Thank God for Extended Families

Sunday, 28th December 2008

My mom comes from a very closely-knit family of 7 siblings -- 3 boys and 4 girls. When we were teenagers growing up, I remember attending annual Christmas parties held at the home of her youngest sister, Aunt Mary.

One of her siblings, Aunt Jean passed away several years ago, and I remember during the funeral, the next generation of us (ie. my cousins and I) said that we would continue that tradition of meeting up regularly.

And so, three years ago, cousin Chris started the ball rolling by organising a get-together at Coastes, Sentosa. Last year, the baton was passed to cousin Bernard and he organised it at Globetrotters, United Square. This year, it was the turn of yours truly, and I, being a man of few ideas and a creature of habit, decided to have it at Globetrotters again.

Last year, we did not take an actual group photo, so this time around, we decided to have a proper one taken for austerity.

Well, praise God, because a total of 41 1/2 of us turned up -- 8 from the first (ie. my mom's) generation, 18 from the second (ie. my) generation and 15 1/2 from the third (ie. my kids') generation. Oh ya, 1/2 because cousin Amelia is expecting her 3rd kid.

It was a great time of catching up with one another, and it comes as no surprise to discover that 2 of my cousins -- Ivan and Janice -- are part of that 20,000 that attends, yup you guessed it, NewCre!!!!!

And so here's a photo taken of the 3 generations of the Tay clan. Oh ya, I forgot to mention that Tay is my mom's maiden name.

Thank God for extended families. Amen?

P.S. Those of you on Facebook can view the other photos taken at the Tay Clan Gathering at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51652&l=b87da&id=751059341

Free and Easy Night

Saturday, 27th December 2008

Last night, my family had a dinner fellowship at Owen Restaurant on the invitation of Joshua and Jeffrey, who are fellow grace gospel embracers. Joshua was from a Lutheran church and has now settled down in NewCre. Jeff is from Covenant Evangelical Free Church, whose senior pastor is Ps Edmund Chan, whom my church has invited to be the keynote speaker at next year's Ohana Camp.

Tonight, we had another fellowship dinner (what the Care Group calls Free & Easy Night) at Caldecott Close in the home of Andrew and Mei Ling, who are members of Chong Sun's Care Group. Just in case you did not know already, this is the same street that Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Prof Jayakumar stay in, and just round the corner from MediaCorp Studios.

Each of us had to bring a dish ala potbless, but some decided to bring more than one. And so once again, the food was more than enough (ok, we ate and we were satisfied, but no 12 basketsful leftover).

After that, we celebrated the birthdays of those born in December, which of course includes yours truly. Here is a photo that was taken of the 3 of us. From left to right, that's Chong Sun (the Care Group leader), Glenn (who I found out is a fellow ACSian and ACJCian) and me. Notice that there were 5 candles on each cake, no prizes for guessing why because it signifies grace.

Anyways, each of the 3 of us were asked to make a speech, and when it came to my turn, I thanked everyone for the hospitality extended to my family (yup, praise God -- my kids were there again!) in welcoming us into their midst, even though we only met most of them for only the second time (the first being My Virginal Experience, which I blogged about earlier in November 2008).

After eating the cake, we had a time of games where we played Bible charades, and then the night concluded with a gift exchange.

It was yet another night of wonderful fellowship and there were about 30 of us in all who turned up for Free and Easy Night. As I reflected upon the night's activities, I really want to thank the Lord for more than restoring friendships.

Yes, even though I had made many friends in my previous 3L cluster, of which quite a handful are now avoiding me, and in addition to that, there are also several others from my own home church whom I grew up with who think I am now a heretic (or worse still, an apostate), God has caused many, many more others to replace the friendships that have been lost.

What makes it even more fulfilling is that these new friends are on the same spiritual wavelength as me, being fellow embracers of the grace gospel. Just like Job, God has more than restored what the devil has taken away, and I give all glory and praise to Him unreservedly.

We are looking forward already to the next Care Group meeting at Shirley's place on 13 Jan 09. Hallelujah!

Fellowship over Dinner

Friday, 26th December 2008

We had a great time of fellowship and feilo-ship* tonight at Owen Seafood Restaurant located at Turf City. This was a review written of the food at the restaurant, so you can imagine how much we ate and were satisfied. Umm, ok lah, there were no twelve basketsful leftover...

Present at the dinner were fellow Best Christian Blog of the Week awardees Joshua, Stanley and Geri, as well as "lurkers" such as Jeffrey and Kevin. Also present were friends and family of Joshua and Jeffrey, the co-hosts.

Angie could not join us because she had a prior dinner engagement with her uncle Tom. So too Blogpastor, and Joo, who sent their apologies.

Nonetheless, we occupied a total of 4 tables. Here is a photo taken after we had eaten our fill.

Praise God, my kids did not want to come along initially, but somehow God caused them to change their minds at the very last moment! That's them (in purple and blue), standing in front of yours truly (in blue) and his darling wife (in white) on the left of the picture.

