesus told John on the Isle of Patmos, “I am the One who was, who is and who is to come.” (Rev. 1:8). This means that the Lord will live in the future, and He lives today. He still encounters people today as He did yesteryears.

An encounter with God is available to all people –that means you and me. The young encountered God – Gideon and Jeremiah – as well as the old: Moses on Sinai and John on Patmos. Therefore, no matter your age, you can encounter God. People had an encounter with God for many purposes. Some unsaved were converted, such as Saul, who later became the great Apostle Paul. Some godly people encountered Christ to worship Him. Others encountered for a call to vocational service, for a new task, to encourage them, to break their break or to restore them from backsliding. So no matter what problems you have in life, you can encounter God to solve your problems.

It appears that God encounters His people during deep times of need to bring relief and restoration. Elijah met God during a backslidden and discouraged state. And out of Elijah’s deep discouragement came a new spirit of service. Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel encountered God when they saw their nation collapsing around them. And out of Isaiah’s broken dreams came a new purpose in life. Out of Ezekiel’s ordinary dull life, came a new level of power. Out of John’s captivity came freedom of worship. When Jacob was afraid to face a vengeful brother, he encountered God. These problems motivated these men to search for God. But some others were encountered by God, even though they were in rebellion to Him. Saul hated Christ when he met Him on the Damascus road. And out of Saul’s rebellion came an obedient will. Peter had denied Christ three times and Christ came back to restore him. And out of that brokenness, came a new commissioning for ministry that set Peter as the Chief Apostle.

The answer to your problems is not in an experience, nor is your focus on an encounter the most important thing. It is not a “fix,” nor is it a feeling. You must meet God; it is Him that you need. He has the ability to help you through your problem when you hurt or when you yearn for some glue to hold your life together. God is your answer. But almost no one recognizes his or her need of God. Yet St. Augustine, an Early Church father, correctly analyzed the problem when he said, “Thou hast formed is for Thyself and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”

Let me conclude by quoting something what Dwight Moody had written long ago to admonish you in your quest to seek God and obtain an encounter with Him, “Do not expect the same experience you had two or twenty years ago. You will have a fresh experience. And God will deal with you in His own way.”

Blessings,

Pastor Chris Chan

Every Sunday many people go to church while others sleep or engage in other weekend activities. For those who show up for worship services, what are their motivations? While many go to church to fulfill an obligation through some ritual, some consider church attendance as an insurance policy to going to heaven in the event they pass away unexpectedly. There are a number of church goers who use Sunday mornings at church a time to make new friends and renew old ones. Then there are those who attend simply out of habit but their worship experience is anything but exciting. What should our focus be when we attend worship services?

Isaiah 2:3 gives us a clue as to what the nations long for when they come to church. It says, “Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Notice that they called the church as “House of God of Jacob.” Why did they call the Almighty God as “God of Jacob” and not “God of Abraham” or other patriarchs? Because the revelation of the house of God was given to Jacob at Bethel (Gen 28:10-22). In other words, the nations wanted to experience what Jacob experienced in the House of God. At Bethel, Jacob encountered the manifested presence of God. No wonder Jacob said, “How awesome is this place!” (Gen 28:17). The presence of God is awesome indeed.

For the next several months, we would like to concentrate on pursuing the presence of God not only in our corporate gatherings like Thursday night prayer meetings and Sunday worship services but also in our daily lives whether we are in college, at work or simply at home. When God shows up in our house, wonderful things happen. Among other things, miracles and healings can be experienced in His presence. David claimed that there is fullness of joy in His presence (Psalms 16:11). No wonder only thing he desired and that he would seek after and that was to dwell in His presence in the House of God. Whenever God’s presence is evident in a worship service, people’s response can vary. But there’s one thing for sure – no one will say the gathering is boring!

It was in the presence of the Lord that Jacob (a liar or deceiver) was transformed to being Israel (a prince or an overcomer) after wrestling with Him all night (Gen 32:28). We can expect many lives to be transformed in God’s presence. Our mission is to see lives being transformed so that they will become committed Disciples of Christ. When God’s presence is consistently felt in our midst, people will be convicted of their sins, lives will be restored, fear of God will increase among our people. And many more wonderful things will start to happen. The nations will start showing up in our midst.

Moses realized that living with God’s presence continually is not a mere luxury but an absolute necessity. He told the Lord that if His presence did not accompany Israel, the Lord should not send them anyway (Exo. 33:15) but stay put where they were and risked death. In other words, Moses would rather die than to live without God’s presence. If God’s presence was so essential to Moses, can we afford less? Let’s pursue God’s presence passionately. God always respond to hearts that are hungry for Him.

