The Gift | Pr Alvin Keng

You're listening to a message to go from ex Church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

Thank you so much for the cast and crew for

doing such a great job performing and sharing the story

of Christ here. Let's give them another hand. Hi, everybody,

my name is Alvin. I am blessed to be pastoring

and taking care of this church plan. Uh and I

just want to welcome all of you here to XPJ

and X Bando Tama. We've also got pasta Stephen you know,

chilling you know down there as well. And you know,

we're really blessed to be able to just even watch

our partners put on such a great show, you know.

And I'm here because uh, you know, I'm here to

sort of like wrap ms up and uh, well, I

guess hopefully share with you some thing there is close

to our hearts. Uh and uh and yeah, you know,

but before that, I just want to thank our director

Jiawan for taking this up.

He's upstairs with our team.

Uh and they're working really hard to make everything come together.

They've been practicing for months or so. Uh and uh

and yeah, you know, it's it's also two church plans

coming together, putting this together. So I just want to

thank the carts and crew and everyone who's here. The

kids are awesome, right, yeah, the little kids and actually

all the shepherds, our ex kids, teachers, you know, so

that was really good to see.

Uh.

And I also want to say happy birthday to Kroichiang.

You know, so sorry we miss your birthday twenty sixth

of December. But yeah, you know, some a little body

told me and I thought, I just wish you happy

birthday as we also maybe hosts again past or something.

Uh.

And hey, there's a lot of people here. I hope

you guys are okay. I'm not gonna take long. Don't worry.

It's going to be short. And those that know me

say praise the Lord. Okay, I've got a first question

for today, even as we wrap up today, what is

Christmas to you? This is my short message for all

of us this morning. What is Christmas to you?

Uh?

For some of us, Christmas could be traditions, you know.

I know as a Christian, you know, and of course

Chinese we have Chinese New Year and then Chinese New Traditions.

We do stuff like that.

Uh, you know, growing up in a Christian family, Chinese

New wasn't a big thing. But Christmas is a big

thing for us, you know. Uh.

And it could be tradition.

It could be presents, you know, for some of us here,

it could be presents, right, gifts that we receive. Uh.

Maybe it's Christmas tree. Maybe it's uh, you know, a

Frosty the Snowman. Maybe it's Santa Claus made Christmas is

Santa Claus to you? Maybe it's the time we eat

turkey for the Americans to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. For

you know, the rest of us, we have Christmas turkey.

Maybe it's about singing Christmas carols. I don't know what

Christmas is to you. Christmas could be a lot of

things to us. It could be just a celebration that

we celebrate. It could mean nothing. It could just be

a holiday that we have for those that have holiday.

It could be a time where we you know, maybe

take a retreat back.

It could be different things. But can I share with

you what Christmas to me is?

Christmas to me is about a gift that I've received

when I was twelve. And this gift wasn't just a

gift that is so that is well, especially just for me,

it is also a gift that you know, all those

of our friends that perform this morning here on stage

have also received.

So what is this gift?

You know?

Maybe I just share you with you a little bit

what this gift is.

That's this verse that a lot of Christians know by heart,

and you might have heard it a few times if

you've been in church. It's John three sixteen, and it says,

I'm going to read till verse seventeen. It says, for

God so loved the world that he gave his only

begodden son, that whoever believes in him should not perish,

but have everlasting life. For God did not send his

son into the world to condemn the world, but that

the world true him might be saved. In Isaiah chapter nine,

verse sixty seven, and this scripture from the Bible is

very significant for a lot of us, especially in this

time of Christmas. It says here, for unto us, a

child is born sounds like a song. For unto us,

a child is born, unto us, a son is given,

and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his

name will be called wonderful counselor Mighty God, everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

Let me just continue.

It says here, of the increase of his government and peace,

there will be no end. Let me see, You'll be

limitless upon the throne of David and over his kingdom

to order it and establish it with jusun and justice.

