Thursday, 3rd June 2010
I don't usually blog on weekdays but will make an exception today.
I believe the biggest news amongst Christians in blogosphere is what appeared in the local press a couple days ago regarding what is currently the biggest megachurch in Singapore, namely City Harvest Church.
I will be very honest about this. I do not like Kong Hee. I love him as a brother-in-Christ, but I do not like the man. His sermon series on antinomianism drove a wedge between his church and NewCre and also his recent disparaging remarks about Ps Prince not only insults Ps Prince but also the intelligence of those that embrace the grace gospel, and discredits the spiritual journey of discovering what the true gospel that people like yours truly has travelled in the past 5 years or so.
Anyway, I have been putting links on my FB status to articles about him plagiarising the works of other Christian authors without realising that it was only the tip of the iceberg. When hell broke loose after the Asia Conference about the financial irregularities, I brought this to the attention of a handful of CityHarvesters.
One of them (who is an ex-colleague of mine) became upset and we had a conversation on Facebook as follows. I have withheld his name to protect his privacy...
Miko, June 1 at 11:49pm
Dear Malcolm,
Seriously, I can't believe that you are still not over this debate over grace. Did the preaching of 10 commandments disgust you so much that you have to demean a pastor publicly? Do you have to be so mean?! And why are we even debating over a book that was written more than 2000 years ago?! When I first write to you, I thought you were something more than that.
I mean... Does it even matter what do you sincerely believe? We can go into the little details on our doctrine differences, argue till the cows come home and spit venom at each other but is it worth it?
Regardless where one come from or what kind of doctrine one is taught, I believe that when the time comes, we will all be in heaven. It doesn't matter which church you attend. New creation, city harvest or that neighborhood church just round the corner. Everyone attends a church not because we have too much time in our hand. I believe the reason why people will make time to be in a church every week is because the people have a genuine love for god. God is more intelligent than us... if we love God and love his people, we will be alright.
In the mean time, what we can do more with is tolerance for differences and love for his people. This is what the world needs. Not another f#$king debate about religion. Seriously...
I hope you get my point.
Sincerely,
Miko
Malcolm Loh, June 2 at 9:17am
Hey Miko
Calm down now. You need not get so defensive over your pastor. At the end of the day, it is Jesus that rox, not Kong Hee or Prince or any other pastor.
Paul said in 1 Cor 15:56 that "the strength of sin is the law", so those that promote the 10 commandments do not realise that they are asking for a revival of sin! And that is exactly what is happening in your church, sad to say. What is the point of holding a conference of 100,000 Christians when the very next day, 100,000 pre-believers get pissed off with Christianity.
Paul also said in Rom 7:7 that he only knew what covetousness was when he was taught "thou shalt not covet"?
Don't you get it? Your pastor may have the best of intentions, but intentions, however noble, will have the worst outcome if he is law-based. Paul himself had good intentions when he went around arresting the early Christians; he thought he was doing His God a favour.
And so, it is no surprise to me that City Harvest is in the state where it is now. If you sow into the law, what you reap is sin. Plain and simple.
So you may ask how does one be directed if there are no ten commandments? The Holy Spirit takes over. He writes the commandment in our hearts and guides us on what to do and what not to do.
Hope you get my point...
Sincerely
Malcolm
Miko, June 2 at 10:44pm
Dear Malcolm,
I think anyone who reads my message will know that I am not defending my pastor. If he is wrong, he will be dealt with. I just find it strange that you are making so much noise in this saga than the people who contributed to the church funds. Did you even have anything to do with this thing?!
One more time just in case you are so blind not to see my point, I am not in anyway defending my pastor. What I am is that I am pissed with religious zealots who make it their life mission to correct what other people believe.
In this context, I think the islam extremists are even a level better than you. At least they display intolerance to other faith only. But in your case, your intolerance spreads even to other churches with a different teaching from yours though we believe in the same God.
Why can't we just accept each other's differences and shut up. Muslim, christians, buddhists, gay, straight or whatever. It doesn't matter. Everyone has the right to choose and we should respect their choice. This world will be a better place.
Just to turn you on, I give you right this time. I believe that what you say is true. The bible phrases that you quote is so profoundly true and encouraging. The church is in this state now because pastor kong preach the law. We should be all on our knees and repent.
I have totally lost my respect for you Malcolm. I hope you are happy.