Blessings,

Pastor Chris Chan

Living a balanced life has almost become a fashionable thing to do. Between our career, fitness, intellectual stimulation, entertainment, planned relaxation and healthy eating it seems that we have identified all the right ingredients for a healthy and balanced life. And yet the perfect balanced life eludes us? Pursuing the balanced life can be very challenging as it leads us to constantly wonder whether if we’ve achieved the right mix of the activities and responsibilities in our lives. After all, how much is too much? At a practical level, it tends to focus on the externals of what we’re doing instead of the state of our hearts. So what does it mean to live a balanced life?

Allow me to share three principles as revealed in the Scriptures that can help to keep our life in balance :

1. Commitment - The critical first step to living a life of balance is deciding that it is more important than other measures of “success.” If the pursuits of power, prestige, position, possessions, or even pleasure are our primary goal, then these will dominate our life. If having these things are more important to us than balance, then they will win.” The Scripture admonishes us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all (that we need in life) will be added to us. So in order to live out the balanced life, we must be committed to loving God and fulfilling God’s will for our lives. At the very beginning, we must understand that the goal is not to organize our lives so as to achieve some abstract state of “balance”. The goal is to bring every area of life into harmony with God’s will. The goal is to follow and obey Him with every area of our lives. If we do that, then the “balance” will take care of itself, because God will never ask us to do more than we are able.
2. Sabbath – “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Exo. 20:8). While the command to observe the Sabbath is stated in the Old Testament, it does not mean it is obsolete. It was given as a means to obtain rest and recover perspective in our lives. Many of us live in the fast lane of life, speeding in overdrive, leaving us overwhelmed by our daily responsibilities. We spread ourselves too thin, we burned out, lost our enthusiasm, and had no time for the things we truly enjoy. We need to take time to rest and to reflect. Concerning the contemplative life, the Lord has this to say, “but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42).
3. Passion - The creative force behind all great art, all great drama, all great music, all great architecture, all great writing is passion. Nothing great is ever accomplished in life without passion. Nothing great is ever sustained in life without passion. Passion is what energizes life. Passion makes the impossible possible. Passion gives you a reason to get up in the morning and go, “I’m going to do something with my life today.” Without passion, life becomes boring. It becomes monotonous, routine, and dull. God wants us to love Him passionately. The most important commandment in the Bible according to the Lord Jesus is, “so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.” (MSG-Mar 12:30). We must ensure that our passion for God is at the all-time high or we will be out of “balance” in our lives.
   
   Blessings,
   Pastor Chris Chan

Several years ago, a Barna survey showed 61% of US residents surveyed agreed with the statement the Holy Spirit is “a symbol of God’s presence or power, but is not a living entity.” What is even more shocking is that a majority or near-majority of those in most every Christian denominational family, including mainline Protestants and evangelical Christians held that view. No wonder the work of the Holy Spirit is so misunderstood and many Christians are not experiencing the power of the Spirit in their daily walk. Thus we are dedicating this whole month of June to get to know the Holy Spirit better so that He is allowed to do a greater work in and through us.

Scripture reveals that the Holy Spirit is a person, the third member of the Godhead, co-equal with the Father and the Son, the One who enables a believer to live victorious daily lives. The Lord Jesus called us to “receive the Holy Spirit” whom He called The Comforter (John 14:16). Comfort generally implies someone taking us into their arms when we are bereaved, weary, or beaten by circumstances. The Holy Spirit does that, but the primary idea of the Comforter is that He is God who comes beside us to work in us in ways that will bring through us things that never could be otherwise.

First of all, the Holy Spirit wants to empower us to have victory over the enemy – “I have given you authority, so that you can walk on snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the Enemy, and nothing will hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Apart from the Holy Spirit, our spiritual capacities are empty; we don’t have what it takes to deal with the crush of evil, taunting, or temptation. We are living in tough times in a real world where hell would like to break us down. But the Lord will defend, protect, deliver and bring you through with mightiness. There’s a reservoir in Heaven with enough for every person forever, but we need to tap in and keep on being filled with the Spirit.

Second, we need Sprit-filled and empowered witness. Before Christ was taken up to heaven, He commissioned His disciples to carry on the mission He had started. “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well (Mark 16:15-18). Therefore, the church of Jesus Christ is called to be agents of God’s powerful healing and deliverance in and for the world. In order to carry out the Great Commission effectively we must be fully empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Third, the Holy Spirit desires to fill and empower the individual believers so that they can be successful in their walk with God, The Lord Jesus commands His disciples to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) that He might replicate His life in each of us by this means. He called us to receive the Holy Spirit that we might have the same power source for everyday life and service that animated Him in His ministry. Let’s continually be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Blessings,
Pastor Chris Chan

Worship is a fundamental matter in anything religion. While the forms and manner may differ, all human beings have a longing to worship. That sets humanity apart from animals since the latter don’t worship. Of course, not everyone worships God. But when you get down to it, everyone worships. Everyone has built an altar in their lives to someone or something. In Christianity, we believe we are created to have fellowship with our Creator and worship is an essential of that relationship. Worship affects every aspect of our lives. When we neglect it, problems will develop, as we see in Romans 1:20–25. These verses offer a look at the downward steps that occur when we fail to worship God.


