Fare Thee Well, Reverends

Sunday, 27th December 2009

Two weeks ago, I had blogged about the farewell dinner that was to be held the Reverends Peter Koh and Tay Kay Leong, and how I was the very first one to buy tickets :-)

Well, praise God, because more than 700 other members of my church turned up as well, to give them a rousing and deserving farewell.
The event started at 6pm with a sumptuous buffer spread.  We then adjourned to the church sanctuary for a time of worship and sharing.

The worship leader, Mr Eugene Cheong explained the meaning of "farewell" which comes from the old English saying "fare thee well"  or may you do well in the place where you will be going.

On behalf of my church, I want to thank them both for their serving us and bid them to fare well in their new appointments come 1 January 2010.

You can catch some glimpses of the farewell dinner on Facebook at the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132035&id=751059341&l=7b0066d5f2

Xmas Back Home

Friday, 25th December 2009

Those of you who have been following my blog will be familiar with my spiritual journey.  I grew up in a rather traditional Methodist church which used to frown upon the raising of hands and the speaking in tongues during the service.  Now, these two are part and parcel of each week's worship services, thanks in no small part to Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup, who was our pastor-in-charge for 11 1/2 years long years from 1993 to 2005.

In fact, Rev Dr Wee had embraced the word of faith movement and our church was seeing rapid growth under his leadership -- from the fourth-largest Methodist church when he joined us to the second-largest by the time he left us to take up the appointment of TRAC President.

In particular, it was Rev Dr Wee and his wife who counselled my wife and I when we were going through a difficult period in our marriage in 2002.  Mrs Wee, in particular, shared with us Prov 18:21 and Rom 4:17, about how we should speak positively about our situation -- be it our marriage, children or career.

Unfortunately after Rev Dr Wee's departure at the end of 2005, my church took on a different spiritual direction.  From the pulpit, sermon after sermon was preached about how our salvation is not assured, and there was a very strong emphasis on our performance.  I recall one particular sermon in December 2006 preached by the senior pastor, Rev Peter Koh, in which he mentioned about how companies were doing their year-end performance appraisal, and to ask ourselves how God would rate us if He were to do a spiritual appraisal on us!!! 

Well, my answer to him is that He would give us an A+ because He sees us in Christ, and Christ in us :-)

Rev Peter Koh does not agree with the grace gospel and he thinks it to be heresy.  When he found out that I had embraced it, he made me step down as treasurer and cell leader in July 2007 and disbanded my cell in December 2007.  He even went on record to "write" an article entitled "Salvation Made Easy.  A look at antinomianism" in the Beacon in January 2009 (which turned out to be written by someone else). 

I feel very sad for him because that is the way he views our God -- never satisfied with us and demanding more and more of us.  And the more he tries to emphasise the keeping of God's Laws, the more he will end up breaking them, just like how Paul struggled in Rom 7.  My prayer for him is that he will stop kicking against the goads and come to realise that the grace gospel is in fact the true gospel.  Amen?

Anyway, due to the lack of spiritual food, I took a sabbatical in August 2008, only coming back to my home church whenever Rev Reuben Ng preaches.  But thanks be to God, the sabbatical will only last 17 months and will end on 31 December 2009. 

Having to assimilate back into my own home church, I attended the Xmas service today.  Here is a paranomic photo that was taken with my Samsung Omnia 2.

HAPPY XMAS EVERYONE!!!

Be It Unto Me

Sunday, 20th December 2009

Every year, on the Sunday just around Christmastime, NewCre will hold its Christmas Day service at the Indoor Stadium.

Since Rev Reuben was not preaching back in my home church, the choice of where to go was obvious :-)

Needless to say, Ps Prince preached a most awesome message about the Christmas story and how Mary had said to the angel Gabriel, "Be it unto me according to Your Word". One word sums up that sentence, and that is the word "Amen". When we align our words in agreement with what God's Word says about us (He became poor so that we may be rich, by His stripes we are healed), miracles happen. Oh ya, here are a couple of photos I took of the stage.

Towards the end of the service, we were asked to think about 3 requests for 2010 that we want God to answer, and then Ps Prince prayed over us. And I am so looking forward to sharing on this blog how God will answer those requests, even exceedingly abundantly above and beyond what I can ask or imagine, so do stay tuned :-)

Having been spiritually fed, we decided to head towards Lau Pa Sat to be fed physically. Those of you who are of my generation will remember a fast food outlet known as Wendy's, that was operating in Far East Plaza during the 1980s. Well, they have re-opened their first outlet in the heart of the central business district, just a stone's throw from my office. In fact, you can see my office building just above the picture of Wendy in the photo on the right :-)

But what made today different from other days is that I was born exactly 42 years ago today.

And so tonight, my family had dinner at the Bukit Room in Singapore Island Country Club, ending with wonderful cheesecake. Thanks darling wifey for organising the dinner :-)

In addition to the above, I was given a pair of the latest Crocs design known as Linden (which are moccasins but without the trademark holes) from my youngest sis, a USB hub in the shape of a robot from my sweetie daughter, and a card and bookmark from my sonny boy. Thanks to all of you for your thoughtfulness.

Indeed, it was all in all a memorable day. Thank you Lord for family and loved ones. Be it unto me according to Your Word :-)

Sowing and Reaping in the New Covenant

Saturday, 19th December 2009

Every year, my church will give its members a birthday card.

For the past 3 years, the senior pastor of my church, Rev Peter Koh, will include "words of wisdom" just above his greeting.

This year, he wrote, "You will reap what you sow".

As I pondered over what he wrote, my initial reaction was not so positive because it sounded like a word of caution from Mt Sinai.

There is a verse in Hosea 8:7 that reads, "They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind." In fact, there was a song that UK syncpop band Ultravox made famous in the 1980s entitled "Reap the Wild Wind".

Young's Literal Translation reads, "for wind they sow and hurricanes they reap." In other words, the punishment far outweighs the crime committed.

And that was how it was like for the Israelites under the Law. It was "Do good, get good. Do bad, get bad". In fact, God even said that He would visit their iniquities to the third and fourth generations. In other words, even "innocent" children would have to pay for the crimes of their forefathers. No wonder the disciples asked Jesus in Jn 9 whether that man who was born blind was as a result of his own sin or the sin of his parents.

Well, thanks be to God that we are no longer under that performance-based Covenant. We, on this side of the cross, are now beneficiaries of the Covenant established upon the blood of the Lamb of God, a Covenant which is based on God's unmerited, undeserved, unearned favour. On the cross, Jesus took upon Himself all the curses of the Law. What we sowed in terms of sin, Jesus reaped on the cross on our behalf in terms of punishment. And because of the divine exchange, the flip side is also true! What Jesus has sown in terms of His right standing with God the Father, we now reap in terms of blessings. Hallelujah!

Coming back to the 6 pearls of wisdom from Rev Peter Koh which read, "You will reap what you sow". While this statement no longer true for us New Covenant believers in terms of bad things because Jesus took them upon His own body, it still holds true in two specific areas -- the Word of God and monetary support.

(1) The Word of God

In the New Testament, we read about the parable of the sower. The one who sows the Word of God gets to reap a harvest -- some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold and some hundredfold. The magnitude of the harvest depends on the condition of the ground -- whether it is stony or contains thorns or is fertile. This is the very reason why I have been giving away Ps Prince's books -- books so pregnant with the grace gospel -- that when sown into the lives of others, produce bountiful harvests. I have received testimony upon testimony from brothers and sisters who received these books about how the contents ministered to them and I give all glory and honour to God for the privilege of sowing into Ps Prince's ministry. May He raise even more grace preachers in the last days.

