Prayer has often been cited as the hallmark of FGT. Prior to the birth of the church, the pioneering group laboured for weeks in prayer. Every major project undertaken in faith by FGT over the years has always been preceded by months, if not years of prayer.
Everyone knows that being a pastor’s kid comes with privileges and hardships- more so if your parents are pioneering a church.
The birth of Anna Wong on 26th April in 2010 was a significant moment for FGT. Almost 30 years earlier in November 1981, her own mother, Grace Eu Swee Leng,
Rev Dr Colin Hurt
At the present time there is an emphasis concerning the grace of God that is spreading around the world. Often there is an imbalance because only one aspect of grace, unmerited favour, is being taught. Let us examine four aspects of grace that are found in God’s word.
ASPECT ONE – SAVING GRACE
Eph 2:8-10 NIV (8) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— (9) not by works, so that no one can boast. (10) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
This salvation is entirely by grace. There is no work we can do to merit it, or it would not be by grace. Although this salvation is not procured by good works, its purpose is to produce good works.
There are two concepts being taught which distort the New Testament truth about saving grace. The first one is that God’s love is unconditional. That is not the teaching of Jesus.
THE CONDITIONAL LOVE OF THE FATHER FOR THE SON
Jn 10:17-18 NIV The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. (18) No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Please note carefully what Jesus is saying. There has always been an eternal love between the Father and the Son. The continued love of God was contingent upon Christ obeying the commandment of the Father. The commandment was that he should lay down his life. Please note that this did not initiate the love – it maintained the love.
THE CONDITIONAL LOVE OF THE FATHER FOR THE SONS
Jn 14:21 NIV Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
This is very important. The only way to demonstrate our love for Jesus is by obedience. This is the only way to be loved by the Father. It is the only way to be loved by Jesus. We see that in the New Testament the love of God is conditional not unconditional.
The second concept being taught which distorts the truth of salvation by grace is that all sins, past, present and future are already forgiven. This is not stated anywhere in the New Testament. In fact there are several conditions given. I will quote only two:
(i) 1Jn 1:9 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
(ii) Mat 6:14-15 NIV For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
This means that sins are not forgiven unless we first of all forgive others and demonstrates that Jesus had no concept of future sins already being forgiven.
ASPECT TWO – STRENGTHENING GRACE
Act 20:32 NIV Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
God’s grace not only saves us, it also builds us up. This shows that grace is not only unmerited favour, it is also the active power of God in our lives.
2Co 12:9 NIV But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
This is another facet of the strengthening grace of God. It enables us to cope with situations which in the natural would be beyond our ability to endure.
ASPECT THREE – SANCTIFYING GRACE
Tit 2:11-12 NIV For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. (12) It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
True grace gives us instructions. Once again, this is far more than unmerited favour. It is the sanctifying effect of grace. Firstly it gives us negative instructions. It tells us to reject ungodliness and worldly passions. Then it gives us positive instructions on how to live, with self control, uprightness and godliness.
ASPECT FOUR – SERVING GRACE
Rom 1:5 NIV Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
1Co 15:9-10 NIV For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (10) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
2Co 8:1-2 NIV And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. (2) Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
All of the above texts demonstrate that the genuine grace of God will produce within us the desire, ability and energy to serve God in his world and church. If we do not demonstrate this service in our lives, we have no evidence that we really have received the grace of God.
These four aspects of grace show us that it is far more than just unmerited favour. We can be certain that we have received the true grace of God only when all four aspects are evidenced in our lives.
by Marc Dupont
Mantle of Praise Ministries
It has become far more than a “cliché message” to preach/teach the contemporary church is in a time of transition. While that may be true in any given season of God, it is also true that in learning to walk with God, and in the ways of God, that we are to continually be in transition. Having said that, however, I do believe that the last few years have been a time of vital transition. In effect, it has been a time of crossing over the Jordan of our dreams and God’s visions for our lives which he has been preparing us for. In short, I believe that many Christians, churches, and ministries are in a time of promotion, which will result in greater fruitfulness. Jesus stated that the Father is glorified by us bearing much fruit, and in so doing we prove to be Christ’s disciples. (John 15.8)
The problem, however with transition unto greater fruitfulness is it always involved the necessity of unlearning some old ways and learning new ways. This scenario in a nutshell is illustrated in Isaiah 6 when God is planning on anointing and releasing Isaiah to become one of the greatest prophets of all time. In verses 1-8 we see Isaiah beholding his righteousness, or lack there of, in the light of God’s absolute righteousness. For Isaiah to enter in to the greater thing God was calling him to change was required.
