About Us Blogs!
God Still Heals today! Pt 2
[The Pastor's Heart]
08/27/2010
By Admin, Admin
"...By His Stripes, you were healed" - I Peter 2:24
Every lash that the Roman soldiers laid on Christ was for our healing! He was the sacrificial Lamb of God come to take our sins and its consequences upon Himself. As a result of the fall or sin of man, spiritual death, sickness and poverty entered our world. It was a consequence of sin. While this article pertains specifically to sickness, please understand that Jesus Christ paid it all for us! He was not joking when He cried out, "It is finished!" with His last breath on that cross. Christ has redeemed us completely from sin and its devastating effects!
Think about it. If Jesus removes our sins, why can't He also remove its affects? The moment a person receives Jesus as Lord of their lives, they are immediately brought out of darkness and transfered into the Kingdom of God. Hell or spiritual death is no longer their destination and Heaven opens its gates. This is a perfect example of the redemption we have in Christ. So if one of the consequences of sin is removed (hell fire), then why not all the others - sickness and poverty?
Jesus loves to heal! He came to give us life abundantly. I remember when my aunt Cecile was sick and in the hospital. She was a hardcore buddhist and didn't want to hear the gospel from her nephew for many years. But this time was different. She was sick and in the hospital and the doctors could not help her. The nerves on half the side of her face had died and her face dropped down like the symptoms of a stroke victim. For anyone, this is horrific because the face is so important to us. The doctors declared that when nerves die, there is nothing medical science can do to revive them. They're dead. Period. When I spoke to her, she was in despair, She even told me that she was praying to her god, but nothing was happening. She was desperate and that when I offered to pray for her in the name of Jesus. This time she agreed.
I arrived at the hospital and laid my hand on the side of her face that had died and proclaimed, "In the name of Jesus, I command these dead nerves to live!" And then I thanked my God. Do you know what happened? Once week later, my aunt came looking for me after a friday night service at church. She walked down the middle aisle and shouted, "Hoa! Look at my face!" I looked at her face and saw that 90% of it had lifted back up! Somehow Jesus Christ had resurrected the dead nerves on her face and they were being restored! By the end of the second week, her face was completely normal! Praise God! That night, she boldly looked me in the eye and said, "The doctors couldn't help me. I prayed to my god and he couldn't help me. But you prayed in the name of Jesus and He healed me! From this night on, I will no longer serve buddha, but Jesus Christ will be my Lord!" And she was serious about it too! From that day on, my aunt became a follower of Jesus because He choose to heal her.
And He continues to heal all those who will put their trust in Him! If you are a believer in Christ, then you are redeemed from all sickness by His sacrifice and stripes! If you're not a follower yet, let Him show you His mighty power and you too will believe!
Church 2.0 missionaries,
Pastor Hoa, Leslie, & Zoe Tong
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
God still heals today! Pt 1
[The Pastor's Heart]
08/01/2010
By Admin, Admin
"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the enemy, for God was with Him" - Acts 10:38
Jesus did the will of God.
The above verse tells us that God empowered Jesus with His Spirit to go around doing good. Specifically, the good deeds were not just His acts of kindness- blessing children and feeding people, but that verse says the good deeds were all the healings that He did! He opened blind eyes and deaf ears! He cleansed the lepers and raised the dead! And best of all, God was with Him to do all those things! Did you realize that? God was with Him in all those healings! In other words, Jesus did the will of God every time! He was obedient and completely sinless. Healing then is the perfect will of God!
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." - Hebrews 13:8
If God was with Jesus then to heal the sick and deliver the people from the oppression of the devil, then He's still with Him now because Jesus is the same forever! That's great news! It means that God is more than willing to heal people today if they would just step out in faith and take Him at His Word!
I remember coming across so many healing stories in the gospel and thinking, "Does God still do this today?" As I began my journey of faith to believe the Scriptures, God placed a man of who prayed for the sick as a mentor in my life. I would accompany him at times as he went to pray for sick people who called him up. And most of the time, they got healed! I remember an occasion where I felt a growth in my throat whenever I swallowed. It started to scare me as crazy thoughts went through my head as to what it could be. Finally, I asked him to pray for me. As he laid his hands on my throat, I remember the swelling going down as afterwards as I swallowed it felt better. That growth just disappeared and has never come back! Thank God!
Imagine that Jesus is the same today as He was thousands of years ago! What can He do for you today that He did back then? Take the limits off God and let Him be who He is - The Almighty Creator of the Universe! If He can make billions of galaxies, then He can open blind eyes and deaf ears! He can set planets in orbit so removing cancer should be easy for Him. You get the picture. In fact, there is nothing that He can't do except one.
God can not tell a lie.
