On Aug 6 and 7, Kong Hee spoke on the subject of determined faith–the kind that grabs God’s attention.
CN PHOTO: Daniel Poh
“Until we are empowered by God, we are not agents of change and we cannot make a difference in our world,” said Kong Hee as he preached on the subject of determined faith.
Referencing Matthew 11:12, which says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force”, Kong explained that the word “violent” means “forceful, determined and zealous”.
He pointed the congregation to the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-7 and said that this is the kind of faith that Jesus was looking for. But in verse 8, Jesus wondered, “will He really find faith on the earth?”
WHAT IS DETERMINED FAITH?
The four friends of the paralytic man and the woman with the issue of blood were strong examples of determined faith. When the four men in Luke 5 lowered their friend from the roof, they secured the attention of Jesus.
In the case of the woman who believed that if she could only touch Jesus’ clothes, she will be made well (Mark 5), she drew power out of Jesus. In the Amplified Bible version, Mark 5:28 says the woman “kept saying” and confessing for her healing.
“It converts the word into power and it is the power that gives us victory,” taught Kong. “This kind of determined, forceful, zealous faith always bring the desired results and the manifestation of the promises.”
Faith, Kong went on, cannot be understood by one’s head; it can only be received as a revelation in the heart. He shares his personal testimony on his wife, Sun Ho’s difficult pregnancy. It was a risky ectopic pregnancy, plus the ultrasound showed a high possibility of the baby having Down Syndrome. But Kong trusted God that his baby would be normal.
“Faith is of the heart,” he stressed. “If we think and reason too much, we would lean on the wisdom of experts instead of God.”
Reading 1 John 5:4, Kong explains that faith is a catalyst—it takes the Word of God and turns it into the power of God which brings the believer victory every time.
“Luke 1:37 says, ‘For with God nothing will be impossible’. Determined faith puts us in the same dimension as God, we will be working on the same platform, the same iOS. Nothing will be impossible for us.”
Kong quoted from John 14:12, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
“If you also have faith in God, you can also move in the same level as Jesus Himself. Your destiny is unlimited.”
Kong shares how Smith Wigglesworth, widely known as the Apostle of Faith, raised 23 people from the dead. At one time, God led Wigglesworth to a funeral parlor to raise a dead man to life. Three times Wigglesworth picked up and threw the dead man’s body down and commanded him to live. When he did it a third time, the dead man coughed and came back to life.
The senior pastor urged the congregation not to give up on the promises that God has spoken to them and to pursue those promises with determined faith.
BE LIKE LIONS
CN PHOTO: Aaron Ting
“Whenever I think of determined faith, I think of Jesus,” said Kong. “He is always so strong and powerful in His ministry; He is the lion of the tribe of Judah.” The people who share the same spiritual lineage as Jesus have the same authority in them as well, he reasoned.
The lion may not be as tall as the giraffe or as big as the elephant, nor fast like cheetah or strong like the tiger, yet its confidence and fearlessness is what makes it the most powerful.
“We have Jesus in us!” Kong reminded the congregation. “We must have the same kind of boldness as the lion, in the spirit. Now that we are 27 years older, CHC must be bolder, more forceful in the spirit, more determined to see the promises of God in our lives.”
Kong referred to Genesis 49:12 which describes the Judah as the lion, “His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.”
“The lion’s eyes are red with wine,” he commented. “Wine intoxicates, yes; but, in a good way, wine also brings excitement and enthusiasm.”
With this, Kong spoke on four types of wine the church should have. The first of these is the wine of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants to fill His people with new wine every day, said Kong, as he encouraged the congregation to go into God’s presence every day to receive fresh anointing.
The second type of wine is the wine of the Word. Kong explained, “The Word of God is intoxicating and when we are drunk with the Word, the lion in us will rise up!”
Then there is the wine of prayer. Kong brought the congregation to 1 Samuel 1:12-14, where Hannah was in fervent prayer asking God for a son. She prayed so hard, possibly filled with the Spirit, that Eli, the priest thought she was drunk. Hannah became pregnant with Samuel not long after—God answered her desperate prayer. Kong encouraged the church to pray like that. “The stronger we pray in the Holy Spirit, the stronger our faith will be,” he said.
Finally, there is the wine of vision. “A vision is very intoxicating; it will consume you,” Kong said.
In closing, Kong gave an altar call for the sick, calling on them to pray with determined faith. Many responded.
