Thursday, 30th November 2007
Recently, I heard a brother saying that we as Christians can be a curse to those around us. He cited the story as recorded in Numbers 22 as an example. There was a man by the name of Balaam who knew who God was, yet he chose to curse God's people.
Sorry, but I beg to differ. We are described as part of Christ's Body by the apostle Paul. If we truly believe that, then it is impossible for a part of the body to be a curse to another part of the body. The eye cannot be a curse to the ear. Neither can the hand to be a curse to the foot.
If we were to read Num 22-24, we realise that Balaam was a sorcerer who made his living by dabbling in the occult. The Israelites had just defeated the Amorites, and had camped along the plains of Moab. News of their victory spread around the region, and Balak (the king of Moab), was terrified of them. He thus engaged the services of Balaam to lay curses upon them.
Balaam was a mercenary. In Num 22:7 we read that Balak had planned to give Balaam a "fee for divination" and again in Num 24:10 that he was going to "reward Balak handsomely".
Those that dabble with the supernatural know who God is. In James 2:15, we read that demons believe that there is one God -- and they shudder. Hence, knowing who God is does not automatically make one a beloved child of God, and Balaam was definitely not one.
Hence, it is erroneous to compare him to us, the new-covenant believer. Take comfort, dear brothers and sisters, that we cannot be a curse to those around us because Christ has redeemed us from the curse (Gal 3:13) (which I will talk about more in tomorrow's post).
Anyway, there is a pleasant twist to the tale about Balaam. God intervened such that when he opened his mouth to curse, words of blessings instead came forth!
We read in Num 24
10 Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the LORD has kept you from being rewarded."
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Watchdogs and Bloodhounds
Thursday, 29th November 2007
Yesterday, I blogged about the topic of accounting.
Today, I shall blog about another topic that I am familiar with, and that is of auditing.
Upon graduation in 1991, I joined what was then known as Price Waterhouse (which is now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, after having merged with Coopers & Lybrand in 1999) as an external auditor.
After spending 3 1/2 years there, I spent the next 2 1/2 years as an internal auditor in a well-known country club. I recall that during the interview with the outgoing Treasurer and Senior Manager of Admin, the latter asked me, "In your opinion, is the auditor a bloodhound or a watchdog?" To which I replied, "A watchdog, because it is too onerous to expect the auditor to be like a bloodhound, sniffing out every exception and deviation." He did not seem convinced by my answer and retorted, "Sorry, but I think he should be a bloodhound".
When I left the room, I thought I had blown the interview -- but surprisingly, I was offered the job about 2 weeks later.
Anyway, internal audit is not exactly the most popular job. Colleagues tend to avoid you, because they have this impression that you are out to find fault with them, and record down the things that they have been doing wrong.
In my first meeting with the incoming Treasurer a month into my new job, he said to me, "Why did you join the Club? This is a dead-end job." Within the first six months there, one of my car tyres was punctured, and I was even called up by one of the committee members for a "lecture", which in retrospect was more like a "warning" to stay clear of the staff that reported to him.
I remember wanting to quit my job, but as I was concurrently pursuing an MBA specialising in IT at NTU, I held on, telling myself that this was only an interim job and upon getting the MBA, I would pursue a career in accounting software consulting.
But I am digressing...
As I mentioned earlier, the work of an internal auditor is an unenviable task. While he has to look out for areas of improvement, there is resistance from the auditees because the action items that he recommends actually reflect the lack of operational efficiency and/or effectiveness on the part of the auditees. If people can help it, they would rather not have anything to do with the auditor, and will avoid him at all costs. He is seen as a "necessary evil".
Is it any wonder then, that there are people in this world who are avoiding God? They have the impression that God is like an auditor, watching their every move, keeping a record of their wrongdoings, waiting for an opportunity to expose their every mistake and shortcoming. Rather than be subject to an audit, they rather stay away from God.
But is God really like that? Is He like a watchdog and bloodhound?
God the Father and God the Son have been together from time immemorial, so Jesus should know the Father intimately. How did Jesus describe the characteristics of God the Father in Luke 15? As one who stood aloofly with a stern look on his face and a super-long list in his hand of the bad things his wayward son had done?
If you were to look at an audit report, you will inevitably find shortcomings being recorded, because that is the main purpose of an audit. For example, the Auditor-General recently released a report about the National Library Board, where millions of dollars of fines were found to remain uncollected.
If God were an auditor, He would not last one day on the job. Take Hebrews 11 for example. Here we see a report of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, et al being described as great men of faith. If such a glowing report was submitted to an Audit Committee, it would have been thrown right out the window!
We know from the Old Testament that these men had their own shortcomings. Noah was a drunkard. Abraham was a coward. Moses was a murderer. David was an adulterer.
Yet not a single one of those mistakes were mentioned in Heb 11. Why? Because Jesus paid the price for all those mistakes.
And my friends, Jesus has paid the price for all our mistakes too. So, if you picture God as an auditor or hear a teaching that paints God as such, banish that in the mighty name of Jesus!
Instead, repent of that and picture Him as how Jesus painted Him, because Jesus knows the God the Father better than anyone of us humans, preachers included. He is the loving Father, sprinting towards you, embracing you, lavishing you with repeated kisses, putting His robes of righteousness on you, giving you His authority symbolised by the ring He puts on your finger, and the sandals He puts on your feet. Amen?
Yesterday, I blogged about the topic of accounting.
Today, I shall blog about another topic that I am familiar with, and that is of auditing.
Upon graduation in 1991, I joined what was then known as Price Waterhouse (which is now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, after having merged with Coopers & Lybrand in 1999) as an external auditor.
After spending 3 1/2 years there, I spent the next 2 1/2 years as an internal auditor in a well-known country club. I recall that during the interview with the outgoing Treasurer and Senior Manager of Admin, the latter asked me, "In your opinion, is the auditor a bloodhound or a watchdog?" To which I replied, "A watchdog, because it is too onerous to expect the auditor to be like a bloodhound, sniffing out every exception and deviation." He did not seem convinced by my answer and retorted, "Sorry, but I think he should be a bloodhound".
When I left the room, I thought I had blown the interview -- but surprisingly, I was offered the job about 2 weeks later.
Anyway, internal audit is not exactly the most popular job. Colleagues tend to avoid you, because they have this impression that you are out to find fault with them, and record down the things that they have been doing wrong.
In my first meeting with the incoming Treasurer a month into my new job, he said to me, "Why did you join the Club? This is a dead-end job." Within the first six months there, one of my car tyres was punctured, and I was even called up by one of the committee members for a "lecture", which in retrospect was more like a "warning" to stay clear of the staff that reported to him.
I remember wanting to quit my job, but as I was concurrently pursuing an MBA specialising in IT at NTU, I held on, telling myself that this was only an interim job and upon getting the MBA, I would pursue a career in accounting software consulting.
But I am digressing...
As I mentioned earlier, the work of an internal auditor is an unenviable task. While he has to look out for areas of improvement, there is resistance from the auditees because the action items that he recommends actually reflect the lack of operational efficiency and/or effectiveness on the part of the auditees. If people can help it, they would rather not have anything to do with the auditor, and will avoid him at all costs. He is seen as a "necessary evil".
Is it any wonder then, that there are people in this world who are avoiding God? They have the impression that God is like an auditor, watching their every move, keeping a record of their wrongdoings, waiting for an opportunity to expose their every mistake and shortcoming. Rather than be subject to an audit, they rather stay away from God.
But is God really like that? Is He like a watchdog and bloodhound?
God the Father and God the Son have been together from time immemorial, so Jesus should know the Father intimately. How did Jesus describe the characteristics of God the Father in Luke 15? As one who stood aloofly with a stern look on his face and a super-long list in his hand of the bad things his wayward son had done?
If you were to look at an audit report, you will inevitably find shortcomings being recorded, because that is the main purpose of an audit. For example, the Auditor-General recently released a report about the National Library Board, where millions of dollars of fines were found to remain uncollected.
If God were an auditor, He would not last one day on the job. Take Hebrews 11 for example. Here we see a report of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, et al being described as great men of faith. If such a glowing report was submitted to an Audit Committee, it would have been thrown right out the window!
We know from the Old Testament that these men had their own shortcomings. Noah was a drunkard. Abraham was a coward. Moses was a murderer. David was an adulterer.
Yet not a single one of those mistakes were mentioned in Heb 11. Why? Because Jesus paid the price for all those mistakes.
And my friends, Jesus has paid the price for all our mistakes too. So, if you picture God as an auditor or hear a teaching that paints God as such, banish that in the mighty name of Jesus!
Instead, repent of that and picture Him as how Jesus painted Him, because Jesus knows the God the Father better than anyone of us humans, preachers included. He is the loving Father, sprinting towards you, embracing you, lavishing you with repeated kisses, putting His robes of righteousness on you, giving you His authority symbolised by the ring He puts on your finger, and the sandals He puts on your feet. Amen?
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Keeping Short Accounts
Wednesday, 28th November 2007
I am an accountant by profession, having graduated from the local university in 1991. I have been in the workforce for 16 years: the first 6 years in external and internal auditing, the next 3 years in consulting and the last 7 years in accounting.
Over the next couple of days, I will be blogging about 2 topics that I am very familiar with, having worked in those areas for 13 years in total, that is accounting and auditing.
Let's start with the topic of accounting.
A company needs to keep a set of accounts, so that any point in time, management has a record of income and expenses (what is known as the profit and loss statement) and a snapshot of its assets and liabilities (what is known as the balance sheet).
Because the company is considered a separate legal entity, it needs to be accountable to its stakeholders.
If we zoom into the balance sheet, we will see assets known as debtors and liabilities known as creditors. Debtors and creditors are the accounting terminology for customers and suppliers.
In order to be competitive, most companies do not require their customers to make payment upon delivery. Instead they allow their customers to pay them 30 days or 60 days later (which is what we call "credit or payment terms"). What results from this arrangement is that the customer owes the company an amount of money known as a debt, and hence the customer becomes the company's debtor.
Similarly, companies would also seek out suppliers who are able to grant them credit. What results from this arrangement is that the supplier is owed an amount by the company, and that supplier becomes the company's creditor.
Big organisations have a separate financial function known as treasury operations, which main task is to manage the cashflows. One of their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is to collect as much from their customers (ie. keep short accounts with their customers), yet stretch as much credit from their suppliers (ie. keep long accounts with their suppliers).
Somehow or other, this concept of "keeping short accounts with God" seems to have infiltrated the church. I did a BibleGateway search and could not find this term in the bible. If any of you readers out there can, please let me know so that I can learn. What I suspect that this term was coined by a church forefather. If so, we have to be careful not to embrace it blindly because that is exactly what happened to the Israelites and the early Catholic church! The Pharisees and Catholic priests were adding their own sets of rules, and thus putting heavy yokes on God's people.
While doing a Google search on this term, I came across a blog where the author said, "If you're always trying to keep short accounts with God, I suggest you get a new accountant! I have just one account … and it says “Paid In Full”! "
And that view, my friends, IS biblical. Christ's sacrifice for sin was once and for all (Heb 7:27). By His finished work on the cross, He paid the full price of all our sins -- past, present and future.
Our account with God was cleared the moment we were born again, and it now says PAID IN FULL.
Paul says in 1 Cor 13:5 that "love keeps no record of wrongs". If God is love personified, then it follows that He also keeps no record of wrongs!
So if you hear any teaching telling you to keep short accounts with God, reject and rebuke it in Jesus' mighty name. It warrants as much credit as the verse that says that "He's making a list and checking it twice. Gonna find out who's naughty or nice..."
I am an accountant by profession, having graduated from the local university in 1991. I have been in the workforce for 16 years: the first 6 years in external and internal auditing, the next 3 years in consulting and the last 7 years in accounting.
Over the next couple of days, I will be blogging about 2 topics that I am very familiar with, having worked in those areas for 13 years in total, that is accounting and auditing.
Let's start with the topic of accounting.
A company needs to keep a set of accounts, so that any point in time, management has a record of income and expenses (what is known as the profit and loss statement) and a snapshot of its assets and liabilities (what is known as the balance sheet).
Because the company is considered a separate legal entity, it needs to be accountable to its stakeholders.
If we zoom into the balance sheet, we will see assets known as debtors and liabilities known as creditors. Debtors and creditors are the accounting terminology for customers and suppliers.
In order to be competitive, most companies do not require their customers to make payment upon delivery. Instead they allow their customers to pay them 30 days or 60 days later (which is what we call "credit or payment terms"). What results from this arrangement is that the customer owes the company an amount of money known as a debt, and hence the customer becomes the company's debtor.
Similarly, companies would also seek out suppliers who are able to grant them credit. What results from this arrangement is that the supplier is owed an amount by the company, and that supplier becomes the company's creditor.
Big organisations have a separate financial function known as treasury operations, which main task is to manage the cashflows. One of their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is to collect as much from their customers (ie. keep short accounts with their customers), yet stretch as much credit from their suppliers (ie. keep long accounts with their suppliers).