Monetary Support

Another area where sowing and reaping still holds true for the New Covenant believer is that of monetary suport. There are some people who like to quote Gal 6:7-8 which reads

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

When read out of context, this does seem to indicate that evil deeds bring about punishment from God. However, let's look at the verses preceeding and following these 2 verses so that we understand the context within which Paul was writing:

6 Let him who receives instruction in the Word [of God] share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his support]. (AMP)

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (NIV)
10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (NIV)

Would it not be strange for Paul to talk about doing good and contributing in terms of monetary support at one moment, then talk about sin and punishment at the next, only to go back to the topic of doing good again after that? Would it not make more sense for him to be talking about doing good throughout the entire chapter 6?

Anyway, verse 6 is something which I hold on to very dearly, and have therefore been sowing into One-North as well as other fruiful ministries. This principle of sowing and reaping holds very very true in my life, and for that I give all glory and praise to Jesus again. As a result of sowing bountifully, God has caused me to reap bountifully as well. You can read these testimonies at the following links:

http://rootss.blogspot.com/2008/08/sowing-bountifully.html

http://rootss.blogspot.com/2008/10/reaping-bountifully.html

And so as I read those 6 words "You will reap what you sow" again, this time through the lens of the New Covenant believer, I can respond by saying, "Hallelujah! That has happened to me already and will continue to happen to me as far as the Word of God and monetary support is concerned. Amen!"

As for the other 2 pastors, Rev Tay wished me "blessed birthday" while Rev Reuben wrote "Grace and peace to you". Amen! Charis and Irene -- even Tiger Woods should have them in his life :-)

An Open Letter to the Outgoing Senior Pastor

Sunday, 13th December 2009

I was reading the Daily Devo on 6 December and noted that the scripture verse for the day was Rom 8:28, which is one of my favourite verses and the constant rhema word for me, given what has been happening over the past 3 years.

Upon doing so, I felt the Lord prompting me to write a letter to Rev Peter Koh, the outgoing senior pastor of my church, which is reproduced below:

To: Rev Peter Koh
Date: Sunday, 6th December 2009, 9:36pm
Subject: Rom 8:28

Dear Rev Koh

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Not sure if you remember the conversation we had in your room back in July 2007, when you told me to step down as Treasurer and cell leader. I recall at the end of the discussion telling you that I hold fast to Rom 8:28.

As I look back over the past 29 months, God has indeed caused all things to work together for good. The years just get better and better.

In 2008, God gave me a new job, my son a new kidney and my wife and I a brand-new BMW.

In 2009, He has really prospered me in my career, providing me with the means to tithe up to 3 times more than last year. Just a week ago, He also allowed me to end my sabbatical from PLMC. This has truly been a dektos year whereby His free favours profusely abound!
Oh ya, Villa also won Liverpool, Chelsea and Man U. That has never happened before in my lifetime...

And I believe that 2010 is going to be even better than this year :-)

God has no favourites, so I want to encourage you to claim Rom 8:28 for yourself. Even though circumstances may not be what you would like them to be at the moment, continue to trust God that He knows the plans for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.

Do not kick against the goads any longer. The grace gospel is not heresy nor is it antinomian. Rather, it is the power of God unto the complete well-being of men. The sooner you discover this for yourself, the sooner you will be aligning yourself with all the promises God has in store for you. When that happens, I am sure He will bless and prosper your ministry in Living Hope Methodist Church beyond what you can ever ask or imagine.

In closing, please let me share with you that daily devo for today that incidentally, is on Rom 8:28. May it be a rhema word of Christ for you too :-)

Shalom
Malcolm

God Makes All Things Work Together For Good

Romans 8:28
28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

In this verse, “all things” is literally all things — the good, the bad and the ugly! Now, it does not mean that all things are from God. Some things, such as accidents, sicknesses, broken relationships and divorces are not from Him. They are from the devil or just part of the fallen world that we live in. But what this verse does tell us is that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”. That is our inheritance as God’s beloved children.

Do the people of the world have this inheritance? No. When bad things happen to them, they are what they are — bad things. But when bad things happen to the children of God, it does not end there. God can make those bad things work together for good. In other words, the devil may throw lemons at you, but God can take those lemons and make refreshing lemonade for you!

For example, if you have been retrenched, believe that God, who makes all things work together for good, has a better job for you. Indeed, we have received testimonies from church members who have ended up with better jobs and higher salaries after they were retrenched.

It is important you remember that God is not behind anything bad or ugly. But when those things happen, know that He can make all things work together for good. And don’t let anyone tell you that all things will work together for good only if you love God and are called according to His purpose. These two things are not conditions but descriptions of believers. Believers are those who love God because they know that God first loved them. (1 John 4:19) And they are called according to His purpose for they have been born again and belong to Him.

My friend, because you have been born again, all things in your life will work together for good. This is your inheritance as a beloved child of God!

Thought of The Day: God is not behind anything bad or ugly. When those things happen, know that He can make all things work together for good.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2009

Fare Thee Well

Saturday, 12th December 2009

There will be a farewell dinner for the outgoing pastors of our church, the Rev Peter Koh and the Rev Tay Kay Leong.

Date: Sunday, 27th December 2009
Time: 6pm to 8:30pm
Venue: PLMC Fellowship Hall

I was the first to buy tickets, 7 to be precise (hence the serial numbers C0001 to C0007). They are for my parents, my wifey, my 2 kids, my domestic helper and me.

Hope that you will buy them also, so a to give a rousing send-off to them, our dear pastors, Rev Koh and Rev Tay, who served us for 4 years and 7 years respectively and to wish them all the best in their new appointments in Living Hope and Christ Methodist.

See you there!!!

Only Jesus is Altogether Lovely

Sunday, 6th December 2009

Last Sunday, because Ps Reuben was not preaching in my own home church, my wife and I decided to go to Suntec to listen to Ps Lawrence Lim preach.

Ps Lawrence must have mentioned Jesus at least a hundred times during his sermon, and rightly so! After all, it should be all about Him and His finished work. Back in my home church, I have heard sermons whereby the name of Jesus is not even mentioned once, except when the pastor closes off his prayer after the sermon with the standard phrase, "In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen."

Anyways, the content of Ps Lawrence's sermon, which was so full of Jesus, is probably something that NewCre takes for granted. But believers in other churches need to hear such sermons and more of them, rather than being preached about an angry and demanding God, who is never ever satisfied with us. Faith comes by hearing the rhema word about Jesus Christ. Amen?

I found it extremely refreshing and nourishing to be fed the Bread of Life. Thank you, Pastor Lawrence!!!

In particular, Ps Lawrence mentioned that Jesus is "altogether lovely". Every which way you turn Him, there is beauty and excellence. Even when Jesus was in the temple overthrowing the tables of the moneychangers, there was an awesome wonder in what He did.

He said that even the nicest guys have an ugly side to them, but not Jesus.

I remember a Sunday School teacher who was the most avuncular person I have even known, even to this day. He was what one would term a "model Christian", always smiling and polite. Yet there was one occasion when he was so angry (for no apparent reason other than the boys in the class being a bit talkative) that he shouted at one of the boys to get out of the class. There was silence all around after what happened, and till this day, 31 years later, I can still recall that incident with such clarity as though it happened only yesterday.

Another case in point, is Tiger Woods. He may be the richest sportsman and be excellent in golf, his area of expertise. Yet, we read in the papers over the past few days about how he has been fooling around with other women behind his wife's back.

And this is a lesson that I myself have learnt over the past couple of years as well -- that we should not put any human or any church on a pedestal, lest he or she fails us. I have to say this extremely carefully in case I offend my newly-made friends from NewCre, but I used to think extremely highly of NewCre and thought that if I transferred over to that church, all my problems will be solved. After all, the messages preached week-in week-out are spiritually sound, and everyone in church should all be united in one spirit and purpose, all tuned into the grace frequency.

But I have since gotten to know several NewCre worshippers that made me realise that she has also got her fair share of "works-in-progress". And this is one of the factors that contributed to my decision to remaining in my own home church because there is no such thing as a perfect church.

