Experiencing revival through giving | Dr Jill

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

We hope this message will light up your day. Revival,

but revival is basically less of me and more of

You God. Like how we're saying less of me and

more of You. Okay. Now, so today you still have

your Bibles with you? Okay, now, can you hold it

in your hands? And I want to turn us to

the book of Exodus. Exodus is the second book in

the Bible after Genesis, is Exodus. Okay, we are going

to start with Exodus twenty five. Okay, Exodus twenty five.

Are we there yet? Yes, Okay, let me know if

you need a bit more time. Okay. So we are

going to read Exodus twenty five, verse one to verse eight. Yeah, okay.

So just to set a background for us, the children

of Israel were in the land of Egypt. Did the

Egyptians treat the children of Israel good or bad? Bad?

You're right? And it was so bad that they cried

out to God to save them. And did got hear

the cries of the Israelites. Yes, and He actually brought

them out of Egypt miraculously. What things are? How did

God bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. It

was true, the ten plagues and crossing the Raid sea, right,

and then now they are in the wilderness waiting to

travel towards their promised land. Okay, So as we read

Exodus twenty five, the chuldren of Israel are in the wilderness.

They just started camping in the wilderness called long time

more to go. Yeah, and this is what happened. So

Exodus chapter twenty five, Okay, can we put it up

so that, as in the higher part of the screen,

we can try. Can let actually we work something if

it's possible, Okay, all right, Exodus chapter twenty five. We

read verse one and two firsts Okay, so I'm gonna

read for us. The Lord said to Moses verse two,

speak to the people of Israel that they take for

me a contribution. Okay, from every man whose heart moves him,

you shall receive the contribution for me. All right. So

I'm gonna pause here Exodus twenty five, verse one to two.

Just in this few verses we can actually learn so

many things. Yeah. Now, giving is never an easy topic

to talk about in church. Anti Grace, Yeah, Anti Grace

is Adriel's mom and her husband. Her late husband was

a pastor, right, and yeah, so she's a past his wife,

she knows it's one of the toughest things to talk

about in church giving And honestly, in our ex church

preaching calendar, out of fifty two Sundays in the year,

we hardly speak about giving. Actually maybe one two sundays

homes also, maybe one homes a year. Yeah, it's not

an easy topic to talk about. So God give me

grace to do this for your people even but you know,

we have to talk about it. We have to talk

about it because it's part of life, it's part of

our faith, it's part of our growth. Yeah, and here

I feel very encouraged because in verse one and two,

the Lord said to Moses, speak to the people of Israel,

that they may take for me a contribution. Now, was

it Moses's idea to talk to the people about giving? No,

whose idea? Was it? God's idea? It is the Lord

who said to his servant Moses to speak to his

people about giving. It is not Moses's own idea. It

is God's idea. And so even this anniversary giving, it

is not man's idea, Okay, it is God's idea that

has led us to do this giving. All right, So

what we're doing is based on the word of God. Yeah, okay.

The next point I want to draw from even just

this two verses, God says, take for me a contribution

from every man whose heart moves him. You shall receive

the contribution for me. So I feel encouraged again because

is Moses collecting the giving of the Israelites for himself? No?

Is he collecting the giving of the Israelites to give

to the poorer Israelites. No, He's collecting it for God.

Same this aniversary giving, we are collecting it for God.

We are giving it unto our God, the King of

Kings and the Lord of Lords. So it is God

who has commanded us to take up this aniversary giving,

and it is for him, it is not for men. Amen. Amen.

And okay, let's see still in this first two verses,

God says, from every man whose heart moves him, you

shall receive the contribution for me. God doesn't want us

to give just with our hands, but he wants us

to give with our hearts. Actually is, if you really

read into this verse, God will only accept the contribution

if it's really from the person's heart. Because he said

very clearly from every man whose heart moves him, you

shall receive the contribution for me. So God doesn't just

want us to simply give out of pressure, out of convenience,

out of comfort, But God wants us to give what

our heart is really moved to give. You know, how

many of you you have received press in your life?

