Highly-Recommended Books

Wednesday, 31st January 2007

Those who know me will realise that I prefer to listen to Christian messages or songs, or watch Christian-themed movies. Recently, however, God has started to impress upon me that I should not preclude Him speaking to me through Christian books.

As I sit here looking through these books, I realise that they cover such a wide range of topics and their contents are so diversified, which goes to show that God has an answer to every aspect of our life.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Some time last year, RevBarnz recommended a book by C S Lewis entitled The Screwtape Letters. He explained that this book contains supposed correspondences between a senior demon (called Screwtape) and his nephew Wormwood on how to go about secuing the damnation of an ordinary young man. It brings us, as it were, behind enemy lines to get an inside insight into the wiles of the evil one and his fallen angels. The plot sounded so interesting, that I had to get a copy (which I did today from SKS Bookstore at S$19). It is a paperback of 209 pages.

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT

Then just last week, I was listening to a sermon by Pastor Prince as to how praying in the spirit enables us to have dunamis power. In that sermon, he recommended a book by Jackie Pullinger entitled Chasing The Dragon. This book tells of how an English missionary was called by God to be located in Hongkong. She had to struggled against the darkness of Hong Kong's drug dens, but was able to to overcome the odds when she started praying in the spirit. Triad gangsters were converted, prostitutes quit, and Jackie herself discovered a new treatment for drug addiction: the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is a paperback of 254 pages and I got it from SKS Bookstore at S$20.50.

PROSPERITY

Just 2 days ago, I was having lunch with Rev Wee Boon Hup, TRAC President. Having shared with him my recent experiences regarding financial breakthroughs, he recommended me a book called The Midas Touch by Kenneth E. Hagin. This book provides a balanced approach to biblical prosperity, and I managed to get it from Tecman at S$31. It is a hard cover book of 234 pages thick.





HEBREW AND GREEK

Besides the above, I also recently bought 2 books from Life BookShop at S$44.90 each, by John H. Dobson - one entitled Learn Biblical Hebrew and the other entitled Learn New Testament Greek. The former is a hardcover book of 391 pages while the latter is a hardcover book of 383 pages. Both come with an audio CD each, where Hebrew and Greek words are read aloud so that we know how they are pronounced. The interest came about after listening to a series on the Hebrew language by Pastor Prince; but I decided to get the one on Greek as well to make it complete :-)


I have started to read some of them already, and pray that God will grant me the discipline to finish reading them by the end of February. After which, I will post the lessons learnt, and make them available should anyone of you like to borrow them.

Blessings

Looking Beyond the Physical Circumstances (to Walk by Faith and not by Sight)

Tuesday, 30th January 2007

In his sermon just 2 days ago, Pastor Barnabas spoke about how great is the faith of those who testify of the Lord's goodness even when their physical circumstances have not changed. Many of us only testify *after* God has blessed us with a good job, or with amazing finances, or when our children do well in their exams. But how many of us are able to give thanks in *all* circumstances (even in the midst of the storm), which is actually the will of God in Christ Jesus (1 Thess 5:18)?

That struck a chord in my heart. Do I wait until we see the physical evidence before we praise and thank our God? Am I supposed to wait until healing is manifested in the physical realm before I testify to what God has already done, or can I already start testifying? Thanks for the word spoken through Pastor B, because the answer is to testify right here and now!

In Rom 4:17, we read the famous portion often quoted by the "word of faith" circle, which is to "call for things that are not as though they are".

The first part of that verse actually refers to Abraham, who believed that God had already made him a father of many even before Isaac came forth. Abraham ("aleph-beth-resh-hey-mem") means "father of many". Just imagine him introducing himself to his friends and relatives as "Hello, I am the father of many." and the reaction of those whom he had greeted. Some of them would be laughing or mocking in their hearts that this man, at the ripe old age of 100, must have been out of his mind! But did that stop him from believing God's word to him.

As I was meditating on this, the Lord brought to mind another great man of faith - Noah, whose name is also mentioned in the "hall of faith" in verse 7 of Heb 11. By faith, he believed that God would send the flood, so he obeyed and built a 3-storey ark of dimensions 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high (Gen 6:14).

To get an idea of how big that is, each of the 3 decks had an area the equivalent of 3 soccer fields, or 6 tennis courts, or 20 basketball courts. Put it another way, each floor area was like 27 5-room HDB flats combined. Mulitply that by 3 because the ark was 3-storeys high.

Having had a visual impression of how huge the ark was, now imagine how long it took for Noah to construct it.

Back then, there was no ready timber or prefab wooden planks, or the use or chain saws, so Noah had to literally chop down each tree one by one. The bible does not specifically mention when Noah started to build the ark. What is mentioned however is that he was 500 years old when he had his 3 sons (Gen 5:32), and 600 years old when the flood came (Gen 7:6). So he must have built the ark in that 100-year period.

Now let's put ourselves in his shoes. When he started to cut down the first few trees, there would have been curious neighbours wondering what he was doing. When he started to construct the structure of the ark, people must have started to mock and make fun of him. He had to put up with decades of ridicule and unbelief everywhere he went. The physical circumstances around him had not changed: people were still wicked, and not a single drop of rain could be seen anywhere. Yet, he was not discouraged but pressed on because he believed God’s word. Finally, in the end, when the rains started to fall, he was vindicated and the people who mocked him perished in the flood.

Fast forward to today. Do we believe God's word that by Jesus’ stripes, we have been healed? (1 Pet 2:24). If yes, then stand firm on in! Jesus has come to give us an abundant life, and healing has already* taken place because Jesus has taken all diseases upon Himself by the stripes on His body. Even when the medical reports we see are not that encouraging, we must look beyond the physical evidence, walk by faith and not by sight and continue to trust God.

The physical evidence to Noah was that there he did not see a single drop of rain, that he appeared ridiculous and insane to others by building a huge ark when the sun was probably shining brightly. But he looked beyond the physical evidence and believed God’s word.

The physical evidence to Abraham was that he was already 100 and probably already impotent. When he went around telling people his name was "father of many", some may have smiled politely and others shaken their head in pity. But he looked beyond the physical evidence and believed God’s word.