For example, there was this ex-colleague (who has been attending NewCre since it was founded in the early 1990s) that I thought would make a good lunch/prayer partner. I was thus shocked when I learnt from other female colleagues that he had been harassing them and touching them inappropriately, even though he is a married man with two kids! It took me some time to get over my disillusionment.

Another NewCre member actually told me that since the Law does not apply anymore, it was okay for him to beat the red light or make an illegal u-turn, so long as there was no policeman around!

And then, there are another couple of them who come across as proud and arrogant, as though they are God's gift to mankind. Not much of a testimony to pre-believers, if you don't mind my saying so.

I suppose out of a membership of 23,000, a handful of such cases here and there is not too bad a statistic. I know of many other NewCre members like Douglas, Angie, Joshua, Stan, Geri, Joshen, Lip Kee, Chong Sun, Kat and Pearly (just to name but a few), who are the most wonderful people one can ever meet.

But the point I am making is this. At the end of the day, our faith should not be based on a pastor, or a person who attends a particular church. Nor should we be hero-worshipping an actor or a sportsman. Rather, our faith should be solely based on the person of Jesus Christ, and He alone deserves our praise and worship. Because only He is altogether lovely. Amen?

Healing and Discipline in the Light of Grace Gospel

Saturday, 5th December 2009

A fellow NTU graduate sent me an email about 2 weeks back asking some questions about healing and discipline in the light of the grace gospel. He has given me his permission to reproduce our email conversation here so that others can also benefit from our discussion.

From: name withheld
Subject: Healing and Discipline
To: "Malcolm Loh"
Date: Sunday, 22 November, 2009, 1:43 PM

Hi Malcolm,

I have read your testimonies as well as some of your articles in your blog. I am also a Christian raised up in a traditional background. Your sharing opens up a different perspectives and could be what you said like scales fallen off from your eyes and unveiling of the veil. As I try to understand further, may I seek your advice on a few clarifications:

a) Healing - am I right to say grace gospel strongly emphasize that Christ has already finished the work, by his stripes that he bore he has healed us from all sickness and diseases. Therefore, we just need to believe, have faith and claim it. Does that mean that Christians in NCC or who subscribe to the grace gospel will not suffer from sickness or will not die of sickness? If they do, is it due to a lack of faith or?

b) Discipline - am I right to say grace gospel emphasize on God's grace vis-a-vis parable of the prodigal son. It emphasize that God does not need to discipline us further and if we were to fall into sins and wandered away, God will patiently wait for us to come back to him, and will welcome us like the Father in the parable. Therefore, God uses a "patiently wait" approach and not discipline (as in Heb he discipline those he loves) like the traditional churches believe.

c) "Inconsistency" of God in healing/blessing - This is related to (a) in terms of healing. You mentioned "The trouble with holding on to the doctrine that sometimes God heals and sometimes He doesn't, or sometimes God blesses us and sometimes He doesn't, makes it difficult for us to know how to pray or what to ask for. Imagine if an earthly father were to behave like that. One day, when he is in a good mood, he will bring his kids out for a good meal. The next day, when he gets up on the wrong side of bed, he will beat up his kids just for the fun of it. Is our God really like that?"

I supposed the traditional churches does not mean that God is fickle minded....but rather He is sovereign and His ways are higher than our ways and there have been many godly Christians who themselves or their families have met tragedies in life due to accidents, incurable sickness, etc.....we can never comprehend why God did not heal every case. But their comfort is in maintaining the faith (like Daniel and his friends) even if God chooses not to answer (which sometime we do not know why...it may not due to sin). Dan 3 - If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

In the gospel there was also one ocassion the disciples asked Jesus why a man was born blind, the answer Jesus gave was neither he nor his parents sin, but this was so that God's name can be glorified.

Similarly in Habakkuk 3 - Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

So, is this teaching not right/accurate?

Here was my response to him...

To: name withheld
From: Malcolm Loh
Re: Healing and Discipline
Date: Tuesday, 24 November, 2009 12:51 PM

a) HEALING:

Actually one of the revelations that was recently unveiled to me is that faith is not just merely believing. There is a second element to it and that is “speaking it out”. I learnt that from Ps Charles Nieman, who was a guest speaker that NCC invited in Nov 08. His sermon was entitled "Faith = Believing and Speaking" and he quoted several portions of scripture to back that up.

You can read more about that sermon in the blog entry linked below

http://jimmytst.multiply.com/journal/item/49/Faith_is_believing_and_speaking_Sermon_notes

I suspect many word- of-faith Christians (and even those in NCC) may only have been believing in their hearts for healing, but are not speaking it out with their lips because the former is easier to carry out whereas the latter seem a bit more “far-fetched” and they have to overcome that mental barrier.

The Holy Communion is a means to keep oneself in divine health. When the Israelites departed from Egypt, every single one of them, young and old, were in perfect health because they partook of the lamb. If that was possible under the shadow, how much more for us today who have the substance. I have started to hear testimony upon testimony of God’s healing taking place in NCC. It is a progressive harvest that is being reaped.

So in essence, my answer to you is yes. Those who embrace the grace gospel ought not to suffer or die from any sickness. Rather, they should just be taken away the way Kenneth Hagin did. He was having breakfast and then he breathed his last.

b) DISCIPLINE:

My previous understanding of discipline was that of punishment. However, now that God has punished all our sin upon the body of Jesus, and Jesus declared that “it is finished!”, such punishment is not coherent with the grace gospel. The word “discipline” in the Greek means child-training. In the New Covenant, God corrects and child-trains us with His Word.

Take myself for example. I had the notion that prosperity was not for the Christian. However, as passages in His Word were being unveiled to me, I was being corrected in my thinking and now know that Christ became poor so that we can become rich (2 Cor 9:8) and that God gives us the power to get wealth (Deut 8:18)

c) APPARENT INCONSISTENCY

Don’t mind me saying this, but using the phrase “His ways are higher than our ways” is actually a cop-out when we don’t have the answers. If I tell my daughter or son “sorry, kid, my way is higher than yours” they may have no choice to accept it for now but once they grow up, they will not trust me anymore. Many Christians get bitter when told this and the more “daring” ones will give up on Him. The less “daring” will accept it reluctantly but there will be no true joy in the relationship with God.

In fact, if you look at the passage where that quote comes from (Isa 55), you realize that God is talking about Himself in a positive sense – it is an invitation to the thirsty, He talks about His word not returning to Him void but accomplishing its purposes. Yet, Christians have quote this verse in a negative sense – that God is shrouded in mystery and He can do whatever He wants with us, no questions asked. Sad to say, godly Christians may face tragedies in life because they do not know what belongs to them, what Christ’s blood has already purchased for them. They need not accept what the devil throws at them.

It is interesting that you have quoted Daniel and Habakkuk. These were men who lived during the time when the Old Covenant was still in effect. They had the mindset that God would not answer their prayers because of either their own sin or the sin of their forefathers. And God had every right to do so under that covenant, which was a performance-based one. We who are beneficiaries of the New Covenant need not see God that same way. When we look at the Sciptures this side of the cross, we see the author of Hebrews telling us to come boldly to His throne of grace, while the apostle Paul declares that all of God's promises are yes and amen.

But you are also right that God respects our choices; He will not force His blessings upon us. I remember attending this conference where a wheelchair-bound lady called Joni shared her testimony, about how she has embraced her wheelchair. I was touched and moved, and there is no doubt that God can use and is using her. Believers empathize and take pity on her. But there is no glory in her condition – a pre-believer will not be attracted to the gospel. I would rather she not embrace her wheelchair, believe in God for her complete healing and then, her testimony would achieve much more among pre-believers.

Friends of ROOTSS

Sunday, 29th November 2009

Dearest subscribers of ROOTSS

The Yahoo Group was first set up in August 2007 as a means of communicating with all of you.

