Guidance of God
“For this is God, our
God forever and ever;
He will be our guide even to death.” (Psm. 48:14)
Everyone needs Guidance
§
Children need guidance from parents (Pro. 22:6).
§
Students need guidance from teachers.
§ Christians and congregations
need guidance from God in every situation.
Why
do
we need God’s
Guidance ?
§
Because God loves us: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)
§
Because He knows us better than anyone. God told Jeremiah: “Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jer. 1:5) Peter said to Jesus: “Lord, you know all things.” (Jn. 21:17)
§
Because He knows the future. “He has made everything
beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no
one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” (Ecc. 3:11)
§ Because God has a good
plan of the future for each one of us (Jer.
29:11-13).
God’s
Guidance of
the Whole Person
“So God created man in
His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
(Gen. 1:27) “And
the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground (body), and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life (spirit); and man became a living being (soul).” (Gen. 2:7)
The image of God is expressed in the
spirit, soul and body of a man and a woman (1 Thes.
The Lord Jesus Christ
came to save not only the soul but also the spirit and the body.
“And Jesus went about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved
with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep
having no shepherd.” (Mt. 9:35-36)
How
does
God guide us ?
§
Through the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Good Shepherd.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not
want. He makes me to lie down in green
pastures; He
leads me beside the still waters. He
restores my soul; He
leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with
me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
(Psm. 23:1-3)
§
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures” He gives us physical as
well as spiritual rest in a peaceful environment.
§
“He leads me beside the still waters.” He fills us with the Holy Spirit and quenches
our thirst for spiritual truths and knowledge.
§
“He restores my soul;” Though we may go astray but the Lord
Jesus Christ guides us back to where He wants us to go.
§
“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s
sake.” The Lord Jesus
Christ guides us to a life of holiness because of His name.
God’s
Deliverance from
Death
“Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort
me.” (Psm . 23:4) God saved my life three times. Praise the name of Jesus. HALLELUYAH!
Jesus gave me back my
life when I was one year old. I had
diphtheria and was on the verge of death.
My grandmother and several Indian Christians from our Congregation in
The second time God
saved me from a drowning accident in my uncle’s mining pool in
The third time happened
in
God
guides us through
the Holy Spirit
John 16:12-14
12 I still have many things to say to you, but
you cannot bear them now.
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth,
has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own
authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to
come.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will
take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
The Holy Spirit reminded
Peter what the Lord Jesus Christ had taught him concerning Baptism of Water and
Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts
The Lord revealed to
Paul the Holy Communion that occurred on the evening when Jesus was betrayed
and before Paul’s conversion (1 Cor.
God showed Peter a
vision which changed his whole attitude and thinking about the conversion and
salvation of the Gentiles (Acts 10:9-22, 34-48).
The Holy Spirit revealed
to the
The Holy Spirit
prevented Paul and Timothy to preach in
How
does
the Holy Spirit
guide us ?
§
Through the Word of God “which the Holy Spirit
teaches, by comparing
spiritual things with spiritual.” (1 Cor.
2:10-14)
§
By reading and practicing what is written in the Holy Bible
that is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).
§
By prayer in the Spirit Who “makes intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered”. (
§
By being filled with the Spirit and singing “psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs, singing
and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” (Eph. 5:18-19; Col.
3:16; 1 Cor. 14:15)
§
We receive guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Church
Service.
§
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit
in those days; and they shall prophesy.” (Acts 2:17-18)
§
“God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders,
with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according
to His own will.” (Heb. 2:4)
God’s
Guidance through
Spiritual Gifts
There are nine gifts of
the Holy Spirit that God uses for the ministries. They are: word of wisdom, word of knowledge,
faith, healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits,
different kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor.
12:4-11).
The spiritual gift of tongues
(charisma) is not given to every believer (1 Cor.
When our family arrived
in
God’s
Guidance through
the Gift of
Prophecy
God has spoken very
clearly: “And it shall come to pass in the last days says God, that
I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit
in those days; and they shall prophesy.” (Acts
2:17-18)
There were prophets in
the
1 “Pursue love, and
desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands
him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and
exhortation and comfort to men.
4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but
he who prophesies edifies the church.
5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even
more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks
with tongues, unless he interprets, that the church may receive edification.”
Testimonies
of God's
Guidance through Prophecy
“Worship God!
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
(Rev. 19:10)
“Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophecies.”
(1 Thes.. 5:19-20)
A restored
In December 1968 during
an Evangelical and Spiritual Convocation in
On
I prayed with my family
in
I was advised by the
small congregation to relocate in
Early
Church Work
in
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First baptism in in Lake
Jacksonville. Sister Helen Lo was
healed of high fever and ear infection.
Our family arrived in time for the First Spiritual Convocation in |
May God bless you
A sermon based on this article was preached by Paul Wong
to a
Congregation in
For comments please write first to: arkpw@sbcglobal.net
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Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International. |
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