This is an article by guest writer, Jonathan Suppaya, the deputy senior pastor of Jesus Lives Church, who shares with City News about the Feast Of Tabernacles, a yearly inter-church event born out of a call of God, as well as the School Of Deliverance.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JESUS LIVES CHURCH.
Jesus Lives Church is a Spirit-filled, apostolic and prophetic church family for all ages and backgrounds. We pride ourselves in being a multi-generational church with a passionate ethos: to reach and empower our community, nation and the world beyond with the victorious tidings of Christ Jesus, the Savior King.
With contemporary worship services and in-depth Biblical messages, Jesus Lives Church is the ideal home for both the young and the young at heart. At our church, we believe that it is our duty to help newcomers discover, develop and deploy the gifts that God has endowed them with, so that they can be maximally effective in what God has called them to do.
Jesus Lives Church operates the gift of deliverance very strongly. Many unbelievers come to the church for deliverance and they get saved through the power of God.
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
In 2003, the Lord spoke to me very clearly from the Bible in Leviticus 23. I read the chapter a few times. I was truly inspired and ministered about the importance of the seven feasts and how they apply to this generation. I did a lot of research, communicated with many men of God who were already involved in this celebration. Then God instructed me to celebrate the 7th Feast of the Lord, which is The Feast of Tabernacles, in my church.
Not knowing what to do, I assembled my church leaders and explained to them the entire vision and how Heaven was going to bless us when we obeyed. The whole team agreed with me in prayer and was ready to serve. I asked the Holy Spirit to guide me and show me the things I had to do.
First, the place had to be Jesus Lives Church. Secondly, the celebration had to last for seven days. In Leviticus 23:39, the Lord instructed the Israelites to celebrate the Feasts of Tabernacles for seven days. It is also written that, “This is to be lasting ordinance for the generations to come.”
I knew the call of God was upon me and Jesus Lives Church to host the Feast Of Tabernacles in Singapore every year. I organized the first (FOT) for seven days from Oct. 11 to 17, 2003, following the exact dates of the Jewish calendar. We printed out brochures, sent emails and announced the event to all our friends. To our surprise, our church was packed with worshippers on the first day. Our spirits were highly lifted. Every day we had 500 participants. There was powerful worship, word, prayer, holy communion, offerings and the anointing of God was so strong. Choice fruits were distributed to all. After the celebration service, there was a sumptuous feast arranged for all particpants. All this went on for seven days continously. It was like a wedding ceremony.
The Feast of Tabernacles was also called the Feast of Ingathering because it took place at the end of the harvest season. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrated the final ingathering of the harvest God had blessed the people with for the year; it was a time of great rejoicing. Because the Feast of Tabernacles was the last of the seven feasts, it completed the religious season. The number seven in the Bible represents completion. We learned from this that the Feast of Tabernacles represents the completed or finished work of God in both this present age in which we live and the lives of individual Christians. Thus it corresponds to the seventh step in our walk with God to reach spiritual maturity and rest in our souls.
Jesus Christ is the tabernacle or dwelling place of God. In Him dwelled all the fullness of God (John 1:14; Colossians 2:9) and God dwells in our midst through Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:20). Jesus will ultimately fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles at His second coming. There will be a literal rest for planet earth and all its inhabitants. Until then, we can know His rest in our souls.
This is the main spiritual reason why Jesus Lives Church hosts the Feast of Tabernacles yearly, and we will be marking our 10th celebration this year in October.
The Feast of Tabernacles is not only for our church members but for all worshippers. We have participants from many churches and also people from overseas.
I believe when the Lord gave me the theme of “Kings and Priests” for this year’s celebration, He wants His children to walk under the Kingly and Priestly anointing, according to the Bible.
“Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father…” (Rev. 1:5-6).
“Thou…hast redeemed us unto God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9-10).
THE SCHOOL OF DELIVERANCE
Jesus Lives Church also runs the School of Deliverance, a month-long, 10-session training program that is a member of IMPACT Network in the US, and affiliated with ACEA which is led by Dr C. Peter Wagner. The inaugural intake graduated last week on Aug. 9.
The School of Deliverance was birthed because of my father, the founder and senior pastor of Jesus Lives Church, Dr. N. Suppaya, who has been a great inspiration to me and the church on the operation of the gift of deliverance. He has trained us well, guided us spiritually and has imparted to the church what God has anointed him for.
The same gift must be operated in the body of Christ. I see in the Bible that the main ministry of Jesus was to preach the Kingdom, healing and deliverance. Not many get involved in deliverance, not all of them can cast out demons. Some don’t know what to do when they face a situation where deliverance is needed.
You must be well-trained in your weapon before you start using it. David was well-trained in his weapon, the sling and the stone. That is why he was able to use it to kill Goliath. This made me to start up a school where people will be trained to handle spiritual warfare.
There were 100 people trained in this first batch and it will be a yearly event. The School will produce strong spiritual warriors and deliverance ministers where it will be useful for their daily lives and also to help people around them.
Jesus Lives Church is located at 10 Bukit Batok Crescent, #01-01, The Spire. For more details on the Feast Of Tabernacles, visit www.jesuslives.org.sg.
