Wednesday, 28th February 2007
One verse that many Christians like to quote whenever bad things happen to them is Job 1:21, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
When Job said those words, he was not aware that it was actually the devil who was inflicting the calamities and disasters upon him, so he attributed them to the Lord.
If we were to lose our possessions or good health, is it God who has taken them away? If so, then He must have switched places with the devil, because in John 10:10, we read that it is the thief that comes to kill, steal and destroy, but Jesus has come to give us life and give it more abundantly.
Notice that Jesus mentions the devil's role and His own role in the very same verse.
There are some who argue that the "abundant life" mentioned in this passage refers to the "eternal or everlasting life", ie. something to be enjoyed only after we have passed on to the next life when we are in heaven. If this is so, then why did Jesus mention this "abundant life" in the very same verse as the thief who is out to kill, steal and destroy?
If we interpret the abundant life as something to be enjoyed only when we are in heaven, then when read in context, the devil is also out to kill, steal and destroy when we are in heaven. How can this be when the devil will never be allowed into heaven to begin with?
The logical conclusion is therefore that the abundant life Jesus refers to is to be enjoyed here and now while on earth, and not something to enjoy when we go to heaven. Because the devil will not be in heaven to kill, steal and destroy our inheritance.
We who have the benefit of hindsight of reading the account of Job and John 10 should instead say, "The Lord is the one who gives, and the evil one is trying to take it away. I am a joint-heir with Christ because of what Jesus has done, so I will speak against what the evil one is trying to take away. God forbid, because Jesus has come to give me life in abundance, and I receive that abundant life is Jesus' Name. Amen!"
Take myself for example. As I looked back over the past 4 years, I realise it was the devil who was in the details, behind the scenes as it were, trying to destroy my family, marriage and career. But I praise and thank God that He has been so gracious and merciful in not only restoring back all three, but allowing me to live a most fulfilling and rewarding life here on earth.
My relationship with my two kids has never been better. My relationship with my wife has never been stronger. And my career has never been more satisfying. I used to dread going to work back in 2003-2004, but now I look forward to going to work each day because I know the Lord will fill it with divine appointments!
As I become increasingly aware of the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross, the more I find Jesus to be relevant in my daily living. As I do that one thing (like Mary did) to feed my spirit man with anointed messages that are Christocentric on my way to work each morning, the Lord fills the rest of my day with wonderful divine appointments, so that I find that I am frequently at the right place at the right time, and decisions that are made always turn out to be the right ones!
Life has never been more worth the living. Hallelujah!
Drawing from Reserves (Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum)
Tuesday, 27th February 2007
Just the other day, a colleague from my company's Christian Fellowship asked me whether I ever run out of things to blog about. I told him that whenever I blog about songs, then those are the days when I am actually drawing from the "reserves".
Like today, for example :-)
In an earlier blog entry, I had mentioned what my all-time Top 10 Christian rock/pop songs are. Just to recap, they are:
01. Jesus Freak - DC Talk
02. Take Me To Your Leader - Newsboys
03. More Sold Out - Whiteheart
04. I Am On The Rock - Petra
05. (Never Gonna Be As) Big As Jesus -Audio Adrenaline
06. Little Drummer - Jars of Clay
07. To Hell With The Devil - Stryper
08. Original Superman - Pillar
09. All For You - JONAH33
10. Alive - POD
I have already featured in other blog entries the top 5 songs. Now I shall talk about the song at Number 6 :-)
Jars of Clay is one of the most successful Christian bands. They were formed in 1994 and hail from Illinois, USA. Their name is taken from 2 Cor 4:7 (NIV), "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." Several of their songs even crossed over into the secular charts.
Their debut self-titled album was certified triple-platinum and contained several hit songs, including Flood, Liquid and Love Song For A Savior. I even went to see their concert with some churchmates when they performed at the now-defunct Harbour Pavilion back in 1998.
But the one song that stands out (for me at least) is their grungy, garage version of the Christmas classic Little Drummer Boy, which they released as part of a Christmas EP in 1996. Do listen to the way the guitar chords are transposed after the "pa-rum-pa-pum-pums", starting from Verse 2, which gives the song a very unique Jars-y flavour :-)
Cool version, eh?
Shalom
Malcolm
Just the other day, a colleague from my company's Christian Fellowship asked me whether I ever run out of things to blog about. I told him that whenever I blog about songs, then those are the days when I am actually drawing from the "reserves".
Like today, for example :-)
In an earlier blog entry, I had mentioned what my all-time Top 10 Christian rock/pop songs are. Just to recap, they are:
01. Jesus Freak - DC Talk
02. Take Me To Your Leader - Newsboys
03. More Sold Out - Whiteheart
04. I Am On The Rock - Petra
05. (Never Gonna Be As) Big As Jesus -Audio Adrenaline
06. Little Drummer - Jars of Clay
07. To Hell With The Devil - Stryper
08. Original Superman - Pillar
09. All For You - JONAH33
10. Alive - POD
I have already featured in other blog entries the top 5 songs. Now I shall talk about the song at Number 6 :-)
Jars of Clay is one of the most successful Christian bands. They were formed in 1994 and hail from Illinois, USA. Their name is taken from 2 Cor 4:7 (NIV), "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." Several of their songs even crossed over into the secular charts.Their debut self-titled album was certified triple-platinum and contained several hit songs, including Flood, Liquid and Love Song For A Savior. I even went to see their concert with some churchmates when they performed at the now-defunct Harbour Pavilion back in 1998.
But the one song that stands out (for me at least) is their grungy, garage version of the Christmas classic Little Drummer Boy, which they released as part of a Christmas EP in 1996. Do listen to the way the guitar chords are transposed after the "pa-rum-pa-pum-pums", starting from Verse 2, which gives the song a very unique Jars-y flavour :-)
Verse 1:
Come they told me (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
A newborn king to see (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
Our finest gifts we bring (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
To lay before the King (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum 3x)
So, to honor Him (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
When we come...
Verse 2:
Little baby (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
I am a poor boy too (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
I have no gifts to bring (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
That's fit to give a King (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum 3x)
Shall I play for You (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
On my drum?
Verse 3:
Mary nodded (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
The ox and lamb kept time (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
I played my drum for Him (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
I played my best for Him (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum 3x)
Then, He smiled at me (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
Me and my drum...
Cool version, eh?
Shalom
Malcolm
T.G.F.I. 2
Monday, 26th February 2007
Dear Theophili and Theophilae
Just two days ago, I was blogging about how thankful I was to the Lord for the advances made in technology, especially where the Internet is concerned, and singled out GoogleMaps, BibleGateway and BlueLetterBible as awesome applications.
Here are 3 others that I thought are also worthy of mention in our inter-connected world:
YahooGroups
In the 90s, people would subscribe to "mailing lists" where members would exchange emails on topics that interested them.
A decade later, this has evolved into web-based "community groups" where subscribers now not only exchange emails, but can share resources such as files, photos and databases. They even have incorporated calendars to help remind one another of important events such as birthdays and other special occasions.
The very 1st YahooGroup I joined was the one set up by ntiuACF - NTI/NTU Aumni Christian Fellowship, thanks to fellow church member Philip Ng, who is also the cell leader of Goodness, one of the cells in Robert Chan's cluster. We happened to be at one of the B2B sesssions at Pasir Ris when he mentioned about the existence of this YahooGroup where the alumni of NTICF and NTUCF continue to keep in touch with one another.
Since then, I have also joined the 3L3CG YahooGroup set up by Larry Chu, cell leader of 3L3, one of the cells in Sunny Yap's 3L cluster, and have gone on to set up the Group 3L Cluster for our 3L cluster and the Group AstonVillaRox, which is meant for the Aston Villa fans in Singapore and the surrounding region.
Dropload
This application was introduced to me by RevBarnz (who may be a pastor, but is one of the coolest people I know because he keeps abreast with technology and is very IT-savvy).
He was recently ordained as an elder, and I took several photos of him during the Ordination Service last November. The photos totalled 21MB, and I was reluctant to burn them onto a CD-R because it meant that 97% of the CD-R's storage capacity would have gone to waste.
So I actually tried emailing him the files, but they were never delivered because of the size limits placed by the email servers.
That's when RevBarnz mentioned about this application called Dropload, and suggested that I droploaded the photos for him to pick up. Guess what? It worked like a charm, and I have used this app to email large files to other persons as well.
MediaMax
I have to kind of thank RevBarnz also for coming to know about this application.
I happened to be snooping around his blog over the weekend, and noticed that he had included links to his sermons and song compositions. When I clicked on the links, I found out that he had stored them using MediaMax. MediaMax gives users 25GB of free storage space, which is incredible!
Well, to cut a long story short, I have just started to use this applicattion to host the latest JPM Catalogs, so that those who want to borrow materials from my Library of Anointed Messages can know what are available.
Just last week, an ex-colleague of mine requested for the catalogs, so I emailed them to her. I was wondering whether there was a more effective and efficient way to facilitate this and voila there is -- thanks to MediaMax :-)
Have a blessed week ahead!
Shalom
Malcolm
Dear Theophili and Theophilae
Just two days ago, I was blogging about how thankful I was to the Lord for the advances made in technology, especially where the Internet is concerned, and singled out GoogleMaps, BibleGateway and BlueLetterBible as awesome applications.
Here are 3 others that I thought are also worthy of mention in our inter-connected world:
YahooGroups
In the 90s, people would subscribe to "mailing lists" where members would exchange emails on topics that interested them.
A decade later, this has evolved into web-based "community groups" where subscribers now not only exchange emails, but can share resources such as files, photos and databases. They even have incorporated calendars to help remind one another of important events such as birthdays and other special occasions.
The very 1st YahooGroup I joined was the one set up by ntiuACF - NTI/NTU Aumni Christian Fellowship, thanks to fellow church member Philip Ng, who is also the cell leader of Goodness, one of the cells in Robert Chan's cluster. We happened to be at one of the B2B sesssions at Pasir Ris when he mentioned about the existence of this YahooGroup where the alumni of NTICF and NTUCF continue to keep in touch with one another.
Since then, I have also joined the 3L3CG YahooGroup set up by Larry Chu, cell leader of 3L3, one of the cells in Sunny Yap's 3L cluster, and have gone on to set up the Group 3L Cluster for our 3L cluster and the Group AstonVillaRox, which is meant for the Aston Villa fans in Singapore and the surrounding region.
DroploadThis application was introduced to me by RevBarnz (who may be a pastor, but is one of the coolest people I know because he keeps abreast with technology and is very IT-savvy).
He was recently ordained as an elder, and I took several photos of him during the Ordination Service last November. The photos totalled 21MB, and I was reluctant to burn them onto a CD-R because it meant that 97% of the CD-R's storage capacity would have gone to waste.
So I actually tried emailing him the files, but they were never delivered because of the size limits placed by the email servers.
That's when RevBarnz mentioned about this application called Dropload, and suggested that I droploaded the photos for him to pick up. Guess what? It worked like a charm, and I have used this app to email large files to other persons as well.
MediaMax
I have to kind of thank RevBarnz also for coming to know about this application.I happened to be snooping around his blog over the weekend, and noticed that he had included links to his sermons and song compositions. When I clicked on the links, I found out that he had stored them using MediaMax. MediaMax gives users 25GB of free storage space, which is incredible!
Well, to cut a long story short, I have just started to use this applicattion to host the latest JPM Catalogs, so that those who want to borrow materials from my Library of Anointed Messages can know what are available.
Just last week, an ex-colleague of mine requested for the catalogs, so I emailed them to her. I was wondering whether there was a more effective and efficient way to facilitate this and voila there is -- thanks to MediaMax :-)
Have a blessed week ahead!
Shalom
Malcolm
The Lord's Prayer
Sunday, 25th February 2007
One of the most recited passages of the Scriptures is none other than the Prayer that Jesus taught His disciples (or more commonly referred to as "The Lord's Prayer").
