Sunday, 31st January 2010
Thank you all for waiting so patiently for the UF Giveaway.
Back in November 2009, I had called Tecman to reserve 50 copies for me but was told that they would only get the books sometime in the new year. Well, I called them and was told they would be getting the stock within the next week or so, and to send them an official email.
By the way, I get books from Tecman because they gave me a10% discount on D2R and D2RD. Well, this time around, they are giving me a 12.85% discount on UF! Hallelujah!
Here is the email that was sent and their confirmation reply:
From: Malcolm Loh
To: tecman
Subject: 50 copies of Unmerited Favor
Hi Agnes
This is to confirm that I would like to purchase 50 copies of Ps Prince's "Unmerited Favour".
Please advise how much it would costs altogether and when I can pick them up.
Many thanks!
From: Tecman
To: Malcolm Loh
Subject: RE: 50 copies of Unmerited Favor
Hi Malcolm,
Thanks for your email. Each copy cost at S$30.50 nett. Back to you tomorrow regarding when to pick it up.
Many thanks,
Agnes Lee
At present, there are 63 members of the Friends of ROOTSS Facebook group. Hence, to determine who will get a copy, a simple mutiple-choice quiz has been set up, the answers to which can be found on this blog.
Here is the link to the quiz:
http://apps.facebook.com/knowmenow/index.php?m=quizpage&id=275692
The *1st 50 to take and pass the quiz will get a copy of the book.
* The books have to be self-collected. For those located overseas, you may get someone based in Singapore to collect the book on your behalf.
Going Against the Flow
Saturday, 30th January 2010
And the latest Apple gadget to be announced is the iPad. Sure sounds like those filthy rags mentioned by the prophet Isaiah :-)
Sure, the crowd may be going gaga about the iPod, iPhone and iPad but I prefer going against the flow.
Which brings to mind a decal that I had stuck on my Grandis, which showed a fish swimming in the opposite direction of other fishes, and has the words "Don't Conform. Be Transformed" below it.
We commonly hear the phrase "just go with the flow". But do you know that we as Christians should actually "go against the flow"? In Rom 12:2, Paul tells us not to conform to the world's pattern but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
And that is exactly what I intend to continue to do with regards to the hype surrounding Apple stuff.
Every other person in my office seems to be carrying an iPhone. I read an article about this lady who said she saw an ah pek in the nearby coffee shop carrying one and being upset that the hip factor was gone.
And the latest Apple gadget to be announced is the iPad. Sure sounds like those filthy rags mentioned by the prophet Isaiah :-)With all due respect to Steve Jobs, I find Apple products to be terribly over-rated and over-priced.
I am still using my Creative Zen X-Fi (that I got a couple of years back) which had more functions than its iPod equivalent at that time and was way cheaper too.
Speaking of which, here's a photo that my daughter took of me last week with the 2 units of iPod Touch in the foreground. I had purchased them from Challenger Superstore as lucky draw prizes for my company's upcoming D&D on 6 Feb 2010.
The nonchalant, couldn't-be-bothered look on my face tells you just how impressed I am with them...
And I am also pretty happy with my Samsung Omnia II, which can take paranomic photos like the ones you see below of the covered tennis courts at Singapore Island Country Club. Can the iPhone do that?
I am still using my Creative Zen X-Fi (that I got a couple of years back) which had more functions than its iPod equivalent at that time and was way cheaper too.
The nonchalant, couldn't-be-bothered look on my face tells you just how impressed I am with them...
And I am also pretty happy with my Samsung Omnia II, which can take paranomic photos like the ones you see below of the covered tennis courts at Singapore Island Country Club. Can the iPhone do that?
Which brings to mind a decal that I had stuck on my Grandis, which showed a fish swimming in the opposite direction of other fishes, and has the words "Don't Conform. Be Transformed" below it.
And that is exactly what I intend to continue to do with regards to the hype surrounding Apple stuff.