Sincerely,
Miko
Malcolm Loh June 2 at 10:59pm
dear miko
may i remind you that it was your pastor who started finding fault with newcre's teachings. the series on antinomianism was him casting the first stone.
and please take note is not newcre or me thowing stones back. it is the cad and police that are doing the investigating.
all i am saying is that i am not surprised about what is happening because one who places so much emphasis on keeping the ten commandments ends up being the one who breaks them too.
and i do not need your respect for me, miko. what keeps me going is not the approval of man, but the assurance that God loves me and that newcre's teachings are correct :-)
[Afternote: subsequent to publishing this blog entry, Miko fired this final salvo]
Miko, June 4 at 12:34am
Dear Malcolm,
So this is what it is all about. Revenge. Like a kid who has not grown up. You are so cheap to deliver a low blow man. Your action and your mentioning regarding God disgust me. If I ever disown my faith, it is because of people like you who talks about God all day long yet shows no love to his people. Major contradiction, absolute stupidity. I hope that assurance of God will make you happy.
Fuck off...
Sincerely,
Miko
I was unable to respond to him because he had not only unfriended me on Facebook but also blocked me from doing so :-)
And the sad thing is that he is what the average CityHarvester is like. Miko looks like he is in his late twenties, and has been attending that church for nearly 10 years. He is young, vibrant, full of energy, but sorely lacking in spiritual fundamentals. Not once did he use scripture to back up his arguments. (In fact, his only reference to the Bible was that it was a book written more than 2,000 years ago). When I quoted him 1 Cor 15:56 and Rom 7:7, he did not do what the Bereans did in examining the Scriptures to see what I said was true, but instead mocked it off as though it didn't matter one way or another.
And if his being a Christian is based on how charismatic his pastor is or his impression of other Christians rather than on Jesus Himself, then I shudder to think how many of the ?33,000 became "Christians" more so because they could be part of the monstrous social network that Kong Hee had built.
Do pray for Miko and the other CityHarvesters that God will help them to shift their focus onto Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, rather than on their pastor or other Christians. An exodus is likely to happen, and may they find their promised land in One-North :-)
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
It's the Message, Not the Messenger
Saturday, 22nd May 2010
A couple of days ago, I was having tea at IMM with fellow bloggers Stanley (The Logical Christian) and Kenny (Blogpastor). We were discussing about how Kong Hee has gotten himself into a bit of hot soup as a result of the devotional articles on his website appearing to have been plagiarised from other sources, and how this might ultimately affect his flock.
For further details on this, do check out the site CHEAT GRACE (no, it's not a typo. it's cheat grace, not cheap grace).
At present, City Harvest claims to have some 33,000 members but in reality, attendance is more in the 25,000 to 27,000 range. They arrived at 33,000 because they keep a nominal roll of visitors, but one-time visitors do not equate to regular attendees.
On the other hand, NewCre's attendance has been steadily creeping up and is now around 22,000 to 24,000. I was there with my wifey some time last month and was amazed to see queues forming at Gallery West as well! Previously, the queue was only for those wanting to get into the Rock Auditorium. The overflow rooms at the SITEC end are so full that they now have added an extra hall on the 6th floor.
I recall back in Sep 2007 how the owner of Hexacon Construction had shared a testimony about how God appeared to him in a vision telling him that he would help build the largest church in Singapore. At that point in time, he probably thought God was referring to City Harvest. Having been appointed as the main contractor of One-North, what this would mean is that by the time One-North is ready in 2012, NewCre's attendance would have surpassed City Harvest's. And the controversy surrounding Kong Hee's devotional materials is only going to cause that prophecy to be fulfilled, sooner rather than later.
Another topic that we discussed was the phenomenal growth of The New Covenant Church (tNCChurch), a church based in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia that was established by fellow grace embracer, Peter Sze.
He used to be a Methodist layman but when he was in Melbourne visiting his son, someone prophesied over him saying that God wanted him to be a pastor. And so, in Nov 2009, after 35 years of serving in his previous church, he formed tNCChurch with just 30 members. But in a matter of just 6 months, the church has grown nearly sevenfold to more than 200!
What we concluded from the above was that it is the message and not the messenger that matters. NewCre is growing because Ps Joseph Prince and his fellow pastors focus on unveiling Jesus and His finished work. tNCChurch is growing because Peter Sze magnifies the person of Jesus and the completeness of the work He did for us on the cross. When the gospel is preached in all its pure truth and unadulterated fullness, people are fed and lives are touched, and God causes the flock to multiply. Conversely, if preachers rely on their own smarts or worse yet, criticise those who have been raised by God to preach the message of grace, then the sad fact is that God cannot continue to bless their ministries (they are actually behaving like Saul in kicking against the goads) and it will only be a matter of time before their flock starts to dwindle as well.