This was recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, viz:
Matt 6:9-13
9"This, then, is how you should pray:" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Luke 11:1-4
1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
Do you know this prayer was sung to the tune of Old Lang Syne by Sir Cliff Richard?
Entitled as "The Millennium Prayer", it went to No.1 of the secular British charts at the end of 1999, where it remained for 3 consecutive weeks, even though many radio stations across the country refused to play the song.
You can watch the video of that song here:
A more "ethnic" version of the Lord's Prayer was sung at the Ordination Service held in Living Hope Methodist Church in Nov last year. I was surprised to hear that the composer of this version is none other than Yusof, the husband of Susanna, our Music & Worship Director! RevBarnz also likes this version, and I gather that is probably why we have started to sing it each week at the end of the corporate prayer.
I have been wanting to record the song to upload onto YouTube, so I brought my videocam to church last week. As it turned out, we did not sing it last week, but instead saw a skit on the Prodigal Son put up by our drama ministry. Since I had my videocam with me, I recorded that instead :-)
Well, we did sing it today, so here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure :-)
Shalom
Malcolm
One of the most recited passages of the Scriptures is none other than the Prayer that Jesus taught His disciples (or more commonly referred to as "The Lord's Prayer").
This was recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, viz:
Matt 6:9-13
9"This, then, is how you should pray:" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Luke 11:1-4
1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
Do you know this prayer was sung to the tune of Old Lang Syne by Sir Cliff Richard?
Entitled as "The Millennium Prayer", it went to No.1 of the secular British charts at the end of 1999, where it remained for 3 consecutive weeks, even though many radio stations across the country refused to play the song.
You can watch the video of that song here:
A more "ethnic" version of the Lord's Prayer was sung at the Ordination Service held in Living Hope Methodist Church in Nov last year. I was surprised to hear that the composer of this version is none other than Yusof, the husband of Susanna, our Music & Worship Director! RevBarnz also likes this version, and I gather that is probably why we have started to sing it each week at the end of the corporate prayer.
I have been wanting to record the song to upload onto YouTube, so I brought my videocam to church last week. As it turned out, we did not sing it last week, but instead saw a skit on the Prodigal Son put up by our drama ministry. Since I had my videocam with me, I recorded that instead :-)
Well, we did sing it today, so here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure :-)
Shalom
Malcolm
T.G.F.I (Thank God for the Internet)
Saturday, 24th February 2007
Yesterday, I blogged about how I will finally be making a "pilgrimage" to Villa Park, the stadium where my favourite soccer team, Birmingham-based Aston Villa plays their home matches.
I have never been to the city of Birmingham, UK before, so I decided to do some research on the internet to find out where the airport, hotel and stadium are.
That is how I stumbled upon GoogleMaps. This is a fantastic application that shows you the exact location and satellite image of a place of interest. On the right, you can see an image of Villa Park, where I will be on 18 Mar to watch Villa play against Liverpool.
But wait... that is not all that GoogleMaps is able to do.
If you type in a second location, it will give you directions on how to get to and from the 1st location to the 2nd.
That is how I discovered that Birmingham Airport is about 20 minutes from Conference Aston Hotel, while Conference Aston Hotel is 10 minutes from Villa Park.
The last time around when I was in Europe in 1993, I would never have imagined this type of technology being made available. So it is really a case of T.G.F.I -- Thank God for the Internet!
Yes, the Internet has been abused by the evil one in propagating pornography and paedophilia. But we can harness it to blog testimonies that glorify our Lord Jesus, and to do Bible study and research as explained below:
BibleGateway
This website was introduced to me by my dear wife. It contains the Bible in numerous versions. Whenever I recall a verse, but cannot quite remember the reference, all I need to do is to type in a phrase within that verse (for example, "perfect peace"), and the website will return the results as shown on the right.
BlueLetterBible
This website contains the original Hebrew and Greek text of every single verse in the Bible, and most importantly, Strong's numbers. It can thus be used as an aid for Bible Study.
For example, if one wanted to study the original Greek text of Jn 1:1, you will see the result as shown on the left.
I discovered this when doing a Google search on "Hebrew and Greek origin", and have been using it in increasing measure due to the doctrinal nature of my blog entries.
Thank God for the Internet! May it be used to promote the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross!
Yesterday, I blogged about how I will finally be making a "pilgrimage" to Villa Park, the stadium where my favourite soccer team, Birmingham-based Aston Villa plays their home matches.I have never been to the city of Birmingham, UK before, so I decided to do some research on the internet to find out where the airport, hotel and stadium are.
That is how I stumbled upon GoogleMaps. This is a fantastic application that shows you the exact location and satellite image of a place of interest. On the right, you can see an image of Villa Park, where I will be on 18 Mar to watch Villa play against Liverpool.
But wait... that is not all that GoogleMaps is able to do.If you type in a second location, it will give you directions on how to get to and from the 1st location to the 2nd.
That is how I discovered that Birmingham Airport is about 20 minutes from Conference Aston Hotel, while Conference Aston Hotel is 10 minutes from Villa Park.
The last time around when I was in Europe in 1993, I would never have imagined this type of technology being made available. So it is really a case of T.G.F.I -- Thank God for the Internet!
Yes, the Internet has been abused by the evil one in propagating pornography and paedophilia. But we can harness it to blog testimonies that glorify our Lord Jesus, and to do Bible study and research as explained below:
BibleGateway This website was introduced to me by my dear wife. It contains the Bible in numerous versions. Whenever I recall a verse, but cannot quite remember the reference, all I need to do is to type in a phrase within that verse (for example, "perfect peace"), and the website will return the results as shown on the right.
BlueLetterBibleThis website contains the original Hebrew and Greek text of every single verse in the Bible, and most importantly, Strong's numbers. It can thus be used as an aid for Bible Study.
For example, if one wanted to study the original Greek text of Jn 1:1, you will see the result as shown on the left.
I discovered this when doing a Google search on "Hebrew and Greek origin", and have been using it in increasing measure due to the doctrinal nature of my blog entries.
Thank God for the Internet! May it be used to promote the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross!
A Pilgrim's Progress
Friday, 23rd February 2007
Having been on "spiritual adrenaline" for the past few weeks with an average of one blog entry per day, I thought I would blog on something which people would consider more "secular" in nature for a change. :-)
When I was still part of 3L2 last year, we were asked during one of our cell meetings to share about how we would live our lives if we knew that Jesus would come the very next day. Most of us gave very "worldly" answers. A couple of cell members said that they would pamper themselves at a spa or by getting a massage, while yet others said they would go to the karaoke to sing to their hearts' content. When it came to my turn, I confessed that I was a big Aston Villa fan (ya ya, go ahead and laugh) since I was 10 years old, and would like to make a "pilgrimage" to Villa Park, which is located in Birmingham in the West Midlands of England.
The closest I had ever been to Villa Park was back in 1993 when my wife and I were on our honeymoon. We had toured Europe with Ken Air, and extended our stay in England for another week or so. Whilst in England, my dad's sister Helen allowed us to use her place in Harrow as a "base", so we went on a 4-day tour that took us up to Edinburgh, Scotland.
On the round trip back down to London, the coach made a stop at Coventry (Shakespeare's county), which is about 40km to the southeast of where Villa Park is located.
Well, I thank the Lord that I do not need to wait till He comes again to embark on this "pilgrimage". A week ago, I was informed by my boss that I would be attending an International Finance Workshop at my company's headquarters in Munich from 21 to 23 March. I quickly did some research and discovered that Lufthansa flies direcly between Munich and Birmingham, and the two cities are only 2 hours apart by plane!
I called Chen Meng, a good friend of mine, who is also a Villa supporter and has been to the stadium 3 times already. (Oh ya, must remind me to tell you how I met Chen Meng via my son Mark in another blog entry.)
Chen Meng encouraged me to take it one step further, and that is to watch an actual game, rather than be merely brought on a guided tour of an empty stadium. (By the way, that's us on the left after our appearance on Football Crazy on 31 Aug 06)
I looked at the fixtures list and saw that Aston Villa will be playing at home to Liverpool on Sun 18 Mar. The first thought that crossed my mind was that even if I had wanted to watch that game, the tickets would probably have already been sold out.
Well, I went to Villa's official website, and am thankful to the Lord that not only were tickets still available, it was going at only £30 (as compared to the £100 pounds charged by Arsenal and £75 pounds charged by Man U). I quickly placed an order for a ticket, and it arrrived in the mail yesterday :-)
Three days ago, when we were having lunch at our Cluster Leaders' place, RevBarnz remarked that his MSN motto is "One Phone: Sony Ericcson, One Computer: Mac, One Car - Honda, One God -- Jesus".
That has inspired me to come up with a similar motto for myself, which is Y-M-C-A:
Having been on "spiritual adrenaline" for the past few weeks with an average of one blog entry per day, I thought I would blog on something which people would consider more "secular" in nature for a change. :-)
When I was still part of 3L2 last year, we were asked during one of our cell meetings to share about how we would live our lives if we knew that Jesus would come the very next day. Most of us gave very "worldly" answers. A couple of cell members said that they would pamper themselves at a spa or by getting a massage, while yet others said they would go to the karaoke to sing to their hearts' content. When it came to my turn, I confessed that I was a big Aston Villa fan (ya ya, go ahead and laugh) since I was 10 years old, and would like to make a "pilgrimage" to Villa Park, which is located in Birmingham in the West Midlands of England.
The closest I had ever been to Villa Park was back in 1993 when my wife and I were on our honeymoon. We had toured Europe with Ken Air, and extended our stay in England for another week or so. Whilst in England, my dad's sister Helen allowed us to use her place in Harrow as a "base", so we went on a 4-day tour that took us up to Edinburgh, Scotland.
On the round trip back down to London, the coach made a stop at Coventry (Shakespeare's county), which is about 40km to the southeast of where Villa Park is located.Well, I thank the Lord that I do not need to wait till He comes again to embark on this "pilgrimage". A week ago, I was informed by my boss that I would be attending an International Finance Workshop at my company's headquarters in Munich from 21 to 23 March. I quickly did some research and discovered that Lufthansa flies direcly between Munich and Birmingham, and the two cities are only 2 hours apart by plane!
I called Chen Meng, a good friend of mine, who is also a Villa supporter and has been to the stadium 3 times already. (Oh ya, must remind me to tell you how I met Chen Meng via my son Mark in another blog entry.)Chen Meng encouraged me to take it one step further, and that is to watch an actual game, rather than be merely brought on a guided tour of an empty stadium. (By the way, that's us on the left after our appearance on Football Crazy on 31 Aug 06)
I looked at the fixtures list and saw that Aston Villa will be playing at home to Liverpool on Sun 18 Mar. The first thought that crossed my mind was that even if I had wanted to watch that game, the tickets would probably have already been sold out.Well, I went to Villa's official website, and am thankful to the Lord that not only were tickets still available, it was going at only £30 (as compared to the £100 pounds charged by Arsenal and £75 pounds charged by Man U). I quickly placed an order for a ticket, and it arrrived in the mail yesterday :-)
Three days ago, when we were having lunch at our Cluster Leaders' place, RevBarnz remarked that his MSN motto is "One Phone: Sony Ericcson, One Computer: Mac, One Car - Honda, One God -- Jesus".
That has inspired me to come up with a similar motto for myself, which is Y-M-C-A:
One Yardstick -- to assess what really matters in life, ie. my Saviour and Lord, Jesus
One Marriage -- to my covenant-partner Sock Pin
One Club -- Aston Villa rox!
One Automobile -- Mitsubishi
What if I Had a Million Dollars?
Thursday, 22nd February 2007
Just last Sunday, the Drama Ministry put up a skit about the Prodigal Son. As part of the intro, a very funny Hokkien song was played where the singer was musing about what he would do if he had a million dollars. This included sitting on a plane, getting himself a wife, eating Sushi in Japan and soaking up the sun in Hawaii.
