Sunday Service

15/1/06
<Exodus 29:38-46>

Why must you pray in the Tabernacle?

• This year, the vision which the Lord give to us is to: Arise and Shine
• But before we arise, we going to see the darkness that covers the land and all peoples.
And it is not difficult. If we look at our hearts and soul, our family members, our
colleagues, our friends, etc. We will then realize that there is hardly anyone with a blissful
life, including Christians
• How bright will we see the light of our Lord depends on how great we see the darkness is.

• Therefore, the Lord told us: when the person next to us are bound by all kinds of worries,
anxieties, inferiority, guilt, helplessness, hatred, love of the world, etc, we must arise and
shine. To arise and shine means we must be unique and be differentiated from them
• In fact, which believer does not want to serve God wholeheartedly? But they have no
choice coz the things of this world is so attractive to them. They are powerless to the lure
of the world. Therefore, we must be differentiated and our judgment must be different
• When the people around us are very stingy, we must be different. Because our reward is
from God, not men.
• When the people around us are filled with fear and anxiety, we must be different. Because
the one who protect us is neither men nor money, but God Himself.
• When the people of this world gets into conflicts and become judgmental so easily, we
must be different. Don't we have wrong? So how can the wrong criticize the wrong? Don’t
we know that Jesus Christ come to save the sinners, those who are not loveable? And
therefore God raise Him up among all men!
• While most people cannot live in peace and love with their family members (e.g. spouse,
parents, siblings), we must be different; while most people complain about their work,
their bosses and colleagues, we must be different.
• We must especially be different when we live with bros/sis in this church congregation.
We should love and embrace each other. We should not be talking about the weakness of
another person, else we are stirring up the ill feelings among the bros/sis and become
similar to those gossipers in the market
• But do be different is not easy. Only when one succeeds in prayer will he be able to do
so.

Read <Exodus 29:38-46>

v41 The Lord is always seeking for the pleasing aroma. This means that the Lord is
searching for our hearts. He wants our prayers before our works, our serving, our
praise, our faithfulness, etc.
v42 The Lord wants us to continue to do this from generation to generations. Therefore, we
must teach our children
v43 If we are successful in our prayers, we should not be afraid that we can’t be sanctified
at home or in church, etc

Last year, we had heard the message on the 5 miracles:

1) Miracle of Born Again (Exodus)
2) Miracle of Victory (crossing the Red Sea)
3) Miracle of Prayer (Tabernacle)
4) Miracle of Walking with God (Wilderness)
5) Miracle of Evangelism (Conquering and entering the Canaan Land)
And his coincides with the first five books for the Bible, whose emphasis is:
<Genesis> The promises that comes from being born again; how God has fulfilled His
promises with Abraham & his children [Year 2003, 2004]
<Exodus> The Five Great Miracles [Year 2005]
<Leviticus> Prayers in the Tabernacle [Year 2006]
<Numbers> Walking with God [Year 2007]
<Deuteronomy>Before conquering Canaan, one must have the fixed perspective (i.e. all
battles must be fought with our ‘eyes’, not by might) [Year 2008]

• A person must undergo some processes if he really wants to enjoy prayers but there are
different timetable for different believers:
• Some believers who had just accepted the Lord are surprised that they actually need
to pray
• Some know that they need to pray but they stopped praying after the first minute.
They have no topic with God.
• Some only goes to the Lord when he faces some critical moments or problems. Other
than that, they don’t have the urge to pray.
• Some know the content of the word of God well and the sequence of prayers.
However, they cannot get the spirit’s power and conviction when they pray.
*** The Bible tells us: Knowing how to pray comes from “meeting God”
• It is just like we can only talk to a person when we have met each other (i.e. our eyes
have met). And when we first meet up with a person, we will be interested in observing
him and try to understand his personalities.
• The same goes for knowing and understanding God. When a person has met God, he will
want to unravel the infinite depth of God’s personalities and nature. And this person will
go to the Word of God to understand Him.
• The Word of God says: God is eternal! Therefore, if you have met a God who is eternal,
you will desire to live a life with eternal purpose. But ironically, many believers only live for
the temporary desires of the flesh.
• The Word of God says: In God, there’s full abundance! Therefore, if you have met a God
who is infinitely abundant, you will want to be filled with His abundance and experience
full contentment in Him. But ironically, many believers chose to only receive worldly and
material benefits.
• The Word of God says: God is Almighty! Therefore, if you have met a God who is
almighty, then when you are weak and powerless, all the more you will desire to let go of
yourself and be filled with His almightiness. But ironically, many believers chose to use
more of their own strength when they are weak and powerless.
• Therefore, if you have really met God, then prayers for you should not become obligatory
or too rationale. You will love praying! Your belief will be totally different!
• However, the problem is most Christians, though having been in church and hearing the
word of God for their whole lives, they did not meet God personally. What they meet are
knowledge, ways of serving, church friends, smooth sailing belief, etc.
• Without meeting God, your prayers are false. And there will be no different before and
 after you’d prayed
• You said that you have been praying very hard for your family and loved ones but there
isn’t any change in them at all. Then, you should realize that the main issue lies with you
and not them. Your prayers could be just repetitive and you have not really meet God in
your intercession.
• The same goes for our serving and evangelism. It should neither be by force nor causing
people to feel obligatory. Your prayer has to move the Holy Spirit to work! Your prayer has
to mobilize angels!
• The joy, forgiving, hope, one possess and the loving hearts, sincere and embracing words
one expresses are what will truly cause the Holy Spirit to work and change a person.
Many Christians, because they have fail in your prayer, their words and expression are
full of flesh. Therefore, how can one change when he mixes with such a person?
• Thus, to succeed in prayer is most important! This is the mystery to conquering Canaan,
changing people’s hearts and winning souls.

