Kong Hee Podcast

Prayer does not begin with our desire for God. It begins with God’s desire for us—He has been waiting for us from eternity. In this sermon, I'll talk about how prayer develops like love: we move from mental prayer, to prayer in the Spirit, and finally to contemplative prayer.

Jesus loves to pray—and He prayed often: at His baptism, before His ministry began, early in the morning, late at night, when facing major decisions, on the cross—and even today in heaven, Jesus is still praying. Let's unpack the five powerful benefits of prayer with me!

When Jesus teaches on prayer in Luke 11, He describes three progressive movements in prayer: asking, seeking, and knocking. Each step takes us into an ever-deepening relationship with God. Asking in prayer is likened to entering the Outer Court of the tabernacle. Seeking God is entering the Holy Place. Knocking is coming into the Holy of Holies—coming into union with God. I want to encourage you to stay long enough to have long, unhurried discussions with the Holy Spirit. Only then will our lives be truly transformed.

The prophet Isaiah declared, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned." Christmas is God sending his Son Jesus to bring light into our darkness, to give us a better life, filled with love, joy, peace and a purpose for living.

In A Failure of Nerve, Dr Edwin Friedman reminds us that “in an anxious world, what is most needed are non-anxious leaders.” I'm challenging us to walk in the way of Jesus by embracing His self-differentiation and non-anxious presence through five practices: 1) slow-down spirituality, 2) Sabbath rest, 3) silence and solitude, 4) devotional love, and 5) detachment.

In this final instalment of The Emblems of the Holy Spirit series, I'll be sharing about the Fire of the Holy Spirit—His presence, purity, power, passion, and prompting. The fire of the Spirit rekindles our hearts, setting them ablaze and alive once more.

In Numbers 16, Israel faced God’s judgment for their rebellion—a deadly plague had begun, and 14,700 people died. God had to deal with their sin, but He raised up Moses and Aaron—faithful intercessors—to stand in the gap. Aaron, the high priest, ran straight into danger, “standing between the living and the dead,” and the plague stopped. This Special Offering weekend, I'll be sharing the final page of the “report card” on Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan, reminding us: wherever we stand, the plague—of hunger, poverty, hopelessness, and darkness—will stop.

During a severe drought, God sent the prophet Elijah to a poor widow in Zarephath (1 Kings 17), who was down to her last meal. As she gave to Elijah in faith, her little became much, and there was food every day for Elijah, herself, and her family. In this sharing, I'll be giving a “report card” on Indonesia, "Church Without Walls", and our Jurong West campus. Like the widow with only a handful of flour and a little oil, as we obey the Word of the LORD and give in faith, the little we place in Jesus’ hands will keep multiplying.

In Genesis 14, Abraham encountered Melchizedek, the king of righteousness and peace, who blessed him in the name of God Most High. In gratitude, Abraham gave a tithe of all. This moment foreshadows Jesus, our Great High Priest, who blesses us so we can bless others. As we receive and give, God’s love and provision flow through us, spreading His goodness to the nations. In this sharing, I'll be presenting a “report card” of how God has been using the church to bless nations in South Asia and even the Middle East.

The miracle of feeding the 5,000—with only five loaves and two fish—shows us that a little always becomes much in the Master’s hands. Just as Jesus BLESSED, BROKE, and GAVE—likewise, Jesus, the Bread of Life, is blessing, breaking, and giving us to the nations. In this first "annual report," I'll be sharing how God is multiplying our lives to impact the Philippines.

In Part 5 of The Emblems of the Holy Spirit series, I share on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. If oil is the emblem, the anointing is the substance—the real work of God within us, transforming our hearts and lives. We need two kinds of anointing: the anointing within and the anointing upon—and both come through the Holy Spirit.

In Part 4 of The Emblems of the Holy Spirit series, I share how oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit. Just as we need oil in every part of our lives—our wounds, our homes, our faith, our minds, and our offerings—we need the anointing of the Holy Spirit flowing in and through us.

In Part 2 of The Emblems of the Holy Spirit series, I explore the symbols of Water, Rain, Dew, and the River. The Holy Spirit is living water for the thirsty, rain that pours out God’s love and favour, dew that gently refreshes in stillness, and a river that empowers us to bring life and healing to the world.

