Monday, 30th April 2007
Recently, I have also been listening to a sermon series by Pastor Benny Ho entitled "Finding Balance in a Busy World". (Yes, I do listen to other anointed preachers besides Pastor Joseph Prince).
He was supposed to be the speaker at our upcoming church camp, but had other prior commitments during that period.
Anyway, Pastor Ho mentioned about the book of Hebrews, and how the author is telling his fellow Jewish converts about Jesus Christ and the new covenant being far better than Judaism and the old covenant.
The target audience of that book were Jews (hence the title of the book), and they were being reminded that having accepted Jesus and the grace that He offers, they should not go back to embracing Judaism and come under the Law again.
The author makes the following comparisons:
Chapter 1: Jesus superior to angels
Chapter 2: Jesus the perfect man
Chapter 3: Jesus superior to Moses
Chapter 4: the new coventant provides a better rest
Chapter 5-8: Jesus superior to the high priests
Chapter 9-10: Jesus as the perfect sacrifice
Chapters 11-12: a better covenant based on faith rather than works
Chapter 13: Concluding exhortations
Knowing the overall theme of the book is to show that Christianity is a better way as compared to Judaism, and specifically, that chapter 10 is to paint the picture of Jesus as our perfect sacrifice, it is imperative that we do not read verses 25 and 26 of that chapter out of context.
"The deliberate sinning" mentioned in that passage can also refer to the act of rejecting of Jesus as our perfect sacrifice. If we behave as though that sacrifice is not complete, then we are in deep trouble because there is no other sacrifice available for us anymore.
So instead of bringing back the Law and accepting messages from Mt Sinai, let us just thank the Lord that He is an overpayment for all our sins, past, present and future, and approach the Father with confidence and without fear, because perfect love casts out all fear.
Shalom
Malcolm
The Sin that remains Unpardonable even under the Gospel of Grace
Sunday, 29th April 2007
Just a couple of days ago, I was just blogging about us being careful not to label other churches that exalt Jesus as "cults" because we may unwittingly be advancing the cause of the evil one rather than our Lord.
In that blog entry, I also mentioned the passage in Matt 3:22-29 in which Jesus Himself was being accused of casting out demons by the prince of demons, and how He said that whoever "blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is guilty of an eternal sin".
When Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago, He died for all our sins -- past, present and future.
Hebrews 10 expounds on this and starts off with the title "Christ's Sacrifice Once for All".
Verses 11 and 12 paints the stark contrast between the old and new covenants. In the old covenant, the priests had to stand daily to administer his duties. In the new covenant, Jesus our Great High Priest has already offered for all time one sacrifice, so He does not need to stand, but is seated at the right hand of the Father, viz:
11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
In this same chapter, we read the often-quoted passage about the need for fellowship and paroxysm in verses 24 and 25:
24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching
And then, immediately after this passage, we find a warning in verses 26 and 27:
Just a couple of days ago, I was just blogging about us being careful not to label other churches that exalt Jesus as "cults" because we may unwittingly be advancing the cause of the evil one rather than our Lord.
In that blog entry, I also mentioned the passage in Matt 3:22-29 in which Jesus Himself was being accused of casting out demons by the prince of demons, and how He said that whoever "blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is guilty of an eternal sin".
When Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago, He died for all our sins -- past, present and future.
Hebrews 10 expounds on this and starts off with the title "Christ's Sacrifice Once for All".
Verses 11 and 12 paints the stark contrast between the old and new covenants. In the old covenant, the priests had to stand daily to administer his duties. In the new covenant, Jesus our Great High Priest has already offered for all time one sacrifice, so He does not need to stand, but is seated at the right hand of the Father, viz:
11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
In this same chapter, we read the often-quoted passage about the need for fellowship and paroxysm in verses 24 and 25:
24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching
And then, immediately after this passage, we find a warning in verses 26 and 27:
26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
These verses have been quoted out of context to justify the view that even under the new covenant, one's perpetual sinning will deplete God's grace upon him and that person can lose his salvation.
We must remember that these verses must be read in the context of the theme of this chapter, which is "Christ's sacrifice once for all".
So why then did the author of Hebrews include this warning?
This brings us back again to the warning that Jesus Himself gave in Matt 3:29, because one sin remains unpardonable -- the sin of apostasy.
Allow me to quote the following from a sermon by Rev Dieleman entitled "Trampling Jesus Under Foot".
What is apostasy? Apostasy is a life that once professed obedience to Christ but now openly denies Him and lives contrary to His will. The apostate turns his back on the Lord and the things of the Lord. The apostate renounces God's grace and mercy. The apostate rejects the light of the Gospel in favor of the darkness of sin. An apostate is a former believer who has completely fallen away from the Gospel. To all outward appearances the apostate seems to be a true member of the believing church but one day he shows his true colors and forsakes the Lord. About them the Apostle John can say,
(1Jn 2:19) They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
He goes on to give 3 examples of apostates in the Bible: Judas, Demas and Simon the Sorcerer.
Paul had the sad experience of being deserted by his fellow worker Demas, who was lured away "because he loved the world" (2 Tim 4:10).
Simon the Sorcerer, who professed belief and was baptized, was rebuked by Peter as being "full of bitterness and captive to sin" (Acts 8:9ff).
No apostasy is more startling than that of Judas Iscariot: he was one of the Twelve who was blessed with the special privilege of being constantly in the Lord's presence, he enjoyed the warmth of Christ's friendship, he spent many hours listening to Jesus' teachings, he witnessed miracles and all sorts of wonderful works; yet, he sold his heart to Satan and betrayed the Master. Furthermore, the apostate condition of his heart, though known to Jesus, was not even suspected by the rest of the Twelve, to whom it was unthinkable that any of their number could be a traitor (Mk 14:18f).
The sin of apostasy, then, is always a grim possibility within the covenant community. The apostate may be baptized, as was Simon the Sorcerer. He may be occupied in Christian labors, as was Demas. He may be one of the Twelve, as was Judas. He may be a leader in the community. He may be a member of a most upstanding family. He may be a preacher. He may be endowed with charismatic gifts. He may be a healer of the sick. He may have the power to cast out demons. He may have grown up in a Christian home and had the benefit of a Christian education. Yet, his heart is far from the One he professes to serve.
So is there an "unpardonable" sin? Yes, it is apostasy, and that is what the author of Hebrews is referring to in Heb 10:26-27. This interpretation makes it consistent with the theme of that chapter.
Praying On Site with Insight: Naming and Claiming
Saturday, 28th April 2007
This morning, I attended the monthly ACSJ Fathers' Prayer Group and we gathered at the new premises to do a prayer walk.
We first gathered for a time of worship. Mr Peter Tan would then take us to 4 different parts of the school premises which were considered to be key areas to pray for.
At each of these 4 focal areas, the principal would brief us of the plans concerning that area, we would then break up into groups of twos or threes to commit that area to God, and then someone in the group would close us in prayer. We would then walk to the next area and repeat the steps.
The first stop was the block where the 700-hundred seater chapel would be located, and where Cairnhill Methodist Church with its current congregation of 120 would eventually worship. We prayed for the Lord to enlarge His tents by lengthening the cords and strengthening the stakes, and where many boys would encounter Jesus.
The next stop was the block where the classrooms would be located. We prayed for the teachers to have wisdom in preparing their lessons and imparting knowledge, and for the boys that they would have a holistic education which would equip them to be servant-leaders of society and the nation.
The third stop was the area where the football field was located. Here we prayed that the boys would excel in their co-curricular activities to bring glory to Jesus.
Last but not least, we were brought to the admin block, where we prayed for the principal, vice-principals and heads of department that they would continue to serve the LORD mightily.
There is no biblical example of a prayer walk. Parallels can however be drawn from the incident recorded in Joshua where the Israelites walked around the city of Jericho for seven days in order to claim the city for themselves.
Praywalking has been termed "praying on site with insight". It is a means by which we show God that we are serious in commiting that item or event for His glory. We name what our requests are, and then claim the results by faith.
I have heard of cases where intercessors would go to the venue where a evangelistic rally was to be held to commit the event to the Lord and to claim a bountiful harvest.
Likewise, I have also heard of cases where Christians working in the same company would conduct a prayer walk around the office building (not so much for the walls of the building to collapse a la Jericho, but to claim the company for Jesus).
Alternatively, they would gather either before or after office hours to go from cubicle to cubicle (or from room to room) to pray specifically for each and every one of their colleagues.
Because the Lord sees how serious we are, the results He gives will be beyond our expectations.
Shalom
Malcolm
This morning, I attended the monthly ACSJ Fathers' Prayer Group and we gathered at the new premises to do a prayer walk.
We first gathered for a time of worship. Mr Peter Tan would then take us to 4 different parts of the school premises which were considered to be key areas to pray for.
At each of these 4 focal areas, the principal would brief us of the plans concerning that area, we would then break up into groups of twos or threes to commit that area to God, and then someone in the group would close us in prayer. We would then walk to the next area and repeat the steps.
The first stop was the block where the 700-hundred seater chapel would be located, and where Cairnhill Methodist Church with its current congregation of 120 would eventually worship. We prayed for the Lord to enlarge His tents by lengthening the cords and strengthening the stakes, and where many boys would encounter Jesus.
The next stop was the block where the classrooms would be located. We prayed for the teachers to have wisdom in preparing their lessons and imparting knowledge, and for the boys that they would have a holistic education which would equip them to be servant-leaders of society and the nation.
The third stop was the area where the football field was located. Here we prayed that the boys would excel in their co-curricular activities to bring glory to Jesus.
Last but not least, we were brought to the admin block, where we prayed for the principal, vice-principals and heads of department that they would continue to serve the LORD mightily.
There is no biblical example of a prayer walk. Parallels can however be drawn from the incident recorded in Joshua where the Israelites walked around the city of Jericho for seven days in order to claim the city for themselves.
Praywalking has been termed "praying on site with insight". It is a means by which we show God that we are serious in commiting that item or event for His glory. We name what our requests are, and then claim the results by faith.
I have heard of cases where intercessors would go to the venue where a evangelistic rally was to be held to commit the event to the Lord and to claim a bountiful harvest.
Likewise, I have also heard of cases where Christians working in the same company would conduct a prayer walk around the office building (not so much for the walls of the building to collapse a la Jericho, but to claim the company for Jesus).
Alternatively, they would gather either before or after office hours to go from cubicle to cubicle (or from room to room) to pray specifically for each and every one of their colleagues.
Because the Lord sees how serious we are, the results He gives will be beyond our expectations.
