Saying So Again

Monday, 31st March 2008

Tomorrow, I will be starting work at a Canadian company that is located in Raffles Place, and I am really excitedly looking forward to what God has in store for me there.

The job entails heavier responsibilities, so if I am unable to find the time to blog daily, please do excuse me. I will continue to share my reflections, however, as and when the Spirit leads.

As I reflect upon my time at Infineon, I thank the LORD for giving me 5 increments in my 3 years there, and for blessing me with the 2 biggest bonuses I have ever received in my entire career, in 2006 and 2007.

I am believing that God will continue to prosper me at my new workplace, so as to enable me to tithe even more, and to be an even greater blessing to others.

But most of all, I remember Infineon with fondness because that was when I was first exposed to the grace message. I would like to put on record my heartfelt gratitude to God for arranging Mr Victor Poh to be that colleague of mine, who boldly stepped out in faith to leave his pastor's anointed sermons in the office for others to borrow and be ministered to. May God continue to prosper his pastor and the flock of 19,000 who worship at the Rock.

That journey of discovery began in August 2005, and what a wonderful journey it has been -- of learning more and more about our Lord Jesus, and what He has already accomplished for us by His finished work on the cross. Our part is to believe that the blessings are ours and to receive them by faith.

I want to also thank all of you also for coming alongside on this journey with me. May God continue to bless all of you exceeding abundantly above all you can ask or think.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, and so I say so again.

Anointed Sermons on Demand

Sunday, 30th March 2008

I had a colleague from New Creation Church who would bring CD sermons of Ps Joseph Prince and leave them at a common area in the office for others to borrow. That was how I was first exposed to grace messages in August 2005.

He has set a great example for me to follow.

August 2007 marked an important milestone in my church, because that was when the LORD sent a grace-based preacher, Ps Reuben Ng to us. Each and every one of his sermons thus far has ministered to me, strengthened my spirit man and caused my faith to rise.

Just like Ps Prince, he does not need to refer to a script when he preaches, but it is the Holy Spirit's anointing that prompts Him on what to say next!

The LORD has likewise impressed upon me to make available the sermons of Ps Reuben, so that others can be ministered to. I have thus ordered all his sermons so as to make available for friends and colleagues to borrow.

His sermons have also been made available online for your listening pleasure.

Be ministered to and be blessed!

A Visit to My Alma Mater

Saturday, 29th March 2008

Every 2 years, ACJC will hold a fun fair to raise funds, which they affectionately term "Fun-O-Rama".

I remember attending the Fun-O-Rama that was held 6 years ago, in Feb 2002. At that funfair, I spoke to a couple of the students who was manning a games stall, telling them that I was a student there back in 1984/1985, to which one of them replied," Wow! So long ago? That was the year I was born" :-(

Well, it's now been 23 years since I left ACJC, but I still hold the place very dear to my heart. Through Facebook, I have also been re-connected to quite a number of my college mates. A church friend and ex-classmate is now Head of their Science Department and he will never fail to hunt me down to sell me tickets (which he did again this year).

And so my wife and I made our way to Dover Close East this morning to attend Fun-O-Rama XIX (that's 19th in Roman numerals). The standard of education there has increased steadily over the years (during my time, we were ranked 8th or 9th, but for the past years, it has been consistently in the top 5). We are look forwarding to our kids having their JC education there.

I was hoping to dunk some of my lecturers at the Dunking Machine, but I checked the time schedule and did not see any familiar names. Maybe next time then.

Anyway, I took some pictures at the funfair (including the one you see on the right of a dude dressed as a sausage!) and have uploaded them to Facebook for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19282&l=df6fa&id=751059341

Fellowship over Lunch (and Dessert)

Friday, 28th March 2008

Brother-in-grace Jeffrey Teo left a note on my blog 2 weeks ago, saying that we should meet up and catch up.

And so we did today, over lunch AND DESSERT.

We decided to meet at Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre, so that we could pay fellow brother-in-grace Stanley Wong a surprise visit, and of course to savour his stall's delicious mango pudding, his signature dish.

The three of us had a great time of fellowship, sharing what God has been doing in our lives and encouraging one another in the LORD.

I thank God for these 2 wonderful brothers and marvel at how God had in His infinite wisdom caused our paths to meet. Even though we are/were from churches of different backgrounds and denominations, we all share a similar journey of faith, having grown up on law-based teachings and subsequently being exposed to and embracing wholeheartedly the wonderful gospel of grace.

May God continue to move mightily in these last days in revealing more and more of His Son Jesus to His people and how to rest in His finished work. Amen?

How is Grace Cheapened?

Thursday, 27th March 2008

A common concern that is expressed by those who are not ready for the grace message is that they feel that an overemphasis on God's grace will result in people taking it for granted. They will use terms such as "cheap grace".

But that's where the irony of it lies. It is precisely because such folks have a limited assessment and understanding of the extent of God's grace that they feel it becomes cheapened when one over-emphasises it. They feel an obligation to "balance the scale" by their own good conduct.

I am reminded of a story about a backpacker who had been walking in the blazing hot sun for a great distance. Feeling tired and weary, he decided to stick out his thumb to hitch a ride. Soon after, a big trailer pulled up beside him, and the driver beckoned him to get onto the vehicle. After a while, the driver noticed that the backpacker was still holding on to his heavy load, so he asked him politely whether he would like to place it on the floor of the vehicle. The backpacker replied, "It's OK, I'm already extremely grateful that you have given me a ride. The least I could do is not to burden you with this load."