Somehow or other, this concept of "keeping short accounts with God" seems to have infiltrated the church. I did a BibleGateway search and could not find this term in the bible. If any of you readers out there can, please let me know so that I can learn. What I suspect that this term was coined by a church forefather. If so, we have to be careful not to embrace it blindly because that is exactly what happened to the Israelites and the early Catholic church! The Pharisees and Catholic priests were adding their own sets of rules, and thus putting heavy yokes on God's people.
While doing a Google search on this term, I came across a blog where the author said, "If you're always trying to keep short accounts with God, I suggest you get a new accountant! I have just one account … and it says “Paid In Full”! "
And that view, my friends, IS biblical. Christ's sacrifice for sin was once and for all (Heb 7:27). By His finished work on the cross, He paid the full price of all our sins -- past, present and future.Our account with God was cleared the moment we were born again, and it now says PAID IN FULL.
Paul says in 1 Cor 13:5 that "love keeps no record of wrongs". If God is love personified, then it follows that He also keeps no record of wrongs!
So if you hear any teaching telling you to keep short accounts with God, reject and rebuke it in Jesus' mighty name. It warrants as much credit as the verse that says that "He's making a list and checking it twice. Gonna find out who's naughty or nice..."
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Extreme Makeover
Tuesday, 27th November 2007
Last Saturday was an extremely eventful day.
That morning, I was at Safra Tampines for my company's annual bowling tournament, which I blogged about yesterday.
That afternoon, my son's room was being dedicated.
Back in Aug 07, my youngest sis Yvonne had
moved out, so my dad told my son Mark that he could have the vacated room for his own.
Previously, all four of us (my wife, my 2 kids and I) shared the same bedroom. Then in Mar 06, my daughter had her own purple-themed room as her 10th birthday present.
And now, my son was given his own room too! No prizes for guessing what theme he wanted... yup, soccer.
And so it came to pass, praise be to God! His room was unveiled to him at about 3pm, after which Pastor Reuben led us through a "room dedication", prayed a blessing over him and presented Mark with a cross.
It is said that "a picture is worth a thousand words". So instead of me writing a hundred-thousand word thesis, here is a series of moving pictures (ie. a video clip) to depict the extreme makeover that the room underwent.
For the observant among you, the cross in the video belongs to my sister Yvonne. We returned it to her (to be used at her new home) and replaced it with the one that Ps Reuben gave Mark.
Last Saturday was an extremely eventful day.
That morning, I was at Safra Tampines for my company's annual bowling tournament, which I blogged about yesterday.
That afternoon, my son's room was being dedicated.
Back in Aug 07, my youngest sis Yvonne had
moved out, so my dad told my son Mark that he could have the vacated room for his own.Previously, all four of us (my wife, my 2 kids and I) shared the same bedroom. Then in Mar 06, my daughter had her own purple-themed room as her 10th birthday present.
And now, my son was given his own room too! No prizes for guessing what theme he wanted... yup, soccer.
And so it came to pass, praise be to God! His room was unveiled to him at about 3pm, after which Pastor Reuben led us through a "room dedication", prayed a blessing over him and presented Mark with a cross.
It is said that "a picture is worth a thousand words". So instead of me writing a hundred-thousand word thesis, here is a series of moving pictures (ie. a video clip) to depict the extreme makeover that the room underwent.
For the observant among you, the cross in the video belongs to my sister Yvonne. We returned it to her (to be used at her new home) and replaced it with the one that Ps Reuben gave Mark.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Win Lose and Draw
Monday, 26th November 2007
I mentioned a couple of days ago that I had taken part in my company's annual bowling tournament. It was held at Safra Tampines.
I had signed up with 4 others from the IT department, whom I had gotten to know through our weekly Christian fellowship.
A couple of them stay in Tampines, so they made their own way there. The other 2 stay in Redhill and Bukit Timah respectively, so I arranged to fetch them from Tampines MRT at 8.55am.
I had recently installed a GPS in my car. Whenever a route is planned, the system prompts 3 options --
- fastest time,
- shortest distance, or
- use off-roads
When "fastest time" is selected, the system will recommend the use of the highways, ie. PIE, TPE, KJE, ECP, etc.
When "shortest distance" is selected, the system will recommend the most direct path.
"Use off-roads" is more applicable to countries like USA, UK and Australia.
I had stored both Tampines MRT and Tampines Safra as "favourites". I left my home just after 8am. Since I had more than 45 minutes to get to Tampines MRT, I decided to choose "shortest distance" instead of "fastest times".
Normally, I would travel by TPE or PIE if I was heading towards Tampines, but it was only then I discovered that the shortest route was actually via Kaki Bukit and Bedok Reservoir Road!
Upon arriving at Tampines MRT at about 8.41am, and as I sat in the car waiting for my 2 team members to arrive, something dawned upon me. Many of us prefer to travel by the highways because we are familiar with them, not realising that most often that not, we actual end up travelling a much longer distance.
In the same way, many of us who have been Christians for many years prefer to stick to the familiar and comfortable, not wanting to rock the boat, as it were. However, we may not realise that there may be spiritual truths in the Bible just waiting to be uncovered. A churchmate of mine who embraces grace teachings used the following analogy. Sure, we will all arrive at our destination, but why toil and sweat under the hot sun by walking there, when God has provided us with a vehicle to get there?
Anyway, my 2 team members arrived slightly before 9am, so we made our way to Safra Tampines. Our team was called "KFC Combo 1, upsize, coleslaw change to cheese fries, thank you... yes, having here", the name being coined courtesy of a team member who attends City Harvest. The organiser conveniently abbreviated it to just "KFC Combo 1" :-(.
Here's a picture that was taken of our team.
After the 1st game, I looked at the scoreboard and noticed that we were in 24th place. The bowling alley has 24 lanes, and 24 teams were taking part, so you do the math... :-)
Knowing we were completely out of the running, we decided to continue to just play just for fun. When we finished bowling at 12.15pm, we decided to call it a day even though the event was supposed to be until 1.30pm.
At the risk of sounding like sour grapes, the situation suited us just fine. I had to get home by 2pm for my son's room dedication (which I will blog about tomorrow). The chap from City Harvest had an afternoon service to attend, while the other team members also had to rush back home.
[Afternote: I found out today that we remained in 24th place after all 3 games, but on the positive side, our combined pinfalls per game improved from 422 to 449 to 589].
So the other lesson drawn here is that we may have been losers in the sight of men, but winners because of the team spirit and camaradarie, and also in the sense of being more than conquerors in Christ. Amen?
I mentioned a couple of days ago that I had taken part in my company's annual bowling tournament. It was held at Safra Tampines.
I had signed up with 4 others from the IT department, whom I had gotten to know through our weekly Christian fellowship.
A couple of them stay in Tampines, so they made their own way there. The other 2 stay in Redhill and Bukit Timah respectively, so I arranged to fetch them from Tampines MRT at 8.55am.
I had recently installed a GPS in my car. Whenever a route is planned, the system prompts 3 options --
- fastest time,
- shortest distance, or
- use off-roads
When "fastest time" is selected, the system will recommend the use of the highways, ie. PIE, TPE, KJE, ECP, etc.
When "shortest distance" is selected, the system will recommend the most direct path.
"Use off-roads" is more applicable to countries like USA, UK and Australia.
I had stored both Tampines MRT and Tampines Safra as "favourites". I left my home just after 8am. Since I had more than 45 minutes to get to Tampines MRT, I decided to choose "shortest distance" instead of "fastest times".Normally, I would travel by TPE or PIE if I was heading towards Tampines, but it was only then I discovered that the shortest route was actually via Kaki Bukit and Bedok Reservoir Road!
Upon arriving at Tampines MRT at about 8.41am, and as I sat in the car waiting for my 2 team members to arrive, something dawned upon me. Many of us prefer to travel by the highways because we are familiar with them, not realising that most often that not, we actual end up travelling a much longer distance.
In the same way, many of us who have been Christians for many years prefer to stick to the familiar and comfortable, not wanting to rock the boat, as it were. However, we may not realise that there may be spiritual truths in the Bible just waiting to be uncovered. A churchmate of mine who embraces grace teachings used the following analogy. Sure, we will all arrive at our destination, but why toil and sweat under the hot sun by walking there, when God has provided us with a vehicle to get there?
Anyway, my 2 team members arrived slightly before 9am, so we made our way to Safra Tampines. Our team was called "KFC Combo 1, upsize, coleslaw change to cheese fries, thank you... yes, having here", the name being coined courtesy of a team member who attends City Harvest. The organiser conveniently abbreviated it to just "KFC Combo 1" :-(.Here's a picture that was taken of our team.
After the 1st game, I looked at the scoreboard and noticed that we were in 24th place. The bowling alley has 24 lanes, and 24 teams were taking part, so you do the math... :-)Knowing we were completely out of the running, we decided to continue to just play just for fun. When we finished bowling at 12.15pm, we decided to call it a day even though the event was supposed to be until 1.30pm.
At the risk of sounding like sour grapes, the situation suited us just fine. I had to get home by 2pm for my son's room dedication (which I will blog about tomorrow). The chap from City Harvest had an afternoon service to attend, while the other team members also had to rush back home.
[Afternote: I found out today that we remained in 24th place after all 3 games, but on the positive side, our combined pinfalls per game improved from 422 to 449 to 589].
So the other lesson drawn here is that we may have been losers in the sight of men, but winners because of the team spirit and camaradarie, and also in the sense of being more than conquerors in Christ. Amen?
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Getting More Prosperous
Sunday, 25th November 2007
Last Saturday, I met Bro Henson Lim at the Fathers' Prayer Group, where he was our guest speaker.
Henson and his family grew up in PLMC, and his dad used to be in active service. Henson himself was involved in our church's music ministry.
He could not recognise me because the last time he saw me was probably in the mid-eighties, some 25 years ago. I had to identify myself to him.
He was being polite when he said that I looked "different", but I told him that I had "put on quite a bit" over the years. I was 50kg before I got enlisted in the army, and now weigh in at about 76kg.
Others whom I get re-acquainted with would use the ephemism "you are getting more prosperous".
Every 2 to 3 years, I have to replace my trousers. That is because my waistline has increased from 28 inches when I was still an undergrad 20 years ago, to the 36 inches it is today.
Besides the waist, the fats have also gathered in the fingers.
And that is why I had to send my wedding ring to the jewellery shop today to get it enlarged (for the 2nd time), because my ring finger was beginning to hurt.
I can only collect it back on 1 December 2007, so in the meanwhile, I am wearing this one, which I bought 5 years ago when I first sent the ring for enlarging.
I know, it appears ostentatious, but hey, that's what it's meant to be :-)
Last Saturday, I met Bro Henson Lim at the Fathers' Prayer Group, where he was our guest speaker.
Henson and his family grew up in PLMC, and his dad used to be in active service. Henson himself was involved in our church's music ministry.
He could not recognise me because the last time he saw me was probably in the mid-eighties, some 25 years ago. I had to identify myself to him.
He was being polite when he said that I looked "different", but I told him that I had "put on quite a bit" over the years. I was 50kg before I got enlisted in the army, and now weigh in at about 76kg.
Others whom I get re-acquainted with would use the ephemism "you are getting more prosperous".
Every 2 to 3 years, I have to replace my trousers. That is because my waistline has increased from 28 inches when I was still an undergrad 20 years ago, to the 36 inches it is today.
Besides the waist, the fats have also gathered in the fingers.
And that is why I had to send my wedding ring to the jewellery shop today to get it enlarged (for the 2nd time), because my ring finger was beginning to hurt.
I can only collect it back on 1 December 2007, so in the meanwhile, I am wearing this one, which I bought 5 years ago when I first sent the ring for enlarging.
I know, it appears ostentatious, but hey, that's what it's meant to be :-)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Majestic Rendition
Saturday, 24th November 2007
Today's been a very eventful day. I was at my company's annual bowling tournament this morning. In the afternoon, my son's madeover room was being unveiled and dedicated. In the evening, we went to my inlaws' place for dinner. After coming home, I spent some time burning to DVDs some highlights of the Ordination Service proceedings that took place 2 nights ago for Rev Tay Kay Leong and Rev Lai Kai Meng of Trinity Methodist.
I am now simultaneously watching Villa play Middlesbro live on Channel 21 while typing today's blog entry.
Will blog more about the bowling tournament and room dedication at a later date, when I am able to concrentrate on what I am blogging.
Meanwhile, thought I'd share about the ethnic version of the Lord's Prayer that was sung at the Ordination Service two nights ago.
I first heard it at the Ordination Service last year. We also started to sing it in church, which I blogged about sometime in Feb 07.
But nothing like the majestic rendition that night, which I have uploaded to YouTube for your listening pleasure.
Today's been a very eventful day. I was at my company's annual bowling tournament this morning. In the afternoon, my son's madeover room was being unveiled and dedicated. In the evening, we went to my inlaws' place for dinner. After coming home, I spent some time burning to DVDs some highlights of the Ordination Service proceedings that took place 2 nights ago for Rev Tay Kay Leong and Rev Lai Kai Meng of Trinity Methodist.
I am now simultaneously watching Villa play Middlesbro live on Channel 21 while typing today's blog entry.
Will blog more about the bowling tournament and room dedication at a later date, when I am able to concrentrate on what I am blogging.
Meanwhile, thought I'd share about the ethnic version of the Lord's Prayer that was sung at the Ordination Service two nights ago.