So folks, it's the message, not the messenger. Ps Prince himself ever said that he is only the messenger boy. Having said that, do pray for Kong Hee, Peter Koh, Barnabas Chong and other law-based preachers like them. The moment they realise where they have gone wrong and start to become grace-based, there is no reason why God cannot use them for His kingdom work. After all, it's the message, not the messenger. Amen?
A couple of days ago, I was having tea at IMM with fellow bloggers Stanley (The Logical Christian) and Kenny (Blogpastor). We were discussing about how Kong Hee has gotten himself into a bit of hot soup as a result of the devotional articles on his website appearing to have been plagiarised from other sources, and how this might ultimately affect his flock.
For further details on this, do check out the site CHEAT GRACE (no, it's not a typo. it's cheat grace, not cheap grace).
At present, City Harvest claims to have some 33,000 members but in reality, attendance is more in the 25,000 to 27,000 range. They arrived at 33,000 because they keep a nominal roll of visitors, but one-time visitors do not equate to regular attendees.
On the other hand, NewCre's attendance has been steadily creeping up and is now around 22,000 to 24,000. I was there with my wifey some time last month and was amazed to see queues forming at Gallery West as well! Previously, the queue was only for those wanting to get into the Rock Auditorium. The overflow rooms at the SITEC end are so full that they now have added an extra hall on the 6th floor.
I recall back in Sep 2007 how the owner of Hexacon Construction had shared a testimony about how God appeared to him in a vision telling him that he would help build the largest church in Singapore. At that point in time, he probably thought God was referring to City Harvest. Having been appointed as the main contractor of One-North, what this would mean is that by the time One-North is ready in 2012, NewCre's attendance would have surpassed City Harvest's. And the controversy surrounding Kong Hee's devotional materials is only going to cause that prophecy to be fulfilled, sooner rather than later.
Another topic that we discussed was the phenomenal growth of The New Covenant Church (tNCChurch), a church based in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia that was established by fellow grace embracer, Peter Sze.
He used to be a Methodist layman but when he was in Melbourne visiting his son, someone prophesied over him saying that God wanted him to be a pastor. And so, in Nov 2009, after 35 years of serving in his previous church, he formed tNCChurch with just 30 members. But in a matter of just 6 months, the church has grown nearly sevenfold to more than 200!
What we concluded from the above was that it is the message and not the messenger that matters. NewCre is growing because Ps Joseph Prince and his fellow pastors focus on unveiling Jesus and His finished work. tNCChurch is growing because Peter Sze magnifies the person of Jesus and the completeness of the work He did for us on the cross. When the gospel is preached in all its pure truth and unadulterated fullness, people are fed and lives are touched, and God causes the flock to multiply. Conversely, if preachers rely on their own smarts or worse yet, criticise those who have been raised by God to preach the message of grace, then the sad fact is that God cannot continue to bless their ministries (they are actually behaving like Saul in kicking against the goads) and it will only be a matter of time before their flock starts to dwindle as well.
So folks, it's the message, not the messenger. Ps Prince himself ever said that he is only the messenger boy. Having said that, do pray for Kong Hee, Peter Koh, Barnabas Chong and other law-based preachers like them. The moment they realise where they have gone wrong and start to become grace-based, there is no reason why God cannot use them for His kingdom work. After all, it's the message, not the messenger. Amen?
WTF? FTW! TFW! TWF!
Saturday, 20th March 2010
One of the expressions that many teenagers like to use is "WTF", which stands for "What the f**k". It is a crude expression of shock, anger, unpleasant surprise, etc. Someone novel then came up with "FTW", which stands for "for the win" or "for the wind". It is "WTF" in reverse, and is hence used to express happiness, ecstasy, pleasant surprise and so on.
A couple of Sundays ago, Rev Reuben Ng was telling the youths that as Christians, they should refrain from using such vulgarities, to which some bright sparks among them said that WTF can actually stand for "Wow, that's fantastic!" or "wow, that's fabulous!"
At the risk of appearing irreverent and even blasphemous (and like how fellow NTUCF alumnus FT Liu would put as "pushing the envelope"), I was reflecting upon this when an idea came to my head.
One of the foundations of the grace gospel is the finished work of Christ. And so, I figured it would be thought-provoking to have a picture of Jesus exclaiming on the cross "TWF!" or "The work is finished!", as a spoof of "WTF!" :-)
Many things that originate from the devil, we can turn it around and use it for God's glory. For example, crucifixion was inspired by the evil one to be the cruelest form of punishment. Yet it became the very tool that God used to defeat Satan, and a symbol that people identify Christians by.