You can watch the skit here:
Pastor P then posed the question to the congregation: If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it?
When I was in the varsity, a brother of mine from the Christian Fellowship told me that there are only 2 things that are eternal: the Word of God and the souls of men, and how wise it would be for us to invest in them.
I also recall my-then Bible Study Leader, Jeff Khaw recommending a book by Tony Compalo entitled "Who Switched the Price Tags", where the author talks about how the devil has switched the "price tags" of items in this fallen world, such that it esteems highly titles such as "PhD" and "MBA", and despises titles such as "Child of God".
1. The Word of God
Our Lord Jesus said in the synoptic gospels that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will remain.
Matt 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
From a believer's perspective, it is thus wise for us to invest in the Word of God. I use an electronic Bible and have purchased several versions (NASB, Amplified, NIV, the Message) over the past 3 years. In Jan 07, I also bought the entire catalog of sermons and books of a pastor whom I opine to be an anointed man of God.
2. The souls of men
Man was created a spirit being, and like other spirits of the world, cannot die. He will either end up eternally in heaven fellowshipping with the Triune God; or in the lake of fire of Hades weeping and gnashing his teeth.
It is therefore also important for us to invest in the souls of men. Examples are as follows:
(1) Tithes and offerings
Our tithes and offerings to the local church is not only being used to pay the staff's salaries, but also channeled to the work of missions and evangelism, which is a form of investment into the winning the souls of men for Christ.
(2) Blessing those in our oikos
It is a privilege to sow into the lives of those whom God has placed around us in our "oikos". When we bless those in our cell/cluster by compiling photo albums or by buying a suckling pig to celebrate the Year of the Pig during Chinese New Year, we are in effect investing in the souls of men!
(3) Buying Bibles for our loved ones, domestic helpers, etc.
I was at Tecman a week ago and was amazed to see the different translations of the Bible available in Singapore -- in Mandarin, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, etc. In fact, when we buy a Bible for a brother or sister in Christ, it is "two for the price of one" because we are investing in both the Word of God and the souls of men with one single act of sowing :-)
Coming back to the point of blessing those in our oikos, this brings to mind something very close to home regarding my daughter Rachel and my sister Yvonne.
In an earlier blog entry, I have shared about how my precious daughter Rachel put 33 1/3% of her weekly allowance into the offering bag one Sunday morning.
Now let me share about her again, but this time as a recipient in the "sowing and reaping" process.
About 5 years back, the table you see on the right was placed in the patio. There were also several pingpong bats and balls that were lying around unused in drawers. One fine day, my daughter happened to take out those bats and started to use this table to have a game of makeshift pingpong with my dad. (I have placed a pingpong net on the table to give an idea of how "makeshift" it was -- its length is probably a third of, while its breadth is about half that of an actual pingpong table)
When my wife and I got home from work, a common sight would be to see Rachel and her grand-dad having a game of "makeshift" pingpong. We would then "relieve" my dad, so to speak, and take turns to play with her as well.
My sis Yvonne must have beheld the sight of her enjoying the game of makeshift pingpong, so that Christmas, the Lord prompted her to bless my daughter in buying an actual pingpong table! Imagine the joy on the face of Rachel when she saw that table sitting in the middle of the patio in place of the makeshift one! She could now play proper pingpong with her family members.
Having developed the interest in this sport at such a young tender age, it was only natural of her to take up table tennis as a Co-Curriculum Activity ("CCA") in school. And just this month, she was appointed Captain of her school's table tennis team!
Here again we see the principle of sowing and reaping in effect. Back in 2003, my sister Yvonne sowed into Rachel's life by blessing her with a pingpong table. 4 years later, the reaping has already begun, with the harvest being manifested as her being appointed Captain of her school team. [Sis, thanks for sowing into Rachel's life.]
I remember back in 2004 when I was having a tough time at my previous workplace. What I looked forward to when I got home from the office each day was a time of bonding with my daughter over several games of pingpong. Out of a game of 10, I would probably win 7. Last year, we were more evenly-matched. Well, I just played with her a couple of months ago and nowadays, she wins me in straight sets :-(
The world constantly bombards us with advice to invest in this property or in that company's stock, because it can yield returns of 15% or 50%, etc. But the best form of investment is in that which is eternal, because the returns on investment are measured from God's perspective in God's economy.
And the returns on investment in God's economy is not in terms of 10% or 50% or even 200% that we read about in the newspapers or see on TV. It is in terms of 30-fold (3,000%), 60-fold (6,000%) and 100-fold (10,000%) (Matt 13, Mark 4) .
So coming back to the question posed earlier. If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it? As for me and my household, we will invest it on the Word of God and the souls of men! Amen?
Shalom
Malcolm
Just last Sunday, the Drama Ministry put up a skit about the Prodigal Son. As part of the intro, a very funny Hokkien song was played where the singer was musing about what he would do if he had a million dollars. This included sitting on a plane, getting himself a wife, eating Sushi in Japan and soaking up the sun in Hawaii.
You can watch the skit here:
Pastor P then posed the question to the congregation: If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it?
When I was in the varsity, a brother of mine from the Christian Fellowship told me that there are only 2 things that are eternal: the Word of God and the souls of men, and how wise it would be for us to invest in them.
I also recall my-then Bible Study Leader, Jeff Khaw recommending a book by Tony Compalo entitled "Who Switched the Price Tags", where the author talks about how the devil has switched the "price tags" of items in this fallen world, such that it esteems highly titles such as "PhD" and "MBA", and despises titles such as "Child of God".1. The Word of God
Our Lord Jesus said in the synoptic gospels that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will remain.
Matt 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
From a believer's perspective, it is thus wise for us to invest in the Word of God. I use an electronic Bible and have purchased several versions (NASB, Amplified, NIV, the Message) over the past 3 years. In Jan 07, I also bought the entire catalog of sermons and books of a pastor whom I opine to be an anointed man of God.
2. The souls of men
Man was created a spirit being, and like other spirits of the world, cannot die. He will either end up eternally in heaven fellowshipping with the Triune God; or in the lake of fire of Hades weeping and gnashing his teeth.
It is therefore also important for us to invest in the souls of men. Examples are as follows:
(1) Tithes and offerings
Our tithes and offerings to the local church is not only being used to pay the staff's salaries, but also channeled to the work of missions and evangelism, which is a form of investment into the winning the souls of men for Christ.
(2) Blessing those in our oikos
It is a privilege to sow into the lives of those whom God has placed around us in our "oikos". When we bless those in our cell/cluster by compiling photo albums or by buying a suckling pig to celebrate the Year of the Pig during Chinese New Year, we are in effect investing in the souls of men!(3) Buying Bibles for our loved ones, domestic helpers, etc.
I was at Tecman a week ago and was amazed to see the different translations of the Bible available in Singapore -- in Mandarin, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, etc. In fact, when we buy a Bible for a brother or sister in Christ, it is "two for the price of one" because we are investing in both the Word of God and the souls of men with one single act of sowing :-)
Coming back to the point of blessing those in our oikos, this brings to mind something very close to home regarding my daughter Rachel and my sister Yvonne.
In an earlier blog entry, I have shared about how my precious daughter Rachel put 33 1/3% of her weekly allowance into the offering bag one Sunday morning.
Now let me share about her again, but this time as a recipient in the "sowing and reaping" process.
About 5 years back, the table you see on the right was placed in the patio. There were also several pingpong bats and balls that were lying around unused in drawers. One fine day, my daughter happened to take out those bats and started to use this table to have a game of makeshift pingpong with my dad. (I have placed a pingpong net on the table to give an idea of how "makeshift" it was -- its length is probably a third of, while its breadth is about half that of an actual pingpong table)
When my wife and I got home from work, a common sight would be to see Rachel and her grand-dad having a game of "makeshift" pingpong. We would then "relieve" my dad, so to speak, and take turns to play with her as well.
My sis Yvonne must have beheld the sight of her enjoying the game of makeshift pingpong, so that Christmas, the Lord prompted her to bless my daughter in buying an actual pingpong table! Imagine the joy on the face of Rachel when she saw that table sitting in the middle of the patio in place of the makeshift one! She could now play proper pingpong with her family members.
Having developed the interest in this sport at such a young tender age, it was only natural of her to take up table tennis as a Co-Curriculum Activity ("CCA") in school. And just this month, she was appointed Captain of her school's table tennis team!
Here again we see the principle of sowing and reaping in effect. Back in 2003, my sister Yvonne sowed into Rachel's life by blessing her with a pingpong table. 4 years later, the reaping has already begun, with the harvest being manifested as her being appointed Captain of her school team. [Sis, thanks for sowing into Rachel's life.]
I remember back in 2004 when I was having a tough time at my previous workplace. What I looked forward to when I got home from the office each day was a time of bonding with my daughter over several games of pingpong. Out of a game of 10, I would probably win 7. Last year, we were more evenly-matched. Well, I just played with her a couple of months ago and nowadays, she wins me in straight sets :-(
The world constantly bombards us with advice to invest in this property or in that company's stock, because it can yield returns of 15% or 50%, etc. But the best form of investment is in that which is eternal, because the returns on investment are measured from God's perspective in God's economy.
And the returns on investment in God's economy is not in terms of 10% or 50% or even 200% that we read about in the newspapers or see on TV. It is in terms of 30-fold (3,000%), 60-fold (6,000%) and 100-fold (10,000%) (Matt 13, Mark 4) .
So coming back to the question posed earlier. If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it? As for me and my household, we will invest it on the Word of God and the souls of men! Amen?
Shalom
Malcolm
Who is not against Jesus is for Jesus!
Wednesday, 21st February 2007
Dear Theophila and Theophilae
Isn't it strange how history repeats itself?
In apostolic times, there were divisions in the early church, where some claimed to be "followers of Peter", others "followers of Apollos" and yet others "followers of Paul".
1 Corinthians 1 :Divisions in the Church
10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.
12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Peter"; still another, "I follow Christ."
13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?
I Corinthians 3:
3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
4For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.
9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
Even during the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, we read in Matt 9 of how the disciples of John the Baptist were upset whey they discovered that the disciples of Jesus did not fast.
Fast forward to the 21st century in Singapore, and the same thing is happening even right now! The 3 "mega-churches" on this island have congregations that number in the tens of thousands. Yet, instead of uniting together to make an impact on society, we see leaders and followers of one church "finding faults" with leaders and followers of the other 2.
I had a colleague who used to attend the largest church in Singapore. She enjoyed the worship and preaching, but what made her decide to leave was when her care group leader started to pressurise her and others to buy the music CD of their pastor's wife, so as to boost its sales. There are also others who criticise that church as being too "worldly" because that pastor's wife wears clothes that does not agree with their own perception of how a pastor's wife should be dressed! Yet, in spite of men's doings, God prevails and continues to bless that church, and its attendance has shot past 20,000 already.
The 2nd largest church also has its share of criticisms. Christians have labelled it a cult, a church with heretic teachings, a church that over-emphasises grace at the expense of the law, etc. Yet, once again, God has prevailed and has blessed that church too, with attendance now approaching 15,000. It is not uncommon to see hundreds upon hundreds of people queueing patiently to enter it, a scene you thought would only be seen outside pubs and discos.
The 3rd largest church also has its detractors. The pastor sees magic as a means to reach pre-believers, on the premise of 1 Corinthians 9:20 ("To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews."). Some Christians are concerned because they say he is dabbling with the occult. Yet, membership continues to be above the 10,000 mark, and that church has very established outreach and youth ministries.
While all these divisions are taking place, guess who is the one rejoicing? None other than Mr S A Tan himself :-(
So what should our response as believers be then? Consider the following passages recorded in the synoptic gospels:
Matthew 12:30
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
Mark 9: 38-40 Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
38"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
39"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me,
40for whoever is not against us is for us.