Tongues in the Light of the Grace Gospel
Sunday, 24th January 2010
Sometime last month, I blogged about how a fellow NTU graduate had asked me about healing and discipline in the light of the gospel of grace.
You can read about that here.
Subsequent to that, he also asked me about tongues. I have obtained his permission to reproduce our email exchange here on this blog as a means of mutual sharing and learning.
From: name withheld
Subject: Tongues
To: "Malcolm Loh"
Date: Tuesday, 24 November, 2009, 10:54 PM
Hi Malcolm,
What is your view on speaking in tongues? Is it a must and is it something that every Christian can receive/do? I have also been troubled by this for years. Good will charismatic Christians have prayed for me, asking me to imitate them in speaking a few "word" to kick off the momentum whatsoever, but to no "success".
Here was my response to him...
To: name withheld
From: Malcolm Loh
Re: Tongues
Date: Wednesday, 25 November, 2009 07:51 AM
Hi bro
I used to be against tongues when I was a youth. There was this youth leader who would go around "showing off" by speaking in tongues and that really put me off.
However, my view has since changed (yet another case of God "child-training" me) :-)
God has actually given us the gift of tongues as a means to communicate with Him spirit to spirit. The devil does not want Christians to experience this and hence he will tell us that it intellectually nonsense.
And therein lies the mental block. The more we try to reason, the more we are unable to speak in tongues. The more intellectual we are, the less we are willing to surrender our tongue for the spirit to take over. I have heard a couple of testimonies from ladies in our church who shared about how many years before they finally got a breakthrough.
In 1 Cor 14:4, Paul says that speaking in tongues helps to edify oneself. The Greek word for edify means "to build oneself up".
There are several other passages that talk about how tongues in good in building oneself up. You can listen to Ps Reuben's sermon on this topic at the following link:
http://www.box.net/shared/yemtqr43du
Coming back to your question about whether speaking in tongues is compulsory. The answer is that it is not. I know many godly Christians who don't. However, it is something that has been given by God for our benefit, so why not?
Don't be pressurised to speak in tongues. If you so desire, let God know and He will definitely make it come to pass. The first time I tried speaking, it also sounded hesitant. However like any language, the more one speaks, the more one becomes fluent in it. It is also the only spiritual gift that God has given us which we can switch on and off at will.
As for myself, I pray in tongues just before giving a presentation or going for an important meeting and believe it or not, it helps calms my nerves :-)
Say, why don't we meet up for a drink or something, so that we can share our spiritual journey? You can contact me at 9029-5677.
Shalom
Malcolm
Sometime last month, I blogged about how a fellow NTU graduate had asked me about healing and discipline in the light of the gospel of grace.
You can read about that here.
Subsequent to that, he also asked me about tongues. I have obtained his permission to reproduce our email exchange here on this blog as a means of mutual sharing and learning.
From: name withheld
Subject: Tongues
To: "Malcolm Loh"
Date: Tuesday, 24 November, 2009, 10:54 PM
Hi Malcolm,
What is your view on speaking in tongues? Is it a must and is it something that every Christian can receive/do? I have also been troubled by this for years. Good will charismatic Christians have prayed for me, asking me to imitate them in speaking a few "word" to kick off the momentum whatsoever, but to no "success".
Here was my response to him...
To: name withheld
From: Malcolm Loh
Re: Tongues
Date: Wednesday, 25 November, 2009 07:51 AM
Hi bro
I used to be against tongues when I was a youth. There was this youth leader who would go around "showing off" by speaking in tongues and that really put me off.
However, my view has since changed (yet another case of God "child-training" me) :-)
God has actually given us the gift of tongues as a means to communicate with Him spirit to spirit. The devil does not want Christians to experience this and hence he will tell us that it intellectually nonsense.
And therein lies the mental block. The more we try to reason, the more we are unable to speak in tongues. The more intellectual we are, the less we are willing to surrender our tongue for the spirit to take over. I have heard a couple of testimonies from ladies in our church who shared about how many years before they finally got a breakthrough.