Like Pastor B says, it takes great faith to testify even when the physical evidence has not changed and we are still in the midst of riding the storm, and I thank God for this timely reminder.

For those of us struggling and seeking for breakthroughs in our marriage, or career, or relationships with our children, or finances, or healing, etc, let us search the scriptures and look for promises to claim upon. Believe on those promises which are Yes and Amen, and continue to confess them each day.

Even if the physical evidence remains unchanged and well-meaning people start to make you doubt, press on like what Abraham and Noah did. God will never allow His children to be put to shame when we take Him at His Word. He will vindicate us, so let us not lose heart. Amen?

The "Paradox" as to why Christians fall sick

Monday, 29th January 2007

Dear Theophili and Theophilae

Thank you all for your comments and words of encouragement. This makes me even more determined to keep my blogspot updated regularly, if not daily.

Another topic that may be of great interest is that of "paradoxes" in the Bible. Growing up in this particular denomination, I was led to believe that the Bible was full of paradoxes, and to accept them as such because "God's ways are higher than our ways". I thank God that I now know for a fact that His message to us is all Yes and Amen, and not yes one moment and no the next as recorded in 2 Cor 1:16-19.

The Bible has no contradictory passages; it is our mis-interpretation of the Bible that makes us think that there are.

One such "paradox" was that of loving vs fearing the LORD, and I have addressed that in another post entitled "What exactly does 'fearing the LORD' mean"?

Another "paradox" deals with that of Christians falling sick...

I recall a conversation that I had with a dear brother of mine regarding 1 Cor 11:27-30:
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognising the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

He felt that this passage suggested that Christians who are not abiding in Christ, or who do not live as Christians ought to/can become sick and even die. He also felt that this was a paradox that was not so easy and straightforward.

My response to him was that I also used to struggle with that passage (until very recently). I grew up in a very traditional Methodist environment, where the works of the Holy Spirit such as tongues, healings, and other signs and wonders were not emphasised.

I was thus made to believe that healing only happened during the apostolic age, but not for our current generation. Even if healing took place, it was supposed to be the exception rather than the norm, and not meant for everyone. Those who remain ill was to take it that it was God's will for them.

But is it God's will for us to be or remain sick? The will of God is revealed in the Word of God. Hence, we as Christians should not pray and ask whether God wants to heal us, or whether a non-Christian person should be our life partner, or whether we should tithe. Such things are a "given" because God's Word tells us, respectively, that He is our healer, that we should not be unequally yoked, and that our firstfruits belong to the Lord.

If we think that God only chooses to heal some and not others, then the Scriptures becomes a book where passages have to be read selectively. Some passages are meant for a group of believers, while other passages are meant for another group. If we believe our God is one who is supposed to unconditionally extend his agape love to us, then the above interpretation that He selectively chooses to bless some and yet withhold His blessings from others does not seem consistent with this concept of God.

Also, if Jesus is the same God yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8), the fact that Jesus healed 2000 years ago means He still heals today and will continue to heal till His second coming. Having searched the Scriptures, I now know that such doctrine is not only unbiblical, but it puts the blame on the wrong source. We read in John 10:10 that it is actually the devil who comes to steal, kill and destroy our health, our family, our peace, our well-being, etc. Jesus, on the other hand, has come to give us life in abundance.

Being bedridden or being stricken with a chronic disease is definitely not abundant living. So how do we reconcile "paradoxes" in the Bible? If *all* scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16), then there ought not to be any paradoxes in the Bible. God is not a God of confusion. Would it not be ironic if He gives us a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7), and yet contradicts Himself in His Word?

So coming back to the "paradox" in 1 Cor 11:27-30? The secret lies in the verse before this passage. Verse 26 says that "as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until His comes".

What is meant by proclaiming Jesus' death? Are we not as Christians supposed to focus on Jesus' resurrection instead, and the resurrection life we are supposed to be living out? Having meditated on that verse, I submit to you that we are actually proclaiming to those in the spiritual realm, ie. the devil and his fallen angels that are causing us the oppression. We are declaring to them and reminding them of Jesus' finished work on the cross.

Whenever he makes us feel condemned, we remind him that Jesus has taken our condemnation, so that in Christ there is now no condemnation (Rom 8:1). Whenever he makes us feel unrighteous, we remind him that Jesus is our righteousness. Whenever he makes us feel our sicknesses is because of some sin in our life, or the sin of our forefathers, we remind him that by the stripes of Jesus, we have been healed.

Now with the above revelation, let's read 1 Cor 11:27-30 again:

27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognising the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

So what does verse 27 mean by "eating or drinking in an unworthy manner" (or unworthily, as KJV puts it)? In the context of verse 26, it means eating and drinking without realising that the body and blood of the Lord was the means by which the divine exchange took place. Jesus came to earth for that very purpose: to take our sins and sicknesses upon Himself and in exchange, to give us His righteousness and wholeness.

Verse 28 tells us that we ought to examine ourselves before we eat and drink of the Lord's supper, as to whether we are taking the communion as a mere ritual, or whether we are doing so to remember God's greatest act of love for us to free us from the bondage of sin and sicknesses.

Verse 29 tells us that if we do not judge the body rightly, we bring judgment upon ourselves.

The NASB version of 1 Cor 11:30 says "for this reason, many among you are weak, and sick and a number sleep". There is a singular "reason" why Christians are weak, sick or die prematurely, and that is because we do not recognise the body of the Lord as recorded in verse 29, ie. we do not comprehend or believe that His body was broken and striped to deliver us from sicknesses!

Many of us today accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, but how many of us accept Jesus as our Healer? When Jesus died on the cross, He died not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but also for the removal of our diseases. Salvation is via His blood, healing is via His body.

We as Christians are shortchanging ourselves if we only believe salvation is ours via the cross, but do not understand that healing is ours as well. By the blood of the Lamb, we have received forgiveness of our sins. By the stripes upon the body of our Lord, we have been healed. Why is it easier for us to believe the former by faith, and yet not the latter, also by faith? Things may not happen in the physical realm immediately, but it has already happened in the spiritual. So we have to continue to "call for things that are not as though they are" (Rom 4:17) until they manifest in the physical realm. Just like Abraham was called "father of many" years before Isaac finally came forth.