From that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the

Lord of Hosts will perform this. So Christmas can mean

a lot of things, right, two different ones, depending on

what's our exposure to it. You know, sometimes we say, oh,

Christmas is a commercial holiday, and you know, time and

time again, I feel like even as Christians, as believers,

we you know, we believe in Christ, we believe in

what he did on the cross for us, we almost

kind of have to like almost fight and remind people

the real Christmas.

I don't know how many of you celebrate Christmas is

Santa Claus.

I'm not going to go there because some of you

might still do that with your kids, So I'm not

gonna do that. I want to let you know that

Christmas is about the birth of Christ. That's how it started.

You know, isn't.

It a mockery we were to replace it with something else?

Right?

And I hope that as you're here, you'll hear my heart.

Why why is Christmas significant to us? It's not just gifts,

It's not just receiving a present. You know, it is

very significant. Let me share you a little bit about

how a little bit of my life experience.

And you know why.

We share life experience. You got life experience not something

you can dispute in a way. I mean, you can

dispute a lot of things.

I can spell.

Oh no, don't know what it is real or not.

One don't know whether or not what you're saying is true.

You know, we claim that this is a true story.

And I'm sure some of you people who are really into,

you know, studying history and all you might want to

dispute that, right, It's fine, but just share you my

own story. So I've been born in a Christian family,

so I'm second generation Christian. And of course you know

my name is Elvin, So okay, a Christian family, Christian name.

You know, you adopt some of these practices, and you know,

and I thought I was born in a Christian a

Christian you know, sometimes we all I born in the family,

you know, I say, remember when I was younger and

my mom asked me like, hey, you know what are

you because you're born And I told her I'm English

because I don't speak Chinese.

I speak English.

Okay, y'all know that that that's not right, okay. And

I thought I was born a Christian. I thought I

was born a Christian because I go to a Sunday school.

I have the experience, you know, I know how to

say amen, I know pray. I not do all these

things like I know, not do all the stuff that

Christians do lung.

Okay.

But I never understood that this gift that was given

to us by God was something that I had to

receive myself. I never understood it. I never understood, you know,

I understood everything else I understood about Christmas. I understood

about going to church on a Sunday. I understood that

I have an English Christian name. I know, I understood

how to say Amen, praise the Lord. But I never

understood that I need, actually I need to receive this myself.

I need to say I need to be able to

take the gift myself because it's presented to me. You know,

this gift might be presented to Adeline or my wife,

Jazz or my you know, or Jiavan or different ones.

And just because by proxy I thought that, oh I received,

so she received it is so therefore I receive. That

was what I thought growing up, And it was never

the case. Friends, It was never the case. If if

you are, if you are a believering of Christ, and

you've received Christ as your personal law and save it already,

you will know that it cannot happen by proxy if

you've done it. Of course, if you've not done it,

you might not fully understand. Okay, that's the reality. You

don't experience, you will, Nola. That's why I tell people.

But I want to let you know that this gift

was a gift that I realized I had to receive myself.

It didn't matter that my parents were church believing Christians

going to going to church, you know, and again if

they are not also, it doesn't matter. It didn't matter that,

you know, I went to church every Sunday, or I

speak the lingo and I look like it, or I

wear as, it doesn't matter.

It was a gift that I had to receive myself.

And it's a gift of what When I was twelve

years old, I went for Sunday school on a normal time.

You know, they sang the church songs. If you have

experienced in church, they sang the church songs. They say

you know something, sing song, you don't mean on, you

just sing on?

Okay.

They did all the church things. And I've been doing

it for all my life. And I don't know why.

That day when the teacher, the Sunday school teacher went

up and say, and we always do this in church, right,

for those of you who are familiar, we always say

the same thing. If you want to receive Jesus as

your personal law and savior, If you want to receive

Jesus as your personal law and savior, you can do so.

Today you know and asked me this thing. All you

need to do is admit you're right.

Then you need him, believe that He died for your sins,

and commit your life to Christ.

And you say ABC.