In 1 Cor 14:4, Paul says that speaking in tongues helps to edify oneself. The Greek word for edify means "to build oneself up".
There are several other passages that talk about how tongues in good in building oneself up. You can listen to Ps Reuben's sermon on this topic at the following link:
http://www.box.net/shared/yemtqr43du
Coming back to your question about whether speaking in tongues is compulsory. The answer is that it is not. I know many godly Christians who don't. However, it is something that has been given by God for our benefit, so why not?
Don't be pressurised to speak in tongues. If you so desire, let God know and He will definitely make it come to pass. The first time I tried speaking, it also sounded hesitant. However like any language, the more one speaks, the more one becomes fluent in it. It is also the only spiritual gift that God has given us which we can switch on and off at will.
As for myself, I pray in tongues just before giving a presentation or going for an important meeting and believe it or not, it helps calms my nerves :-)
Say, why don't we meet up for a drink or something, so that we can share our spiritual journey? You can contact me at 9029-5677.
Shalom
Malcolm
Doctrine A Bit Salah?
Saturday, 23rd January 2010
Last week, we had a cell meeting at my (dad's) place. One of my cell members happened to be sharing when she suddenly talked about Ps Prince and looked at me when she did so :-)
She then said something that is a widely-held view by many fellow Christians -- that his doctrine is a bit salah (which means erroneous in Malay) -- but then went on to say that it was good to emphasise God's grace because in the final analysis, that is why the Creator would want anything to do with His creation.
While the me of several years ago would have taken that opportunity to argue with her, the me of today has realised an intellectual discussion would be futile; it takes the revelation from the Holy Spirit to catch the grace gospel.
I remember with fondness my own spiritual journey. I was steep in Methodism and the last thing I thought would happen to me was to change my point of view. It was in August 2005 that my then-colleague mentioned that he attended this church located at Suntec City and that his pastor was a Indian-Chinese named Pastor Prince. I pictured him to be some cult leader in flowing white robes, and was thus surprised to see him dressed in a suit and tie on the cover of the CD sermons that was this guy left for us to borrow to listen to.
The first sermon I took back to listen to (out of curiosity) in the car caused me to weep like a baby. I went back for more and would remain in the car even after reaching my destination because the messages were so uplifting and refreshing. I agreed 100% with the stand that Jesus' work was finished -- that He had purchased for us our salvation, prosperity, peace of mind, health and wholeness by His perfect work on the cross.
What I struggled with were the sermons he preached about the Law becoming obsolete, that the Ten Commandments were no longer relevant for the New Covenant believer. Worse yet, he even preached that these sacred laws have become weapons that the devil uses against us!!!.
But then, like the Berean Christians who did not just take Paul's words at face value but went back to search the Scriptures, I would meditate on the following verses and passages, which were very obviously talking about the Ten Commandments (which were written by the hand of God, the other laws were dictated to Moses) and that the devil indeed is using these very laws of God against us:
Col 2:14
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
1 Cor 15:56
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
Rom 7:8-11
8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead.
9Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
10I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
11For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.
And so gradually I began to realise it was actually *my* own docrtine that was a bit salah, and not his :-)
Anyway, my prayer is that God will raise even more preachers like Ps Joseph Prnce in these last days so that fellow believers, such as this cell member, will also discover for themselves the gospel of grace and what the finished work of Jesus has accomplished for then. And hence the upcoming "UF Giveway". Amen?
Last week, we had a cell meeting at my (dad's) place. One of my cell members happened to be sharing when she suddenly talked about Ps Prince and looked at me when she did so :-)
She then said something that is a widely-held view by many fellow Christians -- that his doctrine is a bit salah (which means erroneous in Malay) -- but then went on to say that it was good to emphasise God's grace because in the final analysis, that is why the Creator would want anything to do with His creation.