We may smile when we read this story, but many of us are just like that backpacker. Before we knew the LORD, we had been toiling along life's journey with a heavy load on our backs. After we become Christians, we continue to carry our burdens instead of laying them at the feet of Jesus. We are like Martha, feeling an obligation to do our part, when all God wants us to do is to be like Mary, sitting at His feet.

That backpacker did not realise that the big trailer was already carrying the weight of his backpack. He had placed a limit to what the trailer could do. Likewise, grace is cheapened and devalued when we place a limit to it.

The problem with us is that we tend to view the grace of God in the same manner we extend grace to others. If someone were to keep on imposing upon us, it is only a matter of time before we run out of patience. Even if that person was someone dear to us like our spouse or children, there would still be a limit beyond which we will start to get agitated, what less a fellow human being.

In the same way, we may feel embarassed if we keep on "imposing" upon God. But that's where the difference lies between us humans and our Creator God. His love for us is boundless and limitless. His grace is also boundless and limitless. In fact, the more we rely upon Him and draw from Him, the more it pleases Him because it shows our total dependence upon Him, and none upon our own abilities or efforts.

I like the analogy of God being our Shepherd, and us being His sheep. This is because sheep are totally reliant upon the their shepherd for their provision and protection.

So how is God's grace cheapened? When we de-emphasise it and place a lesser value on it than what it should be. The reverse argument also holds true. We attribute God's grace its true value when we appreciate it for what it really is and place a great emphasis on it. Amen?

When Serving God becomes A Chore

Wednesday, 26th March 2008

Yesterday, I received a message on Facebook from CybeRanger recommending a podcast known as Growing in Grace.

In particular, I listened to the one entitled "When Joyful Christian Activities become Laws and Rules" and that really resonated with my spirit man.

I notice that Methodist churches tend to place lots of emphasis on "doing" rather than "being".

There is nothing wrong with this in itself. After all, Christians should be bearing good fruit. However, we should be focusing on the root and not the fruit. When we are rooted in Christ and firmly planted on the foundation of what our position in Christ is as a result of what He has done for us on the cross, then out of that overflow will be good works towards our fellow men.

If we instead focus on the fruit without first being established, then it becomes self-effort and whatever enthusiasm and passion that we initially may have will wear out over a period of time and we will experience burn-out.

I am reminded of a sermon that Ps Reuben preached last year entitled "To Be With Him". In that sermon, he recalls the time when he was still courting his then-girlfriend (now his wife). She likes White Rabbit candies, so he would give her some every now and then. He would also spend time talking to her on the phone.

However, there was no formulae such as "thou shalt give xx sweets each day" or "thou shalt talk xx hours each day"; he just went with the flow and enjoyed her company.

Similarly, our relationship with God should not be based on a set of rules and regulations such as "must pray 3 hours a day", or "must fast once a week". Rather, we enjoy an intimate relationship with Him and commune with Him anytime throughout the day. Otherwise, our Christian activities will degenerate into a set of laws and rules, and the joy of serving the LORD will not be sustainable.

Let's focus on the root, and God will cause the fruit to come forth in abundance. Amen?

Stuff from the States

Tuesday, 25th March 2008

Last week, I mentioned that the stuff I had ordered from the DisneyStore had not arrived in time for my daughter's birthday.

Well, they finally did -- 3 days late.

The white and red tshirts features characters from the cartoon series Phineas and Ferb. The purple tshirt features the lead actress of the sitcom Hannah Montana.

My daughter is a big-fan of both these shows, which are broadcasted on the Disney Channel.

Actually, with the US dollar at an all-time low against the Singapore dollar, now is an excellent time to buy stuff online from the USA.

Of course, you will need to factor in at least 2 weeks of delivery time if you are using vPost.

A Time for Restoration

Monday, 24th March 2008

Last week, I had supper with a couple of brothers, who used to be leaders among the youth in my church. They happen to have added me as friends on Facebook, and that was how I discovered the similar journey they had gone through last year.

Seems like they were given an ultimatum by our previous youth pastor about subscribing to grace messages, so they decided to leave the flock.

Now that that particular pastor has moved on to another church, it is also a signal for these brothers to be restored back into fellowship.

I can see how powerfully the Holy Spirit is moving in these last days. Specifically in my church, the grace gospel is being caught on by not only those in the English congregation, but also among the Chinese congregation and the youth as well. In fact, the church has embarked on inductive bible study, and the first book that was selected was Paul's epistle to the Galatians. In that book, the contrast between Law and Grace cannot have been made any clearer.

Do continue to keep my church and her pastors in prayer.

Resurrection Power

Sunday, 23rd March 2008

This morning, I got up early to attend the Easter Sunrise Service with my mom. There were about 300 others who did likewise, and we had an awesome time remembering what happened that first Easter morning.

Ps Reuben started his sermon with a joke. When the wife of Joseph of Arithmathea found out that he had allowed Jesus to use the tomb meant for himself, she got very upset. Joseph said to her, "Relax, honey. It's only for the weekend."