Here's to the next feilo-ship!

* P.S. Feilo is the Cantonese term for "fat person". Fellowship over a meal is thus endearly termed feilo-ship

Happy Xmas 2008!

Thursday, 25th December 2008

How many of you have gotten used to hearing the greeting, "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year"?

Well, back in 1984 when Band Aid released the charity single "Feed the World -- Do They Know It's Christmas?", the extended version featured comments from the singers and I remember Bono of U2 saying, "Happy Christmas and Merry New Year".

But I am digressing...

Most Christians would prefer to greet one another "Blessed Christmas", rather than "Merry Christmas". After all, merry-making is associated with partying and booze, and no "good decent" Christian should have anything to do with such activities.

And that would be my standard greeting for the past couple of decades as well.....

... until this year

As a result of embracing the grace gospel, I now greet everyone I meet "Happy Xmas". Let me explain.

Previously, I was told that "joy" was spiritual but "happiness" was superficial. After all, joy is one of the fruit of the spirit, whereas happiness was like secular vernacular, found in songs such as "Don't Worry be Happy".

I know now that happiness means much more than that. For the New Covenant believer, it is a state of resting in Jesus' finished work, and thus allowing Him to place us at the right place at the right time.

We read in the King James Version of Ruth 2:3
And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

The original Hebrew word for hap is the word qarah, which was what my maiden blog entry about how I met my wife is about, and you can read about here.

And so, being happy to me now means being stress-free, expecting God to cause happening things to happen. That's why the Mr Happy tshirt, phone accessory, etc...

Ok, that explains the HAPPY part. But why XMAS?

I also remember feeling very uncomfortable when seeing Christmas being abbreviated to Xmas. After all, the very reason for it being CHRIST-mas was Christ, and it was irreverent to replace Him with the letter X.

Well, God also just revealed to me how this abbreviation came about. In the early days of the church, Christians were being persecuted for their faith and had to use secret symbols to identify one another. One such symbol was that of a fish, which in Greek is ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthus). The Greek letter X (chi) in that acrostic stood for Christ (Christos)!

And with that, let me wish you ROOTSS readers and everyone out there in blogosphere

HAPPY XMAS !!!!!

Such Amazing Undeserved Favour

Wednesday, 24th December 2008

It just dawned upon me that Amazing Race is actually a spoof of the word "Amazing G(race)".

Anyways, as I continue my reflections upon the year just passed, I want to testify to how amazing the Lord's undeserved favour upon me has been.

Ps Reuben shared in a sermon that 2008 would be a year of new beginnings, and indeed it has been. I joined this Canadian company as its Financial Controller on 1 April 2008. My CFO told me that my predecessor had left sometime in mid-January 2008, which meant that the Finance department was operating without a head for more than two-and-a-half months. I remember there was extreme negativity surrounding the place when I first stepped in.

When I had to take urgent leave on 10 April 2008 because my son had to go for a kidney transplant operation, I smsed my then-secretary to inform her, to which she texted back, "Going for interview, ah?" She had thought I had thrown in the towel :-D

Sometime in early-May 2008, 5 girls from my department ((including the secretary) resigned enmasse, and were allowed to leave the very next day. For the next two to three weeks, my CFO and I stayed back late on weekdays and came back on weekends to try to piece together the work that the resignees had been doing. Yes, it was a baptism of fire, but when I look back, it is amazing that I did not experience any undue stress or sleepless nights because somehow, God gave me the supernatural strength and the peace to go through it.

Within 2 months, on 1 June 2008, I was confirmed and given a very, very good increment. This took place just after I was being summoned to the police station in connection with that vandalism case that took place in my church, from which God vindicated me.

The months of June, July and August 2008 were spent re-building the department. Replacements were found for the 5 (and another 2 others) who left, and they include 2 ex-colleagues of mine -- one from PwC who happened to be in "right place at the right time" -- I will share that as a separate testimony to the Lord's providence at a future time -- and the other from Infineon.

There has been a miraculous transformation in the Finance department, so much so that we are now a very closely-knit group and I say this humbly, the envy of other departments.

We had our own mini Xmas celebration yesterday, a photo taken during that is shown on the right. The first thing people will notice about my department is that there are many "daughters of Sarah", as Stan would put it.

The COO, CFO and MD and even the Group CEO have all commended me on how much the Finance department has been transformed, but the credit should really all go to Jesus Christ, because my management skills (if you can call it that) is no different from what it was five years ago when I was being called into my then-boss' office on a daily basis to give him a project update...

The difference is that I was not aware of the grace message back then, and was relying more upon my own self-effort and human wisdom. Now, I trust the Lord to provide me with the strength and wisdom to tackle each day's challenges, and I just rest in His finished work.

Not only has God granted me great favour with my bosses, He has likewise granted me great favour with my department colleagues. Just this month, they celebrated my birthday and gave me a super-huge card, and what was written within is again a testimony to the Lord.