While the me of several years ago would have taken that opportunity to argue with her, the me of today has realised an intellectual discussion would be futile; it takes the revelation from the Holy Spirit to catch the grace gospel.
I remember with fondness my own spiritual journey. I was steep in Methodism and the last thing I thought would happen to me was to change my point of view. It was in August 2005 that my then-colleague mentioned that he attended this church located at Suntec City and that his pastor was a Indian-Chinese named Pastor Prince. I pictured him to be some cult leader in flowing white robes, and was thus surprised to see him dressed in a suit and tie on the cover of the CD sermons that was this guy left for us to borrow to listen to.
The first sermon I took back to listen to (out of curiosity) in the car caused me to weep like a baby. I went back for more and would remain in the car even after reaching my destination because the messages were so uplifting and refreshing. I agreed 100% with the stand that Jesus' work was finished -- that He had purchased for us our salvation, prosperity, peace of mind, health and wholeness by His perfect work on the cross.
What I struggled with were the sermons he preached about the Law becoming obsolete, that the Ten Commandments were no longer relevant for the New Covenant believer. Worse yet, he even preached that these sacred laws have become weapons that the devil uses against us!!!.
But then, like the Berean Christians who did not just take Paul's words at face value but went back to search the Scriptures, I would meditate on the following verses and passages, which were very obviously talking about the Ten Commandments (which were written by the hand of God, the other laws were dictated to Moses) and that the devil indeed is using these very laws of God against us:
Col 2:14
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
1 Cor 15:56
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
Rom 7:8-11
8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead.
9Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
10I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
11For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.
And so gradually I began to realise it was actually *my* own docrtine that was a bit salah, and not his :-)
Anyway, my prayer is that God will raise even more preachers like Ps Joseph Prnce in these last days so that fellow believers, such as this cell member, will also discover for themselves the gospel of grace and what the finished work of Jesus has accomplished for then. And hence the upcoming "UF Giveway". Amen?
Shadow and Substance
Sunday, 17th January 2010
With effect from November 2009, I have also been put in charge of the Finance department of our office in Hong Kong. What this means is that I have to travel there every now and then and stay for up to a week.
I am very much someone who does not really enjoy being away from my family. I keep a photo of my wife and I (that was taken on our wedding day) in my wallet so that I can take it out every now and then to gaze at it whenever I think of her. I also kiss the photo of her.
However, when I am back in Singapore, I do not need to rely on the photo, since she is here in flesh and blood. After all, why settle for the shadow when the substance is here.
A biblical parallel can be seen in the illustration above. In the Old Testament, we see types and shadows such as the passover lamb, the ark of the covenant, manna from heaven, the various feasts and offerings, the sabbath etc. In the New Testament, we have the substance which is Jesus Christ Himself. The Israelites such as Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon and Elijah had to settle for the shadow, because Jesus had not yet come. We who are beneficiaries of the New Covenant have the real substance. Christ is our passover lamb. Christ is our ark of the covenant. Christ is our Bread of Life. Christ fulfilled the various feasts and offerings. Christ is our rest.
Just like how my wife would think I'm crazy if I kiss her photo when she is with me in person, many believers nowadays still have an Old Covenant mentality of holding on the laws of Moses and settling for the types and shadows even though Christ has finished the work and He, the substance, is already here with us.
May we partake of the substance and not settle for the types and shadows. Amen?
With effect from November 2009, I have also been put in charge of the Finance department of our office in Hong Kong. What this means is that I have to travel there every now and then and stay for up to a week.
However, when I am back in Singapore, I do not need to rely on the photo, since she is here in flesh and blood. After all, why settle for the shadow when the substance is here.