What profound truth! Jesus was only in the heart of the earth for three nights. After that, God the Father raised Him from the dead, and He is the firstfruit of all that have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20), which means that we too will be resurrected with Him after we move on from this life.

But what Ps Reuben was about to share really uplifted my spirit. He referred us to Eph 1:19-20 where Paul said "what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead..."

What a revelation! The very same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead, is now made available in us and through us who are believers! Even though there may this sickness here or that financial challenge there, we do not need to remain in this state, because we have God's resurrection power to overcome them!

This Easter, as we remember how God conquered death, the final enemy, may we be reminded that we have that same power to overcome everything else that the enemy tries to throw at us. We are more than conquerors through Christ. Amen?

Cause for Celebration

Saturday, 22nd March 2008

I recall a sermon which Ps Reuben preached earlier this year where he said that the number 8 in biblical numerology signifies new beginnings, and in the year 2008, to expect from God good things to happen.

Well, I thank God for that word of prophecy that He gave through Ps Reuben, because a new chapter of my career begins next month.

And the LORD has indeed provided exceedingly abundantly over and above what I could ask or think. He has given me the privilege to tithe 20% more, and each workday starts only at 9.30am!

This being just cause for celebration, I treated my family (ie. parents, wife and kids) to a ride on the Singapore Flyer yesterday evening. It was truly a sight to behold. From where we were, we could see the Esplanade, the Marina Bay Golf Club, the city skyline and the location of my wife's workplace (the Concourse) and mine (Republic Plaza).

Oh ya, I'll be back in Raffles Place again, and have to get used to being adorned in long-sleeve shirts and ties again. I have been wearing tshirts to work over the past 3 years, and have outgrown the long-sleeve shirts in my wardrobe.

This will be the 7th job of my career, and the pattern of alternating between urban and rural location continues:

1 Price Waterhouse (Stanchart Building, Raffles Place MRT)
2 Singapore Island Country Club (Upp Thomson Road)
3 Solomon Software (International Plaza, Tanjong Pagar MRT)
4 Automatic Identification Technology (Kampong Ampat, McPherson)
5 Outsource Centre (PwC Building, Raffles Place MRT)
6 Infineon Technologies (Kallang Sector, McPherson)

I want to thank all of you for keeping me in your prayers. God is indeed a good and faithful God.

Teleo

Friday, 21st March 2008

Today is Good Friday, when we remember the death of our Lord Jesus.

As a young boy growing up, I used to wonder what was so good about Good Friday. After all, celebrating someone's death is not commonly practised, if at all.

Now, of course I understand that Good Friday is not only good. It is awesome, wonderful, overwhelming, etc because it speaks of the extent of God's love for us.

The cross was designed by man to be the most shameful and humiliating form of punishment. That has been turn on its head to be the symbol of the greatest event in all history and the victory over the power of darkness.

Dearly beloved. This Good Friday is a day to remember what Christ had done 2,000 years ago. As He hung on the cross, he shouted, "It is finished!", as recorded for us in Jn 19:30. This is translated from a single Greek word τελέω teleo (Strong's G5055).

And when He said teleo, He meant teleo. That means there is nothing anyone should be adding to subtracting from what He accomplished for us on the cross.

The work on the cross was a complete, conclusive, fully-accomplished, fully-executed, finished one.

Through the cross, we have victory not only over sin, but over sickness and poverty as well.

And when the veil in the temple was torn in two, God the Father was telling us that we now have direct access to Him.

With this revelation, I sent out an sms which read, "Beloved. teleo means "it is finished!" Let no one add to or subtract from what Jesus has already accomplished for us on the cross!

Thank God for Good Friday! Amen?

Off The Beaten Track

Thursday, 20th March 2008

I happened to be at a Times outlet two days ago, and came across a set of DVDs entitled Live in Israel: Off The Beaten Track.

What surprised me is that I have not seen this being sold on the official website, so I was wondering if it is meant for the "secular" market.

Anyway, since I have become fascinated with the Holy Land of late, I decided to get it.

Oh by the way, the Grace & Favour Seminar is now available in DVD format as well, so I've now added that to my ever-growing collection.

Purposeful and Methodical

Wednesday, 19th March 2008

Recently, the author Rick Warren keeps getting mentioned.

I was listening to a sermon by Ps Prince a couple of weeks back, when he mentioned about the "reverse tithe" that Rev Warren practices (ie. he gives 90% to God and keeps 10%).

Then, 2 dear sisters also recommended his books. Catherine, our TRAC President's wife said that if more were to read "The Purpose-Driven Church", there would be less problems within the church. Angie, a fellow blogger also recommended "Bible Study Methods" on her blog.

So guess what? Yup, I went to Tecman yesterday to add them to my collection :-)

Recent Facebook Additions

Tuesday, 18th March 2008

At last count, I have got 121 friends on Facebook.

Thought I'd blog about friend #120 and #121.

#120 is a lady by the name of Vernetta Lopez. She currently hosts the lunch hour program on Class 95.

I wonder how many of you still remember the rap, "Moses Lim is Tan Ah Teck. Koh Chieng Mun is Dolly. Andrew Lim is Paul, and Nicholas Tan is Ronnie. Vernetta Lopez is Denise, they're Singapore's funniest family..."

That rap introduced Singapore's very first English situation comedy, Under One Roof. My elder sis Angie was a research-writer for the show, and she got us exclusive tickets to watch the filming of the pilot episode.

