We Are Harvesting
#faithseries
(This Weekly Prayer Summary was written by Devi Susanto, from the CBC English Prayer Ministry Core Team, and edited by Brigitta Tedja)
Pastor Him continued with the faith series for the month of September with a sermon entitled, "We Are Harvesting."
Preaching Focus Past 7 Months:
March: Fasting and Prayer
April: The Joy in Serving
May: Finding Your Place
June: The Holy Spirit
July: The Word of God
August: New Wineskins
September: Faith
All of these topics prepared and led us to harvesting.
We Are Harvesting
John 4:35 NKJV “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”
Harvest of Souls
A Harvest of Resources
This translates to a Harvest of Answered Prayers
Harvesting is a Joyful Time
There is a time to work and a time for harvest. Harvest is a time of celebration. It is not something you can delay. If we are experiencing a harvest, we need laborers. Without the laborers, we cannot bring the harvest into God's purposes. All of us have to be engaged and be involved. Now it is pay-day—harvest time, we will reap what we have sown.
Harvest is here but for some, you cannot celebrate
What you are seeing are the obstacles, challenges, problems, tribulations, and impossible situations
Psalms 114:8 NKJV “Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters.”
God turned the hard rock into springs of water—where there is water, there is life, an oasis
God can change any difficult situation into a place of fruitfulness
Our God is the God of the impossible
Nothing is too difficult for God
Do You Believe That?
We serve a God of the Impossible! He can make a miracle out of any situation, no matter what you are facing
The Just Shall Live by Faith
He has made you more than victors in Christ Jesus
He is able to turn your difficult situation into a place of fruitfulness and be a blessing to those around you
Your tribulations, trials, distress, frustrations - hard situations
He is the God of the Impossible!
Revelations 12:11 “We overcome the enemy by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony.”
Colton is Harvesting
The church in Colton is harvesting, it has doubled in numbers
Pastor Him provided us with some of the highlights:
The numbers have grown by more than double in one year
They have new people, new families almost every Sunday
The Thursday night Youth Bible Study has been averaging 16-20 youth
Healings are taking place
Sie Hwe prayed for Philip that has a backpain three weeks ago and Sie Hwe was healed instantly
We have people healed of back pain, shoulder pain, sore throat, etc.
September: Faith
Faith is a Muscle
The more you use it, the more powerful it becomes.
If you never use it, it will never grow!
Use your muscle!
Shannon Djie:
If you are willing to go from faith to faith, you must be willing to go from storm to storm
In the storm, He wants you to exercise your faith
The storm was meant to make you, not break you
In the storm, that is when you get to know Him
As you exercise your faith muscle, that muscle will grow and become stronger and you become an overcomer. You will see the hands of God in your life. You will experience signs, wonders, and miracles.
Joshua 1:1-2 NKJV “After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them - the children of Israel.’”
The Book of Joshua is known as the book of Acts of the Old Testament
Like the book of Acts in the New Testament, it is the story of the miracles of God doing the impossible
This was 40 years in the making
40 years in the desert, the desert of unbelief
Eating manna everyday
Pillars of cloud by day
Pillars of fire by night
Wandering from tent to tent
Joshua had faithfully served Moses for 40 years
Israel had come to the borders of the Promised Land
Joshua was given the monumental task of leading the people into their inheritance
Moses My Servant is Dead
The old era is gone
This is a new season
Summer is over, Fall is setting in - the weather is changed, we are in transition, it is getting cooler
The past is gone, change is here - New Wineskin
Who is This Moses?
He is a marked man ever since he was born
He became the son of the daughter of Pharaoh
This is the man with the Burning Bush experience
He led Israel out of the 430 years of physical, spiritual, mental and emotional slavery
This Moses was the Lord’s chosen one to defeat the Egyptians with the 10 plagues and they plundered the Egyptians on their way out - Exodus 12:36
This Moses led Israel through the Red Sea while the enemies pursued them but then were drowned
This mighty man of God fasted for 40 days and nights and the Lord gave him the Ten Commandments
The only man that met God face-to-face - Exodus 33:11
Joshua had very big shoes to fill and it became Joshua’s role and responsibility
Moses was quite a man of God, his role was impossible to be fill
But with God nothing is impossible
Be careful with what you say and confess. This decade is the decade of “Pey”—the mouth, so what you say or confess will affect your life. What you confess, you will become.