Since then, Facebook has taken the world by storm and has its own Group features which are much more as compared to Yahoo.

As such, it would make sense to migrate the group over to Facebook.

The Facebook group is called "Friends of ROOTSS" and was launched today.

You can join the group by clicking on the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=189258823617

Speaking of which, I mentioned on my blog last week that subscribers of ROOTSS will get a chance to receive a free copy of Ps Joseph Prince's latest book Unmerited Favor. I have already placed an order with Tecman for 50 books but they told me that stocks will only arrive in January 2010. A couple of you have already asked me for the book, so please be patient. You should be able to collect your book in time for the Lunar New Year.

Ending the Sabbatical

Saturday, 28th November 2009

On Facebook yesterday, I updated my status as follows:
breaking news! Paya Lebar Methodist Church will be having a new PIC. He is none other than old boy Rev Dr Jonathan Seet. Welcome home, Rev Seet :-)

Stan responded as follows:
So you'll be ending your sabbatical pretty soon? ;-)

To which I replied:
hey, you know me too well already :-)

Those of you who have been following my blog for some time will know that I have been on sabbatical leave from my church since July 2008 because of the lack of spiritual food. You can read the 2 letters I wrote to the senior pastor of my church at the following links:

Taking a Sabbatical
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2008/07/taking-sabbatical.html

Extending the Sabbatical
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2009/08/extending-sabbatical.html


Well, praise be to God that while the Israelites had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, my sabbatical is only going to last 17 months :-)

Here is a letter that I have written to officially inform the (outgoing) senior pastor of my church of this change in membership status...


28 November 2009

Rev Peter Koh
Pastor-in-charge
Paya Lebar Methodist Church

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I refer to the letters which I sent you on 2 July 2008 and 1 August 2009 with regards to my sabbatical.

I am pleased to inform you that through a series of circumstances, God is indicating to me to end my sabbatical with effect from 1 January 2010.

First and foremost, both my children will be with The Next Generation (“TNG”), which is thriving under Rev Reuben Ng. My daughter has made lots of new friends and has settled in very well, while my son just came back from the ConnecTiNG Camp (meant to assimilate the Primary 6s), said he enjoyed himself and is also looking forward to establishing roots there too. We should all be worshipping in the same church as a family unit, rather than for us parents to be going to NewCre and for them to be in TNG.

Secondly, Rev Dr Jonathan Seet is an old boy of PLMC and knows our church’s heartbeat and rich heritage and tradition. His family and mine have known each other for decades; he knows my 3 sisters and I, his 2 brothers. I am very sure that under his pastoral leadership, PLMC will be taken to even greater heights.

Thirdly, after the recent 34th TRAC session's Closing Service, all of the church leaders who were there (Doris, Robert, Edward, Choon Seng and Roger) warmly shook my hand as a way of indicating that they want to leave the past behind and look forward to the future. After all, all of them have seen me growing up in PLMC and know that my heart is, and will always be, with the church of my forefathers.

In this connection, please find attached my pledge card, duly completed, for the church office’s further action, effective 1 January 2010.

In closing, please allow me to wish you all the best in your ministry. Even though there may have been unpleasant events that have taken place in the past 4 years, I have nothing against you personally because I know you sincerely meant well for my church. By the same token, I trust you likewise will not hold anything against me because you should also know I sincerely want the best for my church as well, and in fact even more so than you!

After all, if someone like you (who was here for only 4 years), or Rev Barnabas Chong (who was here for just 19 months) can have the heart for PLMC, what more someone who has been here for more than 40 years? I am sure you know that my family has been worshipping here for the past 5 generations (ever since my great-granddad served as the pastor to our Peranakan congregation in the 1950s) and my dad wants to see that legacy continue.

Also, that invitation that I extended to you in January 2007 to take you out to lunch still holds. I hope you will find it in your heart to take up this sincere offer before you leave for Living Hope Methodist Church at the end of 2009.

Yours-in-Christ
Malcolm Loh

cc.
Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup, TRAC President
XXX XXXXX XXXX, PPRSC Chairperson
XX XXXXXXX XX, LCEC Chairman
XX XXXXX XXX, Layleader

From Pastor to Reverend

Friday, 27th November 2009

Last night, my wifey and parents made our way to Bedok Methodist Church to attend the Closing Service of the 34th session of Trinity Annual Conference ("TRAC").

Primarily, it was to witness the ordination of our youth pastor, Reuben Ng. Reuben was posted to PLMC in August 2007. He has been such a breath of fresh air. God has used him mightily, especially among the youth. The attendance at our youth service (what we call The Next Generation or "TNG") has been climbing steadily and now stands at about 400-500 each week.

My daughter, who is in Sec 1, has already benefited from his ministry. My son just went for the ConnecTiNG camp last week (what they call the camp to transition them from P6 to Sec 1) and he enjoyed himself thoroughly.

Here is a video that was taken of his ordination. The other pastor being ordained is none other than Loretta Lim. Loretta used to be our Church Administrator, so it was a double celebration.



At the tail end of the service, the pastoral appointments were announced. Like I have mentioned elsewhere on this blog, Methodist pastors come and go because of the itinerant system. With effect from 1 January 2010, there will be 2 pastors leaving us and 3 pastors coming on board.

Outgoing:
Rev Peter Koh (to Living Hope Methodist Church)
Rev Tay Kay Leong (to Christ Methodist Church)

Incoming:
Rev Dr Jonathan Seet (from Pentecost Methodist Church)
Rev Lynette Sathiasingam (from Faith Methodist Church)
Rev Christopher Chin (from Christ Methodist Church)

And yes, Rev Reuben Ng remains with us :-)

Here is a photo of the pastoral line-up for 2010. From right to left: Rev Jonathan Seet, Rev Lynette Sathiasingam, Rev Christopher Chin and Rev Reuben Ng.

Rev Seet grew up in PLMC and comes back as our new pastor-in-charge. Welcome back!!! May God use you mightily to take us to the next level! Amen?

And we wish Rev Koh and Rev Tay all the best in their future ministry. They were with us for 4 years and 7 years respectively.

UF Giveaway

Sunday 22nd November 2009

My wife works in American Express, and one of its trademarked phrases is "Membership has its privileges".

Well, this will also apply to subscribers of ROOTSS because it is time for yep, another giveaway*!

* This offer is only for those residing in Singapore because the book has to be self-collected

Ps Joseph Prince will be releasing his new book entitled "Unmerited Favor" and the LORD has prompted me to give away 50 copies of it as a means of sowing into this wonderful ministry.

Here is a write-up of the book:

God wants you to succeed in every area of your life! And with His presence in your life, you can. His grace or unmerited favor can swing open doors of opportunities and place you at the right place at the right time for His blessings. Even if you lack the necessary qualifications, His unmerited favor can propel you forward.

Discover in Unmerited Favor how everything that you touch can be blessed and how you can enjoy good success. Learn about what Jesus has accomplished on the cross for you, and how, through His perfect sacrifice, you can lead an overcoming life as God’s beloved.

Packed with new covenant truths on the unmerited favor of God and how you already have access to it through Jesus’ finished work, Unmerited Favor is a must-read for anyone who wants to live the good life — God’s way. It’s time for you to stop depending on your own efforts to succeed, and to start depending on Jesus and Jesus alone for every success. Start living out the dreams that God has birthed in your heart today!

Watch this space on how to get your FREE copy of the book :-)

Seventeen Recollections

Saturday, 21st November 2009

Exactly 17 years ago today, my wife and I stood at the front of Paya Lebar Methodist Church (who had turned 60 that year) and exchange our vows before God and some 500 of our relatives, friends and churchmates.

Here is a photo gallery that I did up of you when we were still courting so that I could think of you every moment of the day. It now sits inside my room in the office so that I can continue to think of you every moment of the day :-)

Dearie, as I look back upon these 17 years, the following events come to mind...