Raise your hands? You've received at least a present in

your life? Okay? How many of you you know when

someone has actually put pot an effort into your present?

You know, when you know one because it's maybe something

that you need, something that you like, something that suits you. Yeah,

how many of you you you know? So when someone

does simply get you a present out of pressure? Yeah God? Right? Yeah? Yeah?

What was the gift that you received? Ninia, like just

the second Okay, only if the person who gave you

is not in this church, then you can tell. Okay,

if the person is on this church, I will not

it was the person gave you from this church. No, no,

just be honest that I won't ask for the huh. Yes, okay,

I want to ask for the respect I respect. Okay, Okay,

no worries, but you get where going? Okay? As humans, right,

we can tell when someone gives us a gift that

they really put their heart into it, and someone that

just got us a gift because of loose change or

they felt pressurized that they had together as a gift. Right,

then want more. God who sees our hearts, he can

also tell whether we give him something from our hearts

truly or is something that is not from our hearts. Yeah, okay,

you get my point. Thank you, Nina, I will save

you and the person. Okay, we shall not go on

on that case. Right, Let's move on to the next verse.

Let's see yuh okay verse We'll read verse three to

verse seven. So these are all the specific things that

God asked Moses to collect from the children of Israel. Okay,

here we go verse three, and this is a contribution

that you shall receive from them. Go silver and bronze

verse four, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine

twined linen gold's hair verse five. Tanned rams skins, goat skins,

a casier wood verse six, oil for the lambs, spices

for the anointing oil and for the fragrance incense verse seven,

onyx stones and stones for setting for the effort, and

for the breastplate. Wow, how many of you understood the

different things that I mentioned? It completely? Ah, got all

kinds of things that God asked for. Right, But it's

all because he wants to build his sanctuary. Right if

you read read in the next verse. Let's go to

verse eight and let them make me a sanctuary that

I may dwell in their midst Everyone say dwell, dwell

duell means to stay or to abide. Yeah, okay, okay,

we stop here. Now this is a very important verse

for us. Why are we giving to God? Is it

because he needs our money? He made everything, He owes

everything snap of a finger, a single command. The resources

of heaven and Earth are released to us. But God

wants to partner with you, and I say partner. God

wants to partner with you and I to build his

house here on earth so that he can dwell with us. Now,

how many of you you are blessed coming to ex

Cybergaia Raise your hands? How many of you you're blessed?

You're blessed? Okay, thank you for the encouragement, but the

glory goes to God. Do you know why you are blessed?

Being here in ex hyber Jaya. It's not because of

this place. It's a nice place, but it's not because

of this place. It's not even because of the people serving.

They serve excellently, but it's not even because of the

people serving that you are blessed. You are blessed because

whose presence is here? Whose presence? God's presence is here.

And you and I can actually sense God's presence here.

And that's why we keep coming back Sunday after Sunday.

Whether we're well, we're not fully well, we have much,

we have little, we are going through it up or downtime,

we keep coming back to the House of God because

his presence is here. And as we experience God's presence

here for two hours, something happens in us, doesn't it.

You go back lighter, you go back more uplifted. Yeah, yeah,

what is this true? Is it a gen Z language? Okay,

I have no idea. What's these guys all the gen

zs here? Oh? I don't wanna know. I don't wanna know. Okay,

I don't want to know, now mine, it's okay, just kidding,

just kidding, Okay, I don't okay, now mine, But you

get what I mean that we keep coming back to

church because we we we sense God's presence here. We

are so blessed by God's presence. Right, we find that

uh that were lighter, we find more uplifted. We find

that we're strengthened. We find we have direction for the week.

We feel more confident to enter into our week after

tasting God's presence. Oh, taste and see that He is good. Now,

this is the reason why God wants us, one of

the reasons why He wants us to give to him

so that many more people can experience His presence just

like you and I. As we give, we are multiplying

ex Cyberjaya ex Church in more places so that more

can experience God like you and I, so that they

can taste and see that He is good. Amen. Amen,

And you know not only that I want to turn

us now to the New Testament. Just keep your hand

in Exodus, but turn to Philippians chapter four. Sorry XTV.