A biblical parallel can be seen in the illustration above. In the Old Testament, we see types and shadows such as the passover lamb, the ark of the covenant, manna from heaven, the various feasts and offerings, the sabbath etc. In the New Testament, we have the substance which is Jesus Christ Himself. The Israelites such as Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon and Elijah had to settle for the shadow, because Jesus had not yet come. We who are beneficiaries of the New Covenant have the real substance. Christ is our passover lamb. Christ is our ark of the covenant. Christ is our Bread of Life. Christ fulfilled the various feasts and offerings. Christ is our rest.
Just like how my wife would think I'm crazy if I kiss her photo when she is with me in person, many believers nowadays still have an Old Covenant mentality of holding on the laws of Moses and settling for the types and shadows even though Christ has finished the work and He, the substance, is already here with us.
May we partake of the substance and not settle for the types and shadows. Amen?
Sowing the Firstfruits of a Bumper Crop Back into Fertile Soil
Saturday, 16th January 2010
I really want to testify to the Lord's goodness in the dektos year of 2009.
He has really prospered my career exceedingly abundantly over and above what I could ever ask or imagine.
In a year where many in the world had their pay cut or even lost their jobs, God actually increased my annual package significantly, allowing me to tithe up to 3 times what I was previously able to.
I then spent the next couple of days seeking the Lord as to what He wanted me to do with the firstfruits of this harvest.
I really want to testify to the Lord's goodness in the dektos year of 2009.
He has really prospered my career exceedingly abundantly over and above what I could ever ask or imagine.
In a year where many in the world had their pay cut or even lost their jobs, God actually increased my annual package significantly, allowing me to tithe up to 3 times what I was previously able to.
And just this week, I got the biggest bumper crop ever (even better than 2006, 2007 or 2008).
The first thing I did was to write out a cheque of $5,555.55 (5 being the number of grace) as a firstfruits offering of this harvest. I also dated the cheque on the 15th, (which was deliberate since 15 is a mutiple of 5, the number of grace).
I then spent the next couple of days seeking the Lord as to what He wanted me to do with the firstfruits of this harvest.
Well, through a series of seemingly-random events, He showed me very very clearly which fertile soil to sow into (which I am currently not at liberty to reveal publicly on this blog).
And with this, I am expecting an even more bountiful harvest in 2010, the year of restful increase and am looking forward to testifying on this blog in the not too distant future. Amen?
God is indeed an awesome God! Hallelujah!
Time is of the Essence
Sunday, 10th January 2010
Last year, when I was still on sabbatical leave from my church, I would call up the church office on a Friday to find out who was preaching that particular coming Sunday. If it was other than Rev Reuben Ng, my wife and I would end up going to NewCre. If Rev Reuben was preaching, then we would go to our home church.
Well, now that my sabbatical has ended, I have not seen the need to call up the church office anymore. So it was a pleasant surprise that Rev Reuben took the pulpit again this morning, having done so only 2 weeks ago :-)
His 64th sermon, entitled "Time is of the Essence" (hence the title of today's blog entry) is based on Jn 17:3 and Rom 8:28-29. He addressed the commonly-held misconception that "eternal life" refers to life after we leave planet earth.
This sounded so familiar because I blogged on this very topic back in Nov 09! Hey Rev, have you been reading my blog? ;-)
But the truth of the matter is probably that the same Holy Spirit has been giving the members of Christ's body the same revelation that eternal life is actually knowing God and that journey starts the moment one becomes a believer.
My church is currently on this theme "Sending -- Making Disciples of Christ". I am glad that Rev Reuben has helped to remove this notion that discipleship is something that is hard work, sacrificial and without joy. Discipleship is the exciting and wonderful journey of knowing God more and more.
This is so that we can become more and more conformed into the likeness of Christ as Paul says in Rom 8:29:
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
As an illustration, discipleship is being like Mary, sitting at Jesus' feet, relaxing and enjoying His presence. Discipleship is *NOT* being like Martha, busying herself and being troubled about many things. Hallelujah!