In 1992, I recall us going for a short 3-day honeymoon to Penang via Taiwanese Eva Air and my mom asking how come we did not travel via SIA. Remember how everyone on the plane clapped when we landed safely in Penang and in Singapore? We were only 25 and 23 years old back then, having just started work and could not afford an expensive holiday.

In 1993, I recall us going for a 10-day tour to Europe and extending our stay in England for another week, spending Christmas with our aunt who stays nears Wembley Stadium. I could not afford to make a separate visit to Villa Park in Birmingham, but you did take a photo of me outside Stamford Bridge in West London. Little did we know that our son would end up supporting Chelsea ten years later.

In 1994, we both decided to teach in Sunday School. Do you remember this 9-year girl exclaiming "You are married?!" when both of us were first introduced to them? I suppose she felt we looked too young to be married.

In 1995, do you remember this 15-year old guy who was a church leader's son asking us how come we did not had kids, and we replying him, "Pray for us lor". Sure enough, Rachel arrived the next year.

In 1996, we became the proud parents of Rachel. She is the first grandchild on both my wife's family as well as my family and has grown into a sweet and beautiful young lady.

In 1997, we became the proud parents of Mark. He will ensure that the Loh family heritage continues and that PLMC will one day have a family that has its sixth generation of worshippers...

In 1998, we discovered that our son had small kidneys and had to bring him to see the doctor frequently. I recall being angry with God. I had asked for a boy and He gave me one with a medical condition.

In 1999, we spent many days and nights at the hospital, being worried about our son because the creatinine and urea levels kept on going up. The doctor warned us that at that rate, he may have to go on dialysis.

In 2000, our son had to be put on dialysis because his kidneys had failed totally. My anger at God became disappointment with Him. I had just gone back to PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Manager and decided to put my heart and soul into my career.

In 2001, I continued to neglect you and the kids. I was escaping from family responsibilities and spending long hours and even weekends in the office.

In 2002, our marriage hit rock bottom and we even talked about getting a divorce. I thank God for Rev Wee Boon Hup and Mrs Catherine Wee, whom dad asked us to see.

In 2003, God slowly but surely started to restore our marriage. We attended the Married for Life course and understood that our marriage was supposed to be a covenant that was cut before a covenant-keeping God. No matter what happens, we are to stick together through thick and thin.

In 2004, we attended the Parenting for Life and learnt how to speak into our children's future. My career however was facing spiritual attacks and I quit PwC at the end of 2004 to take on a 1-year contract job at a lower pay.

In 2005, I recall us praying in the car each day, and calling for things that did not yet exist. Within 3 months, I was offered a permanent job as a Senior Manager! The power of praying together as husband and wife never was made more manifest! This was also the year when I was first introduced to the grace gospel via a colleague who brought his pastor's sermons to share around the office.

In 2006, we started to understand more and more what Christianity is all about -- living life to the fullest as a result of Christ's finished work. May God raise more grace preachers like Ps Joseph Prince in the last days! Amen?

In 2007, Rev Peter Koh made me to step down as Treasurer and cell leader as a result of embracing the grace gospel. Thanks for standing by me even though there were fellow church members who started to shun me, thinking I was a heretic. May they one day discover for themselves that this is the true gospel, and not the mixture they have been feeding on week in week out.

In 2008, God blessed me with a brand new job, gave our son a brand new kidney, and also fulfilled your dream by giving us a brand new BMW. All praise and glory to Him!

2009 has indeed been a dektos year of the Lord. God has continued to bless our marriage and my career. You turned 40 in September and had a great time catching up with your friends since Primary school days.

It has indeed been 17 eventful years and I look forward to many, many more years to come (pleasant ones this time around, since we know our position in Christ!)

HAPPY 17TH ANNIVERSARY, DARLING WIFEY! :-)

Positive Thinking vs Aligning with God's Word

Sunday, 15th November 2009

Back in January 2007, I recall a discussion I had with Rev Peter Koh, the senior pastor of my church. He had (and still has) some reservations about the prosperity and health gospel. Specifically, he told me that there are Christians who subscribe to what is no different from "positive thinking" instead of accepting some of the harsh realities of life such as falling sick. He felt that it would give Christians a false sense of hope if they do not ultimately recover from a terminal illness.

I would have agreed 100% with him even as recent as 7 years ago. I was a "practical" Christian who lived by the maxim "hope for the best but be prepared for the worst". My son's medical condition, and the state of my marriage and career back then were cases in point. I remember dismissing the Kenneth Copeland materials that Mrs Catherine Wee gave my wife in 2000 and 2001 as a load of bullcrap.

It was only when Mrs Wee showed me Rom 4:17 and Prov 18:21 in the midst of that marital counselling session in January 2003 that the scales began to fall from my eyes. I now know that because of the price that Jesus paid on the cross, we have every legal right to not only hope for the best but also be prepared for the best.

Coming back to that discussion with Rev Koh, I responded by telling him that there was a difference between worldly positive thinking and the Christian's version of positive thinking, as it were. The former is based on self-efforts, on psyching oneself up without any spiritual foundation. The latter is based upon identifying what is written in the Bible and then aligning ourselves with those promises. As an illustration, worldly positive thinking says "I can do it! Nothing is impossible!", whereas aligning ourselves with God's Word is saying "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me because nothing is impossible with God" (Phil 4:13, Lk 1:37)

Praise God then that nearly three years after that discussion with Rev Koh, this topic on "Christian positive thinking" came to light again at the youth service today, whereby Ps Reuben preached a sermon entitled "Proactive Speaking"!!! :-)

Just in case you were wondering, nope Ps Reuben did not consult me on this, nor was he even aware of that discussion I had with Rev Koh (which took place in Jan 2007, whereas Ps Reubs only came to PLMC in Aug 2007) . Rather, it is the same Holy Spirit that dwells within him and within me that is merely confirming what is already contained in His Word. Amen?

We, who are humans created in God's image (Gen 1:26), have also been given that same power in our words (Prov 18:21). Just like how a horse's bit or a ship's rudder controls its destiny, so too does our tongue control ours (Js 3:4). God spoke the universe into being, so too can we speak to shape our future. The best example is that of Abram, whose name God changed to Abraham, which means "father of many". Imagine how he had to go around introducing himself, "Hi, I am father of many" when he did not even have a proper son at that point in time. But as he went about declaring so, God caused those words to come to pass and through him the heir of promise was born.

By the way, you can listen to Ps Reuben's "Proactive Speaking" at the following link:
http://www.box.net/shared/xr0v11bsql

Discipleship Defined

Saturday, 14th November 2009

My church is currently going through the book of Mark as a series to understand what is meant by discipleship.

When I was a youth growing up (and even in my earlier years as a Christian), discipleship was not really a "user-friendly" word, if you get my drift. It conjured up images of someone who had to read 6 chapters a day, pray 2 hours a day, fast twice a week, etc etc. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, a picture of a Pharisee would come to mind.

Which I now realise is actually not that far off. As a result of Jesus giving these folks names like "a brood of vipers", or "whitewash tombs", we get this idea that Pharisees are a bunch of religious hypocrites. But their intentions were actual noble ones.

The word Pharisee comes from the Hebrew פרושים perushim from פרוש parush, meaning "set apart". God had called Israel to be set apart from the other idol-worshipping nations, and here were people within the nation of Israel who wanted to be set apart unto Him. They would study the Laws of Moses under the tutelage of a Rabbi. And that is why Saul took pride in pursuing this path. When he dragged the early Christians and put them into prison, he really believed he was doing God a favour. He really believed he was doing God's will. And shudder of shudders, he really believed he was being a disciple!