Vernetta was one of the cast members, while my brother-in-law Andrew (who is married to Angie) was another. My sis even arranged to get all of them to autograph a special Under One Roof t-shirt for me.

#121 is a gentleman by the name of Cliff Richard. Yup, that's the guy who has had hundreds of hit records since the 1960s and topped the secular charts with such inspirational songs such as Saviour's Day and Millennium Prayer. I was pleasantly surprised that he accepted my friend request :-) Needless to say, I'm a big fan of his and have blogged about the impact that his Christian-themed songs have made on the secular world.

A Most Blessed Day

Monday, 17th March 2008

My daughter turns twelve today. Unlike previous years where we held a party for her, this year's celebrations was a simple one -- and it took place last Thursday during the school hols.

She hung out with 3 of her good friends at Jurong East Entertainment Centre. As usual, dad had to play "chauffeur". I brought the 4 of them to the Pizza Hut outlet for lunch, after which they went to Fuji Ice Palace to do some iceskating, and followed that by watching the movie Horton Hears a Who!

Incidentally, the movie features the 1980s hit song by REO Speedwagon entitled Can't Fight This Feeling. It was *THE* love song during that era, and I serenaded my wife with it at our wedding dinner.

You can watch the original version on YouTube...



...and Horton and his friends' umm "rendition" of it...




But I am digressing...

Somehow, the birthday presents I ordered for her via DisneyStore two weeks ago have still not yet arrived :-(

But I've got another present in store for her in the meantime. She is a big fan of actress Felicia Chin, and praise be to God, a colleague whose mom happens to know her uncle, did me a great favour and managed to get her to autograph an entire magazine! Thanks, Melvin, you're a Godsend! And thanks Felicia, for being so sweet and kind in taking the effort to write personal messages addressed to my daughter!

Happy birthday sweetheart! May the LORD continue to grant you favour with your teachers and classmates, and prosper you in all that you do! May you be like an olive plant, growing up mighty in the land!

Palm Sunday: Commemorating God's Chosen Lamb

Sunday, 16th March 2008

In church today, Ps Reuben preached yet another awesome sermon, this time about the significance of Palm Sunday, and how it was linked to the selection of an umblemished lamb on the 10th day of Nisan as recorded in Exodus 12.

Ps Reuben shared about how as a young boy growing up in Sunday School, he would look forward to Christmas Eve and Palm Sunday each year. At Christmas Eve, they were each given candle to pass the flame, and he enjoyed blowing out his friends' candles at the end of the service. At Palm Sunday, they were each given palm leaves to wave, and he enjoyed using them as make-believe swords.

That's what endears people to Ps Reuben. He preaches with such sincerity and passion. And like Ps Prince, he does not need to refer to a script!!! The Holy Spirit guides him along and prompts him as to what to say next.

Anyway, there was a stage in his life that he did not look forward to celebrating Palm Sunday, because he did not want to be identified with the crowd that shouted "Hosanna!" one moment only to shout "Crucify Him!" a few days later. Recently, he had a change of heart after God showed him the significance of Palm Sunday in the light of Exodus 12.

You can listen to that sermon (as well as all his other sermons) here.

A Gentleman's Lot and Portion

Saturday, 15th March 2008

In Gen 13, we discover a characteristic of Abram that is noble and worthy of mention.

When his herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot, his nephew started to quarrel because the land could not support them, they decided it would be in the best interest of everyone for them to go their separate ways.

As Lot's elder, Abram had every right to choose what he wanted for his own and leave the remainder to his nephew. Instead, he allowed Lot to make the first choice! That was indeed a most gentlemanly gesture on his part.

We are told in Gen 13:10 that Lot saw that "the whole plain of Jordan was well-watered", so he chose what he thought was the better lot and portion for himself, leaving the seemingly lousier lot and portion to his uncle.

Well, it turns out that Lot chose the area known as Sodom and Gomorrah and what Abram ended up with was Canaan! We will find out later on in Gen 19 that Lot would end up losing everything that he had.

So what application does it have for us today? Sometimes, we do not need to insist on our own rights if we know who we are in Christ. Even though the people of the world may seem to be getting the better deal, God knows the true intents of our hearts. And in due time, we may realise that what we have "ended up with" is in fact Canaan, while what the world strive and fight for are Sodoms and Gomorrahs.

Those who trust in the Lord will never be put to shame! Amen?

Going Down to Egypt

Friday, 14th March 2008

OK, let's resume the revelations from Genesis.

In Gen 12, we read about God calling Abram at a ripe old age of seventy-five. His wife Sarai, was ten years his junior, which made her sixty-five years old then.

Somewhere along their travels, there was a famine in the land, so Abram decided to go down to Egypt. This was when he told his wife to say that she was his sister so that no harm would come to him.

We read in verses 11 through 13:
He said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

Even at the age of 65, Sarai was described as "beautiful", and this meant physical beauty. After all, the Pharoah, being a man of the world, would not have appreciated any sort of "spiritual" beauty that Sarai may have possessed; he went purely by his physical senses.

We see here a case where Abram showed a lack of faith in God being able to protect him. Yet, not only did God not rebuke or punish him for his lack of trust, He instead inflicted serious diseases on Pharoah and his household on account of Sarai! That was how Pharoah discovered that Sarai was actually Abram's wife and he quickly sent them off, together with all their possessions that they had acquired.

