The Elijah Challenge II: My Brother in law (The Weight of God)

We shared the Gospel of the Kingdom to my brother in law which is in Tangkak, Johor on Oct 2007. By the help of Holy Sprit, we were able to answer some sensitive and controversial issue about Christianity during “Q&A” session with him. By the grace of God, he voluntarily want to receive Jesus into his life when we were going to bed (really! it's midnight hour). I led him to salvation prayer. We laid our hand on him. As I was praying, suddenly the Weight of the Glory of God coming down and filled the house. My wife felt the heavy weight of God! Just the heavy weight, nearly slain down if somebody “push” her!!

We sang a song as holy spirit inspired my sister in law (Christian). so, with playing of guitar, we sing the song, the chorus part of the song

“O Lord I hunger, for more of you, rise up within me, let me know your truth, O Holy Spirit , saturate my soul and let the life of God, fill me now, let your healing power, bring life and make me whole, and let the peace of God, let it reign…..”

The weight of Glory of God so strong as we praise, worship, interceding for this family (my father in law not yet saved) together with this new creation (my brother in law). It took about more than 40 minutes of praise, worship & prayer! We (including this new creation) was broke out in tears!!!! WOW!!! The real experience of the Kavod Adonai!! Hallelujah!

Thomas Ong 28 Dec 2007

Footnote:

Kavod Adonai (weight of God) often translated "glory of God" or "presence of God"

The Elijah Challenge: My Grandfather

TESTIMONY (1)

Mat 10:1 KJV And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

During Chinese New Year this year, we went to visit my grandfather in Klang together with my parents. My grandfather was surprised when he know that I had became Christian when I invited him to my church wedding in my hometown on June. My grandfather, idol worshipper, ancestral worshipper for the whole year of his life, age 86, felt unbeliever able and unacceptable for many had became Christian.

I shared the Gospel of the Kingdom to him. He rationalize it and said that every religion is same. I said it is different, my God is the God of Maker of Heaven and the Earth.

He told me He has pain in his legs caused by the shortage of liquid on his knee. The pain becoming severe after my grandmother passed away 4 years ago. This pain cause him to make up his mind to resign from his current post as a secretary of Hokkien Association.

To prove that Jesus Christ is God, I offered to pray for him. He accepted.

Mat 11:12 KJV And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

When I was going to lay my hand upon his leg, my relatives called him to have a lunch. My grandfather decided to go down. However, I insisted to pray for him. With no choice he sit down to let me to pray over him.

On measuring his leg, one of his leg was shorter than the others and definitely the shorter leg was the leg suffered extreme pain. When I commanded healing in Jesus Name, the shorter leg was growing to the equal length and all his pain was gone!

My grandfather was so excited upon his healing, he went to all sort of testing to his leg, but the pain was completely gone. He went to testify to my relatives who is anti-christ that Thomas’s “gongfu” has healed him. I explained to all my relatives that it is only by the power of God and the love of Jesus that the healing took place. I shared the Gospel of the Kingdom to all relatives and also about the wages of sin is death and they just keep quiet because they witnessed the miracle.

My grandfather who experienced the miracle, although yet to receive Jesus, but have a great interest to read the bible. We bought a Chinese bible to him. He is enjoying reading bible everyday.

Pls pray for the salvation of my grandfather. Thanks.

Thomas Ong 18 July 2007

TESTIMONY (2)

During the night of my church wedding on 10 June at my hometown, Kulai, Johor, we have a chat with my grandfather. We managed also to share the Full Gospel of the Kingdom to him.

He told me that his right eye was pain and bleeding due to gardening work in his house.

Mat 10:7-8 KJV And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (8) Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Again, I offered my prayer to him and he was agreed and told me that he also want to ask for a prayer.

I laid my hand on his eyes with the support of my wife. After much commanding healing and tongues, the pain was gone in Jesus name!!

Again, he was so amazed for what the Lord has done in his life. The doctor said it take at least 3 month for total healing, but in the Presence of the Glory of God, the healing just take place instantly. He asked about why the miracle take place and about the tongues, I shown him the verses from bible which is the promise from God.