Luke 9
49"Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."
50"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."
Just imagine if these 3 mega-churches could put aside their differences and instead concentrate their efforts on what are similar, ie. the love of Christ, reaching out to pre-believers, etc. Someone once said that "Don't look for a perfect church. Once you go there, you will make it imperfect." As long as one is receiving food that makes him grow spiritually, he should continue to feed there.
There is a dear brother of mine who has very differing views about the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross from myself. Yet, I have no problems linking his blog to mine because we are parts of Christ's body and I love him as a person. My prayer is that he will be able to find it in his heart to reciprocate. Yet, even if he does not, it is OK because I will continue to love him as my dear brother, whom I will enjoy fellowship with to "eternity and beyond" :-)
In closing, let us remember the following hymn that we sing every now and then:
Dear Theophila and Theophilae
Isn't it strange how history repeats itself?
In apostolic times, there were divisions in the early church, where some claimed to be "followers of Peter", others "followers of Apollos" and yet others "followers of Paul".
1 Corinthians 1 :Divisions in the Church
10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.
12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Peter"; still another, "I follow Christ."
13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?
I Corinthians 3:
3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
4For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.
9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
Even during the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, we read in Matt 9 of how the disciples of John the Baptist were upset whey they discovered that the disciples of Jesus did not fast.
Fast forward to the 21st century in Singapore, and the same thing is happening even right now! The 3 "mega-churches" on this island have congregations that number in the tens of thousands. Yet, instead of uniting together to make an impact on society, we see leaders and followers of one church "finding faults" with leaders and followers of the other 2.
I had a colleague who used to attend the largest church in Singapore. She enjoyed the worship and preaching, but what made her decide to leave was when her care group leader started to pressurise her and others to buy the music CD of their pastor's wife, so as to boost its sales. There are also others who criticise that church as being too "worldly" because that pastor's wife wears clothes that does not agree with their own perception of how a pastor's wife should be dressed! Yet, in spite of men's doings, God prevails and continues to bless that church, and its attendance has shot past 20,000 already.
The 2nd largest church also has its share of criticisms. Christians have labelled it a cult, a church with heretic teachings, a church that over-emphasises grace at the expense of the law, etc. Yet, once again, God has prevailed and has blessed that church too, with attendance now approaching 15,000. It is not uncommon to see hundreds upon hundreds of people queueing patiently to enter it, a scene you thought would only be seen outside pubs and discos.
The 3rd largest church also has its detractors. The pastor sees magic as a means to reach pre-believers, on the premise of 1 Corinthians 9:20 ("To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews."). Some Christians are concerned because they say he is dabbling with the occult. Yet, membership continues to be above the 10,000 mark, and that church has very established outreach and youth ministries.
While all these divisions are taking place, guess who is the one rejoicing? None other than Mr S A Tan himself :-(
So what should our response as believers be then? Consider the following passages recorded in the synoptic gospels:
Matthew 12:30
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
Mark 9: 38-40 Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
38"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
39"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me,
40for whoever is not against us is for us.
Luke 9
49"Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."
50"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."
Just imagine if these 3 mega-churches could put aside their differences and instead concentrate their efforts on what are similar, ie. the love of Christ, reaching out to pre-believers, etc. Someone once said that "Don't look for a perfect church. Once you go there, you will make it imperfect." As long as one is receiving food that makes him grow spiritually, he should continue to feed there.
There is a dear brother of mine who has very differing views about the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross from myself. Yet, I have no problems linking his blog to mine because we are parts of Christ's body and I love him as a person. My prayer is that he will be able to find it in his heart to reciprocate. Yet, even if he does not, it is OK because I will continue to love him as my dear brother, whom I will enjoy fellowship with to "eternity and beyond" :-)
In closing, let us remember the following hymn that we sing every now and then:
I am the church, you are the church
We are the church
All who follow Jesus all around the world
Yes, we're the church together!
Never Going to be as Big as Jesus
Tuesday, 20th February 2007
In an earlier blog entry, I had mentioned what my all-time Top 10 Christian rock/pop songs are. Just to recap, they are:
01. Jesus Freak - DC Talk
02. Take Me To Your Leader - Newsboys
03. More Sold Out - Whiteheart
04. I Am On The Rock - Petra
05. (Never Gonna Be As) Big As Jesus -Audio Adrenaline
06. Little Drummer - Jars of Clay
07. To Hell With The Devil - Stryper
08. Original Superman - Pillar
09. All For You - JONAH33
10. Alive - POD
I have already featured in other blog entries the top 4 songs. Now I shall talk about the song at Number 5 :-)
Audio Adrenaline (affectionately known as "Audio A") was also one of the top Christian bands of the 90s.
They originated from Kentucky, USA and their music was a little bit rawer and less melodious than Petra. Nonetheless, they had a string of hits, the biggest of which (and arguable their finest) was "Never Gonna Be As Big As Jesus", lifted from their gold-certified album Bloom. It made the top of the CCM Charts in 1996.
At the height of their success, John Lennon of the Beatles declared they were more popular than Jesus. Well, while two of their four members are no longer with us, Jesus Christ continues to be revelant to the world today as He was when He walked the earth 2,000 years ago. And the Holy Bible continues to outsell all the albums of the Beatles put together :-)
This song reminds us to always remain humble, and see things in the right perspective. No matter how many achievements we may obtain, ultimately we are His creation, and He is the Creator. We will never going to be as big as Jesus. Amen?
In an earlier blog entry, I had mentioned what my all-time Top 10 Christian rock/pop songs are. Just to recap, they are:
01. Jesus Freak - DC Talk
02. Take Me To Your Leader - Newsboys
03. More Sold Out - Whiteheart
04. I Am On The Rock - Petra
05. (Never Gonna Be As) Big As Jesus -Audio Adrenaline
06. Little Drummer - Jars of Clay
07. To Hell With The Devil - Stryper
08. Original Superman - Pillar
09. All For You - JONAH33
10. Alive - POD
I have already featured in other blog entries the top 4 songs. Now I shall talk about the song at Number 5 :-)
Audio Adrenaline (affectionately known as "Audio A") was also one of the top Christian bands of the 90s.
They originated from Kentucky, USA and their music was a little bit rawer and less melodious than Petra. Nonetheless, they had a string of hits, the biggest of which (and arguable their finest) was "Never Gonna Be As Big As Jesus", lifted from their gold-certified album Bloom. It made the top of the CCM Charts in 1996.
At the height of their success, John Lennon of the Beatles declared they were more popular than Jesus. Well, while two of their four members are no longer with us, Jesus Christ continues to be revelant to the world today as He was when He walked the earth 2,000 years ago. And the Holy Bible continues to outsell all the albums of the Beatles put together :-)
This song reminds us to always remain humble, and see things in the right perspective. No matter how many achievements we may obtain, ultimately we are His creation, and He is the Creator. We will never going to be as big as Jesus. Amen?
I could move to Hollywood
Get my teeth capped I know I could
Be a big star on the silver screen
Just like James Dean I could be a star
I could climb the corporate ladder
Buy, sell, and liquidate
Maybe be just like the Beatles
Melodic, rocking heavyweights
I could learn to sing and dance
If I only had a chance
I could be a big rock star
I could be anything I wanted to
I could be anything but one thing's true
Never gonna be as big as Jesus
Never gonna hold the world in my hand
Never gonna be as big as Jesus
Never gonna build a promised land
But that's alright okay with me
I could build a tower to heaven
Get on top and touch the sky
I could write a million songs
All designed to glorify
I could be about as good
Good as any human could
But that won't get me by
Let's be "Happy All The Time" because "It's So Good to Trust in Jesus"
Monday 19th February 2007
Several Sundays ago, we brought my parents-in-law to attend the Lifespring Service (which is the Mandarin service of our church). What really moved my heart was to see the way the elderly folks were worshipping the LORD, even though they may not understand everything in the Bible because of literacy issues.
I was amazed to see the childlike faith that they had, and the joy that could be seen in their faces. When looking at them, I was reminded of what Rev Tay KL had shared over the pulpit about the 75-hour prayer. He had walked into the Haven during one of the sessions to find a small group of persons of less than 10 persons praising God by singing the Hokkien song "Jin Jia Hor", viz:
JIN JIA HOR
jin jia hor, lai xing ya saw jin jia hor
jin jia hor, lai xing ya saw jin jia hor
wa bai yit, bai ji, bai sa, bai si
bai gor, bai lak, gui eh lei bai
jin jia hor, lai xing ya saw jin jia hor
真佳好来信耶稣， 真佳好
真佳好来信耶稣， 真佳好
我拜一，拜二， 拜三， 拜四
拜五， 拜六， 过而礼拜
真佳好来信耶稣， 真佳好
Loosely, it can be translated into English as follows:
It's so good to trust in Jesus, it's so good
It's so good to trust in Jesus, it's so good
Be it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Friday, Saturday or even Sunday
It's so good to trust in Jesus, it's so good
On one end of the spectrum were sessions like the one our 3L cluster had (there was a time of worship, reading of the Scriptures, prayer, exhortation, etc). On the other end of the spectrum were sessions like the one Rev Tay had witnessed. Yet God was honoured by all who were willing to set aside time to praise Him, and His presence was felt no matter how simple or elaborate the sessions may have been.
The childlike faith shown by these elderly folk reminds me of the following passages of scripture regarding children...
Matt 18:1-5 The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2He called a little child and had him stand among them.
3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
Matt 19:13-15 The Little Children and Jesus
13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
14Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
Once in a while, we may hear very simple and "childish" songs of praise, but we should not despise them. This is because these are the very songs that reach the very throne of God, because they cause our faith to be "childlike" when we sing them.
Another song I am reminded of was the one taught in Sunday School as follows:
HAPPY ALL THE TIME
I'm inside, outside, upside, downside
Happy all the time
I'm inside, outside, upside, downside
Happy all the time
Since Jesus Christ came in
I've grown to love Him more
I'm inside, outside, upside, downside
Happy all the time
我里面，外面，上面，下面，
高兴不得了
我里面，外面，上面，下面，
高兴不得了
之从我有耶稣我越来越爱他
我里面，外面，上面，下面，
高兴不得了
So let's learn from both the children and the elderly folks to exercise child-like faith in our walk with the LORD. Let's be HAPPY ALL THE TIME because IT'S SO GOOD TO TRUST IN JESUS. Amen?
Several Sundays ago, we brought my parents-in-law to attend the Lifespring Service (which is the Mandarin service of our church). What really moved my heart was to see the way the elderly folks were worshipping the LORD, even though they may not understand everything in the Bible because of literacy issues.
I was amazed to see the childlike faith that they had, and the joy that could be seen in their faces. When looking at them, I was reminded of what Rev Tay KL had shared over the pulpit about the 75-hour prayer. He had walked into the Haven during one of the sessions to find a small group of persons of less than 10 persons praising God by singing the Hokkien song "Jin Jia Hor", viz:
JIN JIA HOR
jin jia hor, lai xing ya saw jin jia hor
jin jia hor, lai xing ya saw jin jia hor
wa bai yit, bai ji, bai sa, bai si
bai gor, bai lak, gui eh lei bai
jin jia hor, lai xing ya saw jin jia hor
真佳好来信耶稣， 真佳好
真佳好来信耶稣， 真佳好
我拜一，拜二， 拜三， 拜四
拜五， 拜六， 过而礼拜
真佳好来信耶稣， 真佳好
Loosely, it can be translated into English as follows:
It's so good to trust in Jesus, it's so good
It's so good to trust in Jesus, it's so good
Be it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Friday, Saturday or even Sunday
It's so good to trust in Jesus, it's so good
On one end of the spectrum were sessions like the one our 3L cluster had (there was a time of worship, reading of the Scriptures, prayer, exhortation, etc). On the other end of the spectrum were sessions like the one Rev Tay had witnessed. Yet God was honoured by all who were willing to set aside time to praise Him, and His presence was felt no matter how simple or elaborate the sessions may have been.
