26th Sept 2012, By Mindy Oon, CM –
Pastor Molly Ong, pastor of Full Gospel Assembly Ipoh spoke on Declaring the Praises of God on the 23rd of September 2012.
1 Peter 2:9 says ‘You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light’ (NKJV)
In her sermon, Pastor Molly urges us to declare His praises by speaking of the goodness of God, and what God can do for us. It is our duty as believers to ‘talk big about God’, to boast about the Lord. We need not be afraid of doing so because everything that we claim He can do, God can do!
To declare His praises does not mean that we only speak of His goodness. Instead we are to show forth, not limited by our mouth, a lifestyle that shows that God is in us. Exodus 19:5-6 says that ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.’ As God’s special treasure, we are set apart to WORSHIP him, to give our lives holy and in submission to God.
However, many of us are still enslaved to sin, and are unable to experience the liberty that God has given us. As God’s chosen generation, we need to know that God has rescued us, and we must be able to know how to enjoy the benefits that God has given to us, so that we can extend God’s grace to the people around us. We must know that God has taken us out of Satan’s control and that we now belong to the Kingdom of God.
The reason we need to know that we belong to the Kingdom of God, and to declare His praises is so that we will be able to rescue others, just as we have been rescued. Matthew 5:14-16 says that ‘You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see you good works and glorify your Father in heaven.’
Indeed when we declare the praises of God by showing forth our praises through our lifestyle, the people around us will be impacted. Pamela Chang, a sister in FGA Ipoh who lives her life declaring praises was able to reach out to a couple who came to her computer shop. One day, when the husband came to her shop to send his PC for repairs, she spoke of the goodness of the Lord. It seemed like her words had not made any difference, and it was not until three years later when the couple was in trouble and in desperate need that they came to her asking for help. Had it not been for her declaring the praises of God, this couple would not have been delivered.
In closing, we were left with this question to ponder – Do we declare the praises of God and therefore impact others?
We might not see immediate results, but when we declare that there is a God who loves and cares for the people around us, we can be sure that we are planting seeds that will extend the Kingdom of God.
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