I first heard it at the Ordination Service last year. We also started to sing it in church, which I blogged about sometime in Feb 07.
But nothing like the majestic rendition that night, which I have uploaded to YouTube for your listening pleasure.
Friday, November 23, 2007
A Momentous Occasion
Friday, 23rd November 2007
Last night, together with my parents, I attended the Closing Ordination Service that was to conclude the 4-day session of the Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC) of the Methodist Church in Singapore.
It was held at Pentecost Methodist Church, located in Pasir Ris, whose senior pastor is the Rev Jonathan Seet. Rev Seet is an "old boy" of PLMC, and his younger brother Alvin still worships here and is currently one of the cluster leaders.
It was a momentous occasion for our church because one of our pastors, the Rev Tay Kay Leong was being ordained as an Elder.
A red stole was laid upon him by none other than the Bishop Rev Dr Robert Solomon himself!
Thanks to Rev Seet, I was permitted to get up close and personal to where the action was to capture these moments on video.
Last year's session was held at Living Hope in Tampines, during which our ex-pastor Rev Barnabas Chong, was ordained as an Elder. Guess where next year's will be held -- yup, at our very own church! -- and it is going to be an election year... but more about that in a future post).
The appointment of pastors were announced towards the end of the service and the good news is that all our 3 pastors have been re-appointed back to PLMC.
Here is a snapshot of our 3 pastors -- namely Ps Reuben Ng, Rev Tay Kay Leong and Rev Peter Koh. You can tell from the expression on their faces how they feel about being with us for another year :-)
Let us continue to partner with them to fulfill our vision, that is to be a family blessed to bless the community and the nations. Amen?
Last night, together with my parents, I attended the Closing Ordination Service that was to conclude the 4-day session of the Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC) of the Methodist Church in Singapore.
It was held at Pentecost Methodist Church, located in Pasir Ris, whose senior pastor is the Rev Jonathan Seet. Rev Seet is an "old boy" of PLMC, and his younger brother Alvin still worships here and is currently one of the cluster leaders.
It was a momentous occasion for our church because one of our pastors, the Rev Tay Kay Leong was being ordained as an Elder.
A red stole was laid upon him by none other than the Bishop Rev Dr Robert Solomon himself!
Thanks to Rev Seet, I was permitted to get up close and personal to where the action was to capture these moments on video.
Last year's session was held at Living Hope in Tampines, during which our ex-pastor Rev Barnabas Chong, was ordained as an Elder. Guess where next year's will be held -- yup, at our very own church! -- and it is going to be an election year... but more about that in a future post).
The appointment of pastors were announced towards the end of the service and the good news is that all our 3 pastors have been re-appointed back to PLMC.Here is a snapshot of our 3 pastors -- namely Ps Reuben Ng, Rev Tay Kay Leong and Rev Peter Koh. You can tell from the expression on their faces how they feel about being with us for another year :-)
Let us continue to partner with them to fulfill our vision, that is to be a family blessed to bless the community and the nations. Amen?
Thursday, November 22, 2007
There But For the Grace of God Go I
Thursday, 22nd November 2007
A couple of weeks back, I mentioned that I bought the book "The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus" by John R. Cross because the write-up at the back looked interesting.
I have finished reading the book and these are my comments.
The book gives an excellent summary of the Bible in chronological order. It starts off with Genesis but also mentions parts of Ezekiel, Isaiah and Revelation where satan was originally created as a cherub, but was cast out from heaven (and with him a third of the angels) because he rebelled and wanted to be like God.
It is with this backdrop that the author is able to explain the severity of what took place in the garden of Eden when man decided to believe the lie of the serpent rather than the truth of what God said.
He then talks about a key concept that "without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness" (Heb 9:22). This helps to explain why the fig leaves did Adam and Eve no good; an animal had to be killed to provide them with clothing. Also, why Abel's animal sacrifice was acceptable to God, whereas Cain's offering of vegetables was not.
Another concept that was brought up was that of "substitutionary sacrifice", ie. something or someone dying in place of another. God provided the ram as a substitutionary sacrifice in place of Isaac. The Israelites offered unblemished animals as sin offerings. Likewise, the High Priest offering sacrifices on behalf of the nation of Israel.
When we understand these 2 concepts, then the reason as to why Jesus had to come to earth to die for the sins of mankind begins to make sense. Blood had to be shed so that God could forgive us justly, and not compromise on His perfect standards. Jesus became the substitutionary sacrifice on behalf of all mankind, once and for all.
I like the illustration that John paints about how man has been trying various ways and means using his own self-efforts to get connected to God, but these have all been in vain.
The only way was to get to God is through the cross of Jesus.
I also like the illustration that he painted about the certified of debt that each of us carried with us because of our sin. Each sin that we commit became debited to and gets accumulated to our account.
As debtholders, the ultimate payment is eternal death and separation from God.
However once we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Saviour and Lord, His righteousness becomes credited to us as our righteousness.
As a result of this, we become justified before God -- our debt is cancelled and considered to be paid in full.
I also like the part where the author spoke about the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place being torn in two when Jesus cried out "It is finished!". If man had torn it, it would have been torn from bottom to top. But God was the one who tore it, hence it was torn from top to bottom. It was also not possible for man to tear it with his bare hands because the curtain was about 15cm or 6 inches thick!
But what was symbolic about this was that because of Jesus' finished work, we can now enter right into God's very presence, whereas previously, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies only once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
There but for the grace of God, can we enter into the Holy of Holies, and fellowship with our Abba Father.
I do recommend the book to intellectuals who are searching for the answer to the meaning of life. It is still available as a free download in PDF format from the publisher's website.
A couple of weeks back, I mentioned that I bought the book "The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus" by John R. Cross because the write-up at the back looked interesting.
I have finished reading the book and these are my comments.
The book gives an excellent summary of the Bible in chronological order. It starts off with Genesis but also mentions parts of Ezekiel, Isaiah and Revelation where satan was originally created as a cherub, but was cast out from heaven (and with him a third of the angels) because he rebelled and wanted to be like God.
It is with this backdrop that the author is able to explain the severity of what took place in the garden of Eden when man decided to believe the lie of the serpent rather than the truth of what God said.
He then talks about a key concept that "without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness" (Heb 9:22). This helps to explain why the fig leaves did Adam and Eve no good; an animal had to be killed to provide them with clothing. Also, why Abel's animal sacrifice was acceptable to God, whereas Cain's offering of vegetables was not.
Another concept that was brought up was that of "substitutionary sacrifice", ie. something or someone dying in place of another. God provided the ram as a substitutionary sacrifice in place of Isaac. The Israelites offered unblemished animals as sin offerings. Likewise, the High Priest offering sacrifices on behalf of the nation of Israel.
When we understand these 2 concepts, then the reason as to why Jesus had to come to earth to die for the sins of mankind begins to make sense. Blood had to be shed so that God could forgive us justly, and not compromise on His perfect standards. Jesus became the substitutionary sacrifice on behalf of all mankind, once and for all.
I like the illustration that John paints about how man has been trying various ways and means using his own self-efforts to get connected to God, but these have all been in vain.
The only way was to get to God is through the cross of Jesus.
I also like the illustration that he painted about the certified of debt that each of us carried with us because of our sin. Each sin that we commit became debited to and gets accumulated to our account.As debtholders, the ultimate payment is eternal death and separation from God.
However once we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Saviour and Lord, His righteousness becomes credited to us as our righteousness.
As a result of this, we become justified before God -- our debt is cancelled and considered to be paid in full.
I also like the part where the author spoke about the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place being torn in two when Jesus cried out "It is finished!". If man had torn it, it would have been torn from bottom to top. But God was the one who tore it, hence it was torn from top to bottom. It was also not possible for man to tear it with his bare hands because the curtain was about 15cm or 6 inches thick!
But what was symbolic about this was that because of Jesus' finished work, we can now enter right into God's very presence, whereas previously, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies only once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
There but for the grace of God, can we enter into the Holy of Holies, and fellowship with our Abba Father.
I do recommend the book to intellectuals who are searching for the answer to the meaning of life. It is still available as a free download in PDF format from the publisher's website.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
A Year of Rest
Wednesday, 21st November 2007
Recently, I got myself a 500GB portable hard disk drive, so that I could store the MP3 sermons that I had purchased from Joseph Prince Ministries, among other things. I have copied about 20 of them onto the 6GB card of my PDA phone, so that I can listen to them during my waiting moments.
I was just listening to the 2002 sermon entitled "Ephraim and Judah" where Ps Prince mentioned that the number 15 represents "rest". I did a Google search and found a page explaining what the various numbers mean.
Anyway, it seems this topic of rest keeps coming up! Last Saturday, I was at the ACSJ Fathers' Prayer Group meeting, and the guest speaker, Bro Henson Lim, also spoke about rest.
And today is my 15th wedding anniversary. My wife and I had lunch at Tao's Restaurant located at Paradiz Centre that serves fusion food. When the waiter heard that it was our anniversary, he gave us a complimentary appetiser, drink and desert (and even "forced" me to give my wife a peck on the cheek as he took a picture of us).
To top it up, he also gave us a complimentary jug (which they serve their drinks in).
As an anniversary present, I gave my wife a wood-carving of a photo that was taken as part of the studio photo shoot.
It was done at East@Signmaster, a shop that specialises in wood products, that is located in Toa Payoh Hub HDB Mall, just 2 shops away from Spectrum (the shop that printed the customised tshirts for me).
Our 15th year of marriage has indeed been one of rest. And to think that less than 5 years ago, it was at the brink of divorce. I really thank the Lord for more than restoring it. Just like Pastor B mentioned in his sermon last Sunday, God indeed can restore the years that the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25).
The numbers 16 and 17 represent "love" and "victory" respectively, and I look forward to that coming to pass.
Happy 15th Anniversary, Darling! I thank my God everytime I think of you (Phil 1:3)!
Recently, I got myself a 500GB portable hard disk drive, so that I could store the MP3 sermons that I had purchased from Joseph Prince Ministries, among other things. I have copied about 20 of them onto the 6GB card of my PDA phone, so that I can listen to them during my waiting moments.
I was just listening to the 2002 sermon entitled "Ephraim and Judah" where Ps Prince mentioned that the number 15 represents "rest". I did a Google search and found a page explaining what the various numbers mean.
Anyway, it seems this topic of rest keeps coming up! Last Saturday, I was at the ACSJ Fathers' Prayer Group meeting, and the guest speaker, Bro Henson Lim, also spoke about rest.
And today is my 15th wedding anniversary. My wife and I had lunch at Tao's Restaurant located at Paradiz Centre that serves fusion food. When the waiter heard that it was our anniversary, he gave us a complimentary appetiser, drink and desert (and even "forced" me to give my wife a peck on the cheek as he took a picture of us).To top it up, he also gave us a complimentary jug (which they serve their drinks in).
As an anniversary present, I gave my wife a wood-carving of a photo that was taken as part of the studio photo shoot.
It was done at East@Signmaster, a shop that specialises in wood products, that is located in Toa Payoh Hub HDB Mall, just 2 shops away from Spectrum (the shop that printed the customised tshirts for me).Our 15th year of marriage has indeed been one of rest. And to think that less than 5 years ago, it was at the brink of divorce. I really thank the Lord for more than restoring it. Just like Pastor B mentioned in his sermon last Sunday, God indeed can restore the years that the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25).
The numbers 16 and 17 represent "love" and "victory" respectively, and I look forward to that coming to pass.
Happy 15th Anniversary, Darling! I thank my God everytime I think of you (Phil 1:3)!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
De-colorised
Tuesday, 20th November 2007
There are some minor renovations taking place at my home right now.
I am staying with my parents, and my dad has decided to get the walls re-painted and the carpets re-laid.
The carpet in my room is currently grey, but I just re-discovered that it used to be blue. There was a book cabinet standing near the door, and when it was removed to make way for the new carpet, the original colour was there for all to see.
The current carpet was laid 17 years ago. But over the years, it has become de-colorised due to wear and tear and also because of the dust and dirt generated from renovations that have been carried out in the surrounding houses.
As I looked at the patch of blue in the midst of the grey, a deeper spritual truth dawned upon me.
Previously, I would have drawn an illustration of a Christian who over the years starts to become complacent, allows sin to creep into his life and backslides so much that he is no longer what he used to be. And then he needs to re-invite Jesus into different parts of his heart to clean up the mess.
But I think the following analogy may be more appropriate...
When we first become Christians, we are like that patch of blue. Over the years, the dust and grind of false doctrines and teachings come in and start to pollute and blur our minds, so much so that the gospel that we know is no longer one of unadulterated grace, but one that is a mixture of law and grace.
And that is typically what has happened down throughout church history. Man starts to re-introduce the Law or their own sets of laws.
We see that happen in the church in Galatia and that is why Paul had to write that epistle to them.
We see that happen in the Roman Catholic church, and hence Martin Luther had to protest against papal practices, which led to the Reformation.
We see that happen in the Anglican church, resulting in the founding of Methodism by John Wesley.
We see that happen at Grace Baptist church, leading to Rev Lawrence Khong being ex-communicated and forming Faith Community Baptist church.