Shalom
Malcolm
Blessed Back Log
Friday, 27th April 2007
How many of us dread backlogs?
I know I do.
I experienced that recently with my blog when I was like 5 days behind, because it was a busy period at work for me.
Also with the accounts of my church, of which I am the Treasurer.
Well, I thank the LORD for the holidays in between so that we can take a break and catch up on the backlog.
Praise God that the church accounts are now up-to-date. And so is my blog :-)
Which brings me to the title of today's blog. Can backlogs be a blessing?
Well, there is one that is one.
I happened to check out New Creation Church's website and found out that the 2002 sermons have now been made available in MP3 format!
When I "tithed" my bonus to buy JPM's entire catalog, it was sermons starting from 2003 onwards only. Now the BACK cataLOG of sermons can be downloaded directly from their website.
And that is exactly what I did yesterday.
What a blessed backlog. Amen?
If anyone of you would like to borrow from this catalog, please let me know.
How many of us dread backlogs?
I know I do.
I experienced that recently with my blog when I was like 5 days behind, because it was a busy period at work for me.
Also with the accounts of my church, of which I am the Treasurer.
Well, I thank the LORD for the holidays in between so that we can take a break and catch up on the backlog.
Praise God that the church accounts are now up-to-date. And so is my blog :-)
Which brings me to the title of today's blog. Can backlogs be a blessing?
Well, there is one that is one.
I happened to check out New Creation Church's website and found out that the 2002 sermons have now been made available in MP3 format!
When I "tithed" my bonus to buy JPM's entire catalog, it was sermons starting from 2003 onwards only. Now the BACK cataLOG of sermons can be downloaded directly from their website.
And that is exactly what I did yesterday.
What a blessed backlog. Amen?
If anyone of you would like to borrow from this catalog, please let me know.
Can it be a cult or the devil's work when Jesus is magnified?
Thursday, 26th April 2007
Recently, I heard a warning about there being the prevalence of false doctrine and heretic teachings in the endtimes.
I appreciate the heed and need for caution because Jesus, and even Paul did mention about this in the Gospels and in the letter to Timothy respectively. The devil knows that his time is running out, so he is working overtime to lead people astray.
However, what I do not appreciate is when such labels are being placed on fellow labourers in the harvestfield, just because the doctrines being expounded upon goes against the so-called "mainstream establishment". When doctrines such as the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross (which encompasses prosperity and healing) are being rendered as "cultic" by these religious people, they do not realise that they are the ones who have instead become instruments of the evil one, to deprive believers of what should rightfully be theirs.
One fundamental characteristic of "Christian cults" is that the founder is central to the belief system, while the person of Jesus is relegated at best, or totally ignored at worst.
How can a church with 15,000 members and counting be considered a cult when the preachers mention Jesus at least 50 times in a sermon, gives all glory and honour to no other but Him, and dozens respond to accept Jesus each time an altar call is held at the end of every service?
Such labelling is ludicrous, and if I may say so, reflects a certain amount of envy on the part of the critic.
In fact, we see a parallel in the life of the early church as recorded in Acts. The disciples went about preaching that Jesus was alive and He was the Messiah that was promised in the Scriptures. They faced opposition from the religous establishment of the day, namely the Pharisees, scribes and chief priests. It is ironic and sad that history repeats itself and this is still taking place this very day.
[I thank the Lord that the person who was the Pharisee of Pharisees, and who prided himself of knowing the Law inside out and outside in, became the very person that God used to bring across His message of grace, and went on to write 2/3 of the New Testament. ]
So before we accuse any other church of being a cult, let us ask ourselves whether Jesus is being magnified and exalted by that church. If He is, then we may unwittingly be advancing satan's cause instead of our Lord's.
Recently, when Benny Hinn was in Singapore healing hundreds of people and glory was being given to Jesus, there were also sceptics who said that it was the work of the devil. Do you think the devil will allow Jesus to take the credit if he was the one who was behind it?
This state of confusion is also not new. We read in Mark 3:22-29
22And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." 23So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan?
24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.
27In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.
28I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.
29But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
Let us heed the warning in verse 29, lest we be guilty of blapheming against the Holy Spirit!!!
Shalom
Malcolm
Recently, I heard a warning about there being the prevalence of false doctrine and heretic teachings in the endtimes.
I appreciate the heed and need for caution because Jesus, and even Paul did mention about this in the Gospels and in the letter to Timothy respectively. The devil knows that his time is running out, so he is working overtime to lead people astray.
However, what I do not appreciate is when such labels are being placed on fellow labourers in the harvestfield, just because the doctrines being expounded upon goes against the so-called "mainstream establishment". When doctrines such as the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross (which encompasses prosperity and healing) are being rendered as "cultic" by these religious people, they do not realise that they are the ones who have instead become instruments of the evil one, to deprive believers of what should rightfully be theirs.
One fundamental characteristic of "Christian cults" is that the founder is central to the belief system, while the person of Jesus is relegated at best, or totally ignored at worst.
How can a church with 15,000 members and counting be considered a cult when the preachers mention Jesus at least 50 times in a sermon, gives all glory and honour to no other but Him, and dozens respond to accept Jesus each time an altar call is held at the end of every service?
Such labelling is ludicrous, and if I may say so, reflects a certain amount of envy on the part of the critic.
In fact, we see a parallel in the life of the early church as recorded in Acts. The disciples went about preaching that Jesus was alive and He was the Messiah that was promised in the Scriptures. They faced opposition from the religous establishment of the day, namely the Pharisees, scribes and chief priests. It is ironic and sad that history repeats itself and this is still taking place this very day.
[I thank the Lord that the person who was the Pharisee of Pharisees, and who prided himself of knowing the Law inside out and outside in, became the very person that God used to bring across His message of grace, and went on to write 2/3 of the New Testament. ]
So before we accuse any other church of being a cult, let us ask ourselves whether Jesus is being magnified and exalted by that church. If He is, then we may unwittingly be advancing satan's cause instead of our Lord's.
Recently, when Benny Hinn was in Singapore healing hundreds of people and glory was being given to Jesus, there were also sceptics who said that it was the work of the devil. Do you think the devil will allow Jesus to take the credit if he was the one who was behind it?
This state of confusion is also not new. We read in Mark 3:22-29
22And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." 23So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan?
24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.
27In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.
28I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.
29But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
Let us heed the warning in verse 29, lest we be guilty of blapheming against the Holy Spirit!!!
Shalom
Malcolm
Our God is Far Greater
Wednesday, 25th April 2007
Just the other day, I was reading Chapter 2 of the book Experiencing the Spirit by Robert Heidler.
In that book, the author recited a story about 4 blind men and an elephant. The 1st man felt the leg and likened the elephant to a tree trunk. The 2nd man felt the body and likened it to a wall. The 3rd man felt the tusk and likened it to a spear. The 4th man felt the trunk and likened it to a huge snake.
In a way, all 4 were right. Yet none of thel 4 were completely right.
The author said that likewise, we who are on the journey of faith, have not fully understood the person of the Holy Spirit.
I draw a parallel in that I have been a Christian since 1979, and was brought up in a Christian home. Yet, I am still learning more and more about God each day.
Just like the 4 blind men who thought they knew what the elephant was like, I thought I knew whom God was while growing up in Sunday School and learning stories about David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Moses and the Red Sea, etc. I held the notion that God had "changed" from a jealous God in the Old Testament to a loving God in the New. I know now that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
I also dismissed tongues and the works of the Holy Spirit. I know now that the Holy Spirit is as relevant today as He was in the apostolic times.
I thought that one should strike a balance between law and grace. I now know that the gospel of grace implies that we are no longer under the law.
The cross used to mean salvation and deliverance from sin. I now know that the finished work also extends to our infirmaties for His divine health and healing, and our poverty in exchange for His riches in glory.
The blind men would never fully comprehend the elephant. Likewise, we as creatures will never fully comprehend our God.
Just the other day, I was reading Chapter 2 of the book Experiencing the Spirit by Robert Heidler.In that book, the author recited a story about 4 blind men and an elephant. The 1st man felt the leg and likened the elephant to a tree trunk. The 2nd man felt the body and likened it to a wall. The 3rd man felt the tusk and likened it to a spear. The 4th man felt the trunk and likened it to a huge snake.
In a way, all 4 were right. Yet none of thel 4 were completely right.
The author said that likewise, we who are on the journey of faith, have not fully understood the person of the Holy Spirit.
I draw a parallel in that I have been a Christian since 1979, and was brought up in a Christian home. Yet, I am still learning more and more about God each day.
Just like the 4 blind men who thought they knew what the elephant was like, I thought I knew whom God was while growing up in Sunday School and learning stories about David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Moses and the Red Sea, etc. I held the notion that God had "changed" from a jealous God in the Old Testament to a loving God in the New. I know now that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
I also dismissed tongues and the works of the Holy Spirit. I know now that the Holy Spirit is as relevant today as He was in the apostolic times.
I thought that one should strike a balance between law and grace. I now know that the gospel of grace implies that we are no longer under the law.
The cross used to mean salvation and deliverance from sin. I now know that the finished work also extends to our infirmaties for His divine health and healing, and our poverty in exchange for His riches in glory.
The blind men would never fully comprehend the elephant. Likewise, we as creatures will never fully comprehend our God.
Our God is far greater than words can make known,
Exalted and holy, He reigns on His throne.
In infinite splendor He rules over all;
Yet He feeds the poor sparrows, and He knows when they fall.
He rides the wild heavens, He strides thro’ the seas;
The high mountains tremble to hear His decrees.
His voice with great thunderings sounds from above;
But to His own children He whispers His love.
His power is great and will ever endure,
His wisdom is peaceable, gentle, and pure.
But greater than all these glories I see,
Is the glorious promise that He cares for me.”
A Centenary of Posts
Tuesday, 24th April 2007Today marks a milestone for ROOTSS.
This is actually the 100th blog entry.
I really want to thank the LORD our GOD for providing me with the strength and inspiration to be able to maintain an average of one blog entry per day.
Looking back over the past few months, there have been highs and lows. The tough period was the opposition that was coming from "religious" people accusing me of embracing erroneous and heretic teachings.
But vindication is the LORD's. At what appeared to be the lowest point, ROOTSS was awarded Best Christian Blog of the Week on 4 February 2007. It was His way of telling me to continue blogging for His glory.
Ultimately, we have to obey God rather than men, like what the apostles did as recorded in Acts 4:19.
