City Harvest Church started its lead-up campaign to Arise and Build with a faith-filled message on building a House of Glory.
By Lee Wei Fang
CN PHOTOS: Jamie Ong.
The weekend of Sep. 29 and 30 marked the beginning of a seven-week campaign culminating in City Harvest Church annual Arise & Build. For many of the church members, this building fund season is significant beyond simply raising money to pay for a physical structure–it is an opportunity to sow into the House of God, in an expression of faith, love and gratitude for the life-changing experiences they have encountered.
Ivan Yeo, 28, a sales marketing executive, said, “Arise & Build is a time to stand together as a church, and run the vision together with Pastor Kong and the leadership. I am totally looking forward to contribute to the preparation of the House of God!”
Damien Goh, 30, a professional, shared similar thoughts. He said, “Arise and Build is a great opportunity to contribute to the growth of the church, as we are building a legacy. God’s house should be nothing short of glorious. Let us place our treasure where our heart should be–in the House of Glory!”
Another member Joanna Lim, 24, a social worker, said, “I am excited to give once again to the Arise and Build campaign. I want to be a part of this, and I strongly believe that we can never outgive God. As I build His house, He will build my house.”
A special video was played after the praise and worship session, which captured the essence of what church means to the members. CHC is a place where they receive “bread” (the Word of God), build relationships and enjoy weekly doses of happiness through cell group meetings. They serve the community at large, fulfilling the church’s aim to “find a hurt and heal it, find a need and meet it.”
SPIRIT OF FAITH
Senior pastor of CHC, Kong Hee, shared a powerful word in season, about building God a House of Glory through an attitude of faith and a spirit of faith.
Kong said, “John 11:40 says that we will see the glory of God when we have faith.”
When Paul was hard-pressed and hammered down, he quoted David, saying in 2 Corinthians 4:8-13 that God has given to all believers the same spirit of faith. “David has the spirit of faith when he was just 17; Paul had it when he was much older. It doesn’t matter what age we are at, Paul says that all believers has this same spirit of faith,” said Kong.
BEING INSTRUMENT-RATED
Kong used a powerful illustration to explain how believers should walk by faith and not by sight. Using aircraft pilots as an analogy, Kong explained how it is imperative for every pilot to be instrument-rated before he can qualify for duty.
When the plane is hit by turbulence, the pilot will lose sight of the horizon, and enter into a state of disorientation. At this point, he would not be able to rely on his own senses or intelligence; he would have to rely solely on his flight instruments to stabilize the plane.
Similarly, when believers are hit by the turbulence of trials and lose sight of the future, there is only one instrument to count on: the Word of God. Kong reminded the congregants, “You have got to be so well-trained, that when you are hit by turbulence, you will go straight to the Word of God, instead of going to the social media or the things people are saying, to find your bearing!”
Quoting the apostle of faith, Smith Wigglesworth, who said “I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe.” Kong encouraged members to hold on to the Word of God despite their external circumstances.
In Hebrews 11, which talks about the heroes of faith, the phrase “by faith” appears 18 times, and the phrase “through faith” twice. “So if you ask me how to get through challenges, I will tell you ‘by faith’ 18 times, and ‘through faith’ two times, again and again!” Kong said.
In the King James Bible, Hebrews 10:23 reads: “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.” Other versions use the word “confession”. Kong noted that the word “profession” has a deeper meaning: it implies that there is an element of professionalism when it comes to faith. Kong established that the difference between an amateur and a professional is such that a professional is good enough to make a living out of their field of expertise. It is thus the desire of God to see believers live their everyday life with faith.
AN ATTITUDE OF FAITH
“The principle of faith is taught, but the spirit of faith can only be caught,” Kong said. “An attitude cannot be taught. It is a positive attitude of expectation that the believer himself must choose to adopt.”
Referring back to 2 Corinthians 4:13, he pointed out that the Bible clearly teaches it is not enough to simply believe the Word of God in the heart, but one has to speak out that word for it to take effect. A powerful man of God, Kenneth E. Hagin, made this conclusion, “Believing and speaking opens the door to the supernatural.”
In Mark 11:22-23, Jesus told the disciples to have faith in God, specifically exhibited by speaking out whatever is believed. Kong shared how leading neurosurgeons have made a discovery that the speech center in the brain influences the central nervous system of the body. The neurosurgeons believed in the effect so much that if they found the patient was speaking words of discouragement and hopelessness, they would hold off the surgery until the patient’s speech became positive. Therefore, a believer’s mouth confession is crucial in building an attitude of faith.
THE SOUND OF FAITH
Kong drew on a powerful example of a recent scientific discovery of a “God particle” (also known as the Higgs Boson), to illustrate the sound of faith. Scientists found that the “God particle”, which is the building block within an atom, has data that, when mapped to musical notes, produces a melodious tune, lending proof to the powerful truth that not everything in the universe is random, but is spoken purposefully into existence by God.
Kong declared, “If you want to change the scenery in your life, speak it into existence!” Throughout the Bible, there was no physical description of Jesus, but the only thing that was said of Jesus is this: No one spoke like Him, with great grace, power and authority. The words of Jesus carried such authority that the fig tree died when He spoke the words.
“And the most amazing thing is, Jesus said anyone can do this. This means that whatever we say will also come to pass.”
To illustrate the opposite of speaking in faith, Kong drew upon the example of coyote hunting, in which hunters attract coyotes by mimicking the sound of a wounded rabbit, which would draw coyotes swiftly towards them. In the same vein, when believers murmur and complain, they attract demons that seek to steal, kill and destroy. However, when believers choose to emit the sound of faith, of positive confession, and offer up the sacrifice of praise, God is glorified and faith enters their lives.
THE FORTRESS OF FAITH
When the church rises up collectively as one body in faith, there is tremendous power available. Kong exhorted the people, “Keep speaking to the mountain of impossibility in faith. Whatever God has given to you in your imagination, boldly confess it, and rise up in the same spirit of faith!”
Reading from Psalms 91:2, Kong reminded the church that God is not merely a place of refuge (a place of defense and shelter) but He is also our fortress (a place of offence). As the believers release the power of God through creative command based on His word, they are backed up with the arsenal of heaven, and the House of Glory is established through the faith of the saints.
A tremendous atmosphere of faith and expectancy was present in the hall as the service drew to a close. Kong encouraged the church to stand up together and make positive faith declarations, and the sound of faith echoed through the hall.
Esther She, 29, a senior communication assistant, told City News how the service blessed her. “The presence of God was tremendous during the service. I am very encouraged by Pastor Kong’s faith message, reminding us of who we are in God and the authority we have. This may be a challenging season for the church, but let’s sow and witness the wondrous miracle that God is going to show us!”
Mark Louis Yong, 21, an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, said, “I feel ready to give because giving in faith is always the way to breakthrough.”