It all begins with a failure to worship and glorify God. Verse 21 says, “People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him.” (MSG). For example, you might decide that you don’t need to go to church this week. Next week comes, and you’re too busy. Soon, two months have gone by. Prayer is no longer a part of your life. Bible study is not a part of your life. Church is not a part of your life. A downward spiral has begun. It may not happen overnight, but it starts with a failure to worship and glorify God.


The next step down is a failure to give thanks. If you don’t glorify God as God, then it is inevitable that you won’t give thanks to Him. Verse 21 says, “They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness.” (v 21 GNB). Some Christians neglect to give thanks at mealtimes, thinking of it as unnecessary. On the contrary, it is a wonderful thing when an individual or family stops before a meal and prays. You are acknowledging that God has provided that meal for you. Even when you are in a public place, it is a good thing to do. If people see you, then let them see you. After all, you are giving thanks to God.

Next, failing to glorify God and to give thanks will result in turning to other gods or idols. Verse 23 says, “instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or birds or animals or reptiles.” (GNB). When God is removed, someone or something will take His place. Many people turn to belief systems designed to alleviate a guilt-ridden conscience. They think that whatever is true to them, if it is their truth, then that is good. This is the way many people live.

Failing to glorify God and be thankful will not only cause idolatry to enter in, but soon, degraded and wicked living will follow. We find this step down in verse 24: “And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other.” (GNB). If you don’t have God in your life and you are not following His Word, then you don’t have a moral compass. You don’t know what is right and wrong anymore, so you just go with whatever feels good to you and become more and more depraved.

As I said, everyone worships something or someone. At what altar are you bowing today? Will that god be able to save you? Will that god be able to help you when crisis hits? The answer is no—if your god is anyone apart from Jesus Christ. You were created to have fellowship with the true and living God. You were created to glorify Him. He will bring you the pleasure, fulfillment, and purpose that you have been seeking from other things. But it starts with worshiping Him.

Easter falls on April this year. While Easter should be a celebrated joyously, it is not about bunnies or brightly colored eggs. It is about Jesus, and specifically, it is about Jesus crucified and risen again from the dead. We don’t know when death will come for each of us, but we all will die. Death is the great equalizer. It is no respecter of persons. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, if you are a man or a woman, if you are rich or poor. Death knocks at every door and it can seem so cruel, so harsh, and so final. And that is exactly how the disciples felt when they saw the beaten, bloodied
body of their Lord hanging on a Roman cross. Then, in addition to the crucifixion, a Roman soldier took his spear, thrust it into Jesus’ side, and out of it came blood and water. There was no question about it. Christ had died. If the crucifixion hadn’t killed him, certainly the spear of the Roman soldier would have. The disciples thought it was over. They thought death had finished it. They thought He was dead. But He was alive again.

Because Jesus has died and has risen again, it means that we as believers do not have to be afraid of death. As 1  Corinthians 15:20 tells us, “But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again” (NLT). Jesus has gone to the other side, He has returned, and He has the keys to death and hell (see Rev. 1:18). Because Christ died and rose, we can have the hope of heaven. Our bodies will cease to function at one point, but there is life beyond the grave (1 Corinthians 15:54–55).
One day, you may open up the newspaper and read that Pastor Chris Chan died. But don’t you believe a word of it, because at the moment you read that I have died, I will be more alive than I have ever been before in the presence of God. And the same could be said for every believer.
And here is the message of Jesus: You are going to see your loved ones again. You will be with them. Not only are they a part of your past, but they are also part of your future. He is the resurrection and the life, and if we believe in Him, though we were dead,
yet shall we live.

But the same can’t be said of those who have not heard or those who have heard but rejected the message of salvation in Christ Jesus. They face a gruesome, torturous and eternal damnation (see the story of The Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31) in the lake of fire reserved for the devil and all his fallen angels. Hell is no joke. Neither is it a tale that some religious freak invented to trick people into blindly submit to Christianity. It is real and the Lord Jesus spent three days in hell for all humanity so that none of us need to end up there. But he conquered death and hell could not
keep him there.

That is why it is so important to share Christ with those who are lost. Preaching the Gospel is a matter of life and death. Souls are at stake and if they die a Christless grave they are eternally lost. And so we dedicate this month of April to missions – both local and international. We want to touch people, especially “pre-believers” and love them to Christ. The Lord said in Matt 16:26 “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” In other words, the soul is priceless. We should have a deep passion to reach the lost. Echoing the words of Paul, “woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (I Cor. 9:16), Let that be the cry of our heart.