And this is a reflection of the grace-based relationship that Abram had with the covenant-keeping God. Because He had promised Abram that He would be a father of many, He was faithful to and protected Abram all the way, even though on his part, Abram at times showed a lack of faith.

We are not told that it was God who had asked Abram to go down to Egypt to avoid the famine. Perhaps if he had stayed on where he was, God would still have provided for him, just like how He prospered Isaac in the midst of a subsequent famine as recorded in Gen 26 during Isaac's time. On that occasion, God told Isaac specifically not to go down to Egypt (Gen 26:2), probably hoping to prevent Isaac from making the same mistake his father did?

Anyway, by going down to Egypt, firstly, Abram was putting his wife (and the promised seed!) at risk, and God had to intervene to prevent Pharoah from violating Sarai.

Secondly, and of graver consequences, was what we read in verse 16: "Pharoah treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels." Well, amongst the maidservants that Abram acquired was one such by the name of Hagar, whose name will became more apparent when we read Gen 16 and 21.

Fertile Ground

Thursday, 13th March 2008

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but my son switched CCAs this year. His first choice was Science Club and 2nd choice was IT Club, but because they were filled, he ended up with his third choice: Christian Fellowship ("CF").

After the first session, I asked him how it was and his answer was that several "naughty" boys had also joined and he wanted to quit. I spoke to Nancy, the church worker from Cairnhill Methodist who is attached to the school and she confirmed that indeed, quite a number of boys with antisocial behaviour had joined the CF. This is because the other clubs and societies did not want to take them in, and having no other CCA to join, they ended up joining the CF. She told me to keep them in prayer because it was a real challenge to get these boys integrated.

Well, it's been three months now since Mark has been in the CF. Not only has he *not* complained, he just came back from a BBQ that was organised and held at the home of Don and Nancy, and said that he loved the CF and wants to continue to be in it next year! Praise God! The Holy Spirit has been doing a marvelous and mighty work among the boys, because the naughty boys have toned down, and my son actually looks forward to fellowshipping with his group of new-found friends each week.

Sure, the CF may be looked down upon as a "dumping ground" or "last resort" by others. After all, those who excel in sports or have some other talent would prefer to join a sports club or society where they can represent the school.

Nonetheless, if seen from God's perspective, the CF is actually a means for His Holy Spirit to carry out life-transforming ministry in the lives of students who are at an impressionable stage of their life. Let us continue to keep these church workers in prayer.

Rather than seeing the CF as a dumping ground, how about seeing it as fertile ground? Who knows? Maybe from among their midst God can raise the next Joseph Prince, or Benny Ho, or Edmund Chan.

Specks and Logs

Wednesday, 12th March 2008

You must have read the story about the governor of New York being forced to step down because he was caught using the services of a high-class prostitute. The sad irony about the whole state of affairs is that this person had been seen as a crusader standing up against unethical behaviour on Wall Street, only to be found guilty of cheating on his own wife.

Many people would be quick to quote Matt 7:3 where Jesus said, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye, yet pay no attention to the log in yours?"

However, before we start to pass any sort of judgement, we can perhaps draw a deeper spiritual truth here. I was listening to a sermon by Aage Aleskjaer, in which he mentioned that a lot of angry sermons that are being preached reflect the personal struggles of the preacher. Many a times, it is because the shepherd himself is struggling in that very area, and that is why he comes across extremely strongly against it.

Which brings me back to my pet topic -- law and grace. Yes, we can use our self-efforts to try to keep the law. Yes, we can campaign strongly against this vice or speak out vehemently against that behaviour. But until we realise the extent of God's grace towards us that even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, all our self-efforts will come to naught. Let's not forget the log in our own eye before we point out the speck in others.

Of course, we want that brother who calls himself a Christian to stop smoking. Of course, we want that sister who calls herself a Christian to stop gossiping. After all, we do not want them to be bad testimonies. But if we are concerned about God's reputation, isn't He even more concerned? As that brother and sister becomes more exposed to the person of Jesus and the extent of His grace and love for them, it causes a transformation that takes place from within, and in God's beautiful time, the desire to smoke or to gossip will become lesser and lesser.

When the Going Gets Tough

Tuesday, 11th March 2008

The title of today's post happens to be the name of a song made popular in the 1980s by Billy Ocean, but I digress...

I've just completed the 2nd module of the Rhema Modular Studies that I have signed up for, which was on Principles of Spiritual Maturity.

The lecturer told us that one of the hallmarks of a person that is spiritually-mature is that he does not allow physical circumstances to overwhelm him. Rather, his trust is in the Lord.

She cited the example of David in 1 Sam 30. Here was a case when the Amalekites raided the camp where David and his men were staying, burned it to the ground and took captive their wives and children. The men blamed David for what happened and were so angry with him that they wanted to stone him to death.

Well guess what David did? We read in 1 Sam 30:6 that David "strengthened himself in the LORD".

By doing so, he was able to make decisions wisely. The Lord prompted him to seek out Abiathar the priest and to consult the Urim and Thummim that was found on the ephod. Through that, God told him to pursue the Amalekites -- and we read further down in verses 18 and 19 that "David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives. But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back."