And we are seeing that happen today, hence grace preachers are being accused of being cultic, occultic, heretic and antinomian.
Let us remember what Jesus said the role of the Holy Spirit is in Jn 16:8-11. He convicts the world of the sin of unbelief, but He convicts us believers that we are the righteousness of God in Christ!
Hence, the earlier illustration of Jesus going into different parts of our heart to clear out the clutter of sin is erroneous. The very moment when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, our slate has been wiped totally clean right there and then.
The correct analogy should therefore be one where the Holy Spirit constantly reminds us that we are righteous, and in so doing, He removes those layers of dirt and grime that the devil tries to pollute our minds with, such as we are not unworthy, or that we need to work so as not to lose our salvation, or that prosperity is a dirty word, or that God gives us sicknesses to keep us humble, and so on.
So what is it that "de-colorises" the believer? It is not sin, but wrong beliefs :-)
There are some minor renovations taking place at my home right now.
I am staying with my parents, and my dad has decided to get the walls re-painted and the carpets re-laid.
The carpet in my room is currently grey, but I just re-discovered that it used to be blue. There was a book cabinet standing near the door, and when it was removed to make way for the new carpet, the original colour was there for all to see.
The current carpet was laid 17 years ago. But over the years, it has become de-colorised due to wear and tear and also because of the dust and dirt generated from renovations that have been carried out in the surrounding houses.
As I looked at the patch of blue in the midst of the grey, a deeper spritual truth dawned upon me.
Previously, I would have drawn an illustration of a Christian who over the years starts to become complacent, allows sin to creep into his life and backslides so much that he is no longer what he used to be. And then he needs to re-invite Jesus into different parts of his heart to clean up the mess.
But I think the following analogy may be more appropriate...
When we first become Christians, we are like that patch of blue. Over the years, the dust and grind of false doctrines and teachings come in and start to pollute and blur our minds, so much so that the gospel that we know is no longer one of unadulterated grace, but one that is a mixture of law and grace.
And that is typically what has happened down throughout church history. Man starts to re-introduce the Law or their own sets of laws.
We see that happen in the church in Galatia and that is why Paul had to write that epistle to them.
We see that happen in the Roman Catholic church, and hence Martin Luther had to protest against papal practices, which led to the Reformation.
We see that happen in the Anglican church, resulting in the founding of Methodism by John Wesley.
We see that happen at Grace Baptist church, leading to Rev Lawrence Khong being ex-communicated and forming Faith Community Baptist church.
And we are seeing that happen today, hence grace preachers are being accused of being cultic, occultic, heretic and antinomian.
Let us remember what Jesus said the role of the Holy Spirit is in Jn 16:8-11. He convicts the world of the sin of unbelief, but He convicts us believers that we are the righteousness of God in Christ!
Hence, the earlier illustration of Jesus going into different parts of our heart to clear out the clutter of sin is erroneous. The very moment when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, our slate has been wiped totally clean right there and then.
The correct analogy should therefore be one where the Holy Spirit constantly reminds us that we are righteous, and in so doing, He removes those layers of dirt and grime that the devil tries to pollute our minds with, such as we are not unworthy, or that we need to work so as not to lose our salvation, or that prosperity is a dirty word, or that God gives us sicknesses to keep us humble, and so on.
So what is it that "de-colorises" the believer? It is not sin, but wrong beliefs :-)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Crossing Five Figures
Monday, 19th November 2007
When I logged on this morning, I realised that my blog had crossed the 
10,000 figure in terms of visits.
The daily visits for the past month have also been sustainable, between 46 and 72. (Today's visits of 10 cannot be counted yet because it is still morning as I type this post).
I remember in the early part of this year where I had mass-mailed the subject titles of the entries each week. Back then, the average visits per day was about 15, and shoot up to about 30 when those mails were sent.
I suppose what God is teaching me here is that He is the One who will draw the visitors by prompting them to either check out this blog directly, or to perform search engine enquries that eventually direct them here.
By the way, I have finished reading "The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus", and will write a review about it in an upcoming post. Till then, have a blessed week ahead!
When I logged on this morning, I realised that my blog had crossed the 
10,000 figure in terms of visits.The daily visits for the past month have also been sustainable, between 46 and 72. (Today's visits of 10 cannot be counted yet because it is still morning as I type this post).
I remember in the early part of this year where I had mass-mailed the subject titles of the entries each week. Back then, the average visits per day was about 15, and shoot up to about 30 when those mails were sent.
I suppose what God is teaching me here is that He is the One who will draw the visitors by prompting them to either check out this blog directly, or to perform search engine enquries that eventually direct them here.
By the way, I have finished reading "The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus", and will write a review about it in an upcoming post. Till then, have a blessed week ahead!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Watersheds
Sunday, 18th November 2007
My entire family did not go to Paya Lebar Methodist Church ("PLMC") today.
Nope, it was not to attend NCC but to attend Cairnhill Methodist Church ("CMC").
Every year, about this time of the year when the school holidays have just started, that church will hold a Thanksgiving Service, wherein the invitation is extended to all ACSJ boys and their parents, in order to give thanks to God for seeing them through another academic year. After the service, we are treated to a sumptuous spread of food prepared by the church members.
It was at such a Service two years ago that I was introduced to the Fathers' Prayer Group (who had put up a stall serving Nasi Bryani), so these annual services hold much significance to me.
This year's service was also significant because our ex-pastor was transferred to this very church in Aug 07, and my family was looking forward to catching up with him and his family. After all, all of us used to be in the same cell group.
Thirdly, this year's service was also noteworthy because the ACSJ principal Mr Peter Tan will be leaving to take over as ACS (Barker) principal with effect from Dec 2007.
As a tribute to Mr Tan, my ex-pastor sang the song that he composed in May 07 as a response to being first informed about his impending transfer from PLMC to CMC.
It is entitled "Follow" and the lyrics reflect the struggle he initially had, and the subsequent acceptance in submission to the will of God.
I did not record his performance of the song (which was really touching), but you can listen to this (and other of his compositions such as Great God, the Ohana Camp Theme Song ) on EntheosMusic
2007 has indeed been a watershed year for many of us -- my ex-pastor, the ACSJ principal, me -- just to name a few.
God is causing mighty things to happen in our lives, but we have to learn to continue to trust Him. Wherever He leads, we will follow. Amen?
My entire family did not go to Paya Lebar Methodist Church ("PLMC") today.
Nope, it was not to attend NCC but to attend Cairnhill Methodist Church ("CMC").
Every year, about this time of the year when the school holidays have just started, that church will hold a Thanksgiving Service, wherein the invitation is extended to all ACSJ boys and their parents, in order to give thanks to God for seeing them through another academic year. After the service, we are treated to a sumptuous spread of food prepared by the church members.
It was at such a Service two years ago that I was introduced to the Fathers' Prayer Group (who had put up a stall serving Nasi Bryani), so these annual services hold much significance to me.
This year's service was also significant because our ex-pastor was transferred to this very church in Aug 07, and my family was looking forward to catching up with him and his family. After all, all of us used to be in the same cell group.
Thirdly, this year's service was also noteworthy because the ACSJ principal Mr Peter Tan will be leaving to take over as ACS (Barker) principal with effect from Dec 2007.
As a tribute to Mr Tan, my ex-pastor sang the song that he composed in May 07 as a response to being first informed about his impending transfer from PLMC to CMC.
It is entitled "Follow" and the lyrics reflect the struggle he initially had, and the subsequent acceptance in submission to the will of God.
Follow
Down on my knees, with my face to the ground,
I hear what You say, but my heart feels the pain
Chorus:
I still will follow, I still will worship, I’ll live my life for You
I still will love You, I still will serve You, I’ll live my life for You
My flesh may be weak, but my God You’re beside me
I’ll do what You say, not my will but Yours be done
Rise to my feet, with my face to the Son,
I love what You say, and my heart feels Your peace
I did not record his performance of the song (which was really touching), but you can listen to this (and other of his compositions such as Great God, the Ohana Camp Theme Song ) on EntheosMusic
2007 has indeed been a watershed year for many of us -- my ex-pastor, the ACSJ principal, me -- just to name a few.
God is causing mighty things to happen in our lives, but we have to learn to continue to trust Him. Wherever He leads, we will follow. Amen?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Gracious Disagreement
Saturday, 17th November 2007
Recently, a dear sister who is well aware of my current situation passed me a Discovery Series booklet entitled "Developing the Art of Gracious Disagreement (Surviving Church Conflict)".
At first, I was reluctant to read it, because I felt that I was being "preached" to. Later on, I realised that it was probably my pride preventing me from doing so. I thus relented and started to flip through it.
Having done so, I must admit that it was quite an eye-opener. The author says that conflicts are inevitable, and ignoring or not admitting our differences is dishonesty.
He gives examples of conflict in the Bible. In the Old Testament, they were plentiful. Even in the New Testament, there was conflict among the disciples, between Paul & Barnabas and yes, even between the great apostles Paul and Peter (which we will talk more about in a minute).
Ideally, we in the Body of Christ should live together in unity. It is when we love one another as Christ loves us, that the world will know that we are His disciples.
Yet, there is a limit to unity, and the author gives the example of how Paul admonished Peter because the latter had started to re-embrace the law.
This is found on pages 26 and 27 of the booklet, which I have scanned and included on the right for your reading pleasure.
There can be no mixture of law and grace, because it shortchanges believers of what is rightfully ours. But worst of all, it is an insult to the finished work of Jesus on the cross if we think we can gain even a sliver of merit based on our own self-efforts.
And that is why Paul had to "oppose him to his face" (Gal 2:11), even though Peter was a "somebody". Not only was he one of the chosen twelve, he was one of the three in Jesus' inner circle who together with the Sons of Zebedee, had the privilege to witness our Lord's transfiguration.
If even Peter was not exempt from being told off for embracing the Law, what less someone who claims to be a preacher or teacher of the Word of God, yet constantly uses the Law in his messages to discourage or condemn, instead of using Grace to encourage and affirm?
May we who are embracers of the grace teachings not be intimidated by these law-based people, but continue to stand firm on our beliefs! Amen?
Recently, a dear sister who is well aware of my current situation passed me a Discovery Series booklet entitled "Developing the Art of Gracious Disagreement (Surviving Church Conflict)".At first, I was reluctant to read it, because I felt that I was being "preached" to. Later on, I realised that it was probably my pride preventing me from doing so. I thus relented and started to flip through it.
Having done so, I must admit that it was quite an eye-opener. The author says that conflicts are inevitable, and ignoring or not admitting our differences is dishonesty.
He gives examples of conflict in the Bible. In the Old Testament, they were plentiful. Even in the New Testament, there was conflict among the disciples, between Paul & Barnabas and yes, even between the great apostles Paul and Peter (which we will talk more about in a minute).
Ideally, we in the Body of Christ should live together in unity. It is when we love one another as Christ loves us, that the world will know that we are His disciples.
Yet, there is a limit to unity, and the author gives the example of how Paul admonished Peter because the latter had started to re-embrace the law.This is found on pages 26 and 27 of the booklet, which I have scanned and included on the right for your reading pleasure.
There can be no mixture of law and grace, because it shortchanges believers of what is rightfully ours. But worst of all, it is an insult to the finished work of Jesus on the cross if we think we can gain even a sliver of merit based on our own self-efforts.
And that is why Paul had to "oppose him to his face" (Gal 2:11), even though Peter was a "somebody". Not only was he one of the chosen twelve, he was one of the three in Jesus' inner circle who together with the Sons of Zebedee, had the privilege to witness our Lord's transfiguration.
If even Peter was not exempt from being told off for embracing the Law, what less someone who claims to be a preacher or teacher of the Word of God, yet constantly uses the Law in his messages to discourage or condemn, instead of using Grace to encourage and affirm?
May we who are embracers of the grace teachings not be intimidated by these law-based people, but continue to stand firm on our beliefs! Amen?
Friday, November 16, 2007
Unmasked!
Friday, 16th November 2007
Yesterday, I blogged about how the LORD has causes different parts of the Body of Christ to minister to and encourage other parts of the same Body.
One of those whom the Lord has used is a guy who calls himself CybeRanger. He scouts the Internet to look for Christian blogs to give weekly awards to.
When I received the award back in Feb 07, a dear brother of mine dismissed it of as bias (perhaps because he has yet to win it?), saying that only those that embrace grace teachings have been and would be awardees.
Well, since then, two of my churchmates have also won the award:
Philip Ng (Boldeagle - winner 19 Aug 07)
Jerry Long (Dreamer1948 - winner 18 Nov 07)
Do read their blogs and let me know if their blog entries reflect such a theme.
In particular, check out the blog of a chap who calls himself Danski, who won the award on 18 Dec 06. I am sure you can see from his posts that he is pretty much against grace teachings.
So that allegation that CybeRanger is not objective definitely does not hold any water :-)
But that is not the main thrust of this post.
Some time back, I received an email from a gentleman inviting me out for dinner, and that gentleman was none other than CybeRanger himself!
We had a wonderful time of fellowship, but I think what moved me the most was that he was willing to appear before me unmasked, so to speak. I have been in correspondences with some of the other awardees, and I don't think they have been given that privilege and honour, yet :-)
A couple of weeks ago, I met up with 2 recipients of Destined to Reign over lunch, who were here on their honeymoon, which I blogged about here.
