GREATER BLESSINGS
Early Year Message of IFGF General Chairman: Pastor Jimmy Oentoro
Happy new year to all the IFGF Global Pastors!
Greater Blessing is our big theme for this year and we will learn the truth of God’s Word, especially from the book of James. When we talk about blessings people usually think about success, wealth, money, promotions, homes, cars, health and so much more and these are not wrong because God really wants to bless the lives of his children. But the writer, the Apostle James, brings us believers to a new paradigm with blessings whose value is more permanent and more valuable than just the blessings sought by people in the world but that which we call “untold blessing”.
Entering the beginning of 2020 in January, we were shocked by the news of disasters that occurred around us, including:
- Large floods that hit most of Jakarta and destroyed many building and house facilities and even claimed lives.
- Forest fires in the Bushby Flat area in Sydney which destroyed 51 thousand hectares of land and also destroyed many houses in the Rapville village.
- Ukraine’s Boeing 737 which crashed in the Iranian area with 176 people were killed instantly.
- The spread of the Wuhan Corona Virus which has surpassed 17,000 cases in China and has also spread to other countries. WHO said the outbreak of this virus has spread to 14 countries.
How do we respond to these unwanted events and still say that God is preparing blessings for His children this year? Let’s look at what James said in James 1: 2-4
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” – NIV.
– James 1: 2-4 –
God’s way to purify faith and shape the character of believers is through problems, challenges and difficulties. Highly valuable diamonds are formed through a process of very high pressure under ground. Just as well, gold must be burned at a high temperature so that other objects (rubbish) attached are knocked out so that the valuable precious metals can remain. All difficult events or sufferings in our lives are allowed by God to process us to be diligent, obtain ripe fruit so that we are more perfect and not lacking anything.
Reportedly at this time evangelism is happening openly in China, especially in the Wuhan area where the virus originated. People who are frightened (afraid of death, afraid of being separated from family, etc.) are invited to pray and even be accommodated in the homes of Christians who are willing to sacrifice because they are moved by God’s love for those who do not know Christ. Those who do not yet believe in Jesus saw the sincerity of the Christians, eventually many of them have turned, repented and accepted Jesus. At this time no longer screams of fear are heard but many expressions of joy for receiving the blessing of eternal life because of the spread of the virus. It is a blessing that is permanent and very valuable, the salvation of souls through the actions and character of the Christian family who prays and opens their homes to accommodate victims of the Corona virus.
Similar to what has been done by IFGF and World Harvest after the flood disaster in Jakarta and surrounding areas. The IFGF and WH team jointly carried out a flood care action and provided assistance to flood victims. The team succeeded in helping more than 800 flood victims in Jakarta, Tangerang, Bekasi, and families of IFGF and WH themselves. This is one of the “untold blessings” discussed above.
We are invited by God to not only focus on physical and visible blessings, but there are eternal and permanent blessings that are actually very valuable in God’s eyes, like the growth of our faith into a persevering and mature person. This year we will explore the contents of the extraordinary book of James together!