I have several "controversial" topics lined up in the pipeline, starting with what the definition of a "cult" is to me , so stay tuned :-)
Here's to the next 100 posts!
Shalom
China and the Bible
Monday, 23rd April 2007
I have been catching up on the earlier sermons in my JPM collection, and happen to listen to the Chinese New Year message that was preached in 2003.
In that sermon, Pastor Prince referred to Isaiah 49:12, the Amplified Bible which reads:
"Behold, these shall come from afar--and, behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim (China)."
I was not aware that China was mentioned in the Bible!
Anyway, in that passage, God declared that His people will be found in the north, the west and from the land of China!
Today, 1 in 4 persons are Chinese. God says in his Word that He does not want anyone to perish, but all to come to repentence. And that includes the people of China.
It is interesting to note that God's message can be found in Chinese characters. For example, the word boat (船) consist of the radicals ，舟, 八 and 口, which means a boat with eight persons. Noah's Ark had 8 persons altogether, namely Noah, his 3 sons and their wives.
Another example is the word create( 造), is formed from the radicals 足 and 告, which means speaking into existence a moving creation into existence.
There is a booklet that has been made available at the entrance of our church called "Discovering God in Chinese characters". It makes very interesting reading and can be used as a means to reach out to our pre-believing Mandarin-speaking relatives and colleagues.
I have been catching up on the earlier sermons in my JPM collection, and happen to listen to the Chinese New Year message that was preached in 2003.
In that sermon, Pastor Prince referred to Isaiah 49:12, the Amplified Bible which reads:
"Behold, these shall come from afar--and, behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim (China)."
I was not aware that China was mentioned in the Bible!
Anyway, in that passage, God declared that His people will be found in the north, the west and from the land of China!
Today, 1 in 4 persons are Chinese. God says in his Word that He does not want anyone to perish, but all to come to repentence. And that includes the people of China.
It is interesting to note that God's message can be found in Chinese characters. For example, the word boat (船) consist of the radicals ，舟, 八 and 口, which means a boat with eight persons. Noah's Ark had 8 persons altogether, namely Noah, his 3 sons and their wives.
Another example is the word create( 造), is formed from the radicals 足 and 告, which means speaking into existence a moving creation into existence.There is a booklet that has been made available at the entrance of our church called "Discovering God in Chinese characters". It makes very interesting reading and can be used as a means to reach out to our pre-believing Mandarin-speaking relatives and colleagues.
Once Bitten Twice Shy or Seventy Times Seven?
Sunday, 22nd April 2007
Just the other day, I heard someone use the phrase "once bitten twice shy".
This idiom is used to describe the situation where someone who has been hurt will be far more careful the next time.
It is very natural for a person to behave this way. In fact, those who embrace evolutionary theories would say that such behaviour is part of the survival instincts of animals.
As Christians however, we do not believe in evolution. Nor are we to adopt this maxim.
Just imagine if the great men of God that we read in the Scriptures had done so.
Had Jesus not forgiven Peter for denying Him, Peter would not have risen up to become a great apostle whose sermon on Pentecost resulted in 3,000 souls saved.
Had the Christians who were persecuted had not forgiven Saul (latter known as Paul), two thirds of the New Testament would not have been written.
It was therefore very timely to hear a sermon today by Rev Tay Kay Leong on the subject of forgiveness.
Rather than "once bitten twice shy", the maxim we should be adopting is "seventy times seven".
When Jesus mentioned this phrase as recorded in Matt 18:22, He did not mean four hundred and ninety times literally, but immeasurably.
If we consider the extent of the debt that God has forgiven us (10,000 talents or S$7.2m), then we should be able to forgive others whose debt is measly in comparison (100 denarii or S$15).
Shalom
Malcolm
Just the other day, I heard someone use the phrase "once bitten twice shy".
This idiom is used to describe the situation where someone who has been hurt will be far more careful the next time.
It is very natural for a person to behave this way. In fact, those who embrace evolutionary theories would say that such behaviour is part of the survival instincts of animals.
As Christians however, we do not believe in evolution. Nor are we to adopt this maxim.
Just imagine if the great men of God that we read in the Scriptures had done so.
Had Jesus not forgiven Peter for denying Him, Peter would not have risen up to become a great apostle whose sermon on Pentecost resulted in 3,000 souls saved.
Had the Christians who were persecuted had not forgiven Saul (latter known as Paul), two thirds of the New Testament would not have been written.
It was therefore very timely to hear a sermon today by Rev Tay Kay Leong on the subject of forgiveness.
Rather than "once bitten twice shy", the maxim we should be adopting is "seventy times seven".
When Jesus mentioned this phrase as recorded in Matt 18:22, He did not mean four hundred and ninety times literally, but immeasurably.
If we consider the extent of the debt that God has forgiven us (10,000 talents or S$7.2m), then we should be able to forgive others whose debt is measly in comparison (100 denarii or S$15).
Shalom
Malcolm
One One One One One One One
Saturday, 21st April 2007
Yes, there is no typo in the title of today's blog.
It is not Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!, which is what one might hear being sung at football stadiums,
It is actually the word ONE, repeated the seven times as it appears in the passage Ephesians 4:4-6
Ephesians 4:4-6
4There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Which goes to show the emphasis that Paul puts on the need for all of us as believers to be united.
In fact, just two days ago, we had our regular weekly fellowship at work, and unity was one of the topics of discussion. I happen to bring up the incident that Rev Wee Boon Hup mentioned about the leaders of the 2 largest churches in Singapore not speaking to one another.
Well guess what? Something happened that really moved my heart. A brother who is a member of one of the 2 churches shook hands with another brother who is a member of the other church!
Now let's pray that the pastors and leaders of these 2 churches would follow suit. Together, both churches with a combined attendance of close to 40,000 can make a great difference to Singapore's population of 4 million.
Let's hold on to that faith vision of oneness!
Yes, there is no typo in the title of today's blog.
It is not Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!, which is what one might hear being sung at football stadiums,
It is actually the word ONE, repeated the seven times as it appears in the passage Ephesians 4:4-6
Ephesians 4:4-6
4There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Which goes to show the emphasis that Paul puts on the need for all of us as believers to be united.
In fact, just two days ago, we had our regular weekly fellowship at work, and unity was one of the topics of discussion. I happen to bring up the incident that Rev Wee Boon Hup mentioned about the leaders of the 2 largest churches in Singapore not speaking to one another.
Well guess what? Something happened that really moved my heart. A brother who is a member of one of the 2 churches shook hands with another brother who is a member of the other church!
Now let's pray that the pastors and leaders of these 2 churches would follow suit. Together, both churches with a combined attendance of close to 40,000 can make a great difference to Singapore's population of 4 million.
Let's hold on to that faith vision of oneness!
To Hell with the Devil!
Friday, 20th April 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
Today, I shall blog on the song at #7.
Stryper hails from California, USA and was formed in 1983. Their name is derived from a famous verse that is often quoted, Isa 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (KJV)"
Before becoming Christians, they listened to heavy metal music from the likes of Van Halen, so their music is also much more heavy as compared to other Christian rock bands. In fact, a survey done revealed that two third of those who buy their records are non-Christians.
Their most successful album to date is To Hell with the Devil, released in 1986, and went on to sell more than 2 million copies in the USA.
The title track of that album is inspired by the verse Rev 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
I would even venture to say that the lyrics of this song is more scripturally-sound than some sermons I have listened to or some Christian books I have read in the sense that they correctly attribute that the source of all bad things is the evil one :-)
"When things are going wrong you know who to blame, he will always live up to his name"
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
Today, I shall blog on the song at #7.Stryper hails from California, USA and was formed in 1983. Their name is derived from a famous verse that is often quoted, Isa 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (KJV)"
Before becoming Christians, they listened to heavy metal music from the likes of Van Halen, so their music is also much more heavy as compared to other Christian rock bands. In fact, a survey done revealed that two third of those who buy their records are non-Christians.
Their most successful album to date is To Hell with the Devil, released in 1986, and went on to sell more than 2 million copies in the USA.The title track of that album is inspired by the verse Rev 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
I would even venture to say that the lyrics of this song is more scripturally-sound than some sermons I have listened to or some Christian books I have read in the sense that they correctly attribute that the source of all bad things is the evil one :-)
"When things are going wrong you know who to blame, he will always live up to his name"
Speak of the devil, he's no friend of mine
To turn from him is what we have in mind
Just a liar and a thief, the word tells us so
We like to let him know where he can go
Chorus
To hell with the devil
To hell with the devil
When things are going wrong you know who to blame
He will always live up to his name
He's never been the answer there's a better way
We are here to rock you and to say...
[Repeat Chorus]
Matters of Life and Death
Thursday, 19th April 2007
Just the other day, I was listening to an English sermon by Pastor Mark Ng, who is the pastor of the fastest-growing Hokkien/Mandarin-speaking congregation in Singapore.
He spoke something about life and death, which I thought was very insightful, and would like to share with you folks out there.
He said that believers are born twice but die once.
On the other hand, non-believers are born once but die twice.
What does he mean?
First Birth (for all)
All mankind experience their first birth when they come out from their mother's womb.
Because of what Adam did in the Garden of Eden, we are all born with the fallen nature. The Scripture says, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).
Hence, even though our hearts are beating and we are physically alive, we are all born spiritually dead, and are separated from God.
Second Birth (for believers)
Along the journey of our life, God is wanting to reconcile us back to Him. Hence, a person will get to hear the gospel. The moment he receives Jesus, he is "born again".
We read in John 3:3-5
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
First Death (for all)
All mankind has a life span. The moment our heart stops beating, that is when we experience physical death. Life has left the body, hence what remains in the coffin is the shell which man used to be housed in, as it were.
As believers however, that is our only death, because our spirit lives on and we are united with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in heaven.
Second Death (for non-believers)
For non-believers however, they will experience a second death, which is eternal separation from God. What makes it more terrifying is that this death goes on and on in a lake of fire together with other non-believers and ultimately with satan and his fallen angels.
Hence it is important for us as believers to continue to play our part to reach out to others in our oikos so that they will likewise experience two births and one death, rather than one birth and two deaths. Amen?
Just the other day, I was listening to an English sermon by Pastor Mark Ng, who is the pastor of the fastest-growing Hokkien/Mandarin-speaking congregation in Singapore.
He spoke something about life and death, which I thought was very insightful, and would like to share with you folks out there.
He said that believers are born twice but die once.
On the other hand, non-believers are born once but die twice.
What does he mean?
First Birth (for all)
All mankind experience their first birth when they come out from their mother's womb.