That was not all. He and his men also obtained the spoils from the Amalekites, which means they ended up better off than they started off with!

Of course in today's context as New Covenant believers, we do not need to seek out a priest, since Jesus is our High Priest. Our current-day equivalent of the Urim and Thummim are the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

But the principle adopted by David can still be followed here. When the going gets tough, let's not allow our circumstances get the better of us. Let us instead strengthen ourselves in the Lord, and He will give us the wisdom to overcome those circumstances, and end up in a better position than what we started of with. Amen?

Interestingly enough, I did a BlueLetterBible search on the word "strengthened" which is chazaq חזק (H2388), and discovered that it is the very same word that is used to describe Pharoah when he "hardened" his heart against the Israelites.

It is also the same word used in 1 Chron 16:9a that is translated into strongly support, viz "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those who heart is completely His."

iSketch

Monday, 10th March 2008

This being the start of the school holidays, thought I'd blog about a game that my son's English teacher introduced to her class, and have now gotten the boys hooked. He came back home and told us about it, and now we are equally hooked :-)

It is called iSketch, and can be played by anyone around the globe with an internet connection.

Here are the instructions on how to play the game:

Welcome to iSketch!

Join other people from around the world to play a fun game of online sketching!

The object of the game is simple. Each player gets a chance to draw a word which the other players will try to guess. You can play anytime for free, 24 hours a day!

Quickstart
Enter a game by clicking one of several themed rooms you'll see listed on the right side after logging on. As artist, drawing tools and a button to deliver hints will help you with your draw, while the rest of the players try to guess the word. At the end of a 10-round game, the highest-scoring player is declared winner and a new game starts.

Some of the most important rules are: Don't use LETTERS in your draw, use the hint button to give the number of letters and display common courtesy to your fellow players. Take time to read the rules, as joining a game constitutes willingness to follow them. Rules will be enforced by players and administrators alike.

So watcha waiting for? Come and join in the fun for all ages!

There's Nothing of Insignificance

Sunday, 9th March 2008

I have heard Ps Prince mention in several of his sermons that "there are no insignificant details in the Bible; everything is included there for a purpose". He gave the example of the genealogy of Noah as found in Gen 5. Hidden in that genealogy is a message foretelling the passion of Jesus Christ that will bring mankind rest. I have blogged about that here.

Well, there is another detail found in Mark 14:63 that is extremely significant, which I will come to shortly after I give some background information on it.

In the Old Testament, God had established that the descendents of Levi be dedicated to Him in exchange of the firstborn of the other tribes. In particular, one of the descendents of Levi was a guy named Aaron (who was Moses' elder brother), and Aaron was appointed the very first high priest.

At any one time, there was only supposed to be one high priest. When the high priest passed on, his eldest son (or eldest nephew in the event that he had no sons) would succeed him. Yet we read that during the time of Herod, there were in fact two high priests -- Annas and Caiaphas. That alone was a travesty of what God had ordained.

But let's come back to the incident recorded in Mark 14:63. Here we find that Caiaphas tore his robes when he accused Jesus of blasphemy, in response to Jesus saying that the Son of Man would sitting in the right hand of power and coming in glory.

In fact, this scene was portrayed very vividly in the movie The Passion of the Christ (a screenshot of which is shown on the right).

We read in Lev 10:6 that the priests were not supposed to tear their clothes. When Caiaphas did so, he did not realise that his act effectively put an end to the Aaronic priesthood, paving the way for Jesus to become our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, a priesthood that is eternal.

Speaking of which, many other things that happened during the passion of our Lord was of great significance, and I may start a series of meditations on that, since Good Friday is in a few weeks' time.

For example, when Jesus sweat drops of blood that fell on the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane, His blood redeemed us from the curse that was declared upon the ground in another garden -- the garden of Eden -- when Adam was told that he had to toil and sweat and labour for his living.

Another example: when Jesus was whipped by the Roman soldiers with the cat-o-nine-tails that ripped flesh out of his body, causing it to be full of stripes, it was to redeem us from the curse of sickness and disease.

New Testament Geography

Saturday, 8th March 2008

I happened to do a search on New Testament geography so as to find out the location of the churches to which Paul wrote his epistles to, as well as the 7 churches that Jesus spoke to in the book of Revelation.

Turns out that I could not find the city of Galatia, because Galatia was actually the name of an entire provincial region (just like Macedonia and Phonecia)!

Anyway, here is a map showing the location of the churches that Paul wrote his epistles to:
Rome
Corinth
Galatia
Ephesus
Philippi
Colossae
Thessalonica (in Macedonia, which is also where Berea was located)

The map also shows the location of the 7 churches that Jesus had messages for:
1 Ephesus
2 Smyrna
3 Pergamos
4 Thyatira
5 Sardis
6 Philadelphia
7 Laodicea


Rome is in modern-day Italy, Corinth, Philippi and Thessalonica are in modern-day Greece, while the other 10 are in modern-day Turkey. Hence a trip to the Holy Land may not be complete if one just visits Israel :-)

The Case Against The Ten Commandments

Friday, 7th March 2008

Before I resume the revelations from Genesis with the story of Abraham, I thought I'd share about something I read that really resonated with my spirit man.

I have mentioned earlier about supplementing my daily Bible reading with commentaries from a website I came across called BibleTrack.

