30th Nov 2012, Friday
Today, Geenu and I, attended Malayalam fellowship at the Emmanuel Assemblies of God, Upper East Coast Road, Bedok. The service started at around 7:45 pm with beautiful praise and worship. After Praise and Worship, there was a wonderful testimony by a couple who got job miraculously through prayers, after being jobless for 3 months in Singapore.
After the testimony, Pastor Roy Henry invited Pastor Finny Stephen, a mighty man of God, from Kerala, to share the Word of God. He shared examples of characters in the Bible whose destiny changed after their encounter with God.
First example was Jacob who because of fear from his brother, clung to God. The Bible says, Jacob wrestled with God during the moment of his crisis.
Genesis 32: 22
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,”he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[f] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” 29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[g] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
Pastor Finny Stephen exhorted people to walk closer with God. When we walk with Jesus, God will show forth His plans for our life. Although Jacob was rich, yet he asked God to bless him. What did he ask God? To have a walk with God. Blessing is a person and His name is Jesus. God changed the name of Jacob to Israel.
When we confess our true nature, God will not forsake us, but He will love us and mould us. If you’re facing repeated conflicts and trials in your life, it’s because God has greater plans for your life and He wants to mould you into His plan through conflicts.
Every individual has a plan from the devil, a plan from the world, a plan from God and their own plans for their life. We must leave all other plans and walk with God to receive His plan for our life. Just as God changed Jacob to Israel, through conflicts, He will give us a new name, change our nature through trials. God wants to change your nature, God wants to enlarge you, He wants to make you a prince, He wants to give you authority, He wants you to live a life of victory from failure.
Another person who had encounter with God, was Simon, whose name means unstable. God changed him from Simon to Cephus. Just as God changed Simon, God will convert our weakness into strength and then use us for His Glory. When you come to Jesus, your nature will change. You will become Cephus. God changed Abram to Abraham.
Finally he shared how Saul became Paul through an encounter with God. He was a militant who attacked Christians, but later after face to face encounter with Jesus, he became a mighty man of God and wrote a chapter about Love in the book of Corinthians.
Pastor Finny Stephen, exhorted people to come closer to Jesus and receive the revelation from the Lord. When you encounter Jesus, you will receive healing and the anointing.
After the sermon, he prayed for people who needed healing in their bodies. Under the anointing, he rebuked the sickness and disease, gave prophesies for the individuals and transferred the anointing. The power of God was awesome. The service ended with a closing prayer by Chacko brother.
After the service, we took bus 16 to Bedok interchange and then MRT to Bishan. Praise God for a wonderful time 🙂