And just a couple of days ago, another 2 of the book recipients took me out to dinner. I blogged about that here.
God has caused those seeds that were sown to start bearing fruit already. All praise and glory be to Him!
I thank God for all these wonderful brothers- and sisters-in-Christ. May the grace of God continue to multiply in their lives!
Yesterday, I blogged about how the LORD has causes different parts of the Body of Christ to minister to and encourage other parts of the same Body.
One of those whom the Lord has used is a guy who calls himself CybeRanger. He scouts the Internet to look for Christian blogs to give weekly awards to.
When I received the award back in Feb 07, a dear brother of mine dismissed it of as bias (perhaps because he has yet to win it?), saying that only those that embrace grace teachings have been and would be awardees.
Well, since then, two of my churchmates have also won the award:
Philip Ng (Boldeagle - winner 19 Aug 07)
Jerry Long (Dreamer1948 - winner 18 Nov 07)
Do read their blogs and let me know if their blog entries reflect such a theme.
In particular, check out the blog of a chap who calls himself Danski, who won the award on 18 Dec 06. I am sure you can see from his posts that he is pretty much against grace teachings.
So that allegation that CybeRanger is not objective definitely does not hold any water :-)
But that is not the main thrust of this post.
Some time back, I received an email from a gentleman inviting me out for dinner, and that gentleman was none other than CybeRanger himself!
We had a wonderful time of fellowship, but I think what moved me the most was that he was willing to appear before me unmasked, so to speak. I have been in correspondences with some of the other awardees, and I don't think they have been given that privilege and honour, yet :-)
A couple of weeks ago, I met up with 2 recipients of Destined to Reign over lunch, who were here on their honeymoon, which I blogged about here.
And just a couple of days ago, another 2 of the book recipients took me out to dinner. I blogged about that here.
God has caused those seeds that were sown to start bearing fruit already. All praise and glory be to Him!
I thank God for all these wonderful brothers- and sisters-in-Christ. May the grace of God continue to multiply in their lives!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Parakletos
Thursday, 15th November 2007
God never ceases to amaze me :-)
Because the same Holy Spirit is in everyone of us who are children of the Most High, He can and will use any one of us to minister to another one of us, because we are all part of the Body of Christ.
At the end of Jan 07 and start of Feb 07, I was feeling very discouraged. Friendships that had taken time to build were suddenly on stony ground because I had started to begin to embrace grace teachings unreservedly. For example, I used to be very close to my ex-pastor, but we started to drift apart, and now he does not want to have anything to do with me.
It all cumulated on 4 Feb 07 while I was taking Holy Communion, and I sobbed uncontrollably while holding the elements in my hand. The irony was that a prayer was being said over me to the effect that I was crying tears of repentence, but nothing could be further from the truth! I was tearful because I was wondering whether this was the cost of discipleship? That because I had embraced grace teachings, those who did not would keep their distance?
Anyway, that prayer provided little comfort, if any at all...
But the Holy Spirit is the true Comforter, and He was working in the most unexpected way.
In Jn 14, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as "parakletos", which is translated as "comforter" in KJV and "helper" in NIV and NASB.
That very evening, a brother who calls himself CybeRanger left a note on my cBox, telling me that my blog was just given the Best Christian Blog of the Week award! You can read more about that here.
Sure, some may dismiss this as a mere coincidence, but by doing so, they do not realise they are undermining the work of the Third Person in the Trinity.
Even though this chap was a total stranger to me and I to him, both of us are part of Christ's Body. He had no idea the extent of my discouraged state, but He responded to the Spirit's prompting, and was according used by Him to lift me up.
If you are not convinced, then how about this testimony of how the Holy Spirit prompted another total stranger to do a search of "Pastor Prince" on YouTube sometime in Aug 07, and the first one to come up was the video I put up offering free copies of Destined to Reign. She and another friend responded to the offer.
Just last week, I received feedback that some in my church's leadership were upset about my continuous promoting of the grace gospel. That again caused me to be discouraged because I realise that it is a real uphill task to "change things from the inside".
Yet again, the Holy Spirit, being the true Comforter, prompted this particular recipient of Destined to Reign to send me an email, and the contents of her email really lifted my spirits. You can read more about that here.
And the most wonderful thing is that same Parakletos is available to each and every one of us. Don't let the fact that someone out there may be a total stranger to you limit what our awesome God can do. What may be coincidences in the eyes of the world are actually God-appointed divine arrangements. Amen?
God never ceases to amaze me :-)
Because the same Holy Spirit is in everyone of us who are children of the Most High, He can and will use any one of us to minister to another one of us, because we are all part of the Body of Christ.
At the end of Jan 07 and start of Feb 07, I was feeling very discouraged. Friendships that had taken time to build were suddenly on stony ground because I had started to begin to embrace grace teachings unreservedly. For example, I used to be very close to my ex-pastor, but we started to drift apart, and now he does not want to have anything to do with me.
It all cumulated on 4 Feb 07 while I was taking Holy Communion, and I sobbed uncontrollably while holding the elements in my hand. The irony was that a prayer was being said over me to the effect that I was crying tears of repentence, but nothing could be further from the truth! I was tearful because I was wondering whether this was the cost of discipleship? That because I had embraced grace teachings, those who did not would keep their distance?
Anyway, that prayer provided little comfort, if any at all...
But the Holy Spirit is the true Comforter, and He was working in the most unexpected way.In Jn 14, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as "parakletos", which is translated as "comforter" in KJV and "helper" in NIV and NASB.
That very evening, a brother who calls himself CybeRanger left a note on my cBox, telling me that my blog was just given the Best Christian Blog of the Week award! You can read more about that here.
Sure, some may dismiss this as a mere coincidence, but by doing so, they do not realise they are undermining the work of the Third Person in the Trinity.
Even though this chap was a total stranger to me and I to him, both of us are part of Christ's Body. He had no idea the extent of my discouraged state, but He responded to the Spirit's prompting, and was according used by Him to lift me up.
If you are not convinced, then how about this testimony of how the Holy Spirit prompted another total stranger to do a search of "Pastor Prince" on YouTube sometime in Aug 07, and the first one to come up was the video I put up offering free copies of Destined to Reign. She and another friend responded to the offer.
Just last week, I received feedback that some in my church's leadership were upset about my continuous promoting of the grace gospel. That again caused me to be discouraged because I realise that it is a real uphill task to "change things from the inside".
Yet again, the Holy Spirit, being the true Comforter, prompted this particular recipient of Destined to Reign to send me an email, and the contents of her email really lifted my spirits. You can read more about that here.
And the most wonderful thing is that same Parakletos is available to each and every one of us. Don't let the fact that someone out there may be a total stranger to you limit what our awesome God can do. What may be coincidences in the eyes of the world are actually God-appointed divine arrangements. Amen?
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Spreading the Grace Message Far and Wide
Wednesday, 14th November 2007
While Pastor Prince has been used mightily by the Lord to spread the grace gospel to Australia and England via the Hillsong Conferences held in Sydney and London respectively, his counterpart Pastor Joshua has been used by God to spread the grace message to the Philippines.
I have mentioned before on my blog that when I offered free copies of Destined to Reign, several brothers and sisters from the Philippines (and in particular from the city of Iloilo) reverted.
Well, a couple (literally!) of them were in Singapore for their honeymoon recently, and I met up with them for lunch at the PepperLunch outlet in AMKHub.
The newly-wedded groom is the Youth Pastor of His Life Ministries Iloilo, while his bride helps up in their music ministry. Their congregation is about 150, having just been planted by their mother church, His Life Ministries Bacolod City.
They explained to me how Pastor Joshua had been to their hometown sometime last year for a seminar. The seed that was sown then has begun to sprout, and more and more of their churchmates are beginning to embrace the grace message.
We had a good time of fellowship, and in sharing what God has done in our lives. I also gave them a copy of Joshua Lye's Walking on Water to bring back home.
God is moving mightily among our brethren in the Philippines as well (which is predominantly Catholic), and I am sure we will be seeing a mighty revival there very soon. I was told that Pastor Joshua will be visiting the city again sometime next year to follow-up on his ministry there. Meanwhile, do visit their website and remember their congregation in your daily prayer.
While Pastor Prince has been used mightily by the Lord to spread the grace gospel to Australia and England via the Hillsong Conferences held in Sydney and London respectively, his counterpart Pastor Joshua has been used by God to spread the grace message to the Philippines.
I have mentioned before on my blog that when I offered free copies of Destined to Reign, several brothers and sisters from the Philippines (and in particular from the city of Iloilo) reverted.
Well, a couple (literally!) of them were in Singapore for their honeymoon recently, and I met up with them for lunch at the PepperLunch outlet in AMKHub.
The newly-wedded groom is the Youth Pastor of His Life Ministries Iloilo, while his bride helps up in their music ministry. Their congregation is about 150, having just been planted by their mother church, His Life Ministries Bacolod City.
They explained to me how Pastor Joshua had been to their hometown sometime last year for a seminar. The seed that was sown then has begun to sprout, and more and more of their churchmates are beginning to embrace the grace message.
We had a good time of fellowship, and in sharing what God has done in our lives. I also gave them a copy of Joshua Lye's Walking on Water to bring back home.
God is moving mightily among our brethren in the Philippines as well (which is predominantly Catholic), and I am sure we will be seeing a mighty revival there very soon. I was told that Pastor Joshua will be visiting the city again sometime next year to follow-up on his ministry there. Meanwhile, do visit their website and remember their congregation in your daily prayer.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Further Additions to XT and XD Collection
Tuesday, 13th November 2007
In earlier posts, I have blogged about my Christian Tshirt ("XT") and Christian decal ("XD") collections.
Well, here are my most recent additions.
Additions to XT
Since the last time, I have added #33 to my collection as follows:
33. BOTUG (Oct 2007)
13th design to be printed at Spectrum
Three weeks back, I decided to shave off all my hair to make a bald statement. As it was the first time ever doing so, I felt it should be commemorated on a tshirt, so the design was sent to Choon Hong of Spectrum.
As I had never had anything printed in pink thus far, that colour became the natural and obvious choice.
Additions to XD
I was at SKS Books Warehouse recently, and picked up the following decals #20 to #23
20. Relieve Stress
This one has a picture of a really stressed-out looking cat. It reads Relieve Stress... take a prayer break.
We read in the gospels that every morning, Jesus would start off by spending quality time communing with the Father. That was how He got by each day stress-free.
21. Before and After
This one shows a sad. blue face and a happy, yellow face.
The sad face depicts "my life before Jesus", while the happy face depicts "my life after Jesus".
Jesus makes all the difference between someone who is downcast and someone who is joyful. Hence, it ends with a rhetorical "Any questions?"
22. Right Now, even Darwin is Convinced
Charles Darwin is the guy who founded the theory of evolution -- that man evolved from apes. When he first mooted that, it caused a big hoo-hah. Well not anymore, because the Bible has stood the test of time.
This decal shows the tombstone of Darwin. He lies dead, and his bones can be exhumed. Whereas Jesus is alive; He left behind an empty tomb.
23. Prayer Changes Stuff
Decals #23 and #24 had to be stuck diagonally...
This one show a figure of a man down on his knees in prayer, and refers to three passages of Scripture:
Matt 18:19-20
Matt 21:22
Heb 4:16
24. FBI
I got this decal from Rock Gifts and Books Centre, located on the 3rd floor of Suntec Tower Four. It is a play on the acronym "FBI".
Instead of Federal Bureau of Investigation, it stands for Firm Believer In Christ.
The verse referred to is Rom 1:16.
So folks, this is how the back of my car looks like at the present moment.
Hmm, I wonder if there is room to stick any more decals :-)
In earlier posts, I have blogged about my Christian Tshirt ("XT") and Christian decal ("XD") collections.
Well, here are my most recent additions.
Additions to XT
Since the last time, I have added #33 to my collection as follows:
33. BOTUG (Oct 2007)
13th design to be printed at Spectrum
Three weeks back, I decided to shave off all my hair to make a bald statement. As it was the first time ever doing so, I felt it should be commemorated on a tshirt, so the design was sent to Choon Hong of Spectrum.
As I had never had anything printed in pink thus far, that colour became the natural and obvious choice.
Additions to XD
I was at SKS Books Warehouse recently, and picked up the following decals #20 to #23
20. Relieve Stress
This one has a picture of a really stressed-out looking cat. It reads Relieve Stress... take a prayer break.
We read in the gospels that every morning, Jesus would start off by spending quality time communing with the Father. That was how He got by each day stress-free.
21. Before and After
This one shows a sad. blue face and a happy, yellow face.
The sad face depicts "my life before Jesus", while the happy face depicts "my life after Jesus".
Jesus makes all the difference between someone who is downcast and someone who is joyful. Hence, it ends with a rhetorical "Any questions?"
22. Right Now, even Darwin is Convinced
Charles Darwin is the guy who founded the theory of evolution -- that man evolved from apes. When he first mooted that, it caused a big hoo-hah. Well not anymore, because the Bible has stood the test of time.