You can listen to Rev Reuben's sermon "Time is of the Essence" at the following link:
http://www.box.net/shared/iya2kslryl
Last year, when I was still on sabbatical leave from my church, I would call up the church office on a Friday to find out who was preaching that particular coming Sunday. If it was other than Rev Reuben Ng, my wife and I would end up going to NewCre. If Rev Reuben was preaching, then we would go to our home church.
Well, now that my sabbatical has ended, I have not seen the need to call up the church office anymore. So it was a pleasant surprise that Rev Reuben took the pulpit again this morning, having done so only 2 weeks ago :-)
His 64th sermon, entitled "Time is of the Essence" (hence the title of today's blog entry) is based on Jn 17:3 and Rom 8:28-29. He addressed the commonly-held misconception that "eternal life" refers to life after we leave planet earth.
This sounded so familiar because I blogged on this very topic back in Nov 09! Hey Rev, have you been reading my blog? ;-)
But the truth of the matter is probably that the same Holy Spirit has been giving the members of Christ's body the same revelation that eternal life is actually knowing God and that journey starts the moment one becomes a believer.
My church is currently on this theme "Sending -- Making Disciples of Christ". I am glad that Rev Reuben has helped to remove this notion that discipleship is something that is hard work, sacrificial and without joy. Discipleship is the exciting and wonderful journey of knowing God more and more.
This is so that we can become more and more conformed into the likeness of Christ as Paul says in Rom 8:29:
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
As an illustration, discipleship is being like Mary, sitting at Jesus' feet, relaxing and enjoying His presence. Discipleship is *NOT* being like Martha, busying herself and being troubled about many things. Hallelujah!
You can listen to Rev Reuben's sermon "Time is of the Essence" at the following link:
http://www.box.net/shared/iya2kslryl
Relac La Brudder!
Saturday, 9th January 2010
I have mentioned before that my church used to be extremely "traditional" but thanks be to Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup, there has been a gradual opening up.
I was serving in the choir back in the late 1980s and recall a conversation I had with a fellow brother. He said to me, "There is no such thing as a clap offering. Show me in the Bible an occasion where the people of God offered to Him a clap offering.".
There have also been several occasions when I have heard preachers using this very verse to tell their congregation that because God is holy and righteous, we ought to keep still in His presence to show Him our honour and respect.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
In fact, the word "be still" in the original Hebrew is רָפָ×” (raphah) Strong's H7503, which means to relax, let go, to slacken. Although there are winds and waves around us, we just need to rest and relax and know that He is God Almighty and will take care of those winds and waves around us.
And there was a song called "Still" that was written by Reuben Morgan, a worship pastor at Hillsong Church based on this very psalm.
Hide me now under your wings
Cover me within your mighty hand
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God
Find rest my soul in Christ alone
Know His power in quietness and trust
I did not attend NewCre the past couple of weeks but I understand from my friends who worship there thast Ps Prince has also been emphasing in his sermons the need for the believer to be at rest.
So the next time someone tells you to be still and know that He is God in a reprimanding tone or manner, tell him "relac lah brudder!" "God is in charge!" "Stand at ease." "Senang diri." Amen?
I have mentioned before that my church used to be extremely "traditional" but thanks be to Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup, there has been a gradual opening up.
I was serving in the choir back in the late 1980s and recall a conversation I had with a fellow brother. He said to me, "There is no such thing as a clap offering. Show me in the Bible an occasion where the people of God offered to Him a clap offering.".
He also said that there was no need to raise our hands when worshipping God and quoted the famous verse from Ps 46:10 which says, "Be still and know that I am God." to support this view of his.
There have also been several occasions when I have heard preachers using this very verse to tell their congregation that because God is holy and righteous, we ought to keep still in His presence to show Him our honour and respect. As an illustration, those of you who are in army or police force will have to be familiar with two Malay words -- "sedia" and "senang diri" which means "stand at attention" and "stand at ease". When the President walks past the contigent of soldiers during the National Day celebrations, they are all expected to stand in a "sedia" position (ie. at attention) as a sign of honour and respect.