Because of what Adam did in the Garden of Eden, we are all born with the fallen nature. The Scripture says, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).
Hence, even though our hearts are beating and we are physically alive, we are all born spiritually dead, and are separated from God.
Second Birth (for believers)
Along the journey of our life, God is wanting to reconcile us back to Him. Hence, a person will get to hear the gospel. The moment he receives Jesus, he is "born again".
We read in John 3:3-5
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
First Death (for all)
All mankind has a life span. The moment our heart stops beating, that is when we experience physical death. Life has left the body, hence what remains in the coffin is the shell which man used to be housed in, as it were.
As believers however, that is our only death, because our spirit lives on and we are united with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in heaven.
Second Death (for non-believers)
For non-believers however, they will experience a second death, which is eternal separation from God. What makes it more terrifying is that this death goes on and on in a lake of fire together with other non-believers and ultimately with satan and his fallen angels.
Hence it is important for us as believers to continue to play our part to reach out to others in our oikos so that they will likewise experience two births and one death, rather than one birth and two deaths. Amen?
Shining Son
Wednesday, 18th April 2007
Two days ago, I blogged about my "trophy daughter".
Today, I will blog about my "shining son". His personality is different from my daughter, but he brings my wife and I equal joy.
I refer to him as "shining" because he has appeared on TV on 4 separate occasions -- once on ChannelNewsAsia, once on StarSports and twice on ESPN.
His TV appearances have been uploaded onto YouTube and you can enjoy watching them here:
The Singapore I Want
(Mark appears on 7 seconds and 1 minute)
Mark Stumps the Mase
(Mark asks the Paul Masefield, one of the presenters of Football Extra a tough question to try to stump him, hence "Stump the Mase")
Mark on Football Crazy (Part 1)
(Mark is sitting between the two main presenters, Andy Panders and Jamie Yeo, and shares the spotlight with them.)
Mark on Football Crazy (Part 2)
Here is another except of that same episode)
That's our shining son :-)
Two days ago, I blogged about my "trophy daughter".
Today, I will blog about my "shining son". His personality is different from my daughter, but he brings my wife and I equal joy.
I refer to him as "shining" because he has appeared on TV on 4 separate occasions -- once on ChannelNewsAsia, once on StarSports and twice on ESPN.
His TV appearances have been uploaded onto YouTube and you can enjoy watching them here:
The Singapore I Want
(Mark appears on 7 seconds and 1 minute)
Mark Stumps the Mase
(Mark asks the Paul Masefield, one of the presenters of Football Extra a tough question to try to stump him, hence "Stump the Mase")
Mark on Football Crazy (Part 1)
(Mark is sitting between the two main presenters, Andy Panders and Jamie Yeo, and shares the spotlight with them.)
Mark on Football Crazy (Part 2)
Here is another except of that same episode)
That's our shining son :-)
Making a Stand
Tuesday, 17th April 2007
Those of who out there who are keen golfers would have been aware that a relative rookie by the name of Zach Johnson recently won the Masters.
The commentator had said that Tiger Woods had never lost an event when he was in the final flight. Well, he finally did... to Zach.
In fact, Zach was in the 3rd from last flight.
But what was more relevant was the victory speech that Zach made before he received the "green jacket" from Phil Mickelson, last year's winner. He remained humble throughout and acknowledged and gave glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. He made a stand for Jesus.
This following is extracted from a write-up on him, found on Links Players' website.
I am blessed to be in an environment where nearly 50% of my department colleagues are fellow believers. Hence, I really take my hat off to those whom the Lord has placed where the environment is not as "Christian-friendly", such as politics, media and the arts.
May the LORD continue to raise up more workers like Zach, because the harvest is plentiful and the labourers are few.
Shalom
Malcolm
Those of who out there who are keen golfers would have been aware that a relative rookie by the name of Zach Johnson recently won the Masters.The commentator had said that Tiger Woods had never lost an event when he was in the final flight. Well, he finally did... to Zach.
In fact, Zach was in the 3rd from last flight.
But what was more relevant was the victory speech that Zach made before he received the "green jacket" from Phil Mickelson, last year's winner. He remained humble throughout and acknowledged and gave glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. He made a stand for Jesus.
This following is extracted from a write-up on him, found on Links Players' website.
Now, here is a concrete example of a believer being a witness to our Lord where he has been placed. The sports arena, especially, are full of pre-believers who believe and glory in their own achievements, than there are believers who attribute their all to the Lord.Johnson's wife, Kim, had manufactured a personal ball mark for him. On one
side she inscribed the words, "Trust your line," accompanied by the notation
Proverbs 3:5,6, which says: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not
on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make
your paths straight." Johnson would set that side up on the putting green and
recite the proverbial words to himself.The reverse side of the homemade mark helped shape Johnson's mindset elsewhere on the course. The inscription was, "One shot at a time," and the Scripture passage was Matthew 6:33-34: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough worry of its own."
"Those verses kind of kept me at ease," Johnson says. "I don't know if I was communicating with God at the time I was playing, but I felt like I was closer with Him at the time than with anybody else."
I am blessed to be in an environment where nearly 50% of my department colleagues are fellow believers. Hence, I really take my hat off to those whom the Lord has placed where the environment is not as "Christian-friendly", such as politics, media and the arts.
May the LORD continue to raise up more workers like Zach, because the harvest is plentiful and the labourers are few.
Shalom
Malcolm
Trophy Daughter
Monday, 16th April 2007
Wikipedia describes the term "trophy wife" as a physically attractive younger woman who is married to a man who has obtained a high level of success. The term is often used to imply that the man's intent is to exhibit his wealth and success.
Do you know that the Bible describes such "trophy wives"? We read in Esther 1:10-11 that King Xerxes of Persia asked that his wife Queen Vashti wear her royal crown and be displayed before the people and nobles so that they could admire her beauty. When she refused, he issued a decree for a "national beauty contest" to be conducted in all the land for a replacement queen. Esther won that contest.
Anyway, the topic for today's blog is about a "trophy daughter". In this instance, the word trophy is to be taken literally. And that girl is none other than my own daughter, Rachel.
She has been consistently been winning medals and trophies ever since the age of 4 years old, which are laid out on the shelf beside her bed.
Last Saturday, she and two other girls came in second in the group category of the National Story-Telling competition.
And today, she added another trophy to her collection -- 2nd runners-up in the zonal table tennis competion.
I thank my God for blessing her with so many talents. She is indeed my "trophy daughter" :-)
Wikipedia describes the term "trophy wife" as a physically attractive younger woman who is married to a man who has obtained a high level of success. The term is often used to imply that the man's intent is to exhibit his wealth and success.
Do you know that the Bible describes such "trophy wives"? We read in Esther 1:10-11 that King Xerxes of Persia asked that his wife Queen Vashti wear her royal crown and be displayed before the people and nobles so that they could admire her beauty. When she refused, he issued a decree for a "national beauty contest" to be conducted in all the land for a replacement queen. Esther won that contest.
Anyway, the topic for today's blog is about a "trophy daughter". In this instance, the word trophy is to be taken literally. And that girl is none other than my own daughter, Rachel.
She has been consistently been winning medals and trophies ever since the age of 4 years old, which are laid out on the shelf beside her bed.Last Saturday, she and two other girls came in second in the group category of the National Story-Telling competition.
And today, she added another trophy to her collection -- 2nd runners-up in the zonal table tennis competion.
I thank my God for blessing her with so many talents. She is indeed my "trophy daughter" :-)
Stealing Sheep?
Sunday, 15th April 2007
Several years ago, I attended a Marriage Enrichment Course called "Married for Life" where we were taught that marriage was a covenant, and not merely a contract.
In a contract, there are clauses to allow for termination of the contract.
In a covenant, there are none -- except that when one of the party dies.
Hence, when we exchange our marriage vows, we mention that "till death do us part".
What this means is that marriage is for life.
The problem we have nowadays is that many people start to apply this "lifelong commitment" to other areas such as employment and even church membership!
Company loyalty is something that countries like Japan and Korea consider very important. At the end of the day, we must remember that is being entered into between employer and employee is a contract and not a covenant.
Of course, there are reasons why one is encouraged to remain loyal to one's employer, because some of the knowledge that one has been accumulated over the years cannot be written down in black and white. So when that person leaves the organisation, that knowledge leaves with him.
However, we should see the bigger picture that God is the one that is in-charge of everything, and He will provide, being Jehovah Jireh. There has been some staff turnover in my department because of the improved market and economic situation in Singapore, but I do not begrudge these people for leaving. Instead, I rejoice with them when I hear that they are moving on because of better prospects and better remuneration.
Similarly, church membership is not a covenant.
If one were to read the Bible, no where does it say that one must be in Church A or Church B. Because ultimately, both Church A and Church B are part of the body of Christ. Loyalty to a particular church or denomination is man-made.
So, it is my prayer that we not be so quick to pass judgement on others and label them as "church-hoppers". These people are seeking for a church where they can truly feel ministered to, and in God's time, they will start also to minister to others in turn.
At least they are still wanting to attend church, and not backslide into broken fellowship. We see cases in parts of Europe where church buildings are converted into museums or tourist attractions because it has lost its relevance to society.
So let us take this as a warning to examine ourselves as to whether we continue to remain relevant, instead of being so quick to accuse other churches of "stealing" sheep. The only person who is out to steal is the evil one, and he wants the believer to leave the sheepfold completely.
If the sheep goes to another shepherd, it should be no problem because in God's sovereignty, that shepherd may be in a better position to shepherd that sheep. If another church wants to conduct programs in a location where our own church is already operating, let us see how we can be in partnership together as the larger body of Christ, instead of worrying about others reaping what we have sown.
Let us be more magnanimous, less insecure and less narrow-minded when dealing with others in the kingdom of God. After all, Jesus Himself says clearly in His Word that whoever is not against Him is for Him.
Shalom
Malcolm
Several years ago, I attended a Marriage Enrichment Course called "Married for Life" where we were taught that marriage was a covenant, and not merely a contract.
In a contract, there are clauses to allow for termination of the contract.
In a covenant, there are none -- except that when one of the party dies.
Hence, when we exchange our marriage vows, we mention that "till death do us part".
What this means is that marriage is for life.
The problem we have nowadays is that many people start to apply this "lifelong commitment" to other areas such as employment and even church membership!
Company loyalty is something that countries like Japan and Korea consider very important. At the end of the day, we must remember that is being entered into between employer and employee is a contract and not a covenant.