Speaking the Word of God with the presence of the Glory of God causes creatives miracles

He testified to me that even his colleague notice the healing of his legs after prayer, and now he just continue perform his duty of his secretary of Hokkien Association, Klang.

Surely the Lord so love my grandfather that he performed two miracle to him. May the Lord open his heart to receive Jesus Christ formally and publicly to testify about His goodness, to set him free from the guilty of his past religious activities, to translate him into the Kingdom of light in Jesus name, Amen.

Thomas Ong 18 July 2007

It is not difficult to pray an hour !

It is not difficult to pray an hour !

Thomas Ong

Many Christians do not have time for God and they dont set apart of time for God through Worship and Prayer. They pray in toilet, while driving car or watching TV/movie, in bed etc. They have no time for God except the "intervene time" between one activity to one activity. It is not my intention that we cannot pray in toilet, while driving car or watching TV, in bed or being "religiously" set a time of worship/prayer for God, but it is motivated by the love of God and the zeal of God that within our heart as a booster to have more intimacy time and alone with the presence of God, the zeal of the Lord will consume us, the hungerness for the presence of God will bring us into supernatural, into His greater Glory, greater anointing, greater joy, greater peace, greater revelation and understanding of the secret things of the Lord! It is what the King David heart desire:

Psa 27:4 ESV One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

Joh 2:17b ESV "Zeal for your house will consume me."

Why we always have an excuse of no time with God? But we have time to just sit down for few hour for TV, Movie, Astro, Computer?? We have much time for our work, ministry, reading investment magazine, newspaper etc. We have much time for others things than God. We prayed in rush hour and in the "intervene time", we speak too much, when God want to speak, we have left! Many are not be still and listen what the spirit said.

Many Christian do not know what to pray or how to pray for an hour? In fact, prayer and worship goes hand in hand, it is not difficult to pray an hour by using the Lord prayer as Jesus gave us an example of what to pray and how to for.

Using The Lord's Prayer as a six-track prayer guide:

Track 1: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name
- Worship

Track 2: Your kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
- Enforcing God's Dominion

Track 3: Give us this day our daily bread.
- Provision

Track 4: And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
- Forgiveness

Track 5: And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
- Protection

Track 6: For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
- Worship

- Allowing ten minutes for each track, it is not difficult to pray an hour by using this six-track prayer guide.

God bless you

Thomas Ong 3/12/07

How's creatives miracles happen?

Speaking the Word of God with the presence of the Glory of God causes creatives miracles

In the Old Testament, the Prophets Spoke It Before the Lord Performed It

Often God commanded His prophets to speak forth what He was about to do before He actually did it. One graphic instance of this is in Ezekiel 37, the familiar chapter on the Valley of Dry Bones. God wanted to resurrect His people Israel from their graves and restore life to their bones. How did He go about doing this?

Ezekiel 37:4-8 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

We see the same pattern repeated as God commanded Ezekiel to speak to the breath to come into the lifeless flesh.

Ezekiel 37:9-10 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army.

God raised up this "vast army" when the prophet spoke as he was commanded by the God of Israel. In our current New Testament period, God still moves through His prophets in a similar fashion. Moreover, in the same way, God commands us His witnesses to speak in the name of Christ. What is it that we speak and proclaim? We proclaim the gospel, we command disease and demons to go in the name of Jesus Christ. Only then will the Lord save souls and heal the sick and oppressed. Of course, we must remember that God is sovereign and can move quite independently of us should He choose to do so. Let's now examine the importance of confidence and faith in ministering healing.

CHRISTIANS WHO BREAK THE ANOINTING OF GOD?

