Putting your hands up can mean one of these two things: either you’re surrendering or you’re celebrating.

In today’s sermon, Pastor Brian from Hillsong said that despite the current circumstances and all the limitations we should see opportunity. We should put our hands up and surrender in Jesus.

But not forever, as we seize our opportunities. As with the way Moses supported Joshua by putting his hands up holding the staff, Joshua was winning!

In the end, we will putting our hands up, celebrating our win in God.

Christianity is about Jesus’ love for us, not the other way around. I learned this deeply when I listened to Joseph Prince’ sermon in Hillsong Conference 2017. He showed how He loved John so much vs how Peter kept trying to show his love for Jesus.

This serves as a reminder for us because:

• We are sinners = if we kept showing that we are sinless and showing people that we are Christians by donating or doing good in the name of Jesus – one day people might caught us while we do a simple sin – and people might think that Oh, why Christians sin or do that mistake?
• We need to show and witness how Jesus love us more than showing people how we love Jesus. I looked back when I got baptized in 2009 and I got the name Joshua and I’ve never looked back. Every single year is always better than the one before.
• When I rely on my strength to show people I love Him, I get weary, because I am human. Jesus never ever got tired and He will always show that His plan is the best plan.

Amen

As the world gets more polarized and talks about faith aka religion gets even weirder to talk at the dinner table, I’d suggest that it’s even more important now putting faith as your foundation.

In my life at least, I want to be able to say that my principles are rooted in my faith. Therefore, my biggest life events would either be impacted by and for my Christianity.

My personal belief is that I don’t force (I never) people to have a religion or to enter Christianity. Yet, I’d use my life as a platform to reflect God’s glory and grace. Because Christianity isn’t about how much you love God — but how God loves us so much.

When all things around you (your business, your friends, even your family) fail, and they will somehow, you’d want to have a foundation you can bounce back from.

Starting the year properly with a kick-off sermon by Pak Handoyo Santoso at Gereja Kemah Tabernakel. Here are the summary:

1) Start your life journey with God guiding you and together with God’s blessing/protection. As being pictured in this verse:

Numbers 10:33-34

³³ So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. ³⁴ The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

2) Just like the way Samuel and Saul relationship, we (God’s sons and daughters) have to have strong relationship with God’s disciples/prophets so that we can be guided to be “King” in this world.

1 Samuel 9:26 & 1 Samuel 10:1

They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together.

As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.”

3) And yet, don’t forget God as God has blessed us.Read Deutronomy 8 as Saul became King and yet he sinned and forgotten Jesus and ended up killing himself, as does Jonah in number 5.

4) This year, do not depend on other people’s help. By this, he meant we still should be kind to each other, but each men has their own trouble and so we should depend on God and God only. Just like the way Samuel told Saul to let his “helpers” go ahead:

1 Samuel 9:27

As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.”

5) In Jonah book and or life, God has given us several lessons for us:

a) God is in control of our life and everything. This is true when we see how God can make Jonah survive despite being eaten by a big fish. And then again, when Jonah was provided a vine (Jonah 4:6), and again when the vine withered because of only a worm.

b) If you / your life doesn’t follow God’s plan and order, despite your glory (Jonah made a city of Nineveh follow Jesus from their life full of sin) – you will feel like it’s better to die (Jonah 4:3)

c) If God can love a sinful city like Nineveh (that can’t even differentiate their right hand from their left), won’t God love us even more and bless us more?

d) Jonah has made 120,000 people follow God, the biggest in the bible (even compared to Peter who converts 3,000 people when Holy Spirit was given to him)

e) Do not depend on your own idea/power. Despite Jonah helped 120,000 people, he chose to stay on his own – outside the city of Nineveh, and built his own shelter. This shows his arrogance and belief over his own power. (and yet even God blessed him with the vine)

f) See the big picture/focus on winning the war not the battle/small things. In Jonah 4, Jonah are seen protesting a small matter (withered vine) despite winning over 120,000 lives and preaching words over them.

Ending this year properly with Sunday sermon today at Gereja Kemah Tabernakel. Summing up Pak Handoyo Santoso’s sermon and basically this will prep us up for 2018:

1. Be amazing/create amazement in your circle/for your audience – in the name or for the glory of our God, Jesus Christ. As He did:

Mark 1:27

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him

2. The way you start your life or anything in your life, and the way you go through it will decide the outcome/the end of it. Start with Jesus Christ and go through it with Him.

3. If you read the words of God (that is the Bible) there are so many promises, waiting to be fulfilled (or already being fulfilled in your life), but remember that in it also exist the rule/the way of living life according to Him.

4. In this parable of the sower (Matthew 13), Pak Handoyo highlighted this part

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

The question: if it fell to THE GOOD SOIL, why not everyone receive hundred percent of the yield? The answer: because some people only listen/read, yet doesn’t understand. Some people understand, yet doesn’t do. Some people listen, understand, and do His words day in day out and thus receiving 100%

5. And even despite all God’s blessing and us doing right in God’s eyes. Be wary (but not scared) of the evil. As the verse goes:

Luke 4:13

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

God bless you all!

Continuing from my previous post, I will write in excerpts of today’s Christmas sermon by Pak Pendeta Handoyo Santoso from Gereja Kemah Tabernakel.

Pak Handoyo repeated previous verse again:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And he strengthen it with Matthew 1:23

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel — which means, God with us.

How beautiful this verse is — God is saying that from now on, from this day, from Christmas, YOU are NOT ALONE. You are with Me, your creator, your Father, your Guide. If you choose to accept Me.

And Pak Handoyo continued to read from Matthew 1, where Jesus’ family tree/genealogy is written. From Abraham, to Jacob, to Judah. This might seem to be a “historical verse” to normal eyes.

But Pak Handoyo told us that on this list, there are sinner, not just one but more than a few. Jacob has sinned for he deceived his father and brother. Judah, also sinned by sleeping with a prostitute which no other than his own daughter-in-law, Tamar, and Perez was their son.

God has came for us, sinners, no matter how deep or how bad our sin is. He has came, and it is a new beginning for us. And we should celebrate this beginning, not just the festivities.

For most of my life, Christmas is a period of festivities and as a child back then, it was enjoyable purely since it’s a holiday and I don’t have to do assignments or learn for an exam.

As I grew older and start going to the church, I start asking questions regarding of why are we celebrating God’s birth over and over again.

Over the past few years, I have taken the Christmas day or week leading towards the new year as a way to re-connect (If I feel like I was disconnected) or to rejuvenate/re-fill my faith as I go toward a new year.

Today’s verse is simple yet powerful (Isaiah 6:9):

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The first word might mean nothing; a child is born. But the second one, to us a son IS GIVEN. God was born in flesh, and was given to us all — IF we want to receive Him. IF we want to receive His advices.

I can’t wait for tomorrow’s service as I get deeper in preparation for 2018, another year where God will make miracles in my life. Amen.