Of course, there are reasons why one is encouraged to remain loyal to one's employer, because some of the knowledge that one has been accumulated over the years cannot be written down in black and white. So when that person leaves the organisation, that knowledge leaves with him.
However, we should see the bigger picture that God is the one that is in-charge of everything, and He will provide, being Jehovah Jireh. There has been some staff turnover in my department because of the improved market and economic situation in Singapore, but I do not begrudge these people for leaving. Instead, I rejoice with them when I hear that they are moving on because of better prospects and better remuneration.
Similarly, church membership is not a covenant.
If one were to read the Bible, no where does it say that one must be in Church A or Church B. Because ultimately, both Church A and Church B are part of the body of Christ. Loyalty to a particular church or denomination is man-made.
So, it is my prayer that we not be so quick to pass judgement on others and label them as "church-hoppers". These people are seeking for a church where they can truly feel ministered to, and in God's time, they will start also to minister to others in turn.
At least they are still wanting to attend church, and not backslide into broken fellowship. We see cases in parts of Europe where church buildings are converted into museums or tourist attractions because it has lost its relevance to society.
So let us take this as a warning to examine ourselves as to whether we continue to remain relevant, instead of being so quick to accuse other churches of "stealing" sheep. The only person who is out to steal is the evil one, and he wants the believer to leave the sheepfold completely.
If the sheep goes to another shepherd, it should be no problem because in God's sovereignty, that shepherd may be in a better position to shepherd that sheep. If another church wants to conduct programs in a location where our own church is already operating, let us see how we can be in partnership together as the larger body of Christ, instead of worrying about others reaping what we have sown.
Let us be more magnanimous, less insecure and less narrow-minded when dealing with others in the kingdom of God. After all, Jesus Himself says clearly in His Word that whoever is not against Him is for Him.
Shalom
Malcolm
A Timely Reminder
Saturday, 14th April 2007
Last night, we invited a renowned pastor to bring God's Word to us.
He shared with us about how a book that he wrote about his conversion from his previous religion to Christianity had caused an uproar in his community who continue to hold on to their traditional beliefs.
His testimony resonated with me because when I first started writing this blog, I also faced opposition from those in my community who choose to hold on to traditional beliefs such as the poverty gospel and conditional healing, and are not ready to embrace the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross.
In fact, Jesus Himself faced opposition from the religious people of His time (Pharisees, Saduccees, scribes and priests) because they would not let go of their Judaism beliefs.
I felt the Lord was affirming to my spirit man that it is more important to obey Him rather than men (Acts 4:19).
Anyway, this pastor is gifted in the area of prophesy and he prayed over all us and our children. Specifically, he said that he saw me digging deeper into the Word of God, and also being equipped in the area of prophesy, like himself!
I have thus resolved to listen to all the remaining CDs in my JPM catalog. I have 276 CDs in my collection, of which I have probably listened to slightly more than half.
Recently, there have been several other ex-colleagues, colleagues and fellow church members who have borrowed from the library, and I thank God that many more (in addition to the 15,000) are feeding on these anointed messages.
I also just picked up a DVD version of the sermon "Shepherd and Sheep", which was preached last Easter, and was the one that my mom and I listened to when we visited the Rock.
This morning, I was just listening to his Easter 2007 sermon (which I received in the post yesterday evening -- after a break of 3 weeks! Seems like he and his pastors had just come back from Israel).
It was indeed a time of refreshing, as tears just flowed freely from my eyes when he talked about what Jesus had accomplished on the cross for us.
Praise be to God!
Last night, we invited a renowned pastor to bring God's Word to us.
He shared with us about how a book that he wrote about his conversion from his previous religion to Christianity had caused an uproar in his community who continue to hold on to their traditional beliefs.
His testimony resonated with me because when I first started writing this blog, I also faced opposition from those in my community who choose to hold on to traditional beliefs such as the poverty gospel and conditional healing, and are not ready to embrace the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross.
In fact, Jesus Himself faced opposition from the religious people of His time (Pharisees, Saduccees, scribes and priests) because they would not let go of their Judaism beliefs.
I felt the Lord was affirming to my spirit man that it is more important to obey Him rather than men (Acts 4:19).
Anyway, this pastor is gifted in the area of prophesy and he prayed over all us and our children. Specifically, he said that he saw me digging deeper into the Word of God, and also being equipped in the area of prophesy, like himself!
I have thus resolved to listen to all the remaining CDs in my JPM catalog. I have 276 CDs in my collection, of which I have probably listened to slightly more than half.
Recently, there have been several other ex-colleagues, colleagues and fellow church members who have borrowed from the library, and I thank God that many more (in addition to the 15,000) are feeding on these anointed messages.I also just picked up a DVD version of the sermon "Shepherd and Sheep", which was preached last Easter, and was the one that my mom and I listened to when we visited the Rock.
This morning, I was just listening to his Easter 2007 sermon (which I received in the post yesterday evening -- after a break of 3 weeks! Seems like he and his pastors had just come back from Israel).
It was indeed a time of refreshing, as tears just flowed freely from my eyes when he talked about what Jesus had accomplished on the cross for us.
Praise be to God!
Heng Suay? No such thing lah
Friday, 13th April 2007
Traditionally, the number 13 has been associated with "bad luck". Even more so, when the 13th of the month happens to fall on a Friday, it is said to be "double bad luck".
There was even a movie by the name of Friday the 13th.
The Hokkien terms "heng" and "suay" is used to describe events or circumstances when one is "lucky" or "unlucky".
As Christians, we believe that our God is omnipotent and in control of every situation. Hence, the words "lucky" or "unlucky" should not exist in our dictionary.
That is why we do not wish people "Good luck" or "Best of luck". Rather, we tell them, "God's shalom peace be with you" or "God's blessings be upon you".
The monthly sessions where each cell member brings a dish is called "potbless" rather than "potluck".
We do not say someone is happy-go-lucky. Rather, he is "joyful-go-blessed".
Back to the topic of Friday the 13th.
Anything that creates fear and instills fear in us is not from the LORD, because God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power and of a sound disciplined mind (2 Tim 1:7)
So it does not matter if today happens to be Friday the 13th. Today is an equally blessed day because it is the day that He has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24)
In fact, every day is blessed because we have Christ in us. Surely, goodness and loving-kindness will hunt us down all the days of our life. (Psalm 23:6)
Traditionally, the number 13 has been associated with "bad luck". Even more so, when the 13th of the month happens to fall on a Friday, it is said to be "double bad luck".
There was even a movie by the name of Friday the 13th.
The Hokkien terms "heng" and "suay" is used to describe events or circumstances when one is "lucky" or "unlucky".
As Christians, we believe that our God is omnipotent and in control of every situation. Hence, the words "lucky" or "unlucky" should not exist in our dictionary.
That is why we do not wish people "Good luck" or "Best of luck". Rather, we tell them, "God's shalom peace be with you" or "God's blessings be upon you".
The monthly sessions where each cell member brings a dish is called "potbless" rather than "potluck".
We do not say someone is happy-go-lucky. Rather, he is "joyful-go-blessed".
Back to the topic of Friday the 13th.
Anything that creates fear and instills fear in us is not from the LORD, because God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power and of a sound disciplined mind (2 Tim 1:7)
So it does not matter if today happens to be Friday the 13th. Today is an equally blessed day because it is the day that He has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24)
In fact, every day is blessed because we have Christ in us. Surely, goodness and loving-kindness will hunt us down all the days of our life. (Psalm 23:6)
The End is Justified Whatever the Means
Thursday, 12th April 2007
You have heard of the saying, "the ends justify the means".
This above carries negative connotations and is often quoted by ruthless people who will resort to whatever it takes in order to get what they want. For example, an office colleague will backstab, gossip, curry favour, etc in order to get that promotion at the expense of others.
Today, we will talk about "God justifies in the end, whatever the means", which is a Biblical perspective of events and circumstances.
What I have learnt recently is that it does not really matter whether one's motives is noble or pure, but ultimately what is the end result, because in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).
In Genesis, we read about how Joseph's brothers sold him as a slave. Yet God cause something good to come out of something bad because Joseph's gift of interpreting dreams allowed him to become Pharoah's right hand man and Egypt had lots of grain in the 7 years of famine.
In fact, Joseph told his brothers in Gen 50:20 "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result".
In Luke 15, we find that the motive of the Prodigal Son in returning was not because he was remorseful. Rather, he had come to the stage where he was even worse off that the hired servants in his father's house.
Yes, he *told* his father that he was sorry, but that was the "politically-correct" story that he spun. The truth was that he was thinking of his own well-being; he would rather be a servant than to spend his lifetime eating food meant for the pigs.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'
The father however did not care what his son's motives were. He was just glad that the son who was lost was now found.
So what mattered was not the motive but the end result.
When the Roman soldiers whipped Jesus with the cat-of-nine-tails, their motive was to inflict the greatest pain upon our Lord. The end result was to fulfill Isa 53:5 for our healing.
When they gambled for his garments, their motive was personal gain. The end result was that Jesus became totally poor so that in divine exchange, we can become rich (2 Cor 8:9).
So let us not be affected by the ways of the world, and the means that the people of the world may adopt. We should continue to trust God and believe that whatever the means, He will justify the end. After all, He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev 1:8). He is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). The good work He has started, He will bring to completion (Phil 1:6).
He will have the last say. He is the final answer. Amen?
You have heard of the saying, "the ends justify the means".
This above carries negative connotations and is often quoted by ruthless people who will resort to whatever it takes in order to get what they want. For example, an office colleague will backstab, gossip, curry favour, etc in order to get that promotion at the expense of others.
Today, we will talk about "God justifies in the end, whatever the means", which is a Biblical perspective of events and circumstances.
What I have learnt recently is that it does not really matter whether one's motives is noble or pure, but ultimately what is the end result, because in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).
In Genesis, we read about how Joseph's brothers sold him as a slave. Yet God cause something good to come out of something bad because Joseph's gift of interpreting dreams allowed him to become Pharoah's right hand man and Egypt had lots of grain in the 7 years of famine.
In fact, Joseph told his brothers in Gen 50:20 "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result".
In Luke 15, we find that the motive of the Prodigal Son in returning was not because he was remorseful. Rather, he had come to the stage where he was even worse off that the hired servants in his father's house.
Yes, he *told* his father that he was sorry, but that was the "politically-correct" story that he spun. The truth was that he was thinking of his own well-being; he would rather be a servant than to spend his lifetime eating food meant for the pigs.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'
The father however did not care what his son's motives were. He was just glad that the son who was lost was now found.