So I really thank God for opening my eyes last week, and helping me to see discipleship in the correct perspective. Ps Reuben preached a sermon entitled "The Whole Equation" whereby he defined discipleship as basically becoming more and more Christ-like as a result of spending more and more time with Him and looking to Jesus as our model.

I don't know about you, but when I see discipleship in this new dimension, it becomes desirable and pleasurable. It is no longer about a set of do's and dont's but about enjoying Him and getting to know Him more. It is no longer being a Martha, rushing about here and there trying to please God. Rather, it is about being a Mary, simply sitting at His feet and enjoying Him.

So does it mean we become lazy and do nothing? Certainly not! In due time, God will place us at the right place at the right time to do His good pleasure, just like He placed Mary at the right place at the right time. She had chosen the good part and that was not taken away from her. While several women had failed to anoint Jesus on Easter Sunday morning because His tomb was already empty, Mary was the only one who succeeded the week before. We read this in Jn 12:1-8

John 12
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
1Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.
3Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,
5"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages."
6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.
8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

So while the other womenfolk were at the wrong place at the wrong time, Mary was at the right place at the right time as far as anointing the Lord was concerned. Likewise, we the modern-day Mary will also be placed by God at the right place at the right time to do His good pleasure.

By the way, you can listen to Ps Reuben's sermon entitled "The Whole Equation" at the link below:

http://www.box.net/shared/k9q2036s1f

More to Words

Sunday, 8th November 2009

Back in 2002, my marriage was on the rocks.

My wife and I live with my parents. When they heard us quarrelling practically everyday, they advised us to go for pastoral counselling.

Back then, the senior pastor of my church was Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup (who is now the TRAC President).

The first two counselling sessions were held separately: I would see Rev Wee and complain to him all about my wife. My wife would see Mrs Wee and would, needless to say, complain to her all about me.

Then, the third session was a combined one, after which we were asked to pray for each other. I was asked to start first and prayed something along the lines of, "Dear Lord, please forgive me for the wrong I have done to my wife. Help me Lord to be a better husband." When it came to my wife's turn, she prayed, "Thank you Lord that our marriage is strong and that Mal is a good husband." I was stunned because back then, that was far from reality! Our marriage was not strong and I was a horrible husband.

Then Mrs Wee showed me the following verses:

Rom 4:17 -- about God calling for things that do not yet exist as though they do
Prov 18:21 -- about life and death being in the power of the tongue (ie our words)

Wow, it was a real revelation to me! Even though I had been a Christian since 1979, this was the first time I was made aware of the existence of these two verses!!!

Mrs Wee then went on to tell us about how God had spoken the universe into being, and we being created in God's image, have that same power to speak life (or death) into our situation, and we would eat the fruit of our lips.

And indeed, it was because of those positive confessions that our marriage was restored, as well as my career.

Which now leads me to sharing another wonderful testimony about something that just happened yesterday.

My boy had a kidney transplant back in April 2008 and needs to go for regular blood tests in order to monitor how well the transplated kidney is doing. There is this particular reading called the creatinine level, which ideally should range between 125 and 150. Two weeks ago, on 31st October the reading was at 163. When the nephrologist was told about this, she kind of panicked and wanted my son to be hospitalised and to go for further tests. However, after some negotiation, she agreed to letting him come back for a test one week later (ie. yesterday, on 7th November).

The day after that first blood test, my entire family (including my son) went to attend our youth service because Ps Reuben Ng was preaching. And what do you know! His sermon text was on Prov 18:21!! What a timely reminder!

And so, during the course of last week, we took Holy Communion and confessed that Mark's kidney was operating perfectly. After all, the good work that God had started (in giving him the kidney), He would also bring to completion (to continue to preserve and protect the kidney).

Welll, praise the Lord! He took the blood test yesterday, and voila, the reading was at 143! Hence, there is no need for our son to be admitted for further tests. Hallelujah for the rhema word of God spoken through Ps Reuben's sermon last week.

Speaking of which, that sermon is entitled "My Life, My Death, My Words", and you can download it at the following link:

http://www.box.net/shared/7szz5hzopq

The Innocent Named and Shamed while the Guilty Gets Away Scot-Free

Saturday, 7th November 2009

I came across this article in yesterday's Straits Times. It was about a doctor who was accused by one of his clinic assistants of molest.

While the general rule for crimes is "innocent unless proven guilty", for such "crimes of passion", it seems to be the reverse, ie "guilty unless proven innocent".

Whatever the case, the accused is always named and shamed while the guilty gets away scot-free.

In this particular incident, although the doctor was acquitted because of inconsistencies in his assistant's testimony, his name appears in the article in full.

On the other hand, the only thing that is mentioned about the assistant is that she is a 31-year old.

Some may ask, where is the justice? After all, the doctor's reputation has been stained while the assistant is none the worse. His photo appears in the papers for all the world to see, but she remains incognito.

But a deeper spiritual truth dawned upon me as I reflected upon this. Jesus Christ, the second person in the Godhead was named and shamed 2,000 years even though He was perfectly innocent. On the other hand, we the guilty and un-named are able to get away scot-free because of His complete and perfect work on the cross.

Hallelujah!

What is Eternal Life?

Sunday, 1st November 2009

I became a Christian at the age of 12.

Why?

Because I was told that by doing so, I would go to heaven after I die. One of the most quoted verses of the Bible is Jn 3:16 " For God so loved the world that He gave His begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Back then, to me eternal life meant going to heaven.

Then, at the age of 19, while in the Methodist Youth Fellowship, a fellow brother shared with me the following verse:

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (Jn 17:3)

After sharing it, he said, "Isn't this marvelous?" to which I replied, "Yes."

But deep inside, I felt a tinge of disappointment...

Eternal life to the Christian is supposed to be what nirvana is to a Buddhist.

So if eternal life was not about "heaven" but was about "knowing God", then what was so great about that since I already knew who He was, having grown up in Sunday School?

And that summed up my life as a Christian back then for the next 20 years, until as recent as 5 years ago. I am sure there are many other Christians who will be equally disillusioned when they are shown Jn 17:3.

It was no wonder then that being a Christian had little impact on my everyday life. Hence the thought of suicide while in the Basic Military Camp in the Army. You can read about that here.

Hence the anger with God in 1997. Hence the thought of divorce in 2002. You can read more about that here.

It was only in 2005 when that colleague of mine left his pastor's CD sermons in the office for others to borrow was there a start of that breakthrough. No prizes for guessing which pastor I am referring to, but you can read this post just to make sure :-)

It was listening to those sermons where Jesus and His finished work was being unveiled that the concept of "knowing God" became relevant, and meaningful. It was then that I realise what Jn 17:3 was all about and that knowing our Creator God is the greatest privilege that any created being can ever ask for!!!

This truth is illustrated in Lk 10:38-42 where we read the account of two sisters -- Mary and Martha.

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.
39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,
42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

In the eyes of the world, what Martha did would have been honourable as she was busying herself with "all the preparations that had to be made", while Mary would have been considered lazy for not lifting a finger in helping her sister.

Yet, Jesus rebuked Martha saying she was "worried and upset about many things" and praised Mary for "choosing what is better" -- by sitting at Jesus' feet and listening to what He said.

What was Mary doing? She was doing the one thing that is needed. She was getting to know Jesus. She was experiencing eternal life.

And that is what you and I as beneficiaries of the New Covenant should be doing too. The more we know God the Father and Jesus the Son, the more we know what has been accomplished for us already. The more we will experience eternal life.

And that was what Ps Reuben was conveying to the youth at a recent sermon he preached entitled "That You May Know Him", which you can download to listen to at the following link:

http://www.box.net/shared/olo7ihxqlp

We Are Being Stalked

Saturday, 31st October 2009

One of the dangers with the advent of the Internet chatting software is cyber-stalking. There was a recent article published in The Rock magazine about this.

Well, do you know that we who are beneficiaries of the New Covenant are being stalked? Read on...