So there. Another so-called "paradox" debunked. Thanks be to God for His consistent message of redemption. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, I'm redeemed, I'm redeemed, praise the Lord!

Brothers and sisters. The sooner we as Christians realise that we can claim this as our right as His children, the sooner we will see fewer cases of Christians who are weak, sick, or die prematurely. Amen?

Shalom

2007 is going to be THE Year of Revival!

Sunday 28th January 2007

Even though I got back rather late on Friday night from the 3L leaders' cell, I thank the LORD for giving me supernatural strength not only to keep my blog active with at least one post per day (for the past 7 days), but also for a good night's rest, so that I could get up early on Saturday morning to attend the ACSJ Fathers' Prayer Group.

This was the 1st meeting of the year, and the turnout was tremendous! There was a total of 23 of us. I was so encouraged that I had to take a photo to commemorate such a momentous occasion.

Anyway, the LORD has put in my heart that 2007 is going to be a year of revival on several levels:

1. At the cell level

Roland and I (and our spouses) came out from 3L2 to form 3L7 on 1 Jan 2007. We are so grateful to God that even from the very first meeting, He was already manifesting His mighty power! I was also very encouraged that all our members have been so faithful and commited -- there was a 100% attendance at the recent Fusion 2007.

2. At the cluster level

The best thing to happen to me in church was to join 3L. I thank the Lord for my cluster leaders, Sunny and Yeok Ming because the Lord has given them a heart for people, and the spirit of hospitality. My parents-in-law were led to Christ by them at Easter 2006. I was especially touched when they reminded us that our 3L cluster should not be "exalted above" PLMC. I have been guilty of this in the past, and I would like to apologise to the other cluster leaders if my actions had in any way caused envy or strife within the church. Being a member of the LCEC has also helped me to see things from a wider perspective, and I look forward to building relationships with the other cluster leaders: John, Robert, Alice, Alvin, Choon Seng, John Choo, Roger, Edward, Lorinne and Asher.

3. At the church level
I also thank the Lord for our 3 pastors -- Rev Peter Koh, Rev Barnabas Chong and Rev Tay Kay Leong. My relationship with RevBarnz is pretty good because we were in the same cell (before 3L2's multiplication). I have also gotten to know Rev KL better, having had lunch with him a couple of weeks ago. Although I do not know Rev P that well yet, I am sure that God will grant us many opportunities to work together to carry out our theme for this year, which is "Empower - Growing Deeper with God".

4. At the school level
Coming back to the point being made earlier. There was a record turnout of 23 fathers, and I pray that this figure will increase as the year progresses. God is going to do a great revival work in ACSJ, especially in preparation for the move in 2009.

5. At the denominational level
Together with my cell members, we attended Fusion 2007 (which is an annual event organised by the Methodist Church for the youth). This year, a band from Victoria, Australia called Youth Alive! was invited to perform a 2-night concert. I attended the one on Saturday night with my wife and kids, and was amazed to see the youths jumping and clapping to the music (until the whole ground was shaking). Mind you, these are Methodist youths we are talking about -- so God is raising up a vibrant and passionate generation! This footage was filmed (using my Dopod 838Pro) towards the end of the rally, in which Youth Alive! sang Take It All and Majesty.

6. At the national level
Last but definitely not the least, there is going to be a revival at the national level. This will require unity among all the churches in Singapore, be they Methodists, Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Brethren, Lutheran or the "independent" mega-churches such as City Harvest, New Creation and Faith Community-Baptist. After all, there are no denominations in heaven. Let us as one united body of Christ come together to intercede for our nation. Like David said in Psalm 133:1, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!"

Shalom

Humorous Bible Illustrations

Saturday 27th January 2007

Last night, our 3L cluster had its 1st cell leaders' meeting for the year 2007, and some of my fellow cell leaders were given the privilege and honour of sitting in the car that God has so blessed my family with.

Some of them even joked that the next vehicle I get should be a double-decker. [In a testimony I shared with some of my fellow church members, I had told them that I nearly became a taxi driver]. Seriously though, I do enjoy being a "chauffeur", as it were, and look forward to be given the privilege of fetching the entire cluster leadership to a retreat in Malaysia, maybe in a mini-bus :-)

But I digress...

I have mentioned in another post that the main reason for my accelerated spiritual growth in the last 2 years was because I have been feeding on the Word of God as spoken via a truly-anointed man of God -- Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church.

Two weeks ago, the LORD impressed upon me to get his entire sermon and book catalog, so that others too can benefit and be edified by the anointed messages on the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross.

One of my personal all-time favourites is a DVD entitled Humorous Bible Illustrations.

This DVD contains 30 short clips (of between 3 to 10 minutes) extracted from sermons that contain biblical truths presented in a most humourous way. When watching them, I would end up both laughing (at the jokes), and crying (as the Holy Spirit ministered to my inner man, moving me to tears).

A wide range of diversified topics are covered, ranging from sex appeal, to nagging, to child discipline to the rapture.



I was at Suntec City attending Fusion 2007 on 13 Jan 07 and decided to drop in at the Rock Gifts and Book Shop (located above Carrefour). It seems that this DVD is currently out-of-stock. Thankfully, I had previously bought 2 of it (1 of which is loaned out at the moment).

Here is the trailer of that DVD to whet your appetite :-)



Those of you who are interested to borrow it, please do drop me an email.

Shalom,
His redeemed

SGR7557L (See God's Revelation of His Perfect Grace, Favour, Rest and Love)

Friday 26th January 2007

Dearest Theophili and Theophilae

I am overjoyed because at lunchtime today, I went to collect the brand-new set of wheels that Jehovah Jireh has blessed me with. It is a 8-seater Mitsubishi Grandis.

The one that I was previously driving was a Mitsubishi Lancer, and it was bought 11 months ago in Feb 2006. At that time, it was sufficient for my immediate family's needs.