Oh by the way, I have quite a collection of Christian-themed T-shirts, several of which were designed by yours truly and which I send to this shop at HDB Hub called Spectrum Designs to print. And the above one will be the latest one to be added to it.
P.S. TFW stands for "the finished work" while TWF stands for "the work's finished"
P.S. TFW stands for "the finished work" while TWF stands for "the work's finished"
You Need a Third Party for a Marriage to Work
Saturday, 13th March 2010
A few months ago, we read about how golf wonder Tiger Woods cheated on his wife.
Just last month, we read about England soccer player John Terry cheating on his.
And then, just this week, the impact became even closer to home because Singapore's very own homegrown film producer Jack Neo, a father of four and married for 26 years, was also caught in a web of infidelity.
But what made the stark difference (to me anyway) between men like Tiger and John on the one hand, and Jack Neo on the other, is that Jack is a Christian.
Christians are supposed to understand that the wedding vows that we have made are not just made before mortal men, but before a covenant-keeping God. What God has joined together, men is not to separate.
Well, Jack and his wife Irene were not Christians when they tied the knot. They only became Christians very, very recently -- less than a year to be precise. His affair with that 22-year old model started about 2 years ago, and all his other misdeeds were done before he came to know Christ. But the moment he became a Christian and the Holy Spirit indwelled him, he began to realise that it was not right for him to continue with the relationship, and it was only a matter of time before he knew that he had to break off with that girl. The Holy Spirit convicts the believer that his body is God's temple and not to defile it.
I watched the press conference and give my whole-hearted support for what he and Irene did. They are considered one-flesh in the eyes of God, and their appearance together as a unit reflected that truth. It was especially not easy for her to appear before the press and she fainted as a result. But it took lots of courage on their part, and because they honour God, God will honour them. Yes, the world may mock and scorn them and say that everything was staged, but God knows the sincerity of their hearts and will definitely cause something good to come out of all this.
So are all men pigs that are prone to stray? My honest answer to that is yes. Even the most decent-looking and family-oriented person like Jack Neo did. And especially so if the man is in a position of power or influence. Such a man has a tendency to think too highly of himself and his boundaries or out-of-bound markers start to become fuzzy. What makes it worse is there are women out there who are attracted to men of status.
I remember when I was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers back in 2000 and was put in-charge of a million-dollar project involving the migration of shares from Singapore to Malaysia. There was this intern (probably in her late teens) who was waiting to go to the university whom I would see practically everyday because meetings with the client were being held on the 17th floor, and she was working there as a temporary receptionist. On her last day of work, she suddenly came up to me and asked me to take a photograph with her! I told her politely that I did not mind taking a group photograph with her, but I could see disappointment in her face.
As a result of embracing the grace gospel, God has blessed me with a BMW. While this is primarily the evidence to indicate to fellow Christians (especially those still in the law camp) that God can and does bless us materially, the "downside" is that people of the world (both men and women) tend to give such drivers a second glance, the former with envy and the latter with admiration. That is why I chose to get an X5 (which is a family-friendly MPV) rather than say a Z4 (which is a two-seater convertible).
The problem with many marriages breaking down is due to expectations not being fulfilled. The husband has certain expectations of his wife and if she does not meet them, the evil one will start putting thoughts in his head about this other woman who is "better" than his wife. Similarly, the wife has certain expectations of her husband and if he does not meet them, the devil will likewise put thoughts in her head that perhaps there is this other guy who is more thoughtful than her husband.
So what is the solution? This brings me back to the title of today's post. We need a third party for a marriage to work -- and His name is Jesus. Ecc 4:12 tells us that "a threefold cord is not easily broken". Rather than placing expectations upon each other, both husband and wife should instead depend on Jesus to fulfill their needs. He is more than able to do so. And the sweet irony is that as we look to Him for fulfillment and draw nearer to Him, we actually end up drawing nearer to our spouse!
And this biblical truth is unveiled by Ps Joseph Prince in his DVD album entitled "Christ is the Centre of Happy Marriages, which you can check out at the following link:
http://www.destined2reign.com/onlinestore/p-1375-christ-is-the-centre-of-happy-marriages-dvd-album-ntsc.aspx
Meanwhile, let's keep Jack and Irene and their 4 children in prayer. Many of the J Team staff and crew are not yet believers, and I believe God is able to supernaturally restore their marriage (now that both of them are Christians) and through their testimony lead others to Him as well.