One of the most quoted chapters in the Bible has to be Psalm 23 -- the one that talks about the Lord being our Shepherd.

In fact, Ps 23:1 is my wifey's favourite verse.

There is a song based on Ps 23:6 that I remember singing as a youth that goes like this:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever
And I shall dine at the table He's set for me
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life

It is interesting to know that the word "follow" in the Hebrew is רדף radaph (Strong's H7291), which actually means "to be harassed, stalked, pursued, hunted down".

The very same Hebrew word was used to describe the way in which Pharoah's army of chariots pursued the Israelites when they were making their exodus out of Egypt. It was also used to describe the manner in which David was being hunted down by King Saul (see the texts from 1 Sam 23 through 26)

What a revelation! While the people of the world are searching and hunting for wealth and happiness, we who are believers are being hunted down by the Lord's goodness and lovingkindness!
What we need to do is to focus on Jesus, to seek first
- His kingdom (which Paul tells us in Rom 14:17 are righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit) and
- His righteousness (which Paul tells us in Rom 5:17 is a gift)
and all things will be added unto us. Amen?

Being stalked is not a pleasant experience, but being stalked by God's goodness and lovingkindness certainly is :-)

Turning a Mishap into a Hap

Sunday, 24th October 2009

I was away in Hongkong last week. When I got back, my mum told me that she and my dad were involved in an accident. They were on their way to Adam Road Food Centre for breakfast when this taxi tried to overtake them from the left and cut abruptly into their path. What resulted was a big dent on the front left bumper of my dad's car, just below its left headlight.

The taxi driver was extremely apologetic and admitted liability, and they exchanged particulars. After breakfast, my dad drove to the workshop located just outside our estate and was told that it would cost about S$800 to get the dent repaired. Sometime that afternoon, a representative from the taxi driver's insurance company came to visit my dad and told him that he could send the car to an approved workshop to get it fixed, all expenses paid. My dad told him about the quotation he got from the nearby workshop, to which the representative replied that since the quotation was lower than the one he had obtained, perhaps the repairs should be done at the nearby workshop. And so, he offered to pay my dad S$800.

Guess what? My dad told him he would just take S$400, even though the taxi driver was at fault. He said that he felt sorry for the taxi driver, who had to earn his livelihood.

The rep was very touched and said, "Sir, you are a very kind and generous man".

When my mom told me this, I was extremely touched. Yep, such are the qualities of my earthly dad, who reflects the qualities of our Heavenly Daddy. He had effectively turned a mishap into a hap, and sown a seed of grace and mercy into the life of this taxi driver. I believe that one fine day, a harvest will be reaped from it.

As I reflected upon this, I realise also that there are circumstances in life whereby the devil will throw a lemon at us. With God's help, we can make lemonade out of them and see the truth of Rom 8:28 whereby He causes all things to work out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Amen?

Did Jesus Have an Inner Circle?

Saturday, 24th October 2009

I wonder whether any of you have heard this theory that Jesus had an "inner circle" among His disciples -- made up of Peter, James and John. While we read about Him travelling about with His 12 disciples, there were 3 specific instances whereby He only took Peter, James and John with Him
1. At the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mk 5:37, Lk 8:51)
2. At His transfiguration (Mt 17:1, Mk 9:2, Lk 9:28)
3. In the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt 26:37, Mk 14:33)

At first glance, it would appear that He exercised favouritism to these 3 disciples. Why were the other 9 not given the privilege of experiencing the above?

It was only recently that I understand that it was not so much Jesus being partial to these 3. After all, He reserved some of the harshes rebuke for them. For example, Jesus said in Mt 16:23, "Get thee behind me satan" to Peter when the latter tried to discourage Him from going through the cup of suffering. Jesus said in Lk 9:55, "You know not what spirit you are" to James and John when they asked him whether they should command fire to come down from heaven to consume the Samaritans for not welcoming Him.

Rather, the significance is in the meaning behind the names of these 3 disciples.

Peter (G4074) Πέτρος (Petros) -- which means "rock or stone"
James (G2385) Ἰάκωβος (Lakabos) -- which means "supplanter"
John (G2491) Ἰωάννης (Johannes) -- which means "Yahweh's grace"

These 3 incidents whereby only the 3 said disciples were "invited exclusively" to witness was God's way of telling us that the Law had to make way for Grace!

This is seen most clearly at the mount of Transfiguration, where we read about how Moses and Elijah appear along with Jesus, but then disappear leaving only Jesus behind. God's voice then comes out from heaven and says, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him". That shows that the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled in Jesus.

In another post, I will blog about the other 2 incidents involving just Peter, James and John, namely the raising of Jairus' daughter and the garden of Gethsamane, whereby again we see that the Law has to make way to Grace.

So, did Jesus have an inner circle? Yes, He did. But it was not made up of Peter, James and John. Rather, it was made up of 2 other persons that have been with Him in the beginning -- God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

Living in Style

Sunday, 18th October 2009

I just came back from a week-long business trip to Hongkong.

According to our HR policy, heads of department can travel on business class for flights that are more than 6 hours. For flights 6 hours and lesser, we have to go by economy class.

But because I went on the trip with my boss (who is the CFO), I was "upgraded" to sitting in business class with him :-)

And dear friends, travelling by business class is an *entire* world of difference. The seats are so much more spacious and comfortable, the amenities are way better and the stewardesses actually address you by name.

Best of all, one does not feel tired upon stepping off the plane.

I took several photos while I was on the plane, so the passengers around me must be thinking I'm a sua ku (which is Hokkien for "mountain tortoise" and describes someone who is overwhelmed by what others consider to be everyday encounters because it is his own first encounter).

You can check out those photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=113355&id=751059341&l=3f57cfd82c

It was a real honour and privilege to be able to travel in style, and it was all on the account of my boss.

As I reflected on this, a deeper spiritual truth dawned upon me. On our own, we do not deserve to enter into God's holy presence or any of God's blessings. But because of Jesus, we can approach His throne of grace with confidence and stand boldly before Him. We who are beneficiaries of the New Covenant of grace have privileges that extend beyond just travelling in style. We can live life in style. Prosperity is ours. Health and wholeness are ours. Shalom peace that transcends understanding is ours. All on the account of Jesus and His finished work. Hallelujah!

Helping Our PEople

Saturday, 17th October 2009

In response to the economic downturn, the English-speaking umbrella of the Methodist Church in Singapore (which is known as Trinity Annual Conference or "TRAC") has organised a series of career fairs entitled HOPE ("Helping Our PEople") to equip, prepare and overcome the economic crisis.

Two such fairs have already been held earlier this year. The first was at Faith Methodist (next to Commonwealth MRT to reach out to those in the west. The second was at Pentecost Methodist (in Pasir Ris) to reach out to those in the east. The third, catering to those in central Singapore, was held in my church today.

The guest-of-honour was SM Goh Chok Tong and the following article appeared in Channel NewsAsia:

SM Goh praises religious groups for inclusive approach in offering social aid Channel NewsAsia - Sunday, October 18

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Saturday commended religious organisations in the country for the inclusive approach they have undertaken in rolling out social welfare programmes.

Mr Goh said the strategy underpins the unity and harmony of Singapore’s multi—racial, multi—religious society.

On Saturday, job seekers from all races and religions were at the Paya Lebar Methodist church grounds to attend the Helping Our People Fair (HOPE).

Jobs fairs such as HOPE are not usually organised by a religious group and held within a place of worship.

It was the third in a series of job fairs organised by a group of churches in Singapore.

The Paya Lebar Methodist Church partnered the Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church, Toa Payoh Methodist Church and Trinity Methodist Church to organise the full—day fair.

HOPE is just one example of the "many helping hands" approach community groups in the country have undertaken to help Singaporeans during this period of economic downturn.