Then at Easter 2006, my parents-in-law were led to the LORD by our cluster leaders, Sunny and Yeok Ming. We were also encouraged to bring them along whenever we had cell activities.

Suddenly, the Lancer was not big enough for our needs anymore. God was giving us an abundance of crop, but the barn was too small to contain it.

I struggled with whether to upgrade, and even went to check out the Grandis in Jun 2006. At that time, the price was hovering above S$90K and my salesman Mike told me that people prefer to buy a brand new car than one that was 4 months old.

Fast forward to 22 Dec 2006 when the LORD more than restored my bank balance by giving me the biggest bonus ever in my entire career. That was also the day that 3L2 held its 12-hour extravaganza, and Roland managed to fetch a total of 11 persons in his Honda Odyssey from SICC Island to his home! That was the LORD's way of confirming to me that it was time to get a bigger car, so that others could be blessed.

Truth be told: had I wanted to show off and walk in the flesh, I would have gotten a BMW. But in God's economy, the possessions He entrusts us with (be it cash, condo, car or club memberships) are meant to be used to bless others.

So why SGR 7557 L?

The number I have chosen for this car is SGR 7557 L.

My favourite number is 7 (hence my email addresses are mloh77@starhub.net.sg and mloh77@yahoo.com.sg , and even my current and previous handphone numbers all ended with the number 7. This is because 7 represents perfection and rest. God created in 6 days, and rested on the 7th to indicate His work of creation was complete.

The number 5 signifies God's grace or unmerited favour. As I look back over the past 4 years, God has been so gracious in not only restoring my family, marriage and career, but also in blessing me with exceeding abundance.

I thus dedicate this car to be used for God's Kingdom work. Let it be a reminder for us to See God's Revelation of His Perfect Grace, Favour, Rest (7-5-5-7) and Love.

Hallelujah!

Tshirts with Christian messages and themes (XT)

Thursday, 25th January 2007

I have built up quite a collection of Christian-themed tee shirts (or XT for short, where X="Christian" and T="tee shirt") . Just yesterday evening, I picked up my 20th XT from FunkyB, which operates a pushcart located at Level 2 of Bishan Junction 8, in front of Hush Puppies.

In earlier days, I used to order XTs from USA websites, but ever since I discovered FunkyB and Spectrum Design (located at Level 4 of Hougang Mall), my main sources are now these 2 outlets: the former for ready-to-wear designs and the latter for personalised/customised designs.

It gives me great pleasure now to walk you through my entire XT collection :-)


1. DARWIN IS DEAD. JESUS IS ALIVE (2003)

This is the very first XT I bought from Tecman back in 2003.

It has a simple design of a submarine and a fish, yet also a very profound declaration, "Darwin is dead. Jesus is alive". Darwin was the scientist who theorised that man evolved from apes. As this XT is now nearly 4 years old. I usually only wear it to sleep.



2. FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (version 1) (2004)

I saw this XT at the shop located at Level 4 of Amara Shopping Centre, and decided to get one for my wife and me.

It is based on Gal 5:22-23 where Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit being love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.



3. SMILE, JESUS LOVES YOU (2004)

That shop in Amara also carried this design. The Japanese like to coordinate and synchronise attire for their entire family, and it was with this in mind that I bought blue ones for my son Mark and myself, and red ones for Sock Pin and daughter Rachel.

Just looking at this design brings a smile on your face, doesn't it?


4. CHRISTIAN ROCK (2005)

Why should the devil have all the good music? Instead of "rock n roll", how about some "Christian rock"? Instead of "heavy metal", how about some "heavenly metal"?

This website offers Christian rock, hard rock and even hiphop! I purchased this XT as a sign of support and affirmation to their cause. Do check it out to hear the latest offerings from the likes of Switchfoot, Disciple and Relient K.



5. JESUS FREAK (Mar 2006)

Speaking of good Christian music, one of the best songs ever written is Jesus Freak by DC Talk. Jesus Freak was a derogaratory term used to label those of us who are zealous about our faith, and I am so glad that DC Talk took the negative connotations out of it by penning a song with this title.

While doing a Google search, I chanced upon the JFreak website, and ordered this XT from there.


6. JESUS IS MY FINAL ANSWER (Mar 2006)

My Google search on "Christian Tshirts" also led me to a webstore called ChoiceShirts. [This site also sells secular-themed tshirts.] I purchased about 10 tshirts from this site to give to the male members of my then cell 3L2, and I remember being "chided" by the co-leader as to why there was nothing for the female cell members. Anyway, this design's appeal is because it is based on the game show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". The host would ask "Is that your final answer?" Our response as Christians is Jesus is our final answer.


7. EARTH'S ANGELS (Mar 2006)

ChoiceShirts also has designs where we can insert our own text. This particular shirt allows one to include up to 12 names! I only chose to have 4 -- that of my wife Sock Pin, daughter Rachel, son Mark and my own. I usually wear this shirt on occasions where we meet people for the first time, or when catching up with old friends, because it saves me the effort of telling them our names.



8. GET CONNECTED (Mar 2006)
1st design bought from FunkyB

When I narrowed my Google search to "Christian Tshirts from Singapore", I was pleasantly surprised to discovered there was actually a physical store located here in Singapore at Bishan Junction 8 called FunkyBeliever (or "FunkyB"). It is a push cart located on Level 2, facing the walkway linking Junction 8 and the mutistorey carpark above the bus interchange.

This was the very first XT I bought from them, and it shows a series of bars of increasing length, like what you see on a mobile phone when connected to the operator's network. The difference is that the tallest bar is replaced by a cross, indicating that we should be connected to Jesus. I bought a similar ladies' design for Sock Pin and Rachel.


9. BE LIKE JESUS (Mar 2006)
2nd design bought from FunkyB

The 2nd XT I bought from FunkyB shows a stick man with horns and another stick man with a beard. Under the man with horns is written "Satan is bad". Under the man with a beard is written "Jesus is good". And then finally right below in a box is written "Be Like Jesus". Simple child-like statements and yet profound and powerful in conveying the truth. Amen?

