Beyond the Next Level by Ps Chew

A happy and glorious New Year to all of you, especially to our web visitors from outstation and overseas. May 2012 be a blessed and fruitful year for you. Thank you for visiting our website.

The theme that the Lord gave to me for 2012, is to lead the church beyond the next level.

What does it mean?

First of all, let me tell you what it does NOT mean. It does not mean spending more time in church, nor serving God harder nor even giving more to the tithes and offerings of the church.

The word ‘beyond’ means further, ahead of, the next step.

So, going beyond the next level refers to what is the next step that God wants us to take so that we can be ahead of where we are at present and go further with God.

Let me suggest four realms that we can go beyond so that we can advance further with God in 2012.

Firstly, let us go beyond self. The scripture passage God gave to me to undergird this year’s theme is Genesis 13:1-18. God told Abram to separate himself from Lot and all that Lot personified – worldliness, contention, strife and the lust of the eyes as he chose Sodom and Gomorrah. So for 2012, let us go beyond our selfish aims and ambition and instead desire more of God and the things of God.

Secondly, go beyond reason and venture more in the realm of faith. I am not saying that we leave our brains behind this year but we are to go beyond the rational and logical and trust God more. Trust God more that He will do the impossible in the situations of our lives that, up to the present, defies human solution. After all, with God, nothing is impossible and all we need is to have faith in Him. Abram was called to walk through the land in Genesis 13 and claim every step for God by faith. We need to do the same.

Thirdly, let us go beyond borders in 2012. It is not only a CNN slogan but I believe God is challenging all of us in SIBKL to extend our personal and corporate influence beyond where we were last year. Let us use our resources and networking for good and for God and leverage them to extend God’s influence in our workplace and in our nation.

So, my prayer and vision for all of us for 2012 is for us to go beyond the next level. In so doing, may we leave behind a rich and godly legacy for the next generation so that whatever we do will also go beyond time, long after we are gone.

Jesus says in John 15:16 “You did not choose me but I chose you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last”.

May God Bless us all. Have a great year for Jesus.