It's impossible for God to lie. If He did, He would stop being God. Everything God has declared in the Holy Bible is true! And that includes His strong desire to see His creation healed! Jesus Christ came to restore everything that Adam and Eve lost! They lost a relationship with God. Jesus restored it through His sacrifice on the cross. They lost their right standing. He gave us His righteousness. They lost perfect health. He gave us His body to be wounded so that by His wounds, we are healed! If God promised healing in Scripture, then He will make good on His promise!
Be bold and strong! Take a stand on the Word of God and see what happens. Maybe you'll see the glory of God and realize that anything is possible to those who believe including the healings that God promised in the Word!!
Church 2.0 missionaries,
Pastor Hoa, Leslie, & Zoe Tong
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
The 5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity, Pt. 5
[The Pastor's Heart]
07/06/2010
By Admin, Admin
Dear Freedom Family and Friends,
We now conclude this blog teaching on the 5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity.
I'm sure some of you may be asking, "Are there more than 5 hindrances to prosperity?"
And the short answer is "yes". The 5 hindrances I've shared in this blog are just some of the top hindrances that the Lord placed on my heart as I sat in the sanctuary of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea at the start of this year.
The fifth hindrance is probably the one that's the most obvious. Let's look at Proverbs 28:13.
"He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but he that confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy."
Hindrance #5 - Hidden Sin
Many times, we overlook the consequences of sin in our lives. The wages of sin is death as Romans 6:23 reveals. This means that sin has a destructive nature at its very core - kind of like acid. It eats away at our lives and in this case, our finances and we don't even know it's happening until it's too late.
Have you ever noticed that vices (sins) are expensive? From chain smoking packs of cigarettes a day to expensive mixed drinks, adddiction to pornography, visiting the red light district, gambling at the local casino, or buying cocaine on the wrong side of town. All of these activities will cost you plenty of money- money that will not be restored. And these are just sins of the flesh.
Sins of the heart are just as expensive! Attitude problems can cause us to leave our jobs or get fired, divorce our spouses (an expensive and fortune-killing undertaking) or behave in ways that cause us to lose everything we've worked hard for. And to keep things in perspective, this can happen to anyone, no matter how super spiritual they are! Pride has caused more people to lose their fortunes than we'll ever know - betting everything just for selfish glory and losing it all.
God knows what He is talking about when it comes to the poverty power of sin.
Our sins cost God everything - the life of His dear Son, Jesus.
Now that's an expensive item and one we shouldn't play with if we want to prosper.
Here's another side of sin to destroy prosperity that some people never think about...sometimes the sin may not even be ours, but someone else that we are associated with! You don't want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people about to do the wrong thing. It could cost you opportunities, jobs, a good reputation, an inheritance, etc. Not to mention, if legal authorities are involved or the law is broken, there could be fines, lawyers fees, bail bonds, or being sued, etc. I know it's worst case scenario, but sin will take us for everything we've got.
Thank God there is good news in all this! Jesus paid the price that sin demanded and redeemed us from its curse! Praise God forever! That same verse we began with says that if we confess that sin and willingly forsake it, then we will find the mercy of God. God's mercy will restore everything that sin has destroyed, including our prosperity and financial stability.
In this current economic climate, it pays to heed the Word of God and remove everything that may be a Biblical hindrance to our prosperity. Here's the bottom line: Let's choose this day the prosperity of God and remove every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us. Then our God will cause His face to shine upon us and His blessings will come upon us and overtake us (Deuteronomy 28:1-3)!
Church 2.0 missionaries,
Pastor Hoa, Leslie, & Zoe Tong
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
The 5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity, Pt. 4
[The Pastor's Heart]
06/16/2010
By Admin, Admin
Dear Freedom Family and Friends,
Thanks for joining us again as we look at the 5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity.
In the book of Haggai the first chapter, we see God asking the people to consider their ways and priorities:
"Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.
Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands."
I don't know about you, but when I read God's scathing rebuke of the Israelites and witholding of their prosperity in the land because of their neglect for God and His House, I make the connection that sometimes, prosperity is not flowing because we've got our priorities all wrong. This take us to Hindrance #4.
Hindrance #4 - Neglecting the House (things) of God
It's simple really. Why would God continue to prosper someone who forgets about him? Yes, there is grace and thank God for it. But we see a situation here where their grace had an expiration date. Kind of like our credit card system. There is a period of grace where we can make the late payment without penalties. But when that grace period is over, there are consequences and additional charges. I believe the Almighty is making a statement here. He is reminding them of Who blessed them.
In Deuteronomy the 8th Chapter, we find the same warning from the beginning of their exodus out of Egypt. The Lord in that passage tells them that they should not forget the Lord who brought them out of Egypt and into the promised land where they would be given the power to get wealth. For in that day they forget about Him there would be serious consequences.
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ taught the same principle to always put the things of God first and the prosperity would follow.