A few months ago, we read about how golf wonder Tiger Woods cheated on his wife.
Just last month, we read about England soccer player John Terry cheating on his.
And then, just this week, the impact became even closer to home because Singapore's very own homegrown film producer Jack Neo, a father of four and married for 26 years, was also caught in a web of infidelity.
But what made the stark difference (to me anyway) between men like Tiger and John on the one hand, and Jack Neo on the other, is that Jack is a Christian.
Christians are supposed to understand that the wedding vows that we have made are not just made before mortal men, but before a covenant-keeping God. What God has joined together, men is not to separate.
Well, Jack and his wife Irene were not Christians when they tied the knot. They only became Christians very, very recently -- less than a year to be precise. His affair with that 22-year old model started about 2 years ago, and all his other misdeeds were done before he came to know Christ. But the moment he became a Christian and the Holy Spirit indwelled him, he began to realise that it was not right for him to continue with the relationship, and it was only a matter of time before he knew that he had to break off with that girl. The Holy Spirit convicts the believer that his body is God's temple and not to defile it.
I watched the press conference and give my whole-hearted support for what he and Irene did. They are considered one-flesh in the eyes of God, and their appearance together as a unit reflected that truth. It was especially not easy for her to appear before the press and she fainted as a result. But it took lots of courage on their part, and because they honour God, God will honour them. Yes, the world may mock and scorn them and say that everything was staged, but God knows the sincerity of their hearts and will definitely cause something good to come out of all this.
So are all men pigs that are prone to stray? My honest answer to that is yes. Even the most decent-looking and family-oriented person like Jack Neo did. And especially so if the man is in a position of power or influence. Such a man has a tendency to think too highly of himself and his boundaries or out-of-bound markers start to become fuzzy. What makes it worse is there are women out there who are attracted to men of status.
I remember when I was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers back in 2000 and was put in-charge of a million-dollar project involving the migration of shares from Singapore to Malaysia. There was this intern (probably in her late teens) who was waiting to go to the university whom I would see practically everyday because meetings with the client were being held on the 17th floor, and she was working there as a temporary receptionist. On her last day of work, she suddenly came up to me and asked me to take a photograph with her! I told her politely that I did not mind taking a group photograph with her, but I could see disappointment in her face.
As a result of embracing the grace gospel, God has blessed me with a BMW. While this is primarily the evidence to indicate to fellow Christians (especially those still in the law camp) that God can and does bless us materially, the "downside" is that people of the world (both men and women) tend to give such drivers a second glance, the former with envy and the latter with admiration. That is why I chose to get an X5 (which is a family-friendly MPV) rather than say a Z4 (which is a two-seater convertible).
The problem with many marriages breaking down is due to expectations not being fulfilled. The husband has certain expectations of his wife and if she does not meet them, the evil one will start putting thoughts in his head about this other woman who is "better" than his wife. Similarly, the wife has certain expectations of her husband and if he does not meet them, the devil will likewise put thoughts in her head that perhaps there is this other guy who is more thoughtful than her husband.
So what is the solution? This brings me back to the title of today's post. We need a third party for a marriage to work -- and His name is Jesus. Ecc 4:12 tells us that "a threefold cord is not easily broken". Rather than placing expectations upon each other, both husband and wife should instead depend on Jesus to fulfill their needs. He is more than able to do so. And the sweet irony is that as we look to Him for fulfillment and draw nearer to Him, we actually end up drawing nearer to our spouse!
And this biblical truth is unveiled by Ps Joseph Prince in his DVD album entitled "Christ is the Centre of Happy Marriages, which you can check out at the following link:
http://www.destined2reign.com/onlinestore/p-1375-christ-is-the-centre-of-happy-marriages-dvd-album-ntsc.aspx
Meanwhile, let's keep Jack and Irene and their 4 children in prayer. Many of the J Team staff and crew are not yet believers, and I believe God is able to supernaturally restore their marriage (now that both of them are Christians) and through their testimony lead others to Him as well.
A Prophecy Fulfilled
Sunday, 7th March 2010
I've got an awesome testimony that I want to give glory to the Lord for.
In December last year, I had blogged about how Rev Peter Koh, the ex-senior pastor of my church had written on my birthday card "You will reap what you sow" and how my initial reaction was not really very positive because it sounded like a warning. Thanks be to God that because I now understand His gospel of grace, my subsequent reaction became more positive because sowing and reaping in the New Covenant only applies to God's Word and monetary support.
