27 March 2013 by Donna Uning CM –
‘Desert hot, dress accordingly,’ at least that’s what I remembered the text said. I have prayed for ‘spring like weather’ since the text message and God brought in some rain.
The 45-minute drive to Kg Panchor Dayak took almost an hour because no one told me I would be driving on a roller coaster. At one point, I just stared at the one-lane road until I decided to get out of the car and scrutinize how steep the road heading to the hall was. To make things worse, there was no phone reception for a while.
My sister and I were in the middle of nowhere and the one phone call just told us to drive in. You mean on the road? The ac busted minutes before we finally got into the hall. The sound of praise and worship led us to the crowd on the hill.
This was the first time I saw Pastor Petra Zulkarnain Shariff or Ps Zul as many call him. Ps Zul, from Pontianak, Indonesia has been to Kuching many times and also preached in the state’s interiors. He has preached in nearby states, including Singapore, Johore and Perak.
“I never thought I would be a pastor,” Ps Zul said in Indonesia, who was brought up in Jakarta as a non-believer. His grandmother sent him to a Christian school where it was compulsory to recite prayer in the mornings.
“Those words were prophetic words, manifested in my life,” he said. But, that was not when he became a Christian. He talked about being involved in narcotics growing up and doing anything just to live that way. “I went to jail and to prison after that,” he continued. In prison, he became the leader of the pack.
“In prison, I met this guy, Ronny, who always ‘puts his hands together’,” he said adding that Ronny cooked and washed clothes for him. Ronny was afraid of him but he was “unique”. He was always reading and ‘putting his hands together’. He was praying, he explained.
“I asked about the book he was reading and he handed it to me because he was afraid of me,” Ps Zul continued. In prison, books were torn to make cigarette rolls.
“I started reading the book but could not believe what was written,” he said about the bible. “My head said stop, but my heart said keep on reading!” he told. So, I started reading, he said. As he continued reading over and over again, the words came out as a voice. He was startled!
He read Revelation 3:19 which says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”
He was even more surprised reading Romans 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
He began to wonder, if Jesus is God then he could get out earlier from his prison term. Before his meeting with the judge, he began praying. He was asking God for three years, but God gave him two! He was ecstatic!
“I wanted to preach, be a reverend, a pastor!” he told about his joyful experience. That was then. As a pastor, he was sent to Kalimantan. He also pastored two churches at a time.
In Kalimantan, many people were afraid of demons, he said. Even the pastor there stayed away from the possessed. “If you know God, demons will be afraid of you. The God in you is bigger than all the spirits of this world,” he added.
Fear is not from God, he said. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Ask and you will receive according to your faith, he said.
John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
“When you do the work of God, God will promote you,” he continued. There are two things I want to say today, he said, “Don’t be afraid of evil spirits and don’t worry about your future.”
Luke 12:24-26 says, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
The pastor, who has been in Kuching twice this month, believes Kuching and Malaysia will see change. He continued with prayer, healing, and altar call. Many were blessed. Pastor’s message was in Indonesia.
Driving back seemed longer with the ac out and feeling a bit sun burnt. Many asked, “How did you find this place?” I just kept on driving but God got us there.
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