And even there also some people don't have be like,

oh how come so? Yes, it is that easy to

receive a gift? How do you receive it? Gives open

your hand take and then keepler, Right, isn't easy to

receive gift?

Right?

And I don't know why that day, and friends, I

must explain to you, I knew everything I was the teachers. Pat,

I know how to answer the right question. I know

the Bible, but I've never really received Christ as my

personal law and savior. This message is not just for you.

Are friends who do not know Christ yet, or maybe

you heard a little bit about him, And all these

questions are all trying to convert us. And I hope

you don't have the cow perspective over us, Las, but

you have. I hope I'll change your mind today because

it's not just about conversion. It's about receiving a gift

that God has for us. You know what I mean?

And why do we want to share this because I've

benefited so much from it? You know, I benefited so

much from receiving the gift that I want to share everybody.

Of course, we have to be wise, La, because when

you talk about religion people get senif But can I

be honest with us this morning, Kenna. Of course this

sounds quite funny. You know we have an angel that

can speak Korean, right, you know, I mean it was.

A very fun take at the life of Christ. But

the thing that.

Was real was that he was crucifying across and there

was a reason for that. Right, I won't go too

deep too, because I promise the team I'm going to

take a ten million message and I think I'm gonna

be overtime ready. I just want to share that there's

a gift that we have for you this morning, a

gift that friends, if you are believing all this while

and you've never received it yourself, you need to receive

it as well. A gift that you cannot receive by proxy. Oh,

my wife is a Christian, so therefore I am one.

No no, My mommy and daddy is a Christian, so no, no, no. Friends,

it is a g that you have to receive yourself,

because when you receive this gift yourself, you will experience this.

And what is this gift? Let me go to it.

What is this gift that you have to receive yourself.

It is a gift of a relationship with Christ. It

is not just a status. It is not just a position.

It is a relationship. You know, it's relationship relationship. That's

another person.

I know. You talk to the person, you say hello

to the person. You know.

It is not just any gift, but it is a

gift of a relationship with Well Christians, we say this Lord,

and say it jus Christ. Okay, I won't go too

deep into it, right, Okay, you want to find oute,

you can can ask me later. Can I share with

you why we want to share this gift with everybody?

Not just because you want to make our church bigger,

not just because we want to convert everybody.

No no, no, no, no, sicely, no time to do all that.

Can I share with you my own experience that this

gift comes with its privileges?

It does because the first thing that we believe is.

That we are safe from sin and forgiven as long

as we repent. How many of you have made mistakes

before in your life? Isn't it great that you can

come clean with those mistakes? And do you know that

when the other privilege is that we are accepted into

a larger family, God's family. You know, the one thing

I find very interesting about Christians is that we always say, oh,

brother Stephen, sister Jessica. You know, it sounds rare, like, oh,

why do we say that? Because in the Bible it

says when you come into and receive Christ, you are

accepted into the larger family. Right and if you are

not a Christian here, well, if you're a Christian here

you know this is true. And if you're not Christian

here know this is true. You can be anywhere in

the world. But the moment you know that both of

you believe in Christ, suddenly that's a commendary, a connection.

Suddenly you can ask what discounts? Yeah, yeah, just okay,

I'm just jo king. We are also errors. What's errors?

We inherit something.

We're errors to God's kingdom and have access to all

that promise us. Let me give you a perspective on that,

access to what peace, healing, power and authority that God

has given us. It's something we believe, why because we

read the Bible, but it's I tell you something that

is true as well. Isn't it interesting that Christians pray

for the sick? Isn't it interesting? Why do y'all so

superstitious and believe in Lisa that you can actually that

your God can actually heal sick people? Because it is

a gift that we've received of the authority of the

name of Jesus Christ. That's why Christians pray. We don't

pray because we are powerful. We don't pray because I'm

super special. And if you have that perspective, can I

let you know that that's not true. I'm just a

normal person. But I know that when I received Jesus

as my personal law and savior, God's presence and spirit

is with me. And when His presence is with me, Friends,

I will encourage you today. Talk to any Christian ask

them this question. How do you experience peace in your life?