Back in June 2008, after hearing the sermons on the anointing oil, I came in early the next morning and anointed the chairs of my colleagues. There is currently 2 Christians and 1 Roman Catholic among them, but I am believing and speaking that every single one of the others will come to the saving knowledge of His grace. Amen?

Car Decor

Tuesday, 23rd December 2008

When I bought the Grandis, I dedicated its use to ferrying my extended family and fellow cell leaders in my then-cluster 3L. I also stuck more than two dozen stickers all around the car, so much so that it was like a moving billboard.

This time around with the X5, my wife told me to restrict it to just 5 stickers. And thus it will not be as decorated as the Grandis.

The 5 stickers represent my 5 "loves"

1. Jesus (My Lord & Savior)

First and foremost, it is Jesus.

I bought this yesterday at Trumpet Praise, Junction 8 whilst out shopping with my daughter. It is stuck above the left rearlight, just like how the word X5 appears above the right one, so as to achieve a sense of symmetry. The BMW logo of course appears in between the two.

The other 4 are decals that are stuck on the rear windscreen.

Here they are from right to left...


2. I Love Singapore

This decal was given out free at Caltex stations for every $50 pumped during the month of August.

Office colleagues and ex-colleagues do not call me "the patriot" for nothing :-D


3. The Nanyang MBA

Nanyang Technological University brings back fond memories because that was where I met the woman of my dreams, who eventually became my wife.

We were there as undergraduates from 1988-1991. I would return back there from 1995-1998 to pursue a part-time postgraduate course, and this decal is given out to graduands.


4. The Best is Yet to Be (ACS)

This one goes without saying, as I spent the majority of my education (from Pri 1 to JC 2) in what is arguably the best school in Singapore.

My dad was from ACS and so is my son, and I'm sure that the tradition will continue with my grandson and great-grandson (if the Rapture has not happened by then, that is).


5. Aston Villa Football Club

Last and not least, I have to paste a decal of my favourite soccer team.

As I type this, they are lying in the dizzying heights of 3rd place, behind Liverpool and Chelsea, but ahead of Man U and Arsenal.

Happy, I'm Mr Happy

Monday, 22nd December 2008

Don't usually blog on weekdays, but I feel led to do so daily running up to Christmas...

Terence sent me a message on Facebook yesterday to tell me that it was a record turnout at the Indoor Stadium. If those at Gallery West were included, then the total must have been at least 33,000. That would mean that attendance has now surpassed that of City Harvest!

Which also so "happens" to be the number of visitors to ROOTSS thus far. Joo, thanks for your "prophetic" word :-)

Which also so "happens" to be the amount that God is blessing me with effective January 2009, up threefold :-D

Thank you Lord Jesus for causing haps to happen, so that I can say that "It's happening!" and can be happy.

As a matter of fact, my favourite character of the Mr Men series is Mr Happy and I've got a Mr Happy Tshirt (that I actually bought sometime earlier this year in Jan 08!), a Mr Happy handphone accessory and a Mr Happy hanging below the rearview mirror of my X5.

There is a secular song that goes something like this, "Lonely, I'm Mr Lonely. I have nobody to call my own".

Well, the BenGener's version goes like this, "Happy, I'm Mr Happy. 'cause I have Jesus to call my own." Amen?

Afternote: Just got myself this super-big, extra-large Mr Happy cushion from the 7-Eleven at Turf City :-D

What an Awesome Celebration!

Sunday, 21st December 2008

Yesterday was my birthday, but rather than dwell on that, and like what John the Baptist said, "He must increase and I must decrease", I would like to blog about the celebration of the birthday of the One that gave me my awesome birthday present :-D

Yup, the Lord Jesus Christ.

My wife and I, my brother-in-law and wife, their parents, and tens of thousands of others were gathered together at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to commemorate one of the greatest events in the history of mankind -- and that is when God became man to "tabernacle" amongst us.

A humongous 10-metre-tall Christmas tree was placed on the stage (that's the one in the photo you see on the right), and Ps Prince mentioned that there is nothing "ungodly" about it because it reminds us of another tree upon which the greatest Gift was hung upon 2,000 years ago. Even the 2-metre star at the top is a reminder of Jesus, the Bright and Morning Star. Amen?

The time of worship was just awesome. I have never cried so much tears of joy in my entire life, and the "high" that I got from that experience is something that no drug addict, alcoholic or speedster can ever come close to. Let's all be "hooked" on Jesus, because that's how we get to live a long, healthy and abundant life!

The sermon was even more awesome. The passage of Lk 2 was familiar but Ps Prince brought up other revelations such as *THE* inn being originally the house that David grew up as a shepherd boy in. I will leave it to Terence to blog more about that, speaking of which, his Tycm's Blog is the latest to be awarded Best Christian Blog of the Week. Congrats, Terence and welcome to the "club" :-D

The previous combined service that was held at the Indoor Stadium on 28 September (endearly termed "F1 Sunday") appeared to have about 25,000 people. Well, there must have been more than 30,000 people today (and that is not counting those who were at the overflow rooms back at Suntec City's Gallery West), so in the midst of economic and financial turmoil, God is prospering New Creation Church and more and more here in Singapore are thronging to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and what His finished work has accomplished. Hallelujah!