1. The Lord says: Surely, you must pray in the tabernacles. This means we ‘cannot don’t
pray’ in our daily life.
• We will only pray after we’d discovered the reason why we really must pray (i.e.
cannot don’t pray)
• If we observe carefully, the changing of a person’s life (i.e. his life, power and joy
changes) does not come from him saying the sinner’s prayer, being baptized or
getting involved in serving
• He will only change when he discover the ‘reason why he really must pray’

• A person will only change when he can no longer bear his problem. Then he will let
go of himself and come to God face to face. And through that, he will experience the
infinite comfort, joy and strength that comes solely from God. He will experience the
changes that come before and after prayer. Only when a person experience that
once, he will from then on enjoy the ‘born again life’ in him
• Therefore, you need not ask another person whether did he/she read the Bible or
whether did he/she pray. You will only need to ask if he/she sees the changes in
his/her life after he/she had accepted Christ. If he/she sees the changes, his/her
belief will be one that has met God. Such a person will really pray and naturally pray.
• To see the reason to “Really must pray” is different from groaning. A person will
continue to groan because he can still bear his problem and the consequence is
disciplinary action from the Lord. However, if a person can no longer bear his
problem, he will be willing to go to God and wrestle with Him. Only then, will abundant
grace from God come upon him.
• Who then will really pray?

• Look at the verse from <Job>. Satan always presents himself to God coz he is always
looking for people who he can accuse. Once he found somebody, he will pound in to
attack, like a roaring lion. He will bring in the guilt, inferiority, greed, hatred,
grievances, fear, anxiety, love of the word, etc.
• A person will only really pray when he realized that his hearts and mind can so easily
weakened, and he can so easily walk astray.
• Why is there a difference before and after praying? We must really understand what
is actually taking place when a person prays
• Our spirits are connected to the spiritual realms while our physical body lives in the
physical realms.
 • Prayer must be done using our hearts and spirit
• When a person’s spiritual heart has the humility, purity, love and hunger towards God
and men, God will immediately reveal to him through his spiritual heart first. (Note, it
is not through his physical circumstances first, but his spiritual heart). Therefore, his
heart and spirit will experience the full joy, hope and peace. This is the first work of
the Archangel Michael where all the negative things (i.e. satan) in the hearts are
driven out first.
• And when a person is willing to seek the will and plan of God in his spiritual hearts,
God will also first reveal Himself to his spirit too. This is done using His Word.
Therefore, he will recall the Word of God that is related to his situation and
circumstances. At that moment, God will meet the person and bestow all His plans,
will, love, etc. This is the work of Archangel Gabriel, where he reveals the will of God
to those who seek God. Therefore, all we need to do is to submit and the perfect will
of God will be revealed.
• And this is when the throne of God will be set up, both in the spiritual and physical
realms, and the work of the evil spirits will be driven out both in our hearts & mind and
our situation & circumstances.
• Therefore, we have to understand this correctly, so that we will not be only seeking
after physical and situational changes in our lives. If we seek to change the situation
before the evil spirit is driven out, the changes are useless and similar problems will
continue to re-occur.
• There will be difference before and after praying and this is a result of the work of the
Holy Spirit