Having found a local source for ready-to-wear designs, the challenge was now to find one for customised designs. Back in 2001, when Rachel was in K1, we brought her to Hougang Mall to pierce her ears, on the recommendation of my 2nd sister, Vivian. While walking around the shopping centre, I saw a shop called Spectrum Designs and Research ("Spectrum"), and noticed that they produce customised calendars, mugs, tshirts, posters, etc. Little did I realise that 5 years later, I would become one of its most regular and faithful customers :-)


10. FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (version 2)
(Apr 2006) 1st design to be printed at Spectrum

Our kids attend classes at Heartland Mall and there is a Christian bookshop on Level 2 called Daily Gifts that sell books, CDs and pocket cards. One such pocket card shows the fruit of the spirit written in Chinese characters, and I felt that this would look equally, if not better on the front of a tshirt. I scanned it, stored in on a thumb drive and brought it down to Spectrum. And so it was, and it became the first customised and locally-produced XT in my collection.


11. JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S SON AND SAVIOUR
(Apr 2006) 2nd design to be printed at Spectrum

My favourite Christian emblem is the fish. This symbol was used by the early church to identify one another, as they were persecuted by the authorities. In Greek, "ichthus" means fish and is an acronym for Iesous Christos Theou Uios Soter, meaning "Jesus Christ, God's Son and Saviour".



12. YES! AND AMEN! (Apr 2006)
3rd design to be printed at Spectrum

Because of what I went through from 2002 to 2006, 2 Cor 1:20 has become my favourite verse. It reads "All the promises of God in Christ are Yes and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." Hence this XT, where the Yes! and Amen! are in large print.



13. FOUR FACES OF GOD (May 2006)
4th design to be printed at Spectrum

I was attending a disciple track session on the Old Testament, and the speaker spoke about Eze 1:10. This brought to mind a book that Ronnie and Yoke Ping gave me entitled the Four Faces of God.

Matthew portrays Jesus as King (the Lion), Mark portrays Jesus as Suffering Servant (the Ox), Luke portrays Jesus as Son of Man (the Man) and John portrays Jesus as Son of God (the Eagle). This became the inspiration for the design to this XT, with the 4 faces shown surrounding a cross.


14. 3L CLUSTER (Jun 2006)
5th design to be printed at Spectrum

I have shared with many fellow church members that the best thing to happen to me in PLMC was to be part of the 3L cluster, led by Sunny and Yeok Ming.




When coming up with this design, it was essential to first include the logo of Paya Lebar Methodist Church, since we are part of the church.

The lettering for 3L is in rainbow colours, reminding us of all of God's promises, while the 3-dimensional effect is to emphasise that His promises are for us yesterday, today and forever (by the way, it was my son Mark who showed me how to "three-dimensionalise" it).



The meaning of the 3 Ls are then spelt out:
1. Learning the Word of God (depicted by the Bible)
2. Loving one another as Christ loves us (depicted by the heart)
3. Looking forward to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit (depicted by the dove)

Finally, 3 pictures (the Bible, the heart and the dove) which corresponds to the 3 Ls appear at the bottom of the logo.

I first wore this shirt at the Cluster Event at Pasir Ris Park on 17 Jun 06, and ended up getting Spectrum to print more than 50 pieces, so that those in the cluster could wear it at the Project Uplift Walk on 8 Jul 06.


15. JESUS CHRIST (spoof of Cocacola) (Sep 2006)
3rd design bought from FunkyB

This was the 3rd design I bought from FunkyB, which is a spoof of Cocacola. It reads Jesus Christ in the same font, and in small print, "Always Refreshing". He is the our living water. Whoever drinks of Him will never thirst, as the water He gives us will become in us a well of water springing up to eternal life (Jn 4:14)



16. SACRIFICED FOR ME (spoof of Starbucks Coffee) (Oct 2006) 4th design bought from FunkyB

The 4th design I bought from FunkyB is a spoof of Starbucks Coffee. It reads Sacificed For Me, and has a picture of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns and showing His nail-pierced hands. In the background behind Him are also 2 crosses, one of His left and one on His right.




17. THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS (Nov 2006)
6th design to be printed at Spectrum

Sometime in Nov 2006, we were given a copy of the Methodist Message, wherein there was an article explaining the message hidden in the 12 Days of Christmas.



This became the inspiration for this shirt, which shows 12 pictures at the top, and their meanings at the bottom.

1 partridge = Jesus
2 turtle doves = OT and NT
3 French hens = faith, hope and love
4 calling birds = 4 gospels
5 golden rings = 5 books of Moses
6 geese-a-laying = 6 days of creation
7 swans-a-swimming = 7 gifts of the Spirit
8 maids-a-milking = 8 beatitudes
9 ladies dancing = 9 fruit of the Spirit
10 lords-a-leaping = 10 commandments
11 pipers-piping = 11 faithful disciples
12 drummers drumming = 12 points in the Apostles' Creed



18. PULL AND PUSH (Dec 2006)
7th design to be printed at Spectrum

This design reminds us all to P-U-L-L and P-U-S-H, ie.
Petition Unto the Lord of Lords and Pray Until Something Happens. In Luke 11:5-10, Jesus gives the illustration of a pesky neighbour who gets what he wants because of his persistence, so He tells us to ask, seek and knock.



19. HEBREW ALPHABET (Jan 2007)
8th design to be printed at Spectrum

I have been listening to a series of sermons by Pastor Prince on the beauty of the Hebrew language, and this became the source of inspiration for this design.

On the left, it shows all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet from Aleph to Tav. At the top right is a quotation by St Augustine, "The Old is in the New revealed, the New is in the Old concealed", This means that when we read the OT, we should ask ourselves how Christ can be seen in it.

In John 19:19-22 we read
19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
21The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." 22Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Now what was it that made the Chief Priests so upset? This was because the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" in Hebrew read, "Yeshua HaNazarei Wemelekh HaYhudim". The 1st 4 letters "YHWH" is transliterated into Yahweh or Jehovah. Pilate did not realise that he was declaring that Jesus was God!

