David Yonggi Cho gave his final sermon for CGI-AC 2010 on living by the Spirit.
The morning of May 30, the last day of CGI-Asia Conference 2010, was one that would change the lives of 12 City Harvest Church leaders. After years of ministry and discipleship, they were ordained as assistant pastors, stepping up to higher levels of leadership and responsibilities in various ministries. Dr. David Yonggi Cho laid his hands on the 12, and presented them with their certificates.
Following, Taiwanese singer-composer Chen Wei Quan and The Millennial Orchestra and Choir gave pitch-perfect performances to an audience that included the Grand Imam of Badshahi Mosque in Pakistan and Ambassador Oh Joon, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Singapore.
Anchoring his message on John 6 in the Bible, Cho pointed out the difference between the disciples Philip and Andrew.
Philip focused on what they did not have, acting in the natural as he counted that it would take almost a whole year’s wages to buy enough food for each person. On the other hand, Andrew operated in the Fourth Dimension, believing that Jesus would have some use for what they did have—five small loaves and two fish.
Through that small offering, Jesus was able to perform one of His biggest miracles. Not only was every stomach filled, but there were 12 baskets full of leftover. “God always works with what we have, not what we don’t have,” stated Cho.
“As such, we need to shift our gear from Third Dimensional thinking (operating in the natural) to Fourth Dimension thinking (operating in the spiritual),” he said. “Christ lives in the supernatural through our faith, our words of proclamation, our thinking as well as our visions and dreams.”
Cho shared that many times, as he was going through the most difficult times of his life, he wondered if Jesus was with him. “Looking back, I can see that He has really been with me every step of the way. Jesus is always where we need Him.”
“Christ was always meeting the dire needs of the people,” he added. He spoke from his own life-changing experience. Born in 1936 in South Korea, Cho’s childhood was steeped in eastern beliefs. At 17, he contracted tuberculosis and was lying on his deathbed when his sister’s Christian friend shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with him.
Desperate to live, he cried out to an unknown God, “If you heal me, I will be a minister; l will go to the ends of the world for you!” He felt warmth go through his heart, and from that time, he got better and better. In less than a year, he rose from his deathbed and his life changed completely. “Christ is the source of life. I knew that once I had Jesus, I would be healed.
“By reading the Bible, we renew our minds. Don’t act based on what you see, hear, taste or desire. Only act according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.”
Cho spoke at length of the necessary partnership with the Holy Spirit for all fruitful believers. Every faith-filled believer does not walk alone. “We are not orphans, we have a heavenly helper in the Holy Spirit,” he said. Describing his partnership with Him, he elaborated, “Every morning before I begin my day, I welcome and praise the Holy Spirit. I say to Him, ‘Let’s go!’ With the Holy Spirit, I can preach the gospel. I can bring the kingdom of heaven into the hearts of men. With the Holy Spirit, you will be a successful Christian and lead a victorious life.”
Going further, he added, “With the Holy Spirit, you can have visions and dreams. The Bible says that without vision, the people perish. How do you know if you have a vision and a dream? Well, do you have a fervent desire in your heart for the future? If yes, that is your vision!” Quoting from Romans 4:17, he reminded the congregation that God calls into being things that were not.
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| CN PHOTOS: Desmond Tan and Michael Chan |
He gave an example of praying for a woman who was stricken with throat cancer. As she kept saying, “Pastor, I’m dying,” he kept on praying for her but nothing happened. Just before he gave up, the Holy Spirit spoke to him, prompting him to ask her to go to a prayer grotto on Prayer Mountain in South Korea, and write down the Bible verse as found in 1 Peter 2:24—By His stripes I am healed—10,000 times.
After she left, he put the incident away in his mind but after 10 days, the woman returned and said to him in a clear voice, “I have finished writing!” By repeatedly visualizing and writing down the promise of God for healing, the woman was healed of her sickness. He reiterated the essence of his first session on Day One, “Christianity without miracles is not Christianity at all.
“Even if you are not healed on the spot, you should say what God says and you should believe what God believes; what God sees, you should see also.
“We must always speak creative words as God works through your proclamations. Nothing positive will ever happen if you speak negatively. God does not look for PhDs, He looks for humble people. When you walk with Jesus, you can do all things.”
Cho ended by telling the congregation, “The whole world is in a state of disorder. We need God’s intervention. I pray that all of you will be the ones leading God’s work throughout the world.” The session closed with a discernable sense of God’s universal love for the whole of humanity, as senior pastor of CHC, Kong Hee, led in a prayer for the various nations in Asia.