And so in January 2010, I decided to do exactly that. I had just received a wonderful bumper crop and was prompted by the Lord to sow $5,555.55 as a firstfruit into what He had clearly indicated to me was extremely fertile soil. Just like a farmer who sows seed and expects that seed to produce a harvest, I confess unashamedly that I was expecting a bountiful harvest from that sowing.
Well, what I did not expect was for God to provide the harvest so quickly! Indeed, He provides exceedingly abundantly over and above what I could ever ask or imagine. A tenfold windfall will be coming my way before the end of this month!!!
When I received this wonderful news on 27 Feb 2010, I smsed a number of my friends who know about what happened between Rev Koh and myself the following message, "PTL! Peter Koh was right abt me "reaping what I sow". I sowed $5,555.55 into fertile soil just last mth n already a bountiful harvest has sprung up. I am expecting an extra $50k by end-March! Hallelujah! God is awesome!"
And thanks to this harvest, my wifey and I was at the NATAS fair last week to book a 2-week vacation to the UK for us and the kiddos during the June holidays. It so happens that the Sterling pound is currently at an all-time low of S$2.10 so it is really the best time to go there.
Thank you Lord God for fulfilling this prophecy. Indeed, Rev Koh was right to declare that I will reap what I sow. Hallelujah!
I've got an awesome testimony that I want to give glory to the Lord for.
In December last year, I had blogged about how Rev Peter Koh, the ex-senior pastor of my church had written on my birthday card "You will reap what you sow" and how my initial reaction was not really very positive because it sounded like a warning. Thanks be to God that because I now understand His gospel of grace, my subsequent reaction became more positive because sowing and reaping in the New Covenant only applies to God's Word and monetary support.
And so in January 2010, I decided to do exactly that. I had just received a wonderful bumper crop and was prompted by the Lord to sow $5,555.55 as a firstfruit into what He had clearly indicated to me was extremely fertile soil. Just like a farmer who sows seed and expects that seed to produce a harvest, I confess unashamedly that I was expecting a bountiful harvest from that sowing.
Well, what I did not expect was for God to provide the harvest so quickly! Indeed, He provides exceedingly abundantly over and above what I could ever ask or imagine. A tenfold windfall will be coming my way before the end of this month!!!
When I received this wonderful news on 27 Feb 2010, I smsed a number of my friends who know about what happened between Rev Koh and myself the following message, "PTL! Peter Koh was right abt me "reaping what I sow". I sowed $5,555.55 into fertile soil just last mth n already a bountiful harvest has sprung up. I am expecting an extra $50k by end-March! Hallelujah! God is awesome!"
One of them responded, "Wow, looks like Rev Koh has the gift of prophecy. Maybe you should give him something for prophesying over you", to which I replied, "That's a great idea! How about me giving him a copy of Ps Prince's Unmerited Favour ;-)"
Thank you Lord God for fulfilling this prophecy. Indeed, Rev Koh was right to declare that I will reap what I sow. Hallelujah!
The God of Hock and Huat
Sunday, 28th February 2010
A couple of weeks ago, my boss told me that "due to the success of the recent D&D and by popular demand of the sales people", I had to dress up as the "cai sheng ye" for the sales event on Friday, 26th February 2010. For this sales event, there was even a feng shui master who would come and talk about what to expect in the year 2010 for the various zodiac horoscopes.
I actually had a prior appointment --- I was invited to attend a "Friendship Appreciation Dinner ("FAD")" held by the NTU Christian Fellowship, together with a couple of other alumni who are currently in our forties. Thankfully, the other alumni also felt it was not so appropriate for us "lao ah peks" to mingle with a bunch of late teens and early twenty-somethings, so we all sent our apologies. Anyway, I saw some pictures of the FAD that the CFers had uploaded to Facebook, and am glad they had a great time where friendships were being cemented amongst the undergraduates.
But I am digressing (again), so back to the topic at hand.
Truth be told, I felt a bit hesitant initially . After all, there are Christians who will have nothing to do with "gods" of fortune or geomancy. I had an ex-colleague from a Lutheran church who would not pick four numbers from a bowl or wear tshirts with the word "Red Devil" on it because of her stand, and I respect her for that. In fact, I myself used to have such an unyielding stand as an undergraduate that I even refused to do a 2nd-year assignment (to the bewilderment and despair of my assignment group mates -- which included my then-girlfriend and current-wife) because the company we had to "audit" was British-American Tobacco.