I did not give you this, but it's okay. We

have our bibles. Philippians chapter four, verse seventeen. Philippians four seventeen.

You know what why else God wants us to give?

Besides partnering with us to build his house so that

more can taste and see that he is good. This

is another reason. Okay, Philippines for seventeen says not that

I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that

increases to your credit. This is what Paul was telling

the church. Yeah, different ones who gave to him. But

I can really hear God saying this to us as well. Jill,

this coming anniversary giving, I'm not seeking your gift. Actually

I don't need your gift. I own everything. But I

seek the fruit slash, the blessing that increases to your credit.

God is not after our gift because he needs our money.

God is after our giving because he wants you to

be blessed, because he loves you and he wants you

to be blessed. Amen. Amen. All right, Now let's go

back to Exodus. And now let's go to Exodus chapter

thirty five, So just ten chapters down. So earlier, in

Exodus chapter twenty five, it was God telling Moses to

tell the children of Israel what to do. Now, ten

chapters later, I'm not sure how much time has passed.

This is the response of the children of Israel. Okay,

let's look at Exodus chapter thirty five, Verse twenty nine.

All the men, and he didn't stop at Manna and women,

and all the women say, yay, we're included to okay,

God counts our givings to yeah. The people of Israel,

whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work

that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done,

brought it. Everyone say, brought it? They did it. They

did it. They responded to God's call to give. But

did they do it just because God asked them to?

Moses asked them to let's finish the verse? They brought

it as a free will offering. Everyone say, free will

to the Lord. I'm so glad that the children of

Israel chose to respond to God's call. God asked them

to give free willingly, and they really gave free willingly.

Our God is such a gentleman from the beginning of time.

He's always given us free will. Even in the area

of giving. He can call, he can encourage, but he

can never force, and he still wants it to be

a free will choice of ours to give. Same in church,

we never force you to give, but we encourage you,

and we leave it to how your heart is moved

and stirred Okay, I want to just passive for a

while to talk about how revival ties into giving. Okay,

medically right, a heart a person that is alive and

their heart is beating, the heart is still soft. But

the moment a person dies and the heart stops beating,

the whole body actually stiffens up. It starts to become stiff,

including the heart. So a heart that is alive is

a heart that remains soft. A heart that is dead

is a heart that is hardened. And in a revival,

in other words, also is to have our hearts remain

soft before God, we are alive. But the opposite of

revival is being dead in the Lord having a heart

heart And how does that? How our natural heart remain

soft because it's constantly pumping out blood from its chambers,

is constantly giving. Our heart that constantly gives is a

heart that remains soft. And it's gonna be more than

just money. Money is just one example of giving. But

remember two weeks ago I spoke about how giving of

our tides is more than just money. Right, it's our time,

it's our talent, right, it's all of our lives. You

want a heart that revived, You want a heart that's soft.

You want a heart that's soft, it's a heart that

keeps giving. The moment your heart stops giving, we are

not here, we become heart. And so that's how revival

is also tip in with giving. It's one of the

ways that we keep our heart soft. In fact, the

Bible in Matthew G said, you know you can only

have one master. You cannot serve both God and memon money.

Why did he say you cannot serve God and love,

or you cannot serve God and fame or God and power?

Why did he choose money of all things? He knows

it's really perhaps one of our greatest challenges as a

human being, if not the greatest challenge. You know, years

ago when Passage and I first started doing pre marriage

No no that time, no, we haven't started doing pre

marriage counseling, but we were gonna get married, and we

were recommended to read a particular book called Marriage as

God Intended by Selwyn Hughes. I'm not sure whether some

of you have read it, Marriage as God Intended by

Selwing Hughes. Good book, and I remember reading inside one

of the chapters, right. The author is a Christian author.

