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Showing posts from July, 2017

Monday - An interesting day

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My hosts, Pst Nanding and his wife Lorna, treated me to a visit to a hill resort at Tagaytay. Carlo, Josh and Kyla joined us on the trip. It was a day of fun, good food and great company. No dull moment with this gang Tagaytay is a beautiful gateway, an hours drive from Manila. Beautiful  is an understatement.  The view from the Place in the Sky was picturesque. My hosts really took good care of me. Simply humbled by their kind hospitality.  I also had the privilege to meet Pst Anthony and his wife, who drove about 4 hrs to meet us. A wonderful man of God who has started a prayer movement in his church which is inspiring the churches in the Philippines. Pst Anthony conducts a prayer meeting at 5AM every morning. Pastors and leaders from all over the Philippines come here to see what God is doing in his church. Sometimes more than 300 people come for the morning prayer. They get inspired and go back to their churches to start similar prayer meetings in their churches. Be

Blessed Sunday

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What a blessing it was to be in three services on Sunday morning. The worship tem The first two services were at the HistoryMakers - Crosspoint. It was good to see some familiar faces. The first service started at 8am and the second at 10am. Meeting were well attend and the worship team was good. Spoke on the subject, "Who I am in Christ".  Second service at the Crossepointe- Ffont Pst Fernando and his family had been excellent host, taking care of me very well. Simply awed by the hospitality and love of this Godly family.  Lunch was good and you will never get this kind of buffet in Spore at that tempting price. In the afternoon we drove about an hour to Life Giver church, the new church set up by Pst Faythe Santiago, a year a go. Pst Faythe is a young lady of 29 years but with an explosive passion for the Lord. The church was filled to overflowing with more than 300 people, mostly young people. Many had to sit on the floor in front. The Spiri

Trip to Manila, Philippines

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At Terminal 1, Changi Airport. I finally arrived at Manila, after an hr delay.  The flight was delayed at Singapore due to heave traffic congestion at Changi and also the arrival at Manila was delayed due to the same reason. Looks like the airports are becoming too small for the volume of traffic they are handling, especially Singapore. But it was a joy to meet Pst Fernando and his sweet wife Lorna at the airport. One of the few couples I know who are passionate about the Lord and his work. They were at the airport to pick me up. Pst Fernando from History Makers - Crosspointe, had invited me over the weekend to speak at some meetings. About 40 volunteers turned up for the meeting. After checking me into a nice hotel, they drove me to my first meeting. Most of their volunteers had gathered in a rented room that belonged to "Jollibee". It was so good to meet friends who I had met on my last trip in 2015. Especially glad to meet Carlo and Josh, the two pastors w

Finally waiting for departure to go home

Its 10 PM and we are sitting at the waiting lounge at Hyderabad Airport. It has been a long day of travel from Agra to Hyderabad. On the road, in the train, in the airport and in the air. 5 hrs from Agra to Delhi. Then the metro train ride (switched four trains) to the airport due to a heavy traffic jam on the roads. Two hrs flight from Delhi to Hyderabad, which was delayed on the ground for 1 hr 30 minutes.  Finally we are set to go home. Thanking God for the opportunities and the like minded people whom He has connected us with. God willing BethanyLife/True Life Church Planters Training Centre will be inaugurated on 17 Aug. To God be the glory.

20 Jul - Second day of seminar

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Today I did the John Maxwell Leadership Training program. In the morning I covered on the qualities of a leader and in the afternoon. I taught on "having a vision". Half way through the first session the electricity went off and it was so hot and stuffy. But the participants stayed throughout the session. My energy was literally sapped out and I felt so drained and tired.  I was drenched in my own perspiration  My stomach also was not well and I did not have food the whole morning and afternoon. Thank God foe helping me to finish both sessions.  Both sessions were well received. By the time I finished it was 4:30 pm and we had to rush for a village meeting in a place called Sahabad, which was about 50 km away. The villagers were told that the meeting would start at 5 pm.   We reached the village at about 6:15pm. About 35 adults and 15 children were gathered under a tree for the meeting.  Very simple people but hungry for God. Pst Mukhes has been planting a chu

19 Jul - A busy day

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Today we started the seminar for pastors and church leaders. About 40 people attended the sessions. Pst Pathi took two sessions in the morning on the topic "Hearing the voice of God". It was well received. In the afternoon I took two session on Psalms 15, looking at the qualities of a true worshipper. The weather so humid that I was drenched in my perspiration. But the participants were attentive throughout the sessions. Later in the evening we visited a Hindu home that had just come to know the Lord. It was a joy to lead one of the family members to the Lord and we prayed for the entire family. God delivered them from demonic oppressions and they are so happy in the Lord. Later in the night we had a good dinner and fellowship with our brothers. God is indeed awesome.