"Baruch ha ba B'Shem Adonai" means "Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord". (prophesied in Ps 118:26, fulfilled in Lk 19:38)





20. THE DIVINE GOD (spoof of The DaVinci Code) (Jan 2007)
5th design bought from FunkyB

I just picked up this shirt yesterday.
It is a spoof of The DaVinci Code. This is the 1st shirt I have that has something printed on the front and on the back. The front shows a picture similar to what appears in the book, while the quotes Jn 8:32 "You shall know the TRUTH, and the truth will make you FREE."

Storehouse, Tithes and Offerings and The 310 Test

Wednesday, 24th January 2007

Dear Theophili and Theophilae

Anyone of you remember the sermon Rev Wee Boon Hup preached in July 2005 during our Church's 73rd Anniversary, on Malachi 3 about bringing the "whole tithe into the storehouse"?

I really thank the Lord for that sermon because since then, the Lord has given me one financial breakthrough after another. Just last month, I received the biggest bonus ever in my entire career. Today, I received into my bank account a "Spot Award" for spending 4 days in Korea. And this Saturday, I will be collecting the keys to a brand new set of wheels -- a Mitsubishi Grandis. Praise God, for He is indeed Jerovah Jireh, the LORD that provides!

When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, one of the passages He quoted was, "It is written you shall not put the Lord your God to the test." The only exception to this is recorded in Mal 3:10 -- "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

In this passage, God tells us specifically to test Him! If we test Him by giving the entire 10% of our gross salary to my church, then He will bless us exceedingly abundantly! I can testify that this is indeed true. It was tough, especially when I saw my bank balances gradually falling, but God more than restored it in Dec 2005, and then again in Dec 2006.

While looking through my email archive, I came across the following post which I sent to my previous cell, 3L2:

-----Original Message-----
From: Malcolm Loh [mailto:mloh77@starhub.net.sg]
Sent: Saturday, 23 July, 2005 7:58PM
Subject: Storehouse, Tithing and Offerings

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

You may have observed that I suddenly became very pensive towards the end of the session last night. This is because I have been "selecting" the way in which my monthly "tithe" was to be distributed.

Having seen the financial statements of organisations such as MWS and MMS that were running an annual deficit, I rationalised that since our Church was already
so well-off, it was OK for me to give part of my tithe to these organisations instead.

Having spoken to Eugene, Choon Seng and done some research on the Internet, I humbly concede that I have been wrong in my understanding. The WHOLE tithe is to the STOREHOUSE (which Eugene further helped to explain by referring to 1 Chr 26:20). Having searched my heart, I also realise that I had been "judgemental" of the Church leadership, in that I felt more could have been channelled to missions, so I took things into my own hands to give specifically to missions-related work.

Having now understood that the 10% is to go to our own church, my next struggle was what to do with the existing commitments to those organisations (which are arranged via standing order GIRO / credit card each month). Choon Seng told me that it was important to honour the pledge already made. These would be considered "offerings" over and above the tithe. 10% is actually the minimum obligation required of us as Christians to observe toward our local church.

In particular, the following article (from Assemblies of God website) ministered to me
http://www.ag.org/top/beliefs/christian_doctrines/gendoct_06_tithing.cfm
"Christians can miss out on God’s abundant blessing by looking on the tithe as the entire requirement for giving. The tithe is only one aspect of support for the church and its ministry of spreading the gospel. The Bible also mentions voluntary offerings given by God’s people over and above the required tithe. Of course, the attitude with which both tithes and offerings are given is very important. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). The giving of either tithes or offerings with a grudging spirit loses much of the blessing that can come as we faithfully give out of love rather than obligation. The Assemblies of God is also concerned about people who withhold tithes when they do not like decisions and directions espoused by spiritual leaders. Christians should fellowship with a local body of believers and bring their whole tithes into that storehouse (Malachi 3:10). Though some of the Israelites may not have liked decisions made by Moses and his successors, they were given no alternatives. While we may designate some of our offerings (beyond the tithes) to ministries outside the local church, the tithes rightfully belong in the church with which the Christian identifies. And if one is not identifying with a local body of believers, he or she disregards God’s instruction that we not forsake assembling together with believers (Hebrews 10:25).

Some Christians do not tithe, claiming they cannot afford to give up 10 percent of their income. Simple arithmetic may suggest that 90 percent will not go as far as 100 percent in satisfying essential family needs. But God has built a multiplication factor into our giving of tithes and offerings. Malachi recorded God’s words, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse... Test me in this... and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" (Malachi 3:10).

Though we do not give to God in order to get more back, as some suggest we
should, God’s promises are still true–if our giving is according to His instruction."

The 310 test

I also chanced upon an SMS conversation I had with a radio DJ friend of mine on 3 March 2006:

M: Hi. I'm meetg Jxxxx Oxx, the S'pore Idol finalist for lunch next wk. Wld u like me to get his autograph?

J: He's going to ask u to join Oxxxxxxxxxx :-). kidding. Eh u should really come to one of our meetings to have a look again. We just added telecoms to our mix.

M: tks so much for the offer, but i recently discovered a surefire way to always hv more than enuff financially, n never b in want. it's called the 310 test.

J: Ah but 310 leaves little room for getting more out of life today. No room for having a good lifestyle in the present AND having one while ur kids r in UNI. But no issue - who do u know might want to build a substantial secondary income so that they can do more of the things they want to do w/o worries re money.

M: This 310 test appears foolish, but those who dare take a step of faith to try it out r amazed at the results. i did last aug, n hv never felt more liberated. Finances arrive when one least expects it. To tell u the truth, my bank bal dropped fr sep to nov, but it was more than restored in dec. It's beyond explanation.

J: the 310 works with an increasing income source as well, yes?

M: not exactly. But as income sources increases, corresp increase in "re-investment" is expected. The author of the book actually ask us to test him in this area. As i said, it sounds foolish to sceptics, but i've tried it n it's workg. i'm on the lookout for worthwhile investments. That's why i'm meeting Jxxxx Oxx next wk. The 310 test says that the more we "invest", the more "returns" we will get. Want to know more? Read Malachi 3:10.