He wrote that the main reason why many couples choose

to separate and get divorced is not because of unfaithfulness,

because I thought it's because of unfaithfulness, like having a

third party in the marriage. But research at that time

shows that the number one reason why couples got into

fights and they separated is because of money. The issue

of money, how each other handled finances, and they had

different ways of handling the finances, couldn't agree finally, yeah,

or maybe one person couldn't hold a job down and

kept taking the life out of the other person. Yeah,

and so it's very real. You know, money is a

big thing in our lives, and that's why God wants

to touch this in our lives. The giving give my time,

o killer. I think I can give my encouragement easy,

just say nice words only ha big bread. Also not

so not so tough bigs our door. But give my

money or it's tough. It's tough. But that's exactly where

God wants at touched. Because if we can keep giving

of our finances to him, this one way we keep

our heart soft before him. Don't hold on too tightly

to our money, right Yeah, Okay, So I'm going to

come back now it just felt to release that. Okay,

where are we, Let's go. Let's now go to Exodus

thirty six. Exodus thirty six, Okay, let's go to verse three. Okay,

verse three. Here, so the people already gave okay, verse three,

and they received from Moses. These are all the skillful craftsmen.

They received from more Moss, all the contribution that the

people of Israel had brought for doing the work on

the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him free will offerings

every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing

every sort of task on the sanctuary came each from

the task that he was doing, and said to Moses,

the people brought so much more than enough for doing

the work that the Lord had commanded us to do

verse six. So Moses gave the command, and word was

proclaimed throughout the camp. Let no man or woman do

anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary. So the

people were restrained from bringing for the material they had

was sufficient to do all the work and more. Wow,

you know when revival will really, really, you know, come

is when we can say, right, ex Church, stop giving,

we have enough, because you've given so much, we have

enough to do the current work and more. Wow, that

will be really a sign of revival, don't you think so?

Based on the word of God. It's not my word

that it's got a word. Wow. I was amazed because yeah,

I mean the call was given, once the people responded,

once done, case close, transactions settled. But no, they keep

bringing and bringing and bringing until Moses had to say

stop bringing enough for really no space to keep in

the storehouse, all the things that you bring so serious,

until all the hate craftsmen had to stop their work

at all. Like a union like that, you know, protest.

We want to protest to you, why too much resources?

Not not enough resources? It's too much resources. Wow. We

never heard that kind of workers union ever, Right, workers

union always protests because not enough resources. This one is

workers union protests because too much resources. But that's revival

when there's so much of God all around us a man, Wow,

very very encouraging. Okay, I don't know when we get

to that point, we'll see how the lot moves our hearts.

But it just goes to show it is possible to

actually overgive, overgive. Wow. God, we want that as ex

church is a sign you know, or revivers as well. Yeah,

and okay, so that And you know, the amazing thing

is that these people I remember, were they still living

in Egypt? No, right, were they already in the Promised Land?

Where were the group of people in the world wilderness?

And still in the wilderness, God can actually ask them

to give, and they gave. And I want to encourage

all of us. Some of us may feel like we're

in the wilderness. Maybe it's a difficult time in our lives.

Maybe we feel like we don't have much to give,

maybe we feel our future is very uncertain. The children

of Israel felt all of this. They came out of

Egypt that had a lot of resources, but they couldn't

touch the resources. They are not in the Promised Land yet.

What they have was what they plundered from the Egyptians.

But even that can run out over time. Right, But

even in the wilderness, the children of Israel still obeyed

God to give in the wilderness, and they over gave.

Come on, Church, we too can give in our wilderness

and we can overgive. Amen, Come on, because it's God

who will supplying all our needs. Yeah, let's turn back

to Philippins chapter four. Back, so between Exodus and Philippians

philippiins chapter four, verse nineteen. Why can we give even

when we're in a wilderness season, maybe in our finances,

maybe in our lives. Wilderness means it's a tough season,

it's a dry season, yeah, Philippines four nineteen says, and

my God will supply some need, a little need, oh,

every need of yours, according to His riches in Glory

in Christ Jesus. The children of Israel could give an

overgive because they had faith that their God was able

to supply every need that they had, and so they

gave in faith same like the woman. Let's turn to

Mark chapter twelve, and I think on the end of

the scripture, I don't know soon Mark chapter twelve, verse

forty one to forty eight. Today our fingers exercise a bitna.

