TIMES OF RENEWAL (PART 2)

TIMES OF REST AND REFRESHINGThere is a powerful connection between praying in tongues and experiencing spiritual rest and refreshing.Isaiah prophesied about the "stammering lips and another tongue" in Isaiah 28:11-12. This is a prophetic revelation of the New Testament gift of tongues, designed to bring rest to the weary.It is further supported by Acts 3:19, which speaks of "times of refreshing" coming from the presence of the Lord.“11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, 12 To whom He said, ‘This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,' and, “This is the refreshing” – Isaiah 28:11–12 (NKJV).“… times of refreshing may come from the Presence of the Lord,” – Acts 3:19 (NKJV).In the Presence of the Lord is a time of rest and refreshing. Waiting before God in prayer will not only renew your strength, but also bring great refreshing to your spirit.“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” – 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NKJV).God is always present within the believer (1 Corinthians 3:16), the manifest presence—which brings tangible refreshing—is cultivated through active engagement, such as praying in the Spirit. This practice is presented as the antidote to spiritual dryness.Think of a smartphone battery. The battery is always there, but it only provides power when charged. Similarly, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, but praying in tongues acts as the charger, plugging us into the divine power source, replenishing our spiritual energy, and preventing us from running dry.When feeling spiritually depleted, anxious, or overwhelmed, intentionally set aside time to pray in tongues. View it not just as a religious duty, but as a vital spiritual "R&R" (Rest and Refreshing) session, allowing the Holy Spirit to minister peace and renewal to your inner being.BUILDING STRENGTH AND RECEIVING POWER“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you …” – Acts 1:8 (NKJV).Jesus told His disciples to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit that the Father promised. That gift was given to them on Pentecost when they were baptised in the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes upon them to baptise them and to give them the gift of speaking in unknown tongues, the power of the Holy Spirit will come upon them. They will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them.“A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally …” – 1 Corinthians 14:4 (NLT).It is translated as strengthen, build, edify. Speaking in tongues will build and strengthen your spirit. For times of refreshing, as we constantly speak in tongues, we come into the manifest Presence of the Lord to worship, build, and strengthen our spirit.When we speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit comes upon us to anoint us with His power to worship, build, and strengthen our spirit. The Holy Spirit is in our spirit. However, there is the power of the Holy Spirit that comes upon us when we speak in tongues. This Presence of God is different from the Presence of God that is already in our spirit. For times of refreshing in the Presence of the Lord, to renew, strengthen, and build our spiritual strength, we need to worship and speak in tongues to build and strengthen our spirit.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

更新的时刻 (二)

安息与舒畅的时刻方言祷告与经历属灵的安息与得力有着密不可分的联系。 先知以赛亚在以赛亚书28章 11 至 12 节预言了“异邦人的嘴唇和外邦人的舌头”，原文意思是“磕巴的嘴唇和别样的话语”。这是对新约方言恩赐的先知性启示，这一恩赐的目的是让疲乏之人得享安息。使徒行传3章 19 节也印证了这一点，经文记载必有“安舒的日子”从主面前来到。“11‘主要用磕巴的嘴唇和别样的话语对这百姓说话。’12 他曾对他们说：‘你们要使疲乏人得安息，这样才得安息，才得舒畅。’……”—— 以赛亚书 28:11-12【新钦定版】“…… 这样，那安舒的日子就必从主面前来到，”—— 使徒行传 3:19在主面前的每一刻都是安息与舒畅的时刻。在祷告中等候神，你不但能够重新得力，你的灵也会大得舒畅，全然更新。“岂不知你们是神的殿，神的灵住在你们里头吗？”—— 哥林多前书 3:16神一直都住在信徒里面（哥林多前书3:16），但那种能带来切实舒畅的、彰显出来的同在，需要通过主动亲近祂才能得着，而在灵里祷告便是途径之一。这样的操练是属灵干涸的解毒剂。我们可以拿手机电池作比方：电池始终存在，但只有充电后才能供给电量。同理，圣灵内住在我们里面，而方言祷告如同充电器，将我们连接于属天的能力源头，补足我们属灵的精力，避免心灵陷入枯竭。当你感到灵命枯竭、内心焦虑，或是压力重重时，要特意留出时间用方言祷告。不要只把它视作一项宗教义务，而要将其当作至关重要的属灵休养，允许圣灵服事你的内心，使灵魂得着平安与更新。造就自己，得着能力“但圣灵降临在你们身上，你们就必得着能力……”—— 使徒行传 1:8耶稣吩咐门徒等候父所应许的圣灵恩赐。于是在五旬节那天，门徒们受圣灵的洗，领受了这份恩赐。耶稣说，圣灵降临在他们身上，使他们受圣灵之洗、得着说方言的恩赐时，圣灵的能力也必临到他们；圣灵降临，他们就必得著能力。“说方言的，是造就自己……”—— 哥林多前书 14:4这个词有“坚固、建造、造就”的含义。说方言能够建造、坚固你的灵。当我们时常使用方言祷告，就能常常进入神清晰可感的同在，在敬拜中让自己的灵被建造、得坚固，我们也在这样的时刻得到更新与舒畅。我们用方言祷告时，圣灵就降在我们身上，用祂的能力膏抹我们，让我们可以敬拜神，同时建造、坚固自己的灵。 圣灵就住在我们的灵里，但当我们开口说方言，就会有圣灵的能力临到我们身上。这种同在与原本内住在我们灵里的神的同在并不相同。 若要亲身沐浴在主的同在中、得着心灵的安息舒畅，更新、坚固我们属灵的力量，我们就需要用方言敬拜和祷告，在属灵层面建造并坚固自己的灵。耀光牧师新加坡信心教会请访问我们的中文播客,faithchurch.sg/牧师手札/#牧师手札 ... See MoreSee Less