Cornerstone Singapore Audio Podcast

On 30 Oct 2021, humanity passed a threshold when we officially recorded 5 million deaths from the coronavirus, not counting the devastation it has brought to untold numbers around the world. People are desperate, governments are running out of ideas, and nobody can guess when this will all end. If there are two things people need right now, it’s HOPE and PEACE. Over the next two weekends, I’ll be addressing these vital issues. It’d be wise to heed what Corrie Ten Boom said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be depressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at God, you’ll be at rest.”

There are major sins like adultery, murder, theft and covetousness. But did you know that complaining is a recurring problem mentioned in the Bible that afflicts God’s people? There are many ways to examine the Book of Numbers; one of which is to realise that there are 7 episodes of complaining found in this book alone. These episodes left a devastating impact on the whole nation and gives us a clear message about complaining.

“All the unhappiness of men”, the 17th Century French mathematician, Blaise Pascal, famously noted, “arises from one simple fact, that they cannot sit quietly in their chamber”. We’re living in a generation of stress, and it’s not only in the world; it’s also in the Church. There’s a tremendous pressure that’s coming down upon every person and no one is exempted from it. Unfortunately, Christians are some of the most worn-out people on the planet and that’s a shame, especially when we’ve been offered supernatural rest. The key to all this? Return to the simplicity of your devotion to Christ. Return to prayer, solitude, and intimacy.

God is the God of the many and is also the God of the one. When we look at the life of Jesus, we see how He feeds and speaks to the masses. But He also always stops for the one. It’s easy to lose sight of how much He loves us uniquely and individually.

Numbers appear in the Bible all the time. Israel has 12 tribes. Gideon had his 300. 5,000 were fed with five loaves and two fishes. There were 120 in the Upper Room. Revelations speak of 144,000 that follow Jesus wherever He goes. In fact, there’s a book in the Bible called Numbers. But not all numbering is approved by God. When numbering goes wrong, it can leave a devastating effect on ourselves and on others. Let’s start counting what really matters.

I have been doing quite a bit of introspection and soul searching over the past few weeks to see where I, or we, might have gone wrong in the process of trying to acquire a 2nd campus for Cornerstone. Did I not hear the voice of God correctly? Could I have done things better? Was I hasty? Was I too eager? Did I not check the warning signs? This message will take us through some of the lessons learnt on divine guidance and some principles that needs to be put in place.

If we haven’t heard this from someone, we probably have uttered it ourselves at some point in life. Life isn’t fair, and that’s for certain. We work really hard for something, but our labours do not materialise into results. We make sacrifices, but they’re not acknowledged. On a more serious note, we lose a child or a loved one, and we’re unable to understand why it had to happen. The unfairness of life is well-documented in the Bible, and it’s a subject that we all need some perspective on. 

Elijah was the premier prophet in the Old Testament, no doubts about that. In Matthew 16, when Jesus and His disciples were in the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked the question, "Who do men say that I am?" Pay attention to the answers the disciples gave. The first name mentioned was John the Baptist. The 2nd was the Prophet Elijah. The 3rd was Jeremiah. In other words, these three prophets were the ones most associated with our Lord's ministry and it's interesting that the first two names, John and Elijah, had the same mantle. The whole point is, the OT prophet that most describes our Lord Jesus was Elijah, and we'll find out why in this weekend's message. 

I've personally seen what revival in a city looks like and have lived through one. I know what revival can do, not only for the Church, but for society at large. There's been an increased urgency for prayer and turning of our hearts to The Lord, in an earnest cry for Him to move in our land. God has promised us a fresh move and outpouring of His Spirit; and it'll be glorious as we see Heaven open over us as never before, and souls will flood into His Kingdom.

The Apostle Paul had many spiritual children that he wrote about and mentioned in his letters to the churches. However, there were some that Paul distinguished, not only as ‘sons’, but ‘true sons’. These statements are not just meant to give us an insight into the relationships that Paul had, but they mimic heaven. It’s the Lord’s desire to bring many sons and daughters to glory and into full maturity.

We’re at the cusp of a mighty revival, no doubts about that. I’m totally convinced that in the next few months, we’ll begin to see a fresh move of God. And I believe the prophetic word for this hour is ‘Enlarge’. Enlargement is not always a pleasant process. It requires for us to be stretched, be willing to be troubled, and allowing Him to challenge our status quo. In other words, it requires preparation. And whilst prayer is an essential part of the plan, preparation is an essential part of the process. Not to pray is tragic, but not to prepare is catastrophic. The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, we read that 'To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.' We all have our ‘mountain’ seasons where everything seem to be going well. Yet, there are also ‘valley’ seasons that are total opposites. The question I often ask myself is, "How do I navigate the different seasons that the Lord leads me to and complete that which He has intended for me to do and learn?" Let's explore how we can ace our season!

When Jesus came 2,000 years ago, He had one central message – the proclamation that the Kingdom of God was at hand. What is the Good News for a broken world today? And how can the Church be the solution to "Thy Kingdom come"?

The life of the Church has never been about its programmes, buildings or productions. The Lord has chosen how He'd like to manifest Himself, and it's through us. As we witness how the pandemic has not shut down the Church, but made room for new methods and wider reach, has the pandemic also made room in the place where it matters most, where God has chosen to dwell – our hearts? It's time to make room.

The visit by the Queen of Sheba to Israel marked a distinct high point in the history of ancient Israel. When we understand and see the Queen of Sheba as a type of the world visiting and examining the Church, we can also clearly see that God is giving us an outline of what it takes to shine effectively for Him.

2 Samuel 5 first introduces the Lord as “Lord of the Breakthroughs”. Some of us are stuck in this season, we may be in a turbulent situation and in need of a breakthrough. But God is establishing something far greater in us, and testing comes before a breakthrough. God’s breakthroughs must not come through our flesh. Instead, when we step out in faith and believe God for the impossible, we obtain the breakthrough and pave a way for others to follow in the same manner.

We are not locked down by Covid-19, we are locked in with God! God is restoring to us a double-fold blessing and anointing to minister as His Priesthood, and there is a promised enlargement, if we are willing to step out of our comfort zones, and step in with the NOW of God!

Solomon presided over the zenith of the Jewish kingdom in the Old Testament. Yet while he was king, failure was already creeping in. Many would consider the numerous pagan wives he took as the cause of his downfall. This was without a doubt, the major failing in his life. Nonetheless, Scriptures gave subtle hints to the flaws that were already gnawing through his actions and rule way before the cracks began to show on the outside. The examination of Solomon’s life gives light to the folly that we may all easily succumb to as well.

My job as a pastor is to feed, strengthen, heal, bind, restore and seek out those whom God has entrusted to us. In other words, I'm called to be a protector of the flock. Over the last 31 years of shepherding, in the course of defending the sheep, I've been threatened with violence, cursed, ridiculed, reviled, but I do not complain for one moment, because this was what I signed up for. This is my calling and ministry and God has given me sufficient grace for it. This is the authority Jesus has vested to us as shepherds because He is the Chief Shepherd and Defender of His people. We all need someone whom we can trust to fight for us when the time comes. This is a word that will encourage many of you. 

We’re now more than 18 months into this pandemic. While some nations are starting to open up, many others around the world continue to struggle with new waves of the pandemic. The world has come very much to a standstill during this time. As Christians, we understand that the things that happen in the natural are a reflection of what’s happening in the spiritual. We’re in the prelude to a new season – a new normal that’s coming. Like the sons of Issachar, we must know the times and the seasons and have understanding concerning what we need to be doing.