But is that what this verse is depicting? Let's look at that psalm in its entirety, shall we?
Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah 8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Notice that throughout the psalm, God is the one who is at work. The believer is the who just needs to be at rest and be in awe at how God takes care of the circumstances surrounding him!!! What a revelation!
In fact, the word "be still" in the original Hebrew is רָפָ×” (raphah) Strong's H7503, which means to relax, let go, to slacken. Although there are winds and waves around us, we just need to rest and relax and know that He is God Almighty and will take care of those winds and waves around us.
And there was a song called "Still" that was written by Reuben Morgan, a worship pastor at Hillsong Church based on this very psalm.
Hide me now under your wings
Cover me within your mighty hand
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God
Find rest my soul in Christ alone
Know His power in quietness and trust
I did not attend NewCre the past couple of weeks but I understand from my friends who worship there thast Ps Prince has also been emphasing in his sermons the need for the believer to be at rest.
So the next time someone tells you to be still and know that He is God in a reprimanding tone or manner, tell him "relac lah brudder!" "God is in charge!" "Stand at ease." "Senang diri." Amen?
Ushering In the New Decade
Sunday, 3rd January 2010
It has indeed been a very eventful weekend to usher in the new decade :-)
It has indeed been a very eventful weekend to usher in the new decade :-)Yesterday evening, we had a start-of-year cell gathering at the home of our cell leader Cher Young. There was lots of great food and drinks.
And like a good practicing Methodist, I did not touch a single drop of alcohol. Scouts' honour! The bottle you see me holding on the right was actually an empty one.
And like a good practicing Methodist, I did not touch a single drop of alcohol. Scouts' honour! The bottle you see me holding on the right was actually an empty one.
You can check out other photos of that gathering on Facebook at the link below:
And this morning, we welcomed the 3 new pastors that were posted to our church effective 1 January 2010. Rev Dr Jonathan Seet, our new Pastor-in-charge, needed no introduction because he grew up amongst us here. In fact, he said he was glad to "balek kampung" (ie. to come or go back home).
But what really moved me to tears was how he ended his sermon by saying a heartfelt prayer on our church's behalf, inviting the Lord Jesus Christ to take His rightful place of lordship and kingship in PLMC.
When Jesus takes centre stage, wonderful things are sure to happen, and so I look forward to our church reaching greater heights as a result of this. Hallelujah!
When Jesus takes centre stage, wonderful things are sure to happen, and so I look forward to our church reaching greater heights as a result of this. Hallelujah!
God is With Us = God is For Us
Saturday, 2nd January 2010
Last Sunday, I heard the very first sermon by Reverend Reuben Ng.
To be more specific, it was the first sermon that he preached in PLMC as Reverend (previously he was Ps Reuben Ng), after being ordained as a deacon of the Methodist Church at the tail end of November 2009 :-)
And I have to say it is one of his best sermons ever!!!
In his message, based on Rom 8:31-32, he tells us that as a result of God being with us (which is what Emmanuel means and what Christmas is all about), we can also conclude that God is for us.
What was a great revelation to me was the context in which Emmanuel was used in the Scriptures. In Isa 7, it is recorded that Ahaz, king of the southern kingdom of Judah was about to be attacked by Pekah, king of the northern kingdom of Israel and Rezin, king of Aram (old name for Iran). Just imagine that, God's people were now divided into the northern and southern kingdoms, and the north wanted to join forces with the enemy to attack the south.
Verse 2, in particular, reads,
2 Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
2 Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
King Ahaz and his people in the kingdom of Judah were terrified to the extent that their hearts were shaking, so God sent the prophet Isaiah to him to assure them of His presence. The irony is that Ahaz did not have faith, so God Himself took the initiative by giving the king a sign! We read this in verses 13 and 14
13 Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Hallelujah! What an awesome God! We can see that even during the Old Covenant, God continued to look out for His people, even when they had disobeyed Him and lost faith in Him. What more will He look out for us, we who are His people this side of the cross.