"But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." - Matthew 6:33
When we remember the Lord our God and acknowledge Him first, then He will direct our path and guide us into the prosperity He has for us. The reverse is also true that when we forget the Lord our God, then the prosperity we're enjoying begins to be subtracted from us.
Is the world economic crisis, a wake-up call by God Almighty because we're forgetting about Him? Only God can answer that.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord so that His blessings continue to cover our lives every moment.
Won't you consider your ways and seek Him first? You won't regret it. He has great blessings waiting for all who come to Him.
Church 2.0 missionaries,
Pastor Hoa, Leslie, & Zoe Tong
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
The 5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity, Pt. 3
[The Pastor's Heart]
05/03/2010
By Admin, Admin
Dear Freedom Family and Friends,
We now come to #3 of the 5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity. Let's read Isaiah 1:19 in the Bible:
"If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land."
Some of you are probably wondering what this verse has to do with prosperity. It has everything to do with it because when this
was spoken by the prophet, Isaiah, the people lived in an agricultural society. Everyone was a farmer. Your living and livelihood
depended on how well the land produced for you. God was promising increase from the land or prosperity if His people were
willing and obedient! What's the hindrance then?
Hindrance #3 - Lack of Willingness
Take this thought to heart: Successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people aren't. Let's really think about this.
There is an element of faith and action that is required to prosper. Those who are willing to go for it have much better chances
of success than those who do nothing at all. In this life, there are always three types of people:
Those who only watch what happens.
Those who wonder, "What happened?"
Those who make things happen.
The first group are those people who like being in the bleachers. They see what's going on, but they won't participate. They want
to watch life instead of live it. In this sense, life just passes them by. People who only watch opportunities to prosper never do.
The second group are those who go through life wondering, "What happened?" These are people who are constantly living in their
past and never taking hold of their present or future. Opportunities to prosper, build or rebuild their wealth pass them by.
The last group represent those who are willing to make something happen. Whether they succeed or fail, they know that they
must add action to their faith or dreams in order to set things in motion. These people are usually the ones who end up successful.
The choice is up to us. No one else can live our lives for us.
Jesus taught an eye-opening parable in Matthew 25:14-30 about stewards who were entrusted with a portion of their master's wealth
(talents) to invest. One of the stewards hid his talent in the ground and was not willing to do anything with it. When the master came
back to ask the servants what they did with his money, the one that hid it confessed that he had done nothing with it. The master then
became very upset and asked him why he didn't at the very least, put the money in the bank so that it could generate interest for him.
In the end, he not only lost his job, but the money he was to invest was given to the one who was willing to take risk and make something
happen. It's a simple rule.
Whatever you sow, you will reap. If you never sow, you will never reap.
Get out of your comfort zone and make something happen today!
Pastor Hoa, Leslie, & Zoe Tong
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
408.297.8508
The 5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity - Pt. 2
[The Pastor's Heart]
04/13/2010
By Admin, Admin
Dear Freedom Family and Friends,
Let's continue on our journey of learning about the 5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity. Are there more than 5? I know there are, but the Lord has given me these 5 to share with you so that He can breakthrough in your finances. The problem is not with Heaven. The problem are the hindrances we allow on earth. Remove them and the blessings will flow.
Hindrance #2 - Lack of Wisdom
This should be self-explanatory. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. It's a proven fact that people with an education or knowledge, make thousands of dollars more than people who don't in a general society. Let's really think about this because it's a very big hindrance.
What do people really pay an individual or company for? Isn't it what they know?
We pay a doctor because he knows the human body. We pay a lawyer because he knows the law. We pay for good dining because the chef knows how to make delicious dishes. And so on and so on. We pay people and companies for their knowledge, wisdom and understanding.
When you read Proverbs chapter 8, you see the voice of wisdom crying out. She says that "wisdom, honor and riches dwell with her".
Wisdom is usually the precursor to honor and wealth. Remember the story of King Solomon when he became King after David, his father? The Lord God came to him in a vision and asked him, point blank, "What do you want?" Solomon replied by asking God for a discerning and understanding heart to lead the nation of Israel. In other words, he asked for wisdom. And God replied that there would be no king before him or after him who had the wisdom that God would grant him. If the story ended there, that would have been glorious. But it didn't! God said that because Solomon did not ask for riches, a long life, or vengeance on his enemies that God would give him all those things that he didn't ask God for. Why? Because when you have wisdom, everything else comes with it!
Now take the opposite scenario. Let's remove wisdom, knowledge and understanding from an individual or company. What kind of service can they render if they don't know how to solve your problem? And if they can't help you, why would you pay them? You wouldn't. That's the point. And lack of wisdom is a big hindrance among God's people. Because we have Jesus and we are children of God, many people think that prosperity will just come to them automatically like money falling from the sky. God can do that, but I noticed that He doesn't do that often (if at all). He expects us to renew our minds, study to show ourselves approved, and receive knowledge so that we are not destroyed. Proverbs chapter 2 says that "out of the mouth of God proceeds wisdom". This means that God does not bless ignorance. He wants to teach and educate us! So let's get excited about education.