The childlike faith shown by these elderly folk reminds me of the following passages of scripture regarding children...
Matt 18:1-5 The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2He called a little child and had him stand among them.
3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
Matt 19:13-15 The Little Children and Jesus
13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
14Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
Once in a while, we may hear very simple and "childish" songs of praise, but we should not despise them. This is because these are the very songs that reach the very throne of God, because they cause our faith to be "childlike" when we sing them.
Another song I am reminded of was the one taught in Sunday School as follows:
HAPPY ALL THE TIME
I'm inside, outside, upside, downside
Happy all the time
I'm inside, outside, upside, downside
Happy all the time
Since Jesus Christ came in
I've grown to love Him more
I'm inside, outside, upside, downside
Happy all the time
我里面，外面，上面，下面，
高兴不得了
我里面，外面，上面，下面，
高兴不得了
之从我有耶稣我越来越爱他
我里面，外面，上面，下面，
高兴不得了
So let's learn from both the children and the elderly folks to exercise child-like faith in our walk with the LORD. Let's be HAPPY ALL THE TIME because IT'S SO GOOD TO TRUST IN JESUS. Amen?
The Day I became a "Drama Papa"
Sunday 18 February 2007
Some time in Oct 06, our church had a publicity blitz entitled SerFest 06 (short form for "Service Festival 2006", where various ministries would set up booths to showcase the kind of work they were involved in, as a means to encourage members to sign up to serve the church in an area where they felt the LORD would lead them to do so.
One of the booths that were on display that morning was that of the drama ministry. They were looking for male participants to be involved in a year-end Christmas drama. It so happened that one of its members Lilian Chiam, was also the Head of English Department in PLMGPS, the school that my daughter Rachel is attending.
Well, one thing led to another, and there was my daughter, form in hand, asking me whether I would like to sign up, so I did so out of a sense of obligation. At that time, I did not give it much thought, as I had assumed there would be an audition a la Singapore Idol, so if I was not good enough, I would just not be selected.
Well guess what? Little did I know that there were no auditions, so before I knew it, I had been roped in to play the role of Wise Man 2 for the Christmas Evangelistic Outreach drama entitled "Dress Rehearsal”. There were also rehearsals galore leading up to the event, just for that 20-odd minutes of performance.
So that's how my daughter got me into being a "Drama Papa" :-)
Looking back, although it was hard work, I thank the Lord because it was another area in which I could serve Him. In fact, it was actually kind of fun to be part of the drama ministry.
Today being the start of a long Chinese New Year holiday, and I finally found time to look through the video recordings that my daughter helped to make that Christmas eve evening. So here they are, uploaded to YouTube for your viewing pleasure.
Scenes 1 and 2:
Director (Joani Lim),
Angel (Jeannette Lim),
Shepherd (Ian Yap)
and Innkeeper (Andy Toh)
Song and Dance Segment:
Pre-recorded Segment: Family Feud
Father (Able Cheong)
Mother (Lilian Chiam)
Children (Nicolas and Nadia)
Scene 3: Family and another song:
Scenes 4 and 5:
Wise Man 1 (Vincent Cheong)
Wise Man 2 (Malcolm Loh)
Wise Man 3 (Mak Soo Har)
Grand Finale - entire cast appears on stage (including choir and dancers)
And finally, as a bonus, this was recorded during one of the dress rehearsals of Dress Rehearsal. It is a draft version of the "Credits" that did not see the light of day because the final version took another form.
Some time in Oct 06, our church had a publicity blitz entitled SerFest 06 (short form for "Service Festival 2006", where various ministries would set up booths to showcase the kind of work they were involved in, as a means to encourage members to sign up to serve the church in an area where they felt the LORD would lead them to do so.
One of the booths that were on display that morning was that of the drama ministry. They were looking for male participants to be involved in a year-end Christmas drama. It so happened that one of its members Lilian Chiam, was also the Head of English Department in PLMGPS, the school that my daughter Rachel is attending.
Well, one thing led to another, and there was my daughter, form in hand, asking me whether I would like to sign up, so I did so out of a sense of obligation. At that time, I did not give it much thought, as I had assumed there would be an audition a la Singapore Idol, so if I was not good enough, I would just not be selected.
Well guess what? Little did I know that there were no auditions, so before I knew it, I had been roped in to play the role of Wise Man 2 for the Christmas Evangelistic Outreach drama entitled "Dress Rehearsal”. There were also rehearsals galore leading up to the event, just for that 20-odd minutes of performance.
So that's how my daughter got me into being a "Drama Papa" :-)
Looking back, although it was hard work, I thank the Lord because it was another area in which I could serve Him. In fact, it was actually kind of fun to be part of the drama ministry.
Today being the start of a long Chinese New Year holiday, and I finally found time to look through the video recordings that my daughter helped to make that Christmas eve evening. So here they are, uploaded to YouTube for your viewing pleasure.
Scenes 1 and 2:
Director (Joani Lim),
Angel (Jeannette Lim),
Shepherd (Ian Yap)
and Innkeeper (Andy Toh)
Song and Dance Segment:
Pre-recorded Segment: Family Feud
Father (Able Cheong)
Mother (Lilian Chiam)
Children (Nicolas and Nadia)
Scene 3: Family and another song:
Scenes 4 and 5:
Wise Man 1 (Vincent Cheong)
Wise Man 2 (Malcolm Loh)
Wise Man 3 (Mak Soo Har)
Grand Finale - entire cast appears on stage (including choir and dancers)
And finally, as a bonus, this was recorded during one of the dress rehearsals of Dress Rehearsal. It is a draft version of the "Credits" that did not see the light of day because the final version took another form.
We are on a Firm Foundation - Jesus Christ!
Saturday 17 February 2007
In another blog entry, I had mentioned what my all-time Top 10 Christian rock/pop songs are. Just to recap, they are:
01. Jesus Freak - DC Talk
02. Take Me To Your Leader - Newsboys
03. More Sold Out - Whiteheart
04. I Am On The Rock - Petra
05. (Never Gonna Be As) Big As Jesus -Audio Adrenaline
06. Little Drummer - Jars of Clay
07. To Hell With The Devil - Stryper
08. Original Superman - Pillar
09. All For You - JONAH33
10. Alive - POD
I have already featured in other blog entries the top 3 songs. Now I shall talk about the song at Number 4 :-)
Petra was one of the most established Christian rock bands in the 70s through the 90s. Many of my Methodist Youth Fellowship contemporaries such as Jeff Khaw, Kervin Tan and Alvin Chan were great fans of Petra. I remember Jeff introducing me to a song by them called Grave Robber, and Kervin mentioning that he had been to a Petra concert.
I like quite a number of their songs, one of them being Creed (which is based on the Apostles' Creed). They also had an album entitled "Get on your knees and fight like a man" which I thought was a great title! The world would say "Get on your FEET and fight like a man, but a true man of God gets on his KNEES to engage in prayer to wage war not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of darkness as mentioned in Eph 6:12. Amen?
But I digress. The song that really stands out was a track from their 1990 album Beyond Belief entitled "I Am On The Rock". Everytime I listen to it, it will stir up my spirit man and assure me that no matter how dark and turbulent we may find our current circumstances to be, we need not be dismayed or discouraged because we are on a firm foundation -- Jesus, who is the Rock of Ages (Isa 26:4), and the Rock that is higher than I (Ps 61:2).
In that song, Petra tells us about earthquakes, natural disasters, kingdoms falling, plans failing and other types of bad news happening all around them. Yet, no matter what the physical circumstances, they feel secure being rooted in Jesus.
The chorus has a triple “tong tong chak” beat, which some say is "satanic" because it was adopted in a famous secular song which also contains the "rock" word. I beg to differ, because this type of beat is commonly referred to as the "anthemic beat" because it stirs up one's emotions and causes its listeners to want to chant or sing along.
The words of the chorus is actually based on Matt 7:24-25, viz "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
You can listen to the song and check out its lyrics here. Don't forget to sing along to the chorus with the anthemic "tong tong chak" beat :-)
So friends, although it may appear that you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, fear not because we are standing on the firmest of foundations -- none other than our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen?
In another blog entry, I had mentioned what my all-time Top 10 Christian rock/pop songs are. Just to recap, they are:
01. Jesus Freak - DC Talk
02. Take Me To Your Leader - Newsboys
03. More Sold Out - Whiteheart
04. I Am On The Rock - Petra
05. (Never Gonna Be As) Big As Jesus -Audio Adrenaline
06. Little Drummer - Jars of Clay
07. To Hell With The Devil - Stryper
08. Original Superman - Pillar
09. All For You - JONAH33
10. Alive - POD
I have already featured in other blog entries the top 3 songs. Now I shall talk about the song at Number 4 :-)
Petra was one of the most established Christian rock bands in the 70s through the 90s. Many of my Methodist Youth Fellowship contemporaries such as Jeff Khaw, Kervin Tan and Alvin Chan were great fans of Petra. I remember Jeff introducing me to a song by them called Grave Robber, and Kervin mentioning that he had been to a Petra concert.
I like quite a number of their songs, one of them being Creed (which is based on the Apostles' Creed). They also had an album entitled "Get on your knees and fight like a man" which I thought was a great title! The world would say "Get on your FEET and fight like a man, but a true man of God gets on his KNEES to engage in prayer to wage war not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of darkness as mentioned in Eph 6:12. Amen?
But I digress. The song that really stands out was a track from their 1990 album Beyond Belief entitled "I Am On The Rock". Everytime I listen to it, it will stir up my spirit man and assure me that no matter how dark and turbulent we may find our current circumstances to be, we need not be dismayed or discouraged because we are on a firm foundation -- Jesus, who is the Rock of Ages (Isa 26:4), and the Rock that is higher than I (Ps 61:2).
In that song, Petra tells us about earthquakes, natural disasters, kingdoms falling, plans failing and other types of bad news happening all around them. Yet, no matter what the physical circumstances, they feel secure being rooted in Jesus.
The chorus has a triple “tong tong chak” beat, which some say is "satanic" because it was adopted in a famous secular song which also contains the "rock" word. I beg to differ, because this type of beat is commonly referred to as the "anthemic beat" because it stirs up one's emotions and causes its listeners to want to chant or sing along.
The words of the chorus is actually based on Matt 7:24-25, viz "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
You can listen to the song and check out its lyrics here. Don't forget to sing along to the chorus with the anthemic "tong tong chak" beat :-)
The earth is shaking; it's like a bad dream. This world is crumbling, coming
apart at the seam.Everywhere I'm turning it's only bad news. This bomb is ticking and we're getting to the end of the fuse.
The storm's approaching, I'm standing high and dry firmly planted on the Rock that is higher than I.
Kingdoms failing, they fall around me. Plans eroded, and washing away to the sea.
But I am on the Rock, the sure foundation. I am on the Rock, His revelation. Though the winds may blow, and though the floods may grow, I shall not be moved. Because I am on the Rock.
So friends, although it may appear that you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, fear not because we are standing on the firmest of foundations -- none other than our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen?
The Divine Exchange: What the Finished Work Means to Me
Friday, 16th February 2007
Dear Theophili and Theophilae
I grew up thinking that the Bible was full of paradoxes and contradictions, and had to just accept these because "His ways are higher than our ways". Of late, I thank the LORD for His progressive revelation because I know for sure that the Bible is one consistent message of the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross.
Jesus' final words on the cross was "It is finished" (John 19:30). This is translated from one single word in Greek "teleo" (Strong's G5055), which means to accomplish or to make complete.
When the first Adam ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, his original sin was imputed onto entire mankind. When the last Adam hung on the tree of Calvary. his righteousness was similarly imputed onto all who believes in Him.
