Close Encounter with the Third Person

Tuesday, 11th September 2007

Back in the 1980s, there was a popular movie entitled "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".

Today, I shall blog about my close encounter with the Third Person in the Trinity.

On 5th August (the day after I was relieved from leadership), I had, out of impulse, gone to New Creation Church to join 15,000 in worshipping the LORD.

However, as I sat there waiting for the service to start, the LORD impressed upon me that I had gotten ahead of His timing because I was there without my family members. I repented, went home and ended up going to PLMC with them.

You can read more about that incident here).

Well, in just a matter of only 3 weeks after that, the LORD has allowed that wonderful day to come to pass! Hallelujah!

On 23 Aug, I was invited by a Pastor of a mega-church to a meal at Pepper Lunch at Suntec City. That evening, I shared with my family that the food was fabulous and told them that I would take them to one of the outlets for a meal some day.

Three days later (on 26 Aug), I received an sms at about 12.45pm from churchmate Philip Ng (who happened to be attending NCC's 2nd service), that he found the sermon on Ruth to be so wonderful and edifying. I told him that I would try to persuade my family to attend the 4th service that evening and to commit my entire family in prayer.

I went on to ask my wife and kids whether they would like to attend the 4th service, after which I would then bring them to Pepper Lunch for dinner.

Thank God for answering our prayers in the most wonderful of ways!

At about 4.30pm, nothing was confirmed. Then suddenly at 4.35pm, my daughter told me she would go. Three minutes later, my son (who was on the computer) said he wanted to tag along as well. And then my wife came into the car as well, so at 4.45pm, we made our way to Suntec City!

After parking the car, we were already about 10 minutes late for the service and were prepared to sit in one of the overflow rooms. But the LORD's favour was upon us, and we were ushered to four seats right in the centre of the Rock Auditorium, located just behind the AVA crew!

The next 2.5 hours were just so wonderful and awesome. It was truly a close encounter with the Holy Spirit. The anointing was so strong that I wept during the worship (even though the songs were not familiar to me). I wept when we partook of the bread and wine. I wept during the offering. And needless to say, I wept during the sermon on Ruth. At the end of the service, I felt so refreshed and uplifted, as though my spiritual batteries were fully recharged to face the week ahead.

We then proceeded to Pepper Lunch for dinner.

As I sat there pondering over what had just happened, the strange thing is that the desire that God has placed in my heart is not so much to go back to NCC every week for another close encounter with His Holy Spirit. Rather, the desire is to have a similar encounter take place back in my own church!

I felt the LORD telling me, "Son, can you see my favour upon NCC? I bestow my favour, but I have no favourites. Now, would you like to see my favour upon PLMC as well?"

It was as though the LORD was allowing me to catch a glimpse of what an anointed close encounter with the Third Person is supposed to be like, so as to have a faith picture to carry back to the church of my own forefathers.

The day I had lunch with that Pastor was also my dad's birthday. That very evening, I passed him a copy of Destined to Reign as a birthday present. It moves my heart to find out that he has started to read it. Perhaps he is doing so because he is curious to know why his son would be willing to give up his positions as cell leader and treasurer. But it does not really matter, so long as he gets exposed to the grace gospel.

It is going to be wonderful and exciting times ahead for me in PLMC, and I will allow the LORD to lead me one day at a time. Even though I no longer hold leadership positions in church, I strongly believe that the LORD can still make use of me to make a difference. The LORD has given me a flair for writing, and I intend to use it to blog for His glory. Amen?