On the 14th April 2013, Sunday I attended the City Harvest Church at sharp 10 am. The service started with beautiful Praise and Worship. The anointing was awesome during worship.
After praise and worship, two couples came on stage and shared a touching testimony about the impact of City Harvest Church and its leaders on their lives.
After the testimony, as Pastor Kong came on stage to share the Word of God, people stood up and gave him a rousing applause, displaying their solidarity through banners during the time of turbulence. He thanked the audience for their unity and support and said it’s a miracle to see the Church fully packed even though it’s in the media attention. Between Christmas and Easter, 5859 people accepted Jesus as their Savior during the service.
He started the sermon with Luke 22:31-32 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Satan attacks the believer’s Faith. Our Faith in God should not be wrecked. The Kingdom of God is built by Faith. Even when your situation looks bleak, Faith will attract God’s blessings to you. Jesus said “Do not fear, only believe”. Starting with the testimony of a Korean mother who despaired at the immoral conduct of her daughter, Pastor Kong preached a message on grace that produces total surrender to God. Though the sermons he preached, mostly focused on the love, grace and righteousness in Christ, he emphasized that it did not mean that he had stopped believing in repentance. “We must have a balance (between grace and repentance).
Repentance is the door to the kingdom of God. Revelation 2:5 says 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
Revelation 3:19 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
Do I believe in the Gospel of Grace? asked Pastor Kong. Of course. The Love of God should lead us to the life of total consecration. Grace should bring us into deeper commitment with God.
Jude 1:3-4 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about[b] long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Mark 12:30 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a].
The reason God’s grace is poured into our lives, so that we have the power to love God wholeheartedly and to surrender completely.
He explained that humans exist on three planes—the body, soul and spirit—and how salvation and grace relates differently to each part of the being.
He asked the audience to repeat “I am a spirit, I have a soul and I live in a body”. God’s salvation and grace relates differently to spirit, soul and body.
- Justification relates to our legal position. Ephesians 2:8 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,You have been saved. This verse focuses on our spirit. The moment you believe in Jesus Christ, full grace comes to your spirit and you are born again. Justification deals with “penalty of sin”.
- Sanctification relates to our living condition. 1 Corinthians 1:18 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. This verse refers to our soul, our personality. God wants to transform our will, our emotions. James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Sanctification deals with the power of sin. 2 Corinthians 12:7-107 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- Glorification deals with our eternal Exaltation. Romans 5:9 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. This verse relates to our body. Glorification deals with the presence of sin. But in the future, when we have resurrected body, we will no longer have sin or sickness or any disease in the body.
We see Grace in Matthew 5
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The Gospel of Grace can be summarized as
- God’s love for us
- Our Obedience to Him
God’s grace is free, nothing can be given to receive the grace. But at the same time, we must respond to the spirit of obedience. “If we love God, we should press unto God for a greater release of righteousness”. “Some people are not hungry for righteousness, they want to know how far they can go before their action is considered sin.”
The gospel of grace should not be focused on the bare minimum; it must lead Christians to a wholehearted surrender to Jesus Christ.
After the sermon, Pastor Kong, led the people into worship. The anointing was powerful, the Presence of God beautiful beyond description. The service finally ended with beautiful praise.
Praise God for a wonderful time 🙂