Footnotes:
1. Pastor Wee Boon Hup preached a sermon on Malachi 3 in July 2005.
2. Jxxxx Oxx works for a charity organisation that focuses on helping families

Dear brothers and sisters, my prayer is that you will likewise apply the 310 test in your finances. I know it could be tough, but start somewhere first, with 1%, and then 2%, and then 3%, and so on, and see how God starts to open doors in your life to prosper your business. When you set apart the 10% as a firstfruit to Him, He will make the rest of the 90% holy as well, which means the devil cannot touch it.

Oh ya. By the way, my new car's number is SGR7557L. I chose it because 7 represents perfection (which is also my favourite number), while 5 represents favour/grace, which is the central theme of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Shalom

Generational Blessings? Yes! Generational Curses? No!

Tuesday, 23rd January 2007

A doctine that is still prevalent in many churches of the denomination which I am currently a member of is that of generational curses. If we accept this doctrine, then we will tend to apportion blame and get upset with our parents, or grandparents, which in turn makes them feel guilty and condemned. Is this of the Lord?

Whatever word brings about condemnation or guilt is definitely not from the Lord, because there is now no condemnation in Christ (Rom 8:1). Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law when He paid the price by His once and for all, finished work on the cross. The good thing is that Jesus redeemed us from the curses, but not from the blessings. What this means is that now, the only thing that can be passed down from generation to generation are blessings and not curses. Amen!

Hence, it does not matter whether people get heart problems because of Free Mason roots or whatever. Does it change the fact that God heals? Absolutely not! If we seriously want to trace the source, why stop at Free Mason roots? Why don't we trace everything back to the original sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden, and the blame should then fall squarely and rightly upon the serpent who until this very day still wants to kill, steal and destroy.

I have shared with quite a number of fellow church members about my testimony and as I look back, the devil was in the details, and behind the scenes, as it were, wanting to destroy my family, marriage and career. But praise be to God for restoring all of them!

Can God use "Contaminated Vessels"?

Monday, 22nd January 2007

Dearest brothers- and sisters-in Christ

Recently, a good friend of mine brought up the topic of "contaminated vessels", saying that we need to be wary of such people because God’s Word cannot be spoken through them.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this should not be the case. To a greater or lesser extent, all of us are earthen vessels (or jars of clay), but God has chosen to place His treasures in us (2 Cor 4:7). Just because the messenger has imperfections, it does not change the fact that the Message itself is perfect. Throughout the Bible, we see God using "contaminated vessels" to carry out His greater purpose.

Take for example, the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in Matt 1. Here, we see the names of 4 women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba being mentioned among the names of men, viz:

Matthew 1: The Genealogy of Jesus
1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud,
15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Now, why did the Holy Spirit see it fit to specifically mention the names of these 4 women, yet did not mention more prominent names like that of Sarah, Rebekah and Leah? Let’s find out the background of these women:

1. Tamar

Genesis 38:6-27

6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also.

11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house. 12 After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

13 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," 14 she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked. 17 "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked. 18 He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again. 20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said. 22 So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, 'There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.' " 23 Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her."

24 About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!" 25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." 26 Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.

27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first." 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez.

In short, Tamar was a widow who lost 2 husbands. She wanted a son, so she disguised herself as a prostitute to seduce her father-in-law Judah. Through that union, Perez came forth. Now, would you say that Tamar was a "contaminated vessel"?


2. Rahab

Joshua 2:3-6

3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land." 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)

Joshua 6:17
17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.

Joshua 6:23
23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

Joshua 6:25
25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

In short, Rahab was a harlot, who lied to her own king that she did not harbour illegal immigrants (which by the way, is a crime here in Singapore punishable by caning). Would a prostitute and a liar be considered a "contaminated vessel" in today’s context?


3. Ruth

Ruth 3:1-18

1 One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? 2 Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."

5 "I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

7 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. 9 "Who are you?" he asked. "I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."

10 "The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."

14 So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor." 15 He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.

16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?" Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her 17 and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.' " 18 Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."

In short, Ruth was a Moabite Gentile and a widow. She was told by her mom-in-law Naomi to lie at the feet of a very rich man called Boaz, to indicate to him that she was single and available. In today’s context, would such behaviour cause others to label her a "contaminated vessel"?


4. Bathsheba – Uriah’s wife

2 Samuel 11:1-27

1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.

5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant." 6 So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.

9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house. 10 When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?" 11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!" 12 Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." 16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20 the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.' "

22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead." 25 David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."

26 When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

This one probably needs no introduction. Bathsheba deliberately took a bath in full view of King David. One thing led to another, and she ended up in bed with him. She got pregnant so the king arranged for her husband to be killed in the frontline of battle. "Contaminated vessel" would be your verdict, no?

Well, I am so glad that God can use contaminated vessels to bring across His incorruptible Word and to fulfill His purposes, which means there is hope for you and I! There are so many more examples: - Abraham was a coward who asked his wife to lie that she was his sister. David was both an adulterer and a murderer. Paul went around persecuting Christians, etc.

Yes indeed, there is hope for you and I. He can use us, as long as we avail ourselves for His purposes. Amen?

Sowing and Reaping in God's Economy

Sunday, 21st January 2007

Dear all

Some of you guys must probably be quite "sian" of reading my testimonies already, so let me share one about our daughter Rachel.

Rachel is very dear to us, as well as to my parents and parents-in-law, because she is our firstborn (as well as their firstborn grandchild).

One of the principles we have been trying to inculcate in her is that of sowing and reaping in God's economy. She knows the value of money because it can be used to buy her a Nintendo DS game or to top-up her prepaid mobile phone card.

Sometime in Dec 06, 3L2 held a 12-hour extravaganza that included swimming, lunch, bowling and dinner. Roland and I (and our spouses) were going to leave 3L2 to form 3L7 in 2007, so as a parting gift, we decided to bless 3L2, with the Tays taking care of dinner and us taking care of the day-time activities.