Some people might say that it is unfair for the wrongdoing of somebody else be treated as our own wrongdoing as well. But by the same token, the "rightdoing" of Jesus has becomes our right doing as well. (Now, that is what God means by His ways being higher than our ways, which will be the subject of another blog entry :-)
By His death on the cross, a great "Divine Exchange" took place in at least three areas:
(1) Our Sin in exchange for His Righteousness (which includes Our Fear of God in exchange for Intimacy with Him)
The cross stands outside the dimension of time, and all the sins of all mankind: present, past and future were placed upon the body of Jesus. As a man walking the earth, Jesus enjoyed a very intimate relationship with His Father. But when all the sins of the world were imputed upon Him on the cross, God the Father had no choice but to turn away from God the Son. Jesus experienced separation from God at that moment, and that is why He could not refer to Him as Abba ("Father") but as Eloi "God". We see that recorded in Mark 15:34 "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
So why did Jesus have to experience separation from God at the cross? So that you and I can now enjoy complete intimacy with Him, without having to be afraid of Him! The apostle Paul writes in Rom 8:15 "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." When we are born again, the Holy Spirit Himself comes and indwells us, so we no longer need to fear God, but can address Him the same way Jesus did, ie. by referring to Him as Abba Father (or Daddy God).
In 2 Cor 5:21, we read that God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. When Pastor B asked which of us were still sinners during a recent sermon, I did not raise my hand because if God sees me as righteous in Christ (and I am in Christ), who am I to declare myself still a sinner and thus frustrate what Christ has already achieved on the cross? On the other hand, if Pastor B had asked which of us were redeemed sinners, mine would be the first hand to go up. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, I'm redeemed, I'm redeemed. Praise the Lord!
(2) Our diseases in exchange for His divine health/healing
I grew up thinking that healing was not for everyone. When someone had an illness, I figured that maybe it was God that was punishing him for some unconfessed sin, or maybe it was God that had given him the disease to "keep him humble", or maybe it was God's will that he remained sick The problem with this theology is that it makes God appear to be very temperamental and unpredictable. Again, I would explain it away as "His ways are higher than our ways".
But if it indeed God's will that we remain in illness, then we should not be asking for healing lest we "go against" God's will. If it is indeed punishment for unconfessed sin, then we would be better off dead because only then will we be completely free of unconfessed sin. If it is indeed a way to keep us humble, then let's ask God for more sicknesses so that we can be even more humble.
I experienced a paradigm shift in my theology about a year ago. Jesus said it was the evil one who came to kill, steal and destroy, but He comes to give us life in abundance (John 10:10). For Christians who attribute the source of sickness to the Lord, are they implying that Jesus and Satan switched roles in the meantime? Make no mistake: it is the devil who wants to kill, steal and destroy our family, marriage, health, finances and relationships.
We read in 1 Pet 2:24 that "He was wounded for our trangressions, and by His stripes we have been healed". When the Roman soldier whipped our Lord with the cat-of-nine-tails, he did not realise that he was helping to fulfil the scriptures imputing our sicknesses onto our Lord. With every stroke that he laid upon Jesus, and pieces of Jesus' flesh flying everywhere, we can picture cancer, heart problems, kidney ailments, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc being laid upon the body of our Lord. Our diseases have been given to Him in exchange for His divine health and healing.
(3) Our poverty in exchange for His riches
I grew up thinking that prosperity was a dirty word. I would hear sermons condemning prosperity based on passages that "the love of money was the root of all evil" and "You cannot serve God and mammon".
I thank the LORD for granting me a paradigm shift recently where prosperity is concerned. We read in the Old Testament that the patriachs were very prosperous.
Gen 13:2
Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
Gen 26:12-14
Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
Gen 30:43
In this way, Jacob grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
There are no insignificant details in the Bible, and the Holy Spirit saw fit to inspire Moses to record the above. If prosperity was something God frowned upon, why did He prosper these people?
I have also heard sermons that quote Matt 8:20 as justification for Christians to avoid prosperity. In this passage, Jesus said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." so their interpretation is that we should emulate our Lord to live a similarly simple, nomadic and impoverished lifestyle.
The Greek word for lay is klino (Strong's
G2827). This word also appears in John 19:30, but is translated as bowed, viz "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
If we accept the argument that we should live an impoverished life the manner Jesus did, such that there was no place to klino his head, does that mean that we should likewise follow our Lord to be crucified, because that was when he finally klino his head?
In 2 Cor 8:9, Paul tells us “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
When the Roman soldiers gambled for Jesus’ garments, they did not realise that they were also fulfilling the scriptures by imputing our poverty upon our Lord. He was left totally naked, devoid of any form of possessions when hanging on the cross. He became totally impoverished on the cross in our place, so that in exchange we can have His prosperity and riches.
Many Christians are aware and may accept the 1st aspect of the Divine Exchange, but few are aware of the 2nd and 3rd. Hence, they live defeated lives, and make little or no impact to the pre-believing world around them. The world is not impressed by “spiritual” blessings. The sad fact is that to them, health and money talks.
Christians should be living the abundant life that Jesus has promised us, and that includes a life of health and wealth.
With health, we can go about doing His Kingdom work with gusto. With wealth, we have to means to bless others, and enable yet others to carry out his Kingdom work in the remotest parts of Africa.
I remember Rev Wee Boon Hup preaching a sermon a couple of years back where he said that without money, we will be unable to send missionaries into China or India, or to enable the building of schools and orphanages. Also, if we do not have health but are instead bedridden, how are we going to go about doing God's Kingdom work with gusto? On the contrary, we become a financial and emotional burden to our loved ones! Some people were offended by that sermon, but I praise God that he was bold enough to call a spade a spade, and speak the truth in love -- the truth that sets us free.
Thank you Lord for the divine exchange and the finished work of the cross!
Shalom
Malcolm
Dear Theophili and Theophilae
I grew up thinking that the Bible was full of paradoxes and contradictions, and had to just accept these because "His ways are higher than our ways". Of late, I thank the LORD for His progressive revelation because I know for sure that the Bible is one consistent message of the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross.
Jesus' final words on the cross was "It is finished" (John 19:30). This is translated from one single word in Greek "teleo" (Strong's G5055), which means to accomplish or to make complete.
When the first Adam ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, his original sin was imputed onto entire mankind. When the last Adam hung on the tree of Calvary. his righteousness was similarly imputed onto all who believes in Him.
Some people might say that it is unfair for the wrongdoing of somebody else be treated as our own wrongdoing as well. But by the same token, the "rightdoing" of Jesus has becomes our right doing as well. (Now, that is what God means by His ways being higher than our ways, which will be the subject of another blog entry :-)
By His death on the cross, a great "Divine Exchange" took place in at least three areas:
(1) Our Sin in exchange for His Righteousness (which includes Our Fear of God in exchange for Intimacy with Him)
The cross stands outside the dimension of time, and all the sins of all mankind: present, past and future were placed upon the body of Jesus. As a man walking the earth, Jesus enjoyed a very intimate relationship with His Father. But when all the sins of the world were imputed upon Him on the cross, God the Father had no choice but to turn away from God the Son. Jesus experienced separation from God at that moment, and that is why He could not refer to Him as Abba ("Father") but as Eloi "God". We see that recorded in Mark 15:34 "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
So why did Jesus have to experience separation from God at the cross? So that you and I can now enjoy complete intimacy with Him, without having to be afraid of Him! The apostle Paul writes in Rom 8:15 "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." When we are born again, the Holy Spirit Himself comes and indwells us, so we no longer need to fear God, but can address Him the same way Jesus did, ie. by referring to Him as Abba Father (or Daddy God).
In 2 Cor 5:21, we read that God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. When Pastor B asked which of us were still sinners during a recent sermon, I did not raise my hand because if God sees me as righteous in Christ (and I am in Christ), who am I to declare myself still a sinner and thus frustrate what Christ has already achieved on the cross? On the other hand, if Pastor B had asked which of us were redeemed sinners, mine would be the first hand to go up. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, I'm redeemed, I'm redeemed. Praise the Lord!
(2) Our diseases in exchange for His divine health/healing
I grew up thinking that healing was not for everyone. When someone had an illness, I figured that maybe it was God that was punishing him for some unconfessed sin, or maybe it was God that had given him the disease to "keep him humble", or maybe it was God's will that he remained sick The problem with this theology is that it makes God appear to be very temperamental and unpredictable. Again, I would explain it away as "His ways are higher than our ways".
But if it indeed God's will that we remain in illness, then we should not be asking for healing lest we "go against" God's will. If it is indeed punishment for unconfessed sin, then we would be better off dead because only then will we be completely free of unconfessed sin. If it is indeed a way to keep us humble, then let's ask God for more sicknesses so that we can be even more humble.
I experienced a paradigm shift in my theology about a year ago. Jesus said it was the evil one who came to kill, steal and destroy, but He comes to give us life in abundance (John 10:10). For Christians who attribute the source of sickness to the Lord, are they implying that Jesus and Satan switched roles in the meantime? Make no mistake: it is the devil who wants to kill, steal and destroy our family, marriage, health, finances and relationships.
We read in 1 Pet 2:24 that "He was wounded for our trangressions, and by His stripes we have been healed". When the Roman soldier whipped our Lord with the cat-of-nine-tails, he did not realise that he was helping to fulfil the scriptures imputing our sicknesses onto our Lord. With every stroke that he laid upon Jesus, and pieces of Jesus' flesh flying everywhere, we can picture cancer, heart problems, kidney ailments, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc being laid upon the body of our Lord. Our diseases have been given to Him in exchange for His divine health and healing.
(3) Our poverty in exchange for His riches
I grew up thinking that prosperity was a dirty word. I would hear sermons condemning prosperity based on passages that "the love of money was the root of all evil" and "You cannot serve God and mammon".
I thank the LORD for granting me a paradigm shift recently where prosperity is concerned. We read in the Old Testament that the patriachs were very prosperous.
Gen 13:2
Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
Gen 26:12-14
Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
Gen 30:43
In this way, Jacob grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
There are no insignificant details in the Bible, and the Holy Spirit saw fit to inspire Moses to record the above. If prosperity was something God frowned upon, why did He prosper these people?
I have also heard sermons that quote Matt 8:20 as justification for Christians to avoid prosperity. In this passage, Jesus said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." so their interpretation is that we should emulate our Lord to live a similarly simple, nomadic and impoverished lifestyle.The Greek word for lay is klino (Strong's
G2827). This word also appears in John 19:30, but is translated as bowed, viz "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."If we accept the argument that we should live an impoverished life the manner Jesus did, such that there was no place to klino his head, does that mean that we should likewise follow our Lord to be crucified, because that was when he finally klino his head?
In 2 Cor 8:9, Paul tells us “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
When the Roman soldiers gambled for Jesus’ garments, they did not realise that they were also fulfilling the scriptures by imputing our poverty upon our Lord. He was left totally naked, devoid of any form of possessions when hanging on the cross. He became totally impoverished on the cross in our place, so that in exchange we can have His prosperity and riches.
Many Christians are aware and may accept the 1st aspect of the Divine Exchange, but few are aware of the 2nd and 3rd. Hence, they live defeated lives, and make little or no impact to the pre-believing world around them. The world is not impressed by “spiritual” blessings. The sad fact is that to them, health and money talks.
Christians should be living the abundant life that Jesus has promised us, and that includes a life of health and wealth.
With health, we can go about doing His Kingdom work with gusto. With wealth, we have to means to bless others, and enable yet others to carry out his Kingdom work in the remotest parts of Africa.
I remember Rev Wee Boon Hup preaching a sermon a couple of years back where he said that without money, we will be unable to send missionaries into China or India, or to enable the building of schools and orphanages. Also, if we do not have health but are instead bedridden, how are we going to go about doing God's Kingdom work with gusto? On the contrary, we become a financial and emotional burden to our loved ones! Some people were offended by that sermon, but I praise God that he was bold enough to call a spade a spade, and speak the truth in love -- the truth that sets us free.