I really want to thank the Lord for providing the church of my forefathers a man of God who has only been in the ministry for two-odd years, yet preaches with such an anointing that gives one the impression that he has been around for the longest time. May God continue to use Rev Reuben mightily. Amen?
You can download and listen to "God is For Us" at the following link:
Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish
Friday, 1st January 2010
Wow, how time flies :-)
In a twinkling of an eye, it is not only a brand new year but a brand new decade!!!
As we enter into the 2010s, I really want to thank the LORD for seeing me through yet another year. Indeed, 2009 has been a dektos year, like what Ps Joseph Prince declared. There has been a series of breakthroughs, one after another. He has especially blessed my career above and beyond what I could ever ask or imagine, and caused circumstances to happen so that I could end my sabbatical. Once again, my entire family has been reunited and can worship together in the church of my forefathers. Hallelujah!
As a youth, I remember hearing the phrase "good riddance to bad rubbish". This really sums up the situation in my spiritual journey. Like Paul says, we need to forget what lies behind and reach out to what lies ahead. Sure, there were lots of nonsensical rubbish that were being spewed in the past about us being able to lose our salvation, us being appraised by God, us having to obey the law in order to be healed, etc but God has gotten rid of every single bit of it. The slate has been wiped clean and 2010 marks a brand new start. Thank you Lord!!!
I also remember fondly a song that was written all of 30 years ago called Happy New Year by a Swedish band that was very popular back then called ABBA. There was a part of the song that goes as follows:
"It's the end of a decade
In another ten years time
Who can say what we'll find
What lies waiting down the line
At the end of eighty-nine..."
This song was written in 1979 but it sure applies in 2009 as well, except that the last line should read "at the end of nineteen".
Listening to it gives one a kind of bitter-sweet feeling because Agnetha Falskog (the blonde one) sings with apprehension about what the future holds. Well, we who are beneficiaries of the New Covenant can answer her question with, "we should find good things at the end of 2019 because we have a good God." Amen?
Dear friends, 2010 is going to be a year of God's unmerited favour. May it be unto us according to His Word!!!
Wow, how time flies :-)
In a twinkling of an eye, it is not only a brand new year but a brand new decade!!!
As we enter into the 2010s, I really want to thank the LORD for seeing me through yet another year. Indeed, 2009 has been a dektos year, like what Ps Joseph Prince declared. There has been a series of breakthroughs, one after another. He has especially blessed my career above and beyond what I could ever ask or imagine, and caused circumstances to happen so that I could end my sabbatical. Once again, my entire family has been reunited and can worship together in the church of my forefathers. Hallelujah!
As a youth, I remember hearing the phrase "good riddance to bad rubbish". This really sums up the situation in my spiritual journey. Like Paul says, we need to forget what lies behind and reach out to what lies ahead. Sure, there were lots of nonsensical rubbish that were being spewed in the past about us being able to lose our salvation, us being appraised by God, us having to obey the law in order to be healed, etc but God has gotten rid of every single bit of it. The slate has been wiped clean and 2010 marks a brand new start. Thank you Lord!!!
I also remember fondly a song that was written all of 30 years ago called Happy New Year by a Swedish band that was very popular back then called ABBA. There was a part of the song that goes as follows:
"It's the end of a decade
In another ten years time
Who can say what we'll find
What lies waiting down the line
At the end of eighty-nine..."
This song was written in 1979 but it sure applies in 2009 as well, except that the last line should read "at the end of nineteen".
Listening to it gives one a kind of bitter-sweet feeling because Agnetha Falskog (the blonde one) sings with apprehension about what the future holds. Well, we who are beneficiaries of the New Covenant can answer her question with, "we should find good things at the end of 2019 because we have a good God." Amen?
Dear friends, 2010 is going to be a year of God's unmerited favour. May it be unto us according to His Word!!!
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