In this new series on The Emblems of the Holy Spirit, I'll introduce the first emblem: the Dove. In the Bible, the dove symbolises the beauty of the Holy Spirit’s character—He is gentle, loving, and pure.

The revelation of God as Father lies at the heart of Jesus’ life and teaching—He calls God "Father" over 150 times in the Gospels. This Father’s Day, I'll unpack five powerful truths about what God the Father is really like.

In the final part of The Way of Perfection (Part 7), I'll highlight how our fast-paced, multitasking world is taking a serious toll on our relationships. He teaches that God's antidote to this hurried life is the Sabbath—God's gift that reconnects us with ourselves, with God, and with our families and friends.

In this sermon, I'll be sharing about the church's vision: MISSION, FOUNDATION, UNION—serving the "Missio Dei" (God's mission), strengthening our Pentecostal foundation, and ultimately achieving spiritual union with God.

In the Bible, names are important; and this is even more true of the names given to God. More than 6,800 times, God has revealed his personal name to us—"YHWH". In the previous sermon, I shared on two names of God: Jehovah Jireh and Jehovah Rapha. In this sermon, I'll be sharing three other names of God, which will assure us deeply that as long as Yahweh is with us, everything will be okay!

In the Bible, names are important; and this is even more true of the names given to God. More than 6,800 times, God has revealed his personal name to us—"YHWH". In this sermon, you will be so encouraged as you learn about what "YHWH" reveals about God's heart and character.

God is our doorkeeper, opening doors that no one can shut. At times, He closes some doors for our protection, preparing us for greater blessings. We can look toward His grace and goodness, and trust His perfect timing to bring His promises to pass. As we keep believing, praying, and trusting in Him, just like Peter’s miraculous release from prison and Joshua’s victory over Jericho, God will works behind the scenes for us, and accomplish His purpose in our lives.

Genesis 22 is the most important story about Abraham. It was the climax of Abraham’s life and ministry—when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Isaac on the altar. What was the real test for Abraham here in Genesis 22? By this time, he was already well-known for his faith. The test was not a test of faith, but of love. Will you still love God even if there is nothing in it for you? Is loving God enough a destiny for you?

In silence and solitude, we intentionally cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, which can never be done when we are always busy and distracted by all the multitasking of life. I'll be sharing about two men in the Old Testament, Gideon and Jacob, and through their stories, he encourages us to pursue more than visions and dreams, but an intimate communion with God. In that process, we will be changed into Christlikeness.

Drawing from the story of prophet Elijah (1 Kings 18-19), I'll be sharing about how God was training his prophet to wean from the spectacular of the wind, earthquake, and fire, into a loving intimacy that only silence and solitude can bring. Jesus is inviting you to come away with him into that place of “the sound of sheer silence”, and there, he will restore your soul.

While faith is a necessary ingredient for healing and miracles, the apostle Paul says that faith works in an atmosphere of love. If we want to experience more healings and miracles in our lives, we must intentionally immerse ourselves fully in an atmosphere of love, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit!

When you read the Gospels, you would notice that Jesus always prayed with great power and authority whenever someone desired a healing or a miracle. At the same time, the ones who desired their miracles had to act on their faith and do something they could not do before. Faith is the necessary ingredient for healing and miracles! As you act on your faith, like many others in the gospels, may you experience these words of Jesus: “Your faith has made you well.”

In a faith-building sermon, Pastor Kong Hee shares from the Gospel of Matthew on a 24-hour time frame of Jesus’ ministry. In 24 hours, Jesus healed many—a leper, a centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law, two demon-possessed men, a paralytic, the woman with the issue of blood … and many others. Jesus is a healing Jesus who has a healing presence! God is the source of all healings. He loves to heal!

In John 17, Jesus prays that we will experience the same love that God the Father has for Him—a deeply intimate love. The more we taste of His love, the more we are freed from the spirit of bondage and the spirit of death. The more we experience His love, the more we are healed, restored, and made whole!

One major issue that many people struggle with is rejection. I'll be sharing on how rejection attacks our identity, distorts how we look at life, and hinders our ability to receive from God. The only permanent cure for rejection is the love of God the Father—it is the only power that can overcome the spirit of rejection!