Behold My Wagon!

Saturday, 20th December 2008

The creators of Facebook are so sweet. When I logged on this morning, I got a birthday greeting from them, as shown on the right.

Got greetings from other Facebook friends as well. Thanks dudes and dudettes!

At this same time last year, my dear wife organised a surprise 40th birthday party for me, inviting family, relatives and members of my then-cell group 3L7 to commemorate the momentous occasion with me.

You can read about that here.

Well, one year on, God continues to shower His undeserved and unmerited favour upon me, even though I do not deserve this one bit, by giving me a brand-new BMW X5 as my 41st birthday present.

The previous Grandis had the licence plate number SGR 7557 L, which stood for See God's Revelation of Perfect Grace, Favour, Rest and Love (5 represents grace and favour, while 7 represents perfection and rest).

This current X5 has the number plate SJM 7557 C which stands for See Jesus' Manifestation of Perfect Grace, Favour and Rest Continuing.

Thank you dearest Lord for a most wonderful gift, and prospering me during a time of economic and financial famine, so that others can see for themselves that this is truly a miracle that is taking place and as a result acknowledge for themselves that You are real, and that the grace gospel is indeed the true and unadulterated gospel.

And like how God caused Ps Prince to say several years ago, He is now causing me to declare

(B)ehold (M)y (W)agon!

Hallelujah!

My Daddy, My Daddy! Why Have You So Blessed Me?

Thursday 18th December 2008

I do not usually blog on weekdays, but the following headlines in today's papers has prompted me to do so, because I really want to shout to the Lord and proclaim that He is very good!

COE prices down across the board, biggest drop in big car category

Channel NewsAsia - Thursday, December 18 SINGAPORE:

COE prices for all categories were down in the latest bidding exercise which ended on Wednesday, with the biggest drop seen in the big car category.

The COE premium for cars more than 1,600cc fell S$3,845 to S$2,656. For small cars 1,600cc and below, the COE price was down S$1,521 at S$6,200.

The COE price for the Open Category, where the certificates are usually used to buy cars, dropped S$1,080 to S$6,509.

The COE premium for goods vehicles and buses went down S$1,211 to S$4,001, while the motorcycle COE dipped a slight S$43 to S$1,059.

Car dealers contacted said they were not surprised by the latest bidding results as they reflect current market sentiment. That was why the sharp drop in COE price for big cars was expected, with the erosion of consumers’ spending power.

Even with the significant fall, car dealers expect demand for such cars to remain weak in the next two to three months.

Though more consumers may go for smaller cars in these hard times, dealers believe demand will not be strong enough to push the category’s COE price up drastically in the coming bidding exercises.

According to car dealers from Mitsubishi Cars and Tan Chong Motors, showrooms have turned quiet again in recent weeks. This was in stark contrast to the large crowds which showed up when the COE price for small cars dropped to a historic low of S$2 in mid—November. — CNA /ls

When the economy is doing well and people are buying big-ticket items like houses, cars and club memberships, people will dismiss it off and say, "Aiyah, that's no big deal lah. People all making money wat".

But when there is an economic and financial turmoil in the land, and one is still somehow miraculously prospering in the midst of it, that is the time when people will start to notice and ask questions like, "Why should that be? He surely doesn't deserve it!"

Just like how God prospered Isaac during a time of famine, it bewildered the Philistines and caused them to become envious.

Well, my answer is that you are absolutely right! I do not deserve to prosper, and that's what the wonderful grace message is all about, dear friends.

Benjamin did not deserve to receive 5 times more than his half-brothers. Yet, he did so only because he shared the same parentage as Joseph. We who are of the Benjamin Generation ("BenGeners") share the same Heavenly Daddy and the dispensation of Grace (typified by Rachel, the true love of Jacob, and as opposed to those who insist on the Law (typified by the unloved Leah and the 2 bondservants) as our Heavenly Joseph. That alone qualifies us to receive 5 times more! Amen?

We BenGeners can declare that it is because of our God's undeserved and unmerited favour. Jesus cried on the cross, "My God, my God! Why have you abandoned me?" so that we BenGeners can cry out, "My Daddy, my Daddy! Why have you so blessed me?"

Shepherd Feeds Sheep... to the Wolves

Sunday, 14th December 2008

As the year draws to a close, the "one who says so" has been spending some time reflecting upon what has happened over the past 12 months or so, so as to give thanks to God for seeing him through yet another blessed and eventful year.

One of the most "memorable" series of incidents took place in June/July, which involved me being summoned to the police station in connection with a vandalism case that took place in my church. Rom 8:28 became very real to me, because God vindicated me in the end.

When I look back upon it now, I can laugh and joke about it now. Hence the very tongue-in-cheek headline of today's post. Truth be told, I was struggling with a lot of anger and unforgiveness when going through it, and I want to thank the readers (like Geri, Angie and Stan) that God used to minister to me during that time of difficulty.

