Receive His shalom peace!

John 14:27(NKJV): “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”.

Notice the words ‘leave’ and ‘give’ here. Just as a good parent leaves inheritance for his/her children, Jesus says this to you, “Peace I leave with you”, and “My peace I give to you”. And when there’s this word ‘give’, there’ll be someone who would ‘receive’. People of God, receive His peace. And this peace is not as the world gives, but the ‘shalom’ peace that only Jesus can give. 

So, no matter what ‘storm’ you may be facing at the moment, know that the “I AM WHO I AM”, the ever-present God (YHWH) is in you, and everything’s going to be alright! Receive His peace (that surpasses all understanding) for your family, your ministry, your business, your career, or in any other area of your life. Remember Mark 4:37-39? There was a great storm surrounding the boat, but when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, arose and said “Peace, be still!”, the storm ceased, and all was calm again. Today, as a believer, this same Prince of Peace is in you right now, and when He is in you, again I say, "Everything's going to be alright!" He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Now let’s look at King Solomon in 1 Kings 5:3-5.

1 Kings 5:3: “You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet”.

1 Kings 5:4: “But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence”.

1 Kings 5:5a: “And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David”.

The Bible says Solomon had ‘peace’ on every side all around him (1 Kings 4:24). You see, David can’t ‘build’ God's house because he was a man of war, and was always fighting against the foes. But in peace and rest, Solomon could! 'Building a house for the name of the Lord' was definitely one of Solomon’s calling in his life, and the Bible says God gave him great wisdom to accomplish this ‘project’! (1 Kings 5:12)

In fact, the name ‘Solomon’ is ‘shlomoh’ in Hebrew, which means ‘peaceful’. And this word ‘shlomoh’ comes from the root word ‘shalom’, which means ‘peace, prosperity, health, rest, safe, wellness, wholeness’. In 1 Kings 5:3, notice that what David has done for Solomon is a ‘picture’ of what Jesus has done for you on the cross some 2,000 years ago! And just as David has fought all the battles so Solomon could 'build' God’s house in rest & peace, Jesus has also ‘fought all the battles’ for you on the cross, so now you have rest & peace to ‘build’ what God has called you to 'build'!

Let me reiterate this again: Because of what Jesus has done for you on the cross (His blood was shed for you, and His body was wounded for you), you can now receive His peace & you can now have rest in Him. The cross has made all the difference, and therefore, you’ll also be able to ‘build’ what God wants you to ‘build’ in your life! Hallelujah!

So, people of God, despite whatever 'storm' around you at the moment, or whatever 'bad news' you may have heard in recent days, this is the time to receive His shalom peace! Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you". Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. The devil may try to get you out of this place of 'peace & rest' so that you can’t ‘build’ what God wants you to 'build', but never allow him! Continue to stay in this place of ‘rest’! Continue to stay in this place of ‘shalom’ peace! And this can only be found in Christ Jesus, not as the world gives. Stop your striving, stop your worrying, and be at rest, be still and know that He is God, the Prince of Peace who is in you!

Not just 'believe', but also 'receive'!

Mark 5:28: For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well”.

Mark 5:34: And He (Jesus) said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction”.

Here’s a record in the Bible about a certain woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years. Not only did she suffer much, she also had spent all she had to be healed, yet to no avail. And to add to that, her condition went from bad to worse!

In short, she had come to the 'end' of what to do. Someone once said, “It’s when you know you cannot, that’s when He can”. That’s exactly what happened to this woman, and that’s also when she heard about Jesus. In Mark 5:28, she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well”. You know what? She knew Jesus wouldn’t 'resist' her. She knew Jesus in all His grace would heal her. So, she scrambled through the crowd of people, and touched Him. All she wanted was to receive her healing! And Mark 5:29 says ‘immediately the fountain of her blood dried up’, and she was healed!

Now, what is ‘grace’? It’s ‘charis’ in Greek, which means ‘gift, favor (though unmerited), or God's ability to do for you what you can't do for yourself’. The Bible says Jesus is grace (and truth) personified (see John 1:17), and this woman knew Jesus in all His grace would surely heal her! Isaiah 53:4-5 says ‘surely He (Jesus) has borne our griefs (including disease) and carried our sorrows (including pain or anguish)’ on the cross! And then, Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well."

See the relation between 'faith' & 'grace'? 