On the way to Agra

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Both Pst Pathi and I have checked in are in the waiting lounge for our flight to Agra. Its still raining. Cool and nice weather.  God is good. Dinner with Pst Raul, Pst Deepak, Pst Mukhis and Bro Manish Pst Raul John and Pst Mukhes, was at the airport to receive us. It was good to see them again. It was hot in Delhi. We took more than one hour just to get out of New Delhi because of the traffic. Now Pst Pathi appreciates the traffic in Malaysia. In the evening, we had a meeting in Pst Raul's Church. It was warm and humid and half way through the service there was a power failure. It seems this is normal.  Cell phone lights began to pop up in the congregation as though it was a contingency plan.  As it was so sweaty and unbearable humidity, I quickly ended the service but people came forward for prayer even though the service was over and there was no electricity. It was a joy to minister ti these people. Dinner was at 9:30 pm or midnight in Singapore.

Two chuch dedications

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I t was a wet day.  Was drizzling the whole day with an overcast sky. We had two church dedications today. The first was about two hrs drive from our hotel,which was close to the airport. It was in a village called Vimulapally in Nalagonda District. Pst Gideon is the church planter in this place. About 50 people gathered for the church dedication. St Pathi shared the Word and we had to leave quickly for the next church dedication which was and hour's drive. The people had been waiting there since 10 am in the morning. By the time we reached the second church, it was 1:30pm. We had two baptisms in a pond near by. The pond was deep and the water was  mouldy with a bad stench. But it was a joy seeing people taking the step of water baptism. This church was sponsored, by Poongodi and Segar, in memory of their late father,Bro Tangevelu who  passed away last year. About 150 gathered for the church dedication.

Sunday morning at BethanyLife

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This morning Jeya and I attended BethanyLife in Klang. What a joy  meet friends and people who are really passionate about God and the Great Commission. I spoke of Why it's my responsibility to take the Great commission seriously, taking the text from 2 Cor 4. I also shared my experience in missions in India. I was blessed and so were the people. The good news is BethanyLife is partnering a new church planting project in Agra. This evening Pst Pathi and I will love for Hyderabad for the next part of the program. Praising God for Pst Stephen and his family for being such excellent hosts and all that they are doing for the kingdom.

On the road again

Checked in at Terminal 1, SCA. and waiting for our flight. I am with Jeya and we are heading to KL We will be in BethanyLife for the the Sunday service and in the evening tomorrow, Jeya returns to Singapore, while I head to Hyderabad with Pst Pathi from BethanyLife.  We have two church dedications inTelangana on Monday and on Tuesday, we will head to Agra. We are conducting a Pastors' seminar and also going to discuss about the new CP Training program there. This new work will be undertaken by BethanyLife. Praising God for the new opportunities and for churches keen on investing in missions. Looking forward to an exciting God blessed trip.

Update on Shadrach Home - Odisha

Praise God, we have raised $8000. Another $7000 to go. If God moves your heart, please contact me. Blessings

The Great Commission - Whose responsibility?

Matthew 28:19-20  - T hen Jesus came to them and said,  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.   19  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,  baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   20  and teaching  them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you  always, to the very end of the age.” Recently I came across comments that the Great Commission is only for a selected few, the ones with the gift of Evangelism. Others proclaim that we should not go out to the ends of the world without reaching our Jerusalem first. Evangelism your Jerusalem  first, once that is done, then go out to the ends of the world.  These use Acts 1:8 to substantiate they claim as though that verse sets out a formula. Yet there are those who say, its only for those with a missionary calling. I find no scriptural backing for the above claims. My reading of the scriptures tells me that the Great Commission is the respon

Deception in disguise

I was shocked and terribly ashamed of myself when I reviewed my recent messages. They smelt of pride and arrogance, although it was coated with scriptures of high sounding rebuke for the listeners. What has become of me? I don't know. I was august when I heard myself. Thanks to technology. I am beginning to sound a bit high-handed, a bit self righteous and very critical.  Pro 16:18 - Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Yes, I knew all those this but how  subtly it crept into me with me noticing it. I realised some  statements from the pulpit was judgmental, rash and left people feeling condemned.  Well it brought me to my knees to ask God for help and to "renew a right spirit within me".  The irony is that is comes in so subtly and you don't get any warning from others. The Holy Spirit does prick my conscience but that is dismissed as being "too sensitive". On thing I realised is that we who preach the Word

Promise verse for Jul 17

What a joy to see more than 40 people attend the extended time of prayer last night. I shared on the promise verse and it is found in  Psalms 30:11  -You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance;  you have taken away my sorrow and surrounded me with joy (GNT).  Another translation says,  Thou hast turned my mourning into joy : thou hast loosed my sack, and girded me with gladness. (GNV) In this Psalm David mentions at least five areas which were the cause of his mourning: 1.   People were the cause of his mourning.   Verse 1 - you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over 2.    Sickness was the course of his mourning  Verse 2 - I called to you for help, and you healed me. 3.   His circumstances were the cause of his mourning Verse 3  -  O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 4.    His own sins seems to be the cause of his mourning Verse 5