But do you know the sound of flipping pages is

so pleasant, nice white noise. Okay, Mark Chapter twelve, verse

forty one two forty am, I right, yes, forty four okay, okay.

This talks about the widows offering verse forty one. And

he which is Jesus, sat down opposite the treasury and

watched the people putting money into the offering box. While

imagine this coming anniversary service. Jesus is there opposite our

ex Cyberjaya collection, back, opposite every church plan, Bagla. He

can be omni present, right, yes, and he's watching. You

know how we are giving. It's not the word we

are giving, but the how. Right. Okay, continue this verse.

Many rich people put in large sums verse forty two,

and a poor widow came and put in two small

copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his

disciples to him and said to him, say to them, truly,

I say to you, this poor widow has put in

more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.

For they all contributed out of their abundance. But she,

out of her poverty, has put in everything she had,

all she had to live on. So Jesus was watching

how the rich people gave and how the poor widow gave.

And although on the outside the rich people gave more money,

but in God's eyes, the widow gave more because they

gave out of their abundance. Maybe they gave one thousand

ring gate, but they actually are million airs and billion

as it's not there at all. It's not their best.

But the poor widow maybe only gave ten ring gid,

but this was going to buy two meals for her,

and she was going to go to work all back

tomorrow to get another ten ring gate to survive for

the next day. But she gave the ten ring gate,

which is her all, because she believes that God deserves

only her best. And in God's eyes, the poor widow

who gave ten ring gid but it was one hundred percent,

gave more than the rich man who gave one thousand

ring gate but out of his billionaire account, you know

what I mean? And so God is looking at not

what we gave. You know, is how we give? Are

we giving out all our best? Are we giving in

faith sacrificially something that would cost us or even hurt

us out? You know? For me personally, when I talk

about faith giving, like especially for anniversary Sunday or missions pledge.

For me, how I calculate the amount to give is

I keep increasing. I start from a base of what

I have, and I keep increasing the number until it

comes to a point. Are you it hurts God? Ouch?

And that's the number to start giving for me? For me, okay,

it's it's just how how I work it out. We've

God it. It's still a comfortable number. I know that's

not faith for me. If it comes to a point

where you God, ouch, it's very painful to give this amount.

I cannot. I cannot. Then that's the amount to give.

That's what Mila and I've done it before. I've done

it before two significant instances. One was before I got married.

I was working as a junior doctor in the government

hospital and we had on calls and I used to

do a lot on calls, like at least three times

a week, and we get on call allowance those days.

Not much these days more, but still can come up

to an additional twenty percent in my monthly salary. Yeah,

there's a big amount. Yeah. And so I remember there

was a call to raise our church building fund in

the year twenty ten, and that was the year that

Passejet and I were going to get married. And the

timing was quite similar. When we're going to get married

and when we had to raise the money by So

the question was do I save up from our wedding

or do I give to the building fund for church?

And I felt the conviction to to give to the

building fund to dedicate my own call allowance for six

months to the building fund, and it was painful. It's

painful for me because we have done so much more

for our wedding or live after that with the extra money.

But I just wanted to be obedient to God and

gave and gave right, gave to God. And after that

we have seen God bless us so much. You know.

One of the testimonies that came out is just even

immediately so we went for honeymoon in punk or Loud,

and we just booked like the cheapest room there possible,

and then the hotel just decided to upgrade us to

the most expensive suite. Yeah it has the big big

Bosler God. Yeah, you know. Also, and that's one of

the many blessings we managed to cover for our wedding,

no debts. We started with surplus in our marriage. And

God has blessed us so much, you know, yeah, even

up to now. So you know, God is no man's debtor.

You give him this although it's your everything, he gives

you so much more. I mean I've experienced that in God. Amen.

So that's one of the testimonies. But we give out

of obedience a man out of faith. Sometimes still it

causes something or it hurts, but then we trust God. God,

You're gonna come true a lot, yes, amen. Okay, And

finally we're gonna end with this verse. Let's turn back

to Exodus chapter forty, and extreme can come up. Ready,

we're gonna end Exodus chapter forty will end with this.