This decal shows the tombstone of Darwin. He lies dead, and his bones can be exhumed. Whereas Jesus is alive; He left behind an empty tomb.
23. Prayer Changes Stuff
Decals #23 and #24 had to be stuck diagonally...
This one show a figure of a man down on his knees in prayer, and refers to three passages of Scripture:
Matt 18:19-20
Matt 21:22
Heb 4:16
24. FBI
I got this decal from Rock Gifts and Books Centre, located on the 3rd floor of Suntec Tower Four. It is a play on the acronym "FBI".
Instead of Federal Bureau of Investigation, it stands for Firm Believer In Christ.
The verse referred to is Rom 1:16.
So folks, this is how the back of my car looks like at the present moment.Hmm, I wonder if there is room to stick any more decals :-)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Tri-Centenary of Posts
Monday, 12th November 2007
It just occured to me that this is the 300th post.
As I reflect back upon the past year or so, I must say that it's been quite a journey.
At one stage in Mar 07, there was a backlog of about a week, primarily because I was away in Europe.
At another stage in Aug/Sep 07, there was a forwardlog of about 2 weeks, primarily because there was just so much that was happening in my life.
Now it's just about right.
And with that, it's time to change the template again :-)
I thank the LORD for helping me to reach yet another milestone.
There are several things that He has placed in my heart to blog about, and I will get down to doing so. These include a variety of topics such as aliens/UFOs, confession and repentence, dead works, secular music of the 1980s, idioms/sayings such as "poor as a churchmouse", and so on...
Here's to the next 300 :-)
It just occured to me that this is the 300th post.
As I reflect back upon the past year or so, I must say that it's been quite a journey.
At one stage in Mar 07, there was a backlog of about a week, primarily because I was away in Europe.
At another stage in Aug/Sep 07, there was a forwardlog of about 2 weeks, primarily because there was just so much that was happening in my life.
Now it's just about right.
And with that, it's time to change the template again :-)
I thank the LORD for helping me to reach yet another milestone.
There are several things that He has placed in my heart to blog about, and I will get down to doing so. These include a variety of topics such as aliens/UFOs, confession and repentence, dead works, secular music of the 1980s, idioms/sayings such as "poor as a churchmouse", and so on...
Here's to the next 300 :-)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Focus and Perspective
Sunday, 11th November 2007
Recently, I received feedback that some in my church's leadership are upset with me, because they are not ready to embrace the grace messages, yet here I am still so passionate and enthusiastic about it.
Truth be told, this did make me feel slightly discouraged, because it means that it is a real uphill battle trying to "change things from the inside".
At times, I even started to wonder whether all this was all worth the effort.
The last time I felt this way was back at the end of January 2007, and God affirmed what I was doing by causing me to be given the Best Christian Blog of the Week Award.
Well this time around, He has again met me at my point of need. Praise be to Him! :-)
Back in August/September 2007, I had given out copies of Destined to Reign to more than 70 individuals, the majority of whom are complete strangers to me.
Just 2 days ago, I received the following email from one of the recipients. It was God's way of telling me, "Son, don't be discouraged. You are making a difference in the lives of people out there. Just continue to blog about what I have been doing in your life. Your church leaders will come around in due time."
I have obtained her permission to reproduce it in full, so long as her name is being withheld.
Recently, I received feedback that some in my church's leadership are upset with me, because they are not ready to embrace the grace messages, yet here I am still so passionate and enthusiastic about it.
Truth be told, this did make me feel slightly discouraged, because it means that it is a real uphill battle trying to "change things from the inside".
At times, I even started to wonder whether all this was all worth the effort.
The last time I felt this way was back at the end of January 2007, and God affirmed what I was doing by causing me to be given the Best Christian Blog of the Week Award.
Well this time around, He has again met me at my point of need. Praise be to Him! :-)
Back in August/September 2007, I had given out copies of Destined to Reign to more than 70 individuals, the majority of whom are complete strangers to me.
Just 2 days ago, I received the following email from one of the recipients. It was God's way of telling me, "Son, don't be discouraged. You are making a difference in the lives of people out there. Just continue to blog about what I have been doing in your life. Your church leaders will come around in due time."
I have obtained her permission to reproduce it in full, so long as her name is being withheld.
From: name withheld
Sent: Friday, 09 November, 2007 10:14 PM
To: Malcolm Loh
Subject: Re: destined to reign book
I thank God for this dear sister xxxxxxx, because she responded to the Holy Spirit's prompting to send me an email that helped me to stay in focus and see things in perspective. I am looking forward to meeting up with her and her friend XXXXXX.Hi Malcolm,
xxxxxxx here. I just want to really thank you for the Destined to Reign book. It has indeed truly ministered to me. I'm now reading the book for the 2nd time. This time I want to seriously go through the bible verses in each chapter and meditate on it.
I grew up in a Christian home (literally born into a Christian home) and also my parents are in the ministry. It was years of being under the "religious law" teachings and it really got me frustrated in my growing up years cuz i always felt condemned and i really really wanted to please God but found myself failing all the time.
I could really relate to Pastor Prince when he shared of how he almost lost his mind and became depressed because of that. I felt the same way too and in fact, few months back was contemplating just ending it all.......in fact I wrote it in my diary that I came to the end of it all, just wanted to give up on life and this whole Christianity cuz I felt I couldn't live that holy life the way I thought God wanted me to and I would rather end it then displease God or disappoint Him. How merciful our loving Father is and how wrong I was to think it all depended on my self-effort.
God really used you as a blessing, when Pastor Prince released this book, I desired to have it. But financially I was rather tight. And that night when you put up the video on the YouTube was the night I decided to just type "pastor prince" under the search tab and the first video that came out was yours.
I was so surprised and almost couldn't believe it! How good and kind our Father God is!! This book has certainly come in timely especially in learning to just live in His Grace and knowing we are the Righteousness of God in Christ.Thank you so much again Malcolm for being a blessing and hope we can catch up with you together with. XXXXXX (he is my good friend who also received the book from you, he is also very blessed by the book and we are studying the book together now) and perhaps treat you to tea and fellowship with you sometime.
You are highly favored, Greatly Blessed and Deeply loved,
xxxxxxx
Saturday, November 10, 2007
The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus
Saturday, 10th November 2007
Yesterday, I blogged about my visit to SKS Books Warehouse.
I saw a book of children's devotionals called "Faith Factor" (a spoof of "Fear Factor").
But what caught my eye was this book by John R. Cross entitled The Stranger on th
e Road to Emmaus (hence the title of today's post).
I was planning to get a book for a friend who is somewhat of an intellectual currently searching for answers to the meaning of life.
I turned to the backcover of the book, and this was what was written on it:
The synopsis intrigued me so much that I decided to buy 2 copies -- one for him, and the other for myself as well :-)
Anyway, it seems that the book (and workbook!) are being made available by the publisher as a FREE download in PDF format during a limited time period, so you may want to get a copy for yourself.
Yesterday, I blogged about my visit to SKS Books Warehouse.
I saw a book of children's devotionals called "Faith Factor" (a spoof of "Fear Factor").
But what caught my eye was this book by John R. Cross entitled The Stranger on th
e Road to Emmaus (hence the title of today's post).I was planning to get a book for a friend who is somewhat of an intellectual currently searching for answers to the meaning of life.
I turned to the backcover of the book, and this was what was written on it:
It's been called the most misunderstood book in history.
Wars have been fought in its name, scandals have been precipitated by it, politics shaped and reshaped at its word. Theologians have both defended and reviled it. Skeptics have done the same. If you are a typical member of the human race, you have often been perplexed by all the fuss surrounding the Bible. The question remains, What does it really say?
Here is a book that explains the greatest of Bible themes clearly and logically. Rather than focusing on one part and missing the whole the author chronologically binds together the entire text into one great universal drama, looking at events from the perspective of those who experienced history in the making. The results are sometimes comical, sometimes frightening but always true to the intent of the text.
When you are done reading it, you may find yourself believing the Book like you never have before. Or you may decide not to. The author's objective approach leaves that decision up to you.
The synopsis intrigued me so much that I decided to buy 2 copies -- one for him, and the other for myself as well :-)
Anyway, it seems that the book (and workbook!) are being made available by the publisher as a FREE download in PDF format during a limited time period, so you may want to get a copy for yourself.
Friday, November 9, 2007
More and More Doors are being Opened!
Friday, 9th November 2007
Last Saturday, I sent my daughter to her Piano theory exam, which was held at the PSB Academy.
After having lunch at Tiong Bahru Plaza, we decided to go to SKS Bookstore, which was only a stone's throw away.
It's been quite a while since I have gone there. Previously, they had units on both the 9th and 10th floor. Now, everything is consolidated on the 9th floor.
While I was there, I picked up some more car decals (which I will blog about in a future post). I also saw a stand with many Benny Ho sermons.
But what I found to be most encouraging was to see copies of Destined to Reign! The owner of SKS is from an Evangelical-Free church, which has been rather against the grace messages. But that is changing..
It goes to show that doors are slowly but surely being opened! Hallelujah!
And when Jesus is the One opening those doors, no one can shut them! (Rev 3:8)
Speaking of doors being opened, I was checking the blog of a dear sister, and she had a link to this video on it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5ILvjvr-5U
In spite of numerous naysayers and sceptics, God continues to prosper his ministry, so much so that he is now speaking to tens of thousands globally. Praise the LORD!
Oh by the way, I bought a wonderful book at SKS, which I will blog about tomorrow :-)
Last Saturday, I sent my daughter to her Piano theory exam, which was held at the PSB Academy.
After having lunch at Tiong Bahru Plaza, we decided to go to SKS Bookstore, which was only a stone's throw away.
It's been quite a while since I have gone there. Previously, they had units on both the 9th and 10th floor. Now, everything is consolidated on the 9th floor.While I was there, I picked up some more car decals (which I will blog about in a future post). I also saw a stand with many Benny Ho sermons.
But what I found to be most encouraging was to see copies of Destined to Reign! The owner of SKS is from an Evangelical-Free church, which has been rather against the grace messages. But that is changing..It goes to show that doors are slowly but surely being opened! Hallelujah!
And when Jesus is the One opening those doors, no one can shut them! (Rev 3:8)
Speaking of doors being opened, I was checking the blog of a dear sister, and she had a link to this video on it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5ILvjvr-5U
In spite of numerous naysayers and sceptics, God continues to prosper his ministry, so much so that he is now speaking to tens of thousands globally. Praise the LORD!
Oh by the way, I bought a wonderful book at SKS, which I will blog about tomorrow :-)
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Lessons from Hollywood?
Thursday, 8th November 2007
About a month ago, my church was having a guest speaker, so I went to New Creation Church with a fellow churchmate (whom I will not name for obvious reasons).
In the course of conversation with him, he mentioned that he had watched a movie called Evan Almighty and even recommended me to see it.
I looked at him in bewilderment. Here was a fellow embracer of grace teachings recommending me Hollywood rather than the Holy Word?!
I declined, saying that I was not a movie buff, and even more so when I had seen the trailer of "Bruce Almighty", (where Jim Carrey was given the opportunity to become God and in one particular scene caused his girlfriend's "assets" to treble in size).
My churchmate told me not to be so prejudiced. He said that some scenes even made him cry. On that account, I relented...
Well, I did get down to watch the movie. Let me say that I was pleasantly surprised! In fact, I was also moved to tears at times. There is a twist at the end of the story that actually gave me a good opinion of God!
For one thing, it helped to change the kiddie perception that the Ark had giraffes' heads sticking out. The gigantic one as depicted in the movie is more like the actual one that Noah built.
For another thing, I learnt an acronym made up of the word ARK -- Act of Random Kindness.
If you have not watched the movie, I recommend you to do so. You never know what lessons can be learnt from Hollywood :-)
About a month ago, my church was having a guest speaker, so I went to New Creation Church with a fellow churchmate (whom I will not name for obvious reasons).
In the course of conversation with him, he mentioned that he had watched a movie called Evan Almighty and even recommended me to see it.I looked at him in bewilderment. Here was a fellow embracer of grace teachings recommending me Hollywood rather than the Holy Word?!
I declined, saying that I was not a movie buff, and even more so when I had seen the trailer of "Bruce Almighty", (where Jim Carrey was given the opportunity to become God and in one particular scene caused his girlfriend's "assets" to treble in size).
My churchmate told me not to be so prejudiced. He said that some scenes even made him cry. On that account, I relented...
Well, I did get down to watch the movie. Let me say that I was pleasantly surprised! In fact, I was also moved to tears at times. There is a twist at the end of the story that actually gave me a good opinion of God!For one thing, it helped to change the kiddie perception that the Ark had giraffes' heads sticking out. The gigantic one as depicted in the movie is more like the actual one that Noah built.
For another thing, I learnt an acronym made up of the word ARK -- Act of Random Kindness.
If you have not watched the movie, I recommend you to do so. You never know what lessons can be learnt from Hollywood :-)
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Being Equally-Yoked
Wednesday, 7th November 2007
Just last Saturday, the results of a survey was published in the Straits Times about racial and religious tolerance.
In that survey, respondents were asked, inter alia, how willing they were to have friends or their children's friends or their spouses to be of various religions.
What caught my eye was the responses of the respondents who claimed to be Christians.