Go back to school if you never finished. Learn something new to upgrade your skill set. Make yourself marketable by what you know!
Knowledge is powerful and wisdom is the ability to profit from what you know!
Pastor Hoa, Leslie, & Zoe Tong
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
408.297.8508
The 5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity - Pt. 1
[The Pastor's Heart]
04/06/2010
By Admin, Admin
"5 Biblical Hindrances to Prosperity". I thank God for such a timely message as the economy is still recovering and people need
something solid to anchor their faith in. Based on what I know is contained in the Bible, I have good news for you.
He chose to work.
When we look at how diligent the Lord is and copy Him in whatever we do, we will see that God-given opportunities will open for us. God will see that we are good and faithful stewards that He can trust us with prosperity. God's plan for prosperity is not a get-rich-quick one!
Pastor Hoa, Leslie, & Zoe Tong
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
408.297.8508
Jesus is Alive!
[The Pastor's Heart]
04/02/2010
By Admin, Admin
Dear Freedom Family and Friends,
Pastor Hoa, Leslie, & Zoe Tong
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
408.297.8508
How Big is Your God?
[The Pastor's Heart]
03/28/2010
By Admin, Admin
I like asking this simple question because it makes people think about the Lord and what He's capable of doing.
It lifts us out of our doubt and unbelief and when we really think about what He's able to do. I don't know what the Bible would be like if we removed all the miracles, signs and wonders out of it. It would still be an accurate historical record and maybe even entertaining with its stories filled with moral lessons. But without the miracles of the Bible, who would believe that the God revealed in it could do anything to save His people?
But thank God the Bible is filled with miracles from cover to cover!
How big is your God?
He's big enough to...
Create the universe in six days and rest on the seventh.
Create human life from the dust of the ground.
Create a new nation for Himself through a barren couple whom He named Abraham and Sarah.
Part the Red Sea to deliver His nation from slavery years later.
Feed and protect them for forty years in the wilderness.
Bring them into their own land and cause them to prosper.
Speak to them to guide their path and promise them a Messiah.
Predict all the coming Kingdoms of men in succession from Babylon to Medes-Persia
to Greece and lastly Rome hundreds of years before it happened.
Bring the Messiah through a Virgin birth during the Roman empire.
Perform miracles, signs and wonders through His Messiah.
Take His Messiah to the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world for all time.
Raise His Messiah from the dead three days after His death and burial.
Save anyone and everyone who comes to Him in faith through that same Messiah.
Perform miracles today through the resurrected Messiah living in the hearts and lives of millions of believers.
So I ask again, "How big is your God"?
Hoa Tong
Senior Pastor
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
408.297.8508
Church 2.0 - The Next Level
[The Pastor's Heart]
03/08/2010
By Admin, Admin
Dear Freedom Family and Friends,
We have caught that vision and are implementing change. Some exciting new things we have implemented already:
Attend a Freedom Sunday morning service live over the internet! Broadcasting live from 11am-12:30pm (Pacific Standard Time) every sunday at http://www.ustream.com/freedomtv
Freedom and The Arts
We are activating the artistic gifts in God's people to edify His Church. Music, Dance, Art, Design, Fashion, Film.This has always been our spiritual DNA, but from now on, it's our Church culture.
Powerful Guest Speakers
We have always had great guests, but this year, it will increase Lord willing. We are excited to bring in Ron Kardashian, professional fitness trainer, life coach and minister to share keys insights to living a fulfilling life, God's way! And yes, Ron Kardashian is the cousin of TV reality stars, the Kardashians in "Keeping Up with the Kardashians". And we'll continue to bring in powerful speakers from all over the world to share the powerful messages that the Lord gives them.
Freedom User-Friendly & Fulfilling
We are transforming our services to be more user-friendly on Sundays for the unchurched, but deeper on Wednesdays for the hungry and thirsty. It means that Sundays are geared for those new to the faith or new to Church - very structured, very friendly, and very uplifting to taste and see that the Lord is good! Wednesday Fire By Night is for those who want more of God and to go deeper in their study of the Scriptures. 1 solid hour of intercession and 1.5 hour of solid teaching of the "meat" of God's Word. From theology to eschatology to leadership principles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We hold nothing back on Fire by Night! We've got something for everyone now so show up and bring somebody!
The Freedom staff is excited about Church 2.0 and our vision to fill The Petite Trianon Theater we've been meeting in the last 1.5 years.
Hoa Tong
Senior Pastor
Freedom Worship Center
Live. Love. Lead In Christ.
www.freedomwc.org
408.297.8508