Shepherds are supposed to feed their sheep, but in this case, the "shepherd" fed his sheep.......................... to the wolves.

When my brother-in-law Marcus learnt about this, it so disgusted him. With shepherds like these, who needs adversaries. Anyways, he was worshipping in PLMC at that time but decided to move to NewCre, where he and his family has since settled down and just got baptised over the weekend. He and his wife have even signed up to go to Israel sometime in March 2009 (even before my wife and I are).

Hallelujah! Yet another case of Rom 8:28. Amen? And to think that just over a year ago, he was sending his kids to Dharma classes! His testimony is super-amazing, and shows that God is real. I will get him to share on ROOTSS in the not too distant future.

For those new to ROOTSS, you can read more the shepherd, sheep and wolf story here...

Dogfight Averted

And that incident also led to a 40-day FEAST, ie non-stop blogging for 40 consecutive days (yet another case of Rom 8:28), which you can read about here...

40-Day fEast

HBI Giveaway: Contest Questions

Saturday, 13th December 2008

Dearest subscribers

Here are the 5 multiple-choice questions, the answers to which can be found on ROOTSS.

Please send your answers to mloh77@yahoo.com.sg

The first 25 all-correct entries received (from subscribers located in Singapore) will win a copy a HBI. Be blessed!

(1) What was the first thing I said to the girl who would eventually become my wife?
a. "Flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bones!"
b. "Are you in my class?"
c. "Lord, next one please..."
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2007/01/coincidence-hardly-it-is-case-of-qarah.html


(2) How did I first get to know about the grace gospel?
a. Through a colleague
b. Through a relative
c. Through a churchmate
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2008/03/anointed-sermons-on-demand.html


(3) What is my all-time favourite verse?
a. Rom 4:17
b. Ps 127:1
c. 2 Cor 1:20
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2008/07/decorations-in-my-room.html


(4) I have a collection of Christian t-shirts. Which one is printed on both the front and back?
a. The Divine God
b. Get Connected
c. Pull and Push
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2007/01/tshirts-with-christian-messages-and.html


(5) I went to watch a soccer game in March 2007. Who was playing?
a. Arsenal and Spurs
b. Aston Villa and Liverpool
c. Manchester United and Chelsea
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2007/03/pilgrimage.html

HBI Xmas Giveaway!

Tuesday, 9th December 2008

Wasn't planning to blog today, but read on as to why I am doing so...

I was shopping at Suntec on Hari Raya Haji and decided to step into the Rock Gift & Book Store to buy the CD sermon that Ps Charles Nieman preached on 30 Nov 08 entitled "Understanding Faith" because several persons (such as Stan, Angie, and my wife's best friend Audrey) had said that the message really spoke to them.

While in there, I noticed that the Humorous Bible Illustrations ("HBI") DVD, which was out-of-stock for nearly 2 years, has been re-released!!!

This is the very DVD that the senior pastor of my church banned me from showing to my then-cell members back in Jan 2007 because he felt that its entire contents were not appropriate.

Well, the Board of Film Censors seem to think otherwise because their green sticker can be found on the cover :-D

Anyways, God prompted me to buy 25 (5 x 5) copies to give away for Christmas, and so I did (upon which my daughter gave me that "here we go again" look).

And so here's a chance to get a free copy and find out for yourself why its contents are considered to be so controversial. If you are from PLMC, be sure not to be seen holding it in the senior pastor's presence lest he takes similar action against you like he did to me in July 2007 :-D

To take part in the HBI Xmas Giveaway, just carry out the following:

1. Subscribe to the ROOTSS Yahoo Group (if you have not already done so) by 2359 hours on Friday, 12th December 2008.

2. On the morning of Saturday, 13th December, I will be sending out an email to existing subscribers containing 5 easy multiple-choice questions, the answers to which can be found on my blog.

3. Email me (directly, and not to the Group) your answers by 2359 hours on Friday, 19th December.

4. The first 25 all-correct entries* received will win a free copy of the DVD.

* Please note that this giveaway is open only to those located in Singapore, because collection of the DVD will be from my office reception.

So tell me, whatcha waiting, whatcha waiting, whatcha waiting for?

Jesus our Father?

Monday, 8th December 2008

Since today is a public holiday, I will be blogging again...

When I was much much younger, I was under the impression that since God was one God, the names Jehovah, Jesus, El Shaddai, Holy Spirit, etc all referred to Him.

Sometime in the mid-eighties, I remember my then Senior Pastor, Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon preaching about the Trinity, and that kind of confused me at first because God is one, yet God is also three persons. Gradually, I began to understand the mystery about the Triune God, ie God the Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

They are distinct Persons with distinct ministries. God the Father is the One who is mentioned throughout the Old Testament, and the One whom we now address as Daddy God because of what the cross has accomplished. God the Son is the One who made that all possible by becoming a man to redeem mankind. God the Holy Spirit is the One who now dwells inside of us and guides us into all truth in our everyday life.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I came across the following song in 1988 when I was in the church choir and had to sing it during Christmas...