Thank you Lord for the divine exchange and the finished work of the cross!
Shalom
Malcolm
Christocentricism - Christ as the Central Theme
Thursday, 15th February 2007
At the LCEC meeting last month, Pastor B mentioned that for Valentine's Day, the youth would watch a skit based on the book of Hosea. I felt very encouraged because of late, our Pastors have been preaching from the Old Testament. Back In January, Pastor P preached on Numbers, and linked it to John, while Pastor KL preached on Isaiah and linked it to Philippians.
Paul told Timothy that "all" Scripture is inspired by God and is meant to equip us Christians (2 Tim 3:16-17). "All" encompasses every one of the 66 books of the Bible. And there should be a central theme throughout all the books.
St Augustine said, "The Old is in the New revealed. The New is in the Old concealed." What this means to say is that the Old Testament contains hidden or shadows of truths that are revealed in the New Testament, while the New Testament uncovers and fulfills what was mentioned in the Old Testament. For example, the passover as recorded in Exodus 12 is a picture of what Christ would fulfill when He Himself became the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world. Because of His blood that was shed for us, we are being "passed over" from God's judgement.
Pastor KL gave us some very useful tips during his sermon last week about being discerning about what we read and hear. We read in Acts 17:11 that the Bereans did not just accept what Paul said as the gospel truth, but went back to search the Scriptures to confirm or refute what was being preached.
I likewise also use a filter whenever I read a book or listen to a sermon, and that is what I call "Christocentricism" or "Christ as the central theme". The person of Jesus Christ should always be the focus of that book or that sermon. My own personal conviction is that the gospel of grace and the finished work of Christ should be paramount.
However, even if Jesus is not being expressedly exalted or magnified, I will still not throw away the book or disregard the sermon. God can use anyone to bring across His message (even a donkey for that matter, as recorded in Num 22:28-31), so it is in my interest not to "throw away the baby with the bathwater" but to "eat the meat but spit out the bones".
Coming back to why I was encouraged to hear that Pastor B had chosen Hosea as the topic of his V-day message. V-day is a day set aside to celebrate love (in Chinese, it is called qing ren jie, or lovers' day). He used the occasion to share about a greater love (or rather the greatest love). And what better way to depict this agape love than with the story of Hosea.
Applying Christocentricism to the book of Hosea
My earnest prayer is to hear more sermons being preached on the Old Testament (especially obsure passages from Numbers, Deuteronomy and the Minor Prophets), and how and where we can find Christ in them.
At the LCEC meeting last month, Pastor B mentioned that for Valentine's Day, the youth would watch a skit based on the book of Hosea. I felt very encouraged because of late, our Pastors have been preaching from the Old Testament. Back In January, Pastor P preached on Numbers, and linked it to John, while Pastor KL preached on Isaiah and linked it to Philippians.
Paul told Timothy that "all" Scripture is inspired by God and is meant to equip us Christians (2 Tim 3:16-17). "All" encompasses every one of the 66 books of the Bible. And there should be a central theme throughout all the books.
St Augustine said, "The Old is in the New revealed. The New is in the Old concealed." What this means to say is that the Old Testament contains hidden or shadows of truths that are revealed in the New Testament, while the New Testament uncovers and fulfills what was mentioned in the Old Testament. For example, the passover as recorded in Exodus 12 is a picture of what Christ would fulfill when He Himself became the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world. Because of His blood that was shed for us, we are being "passed over" from God's judgement.
Pastor KL gave us some very useful tips during his sermon last week about being discerning about what we read and hear. We read in Acts 17:11 that the Bereans did not just accept what Paul said as the gospel truth, but went back to search the Scriptures to confirm or refute what was being preached.
I likewise also use a filter whenever I read a book or listen to a sermon, and that is what I call "Christocentricism" or "Christ as the central theme". The person of Jesus Christ should always be the focus of that book or that sermon. My own personal conviction is that the gospel of grace and the finished work of Christ should be paramount.
However, even if Jesus is not being expressedly exalted or magnified, I will still not throw away the book or disregard the sermon. God can use anyone to bring across His message (even a donkey for that matter, as recorded in Num 22:28-31), so it is in my interest not to "throw away the baby with the bathwater" but to "eat the meat but spit out the bones".
We are doing ourselves a disservice if because of our own spiritual pride, shut ourselves from what the LORD may be wanting us to hear. Hence, even if I may not agree totally with what I hear over the pulpit each Sunday, I will not totally disregard the sermons that are preached but apply the principle of Christocentricism to them.
Coming back to why I was encouraged to hear that Pastor B had chosen Hosea as the topic of his V-day message. V-day is a day set aside to celebrate love (in Chinese, it is called qing ren jie, or lovers' day). He used the occasion to share about a greater love (or rather the greatest love). And what better way to depict this agape love than with the story of Hosea.
Applying Christocentricism to the book of Hosea
So how we we apply Christocentricism to the book of Hosea? Hosea was a prophet who married a woman who ended being unfaithful to him. In spite of her unfaithfulness, he remained faithful to her and continued to love her unconditionally. This depicts the agape unconditional love that Jesus had for us, in that while we yet sinners, He died for us (Rom 5:8).
Speaking of which, do you know that Christ can also be "found" in the genealogy of Noah?
Speaking of which, do you know that Christ can also be "found" in the genealogy of Noah?
Christocentricism in the genealogy of Noah
There are no insignificant details in the Bible. The Holy Spirit saw fit to inspire Moses to record the genealogy of Noah in Genesis 5. At first glace, it may seem like a real boring historical record. But if we were to look at the meaning behind the Hebrew names from Adam to Noah, a secret message can be uncovered, ie "Man appointed mortal sorrow, the Blessed God shall come down teaching. His death shall bring the dispairing rest, or comfort." Hallelujah!
My earnest prayer is to hear more sermons being preached on the Old Testament (especially obsure passages from Numbers, Deuteronomy and the Minor Prophets), and how and where we can find Christ in them.
So brothers and sisters. Apply the principle of Christocentricism! We can never go wrong if Christ is the central theme! Amen?
Shalom
Malcolm
Shalom
Malcolm
There is no disguising the truth
Wednesday, 14th February 2007
I have mentioned in earlier posts that my all-time favourite Christian rock song is Jesus Freak by DC Talk, and would get down to blogging about it. OK, here it is finally :-)
Everytime I listen to the chorus, tears will flow from my eyes because it stirs up the conviction that there should be no disguising the fact that we are Christians. Paul says in Rom 1:16 that he is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the dunamis power of God unto the soteria salvation of man.
DC Talk hail from Virginia, USA and started out as a hip-hop band. Their music is usually more mellow and palatable, but this particular track borders on hard rock and that's what makes it stand out all the more. It starts off with a melody, and then goes into a rap, and climaxes with the chorus. And then, somewhere in the middle of the song, there is a very loud guitar solo reminiscent of heavy metal music.
The term "Jesus freak" was originally coined as a derogaratory label of Christians who took their faith seriously. What DC Talk has done is to make this term so fashionable that Christians nowadays (especially the youth) wear this as a badge of honour, because it declares how passionate and zealous they are for our Lord Jesus.
Here are but 2 websites where you will be able to find paraphernelia and memorabilia with that phrase printed on them.
(1) JesusFreakHideout
(2) JFreak - I bought a Tshirt from there
The song "Jesus Freak" reached #1 on the Contemporary Christian Music charts in 1995, and so did the album of the same name. It even "crossed over" into the secular charts, where it reached #16 on Billboard album chart. (Another track from the album entitled "Between You and Me" made the Billboard Top 10).
I have mentioned in earlier posts that my all-time favourite Christian rock song is Jesus Freak by DC Talk, and would get down to blogging about it. OK, here it is finally :-)Everytime I listen to the chorus, tears will flow from my eyes because it stirs up the conviction that there should be no disguising the fact that we are Christians. Paul says in Rom 1:16 that he is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the dunamis power of God unto the soteria salvation of man.
DC Talk hail from Virginia, USA and started out as a hip-hop band. Their music is usually more mellow and palatable, but this particular track borders on hard rock and that's what makes it stand out all the more. It starts off with a melody, and then goes into a rap, and climaxes with the chorus. And then, somewhere in the middle of the song, there is a very loud guitar solo reminiscent of heavy metal music.
The term "Jesus freak" was originally coined as a derogaratory label of Christians who took their faith seriously. What DC Talk has done is to make this term so fashionable that Christians nowadays (especially the youth) wear this as a badge of honour, because it declares how passionate and zealous they are for our Lord Jesus.
Here are but 2 websites where you will be able to find paraphernelia and memorabilia with that phrase printed on them.
(1) JesusFreakHideout
(2) JFreak - I bought a Tshirt from there
The song "Jesus Freak" reached #1 on the Contemporary Christian Music charts in 1995, and so did the album of the same name. It even "crossed over" into the secular charts, where it reached #16 on Billboard album chart. (Another track from the album entitled "Between You and Me" made the Billboard Top 10).
"Jesus Freak" mentions a man with a "Jesus Saves" tatoo on his stomach, as well as John the Baptist. But the climax comes in the chorus where DC Talk says "I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak 'cause there ain't no disguising the truth."
Separated I cut myself clean
From a past that comes back in my darkest of dreams
Been apprehended by a spiritual force
And a grace that replaced all the me I've divorced
I saw a man with tattoo on his big fast belly
It wiggled around like marmalade jelly
It took me a while to catch what it said
Cause I had to match the rhythm of his belly with my head
"Jesus Saves" is what it raved in a typical tattoo green
He stood on a box in the middle of the city
And claimed he had a dream
What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak
What will people do when they find that it's true
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
'Cause there ain't no disguising the truth
Kamikaze my death is gain
I've been marked by my Maker a peculiar display
The high and lofty they see me as weak
'Cause I won't live and die for the power they seek
There was a man from the desert with naps in his head
the sand that he walked was also his bed
The words that he spoke made the people assume
There wasn't too much left in the upper room
With skins on his back and hair on his face
They thought he was strange by the locusts he ate
The Pharisees tripped when they heard him speak
Until the king took the head of this Jesus freak
People say I'm strange, does it make me a stranger
That my best friend was born in a manger (2x)What will people think(2x)
What will people do(2x)
I don't really care
What else can I say
There ain't no disguising the truth
Jesus is the way
Will find time over the next few weeks to talk about the other songs in my all-time top 10.
Ciao for now
Let's engage our Calcutta
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Dearest Theophili and Theophilae
When I was growing up, I used to hold the view that missions and evangelism was for the chosen few who had a special calling from God to give up their jobs to go "full-time". I held in tremendously high regard those who were prepared to take a further step of faith to venture into the remotest parts of China or Africa to carry out the LORD's work.
Recently however, God has convicted me that wherever He has placed us, that is where our mission field should be. There are pre-believers everywhere around us: in our household, amongst our relatives, at our workplace, in our schools. And we are to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8) and ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20) right where we are.
God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence (2 Pet 3:9). That means every single person is of worth to the LORD. Whether he is a village chief of a tribe in central Africa, or the Hollywood/Bollywood filmstar who just won an award, or the Hokkien-speaking soldier in your platoon, or the janitor who cleans your office toilets, or the tea lady who serves beverages to your customers or clients. Red and yellow, black and white, they are all precious in His sight.
No one calling is higher than another. The missionary doctor who works among TB and polio victims is doing the LORD's work as much as the Member of Parliament who has a heart of compassion for her constituents.
Sometime last year, I bought a 3-CD album entitled "Marketplace Evangelism" by Rev Kong Hee of City Harvest Church from their online Attributes website (yes, I do listen to sermons from pastors other than from New Creation Church, thank you).