2. The Lord says: We must pray in the Tabernacle

• Two main contents:
i) Really must pray (i.e. we cannot don’t pray)
ii) And when we pray, we must do it in the Tabernacle
• Only in the Tabernacle are we well protected because after Adam has fallen, the
world is filled with evil and things that go against God. Even the prayers of people are
corrupted!
• Therefore, people from all other religions do prayers too. But because their prayers
are outside the tabernacle (i.e. not of a correct one), their prayers will receive
undesirable consequences. However, they will receive power because they are
communicating with the evil powers in the spiritual realms.
• Even as Christians, if we do not pray inside the tabernacle, our prayers will be those
of prosperity, knowledge, mysticism, legalism, humanism, etc.
• Therefore, God wants us to pray inside the Tabernacle only. Those who did it outside
will receive undesirable consequences.
• What take place inside the Tabernacle when you pray?
1) Must hold on to the five offerings in the Tabernacle where the sacrifice of blood
made us died to ourselves totally [Contents of prayer]
2) The five offerings must be done through a mediator who is none other than Jesus
Christ. Therefore, true prayer only comes from knowing the mystery of J.X.
[Channel of prayer]
3) We must understand the structure of the Tabernacle in our prayers [depth of
prayer]:
i) Courtyard → our external physical (lips service)
 ii) Holy Place → our hearts. Though our hearts understand God’s word and his
works, but this alone will not help us meet God.
iii) Most Holy Place → this is where our spirit meets God and will experience
true changes.
4) We must enter the Tabernacle daily and in a continual basis [continuity of prayer]
5) Results from the prayers (3 festive season in a year) [Result of prayer]:
i) Passover, the feast of the unleavened bread [life]
ii) Pentecost (50 days after the Passover) [power will come]
iii) The feast of gathering [fruits will be reaped]

• And with the above 5 mysteries, we will be able to walk through the wilderness (i.e.
our everyday lives) and receive blessings to conquer Canaan.
3. Center your life upon the Tabernacle
• Whether the Israelites are stationary or moving, the tabernacle remains their focus.
When they are stationary, all the 12 tribes camp around the tabernacle. When the set
out, all Israelites follow the tabernacle with the pillar of clouds and fire leading in front.
• If we understand this, we will set up a systematic operation in our lives that is
centered upon the tabernacle.
• When this systematic operation is set up, we will continue to walk towards the
Canaan Land even when we are weak
• When this systematic operation is set up, it is all right even if we are busy with career,
because we will have a direction and not be blindly busy for the world.
• When this systematic operation is set up, it is even ok when we rest or go traveling.
Because this will help bring us strength and rejuvenate us for the Kingdom.
• Tabernacle = Church (i.e. the church’s altar, message, meetings). The place where
the word of God and the power of prayers flow upon us!
• Therefore, the closer we walk with the church, the better protected us, our families
and our career will be.
• We can enjoy our walk when we do it under the protection of the Tabernacle
• If we take the vision and the message of the church lightly, Satan will come in from
there to attack us and there will be shortchanging in our lives.
• The Bible shows us that those enemies who are near the Tabernacle will lose their
lives. Therefore, though nothing seems to take place when we continue to go to
church, God is actually protecting us and doing great works in all our fields.
• There’s 4 meetings which we’ve to take note of:
(1) Sunday Service – we must be ready in both our thanksgiving topics and prayer
request. Then, we must meet God personally through the service. And after the
service, we must confirm it for the week, receiving conviction straight from the
Sunday message in whatever circumstances and situation we are in for the week.
(2) Prayer Meeting – We must all come prepared and examine the work of God
together for the week. With that, we will know what the works of God are, and will
be able to give thanks and intercede accordingly.
(3) Discipleship Training (DT) – the time to get equipped. We go to DT with the
perspective of the 4 gospelization [vision]. The knowledge we acquired during DT
should makes us yearn to pray even more [equip]
 (4) Small Shepherding Group (SSG) – Preferably do it at home and pray for that
family because this is a field meeting. During SSG, it is important that we use the
Word of God for shepherding, not giving sermon/theories. And during SSG, there
must always be joy, liveliness and bringing comfort to those who needs it. It must
be like a family gathering with heart to heart talk.
• Upon the foundation of these 4 meetings and grasping its spiritual strength → serve
(e.g. playing the piano, writing letter of encouragement, praying for others, writing a
testimony, giving the church prayer topic for your family and career, discovering the
doors of evangelism, etc)
• I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that you’ll receive breakthrough in your prayer
life this year, and uncover great doors of evangelism which God has prepared for you.

Prayer & Sharing Topics

1. Do I know the reason for “cannot don’t pray”? What changes do I have before and
after my prayers? Why are there such changes? Ponder how does God use the
prayers of a Saint to work in the spiritual realms and my situation?

2. Why did God requires the Israelites to meet Him at the Tabernacles? How does this
mystery of “meeting God in the Tabernacle” has an impact to my prayer life today?
(the desire to pray, content, channel, depths, quantity, results)?

3. Only when the Israelites lead a life centered on the Tabernacle, will they able to
see the leading of the pillars of cloud and fire and finally enter the Canaan Land.
In my daily prayer life, am I able to see God’s guidance, work and timetable? Do I
need a renewal and strengthening in the systematic operations of communication
with God and walking with God?
(Altar of the church [4 meetings] → personal altar → family altar → work place
altar / day → noon → night)