2 Nov 2012 by Mindy Oon CM –
On the third and final night of the "Faces Without Races" conference held recently in Kuala Lumpur, Dr. Jonathan David spoke on what the Body of Christ needs to do for the nation to turn around. The hall was filled to maximum capacity. Some have travelled by bus all the way from Johor, and others from Sabah and Sarawak.
Dr. Jonathan David is the founder and senior pastor of All Nations Sanctuary in Muar, Johor and also the Presiding Apostle of the International Strategic Alliance of Apostolic Churches (ISAAC), a network of governing churches and ministers across the nations. Recognized by apostles and prophets around the world for his contribution to God’s present move, Dr. Jonathan David spoke on what the church needs to do to move forward to a crowd who was and is excited about God’s plan to bless the nation.
First of all, Dr. Jonathan David said that the church needs to receive the full aspect of God’s Kingdom mandate. Kingdom mandate means to take God’s sovereign rule everywhere, and to exercise kingdom influence in every strata of society. The church must receive this divine mandate and act upon it even as God gives us the keys to spiritual success.
Jonathan David continued to stress that there is a need also for the church to move from our comfort zone to the action zone. We need to let go of our self-agenda for a wider agenda and go beyond our comfort zones to do what God has assigned to each one of us. As we carry our beloved nation in our hearts, we need to make up our minds to be counted and to move and advance in accordance to God’s will and plan.
Just as many nations have been hit with financial crisis, Malaysia too, will be affected with tough times ahead. However, as Christians we need not fear and as a church we must bring the people into the safety of the boat before the storm arises. Challenging times are coming our way, and the church needs to be a place of protection, safety and guidance. The presence of God will be in the house of God, and Psalm 91 will become a reality.
Psalm 91 (NKJV)
Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honour him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
As a church we need to be able to carry people through the storm, and a church that is built well will sail through. We do not have to be afraid of what is coming because with Almighty God, we will soar like an eagle above the storms. Thus, as Christians, we need to stop fooling around, and be attached to a church that will give you the power to prevail and grace to overcome even as the storms are approaching.
According to Dr. Jonathan David, the church must also cross over to the other side. As God’s people, we must dislodge spiritual principalities. God is giving power to His people to win battles in the heavenlies, and there will be new pathways where there were none before. All blockages will be removed and “no go” zones will become “go” zones. The church needs to stand up to be overcomers. As a church we need to receive what God has prepared for us in order to be a blessing to our nation.
While there were many at the conference who are willing to be counted to be a vessel greatly used by the Lord, there are still many within and outside who have not yet come to realization that they need to do so to be part of God’s divine move. Therefore, we need to be prepared, and start moving in accordance to God’s plan and destiny for us all.
Please visit http://www.jonathan-david.org/ for more information on Dr. Jonathan David’s and the ISAAC Network
I would really love to see how the churches are going to do all the above practically and not just some rhetoric.
“I was in financial need, but you only say our Father in heaven owns a thousand cattle in the hills…. ” Don’t just say our Father is rich but not reaching your hands into your pocket and help someone in need. If you are not going to help someone, then don;t say that your God is rich because faith without action is dead.And when you have help someone, don’t even let the other hand know what you have done.
In order to have influence, you must first be able to sacrifice. Sacrifice that will cost you much.
Hello Lud, thank you for your comment. I agree with you that faith without work is dead. And I would like to add in Proverbs 3:27-28, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”–when you now have it with you.” I pray that as a body in Christ, people would see in Christ in us, not just through prayers but through the works of our hands. Amen.
I like to say that we need to stop looking at the church to provide for our needs and take responsibility for your own life. Get to know the God that owns cattle on a tousand hills and you will not lack anything. Stop looking at flesh and start looking at God the provider? The church is not there to surply in all your needs, God will suply in all your needs according His riches in Christ Jesus.
Our inheritance is not in this world but it is in GOD, therefore we will lack nothing with God as the supplier. We must not limit ourselves to our earthly identity because our place in not in this world but our identity as kingdom sons is given to us by God through christ. I BELIEVE THAT GOD IS GOING TO DO GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS if we fully rely and remain obediant to his words.