Ascension of the Lord

"Keys To A Lively And Healthy Faith"

Rev Wong Onn Thau

16 May 2010

Mark 14:32-36: They came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James, and John with him. Distress and anguish came over him, and he said to them, "The sorrow in my heart is so great that is almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch."

He went a little further on, threw himself on the ground, and prayed that, if possible, he might not have to go through that time of suffering. "Father, " he prayed, "My Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want."

*How do we keep our faith alive, vibrant and healthy?
*Faithful clues are found in the garden of Gethsemane

4 keys of a lively and vibrant faith
1. Continue to pray hard
*Prayer is important
*Jesus was a man of prayer, can't escape that fact
*If Jesus needed to pray, how much more should we pray
*Jesus wanted to be in touch with his father
*Prayer is conversation and friendship with God
*If we don't pray, our faith will shrink, shrivel and die
*When they face trouble, they don't know how to pray
*We don't need a special language to communicate with God

2. Continue to grow and learn
*Study, question and clear the air
*Jesus was open to new truth in the garden
*When we stop growing and learning, our faith will shrink, shrivel and die
*Sometimes our faith have not even pass standard 1
*We need God to nourish, water and sunlight us to grow

3. We must continue to obey God
*Jesus was obedient "Not what I want but what you want"
*Come what may obedience
*The land of faith that would not die- rooted in Christian "thy will be done obedience"

4. Determination and Perserverance
*Jesus had every reason to drop out
*"Father into your hands, I commit"
*Don't quit on the church
*When things are going against us, we often quit
*Paul had a co-worker which is very capable but not well known
Why? because he quit, He was Demas

2 Timothy 4:9-11: Do your best to come to me soon. Demas fell in love with this present world and has deserted me, going off to Thessalonica. Crescens wet to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, becaus he can help me in the work.



**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**