A popular saying over the last 20 years in many circles has been “higher levels, bigger devils”. While it is true that spiritual warfare usually increases with an increase of anointing and responsibility, it is also very, very true that God always, always, always gives us the tools, the resources, abilities, and power to move in the new things He calls us to. It is not so much “higher levels, bigger devils”, but rather “more of God necessitates more of His ways”!
The inherent problem, however, is that when God is calling us to use new tools and minister/live in new ways we can not apply the ways we used the old tools with the new ones. It’s a little bit like when a carpenter goes from using a traditional hammer powered by arm muscle to a pneumatic nail gun. With the old tool you bang the hammerhead against the nail. To use a nail gun in the same way would quickly destroy it. With the nail gun you simply set it against the spot you want to drive the nail and pull the trigger. With the nail gun you drive far more nails, in much less time, with much less energy but it does call for a change of doing things. We are in a time of increase where many of us will see a greater anointing unto greater fruitfulness, but actually requiring less work on our part.
The promise before the Hebrews who crossed over the Jordan was that they would enjoy fruit in a size and quantity they had never experienced before. However, as mentioned, moving into the land of bigger & better usually necessitates change. The book of Joshua, chapter 5, verses 11 & 12 read: “On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.” Shortly after entering the land they did, in fact, begin to enjoy the greater fruit. The problem, however, was that on the next day the particular supernatural blessings of God which they had experienced everyday for all of their lives completely ceased. The sense of shock and retooling they experienced must have been severe. The manna (bread) and quail (meat), which God had simply given them every day, all of their lives, was no longer there. Instead, they had to begin to exercise a whole new level of faith. (When we say the manna is disappearing we are obviously speaking about the level of God’s provision, not of Jesus- the true Bread of Life)
This faith was a very targeted faith. It was following the specific leading of the Holy Spirit (Joshua 3.3-5). The accompanying problem, however, was that the Lord led them into the seemingly impossible. Joshua 3.13 tells us that the waters did not part until the feet of the priests stepped into the flooded Jordan River. 40 years prior with Moses, the great man of God, he had stretched forth his staff and exercised the authority God had given him while the people simply spectated. This time it was a very different scenario. The time of Moses was over. They had symbolically (at least from our perspective) journeyed from the ministry of Moses, which represented the law or the performance of man to the ministry of Joshua, or Yehoshua, which represents the grace of God for the impossible. The only requirement of God was to actively and obediently follow the Presence of God with faith even if it meant stepping into the impossible!
The previous generation had experienced the same invitation 40 years previously but “the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” (Hebrews 4.2) They had even seen some of the incredible fruit first hand due to the spies bringing some back. They chose, however, to lean unto their own understanding and failed to believe that God could accomplish the miraculous against the fierce enemies and giants of the land.
Today, despite the economic chaos, which is gripping, much of the world God is calling us to initiate new endeavors in reaching out to our cities, cultures, and nations. Common sense would tell us to simply hold the fort until things change financially. God’s seasons, however, seldom coincide neatly with our seasons and perspectives. Like the Hebrews who crossed over God is calling us to confront giants and fierce enemies of the gospel (at least, in a spiritual sense). The promise of His word is that “the righteous will prosper even during a time of famine”. The key prophecy of Haggai, chapter two, is to not be afraid of the outward situation because the Spirit of God is with us (if we are truly with Him)! In fact, Haggai went on to say that the riches of the world, would, in effect, fund the work of the kingdom of God. The fresh call on God’s leaders today requires 3 things, I believe.
1) We must not lean to the their own understandings, but to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts
2) We must keep our eyes focused on the Holy Spirit, for He is about to lead many of us in ways we have not gone before.
3) And if we will accordingly sanctify ourselves (be open to change) He will do wonders in our midst. (Joshua 3.3-5). His promise is no matter how large the enemy or how thick the armed fortress’ we will come into the land of greater fruit. The price tag is being willing to change from the blessing we know, to the greater glory we don’ so much know.
Marc Dupont is the founder of Mantle of Praise Ministries, a ministry concerned with revival and restoring a prophetic edge to the whole body of Christ. Marc has served in various forms of church leadership for over 15 years, including teaching, preaching, counseling, evangelism, and church planting.