SM Goh cited other examples such as the Al—Iman Mosque’s Community Kitchen project, which equips the long—term unemployed with cooking and catering skills; as well as the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, which has been serving free vegetarian meals at its premises for some 20 years.

Said the Senior Minister: "It is good that our religious bodies deliver such services beyond their followers and without imposing their religious beliefs on their beneficiaries. This way, they help to strengthen the sinews and spirit of our multi—racial and multi—religious society."

The organiser of HOPE pointed out that the job fair is meant to fulfil a social need — that is, helping all Singaporeans find jobs regardless of their religious believes. This stems from the understanding that religious groups in Singapore operate within the larger multi—ethnic community.

President of the Trinity Annual Conference of the Methodist Church, Reverend Dr Wee Boon Hup said: "As a church, we realised that our members themselves are going through difficult times, and as we reach out to them we realised that everybody else in Singapore, many others are also affected by the crisis... so we open up the whole fair to enable people to find practical ways to find help."

Job seekers who thronged the Saturday job fair clearly welcomed the move.

Said Kwan Siew Kong, a job seeker who attended the fair: It’s very encouraging because it’s very inclusive to have this type of event and open up to all races and religions. In a sense religious bodies do not exist just to get believers, but also at the same time to help society and help the people in the community."

With a turnaround in the economy, lay offs in Singapore have eased in the second quarter of the year.

The unemployment rate now stands at 3.3 per cent, and job seekers are beginning to have a more optimistic outlook.

"In Singapore there’re a lot of opportunities, especially for fresh graduates," said 23—year—old engineering graduate Sajeesh Krishnan. "I think in today’s economy, Singapore’s situation is better compared to others and the jobs situation is also getting — day to day — a little bit good."

So far, the Community Development Councils and the Employment and Employability institute of Singapore have helped some 23,500 people find jobs in the first eight months of the year.

— CNA/yb

Bad Guys Go Good

Friday, 16th October 2009

One of the songs currently heard frequently on the airwaves is a tune entitled "Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship. The lyrics are not exactly edifying -- the singer proudly claims to be a bad influence that causes wholesome girls to go astray, viz

I know your type
You're daddy's little girl
Just take a bite
Let me shake up your world
'Cause just one night couldn't be so wrong
I'm gonna make you lose control

She was so shy
Till I drove her wild

I make them good girls go bad
I make them good girls go bad
You were hanging in the corner
With your five best friends
You heard that I was trouble
But you couldn't resist
I make them good girls go bad
I make them good girls go
Good girls go bad

I suppose one can claim that this sung tongue-in-cheek and not to take the words too seriously.

But if we were to apply the reverse, there is a truth therein which we can take very seriously --- and that is that He makes us bad guys go good. We who are born of Adam have inherited the sinful nature. The Bible tells us that "All of us are like sheep that have gone astray (Isa 53:6)" and that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23)".

But because of Jesus and His precious shed blood on the cross, we are now considered to be righteous before God (Rom 5:19)

Indeed, He makes us bad guys go good. Amen?

Cross-Purposes

Sunday, 11th October 2009

Today, it was Ps Reuben's turn to preach again in my own home church. So needless to say, my wife and I did not go to the Rock.

He entitled his sermon "Cross-Purposes" (hence the title of today's blog entry) and the passage in question was Mk 8:27-33. Before preaching, he touched on what it means to "deny oneself, take up one's cross and to follow Jesus" and crossed-referenced that to what Paul said in Gal 2:20 which talks about how we are crucified with Christ.

In his sermon proper, he mentioned that in the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit was limited to just kings and prophets and only for a moment in time. However, in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit now indwells the believer upon us being born again and remains in us forever.

He also challenged us to expect to see signs and wonders accompanying the preaching of the gospel, and that resonated very deeply in my heart. My church just turned 77 in July this year, and I am very much looking forward to seeing her embark on her next stage and season of growth. I remeber how her membership grew from about 600 back in the early 1980s to about 2,400 in 2005, but has remained at that number for the past 4 years. There is no reason why she cannot grow beyond 3,000 when PLMC becomes a "signs and wonders" centre :-)

Like I have mentioned before, God is no respecter of persons (or even churches), but He is a respecter of faith. NewCre is able to experience exponential growth because her pastors never fail to unveil Jesus in their sermons. PLMC can also do likewise if her pastors also keep true to the gospel and keep Jesus central in their messages. Amen?

You can listen to Ps Reuben's "Cross-Purposes" sermon at the following link:

http://www.box.net/shared/x497uc7zn6

Apokatastasis

Saturday, 10th October 2009

On 27 Sep 09 (otherwise known as F1 Sunday), my wife and I were in our own home church listening to Ps Reuben Ng preaching about "Strengthening Yourself in the Lord". As such, we had to rely on listening to the CD version of Ps Joseph Prince's sermon for that week (I have subscribed to Ps Prince's CD sermons, which typically arrived in my letter box 5 days after the sermon is preached).

That week, the service was held at the Indoor Stadium (because of F1), and the sermon title is "It's Time to Receive Your Restoration".

Ps Prince referred to Acts 3:21, where Peter was addressing the crowd and used the term "apokatastatsis" (Strong's G600), which means restoration to the state before the fall.

He then cross-referenced this back to Ex 22, whereby we see God's principle of restoration. Where man is concerned, repairing a broken table or chair will never put that table or chair back to its original state. But when God restores, He more than does so.

On our part, we have to lay claim to the things that are rightly ours (as a result of Jesus' finished work) and tell the devil, "This is mine" as recorded in Ex 22:7.

This sermon resonates very deeply in my heart because of what I have gone through over the past 2 to 3 years as a result of embracing the grace gospel.

For the sake of the newcomers to my blog (and at the risk of sounding like a broken record to the older ones), this message on restoration is God's way of confirming to me that He will more than restore what the devil has taken away, and the manifestation of that is going to be completed very, very soon.

When Rev Peter Koh, the senior pastor of my church discovered that I had embraced grace teachings (which is what he considers to be heresies), he made to step down as cell leader and treasurer in August 2007.

In December 2007, my cell was disbanded.

Then, several fellow church members who I have known since Sunday School and choir days started to shun me and a handful of them even removed me as their Facebook friends.

Rev Barnabas Chong, the ex-youth pastor of my church, who was transferred out in August 2007, has taken that one step further, specifically preventing me from seeing his Facebook profile :-)

All these have been the cost of discipleship.

And if being taken to task within the four walls of the church was not enough, in June 2008, I had to go to the police station in conjunction with a vandalism case because Rev Koh gave my name to the investigation officer. My brother-in-law was so disgusted that a shepherd would expose his own sheep to the wolves.

In August 2008, I even contemplated leaving the church of my forefathers to put all these behind me and to start afresh with my family in NewCre. After all, my brother-in-law and his entire family had already settled in there.

But my daughter was not keen to uproot and move, having made lots of friends in church, and my son also wanted to stay put to go along with his elder sis. I was in a dilemma because it meant that my wife and kids could not go to church together as a family unit. When my dad heard about my situation, he told me that it was foolish to give up a 75-year legacy going back five generations just because of a pastor who had only been posted into my church in January 2006. Furthermore, Methodist pastoral appointments are itinerant in nature and it would only a matter of time that he would be posted out. He asked me to be patient and wait for God's timing. I thus decided to take a sabbatical rather than give up my membership.

Yes, looking back, it has not been a smooth journey at all. But I thank God that He has seen me through all these unpleasant events. While I have lost good friendships that were built with members from my previous cell 3L2 and cluster 3L, God has caused me to build even better friendships with other grace believers out there. While I have lost the status and influence of being a cell leader and treasurer in my own home church, God has raised my status and influence in other arenas that go beyond my own home church.

I can put my hand on my heart and say that indeed, God causes all things to work out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28), and I look forward to the day when my wife, kids and I can once again be able to go to the same church as a family :-)