So what mattered was not the motive but the end result.
When the Roman soldiers whipped Jesus with the cat-of-nine-tails, their motive was to inflict the greatest pain upon our Lord. The end result was to fulfill Isa 53:5 for our healing.
When they gambled for his garments, their motive was personal gain. The end result was that Jesus became totally poor so that in divine exchange, we can become rich (2 Cor 8:9).
So let us not be affected by the ways of the world, and the means that the people of the world may adopt. We should continue to trust God and believe that whatever the means, He will justify the end. After all, He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev 1:8). He is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). The good work He has started, He will bring to completion (Phil 1:6).
He will have the last say. He is the final answer. Amen?
Servant Leadership
Wednesday, 11th April 2007
There has been much talk lately about leadership.
As Christians, we should see things from a Biblical perspective.
Pastor Peter Koh was talking about oxymorons in a recent sermon. Here is one more for you: "servant leader".
In particular, let's look at Matt 20:25-26
25Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
Jesus was the leader to His twelve disciples. Yet, He took on the form of a servant and set an example for us by washing His disciples' feet.
At a recent staff retreat of our Church, the Pastors followed the example of our LORD and washed the feet of the church's staff.
That is what true leadership is all about --- servant leadership.
The mission of ACS (Junior) (which is the school that my son is attending) is to nurture boys who are:
Aspiring
Confident & Caring
Servant Leaders who are a
Joy to self & others
Instead of debating about the rights and privileges of leadership (like what the sons of Zebedee were doing as recorded in Matt 20:20-21 (which resulted in Jesus' response as quoted above), let's instead focus on how we can be of service to others.
I remember an incident back in 1988 when I was attending a Youth Camp. We were divided into the 12 tribes of Israel. The tribe of Benjamin was the overall champion, and when they were asked to go and receive their prize, the leader humbly went to the back of the queue to be the last one to receive his prize.
That incident may have happened 20 years ago, but it remains vividly etched in my mind till this very day.
So, let the leaders of the world pursue the things of the world. After all, what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul? (Matt 16:26).
As Christians, we should not resent our leaders, but instead continue to pray for them. After all, the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord, and He will direct it as He does the paths of the river (Prov 21:1).
Pray until something happens (P-U-S-H) :-)
Shalom
Malcolm
There has been much talk lately about leadership.
As Christians, we should see things from a Biblical perspective.
Pastor Peter Koh was talking about oxymorons in a recent sermon. Here is one more for you: "servant leader".
In particular, let's look at Matt 20:25-26
25Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
Jesus was the leader to His twelve disciples. Yet, He took on the form of a servant and set an example for us by washing His disciples' feet.
At a recent staff retreat of our Church, the Pastors followed the example of our LORD and washed the feet of the church's staff.
That is what true leadership is all about --- servant leadership.
The mission of ACS (Junior) (which is the school that my son is attending) is to nurture boys who are:
Aspiring
Confident & Caring
Servant Leaders who are a
Joy to self & others
Instead of debating about the rights and privileges of leadership (like what the sons of Zebedee were doing as recorded in Matt 20:20-21 (which resulted in Jesus' response as quoted above), let's instead focus on how we can be of service to others.
I remember an incident back in 1988 when I was attending a Youth Camp. We were divided into the 12 tribes of Israel. The tribe of Benjamin was the overall champion, and when they were asked to go and receive their prize, the leader humbly went to the back of the queue to be the last one to receive his prize.
That incident may have happened 20 years ago, but it remains vividly etched in my mind till this very day.
So, let the leaders of the world pursue the things of the world. After all, what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul? (Matt 16:26).
As Christians, we should not resent our leaders, but instead continue to pray for them. After all, the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord, and He will direct it as He does the paths of the river (Prov 21:1).
Pray until something happens (P-U-S-H) :-)
Shalom
Malcolm
Spiritual Hypocrisy
Tuesday, 10th April 2007
We are familiar with the term "hypocrite", which basically is used to describe a person who behaves as he is not. Jesus referred to the Pharisees of His time as hypocrites because they were always putting on a show and behaving as persons whom they were not.
Well, I have heard that term being used presently as well, to describe believers who behave like angels when they are in the church service, and then become like devils once they go to the carpark and get behind the wheel of their cars.
A cell member of mine shared with me about an ex-colleague of his who would go to mass each week for a time of confession, only to go back into the world to sin the other six days of the week.
But have you heard of the term "spiritual hypocrisy"? This is used to describe those who believe and thus behave as they are not, even though the Scriptures tell them that they are otherwise.
For example, the Scriptures tell us that by Jesus' stripes, we have already been healed (1 Pet 2:24). If, instead of confessing and believing this, we instead go around moaning and groaning about this pain and that ache, then we are behaving like spiritual hypocrites.
Another example. The Scriptures tell us that we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21). If we instead continue to picture ourselves as unworthy sinners (like in the ritual for Holy Communion -- which I have now made a conscious choice to only recite parts which are Scriptural), then we are again behaving like spiritual hypocrites.
Yet another example. The Scriptures tell us that in 2 Cor 8:9 “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". The Scriptures also tells us that God prospered the patriachs materially (Gen 13:2, Gen 26:12-14, Gen 30:43). Christ became totally impoverished on the cross, so that as part of the divine exchange, we can be rich. Our material resources can then be used for His kingdom work. There is no need to make any apologies for embracing the "prosperity gospel".
So let's stop all this spiritual hypocrisy and start speaking and behaving like what the Scriptures say that we as followers of Christ are. Amen?
Shalom
Malcolm
We are familiar with the term "hypocrite", which basically is used to describe a person who behaves as he is not. Jesus referred to the Pharisees of His time as hypocrites because they were always putting on a show and behaving as persons whom they were not.
Well, I have heard that term being used presently as well, to describe believers who behave like angels when they are in the church service, and then become like devils once they go to the carpark and get behind the wheel of their cars.
A cell member of mine shared with me about an ex-colleague of his who would go to mass each week for a time of confession, only to go back into the world to sin the other six days of the week.
But have you heard of the term "spiritual hypocrisy"? This is used to describe those who believe and thus behave as they are not, even though the Scriptures tell them that they are otherwise.
For example, the Scriptures tell us that by Jesus' stripes, we have already been healed (1 Pet 2:24). If, instead of confessing and believing this, we instead go around moaning and groaning about this pain and that ache, then we are behaving like spiritual hypocrites.
Another example. The Scriptures tell us that we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21). If we instead continue to picture ourselves as unworthy sinners (like in the ritual for Holy Communion -- which I have now made a conscious choice to only recite parts which are Scriptural), then we are again behaving like spiritual hypocrites.
Yet another example. The Scriptures tell us that in 2 Cor 8:9 “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". The Scriptures also tells us that God prospered the patriachs materially (Gen 13:2, Gen 26:12-14, Gen 30:43). Christ became totally impoverished on the cross, so that as part of the divine exchange, we can be rich. Our material resources can then be used for His kingdom work. There is no need to make any apologies for embracing the "prosperity gospel".
So let's stop all this spiritual hypocrisy and start speaking and behaving like what the Scriptures say that we as followers of Christ are. Amen?
And now, let the weak say I am strong
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us
Shalom
Malcolm
The Answer to Filthy Rags is the Robe of Righteousness
Monday, 9th April 2007
OK, it's time for some serious posts again :-)
I have been listening to sermons by Pastor Joseph Prince on the topic of Righteousness recently, and would like to share the following insights.
Recently, we read in the newspapers about how some of the world's richest billionaires have given huge sums of money to charity.
In the eyes of the world, this would be considered a very noble deed... even a righteous deed.
For that matter, a man may perform many noble and righteous deeds in his lifetime. However, all these righteous deeds would be in vain if He is without Christ.
In fact, we read in Isa 64:6 that all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags in the eyes of God.
The word "filthy" is translated from the original Hebrew word ed (Strong's H05708), which means "an appointed time for women"...
... or more crudely "menstruation".
"Filthy rags" would therefore refer to cloth soaked with menstrual discharge. Back in Biblical times, sanitary pads were not yet invented then.
OK, it's time for some serious posts again :-)
I have been listening to sermons by Pastor Joseph Prince on the topic of Righteousness recently, and would like to share the following insights.
Recently, we read in the newspapers about how some of the world's richest billionaires have given huge sums of money to charity.
In the eyes of the world, this would be considered a very noble deed... even a righteous deed.
For that matter, a man may perform many noble and righteous deeds in his lifetime. However, all these righteous deeds would be in vain if He is without Christ.
In fact, we read in Isa 64:6 that all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags in the eyes of God.
The word "filthy" is translated from the original Hebrew word ed (Strong's H05708), which means "an appointed time for women"...... or more crudely "menstruation".
"Filthy rags" would therefore refer to cloth soaked with menstrual discharge. Back in Biblical times, sanitary pads were not yet invented then.In other words, even what we consider to be the most righteous or pious acts that men have ever carried out are nothing but used sanitary pads in the eyes of God.
There was only one righteous deed carried out by a particular man that was pleasing and acceptable to God. That deed took place 2,000 years ago at Calvary, which we commemorate each Good Friday.
Thank God for Good Friday!
Speaking of menstruation, this subject is also mentioned in the New Testament.
In Matt 9:20, we read about a woman who was "diseased with an issue of blood".
This phrase is translated from the Greek word haimorrheo (Strong's G131), which actually means to menstruate.
This woman was menstruating non-stop for twelve consecutive years. She touched the hem of Jesus' robe and was healed instantly.
There are no insignificant details in the Bible.
Just as the answer to that woman's menstrual situation was found by touching the robe of Jesus, the answer to our deeds being no longer considered to be menstrual pads in the eyes of God is for us to be robed in the righteousness of Christ (Isa 61:10).
Because of the divine exchange, we are now the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). Because we are in Christ, God no longer sees us (and our deeds) in and of ourselves, but God sees us being clothed with the robes of righteousness. We are a new creation; the old has pass and the new has come.
Our deeds will no longer be considered filthy rags because we are the righteousness of God in Christ. And our prayers will also avail much, because we are the righteousness of God.
I shall talk about a related topic tomorrow -- spiritual hypocrisy.
Shalom
Malcolm
Happy Easter!
Sunday, 8th April 2007
In the tradition of the Methodist church, the worship leader (WL) and the congregation (C) will announce responsively as follows:
WL: Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed!
WL: Hallelujah!
C: Praise the LORD!
Easter is significant because it was the day that Jesus Christ was risen from the dead.