When the woman looked to Jesus in all His grace, He looked at the woman with all her faith! 

So, if ‘faith’ is about ‘believing’, then ‘grace’ is about ‘receiving’! People of God, never just stop at ‘believing’, because He also wants you to ‘receive’ (His grace, goodness, healing, & every other 'good thing'!).

Christianity is never just about ‘believing, but it’s also about ‘receiving’! God’s ‘charis’ is meant for you to ‘receive’! The woman in Mark 5:25 understood this truth, and as a result, she got her breakthrough! You see, ‘faith’ and ‘grace’ are like twin-partners, just as ‘believing’ and ‘receiving’ are too! You can’t have one without the other. You can’t receive if you don’t believe, and you can't just say you believe, but never receive!

In the past, I was often confronted with this question: “Do you have enough faith for... (this or that)?” The ‘onus’ seemed to be always on me ‘to exercise faith’ (i.e. to ‘muster’ or ‘gather’ enough faith to see a healing or a breakthrough, for myself or for others). Let me explain what ‘onus’ is. It’s a legal term which means ‘burden of responsibility, or duty’. Those days, the ‘onus’ was always on me to ‘perform’. And many times, I ended up feeling so bad when I saw no breakthrough, and worse still, started blaming myself for ‘not exercising faith enough’!

This happened until one day when I heard Him say, “Kenneth, why do you take the ‘yoke’ upon yourself? Don’t you know I am the One who should carry the burden?” And that's how my ministry changed! Every time there’s a need for someone to be healed, I’d point them to Jesus first, and what He’s done on the cross. The battle has become the Lord’s! The ‘onus’ is His (Matthew 11:28-30), and surely, He is willing! Since then, breakthrough (in ministry) came one after another, and I saw how tumor gone, cancer healed, diabetes vanished, and many more, in the course of ministry. All glory to God!

Teach people first to look to Jesus & His perfect work on the cross before you pray for them (instead of praying for the person straight away, unless of course if God overrules, or specifically says to pray right on, straight away). It's when you look to Jesus in all His grace, He'll look at you with all your faith! And that’s how ‘faith’ relates to ‘grace’! The woman in Mark 5:25 focused 100% on Jesus in all His grace, and as a result, she was healed! She knew she would receive because she knew 'Jesus is all-together good' to her! You see, the ‘onus’ was on Jesus, and not on herself anymore (after having tried various ways to get healed). If you need healing or any breakthrough, look to what Jesus has done for you on the cross right now. By His stripes, you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). Believe & receive! And if you minister healing to others, teach them to look to the cross first; and not just teach them to 'believe', but teach them also to 'receive'! And you'll be well on your way to see your breakthrough! Hallelujah!

Ministering from the 'platform' of love & grace

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NKJV):

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 is a continuation of 1 Corinthians 12 which talks about operating spiritual gifts. One day, the Lord spoke this: “Jesus is the platform, and Holy Spirit is the factor”. The Bible says the Holy Spirit is the source of all spiritual gifts (read 1 Corinthians 12:3-11), and in TiC, we encourage & teach each one in the operation of his/her spiritual gifts. No problem with that. However, this operating of spiritual gifts should first be founded on the ‘platform’, i.e. on Jesus. Every ministry of a believer is in effect Jesus’ ministry. It’s His ‘platform’, not men’s, no matter how ‘anointed’ he or she may be.

This is exactly what 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 means. Jesus is always your ‘rock’, the ‘platform’ on which your ministry is founded on. In other words, your ‘feet’ should be firmly on this ‘platform’ as you move and serve in the Spirit. When you are founded on Him, your ministry will flow out with love and grace in abundance! Why? Because Jesus Himself is love & grace personified. In other words, as you behold and receive more of Him, His love & grace will flow out as you minister with spiritual gifts!

You see, spiritual gifts are not for us to ‘parade ourselves’, or telling others how ‘anointed’ we are. Spiritual gifts are definitely not meant for us to ‘show off’ how accurate we are in ministering (though it’s important to minister with accuracy) compared to others. It’s never meant for us to feel ‘mean’ when we are ‘better’ in the operation of certain spiritual gifts than other ministers, or ‘miserable’ when we are not. It’s also not for us to abuse it and use it to judge or condemn others.

