OT DAY 212 - No Need to Control Everything but Let The Holy Spirit Fill Everyone (Please click here for English podcast)

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Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

        
           O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
                                  sing praises to the Lord, 
33              to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
                                  behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.

                             Psalm 68:32-33

Confession and Repentance

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (Numbers 11:1-35)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+11&version=ESV

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

                             Numbers 11:24-30

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

My Listening
     We can see lots of things happening here in this chapter. The grumbling of Moses' people, the discouragement of Moses to the point of seeking to die, the encouragement of God to Moses and his seventy top leaders by filling them with the Holy Spirit and their exercising gifts of the Holy Spirit. The marvellous and miraculous provision of God giving them quail and then severe punishment of God by giving them a plague to teach them a serious lesson of trust.

     Now, I am going to focus on one thing. One very important thing that could bring discouragement to your pastors and leaders so as to destroy your whole church. We need to learn that to let go of our need and urge to control in order that the Holy Spirit may come filling everyone. That's the best way to solve church conflict! 

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

    

     God did put onto seventy senior Israelites some of the spirit that was on Moses. The sign is that they "prophesy," which means something like speaking in tongues, a sign for them and the community that God's spirit has come upon them and that they can share in Moses' responsibility. Amusingly, this even affects two of the seventy who had not come to the meeting tent. Joshua is worried about this, but Moses is fine about it. Maybe that says something to the later Israelite community and its leadership about not feeling the need to control everything that God's spirit may do.

John Goldingay. Numbers & Deuteronomy for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p.30.

      Grumbling, complaint and discouragement always happen to God's people. Do you think it is just in your church? No, it is since Moses time. You need to know that to grumble is the most serious sin according to the book of the Numbers. It is grumbling that the Israelites had to wander in the desert for more than 38 years!

      Can you imagine the Holy Spirit came and some of them could speak in tongues? Not in the Day of Pentecost but in Moses time!

      We have so many conferences, seminars, courses and talks on how to solve conflict in churches. Well, that's not a topic we need to talk about! Why? Because since Moses time God already gives us the best way to solve church conflict, and that is:
       No need to control everything but let the Holy Spirit fill everyone

       It's not talking about the whole church but all the key leaders. If all the key leaders can be in unity, let go of their control instinct and to be filled by the Holy Spirit, there won't be any church conflict.

       I am honoured to be invited by the new bishop of Sabah, Rt. Rev. Melter Tais to preach in the church that he is the rector, St. David's Anglican Church yesterday, Day of Pentecost. I witnessed the wonderful and powerful work of the Holy Spirit to fill everyone in yesterday's service, more than 350 of us were filled by the Holy Spirit. I see the sweetness of unity in a church that has no grumbling, complaining or control issue but everyone are filled by the Holy Spirit to praise the Lord and doing God work joyfully. I have learned a lot! Praise the Lord! 

Dear Lord Jesus, 
Help us to let go of our control instinct, stop all grumbling and complaints and be ready and willing to be filled by the Holy Spirit. May Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

1. Do you think grumbling, complaint and the need to control would kill a church and its leaders? How so? 

2. How can you let go of your control instinct so that you can be filled by the Holy Spirit? How can you help more people to experience that so that your church can be in unity doing God's Kingdom work? 

There were more than 500 deers behind us! We were in a deer farm run by the Government.

Bishop Melter came to have afternoon tea with us and to lay hands to pray for Michelle and me. He also prayed for our driver, the Diocesan Project Manager on his birthday.

Praise and Thanksgiving

Let's give thanks for God with us. Let us praise Him:

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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