Where friends and children's friends are concerned, a high percentage (87% and above) of them were willing to mingle with those from other religions.
When it came to the choice of a spouse, these were the results.
Marrying a
Buddhist/Taoist (54%)
Muslim (28%)
Hindu (32%)
fellow Christian (97%)
other religion (44%)
Free-thinker (72%)
While the above findings show that Christians are the most discriminatory when it comes to choosing a spouse, I am still somewhat surprised that the figures are actually not significantly lower! Probably not all of them know about 2 Cor 6:14...
As a teenage boy growing up in church, I remember attending a talk on boy-girl relationships (BGR) and being told specifically "not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers".
The speaker gave the illustration of two oxen tilling the ground. If the oxen are not equally laden, then one will be pulling harder than the other, and what will result is that the plough will not travel in a straight line.
Essentially, he was telling us that we should only stick to Christians when it comes to looking for a potential spouse. Some fellow participants said that maybe one could help convert one's boyfriend / girlfriend, to which he gave another illustration: the Christian is like a person standing on a table, while the non-Christian is like a person standing on the ground. It is easier for the non-Christian to pull the Christian down than for the Christian to pull the non-Christian up.
In other epistles of Paul, he likens the marriage relationship between husband and wife to that of Christ and the church. If either spouse is not a believer, then he or she would not be able to appreciate this analogy. The non-Christian husband will not understand what it means to love his wife sacificially the way Christ loves the church. Similarly, the non-Christian wife will not understand what it means to submit to her husband the way the church is to submit to the authority of Christ.
Furthermore, one of the key attributes (if not THE main attribute) of a potential spouse should be Christlikeness. A person who is a pre-believer will NOT have this attribute, so it begs the question whether he or she should even be considered marriage material to begin with.
In fact, if we continue to read that passage in 2 Cor 6, Paul goes on to use very strong words...
"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and the devil? 16What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God."
When it comes to making friends, sure, we have to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. We cannot be discriminatory. Jesus Himself ate with publicans and tax-collectors.
But when it comes to marriage (which is a very serious matter as it is a covenant between two parties that is made before God), there can be absolutely no compromise. [Yep, not even under grace... After all, this letter of Paul was written this side of the cross].
So dear brothers and sisters. If your current girlfriend or boyfriend is a prebeliever, you have to take God at His Word and make a stand. Have a good opinion of God and believe that He will never shortchange you. As things stand, he or she is definitely not the one for you. Sure, she or he may become a believer in the future, but until that happens, do not be in an unequally-yoked relationship. It is putting the cart before the horse.
Just last Saturday, the results of a survey was published in the Straits Times about racial and religious tolerance.
In that survey, respondents were asked, inter alia, how willing they were to have friends or their children's friends or their spouses to be of various religions.
What caught my eye was the responses of the respondents who claimed to be Christians.
Where friends and children's friends are concerned, a high percentage (87% and above) of them were willing to mingle with those from other religions.
When it came to the choice of a spouse, these were the results.
Marrying a
Buddhist/Taoist (54%)
Muslim (28%)
Hindu (32%)
fellow Christian (97%)
other religion (44%)
Free-thinker (72%)
While the above findings show that Christians are the most discriminatory when it comes to choosing a spouse, I am still somewhat surprised that the figures are actually not significantly lower! Probably not all of them know about 2 Cor 6:14...
As a teenage boy growing up in church, I remember attending a talk on boy-girl relationships (BGR) and being told specifically "not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers".
The speaker gave the illustration of two oxen tilling the ground. If the oxen are not equally laden, then one will be pulling harder than the other, and what will result is that the plough will not travel in a straight line.
Essentially, he was telling us that we should only stick to Christians when it comes to looking for a potential spouse. Some fellow participants said that maybe one could help convert one's boyfriend / girlfriend, to which he gave another illustration: the Christian is like a person standing on a table, while the non-Christian is like a person standing on the ground. It is easier for the non-Christian to pull the Christian down than for the Christian to pull the non-Christian up.
In other epistles of Paul, he likens the marriage relationship between husband and wife to that of Christ and the church. If either spouse is not a believer, then he or she would not be able to appreciate this analogy. The non-Christian husband will not understand what it means to love his wife sacificially the way Christ loves the church. Similarly, the non-Christian wife will not understand what it means to submit to her husband the way the church is to submit to the authority of Christ.
Furthermore, one of the key attributes (if not THE main attribute) of a potential spouse should be Christlikeness. A person who is a pre-believer will NOT have this attribute, so it begs the question whether he or she should even be considered marriage material to begin with.
In fact, if we continue to read that passage in 2 Cor 6, Paul goes on to use very strong words...
"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and the devil? 16What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God."
When it comes to making friends, sure, we have to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. We cannot be discriminatory. Jesus Himself ate with publicans and tax-collectors.
But when it comes to marriage (which is a very serious matter as it is a covenant between two parties that is made before God), there can be absolutely no compromise. [Yep, not even under grace... After all, this letter of Paul was written this side of the cross].
So dear brothers and sisters. If your current girlfriend or boyfriend is a prebeliever, you have to take God at His Word and make a stand. Have a good opinion of God and believe that He will never shortchange you. As things stand, he or she is definitely not the one for you. Sure, she or he may become a believer in the future, but until that happens, do not be in an unequally-yoked relationship. It is putting the cart before the horse.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
JPM Playlist Made Available!
Tuesday, 6th November 2007
I checked the visits to my blog recently and noted that there has been an increasing number coming from the UK as a result of folks there "googling" for "pastor joseph prince" and ending up here on ROOTSS.
I suppose this is to be expected, because Pastor Prince was in London recently as one of the speakers at the Hillsong Conference, on the invitation of Brian Houston, and he must have left quite a powerful impact there.
May the gospel of grace continue to spread throughout the world! Amen?
Speaking of which, I have mentioned on my blog several times that my all-time favourite DVD is a compilation entitled Humorous Bible Illustrations, which is unfortunately currently out-of-stock.
Well, guess what? 11 of the 30 clips have been made officially available on YouTube!
Watch them by clicking on this link, and be blessed :-)
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1916B0F3B54CC731
I checked the visits to my blog recently and noted that there has been an increasing number coming from the UK as a result of folks there "googling" for "pastor joseph prince" and ending up here on ROOTSS.
I suppose this is to be expected, because Pastor Prince was in London recently as one of the speakers at the Hillsong Conference, on the invitation of Brian Houston, and he must have left quite a powerful impact there.
May the gospel of grace continue to spread throughout the world! Amen?
Speaking of which, I have mentioned on my blog several times that my all-time favourite DVD is a compilation entitled Humorous Bible Illustrations, which is unfortunately currently out-of-stock.
Well, guess what? 11 of the 30 clips have been made officially available on YouTube!
Watch them by clicking on this link, and be blessed :-)
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1916B0F3B54CC731
Monday, November 5, 2007
I've been Shortchanged!
Monday, 5th November 2007
Along the main road just outside the estate where I live is a Shell petrol station with a 7-Eleven store. Most 7-Eleven stores have a machine dispensing hot chocolate, cappuccino or mocha at S$1.90 per cup.
There was a particular week when my wife took leave to supervise our kids' revision for their upcoming exams. As I did not need to fetch her to work, I decided to go to work much earlier (so that I could likewise leave the office earlier). On the way out of the estate, I would stop by the store each day to buy a cup of hot chocolate, cappuccino or mocha.
Last Sunday, I decided to go to the Shell station near my church to get a cup of mocha. To my surprise, the cups used by this particular outlet seemed smaller. I asked the counter girl about this, to which she replied "No lah. It's always this size."
I looked at the cup again and indeed, there was even the official 7-Eleven logo on it! Yet, having bought drinks several times already from the one near my house, I was pretty certain that this one was significantly smaller.
Nonetheless, I decided to get the cup of mocha.
A couple of days later, I happen to drop into that 7-Eleven outside my estate to buy a loaf of bread, and decided to get a cup of hot chocolate. Bringing it home, I compared the 2 cups, and sure enough, they were of different sizes!
The folks who have been patronising the outlet near my church would have been shortchanged. Yet, until they visit another outlet, they would continue to be none the wiser.
I suppose what was more troubling was the fact that the smaller cups also had the 7-Eleven logo, which gave the appearance of authenticity.
Check out this YouTube video that illustrates the difference in size.
A deeper spiritual truth dawned upon me as I reflected upon this episode.
Many Christians would say, "Aiyah. All churches are the same lah. The pastors also talk about God and about being good to others."
Yet, like the saying goes, the devil is in the details.
How do they talk about God? As Someone who cannot wait to punish us? Or as Someone who can't wait to embrace us?
How do they talk about being good to others? As a means to "score points" with and remain in fellowship with God, or as a consequence of and response to knowing how good God is to us?
The testimony of Israel Houston's wife sums this up. (Israel Houston is the one who sang the catchy song "Say So", which I blogged about here.)
Anyway, she has been a Christian for many years. Having read Destined to Reign, she said that she felt cheated.
When those who have been buying the smaller cups of drink discover that the outlet near my house uses a bigger cup, they would probably have a similar response -- of being swindled, shortchanged, robbed.
Dearly beloved. Have you been a Christian for many years, yet find that your spiritual life has been one of ups and downs, of highs and lows -- rather than one filled with perpetual abundance and victory? Could it be because you have been cheated of what is rightly yours as a child of God?
Get the book Destined to Reign to discover for yourself all the things that you are an heir to, as a result of what Jesus has done on the cross of Calvary.
Along the main road just outside the estate where I live is a Shell petrol station with a 7-Eleven store. Most 7-Eleven stores have a machine dispensing hot chocolate, cappuccino or mocha at S$1.90 per cup.
There was a particular week when my wife took leave to supervise our kids' revision for their upcoming exams. As I did not need to fetch her to work, I decided to go to work much earlier (so that I could likewise leave the office earlier). On the way out of the estate, I would stop by the store each day to buy a cup of hot chocolate, cappuccino or mocha.
Last Sunday, I decided to go to the Shell station near my church to get a cup of mocha. To my surprise, the cups used by this particular outlet seemed smaller. I asked the counter girl about this, to which she replied "No lah. It's always this size."
I looked at the cup again and indeed, there was even the official 7-Eleven logo on it! Yet, having bought drinks several times already from the one near my house, I was pretty certain that this one was significantly smaller.
Nonetheless, I decided to get the cup of mocha.
A couple of days later, I happen to drop into that 7-Eleven outside my estate to buy a loaf of bread, and decided to get a cup of hot chocolate. Bringing it home, I compared the 2 cups, and sure enough, they were of different sizes!The folks who have been patronising the outlet near my church would have been shortchanged. Yet, until they visit another outlet, they would continue to be none the wiser.
I suppose what was more troubling was the fact that the smaller cups also had the 7-Eleven logo, which gave the appearance of authenticity.
Check out this YouTube video that illustrates the difference in size.
A deeper spiritual truth dawned upon me as I reflected upon this episode.
Many Christians would say, "Aiyah. All churches are the same lah. The pastors also talk about God and about being good to others."
Yet, like the saying goes, the devil is in the details.
How do they talk about God? As Someone who cannot wait to punish us? Or as Someone who can't wait to embrace us?
How do they talk about being good to others? As a means to "score points" with and remain in fellowship with God, or as a consequence of and response to knowing how good God is to us?
The testimony of Israel Houston's wife sums this up. (Israel Houston is the one who sang the catchy song "Say So", which I blogged about here.)
Anyway, she has been a Christian for many years. Having read Destined to Reign, she said that she felt cheated.
When those who have been buying the smaller cups of drink discover that the outlet near my house uses a bigger cup, they would probably have a similar response -- of being swindled, shortchanged, robbed.
Dearly beloved. Have you been a Christian for many years, yet find that your spiritual life has been one of ups and downs, of highs and lows -- rather than one filled with perpetual abundance and victory? Could it be because you have been cheated of what is rightly yours as a child of God?
Get the book Destined to Reign to discover for yourself all the things that you are an heir to, as a result of what Jesus has done on the cross of Calvary.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
What's in a Name?
Sunday, 4th November 2007
My dad's name is Michael. It is of Hebrew origin and it means "God-like" or "resembling God".
My dad wanted his son to have a name starting with M as well. He named me after Malcolm McDonald, who was the British High Commissioner to Singapore in the 1960s.
Oh, by the way, we have continued the "M" tradition and named our son Mark. It is of Greek origin and it means "mighty warrior".
I went to ThinkBabyNames to check the meaning of my name. It is of Scottish origin and is derived from the Gaelic words "Maol Caluim" which means "servant/devotee of Columba".
It is among the top 1000 popular names in the USA. It used to be in the top 200 in the 1910s to 1930s as well as in the early 1990s, but there has been a steady decline since then...
A further check on Wikipedia revealed that St Columba was a Catholic monk/priest who lived from 521 AD to 597 AD. He is credited as being a leading figure in the revitalization of monasticism, and his achievements illustrated the importance of the Celtic church in bringing a revival of Christianity to Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire". His followers were called "maol caluim".
A modern translation of my name is "teachable spirit".
I suppose for someone to be a devotee of a Catholic monk, he needs to have a teachable spirit.