CHRISTIANS WHO BREAK THE ANOINTING OF GOD?
Thomas Ong

Often, we hear Christians using the authority given to break the power of enemy. However, don’t you know that as a Christian, we can break the anointing of God? When a certain anointing come upon worship service, the pre-plan or budgeted time for the worship might be disturbed, the Lord might use certain songs to release His anointing to his people. As a worship leader should be sensitive to certain songs, which carry a strong anointing, the worship leader should ask people to be still and stand in the awesome presence of God or to sing it over and over again to let the Spirit take over and wait on the Spirit. The Lord may release his healing, prophetic or intercessory anointing upon his people at any time. If we are not sensitive to the Holy Spirit, God will not move in the service and the preacher will continue to speak his well-prepared message without fulfilling God’s purpose in that particular moment. The anointing will be CUT OFF immediately as we are running on our own program or agenda. By the way, worship is for God and God alone.

We are called to be a worshipper of God and minister to Him in Spirit and in Truth.

Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. Joh 4:22-23 Kjv

We must be spiritual in order to connect to God, because God is Spirit.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him MUST worship him in spirit and in truth. Joh 4:24 KJV


Of course the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit, for them spiritual things are foolish and lead them nowhere.

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (1Co 2:10-16 ESV)


Those who are not in the Spirit will be busy with their own activities, programs or agendas who think that they are serving God, yet they feel very troubled with those who just sit at the feet of Jesus to worship and adore God, and be still, just to listen what God said. But what God have to say for those people?

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has CHOSEN the GOOD PORTION, which will not be taken away from her." Luk 10:38-42 ESV

Jesus was teaching Martha that Mary has chosen the right things. Just sit at the feet of Jesus, worship and adore him, listen what is the He said.



Thomas Ong 16/03/07
Proofread and edited by Mikey Edwards 16/03/07

Kavod Adonai

Kavod Adonai (weight of God) often translated "glory of God" or "presence of God"

The Weight of GloryThe Hebrew phrase kavod Adonai, usually translated, "presence of God" or "glory of God", refers to the tangible and wieghty feeling people experience when God is especially present. The word kavod in general means "weight", so the kavod Adonai is the "weight of God's glory".

For the ancient Israelites the kavod Adonai was in the tabernacle courtyard and was often not only tangible but was even visible to all the people. From the scriptural accounts we know the kavod Adonai can look like fire or cloud but is never physical fire.

Kadosh

Kadosh (set apart) often translated "holy" or "sanctified"