It is actually the last chapter of Exodus as well. Okay,

I'm going to read from verse thirty three, the second part,

all the way to verse thirty eight. Okay, Extodus forty,

verse thirty three, the second part. So Moses finished the

work verse thirty four. Then the cloud covered the tent

of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle,

and Moses was not able to enter the tent of

meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory

of the Lord filled the tabernacle verse thirty six. Throughout

all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from

over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.

But if the cloud was not taken up, then they

did not set out till the day that it was

taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on

the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night.

In the sight of all the House of Israel throughout

all their journeys, full stop, and the book ends at

the end of the day. Right we gave because we

want to continue to have God's presence with us as

we journey on in life. Because we want to continue

to please God, and when we please God, God's presence

is with us throughout our journeys in life. Tell me, friends,

what do you actually really really need? Do you really

need all the money in the world, This is what

you really really need? I mean, it's good, you can

do a lot of things. I also want. I don't

mind more money, can do more things, right, But is

it what you really really need? What we really need

in life is God's presence with us. You've got God's presence.

You have is everything you have money, it's just money.

You may not know what to do even with tons

of money. We have a lot of rich people that

are stuck. They don't know how to take the next

step forward. They have no peace. But the rich ones

who know God are the different story. These are the

ones who do not have God's presence in their lives.

What we really really need in our journeys of life

is God's presence to be with us to be a

good shepherd. Amen. Yeah, because we've got as a good shepherd.

He will lead us into green pastures besides still waters,

in paths. He will lead us in paths of righteousness

for his namesake. And do we walk to the valleys

at times? Do we need to get afraid? No, because

He is with us, and it's rot and stuff comforts us.

And even in the presence of our enemies, he still

prepares a table a feast before us. We can still

thrive even when people are against us. Surely he's you know,

and he annoys our hate with all and our cup

runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us some

days of our lives, all the days of our lives.

And what does David conclude in the end that I

may dwell in the house of the Lord forever? That yes, ultimately,

our goal is to have God's presence with us. In

his presence we have all these blessings that some twenty

three mentions. But even all these blessings are David alluded

that it cannot compare to God's presence in the end.

So it's still back to God's presence. We give that

our heart remains soft, and that we continue to attract

God's presence in our life because of our obedience. Our

obedience is the one that attracts him, not the amount

that we give. Remember, God is not after our gif

at all. He's after the fruit that will increase to

our credit. Amen. And so I just want to encourage

your friends, even as we continue to pray and prepare

for the anniversary giving, that you will give as your

heart is moved, and that as you give, maybe a

free will giving, and may you experience really just more

of God in your life as you give with the

right heart. And may your fruit increase amen, Amen, And

may more come to know Jesus. Amen. Maybe you can

just show the picture, so, okay, how we're gonna do

the giving also is also next Sunday. When you arrive

at guen Cheung High School Hall. You will need to

get an envelope to give. If you want to give

a get an envelope and then putting your giving into it.

If it's physical giving, if it's online, you can just

write something on the envelope, okay. And I believe we

will be giving by homes. So this is a picture

of our home CY four giving last year at twenty

fifth Anniverse Reserving. Yeah, so every homes leader will be

given a pouch and then homies. That's why we sit

together in the same area, so that it's easy to

find for each other. Homies. Rarely surround your homes leader

with your giving in the envelope. And then we're going

to pray together over the giving, and then we're going

to put it in together by faith unto the Lord. Okay,

so this is visually how it might look like. Just

that this year we don't sit around round tables. We

will be sitting theaters out like this, seats only, no tables,

no food, no luncher this round. Yeah. Yeah, because last

year was special, twenty fifth maybe our third fifth, we

will do something extra special as well. Okay, yeah, so

this was our homes bursting at it seems, yes, giving

this soul, get ready to seek the Lord given faith.

Give us a homes amen ken. Okay, all right, come,

let's stand and let me just pray over us and

then I'll pass the time back to Andrew. Thank you, Laurd.

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

information on our church, please visit exchurch do org. We

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

this week is going to be a good week, a

hit for you. God bless