I remember Rachel asking me, "Daddy, isn't that going to cost a lot of money?". I said, "Yes, sweetheart, but the way God sees things is different from the way we humans see things. When we bless others, we are actually sowing into their lives. When we sow plentifully, God causes us to reap even more abundantly.

Guess what? Just 10 days ago, I received a letter from my boss. I was given a Spot Award for "Helping the Finance Team in Korea". To cut a long story short, I was informed by my boss sometime in Oct 06 that I had to go to Korea to look after the Finance team for 3 weeks, because the Head of Finance there had to leave suddenly. I am one who does not like to be away from my family for too long a time, so I shared this with 3L2 to pray that I need not spend too much time in Korea.

As it turned out, I was allowed to fly there on a Monday morning, and fly back on the Friday of that same week. The next 2 weeks were handled via conference calls. My colleagues were amazed that my big boss had allowed me this arrangement, and said "you must have prayed very hard". I told them that "my cell group was praying for me." Now God has exceeded my expectations again by giving me a monetary award that has more than covered the cost of the extravaganza! And that was just for spending 4 days in Korea and 3 hours on conference calls! Isn't God a good God!

Anyway, the testimony is supposed to be about Rachel, so sorry for sidetracking. I told her that we all need to start small first. It is first giving 10 cents without any difficulty. Then it becomes $1, and then $10, and then $100, and then $1,000 etc. I then shared with her that someone had underwritten the shortfall for Project Uplift and given the church more than $50,000, and I am looking forward to the day in which I am in the position to do likewise.

Just yesterday, as I was fetching her back from Chinese tuition, I gave her her weekly allowance of $30. I told her to remember to put aside $3 for God. She told me that she had just put $10 in the offering bag that morning in Silver Boxes! As I type this, tears are flowing down my face, because I am so grateful to God that He has taught her His principle of sowing and reaping at such a young and tender age! I am sure that in her mind, that $10 could have bought her many other things. But she decided to put it into the offering bag! That represents 33% of her weekly allowance, and I must say that my own faith has never ever reached that kind of level before!

I was so encouraged that this morning, I went to an AXS machine to top-up her mobile phone prepaid card by $50. As parents, we are supposed to reflect the character of our Heavenly Father to our children. I want her to know, through me, that He is a generous and loving God. For the $10 she has sown, I wanted her to reap 5-fold (which incidentally is the number representing God's grace).

Hallelujah, and praise to Him alone!

Shalom
Malcolm

I nearly left the church of my forefathers

Saturday, 20th January 2007

Dearest brothers- and sisters-in-Christ

I have shared with you how God blessed me with the biggest bonus ever in my entire career on 22 Dec 06.

What I may not have shared in great detail is that my spiritual growth in the past 2 years has really spurted because I have been feeding on God’s Word spoken via a truly anointed man of God – Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church.

I have been attending this particular church for 39 years (since I was born). My late great-grandfather was a Pastor of this denomination, and since then my grandparents, parents, siblings and now children have been faithfully attending this church.

Sometime in April 2005, my boss and I were interviewing candidates for a managerial vacancy in our department. One particular candidate that we shortlisted conducted himself very well, and could answer all the questions we threw at him. However, what impressed me the most was that not only did this person indicate openly he was a Christian, he even told us that he could not work late on Thursdays because he had to attend bible study on those nights :-)

To cut a long story short, we offered him the job and he joined us in May 2005. Soon after that, he started to bring CD sermons from his church to circulate around the office. Coming from a traditional church background, I was very wary and sceptical of 'independent' churches. But out of curiosity, I brought back one to listen in the car and guess what? God so touched my spirit man that I was shedding tears only 10 minutes into that sermon! It was as though a burden that was upon me was being lifted, and at the same time, a void inside me was being filled.

That made me hungry for more, so the very next day, I took back a handful of other sermons to listen to. Later on, colleagues and family members would peer into my car wondering why I was still seated in it in spite of having reached my destination: it turned out that I was so caught up in listening to a particular sermon, and like that thrilling novel that could not be put away, I just had to listen to the sermon to the very end. Very soon, I had started to venture onto my colleague's church's website and ended buying about a dozen other of his Pastor's sermons. As at Nov 2006, I had already purchased close to 50 of his sermons already.

This Pastor of his is truly anointed, because 9 out of 10 of his sermons will move me to tears. At Easter 2006, I brought my mom to the 4th service and was amazed to see hundreds upon hundreds of youths queuing up patiently to enter the auditorium. I have seen youths queuing up to enter a pub or a disco, but this was the first time I saw youngsters queuing up to enter a church!

Anyway, I have been very blessed and enlightened by God's progressive revelation of His true nature through the messages of this Pastor. Being steeped in the doctrine preached by previous pastors, you can just imagine how tough it was for me to unlearn wrong doctrines such as "fearing vs loving God" paradoxes, conditional healing, keeping the balance between law and grace, generational curses, etc.

I was so disillusioned that at one time even considered leaving my church to join the 14,000 others. But somehow, God has impressed upon me the need to stay on to change things from the inside. About 5 months ago, He raised me up to be serve Him as a member of my church's LCEC (local church executive committee) as the Honorary Treasurer. And just this month, He has also raised me to serve as the cell leader of 3L7, one of the cells in Sunny Yap's 3L Cluster. So it does appear that my season is still with the church that my great-grandparents, grandparents and parents grew up in.

I thank the Lord for my colleague, whom I really believe He had divinely-appointed to point me to the man of God, who is able to uncover Jesus in the most unlikely parts of the Bible: from the genealogy of Noah, to Ruth, to Esther, even right down to the Leviticus customs!

Coming back to the bonus I received last month. I had been contemplating how to “tithe” on this bonus, and the Lord impressed upon me 4 days ago to start a personal “resource library” of the sermons and books of the Pastor who has so blessed me with his messages on grace and the finished work of the cross. Last night, I placed an order so as to obtain the entire catalogue of his sermons and books.

Meanwhile, I have compiled a database of his sermons and books (using Microsoft Access). Do let me know if there are any that you would like to borrow, and I will arrange to lend them to you accordingly.

Shalom