For unto us a child is born
Unto us a Son is given
And the government will be upon His shoulders
And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God
the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace is He.

This song is based on Isa 9:6 and it was a prophesy about the Incarnation. Knowing that it referred to Jesus, the 2nd Person of the Godhead, now another thing began to confuse me as it seemed to be inconsistent with the Trinity.

I mean, why was Jesus being referred to as the Everlasting Father? I thought He was supposed to be the Son? I struggled with this for some time but decided to dismiss it off as "one of those things in the Bible that doesn't make sense, but just accept it by faith, lor".

Well, the long-awaited answer to the above question arrived yesterday, some 20 years later :-D

I have mentioned on my blog that I am now on a sabbatical from my own home church due to the lack of spiritual food, and am attending NewCre on a regular basis. My wife and I will however go back to PLMC whenever Ps Reuben is preaching.

The fact that there were major road closures around Suntec because of the Singapore Marathon confirmed our decision to attend PLMC yesterday, and Ps Reuben preached on that very verse in Isaiah!!! (which is part of a current sermon series leading up to Christmas about the prophecies regarding the Messiah).

Ps Reuben explained that Jesus was called "Father" not in the context of His relationship with the other 2 in the Godhead. Rather, he is "father" in the sense that He (as the second and last Adam), is considered the ancestor to all of us in the New Covenant, just like how the first Adam is the father of all humankind! What a revelation!

But what brought tears to my eyes and a stirring within my spirit man was when Ps Reuben said that because Jesus is the "Everlasting" Father, what this implies to us in the New Covenant is that He cannot be "un-fathered" nor can we be "un-childed". I know it is bad English, but it drives home the point about the blessed assurance that we have about our salvation and position in Christ. Hallelujah!

Speaking of which, you can listen to that sermon entitled "And His Name shall be called..." and other Anointed Sermons here.

A Discussion about Philistines

Sunday, 7th December 2008

A week ago, I received the following email from a dear brother (let's call him Phil) accusing me of idolising Ps Prince when I shared about how the Benjamin Generation is supposed to receive 5 times more.

-----Original Message-----
From: Phil
Sent: Saturday, November 29, 2008 2:32PM
To: Malcolm Loh
Subject: Don't Call Me A Methodist. Call Me A BenGener!

Allow my blunt response.

This is taking and elevating one human's vague interpretation of the Scriptures to the extreme versus the direct teachings of the Scriptures and yet has the cheek to say that he or she is following Christ our Lord and not idolising that person.

That is truly imbalance at the best and not knowing it.


When I received Phil's email, I felt God impressing upon me the word "Philistine".

So two days later, I sent the following email to Terence (yup, he's the one who has been a great blessing to the Body of Christ because he takes very detailed notes of Ps Prince's sermons, whose blog I referred to yesterday).


-----Original Message-----
From: Malcolm Loh
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 8:54 AM
To: Terence Yeo
Subject: Philistines

Hi Terence

Do you recall what the name of the sermon where Ps Prince preached about what the Philistines are supposed to typify?


Here was Terence's response...

-----Original Message-----
From: Terence Yeo
To: Malcolm Loh
Sent: Mon Dec 01 09:30:10 2008
Subject: RE: Philistines

Shalom Malcolm,

Ps Prince had a sermon last year in Church on this. I can't recall the name at this juncture.

But I remember that sermon because he used powerpoint slides to show how the Children of Israel migrated from Egypt across the Red Sea and then crossed the River Jordan in Canaan. Ps Prince said that in contrast the Philistines came from Egypt into Canaan directly without going through the blood of Jesus (typified by Red Sea) and baptism (typified by River Jordan).

What I recall is that the Philistines came from Egypt because they are descendants of Mizraim (actual name of Egypt in the original text) from Crete (?). I cannot recall what Ps Prince said Phillistines typify.

But the dictionary says the name means: strangers or sojourners. Root word - palash - means: to wallow in ashes or dust .....

I think this means Philistines means they are a type of dust-centred (as opposed to heaven occupied) and bitter people (focused on the earth, law, works etc) who are contending with the Church over the inheritance in Canaan (the promised land).

The sermon was also preached in 'Live in Israel' - Volume II.

Best,
Terence


This was my reply to him:

-----Original Message-----
From: Malcolm Loh
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 10:22 AM
To: Terence Yeo
Subject: Re: Philistines

Hi Terence

Thanks. You are a great resource!

I have been sparring with this brother over emails. He is also an NTU Christian Fellowship alumnus and have been sending articles to the Yahoo Group that put prosperity preaching in a bad light.

When I shared about myself being a member of the Benjamin Generation, he sent me an email accusing me of idolising Ps Prince.

Yesterday, I went to Performance Motors to test drive an X5. The car I was given to drive was green and had the number plate SCW 555 J! My wife was amazed, and we took it as confirmation to buy it, even though I had planned to only get it sometime in Jan 09.