Sharing from the story of Ehud in the Bible, I want to challenge every Spirit-filled believer to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Word of God because the Holy Spirit moves to the extent of our knowledge and understanding of the Word. As we penetrate the Word deep into our lives and leave it inside, it drains out the life of the flesh. If we have the Word—our double-edged sword—unlikely heroes become world shakers and history makers!

In John 17, Jesus prays that we will experience the same love that God the Father has for Him—a deeply intimate love. The more we taste of His love, the more we are freed from the spirit of bondage and the spirit of death. The more we experience His love, the more we are healed, restored, and made whole!

Everything that we need for life and godliness is found in the Word of God. Through the promises of God's Word, we participate in the divine nature—every time we experience the fulfilment of a promise, we come one step closer in our union with God! I want to encourage us to not neglect the Bible because it is the key to our well-being and success. It is the most precious gift that God has ever given us!

Building on three accounts in the gospels, I'll be sharing a powerful message on what faith is about— trusting and acting on God’s guidance, receiving by faith every step of the way. Our challenge is to stay in faith, to keep on receiving the promises of God in our hearts, and acting like the miracle is already happening, even when nothing seems to be happening. The miracles we desire are already in motion. Keep receiving by faith!

In this sermon, be encouraged that as we end each year and enter a brand new year, we can fully place our trust in Jesus, who always goes before us. Whenever He asks us to step out in faith, He has already gone weeks, months, or even years ahead of us in advance, to prepare everything for us. We simply need to trust in this God who always goes before us. His timing is always perfect. His ways are higher than our ways!

The Holy Spirit gives us visions and dreams (Acts 2:17). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary was pregnant with a vision and dream inside her—Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world! Through Mary's story, I'll be sharing five things about the journey of a dream. As you step out in faith to trust and obey God, He will bring you into an incredible journey, which will manifest Jesus to your world!

Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the “crown jewel” of Pentecostal spirituality. Spirit baptism is not a baptism into tongues, power, or missions; it is a baptism into divine love, coming into union with the Triune God in their loving embrace. Love is at the centre of Spirit baptism—it is all about being filled, transformed and overflowing with divine love!

For Peter, James and John, their encounter with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration forever transformed their lives. It radically shifted how they viewed Jesus and how they viewed their lives in him. After a glorious event and encounter, we must change. Our transformation must affect everything about our lives, until we see "no one but Jesus only" (Matthew 17:8).

Love must be our highest goal because when love is no longer our priority, and when love has been drained out of our hearts, the measure of God in our lives will start depleting. Without love, everything we do is meaningless.

The Holy Spirit conforms us to the image and likeness of Christ when we serve people. In Jesus’ context, the people are often the poor and needy, especially the little children. Jesus is saying this – we are to put aside our self-importance and busyness in total abandonment to God. By serving the poorest of the poor, we purify our faith and in the end, we are the ones who are blessed and changed on the inside!

The Holy Spirit has given us the Antioch Church model for a purpose. Generosity was the hallmark of the Antioch Church. The more generous they were, the more dynamic they became! People who give sacrificially to strengthen the local church—to care for the poor and needy, especially the little children—will become the most dynamic, powerful and blessed people around!

God the Father, through the Son, pours out the Holy Spirit on all flesh as “the breath of life”. As God “inhales”, the Holy Spirit draws us into an ever-deepening communion and intimacy with the Father. As His love overwhelms us and overflows out of us, God then “exhales”—sending us out by the power of the Spirit, to share His love with others. God has greater things in store for us—so more than ever, we need a revelation of His love, which is the secret of the Christian life!

God's salvation plan for us is holistic—it is total salvation in our hearts, minds, souls and bodies. Every day, He is transforming us into Christlikeness. Central to our transformation process is to suffer with Jesus. To follow Jesus, we must not be afraid of self-sacrifice and hardship. In this sermon, I'll be challenging us to not be stunted in our Christian growth. He prepares us for the kinds of sufferings believers will experience in this lifetime, and exhorts us to be unafraid, fully assured that our present pains cannot be compared to the great destiny that God has prepared for us!