When reading the commentary on Exodus 20 (when God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments), the author includes a side commentary that argues very persuasively as to why we as New Covenant believers no longer use them as standards of righteousness.

Even the most rigid law-based people who insist on keeping them are likely to be guilty of breaking the 4th one -- observance of the Sabbath.

Here's what he has to say in the commentary on Ex 35:2, where God even pronounced a death sentence on those who worked on it...

Moses, just down from the mountain with a shiny face, had their attention as he spoke to Israel on this occasion. Here's the restatement of the Sabbath regulations again...and in really strong words. It's a death sentence to work on the Sabbath with a particular notation to kindling a fire: DON'T DO IT!

I just can't stop myself from saying it again. Don't try to convince me that you keep the Ten Commandments while you completely ignore the provisions of Commandment #4, sabbath keeping. Jesus fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17-18, see notes); it has been done away (II Corinthians 3:7-11, see notes); it has been nailed to the cross according to Colossians 2:14 (see notes), "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;"

How can something so clearly stated in the scripture get so mixed up by Believers today? Believers are neither made righteous by obeying the Law of Moses, nor are they kept righteous after salvation by doing so. The scripture is very clear on this, but if you're still a little confused on the relationship between Christians and the Ten Commandments, click here for more information.

Aliens and UFOs

Thursday, 6th March 2008

Having blogged about the genealogy of Jesus over the past few days, the stage is set to talk about a topic not specifically addressed in the Scriptures, but nonetheless relevant from a Christian's perspective -- and that relates to aliens and UFOs.

I am sure we would have read stories or seen movies speculating about there being life on other planets in the universe. The sighting of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) is supposed proof of these alien beings.

Although Scripture does not mention about the above, such beliefs would not be consistent with the gospel story. In Gen 1, we read about how God created the heavens and the earth and how he placed life -- the plants, the animals and finally man -- only on planet earth. We read in Gen 2:18 that God said that it was no good for Adam to be alone, and so He created a suitable helpmeet for him, Eve.

We cannot find in the creation story any indication that God placed any other life forms elsewhere in the universe. Or that He created any other humans besides Adam and Eve. Rather it says that after 6 days, God looked at what He had created and said it was very good. And then He rested from His work.

In other words, mankind originated from one couple -- Adam and Eve. There was no pre-Adamic race, or extra-Adamic race.

In Romans 5, Paul mentions that through the disobedience of one man, Adam, sin and death entered the world:

Romans 5:12
[ Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ ]
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men.

Romans 5:19
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

In Rom 8:22, he further states that "the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time" because via that one act of disobedience, the entire universe became cursed.

Just for argument's sake, let us suppose that God did create life on some other planet. Wouldn't the devil equally want to cause havoc on that planet since by his very nature, he is an adversary and opponent to the Lord? That being the case, what would make that human on that planet better at withstanding temptations compared to Adam? The argument will then lead to God having to redeem that race as well, Jesus having to have another genealogy through that other man, Jesus having to die for them, and so on. When we take the argument to its logical conclusion, we find that it does not fit in with Scripture. After all, we know that Jesus died for sins once for all (Heb 10:1-3) and cannot be dying all over again for some extra-Adamic race.

So why do people choose to believe in that aliens and UFOs exist then? This is because they do not want to believe in a God that is omnipotent, omnipresent and ominiscient. They do not want to admit that they are sinners in need of a Saviour. Rather than believing what the Bible says about creation, they are exchanging truth for a lie (Rom 1:25), believing that somehow, there is a "higher" and "more intelligent" form of life that is able to send spaceships halfway across the universe. God is taken out of the equation.

The unidentified flying objects are at best figments of someone's imagination, and at worst demonic distractions to puts doubts in the minds of people about the credibility of the Bible, since they present an alternative and inconsistent viewpoint to the creation story.

The devil uses different ways and means to get mankind not to believe in God. After all, he is fighting for the souls of men. So let us reject these counterfeit versions of creation -- be it evolution, or aliens life forms, or some other fascinating story that is devoid of God.

Let us instead go back to what is inspired by the Holy Spirit and take Him at His Word. Amen?

Luke's Account: Nathan to Mary

Wednesday, 5th March 2008

Today we'll talk about Luke's account of Jesus' genealogy.

As mentioned previously, Luke portrays Jesus as the Son of Man, and hence traces Jesus' ancestry upwards all the way to Adam.

Though both he and Matthew cite David as an ancestor, Luke traces the route via Mary upwards to another son of David via Bethsheba known as Nathan (2 Sam 5:14, 1 Chron 3:5, 1 Chron 14:4).

A point to be made here is that women were generally not included in genealogies (Matthew made an exception by including the names of 5 women, but that was to serve another purpose, ie. even women who were disqualified by the Law, God could qualify). Hence, even though Heli was Mary's dad, Luke puts her husband's name Joseph in the listing. We see from Matthew's account that Joseph's own father was Jacob.

A second point to be made is that even though Joseph was Jesus' adopted and legal father, he was not Jesus' biological father. After all, Mary conceived supernaturally via the Holy Spirit. By tracing the line via Mary, Luke actually attests to the virgin birth since it was a woman's seed (rather than a man's seed) that would crush the serpent's head.