We read in 1 Cor 15:25-27 that all of of Christ's enemies were put under His feet, and the last one of which was death.
That means the reign of Christ has begun, and as His co-heirs, we too can reign in life!
In church, Pastor Peter Koh spoke about the 3 "empty promises" of Easter.
- the promise of an empty cross
- the promise of an empty tomb
- the promise of the empty linen cloth
How true indeed! The empty cross, tomb and linen cloth signify to us that the Lord Jesus Christ is alive, and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us each day.
In the tradition of the Methodist church, the worship leader (WL) and the congregation (C) will announce responsively as follows:
WL: Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed!
WL: Hallelujah!
C: Praise the LORD!
Easter is significant because it was the day that Jesus Christ was risen from the dead.
We read in 1 Cor 15:25-27 that all of of Christ's enemies were put under His feet, and the last one of which was death.
That means the reign of Christ has begun, and as His co-heirs, we too can reign in life!
In church, Pastor Peter Koh spoke about the 3 "empty promises" of Easter.
- the promise of an empty cross
- the promise of an empty tomb
- the promise of the empty linen cloth
How true indeed! The empty cross, tomb and linen cloth signify to us that the Lord Jesus Christ is alive, and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us each day.
O fellow child of God, a blessed Easter to you!Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know, I know He hold the future
And life is worth the living
just because He lives.
A Time of Refreshing
Saturday, 7th April 2007
Our cluster had a Leaders' Retreat in Austin Hills over the Easter weekend.
Just after the 9am service on Good Friday, 17 of us set off in 4 cars for the 2nd link.
Larry (3L3) had a brilliant idea. He gave a walkie-talkie to the driver of each car so that the
convoy of cars could keep in constant touch with one another.
[Several of our cluster's members will also be driving up to KL for the Ohana Camp in June, so let's do the same thing then]
There was a bit of a jam to clear customs, but after we did, we headed for a restaurant that is famous for its bittergourd soup. I'm not really a fan of bittergourd, but this soup was delicioso! There was only a very slight tinge of bitter aftertaste. Thanks, Larry and Soo Shan for blessing us with lunch.
After lunch, we headed for Austin Hills resort. The room was humongously big.
We then gathered in our cluster leaders' room for a time of worship and teambuilding activity. The last game were especially meaningful because it reminded us that each of us play a part in the body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit was truly moving in our midst. I had an unpleasant conversation with a fellow brother of mine back in Feb 07, and we had not spoken to each other since then. However, a breakthrough was encountered at this retreat, because I sought his forgiveness and he came over to embrace me in a gesture of reconciliation! Praise the Lord indeed!
Soon, it was time for dinner. Our cluster leaders, Sunny and Yeok Ming brought us to a restaurant, where we had, inter alia, fish head curry and frog legs. The food was equally delicious. Thanks, Sunny and Yeok Ming for blessing us with dinner.
We then headed back to the resort, where we had a time of bowling. After that, we gathered again in the Yaps' room where some of us shared about how we meet our spouses. As we listened to the stories, we acknowledge that God is indeed an awesome God because the way He brought the different couples together was unique, and yet similar in the sense that His hand was in action in the circumstances that He had shaped.
One of the decals on my car says "Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous". Amen!
Speaking of the decals on my car, I am truly grateful to the LORD for His protection. When a dear sister saw the decals, she warned me about the danger of driving up to Malaysia. I took heed about what she said, but having dedicated the car to the LORD, I did not want to now have to peel off the decals. So I asked everyone I knew to pray for the LORD's angels to surround and protect His vehicle. And praise the LORD! There was not a single stratch on it when I inspected it upon arriving home.
But I digress.
After that time of sharing, it was time to call it a night.
The next morning, after breakfast, we gathered again in the Yaps' room. After worship, our cluster leaders shared with us about the need to remain connected with God, so that our ministry will be fruitful. I was reminded of Sunny's favourite verse (Jn 15:5) where Jesus talks about Him being the vine and we the branches. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. So we need to keep connected to the LORD.
It was free-and-easy time for the next one and a half hours. We then checked out and headed for the mega shopping centrre Tusco for shopping and lunch.
Our cluster had a Leaders' Retreat in Austin Hills over the Easter weekend.
Just after the 9am service on Good Friday, 17 of us set off in 4 cars for the 2nd link.
Larry (3L3) had a brilliant idea. He gave a walkie-talkie to the driver of each car so that the
convoy of cars could keep in constant touch with one another.[Several of our cluster's members will also be driving up to KL for the Ohana Camp in June, so let's do the same thing then]
There was a bit of a jam to clear customs, but after we did, we headed for a restaurant that is famous for its bittergourd soup. I'm not really a fan of bittergourd, but this soup was delicioso! There was only a very slight tinge of bitter aftertaste. Thanks, Larry and Soo Shan for blessing us with lunch.
After lunch, we headed for Austin Hills resort. The room was humongously big.
We then gathered in our cluster leaders' room for a time of worship and teambuilding activity. The last game were especially meaningful because it reminded us that each of us play a part in the body of Christ.The Holy Spirit was truly moving in our midst. I had an unpleasant conversation with a fellow brother of mine back in Feb 07, and we had not spoken to each other since then. However, a breakthrough was encountered at this retreat, because I sought his forgiveness and he came over to embrace me in a gesture of reconciliation! Praise the Lord indeed!
Soon, it was time for dinner. Our cluster leaders, Sunny and Yeok Ming brought us to a restaurant, where we had, inter alia, fish head curry and frog legs. The food was equally delicious. Thanks, Sunny and Yeok Ming for blessing us with dinner.
We then headed back to the resort, where we had a time of bowling. After that, we gathered again in the Yaps' room where some of us shared about how we meet our spouses. As we listened to the stories, we acknowledge that God is indeed an awesome God because the way He brought the different couples together was unique, and yet similar in the sense that His hand was in action in the circumstances that He had shaped.
One of the decals on my car says "Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous". Amen!
Speaking of the decals on my car, I am truly grateful to the LORD for His protection. When a dear sister saw the decals, she warned me about the danger of driving up to Malaysia. I took heed about what she said, but having dedicated the car to the LORD, I did not want to now have to peel off the decals. So I asked everyone I knew to pray for the LORD's angels to surround and protect His vehicle. And praise the LORD! There was not a single stratch on it when I inspected it upon arriving home.
But I digress.
After that time of sharing, it was time to call it a night.
The next morning, after breakfast, we gathered again in the Yaps' room. After worship, our cluster leaders shared with us about the need to remain connected with God, so that our ministry will be fruitful. I was reminded of Sunny's favourite verse (Jn 15:5) where Jesus talks about Him being the vine and we the branches. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. So we need to keep connected to the LORD.
It was free-and-easy time for the next one and a half hours. We then checked out and headed for the mega shopping centrre Tusco for shopping and lunch.
After lunch, we went to check out the "church of chapalang" (a private joke). 
There is even a ready-to-use baptismal pool (another private joke).
Soon it was time to head back to Singapore.
As I reflect back upon the events, I thank the LORD for this time of refreshing. The best thing to happen to me in PLMC is to join the 3L cluster, and I felt the LORD reminding me about the dynamics of ministry in the larger body of Christ.
At our cell meetings, we as cell leaders are serving and ministering to our cell members. In turn, we need to be ministered to, and that is where the leaders' cell comes in, where we are cell members. In turn, the cluster leaders receive ministry at the cluster leaders' cell.
In fact, I am also already looking forward to the next cell leaders' retreat, and my prayer is that there will be 100% attendance.
Shalom
As I reflect back upon the events, I thank the LORD for this time of refreshing. The best thing to happen to me in PLMC is to join the 3L cluster, and I felt the LORD reminding me about the dynamics of ministry in the larger body of Christ.
At our cell meetings, we as cell leaders are serving and ministering to our cell members. In turn, we need to be ministered to, and that is where the leaders' cell comes in, where we are cell members. In turn, the cluster leaders receive ministry at the cluster leaders' cell.
In fact, I am also already looking forward to the next cell leaders' retreat, and my prayer is that there will be 100% attendance.
Shalom
Would you die for an insect?
Friday, 6th April 2007
When I was a young boy, I could not understand why the day that Jesus was crucified is known as "Good" Friday.
After all, it was the day when mankind was at its most evil.
In fact, the devil and all his cronies were probably having a field day because everyone was in a "feeding frenzy", so to speak. They had "inspired" Judas to betray our Lord, Peter to deny our Lord, the other 10 disciples to desert our Lord, the chief priests to testify against our Lord, etc etc.
Finally, when He was nailed to the cross, and in that darkest hour when God the Father had to turn away and abandon God the Son, satan must have thought he had won.
Little did the devil know that it would actually bring about his defeat.
Well, it *is* a Good Friday, because that great act of sacrifice by Jesus is the means by which the Divine Exchange took place.
- Our sin in exchange for His righteousness
- Our sicknesses in exchange for His divine health and healing
- Our poverty in exchange for His riches
I have blogged on the Divine Exchange in an earlier entry, so that is not the focus of today's entry.
I was listening to Hope 107 three days ago, and this American preacher was trying to illustrate what Jesus dying for us meant. In the order of things, we have God at the top, then the angels, and then mankind.
1. God
2. Angels
3. Man
This means Jesus took "two steps down".
What does it mean to us if *we* took two steps down?
3. Man
4. Animals
5. Insects
It means that we become an insect, and die for insects...
Would you die for a cockroach, or a mosquito? Well, that's the extent of the love of God for us.
I am reminded of the final verse of a song called "In the Image of God"
Yes, indeed. Christ condescended to die for us. And such a Saviour I'll praise!
Isn't He a GOOD God? And isn't today a GOOD Friday? Praise God for GOOD FRIDAY!
When I was a young boy, I could not understand why the day that Jesus was crucified is known as "Good" Friday.
After all, it was the day when mankind was at its most evil.
In fact, the devil and all his cronies were probably having a field day because everyone was in a "feeding frenzy", so to speak. They had "inspired" Judas to betray our Lord, Peter to deny our Lord, the other 10 disciples to desert our Lord, the chief priests to testify against our Lord, etc etc.
Finally, when He was nailed to the cross, and in that darkest hour when God the Father had to turn away and abandon God the Son, satan must have thought he had won.
Little did the devil know that it would actually bring about his defeat.
Well, it *is* a Good Friday, because that great act of sacrifice by Jesus is the means by which the Divine Exchange took place.