God is prospering me during a time of famine, and I was reminded of how God did the same to Isaac so much so that the Philistines envied him.

This brother is like a Philistine. Even though he is in the promised land (a believer), he got there without going through the Red Sea or River Jordan.

God seems to be telling me to blog about "beholding my wagon" within the next couple of weeks, so that Philistines like him will become envious.

But ultimately, it is to open his eyes that God's blessings can be his as well, based on the finished work of Christ.

Yup, dearest brothers and sisters. Looks like the Philistines are still around, and what makes it worse is that they are also in the Promised Land (ie. fellow believers).

Do not let them, by their cynicism and scepticism, rob you of enjoying the blessings and inheritance that Jesus has already purchased for us by His finished work on the cross. Amen?

Fellow Blog Spots

Saturday, 6th December 2008

Recently, God has got me connected with other sites out there in blogosphere and I would like to single out two today to recommend because God has impressed upon them to serve a very special and specific purpose in ministering to others in the Body of Christ...


1. TYCM's Blog

Background:
This is the blog maintained by Terence Yeo, a lawyer and fellow ACS/ACJCian. He used to attend Wesley Methodist but has since settled in NewCre for a good 10 years already, and seen its numbers multiply exponentially. We met in person for the first time 3 days ago over lunch. Thanks for blessing me with the meal at Fileo, Terence. Please let me reciprocate the next time around.

Why Recommended:
God has blessed Terence with the ability to take very detailed notes of Ps Prince's sermons (no wonder he's a lawyer and I'm a law-reject). I tried to do so myself, but found it extremely tough to concentrate on the message at the same time. Thanks to Terence, I no longer need to do so. What I do now is to just feed on Jesus as the Word goes forth, and check out his blog for added supplements and reinforcements.


2. YF at Rochester

Background:
This is the blog maintained by Andrea Ng, a Malaysian who settled down in Singapore at the age of 7. While in Singapore, she discovered the grace gospel and started attending NewCre regularly. In August 2007, she went to USA to further her studies, and is now working in Rochester, New York.

Why Recommended:
Andrea has the privilege of watching the sermons of Ps Prince that are broadcasted on the DayStar Channel in the USA. Better yet, she has made them avaiable on her blog! We here in Singapore take this for granted. Yes, we may have to queue for hours to get into the Rock Auditorium, but there are millions out there in USA and other parts of the world that are hungry for and need to hear the good news about Jesus the Christ and His finished work, and Andrea makes the feeding of that hunger all possible!

So if you are the type who prefers to read books and the written form (like Angie), Terence's blog is going to appeal to the likes of you.

If you are the type who prefers to watch videos and the spoken/visual form (like me), Andrea's blog is going to appeal to the likes of us.

Praise God for these wondeful brother- and sister-in grace. Amen?

A Blessed Most Wonderful Experience (Part 2)

Friday, 5th December 2008

Let's continue from where I left off yesterday...

Sometime back in late August 2008, I had blogged about Sowing Bountifully by faith into One-North and expecting a bountiful harvest.

Well, about 3 months later, in late October 2008, God gave me news that I would be Reaping Bountifully with effect from January 2009, and I shared this news with my wife and several close friends of mine.

Hence, the earliest that I expected to reap anything would also be January 2009...

... or so I thought :-D

I am going to record down the following events sequentially to show how God's timing is just so perfect.

Thu 27 Nov 08

1. One of those close friends of mine (let's call him Rex) happens to know a staff working in Performance Motors, and he gets me connected with her (let's call her Simone). I speak with Simone and she asks me if I have any specific sales rep in mind, to which I answer no. She assigns me a rep called Christina (I was actually hoping it would be a male one because like I mentioned yesterday, ladies tend to be a bit harder to negotiate terms and pricing with). Nonetheless, I trust that Simone should know best.

2. Christina calls me and we tentatively fix an appointment to test drive an X5 on Sat, 29 Nov 08 afternoon.

Fri 28 Nov 08

3. Due to a change of weekend plans, I text Christina to request that the appointment be postponed to Sun, 30 Nov 08. She accedes to it.

Sat 29 Nov 08

4. That evening, I text several ex-colleagues about my intention to get an X5. One of them texts me back to tell me that she knows the GM of Performance Motors personally because they were MBA classmates. I call her to catch up and she says she will inform the GM about my upcoming appointment with Christina accordingly.

Sun 30 Nov 08

5. My wife and I turn up at the Alexandra Road showroom. Christina attends to us, and my wife and I find her to be an extremely pleasant person (no offence, but I had pictured BMW female sales reps to be either the snooty, snobbish sort and/or the vain, "hiao" type, and so it is no wonder that Simone recommended Christina to us).

6. Christina brings out the vehicle to be test driven, and lo and behold -- its licence plate is SCW 555 J and its colour is mineral green! My wife and I look at each other in amazement, and she asks Christina how come? Christina (who we find out subsequently is a Buddhist) explains that it is because "5 is the same number as the make". For us though, this was affirmation from the LORD to go ahead with what He had prompted me to do (of course, you guys out there know that 5 represents God's unmerited favour and green represents zoe life).