In that sermon series, Rev Kong mentions that there are 7 pillars of society, namely family, religion, business, education, government, the arts and media. These are what he calls shapers of society. If we want to change society, we have to engage each and every one of these 7 pillars.
The church has traditionally been very strong in the first 2 pillars, ie Family and Religion. She has conducted marital and parenting courses, as well as discipleship seminars to help her people to grow in the LORD. The other 5 pillars (collectively known as the "Marketplace") is where she still falls short.
Thankfully, there are already inroads being made into Business, Education and Government. For example, there are several Businessmen's Fellowships that meet regularly around the island. Several "mission schools" take their "mission" very seriously (and I am grateful to God that both my kids are in such schools). There are a number of Christians who serve in the government and we continue to cover them in prayer each day.
The challenge is the two remaining pillars, ie. The Arts and Media. In his sermon, Rev Kong mentioned a friend of his who labelled Hollywood as "the modern Sodom and Gomorrah" and had prayed for God's judgement to rain brimstone and fire upon it! Rev Kong called this "spiritual terrorism" and said that God's heartbeat is not to condemn Hollywood but to redeem it.
Our LORD said in Matt 9:37 that the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Let us pray to the LORD of the harvest to send more labourers, especially in the area of the Arts and the Media. Rev Wee Boon Hup has answered that call, for both his children have ventured into where few Christians have dared to go. Should my own children decide to pursue a career in journalism or mass communications, they have my every blessing as well.
Not everyone of us is called to go to Calcutta to minister among the lepers there. That was Mother Theresa's special calling. But Mother Theresa said," Find your own Calcutta", and that is the corporation, school, army camp, ministry or studio that the LORD has placed us in.
Let's do His kingdom work in our own Calcutta. Amen?
By the way, if any of you wants to borrow "Marketplace Evangelism", please drop me an email.
Shalom
Malcolm
Dearest Theophili and Theophilae
When I was growing up, I used to hold the view that missions and evangelism was for the chosen few who had a special calling from God to give up their jobs to go "full-time". I held in tremendously high regard those who were prepared to take a further step of faith to venture into the remotest parts of China or Africa to carry out the LORD's work.
Recently however, God has convicted me that wherever He has placed us, that is where our mission field should be. There are pre-believers everywhere around us: in our household, amongst our relatives, at our workplace, in our schools. And we are to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8) and ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20) right where we are.
God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence (2 Pet 3:9). That means every single person is of worth to the LORD. Whether he is a village chief of a tribe in central Africa, or the Hollywood/Bollywood filmstar who just won an award, or the Hokkien-speaking soldier in your platoon, or the janitor who cleans your office toilets, or the tea lady who serves beverages to your customers or clients. Red and yellow, black and white, they are all precious in His sight.
No one calling is higher than another. The missionary doctor who works among TB and polio victims is doing the LORD's work as much as the Member of Parliament who has a heart of compassion for her constituents.
Sometime last year, I bought a 3-CD album entitled "Marketplace Evangelism" by Rev Kong Hee of City Harvest Church from their online Attributes website (yes, I do listen to sermons from pastors other than from New Creation Church, thank you).
In that sermon series, Rev Kong mentions that there are 7 pillars of society, namely family, religion, business, education, government, the arts and media. These are what he calls shapers of society. If we want to change society, we have to engage each and every one of these 7 pillars.
The church has traditionally been very strong in the first 2 pillars, ie Family and Religion. She has conducted marital and parenting courses, as well as discipleship seminars to help her people to grow in the LORD. The other 5 pillars (collectively known as the "Marketplace") is where she still falls short.
Thankfully, there are already inroads being made into Business, Education and Government. For example, there are several Businessmen's Fellowships that meet regularly around the island. Several "mission schools" take their "mission" very seriously (and I am grateful to God that both my kids are in such schools). There are a number of Christians who serve in the government and we continue to cover them in prayer each day.
The challenge is the two remaining pillars, ie. The Arts and Media. In his sermon, Rev Kong mentioned a friend of his who labelled Hollywood as "the modern Sodom and Gomorrah" and had prayed for God's judgement to rain brimstone and fire upon it! Rev Kong called this "spiritual terrorism" and said that God's heartbeat is not to condemn Hollywood but to redeem it.
Our LORD said in Matt 9:37 that the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Let us pray to the LORD of the harvest to send more labourers, especially in the area of the Arts and the Media. Rev Wee Boon Hup has answered that call, for both his children have ventured into where few Christians have dared to go. Should my own children decide to pursue a career in journalism or mass communications, they have my every blessing as well.
Not everyone of us is called to go to Calcutta to minister among the lepers there. That was Mother Theresa's special calling. But Mother Theresa said," Find your own Calcutta", and that is the corporation, school, army camp, ministry or studio that the LORD has placed us in.
Let's do His kingdom work in our own Calcutta. Amen?
By the way, if any of you wants to borrow "Marketplace Evangelism", please drop me an email.
Shalom
Malcolm
Was Paul a Hypocrite who did not Practise what he Preached in Gal 5:22-23?
Monday, 12th February 2007
Those who know me realise that I have an open agenda -- and that is I believe beyond the shadow of any doubt regarding the gospel of grace and the finished work of Jesus on the cross. That is why I firmly reject any teachings that go against the above -- be it generational curses, or fearing God, or that God takes away.
At the end of last year, I was having a discussion with two dear brothers of mine, and one of them pointed out that I sounded very angry and upset, and did not display the fruit of the spirit.
When I reflected upon what he said, I realise that he did have a point and I thus sought the forgiveness of both of them shortly after that.
Recently, however, I was prompted by the LORD to read the passage where the fruit of the spirit is listed (Gal 5:22-23), as well as the entire book of
Galatians.
Yesterday, I went to my church's library to borrow a commentary on Galatians by John R.W. Stott, just to confirm that I did not interpret this book wrongly. (I also borrowed a commentary by the same author on James, but that is meant for another blog entry).
I raised my eyebrows when I discovered that in this very same letter that Paul had mentioned about the need to cultivate the 9 fruit, he had admonished the very same people, even calling them "foolish" to have embraced another gospel! He also opposed 2 of Jesus' original 12 disciples, namely Peter and James, for re-introducing the Law of Moses to them!
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 2:11-13 Paul Opposes Peter
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.
12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.
13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
Galatians 3:1-5
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
4 Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing?
5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
If one were to read the above passages in Gal 2 and Gal 3, would he not also sense that Paul was very angry and upset, and did not seem to display the fruit of the spirit? Would one consider Paul to be a hypocrite, preaching one thing yet practising another? Would one wonder why Paul, who was the "great apostle of the gospel of grace", did not himself show graciousness to Peter and James? And would one not come to the conclusion that the greatest irony, would be that the above passages appear in the very same epistle to the Galatians?
So why did Paul get so angry and upset? This is because of all people, Peter (one of the 3 in Jesus' inner circle of disciples), had initially understood the gospel of grace and the finished work of Jesus. Yet when James (another of the original 12 disciples and pastor of the HQ church in Jerusalem) came to visit Peter, the latter started to waver in his faith and began to re-embrace the Laws of Moses.
Paul was gracious in all other areas, but this was one thing he could not compromise upon. He had no choice but to stand firm and write this epistle to the Galatians because Law and Grace cannot mix. He called it a perversion of the gospel (Gal 1:7) and even laid a double curse on those that preached such (Gal 1:8,9).
Gal 1:6-9 No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
So coming back to that discussion with my two dear brothers. I apologise again for the hurtful words that I spoke, but I do not apologise for the stand I take, and will continue to take.
Having grown up in a church which denomination does not emphasise the gospel of grace and finished work of the cross enough, I had at one stage wanted to leave to join another church of some 14,000 worshippers where this doctrine is central and is emphasised week-in week-out.
However, God has raised me to be both a cell leader and a member of my church's executive committee. I also had lunch recently with the President in-charge of the English-speaking congregations, and he assured me that there is no "official" stand for our denomination, which means to say I do not have to leave this denomination even though I hold on to this doctrine so strongly.
So it looks like my season is still with the church where my forefathers grew up in, and the LORD has also put in my heart the need to change things from within. Another cell leader (who shares similar convictions) and I have therefore decided to stay put.
Just like Paul stood firm upon his convictions, may we also do so upon ours, and not allow the gospel to be perverted. The final words of Jesus on the cross was "It is finished" (John 19:30). Amen to that, and may we not be guilty of adding to that, else we be accursed.
Shalom
Malcolm
Those who know me realise that I have an open agenda -- and that is I believe beyond the shadow of any doubt regarding the gospel of grace and the finished work of Jesus on the cross. That is why I firmly reject any teachings that go against the above -- be it generational curses, or fearing God, or that God takes away.
At the end of last year, I was having a discussion with two dear brothers of mine, and one of them pointed out that I sounded very angry and upset, and did not display the fruit of the spirit.
When I reflected upon what he said, I realise that he did have a point and I thus sought the forgiveness of both of them shortly after that.
Recently, however, I was prompted by the LORD to read the passage where the fruit of the spirit is listed (Gal 5:22-23), as well as the entire book of
Galatians.Yesterday, I went to my church's library to borrow a commentary on Galatians by John R.W. Stott, just to confirm that I did not interpret this book wrongly. (I also borrowed a commentary by the same author on James, but that is meant for another blog entry).
I raised my eyebrows when I discovered that in this very same letter that Paul had mentioned about the need to cultivate the 9 fruit, he had admonished the very same people, even calling them "foolish" to have embraced another gospel! He also opposed 2 of Jesus' original 12 disciples, namely Peter and James, for re-introducing the Law of Moses to them!
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 2:11-13 Paul Opposes Peter
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.
12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.
13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
Galatians 3:1-5
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
4 Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing?
5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
If one were to read the above passages in Gal 2 and Gal 3, would he not also sense that Paul was very angry and upset, and did not seem to display the fruit of the spirit? Would one consider Paul to be a hypocrite, preaching one thing yet practising another? Would one wonder why Paul, who was the "great apostle of the gospel of grace", did not himself show graciousness to Peter and James? And would one not come to the conclusion that the greatest irony, would be that the above passages appear in the very same epistle to the Galatians?
So why did Paul get so angry and upset? This is because of all people, Peter (one of the 3 in Jesus' inner circle of disciples), had initially understood the gospel of grace and the finished work of Jesus. Yet when James (another of the original 12 disciples and pastor of the HQ church in Jerusalem) came to visit Peter, the latter started to waver in his faith and began to re-embrace the Laws of Moses.
Paul was gracious in all other areas, but this was one thing he could not compromise upon. He had no choice but to stand firm and write this epistle to the Galatians because Law and Grace cannot mix. He called it a perversion of the gospel (Gal 1:7) and even laid a double curse on those that preached such (Gal 1:8,9).
Gal 1:6-9 No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
So coming back to that discussion with my two dear brothers. I apologise again for the hurtful words that I spoke, but I do not apologise for the stand I take, and will continue to take.
Having grown up in a church which denomination does not emphasise the gospel of grace and finished work of the cross enough, I had at one stage wanted to leave to join another church of some 14,000 worshippers where this doctrine is central and is emphasised week-in week-out.
However, God has raised me to be both a cell leader and a member of my church's executive committee. I also had lunch recently with the President in-charge of the English-speaking congregations, and he assured me that there is no "official" stand for our denomination, which means to say I do not have to leave this denomination even though I hold on to this doctrine so strongly.
So it looks like my season is still with the church where my forefathers grew up in, and the LORD has also put in my heart the need to change things from within. Another cell leader (who shares similar convictions) and I have therefore decided to stay put.
Just like Paul stood firm upon his convictions, may we also do so upon ours, and not allow the gospel to be perverted. The final words of Jesus on the cross was "It is finished" (John 19:30). Amen to that, and may we not be guilty of adding to that, else we be accursed.
Shalom
Malcolm
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