And it does not matter that my wife is born in the year of the rooster and I am born in the year of the goat (which incidentally are supposed to be the zodiac animals with the best fortune in 2010, according to the geomancer). For us, we know that 2010 is going to be a year of restful increase because of God's unmerited favour. Amen? :-)
A couple of weeks ago, my boss told me that "due to the success of the recent D&D and by popular demand of the sales people", I had to dress up as the "cai sheng ye" for the sales event on Friday, 26th February 2010. For this sales event, there was even a feng shui master who would come and talk about what to expect in the year 2010 for the various zodiac horoscopes.
I actually had a prior appointment --- I was invited to attend a "Friendship Appreciation Dinner ("FAD")" held by the NTU Christian Fellowship, together with a couple of other alumni who are currently in our forties. Thankfully, the other alumni also felt it was not so appropriate for us "lao ah peks" to mingle with a bunch of late teens and early twenty-somethings, so we all sent our apologies. Anyway, I saw some pictures of the FAD that the CFers had uploaded to Facebook, and am glad they had a great time where friendships were being cemented amongst the undergraduates.
But I am digressing (again), so back to the topic at hand.
Truth be told, I felt a bit hesitant initially . After all, there are Christians who will have nothing to do with "gods" of fortune or geomancy. I had an ex-colleague from a Lutheran church who would not pick four numbers from a bowl or wear tshirts with the word "Red Devil" on it because of her stand, and I respect her for that. In fact, I myself used to have such an unyielding stand as an undergraduate that I even refused to do a 2nd-year assignment (to the bewilderment and despair of my assignment group mates -- which included my then-girlfriend and current-wife) because the company we had to "audit" was British-American Tobacco.
Anyway, now that I have embraced the grace gospel, I also understand the modus operandi of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was very firm with (and even harsh towards) the legalistic and religious folks of His day -- the Pharisees, the chief priests and the Sadduccees. Yet, he was extremely gentle and empathatic to the others -- such as the woman at the well, the woman with the issue of blood, the woman caught in adultery, etc etc. He even ate with publicans and tax collectors -- and that was how He was able to reach out and relate to them.
And thus, I am also very firm with the legalistic folks around me who insist on keeping the Mosaic Laws, while showing empathy to those around me from other religions. I now have no issues eating food that is being offered to idols, so long as I say a prayer beforehand for the food to be cleansed. After all, the kingdom of God is not eating or drinking, but righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself also said that things outside do not defile a person; rather, it is things that are on the inside.
And so, if I had stubbornly refused to wear the "cai sheng ye" costume, I would not only have antagonised my boss but also given many others the impression that I was religious snob. And even more so, in the light of what recently happened with Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism.
It was not as though I had wanted the folks at the event to bow down and worship me. It was a time of fun to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and the furthest anyone did was to rub the tummy area where a pillow was being strapped in front of ;-)
Deep inside, I know that this was only a shadow. The true God of Hock 福 (Fortune) and Huat 发 (Prosperity) is none other than Jesus Christ Himself .
A Tale of Two Tays
Saturday, 27th February 2010
Last Sunday, the Tay (that is my mom's maiden surname) clan had a CNY gathering at the F&B outlet run by a churchmate of mine, who also happens to have the surname Tay.
This churchmate of mine was also my co-leader when I was the cell leader of 3L7. We were both previously from another cell known as 3L2. Sometime in July 2006, my then-cluster leaders, Sunny and Yeok Ming, approached me to ask us to mutiply out into a new cell on 1 January 2007. The cell was a very cosy one consisting of just 6 members -- Mr Tay and his wife, me and my wife and another couple, Mr & Mrs Ng.
Alas, our cell made history by becoming the shortest-lived cell in the history of Paya Lebar Methodist Church. Rev Peter Koh, the then-senior pastor, did not like the fact that I was promoting the grace gospel, (which he considers to be heresy), so he made me step down as its cell leader (and Honorary Treasurer) in July 2007. He then went on to disband 3L7 in December 2007. Nonetheless, the members of the now-defunct cell still remain extremely good friends (our friendship go back to our 3L2 days, even before Rev Koh was posted to PLMC in January 2006). That goes to show that when God opens a door, nobody can shut it :-)
For those who are new to my blog, you may want to read the following post for a summary of the eventful happenings that took place between my dear ex-senior pastor and myself, which includes plagiarism, being investigated by the police, potential legal action and so on. Heheh...