Set Apart for GodThe Hebrew word kadosh means "set apart". It is usually translated, "holy" or "sanctified".
There are four ways to be set apart for God.
VocationThe first way something can be set apart for God is if God simply declares that the thing is special. The first time the word kadosh occurs in scripture is when God sets apart Shabbat as different from the other days of the week (Genesis 2:3). God later sets apart the days of Pesach as different from the other days of the year (Exodus 12:16).
Nothing in the Tabernacle or priesthood was set apart simply because God declared it so.
People can be set apart for God in this way. Sometimes this is dramatic, such as the calling to be a prophet, but most people do not experience God asking them to do so many specific things, or to be so isolated from society.
There is no ritual done to things that God declares to be set apart for him. Prophets are called but never anointed.
Even though we are not all prophets, it is true that God wants us to fit into his plans, and this usually means God sets us apart for his purposes by having plans for the "big decisions" of our lives such as where to live, what career to have, and if and when to marry. The English word for God choosing these major aspects of our lives is vocation.
Our vocation is not necessarily the work and life we find most pleasing or natural. Moshe never claimed to enjoy shepherding the Israelites. Jeremiah wasn't thrilled about being a prophet. Sha'ul was not talented at public speaking. Yochannan the Immerser had doubts about the message he was called to proclaim. Ya'akov wanted fewer wives than were in God's plans, and Solomon wanted more.
It is also true that we can mess up our original vocation, yet through God's mercy still be part of his plans. God hates divorce and oath breaking. If we are married or committed to an employer, we cannot use the concept of vocation as an excuse to change our situation. God's plans are in some ways flexible, and scripture makes clear that God will work within our vows even if those vows were not part of his earlier plans.
We should all know as much about our vocation as God is willing to reveal. Sometimes all we are told is, "Be patient."
IsolationThe second way something can be set apart is to be physically isolated from the world. Moshe was told that the place with the burning bush (which later scripture makes clear refers to all of Mount Sinai) is holy ground (Exodus 3:5). The curtain hung up as the final wall of the Tabernacle's innermost room made that innermost room so set apart from the world that entering it would kill even the priests.
There is no specific ritual to set something apart physically, but it is necessary to be specific about borders. One aspect of the tallit's symbolism is that within the borders of that prayer shawl is a place especially set apart for God. Some people, at certain points during the service, may even raise the tallit up to be like a tent around their head, emphasizing to themselves that in worship they are alone with God.
People can also use physical isolation as a way of being holy. Messianic Judaism has few, if any, permanent hermits. But events such as prayer retreats are common, where people escape from the routines of normal life and isolate themselves in a place of prayer for a few days.
DedicationLeviticus 27:28-29 tells us that people can dedicate items to God, and these dedicated items become "especially holy". People cannot be dedicated, for anything living that is dedicated must be killed. (Thus Samuel's mother, who dedicated him as a baby, was following an idea from her own mind and desperation, contrary to Torah.)
We are not encouraged to dedicate items to God. The Hebrew word translated "dedicated" is in other contexts translated "cursed" -- perhaps the best translation is "doomed".
Nevertheless, there are some things that are set apart to God as tools in his hands. The furnishings of the Tabernacle were anointed with oil and blood and were "especially holy" tools of worship.
Are people ever set apart in this third way? In some sense kings and priests were; their calling is more than a vocation: they became tools of God. Everything they did, each day, must be with God. For kings and priests God has chosen more than the "big decisions". And if they act contrary to God's specific plans it is at best a waste of time, and at worst a disaster for the entire community.
Kings and priests were also anointed, since they were tools of God.
Tools of God are "especially holy", which among other things means that their holiness is contagious. Holiness can spread by transmission.
Whatever touches the Tabernacle's altar become holy (Exodus 29:37). Indeed, this is what altars did -- they set things apart for God, so that an animal slaying changed from slaughter to sacrifice.
But being set apart does not spread to people by transmission. God made it clear, multiple times, in scripture, that a criminal who grabs hold of the altar gains no safety or benefit. Aharon was set apart by his ritual of anointing, not by the special clothes he wore.
People are never "especially holy". No one can make someone set apart for God by touch. But priests and kings can transmit other spiritual characteristics by touch, as in the Tenach's rituals about priests transferring guilt by laying their hands on the heads of animals, or the New Testament accounts of God's Spirit being transmitted to new believers by the laying on of hands. People were healed by touching Yeshua's tallit (Mark 5:30), or by touching handkerchiefs from Sha'ul (Acts 19:12).
There are no rituals about people gaining holiness by transmission, since it does not happen.
CommemorationRemembering things can set them apart. (Recall that, in scripture, remembering something is about prioritization and action.)
Remembering God's commandments makes us set apart (Numbers 15:40). Remembering Shabbat keeps it set apart (Exodus 20:8).
We too can set things and people apart for God by remembering them before Adonai -- by asking that God actively make his will for them happen when it seems like God's will is dormant, or by asking for God to live up to covenant promises he once proclaimed. We do this all the time: it's called prayer. Thinking of prayer as remembering things before Adonai helps us understand why only prayer that is aligned with God's plans produces results.
Seeing GodAccording to Hebrews 12:14 holiness is necessary to see God. It should not surprise us that our flavors of holiness help us see God in a different ways.
If we resist our vocation we will not see God "enlarge our boundaries" (1st Chronicles 4:10) as he desires.
If we avoid isolation we will not hear God speak in a "still, small voice" (1st Kings 19:12).
If we shy from our priestly dedication we will not see God "show forth the virtue of him who has called you" (1st Peter 2:9).
If we neglect commemoration of God's plans in prayer, or if we do not "remember from where we have fallen" (Revelation 2:5), then we will seldom see God act in our lives.