Notice Paul wrote about ‘love’ (1 Corinthians 13) right after he wrote about ‘spiritual gifts’ (1 Corinthians 12), and he wrote it very aptly ‘have not love’ (where the word ‘love’ is a noun), instead of ‘do not love’ (where ‘love’ becomes an ‘act’ you do). “What is the difference, pastor?” One is about ‘having’ or ‘beholding’ love, the other is about ‘doing the act of love’. In short, one is ‘beholding’, the other is ‘doing’. I believe there’s no mistake in God’s Word. So, when it is written ‘have not love’, Paul really meant ‘have not love’, not ‘do not love’. The whole context of 1 Corinthians 13 is actually about the word ‘love’ being a noun, i.e. having or beholding love.

Back to the question: “Who then is this noun ‘love’ in 1 Corinthians 13?” He is the Person of Jesus. As I’ve said, Jesus is love & grace personified. You see, JESUS IS LOVE (1 John 4:8), not just ‘loving in action’. By the way, what does it mean by ‘beholding Jesus’? To ‘behold Jesus’ is to receive the fullness of Him, to let Him embrace you in all His loveliness (like the father embracing the prodigal son in Luke 15:20), or being conscious of His love, grace, and goodness always. So, ‘love’ here is never a ‘task’ of trying to love, or forcing yourself to love. Now, let me ‘qualify’ what I’ve just written. I’m not saying I don’t believe in ‘love in action’, but I’m saying ‘love in action’ comes supernaturally as you first behold the Person of ‘love’, i.e. Jesus!

And as you behold Jesus in all His loveliness and His perfect work on the cross, love flows out through you as you minister to other lives! As 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, you (or your ministry) are being transformed from glory to glory as you behold Jesus more, and many lives will be touched, restored, healed, and set free as ‘love’ flows out through you. Hallelujah!

If you read further in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, you’ll see Jesus (who is the noun ‘love’ Himself) fits so perfectly here:

Jesus suffers long and is kind; Jesus does not envy; Jesus does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Jesus never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

Amen!

Wherever you dig your 'wells', there'll be 'water'!

Genesis 26:13 (KJV): The man Isaac waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great.

It means Isaac grew and continued growing until he became very prosperous and influential. In New King James Version (NKJV), it’s written this way: “The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous”. Wow! That’s triple prosperity! And ‘three’ is a number of ‘completion, perfect testimony, invincibility’. In other words, Isaac had ‘complete, perfect testimony, invincible’ prosperity! ‘To be invincible’ is ‘to be too strong to be overcome or defeated’. In fact, this happened in a time when there was famine in the land! (Genesis 26:1)

It all started when the Lord told Isaac ‘not to go down to Egypt’ (Genesis 26:2), but instead continue to dwell in the land which He had promised Abraham. The Lord even said, “I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father” (Genesis 26:3). God backed up what He said with an oath! ‘Egypt’ here represents ‘the worldly way of getting wealth’, and the Lord told Isaac to look away from that and stand on His promises and His way instead. The word ‘oath’ in Hebrew is from the root word ‘shaba’, which means ‘seven, perfect’. An ‘oath’ by the Lord is also to say “it’s impossible for Him to lie”. When He said He will perform, HE WILL PERFORM! And the good news is as a believer in the New Covenant, this very same ‘oath’ has already been ‘performed’ perfectly when Jesus died for you on the cross! It’s already been done for you. And now you can stand blessed like Isaac was!

What is the similarity between Isaac and you (a believer)? The blessings of Abraham! You both are sons of Abraham! And in Genesis 25:5, notice that Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, and God truly blessed Isaac! That’s why when Isaac sowed in the land, he reaped in the same year a hundredfold (Genesis 26:12). And the man Isaac began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous, so much so until the Philistines envied him (Genesis 26:14). And wherever Isaac dug wells, there was water! Not only did he re-dig the wells of his father, he also found new wells of running water! That’s favor, my friend! Will you believe this for yourself? Believing, you’ll receive too! Claim it! Give thanks for it! And step into your blessings! The truth is this is your ‘birthright’ as a son (or daughter) of Abraham!

And you know what? Those who envy you will eventually acknowledge ‘the Lord is with you, and has blessed you’ (Genesis 26:28-29). The blessings in your life are evident for all to see, and yes, even your adversaries will make peace with you (Genesis 26:31).

All these happened to Isaac, and because of the ‘oath’ that has been performed through Jesus Christ on the cross, this can happen to you too! Hallelujah!