- Our sin in exchange for His righteousness
- Our sicknesses in exchange for His divine health and healing
- Our poverty in exchange for His riches
I have blogged on the Divine Exchange in an earlier entry, so that is not the focus of today's entry.
I was listening to Hope 107 three days ago, and this American preacher was trying to illustrate what Jesus dying for us meant. In the order of things, we have God at the top, then the angels, and then mankind.
1. God
2. Angels
3. Man
This means Jesus took "two steps down".
What does it mean to us if *we* took two steps down?
3. Man
4. Animals
5. Insects
It means that we become an insect, and die for insects...
Would you die for a cockroach, or a mosquito? Well, that's the extent of the love of God for us.
I am reminded of the final verse of a song called "In the Image of God"
I'll never comprehend, redemption's plan,
how Christ could condescend, to die for man;
Such a Saviour I'll praise, to the end of my days,
as I upward, onward trod in the image of God.
Yes, indeed. Christ condescended to die for us. And such a Saviour I'll praise!
Isn't He a GOOD God? And isn't today a GOOD Friday? Praise God for GOOD FRIDAY!
It was all for us
Thursday, 5th April 2007
Tomorrow being Good Friday, I thought it would be appropriate to blog about one of my Top 10 all-time favourite songs which speaks about the greatest act of love that ever was, is and is to be.
The Creator God giving up His life for His creation.
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
The song at number 9 is by a four-piece band JONAH33. They hail from Arkansas in USA.
They get their name from Jonah 3:3, "Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Ninevah". It is a kind of mission statement that they will go any where He leads.
Tomorrow being Good Friday, I thought it would be appropriate to blog about one of my Top 10 all-time favourite songs which speaks about the greatest act of love that ever was, is and is to be.
The Creator God giving up His life for His creation.
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
The song at number 9 is by a four-piece band JONAH33. They hail from Arkansas in USA.
They get their name from Jonah 3:3, "Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Ninevah". It is a kind of mission statement that they will go any where He leads.Their music borders on heavy rock, but their lyrics are unapologetically bold.
Someone decided to make a video using the lyrics of this song and images from Mel Gibson's "Passion of The Christ".
This never fails to bring me to tears as I reflect and realise that He did it all for us. He gave up the comforts of heaven to empty Himself.
Thank you LORD Jesus Christ for doing it all for us. You are the original superman (speaking of which is the song at #8, and I will blog about this in a later entry).
His time with them had stopped,
It's time for Him to carry out His father's will,
Is that He drink this cup
He's told them all along that He would go,
They could not follow Him
But He'll be back for them my friend
And now He sweats these drops of blood
And He prays take this cup from me
But He knows there's no other way
His father's will is that He take your sin, your shame,
Your place upon that cross of pain And die for you
[PRE-CHORUS:]
There's no way to repay
All the pain He went through for you
His reason: simply His love
It's time to see the truth
And understand there's nothing you can do
His reason was simply you
[CHORUS:]
It was all for, it was all for you
He bled and He died for you
We live by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ
Who died to set us free
From chains our flesh can give
You know that even if you were the only one He died for
That means only your sins drove the nails
[PRE-CHORUS]
[CHORUS (2x)]
No time to hesitate my friend
No time to second guess His love
There's nothing else that you can do
He already gave it all for you
All for you, all for you, all for you
Simply you
Joy and Pride
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Two days ago, I blogged about one of my pride and joys, about how she won a medal for table tennis.
Today's entry is about the other pride and joy.
Or rather joy and pride.
We named him 恩乐. The word 恩 means God's grace, while 乐 means joy.
He truly reminds us of God's grace and is living up to his name of being joyful because he is always smiling and positive in his outlook in life.
And joy is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit as recorded in Gal 5:22-23.
Hence, we take pride in our dear son.
He has bowling CCA on Wednesday mornings, and here is a photo I took of him and his 3 bowling buddies.
No prizes for guessing who is the one with the biggest smile :-)
Two days ago, I blogged about one of my pride and joys, about how she won a medal for table tennis.
Today's entry is about the other pride and joy.
Or rather joy and pride.
We named him 恩乐. The word 恩 means God's grace, while 乐 means joy.
He truly reminds us of God's grace and is living up to his name of being joyful because he is always smiling and positive in his outlook in life.
And joy is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit as recorded in Gal 5:22-23.
Hence, we take pride in our dear son.
He has bowling CCA on Wednesday mornings, and here is a photo I took of him and his 3 bowling buddies.
No prizes for guessing who is the one with the biggest smile :-)
Can Order be formed out of Chaos?
Tuesday, 3rd April 2007
I recently blogged about an email that my co-leader sent me entitled God and barbers exist.
A colleague of mine read the blog and we exchanged emails about Creation vs Evolution.
A person who believes in the big bang theory is essentially believing that order can be formed out of chaos.
Have gotten his permission to reproduce what he sent me, viz:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I recently blogged about an email that my co-leader sent me entitled God and barbers exist.
A colleague of mine read the blog and we exchanged emails about Creation vs Evolution.
A person who believes in the big bang theory is essentially believing that order can be formed out of chaos.
Have gotten his permission to reproduce what he sent me, viz:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Malcolm,
Read about your barber's entry and found it to be interesting. I have a 'story' which I heard from a pastor in effort to debunks the evolution theory which I find it intriquing too...
He said that the order and natural laws that governed the Earth and the universe are proofs that God exists. Like if you jump, you will fall. You touch fire, you will get burned.Whereas Darwin's evolution theory is based on random selection and insisted that everything happens by chance, the bible said that everything existed for a purpose. Trees use cardon dioxide to produce food and oxygen, men use oxygen to survive and produce carbon dioxide back to the trees. That's an example of natural law.The food chain where bigger creatures are natural predators of smaller creatures are almost an example of natural law and eco-order. These two laws keep the world in check and balance. All these are orders that are present in this world. A sophisticated design.
He went on with a simple illustration:
A man walking down the street finding eight twenty cents coins scattered all over the pathment will say that someone had accidentally drop his or her coins on the floor. But if the same man walks down the streets and finds eight twenty cents coins being stacked up properly in two piles of four twenty cents each will say that someone left it on purpose for a reason. That explains that someone had designed the system and left it here for a reason. =)
As this world is in order.
By the way, the pastor who said that is Dr. A R Bernard. Advisor to Mayor
New York.
Pride and Joy
Sunday, 2nd April 2007
The term "pride and joy" is usually used to refer to one's new-born baby.
In the context of today's blog entry, it is referring to my first-born.
In a twinking of an eye, she is already 11 years old! It seemed like just yesterday when I held her in my arms.
Daddy's little girl has grown up.
My pride... and joy...
The joy I share with her, because she just won her first school medal today! Even in my "heyday", I only managed to represent my house... in chess. She represents her school in table tennis, and also in story-telling.
As captain of the junior team, she played as 1st singles in the 3rd and 4th placings today, and won 3-0, paving the way for her team members to win their opponents to take 3rd place in the zonal competitions.
Here she is captured on video after winning the 1st game 11-4.
...and again racing to a 4-0 lead in the 2nd game.
The team is wearing the shirt that was sponsored by yours truly. Looking back, it was a worthwhile investment because they have truly done their school proud.
Congrats, my dearest darling daughter. All the best in the story-telling competition this Saturday.
God has blessed you with many talents. My prayer is that you use them to His glory and honour.
Shalom
Malcolm
The term "pride and joy" is usually used to refer to one's new-born baby.
In the context of today's blog entry, it is referring to my first-born.
In a twinking of an eye, she is already 11 years old! It seemed like just yesterday when I held her in my arms.
Daddy's little girl has grown up.
My pride... and joy...
The joy I share with her, because she just won her first school medal today! Even in my "heyday", I only managed to represent my house... in chess. She represents her school in table tennis, and also in story-telling.
As captain of the junior team, she played as 1st singles in the 3rd and 4th placings today, and won 3-0, paving the way for her team members to win their opponents to take 3rd place in the zonal competitions.
Here she is captured on video after winning the 1st game 11-4.
...and again racing to a 4-0 lead in the 2nd game.
The team is wearing the shirt that was sponsored by yours truly. Looking back, it was a worthwhile investment because they have truly done their school proud.
Congrats, my dearest darling daughter. All the best in the story-telling competition this Saturday.
God has blessed you with many talents. My prayer is that you use them to His glory and honour.
Shalom
Malcolm
Up to Speed and Renewed in Strength
Sunday, 1st April 2007
I have been relatively busy the past week. This is because it is my company's half-year closing. (Our financial year-end is September, so in March, we have to report our results for the first 6 months from October 2006 to March 2007).
In fact, I even asked for permission to be excused from the LCEC meeting last Monday.
This evening, I discovered I had also fallen behind in my blog entries. By 3 days in fact.
As I will be relatively busy again when the week starts, I thought I had better use what's left of the weekend to "catch up" on the entries.
I thank the LORD for giving me the inspiration and for renewing my strength. In Isa 40:31, He tells us that they that wait upon the LORD will renew their strength like the eagle.
That's how I'm feeling right now. Hallelujah!
With this entry, the blog is "up to speed"again, so to speak.
Some well-meaning friends have advised me that I need not be pressurised to maintain an average of one blog entry per day. Let's see how the LORD leads then...
This week, I will be blogging about righteousness, starting with a discussion on sanitary napkins (yep, you read it correctly). Do you know that this was mentioned in the Holy Scriptures? Shudder!
And that's no April Fools' joke.
Stay tuned then.
God bless
Malcolm
I have been relatively busy the past week. This is because it is my company's half-year closing. (Our financial year-end is September, so in March, we have to report our results for the first 6 months from October 2006 to March 2007).
In fact, I even asked for permission to be excused from the LCEC meeting last Monday.
This evening, I discovered I had also fallen behind in my blog entries. By 3 days in fact.
As I will be relatively busy again when the week starts, I thought I had better use what's left of the weekend to "catch up" on the entries.
I thank the LORD for giving me the inspiration and for renewing my strength. In Isa 40:31, He tells us that they that wait upon the LORD will renew their strength like the eagle.
That's how I'm feeling right now. Hallelujah!
With this entry, the blog is "up to speed"again, so to speak.
Some well-meaning friends have advised me that I need not be pressurised to maintain an average of one blog entry per day. Let's see how the LORD leads then...
This week, I will be blogging about righteousness, starting with a discussion on sanitary napkins (yep, you read it correctly). Do you know that this was mentioned in the Holy Scriptures? Shudder!
And that's no April Fools' joke.
Stay tuned then.
God bless
Malcolm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