Now
We are in the NOW season, the time is NOW, not tomorrow
The past is gone, the future is in His hands
It is the present time, it is the kairos time, this is the appointed time
God has prepared you for such a time as this, there is a call upon your life
Arise - wake up, stand up (to be alert and be ready)
Do not slumber, get off your comfort zone
Get off your laurels – do not be satisfied with what you have already achieved
Do not be lazy, do not be complacent
Do not let the enemy lull you to sleep
This is not the time to rest, this is the time to arise
Go - move, make that move, do not stay put
Do not stop putting effort to what you are doing
Keep the momentum
Keep at it
Do not stop trying or working
Do not rely on your past success
Do not let your past hold you back
Do not let your failures stop you
Do not let your unbelief imprison you
Do not let your fear limit you
Do not let your doubt stop you
Do not let your pain destroy your future
Do not let your enemy triumph over you - Psalms 25:2
Over - your obstacle, challenges, difficult situations
Overcome it by His strength
Overcome by His grace
Overcome it by your obedience
You are more than victors in Christ Jesus
You can do all things through Christ who strengthen you
This - identify it, what is it?
Jordan - a fast flowing river - to descend, humble yourself
Jordan River is a rapidly moving river and drops 15’ within one mile
Joshua obeyed and did not know that the Jordan would stop flowing miles ahead when the feet of the priests touched the water as they had to cross
Joshua had no boats, pontoons, ferries
All - Joshua have to lead 600,000 men plus women and children through a turbulent river
The call to cross over is for everyone, no exception
Not just for Joshua, not just one family, not just one congregation
Not just for the strong swimmers
Not just for the able-bodied young people
Not just for the leaders, not just the men, not just for the smarts
Plus, their animals
This is a monumental task
Move in faith by the leading of the Holy Spirit
What Are You Going to Do?
Are you going to give up?
Are you going to quit?
The enemy of faith is not just fear or unbelief but sight
If you walk by sight, you will quit
If you walk by sight, you will not arise and go over the Jordan
If you walk by sight, you will give up
You need to filter what you see
But if you walk by faith, you will experience the miracles of God
If you walk by faith, God will work on your behalf
Our Training Center Will Be Next Door
The Training Center is God’s gift to us
A 20,000 square foot building
When Pastor Him spoke to Rich, the superintendent, he said that the target date is July 2024
How many of you want to see it done sooner rather than later?
But it is a monumental task - just like Joshua leading millions to the Promised Land
We had to dig 26’ underground to get to the bedrock
We have a mountain of dirt
It costs a lot of money and the building is not in sight yet
So far, all the work has been underground
Plus, we had break-ins, which necessitates us to install more sophisticated camera systems and wrought iron
Then we had the strange weather pattern where it rained twice last few weeks
The Training Center will cost us approximately 7 million dollars
God have been faithful in the past and He will be faithful today and tomorrow
If the church in Colton grew after we acquired the building within one year, Pastor Him can see harvest coming to Walnut with the 20,000 square foot facility that will be done by next year
Classrooms for literally every grade level
Auditoriums
Multipurpose rooms
Commitment Sunday will be on October 22
“You and all of Israel will cross over”
Everyone can take part and invest in it for His glory
We need to move by faith
God wants all of us to experience His move
God wants all of us to possess the Promised Land
God has been good and faithful to us all this time
Prayer Points:
Pray for strength to overcome challenges, obstacles, and tribulations. We believe that You, God, are able to turn our difficult situations into a place of fruitfulness, turning hard flint into an oasis of water
Help us surrender fully to the Lord and trust Him with all our hearts and do not depend on our own understanding
Pray that God will draw us near to Him and lead us on the right path of obedience
Pray that the Lord will give us a humble heart to yield, obey, and be flexible for Holy Spirit's guidance and to walk in His ways and honor Him
Pray that your faith muscle will be built up and accomplish what God calls you to do
Pray to walk by faith and not by sight
Confess the Word and Promises of God and pray them through
Pray that the Lord will anoint and enable you to fulfill the call of God in your life
Pray for God's protection from all forms of evil - physical, emotional, and spiritual
Pray for the Lord to send more laborers to the harvest field of souls and share the Gospel
Pray to know that NOW is the time to ARISE, GO, and OVERCOME all difficulties as victors in Christ
We thank you, God, that You are at work in our lives, families, our situations, health, finances, relationships, in all areas of our lives, and in this City Blessing Church, for nothing is impossible!
Pray for the advancement and building progress of the Training Center; no delays, obstacles, accidents, pushback, or interruptions. Pray for divine favor, connections, and provision. Also pray for wisdom, a hedge of protection, and unity upon the Strategic Planning Team