7. After the test drive, we sit down to talk about the pricing. I cannot go into too much details here, but suffice it to say that we are treated like VIPs because God had arranged for the GM to speak to Christina's boss the previous day. Christina says that the pricing is the most generous that she has ever handled! She calls the used car dealer about trading-in my Grandis and manages to secure a price way, way above its residual value (the printout from OneMotoring says the less-than-2-year old-$94K car is now only worth $29K). After doing all the math, the net outlay for the X5 comes out to be only $183K!!!

As we leave the showroom, I recall the 2 criteria I had set about wanting a male sales rep and trusting that the X5 would not cost me more than $200k. God more than answered my prayer in His own marvelous way by arranging a female rep with no airs about her, and through a series of divine arrangements, the car would cost way less than $200K. He had effectively done the pricing negotiations on my behalf and all my wife and I needed to do was just rest and be amazed at what was unfolding before us. Who out there agrees that God is shrewder than the shrewdest businessman?

And just like how Ps Prince got his 7-series at the price of a 5-series, God was giving me the X5 at the price of an X3 :-D

Not only that, I do not need to wait till Jan 2009 to reap this. Christina told me that I can expect to get the new set of wheels in time for my 41st birthday. Hallelujah and Praise the LORD!!! Isn't He awesome and wonderful?

I can't wait to blog to Daddy God's glory and to declare unashamedly "BEHOLD MY WAGON!" :-D

A Blessed Most Wonderful Experience (Part 1)

Thursday, 4th December 2008

I don't usually blog on weekdays, but will make an exception today and tomorrow because I want to testify to how awesome our Daddy God is!!!

Warning: Today, I'm going to blog about something that may not go down well with performance-based believers or those who do not believe that the gospel encompasses prosperity. If this describes you, please do not continue to read this post.

In January 2006, the LORD provided me with the means to buy a Mitsubishi Lancer, number plate SGD6551H. The car was sufficient for my immediate family needs (ie. me, my wife and 2 kids). However, there were occasions that we would bring my in-laws out for a meal, and it was tough squeezing 6 persons into a sedan meant to sit 5 persons comfortably.

In December 2006, when God blessed me with the biggest year-end bonus I had ever received in my career (up to that point of time), He was effectively providing me with the means to "upgrade" to a bigger vehicle.

And so, even though the Lancer was not even a year old, I traded it in for a Grandis.

I bidded for the licence plate SGR7557L (See God's Revelation of His Perfect Grace Favour Rest and Love -- 7 represents perfection and rest, while 5 represents grace and unmerited favour), and I pasted lots of Christian stickers all around the car to proclaim exactly that.

A sister would called it the "Jesus car" because of how it was "decorated". I was then just made a cell leader, and this 8-seater would come in handy in ferrying fellow cell leaders like her to the cluster leaders' home for the monthly meetings.

I blogged about that here.

Well, so much have happened in the past 20 months or so. Those who have been following my blog faithfully would know what I am talking about so I will not go into too much details. While I have faced great persecution and have been shunned by churchmates whom I grew up with, God has confirmed that the grace gospel is the true gospel by prospering my family life (my marriage and relationship with my kids have never been stronger), my career (I was a contract staff as recent as March 2005, and am now heading a department that makes up a fifth of the company's headcount) and last but not least, my finances (I have been put in a position where God has given me the means to tithe to Him $5,555.55 each month).

Anyway, I was watching the Benjamin Generation DVD about 3 weeks back, and came to the part where Ps Prince shared about how God allowed him to get a BMW 7-series at the price of a BMW 5-series. Something stirred in my heart and I felt the Lord telling me, "Son, your turn is next to say 'Behold my wagon!'."

I wasn't sure whether this was from Him, or was it just my flesh speaking. After all, the Grandis is not even 2 years old! I shared this with my wife, and after some persuading, we went to the Performance Motors showroom at Dunearn Road two Sundays ago (after having dessert at Stanley's stall) just to check things out, no commitments.

Upon reaching the showroom, we spoke to the receptionist and told her that we were did not need a sales rep just yet, but were just looking around. We checked out a 7-series and an X5 and noticed that they cost about the same -- about S$250k. I was more inclined to getting the X5 because I still find the 7-series a bit too flashy (no offence to those of you who drive that). My wife has also gotten so used to driving the Grandis (which is elevated like the X5), so we both agreed that the X5 would make the better choice. After getting the brochure from the receptionist, we then went on our merry way.

While driving home in the car, I told my wife that if we did decide to get the X5, there would be 2 criteria set:

(1) We should get a male sales rep because it is easier to negotiate terms and pricing with men (no offence meant to lady sales reps, but that has been my experience so far).

(2) It should not cost more than $200k.

Well, God had better plans for me, and I will share that tomorrow in part 2 of the Blessed, Most Wonderful ("BMW") Experience :-D