You're not.

Peace is right despite the storms in your life, despite

how crazy things are, despite the problems you facer, and

it's not soft yet we are peace. We know that

things are going to be okay. We know that God

is there and we've experienced him. I'm sure different ones

here have experienced many wonderful testimonies about how God have

moved in your life. And we know what we have

promised true God's word through the Bible. And of course

it takes time to learn to understand, to grow deeper.

I hope I don't confuse us without the bombastic words

I use today. Friends, today, we want to offer you

this gift. I'm gonna do it now. Well back to

what I said just now. All you need to do

is admit that you need God, believe that Christ Jesus

died for his sins, and commit your life to him.

Can I just encourage everyone to just close your eyes

real quick, because you want to give people the little

bit of privacy if you walk into this place, well,

whether you are a profess as a Christian or maybe

you don't know much and you want to know more,

you can respond to this because you know what I'm

going to pray this prayer. I want to let you

know that if you repeat after me in this prayer, well,

we believe as Christians that God will come and reside

in your heart, and when you give your heart to him,

he will come and stay with you and transform your life.

It is a supernatural thing that's happening. It's not a

natural thing. It's not a by name thing. It is

a super natural thing. You understand supernatural. It is a

supernatural thing. So with everybody just closing your eyes, maybe

just my leaders looking our leaders here looking around, because

we want to pray with you and want to give

you this thing called the Sutter Pack. I'm going to

ask you to respond as you're sitting down if you

want to receive this gift today, this gift that we

have for you, well, not this gift, this give that

I receive. This gives a lot of us here received

this gift that you need to receive yourself. Doesn't matter

whether you'll believe it or not. I wonder whether you've

received this gift before.

I hope you have.

Maybe you've not been experiencing God in your life because

you've not really really received this gift properly. I don't

know if you're far away from God, or maybe you

want to say yes to Him for the first time,

or maybe you just want to find out more. Guys,

it's okay. You can find out more. You can receive

this gift tomorrow so or the day after tomorrow. But

if you really feel like maybe something is talking in

your heart, I want to encourage you to just respond

today and don't be shy. So we ask everybody cross

the eye so we won't embarrass anybody here. Right at

the Countral tree, I'm gonna ask you to raise up

your hand real quick so I can see it. Don't

have to raise up so long, just raise up real quick,

put it down so that I can see it, so

that the leaders can see it. Why because you want

to pass you something, not because we want to pull

you aside.

We just want to pass you.

Something to start you on your journey, and when you

receive this gift, I want to encourage you to join

the church because there's so much to learn, so much

to experience, so much to understand about the relationship that

we have with Jesus. And white Christians act a certain

way or do a certain thing, or white Christians are

so at peace even though there's storms in their life.

You can experience the same as well. Friends. Are you ready.

In tree two? Want anybody here? You want to receive

Christ as your personal law and savior.

You want to come back to him.

You can just raise up your hand real quick so

that we can see it. Anybody here, I see you

one hand, I saw another hand. Actually, it's interesting because

the kids are responding.

Well. Children. I hope that you will experience God.

And if you repeat after me, I want to let

you know that Christ will come and resign your life.

Amen.

Let's pray, Lord Jesus, thank you for paying the ultimate

price for my sins by.

Dying on across from me.

I receive your love and forgiveness and eternal life by faith.

Come into my heart and life and be my Lord

and my savior. Feel me with your Holy spirit in

Jesus' name. Amen, friends with I want to encourage you.

Maybe you are too shy to respond here, it's okay.

Can you go up to one of our leaders and

ask for a start effect if you feel like you

want to know more or you want to understand what

this gift is. I'm just going to pass the time

to our worship team to bring us to the next thing.

And I want to encourage you to come and visit

us again, maybe on Christmas Day or next week.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit as church org. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God bless