Which brings me to the topic of "stewardship" that I blogged about yesterday.
I have mentioned elsewhere on my blog that I like the music of the 1980s because that was the music I grew up on as a acne-ridden teenager. Even now, I store quire a number of 80s songs on the microSD card of my PDA phone. I also listen to these songs in my car (when I am not listening to Pastor Prince's sermons, that is).
Anyway, my all-time favourite band of the 1980s was a 4-piece band from Scotland called Big Country. Their music was distinctly unique because they made two electric guitars sound like they were bagpipes by using various effects and heavy reverb.
An example of this can be heard on their first hit "Fields of Fire".
Oopsie, hope I'll not be seen as promoting "secular" music :-/
Anyway, their lead singer was a chap called Stuart Adamson whom I used to imitate singing while strumming a tennis racquet as a make-believe guitar. I even went so far as to take on his name as my middle name (not officially though).
Stuart is also a Scottish name, and is derived from the word "steward".
I did a Wikipedia search on Big Country recently, and was sad to discover that Stuart Adamson took his own life several years ago, at the age of 43.
Which only goes to show that humans are after all fallen by nature, and we need Jesus to be our Redeemer. The only person that we should look up to as our "hero", and who will never let us down, is the Lord Jesus Christ. His is the name above all other names. Amen?
My dad's name is Michael. It is of Hebrew origin and it means "God-like" or "resembling God".
My dad wanted his son to have a name starting with M as well. He named me after Malcolm McDonald, who was the British High Commissioner to Singapore in the 1960s.
Oh, by the way, we have continued the "M" tradition and named our son Mark. It is of Greek origin and it means "mighty warrior".
I went to ThinkBabyNames to check the meaning of my name. It is of Scottish origin and is derived from the Gaelic words "Maol Caluim" which means "servant/devotee of Columba".
It is among the top 1000 popular names in the USA. It used to be in the top 200 in the 1910s to 1930s as well as in the early 1990s, but there has been a steady decline since then...
A further check on Wikipedia revealed that St Columba was a Catholic monk/priest who lived from 521 AD to 597 AD. He is credited as being a leading figure in the revitalization of monasticism, and his achievements illustrated the importance of the Celtic church in bringing a revival of Christianity to Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire". His followers were called "maol caluim".
A modern translation of my name is "teachable spirit".
I suppose for someone to be a devotee of a Catholic monk, he needs to have a teachable spirit.
Which brings me to the topic of "stewardship" that I blogged about yesterday.I have mentioned elsewhere on my blog that I like the music of the 1980s because that was the music I grew up on as a acne-ridden teenager. Even now, I store quire a number of 80s songs on the microSD card of my PDA phone. I also listen to these songs in my car (when I am not listening to Pastor Prince's sermons, that is).
Anyway, my all-time favourite band of the 1980s was a 4-piece band from Scotland called Big Country. Their music was distinctly unique because they made two electric guitars sound like they were bagpipes by using various effects and heavy reverb.
An example of this can be heard on their first hit "Fields of Fire".
Oopsie, hope I'll not be seen as promoting "secular" music :-/
Anyway, their lead singer was a chap called Stuart Adamson whom I used to imitate singing while strumming a tennis racquet as a make-believe guitar. I even went so far as to take on his name as my middle name (not officially though).
Stuart is also a Scottish name, and is derived from the word "steward".
I did a Wikipedia search on Big Country recently, and was sad to discover that Stuart Adamson took his own life several years ago, at the age of 43.
Which only goes to show that humans are after all fallen by nature, and we need Jesus to be our Redeemer. The only person that we should look up to as our "hero", and who will never let us down, is the Lord Jesus Christ. His is the name above all other names. Amen?
Friday, November 2, 2007
Stewardship and Finance
Saturday, 3rd November 2007
I used to be the Honorary Treasurer of my church. As Treasurer, I was automatically also a member of the Local Church Executive Committee ("LCEC") (the equivalent of the Board of Directors), as well as the Stewardship & Finance Committee.
It is interesting to note that the committee that oversees the finances of my church is known as the "stewardship & finance" committee, rather than just "finance" committee. This is because the function is primarily that of stewardship. After all, whatever financial resources that the church is entrusted to handle belongs to God and not to any individual member.
I happen to work in a German company that is listed on both the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB® Frankfurter Wertpapierbörseas) as well as the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). Being a company listed on an American stock exchange means having to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act ("SOX"). This Act came about to restore investor confidence as a result of the Enron and WorldCom debacles.
Even here in Singapore, corporate governance has become a very hot topic, especially where and when public funds are involved. Charitable and non-profit organisations have now also come under scrutiny, especially after what happened at National Kidney Foundation ("NKF").
Just last week, the folllowing article appeared in the local media:
7 large charities to have their governance reviewed
Tue, Oct 23, 2007
The Commissioner of Charities (COC) has taken the first step to conduct the governance review of charities, starting with some of the largest welfare bodies.
He has appointed Ernst & Young Associates and Deloitte & Touche Financial Advisory Services to conduct the review of the first seven large charities under his direct purview, the COC's office said in a press release on Tuesday.
The seven are :-
1. Campus Crusade Asia,
2. City Harvest Church,
3. Faith Community Baptist Church,
4. Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery,
5. Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple,
6. New Creation Church, and
7. Trinity Christian Centre.
These charities have a total annual income which exceeds $10 million a year.
The COC's office met up with these large charities individually, to kick-off the governance review.
The charities welcome the governance review as they view this as a regular 'health check' on their organisation, which will help them identify potential areas for improvement in the areas of corporate governance, internal controls and compliance with regulatory rules, the COC office said.
'Several initiatives have been introduced to help develop the governance capability of charities and IPCs since the full-time COC office was set up in September 2006. These include the launch of a $45-million VWO-Charities Capability Fund (VCF) in April 2007, which provides funding to help enhance the governance and management capability in the charity sector,' COC Low Puk Yeong said.
'Charities and IPCs that wish to undertake their own governance review with the help of external consultants, may tap on funding from VCF,' he said.
The Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC) on the Regulation of Charities and Institutions of Public Character (IPCs) has recommended the COC conduct governance reviews on large charities to assess and help improve their standard of corporate governance, financial control and regulatory compliance.
This is the COC's role as part of the regulatory framework of the charity sector.
Sector Administrators, such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and National Council of Social Service, have already conducted the reviews of large charities and IPCs under their respective purview.
Interested charities can visit the charity portal for more information on funding from VCF.
5 of these 7 charities happen to be Christian bodies, and the Straits Times even published their income and membership numbers, where applicable.
Campus Crusade Asia - income S$15m
City Harvest Church - income S$30.9m, membership 23k
Faith Community Baptist Church - income S$27m, membership 10k
New Creation Church - income S$42.8m, membership 16k
Trinity Christian Centre - income S$14.2m, membership 5.5k
What is interesting is that even though City Harvest has a membership of 23k, their income is lower than that of New Creation. One possible explanation is that City Harvest has a larger proportion of youth. Their average income would thus be relatively lesser, hence making the tithes and offerings proportionately smaller.
However, my own conviction as to why New Creation Church's income is so much higher is because its members understand what it means to be totally under grace, and accordingly, their generous giving comes out of that overflow.
God grants favour to His children such that they are placed in a position to be able to give out of their abundance. As we sow bountifully, He allows us to reap even more bountifully.
And that is the essence of stewardship.
Recently, I heard a sermon on the Parable of the Talents. The crux of that parable is not so much about being fearful that God will take away our single talent for singing or playing the piano, for example. Rather, it is about being faithful with the finances that God entrusts to us.
Consider Matt 25:27, "Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest."
If we interpret the word "talent" to mean something other than money, then can we say that we can put our ability to sing or to play the piano in the bank to earn interest?
If you know of such a bank, please let me know. I will be the first to put my golf clubs (the ones that I use but once a year at the Annual NTIUCF Golf Challenge) and my huge collection of 1980s secular music CDs (which I take out only once in a blue moon to listen to) into that bank to earn interest :-)
The trouble with many of us is that when money is specifically mentioned in the Bible, we choose to "over-interpret" it to apply to other things.
The first steward was given 5 talents of money (the NIV makes this very clear in verse 15), and he caused it to multiply to 10. The second steward was given 2 talents of money and he caused it to multiply to 4.
If we want to be in a position to be in stewardship of $5,000 each month, then we must be willing to tithe $500 each month. If a person cannot even be faithful with a S$1,000 monthly salary by tithing $100, then even the little will be taken away by the devil.
I used to be the Honorary Treasurer of my church. As Treasurer, I was automatically also a member of the Local Church Executive Committee ("LCEC") (the equivalent of the Board of Directors), as well as the Stewardship & Finance Committee.
It is interesting to note that the committee that oversees the finances of my church is known as the "stewardship & finance" committee, rather than just "finance" committee. This is because the function is primarily that of stewardship. After all, whatever financial resources that the church is entrusted to handle belongs to God and not to any individual member.
I happen to work in a German company that is listed on both the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB® Frankfurter Wertpapierbörseas) as well as the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). Being a company listed on an American stock exchange means having to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act ("SOX"). This Act came about to restore investor confidence as a result of the Enron and WorldCom debacles.
Even here in Singapore, corporate governance has become a very hot topic, especially where and when public funds are involved. Charitable and non-profit organisations have now also come under scrutiny, especially after what happened at National Kidney Foundation ("NKF").
Just last week, the folllowing article appeared in the local media:
7 large charities to have their governance reviewed
Tue, Oct 23, 2007
The Commissioner of Charities (COC) has taken the first step to conduct the governance review of charities, starting with some of the largest welfare bodies.
He has appointed Ernst & Young Associates and Deloitte & Touche Financial Advisory Services to conduct the review of the first seven large charities under his direct purview, the COC's office said in a press release on Tuesday.
The seven are :-
1. Campus Crusade Asia,
2. City Harvest Church,
3. Faith Community Baptist Church,
4. Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery,
5. Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple,
6. New Creation Church, and
7. Trinity Christian Centre.
These charities have a total annual income which exceeds $10 million a year.
The COC's office met up with these large charities individually, to kick-off the governance review.
The charities welcome the governance review as they view this as a regular 'health check' on their organisation, which will help them identify potential areas for improvement in the areas of corporate governance, internal controls and compliance with regulatory rules, the COC office said.
'Several initiatives have been introduced to help develop the governance capability of charities and IPCs since the full-time COC office was set up in September 2006. These include the launch of a $45-million VWO-Charities Capability Fund (VCF) in April 2007, which provides funding to help enhance the governance and management capability in the charity sector,' COC Low Puk Yeong said.
'Charities and IPCs that wish to undertake their own governance review with the help of external consultants, may tap on funding from VCF,' he said.
The Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC) on the Regulation of Charities and Institutions of Public Character (IPCs) has recommended the COC conduct governance reviews on large charities to assess and help improve their standard of corporate governance, financial control and regulatory compliance.
This is the COC's role as part of the regulatory framework of the charity sector.
Sector Administrators, such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and National Council of Social Service, have already conducted the reviews of large charities and IPCs under their respective purview.
Interested charities can visit the charity portal for more information on funding from VCF.
5 of these 7 charities happen to be Christian bodies, and the Straits Times even published their income and membership numbers, where applicable.
Campus Crusade Asia - income S$15m
City Harvest Church - income S$30.9m, membership 23k
Faith Community Baptist Church - income S$27m, membership 10k
New Creation Church - income S$42.8m, membership 16k
Trinity Christian Centre - income S$14.2m, membership 5.5k
What is interesting is that even though City Harvest has a membership of 23k, their income is lower than that of New Creation. One possible explanation is that City Harvest has a larger proportion of youth. Their average income would thus be relatively lesser, hence making the tithes and offerings proportionately smaller.
However, my own conviction as to why New Creation Church's income is so much higher is because its members understand what it means to be totally under grace, and accordingly, their generous giving comes out of that overflow.
God grants favour to His children such that they are placed in a position to be able to give out of their abundance. As we sow bountifully, He allows us to reap even more bountifully.
And that is the essence of stewardship.
Recently, I heard a sermon on the Parable of the Talents. The crux of that parable is not so much about being fearful that God will take away our single talent for singing or playing the piano, for example. Rather, it is about being faithful with the finances that God entrusts to us.
Consider Matt 25:27, "Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest."
If we interpret the word "talent" to mean something other than money, then can we say that we can put our ability to sing or to play the piano in the bank to earn interest?
If you know of such a bank, please let me know. I will be the first to put my golf clubs (the ones that I use but once a year at the Annual NTIUCF Golf Challenge) and my huge collection of 1980s secular music CDs (which I take out only once in a blue moon to listen to) into that bank to earn interest :-)
The trouble with many of us is that when money is specifically mentioned in the Bible, we choose to "over-interpret" it to apply to other things.
The first steward was given 5 talents of money (the NIV makes this very clear in verse 15), and he caused it to multiply to 10. The second steward was given 2 talents of money and he caused it to multiply to 4.
If we want to be in a position to be in stewardship of $5,000 each month, then we must be willing to tithe $500 each month. If a person cannot even be faithful with a S$1,000 monthly salary by tithing $100, then even the little will be taken away by the devil.
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