Anyway, in October 2009, Mr Tay set up this F&B outlet located at Novena Square known as Professor Brawn Cafe. He even invited Rev Barnabas Chong (the previous youth pastor of my church and the one who offered the Crocs I gave him and his son at half price) to dedicate the cafe to the Lord. Mr Tay, Rev Chong and myself were all members of 3L2 and I used to be very close to Rev Chong until he discovered my stand on the grace gospel. LOL. God really has a great sense of humour, doesn't He? I'm sure Rev Koh, Rev Chong and I can all laugh about it when we are in heaven someday in the future :-)
But, I am digressing. Let's get back to the topic at hand...
The name "Professor Brawn" is the brainchild of his son. The outlet has been set up as a "social enterprise" to create job opportunities for children with special needs. So whenever you dine there, you are not just feasting on good food, you are also contributing to a very worthy cause :-)My family simply love the food and the cosy ambience. Here's a photo that my daughter took of me a couple of months back in a Prof Brawn Cafe tshirt, priced at $30 each, the proceeds of which go to Pathlight School.
And that is exactly what the Tay Clan did last Sunday. 24 of us gathered at the dome area of the outlet and had a wonderful time of food and fellowship, knowing that we were at the same time doing our part for society. Here is a paranomic photo shot with my Samsung Omnia 2 (I doubt the iPhone can do this :p)
You can check out other photos of the Tay Clan gathering at the following link:
And so if you happen to be in the vicinity of Novena MRT, do drop in for a slice of cheesecake, waffle with ice-cream or glass of homemade lemonade or orangeade. Who knows, Mr Tay himself may be the one at your service...
[Afternote: By God's divine arrangement, Mr Tay's cafe has been featured at the foot of page 8 of the 28 Feb 2010 edition of The Sunday Times, Lifestyle section!!! I have scanned it for your reading pleasure]
[Afternote: By God's divine arrangement, Mr Tay's cafe has been featured at the foot of page 8 of the 28 Feb 2010 edition of The Sunday Times, Lifestyle section!!! I have scanned it for your reading pleasure]
According to Him
Saturday, 13th February 2010
There is a song that I keep hearing on the radio entitled "According to You" by a female artiste called Orianthi. In that song, she contrasts the way her current beau sees her to the way another admirer does.
For example, her boyfriend thinks that she is stupid, useless and cannot do anything right. But the other chap thinks that she is beautiful and incredible, ie. he thinks the world of her.
In the end, she chooses to listen to the positive stuff that the other chap says about her rather than to the negative stuff her boyfriend says.
You can check out her music video here:
It's quite a cute and funny song, but as I thought about it, a deeper spiritual truth dawned upon me.
Every day, we will hear the voice of the evil one telling us that we are not good enough, that we have not been read enough of the bible, that we have not prayed or fasted, or how can we call ourself a Christian when we just lost our temper, that we don't deserve God's blessings. etc etc. All these negative words make us feel condemned.
But let us learn to shut out such a voice. Rather, let's see what the Word of God says about us. According to Him, we are the righteousness of God in Christ. According to Him, we are heirs of the promise. According to Him, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. According to Him, we are sons and daughters of the Most High God. According to Him, we are the pearl of great price that He was willing to give up even His own Son for.
According to Him. we are highly-favoured, greatly-blessed and deeply-loved. Amen?
There is a song that I keep hearing on the radio entitled "According to You" by a female artiste called Orianthi. In that song, she contrasts the way her current beau sees her to the way another admirer does.
For example, her boyfriend thinks that she is stupid, useless and cannot do anything right. But the other chap thinks that she is beautiful and incredible, ie. he thinks the world of her.
In the end, she chooses to listen to the positive stuff that the other chap says about her rather than to the negative stuff her boyfriend says.
You can check out her music video here:
It's quite a cute and funny song, but as I thought about it, a deeper spiritual truth dawned upon me.
Every day, we will hear the voice of the evil one telling us that we are not good enough, that we have not been read enough of the bible, that we have not prayed or fasted, or how can we call ourself a Christian when we just lost our temper, that we don't deserve God's blessings. etc etc. All these negative words make us feel condemned.
But let us learn to shut out such a voice. Rather, let's see what the Word of God says about us. According to Him, we are the righteousness of God in Christ. According to Him, we are heirs of the promise. According to Him, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. According to Him, we are sons and daughters of the Most High God. According to Him, we are the pearl of great price that He was willing to give up even His own Son for.
According to Him. we are highly-favoured, greatly-blessed and deeply-loved. Amen?
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.
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?
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!!!
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.
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:
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?
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!!!
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
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!!!
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?
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?
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
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
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!
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!
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?
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?
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?
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?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