I got most of the above information from a very well-researched article. It addresses the various issues such as genealogical abridgements, property rights, the curse of Jehoiakim, etc, and I commit it to your reading.

Matthew's Account: Solomon to Joseph

Tuesday, 4th March 2008

Continuing from yesterday, let's talk about Matthew's account of Jesus' genealogy.

Matthew in portraying Jesus as King of the Jews, traced the line via the kings of Judah.

Note that he divides the genealogy into 3 parts of fourteen generations, and mentions this in Matt 1:17.

If we compare this to the genealogy as recorded by Ezra in 1 Chron 3, we realise that Matthew omitted 3 kings of Judah, namely Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah that sat on the throne between Joram and Uzziah.

Scholars refer to this as an "abridged genealogy" which was an acceptable practice because heirship would still be proven and established, even when generations in between are bypassed. Furthermore, the word "son" can also mean "descendent", just like how the blind beggar referred to Jesus as "son" of David in Luke 18.

Besides omitting those names, Matthew also repeats the name of King David twice. This was probably to aid memorisation, since the names fall neatly into 3 parts of fourteen generations each.

Speaking of Joash, we read in 2 Kings 11 that he was the sole survivor of the royal line and was made king at the tender age of 7. The story as to how he was kept alive as an infant is as miraculous as the story of Moses. I will blog about that in a future post.

From David to Jesus

Monday, 3rd March 2008

The genealogy of Jesus is recorded in both Matthew's as well as Luke's gospel.

Matthew's gospel was to portray Jesus as the King of the Jews, hence the need to show his audience that Jesus was indeed a descendent of both Abraham and King David.

Mark's gospel was to portray Jesus as the Suffering Servant. A servant's lineage is of no importance, hence no genealogy was recorded.

Luke's gospel was to portray Jesus as the Son of Man, hence Luke traces Jesus' lineage all the way back to the first man, Adam.

John's gospel was to portray Jesus as the Son of God. Since God exists in the beginning even before Abraham was, the concept of genealogy would not make sense.

Hence, Jesus' genealogy is only recorded in Matthew and Luke.

While Matthew traces the line downwards from Abraham, Luke does the reverse and traces the line upwards all the way to Adam.

But the most fascinating part of Jesus' genealogy is that from David to Jesus.

While Matthew traces it via the kingly line from Solomon downwards to Joseph, Luke traces it via Nathan to Mary.

Shown on the right is a chart I came across that shows these 2 lineages in pictoral form.

The two lines actually converge at Shealtiel and Zerubbabel (the governor of Judah who led the rebuilding of the Temple) and then again at Mary and Joseph.

I will talk more about Matthew's account tomorrow, and about Luke's account thereafter.

From Abraham to David

Sunday, 2nd March 2008

Continuing from where we left off last time regarding the fulfillment of the prophesy recorded in Gen 3:15 about Eve's seed, let's trace the genealogy from Abraham to David, as record in both Matthew 1 and Luke 3:

21 Isaac
22 Jacob
23 Judah
24 Perez (by Tamar)
25 Hezron
26 Ram
27 Amminadab
28 Nahshon
29 Salmon
30 Boaz (by Rahab)
31 Obed (by Ruth)
32 Jesse
33 David

Women in the Genealogy

It is interesting to note that while genealogies as they appear in other parts of Scripture do not contain the names of women, the Holy Spirit saw fit to include the names of women in Matthew's account, namely Tamah, Rahab, Ruth (and also Bathsheba and Mary). I have blogged about that separately here.

Admin and Arni

In Luke's account, some early manuscripts have in place of Ram, the names of Admin and Arni. Arni is a variant of the Greek equivalent of the name Ram. Ram is rendered Aram in Septuaginta. The name Admin is likely to be a corruption of the name Amminadab, and the insertion of the name Admin is likened to be an error.

The above explanation would make it consistent with other parts of the Scripture, viz:

Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab (Ruth 4:19)

Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, the leader of the people of Judah (1 Chron 2:10)

Up to this point (ie. from Adam to David), there is no major disputes. It is from David downwards that the genealogical accounts of Matthew and Luke vary. While Matthew traces it down to Joseph (legal line) via King Solomon (Matt 1:6) , Luke traces it down to Mary (biological line) via the another son of David named Nathan (Luke 3:31).

I have been reading various fascinating articles as to why this is so and will try to provide a condensed summary in a future post.

Happy Founder's Day

Saturday, 1st March 2008

Yesterday I spoke about the leap day being a special day that comes by once in 4 years.

For those of us from ACS, 1st March is also a special day. This is it was this day in 1886, the Methodist Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham founded the school. He was a missionary from England who decided that providing education was a practical yet effective way of sharing the love of Christ.

Its first location was a shophouse at 70 Amoy Street with a total of 13 pupils. The name of the school came from the fact that it conducted lessons in English in the nights and Chinese in the afternoons.

This school moved to Coleman Street and was named ACS Primary, when another school was subsequently set up at Barker Road, which was called ACS Junior.

The irony now is that ACSP is at Barker Road, while ACSJ is now located at Cairnhill.

Anyway, let me take this opportunity to wish fellow ACSians a Happy 122nd Founder's Day and declare that The Best is Yet to Be!

By the way, the biennial ACJC Fun-O-Rama takes places on 29 March 2008. Those of us who are alumni, do turn up to support a worthy cause.