Storehouse, Tithes and Offerings and The 310 Test

Wednesday, 24th January 2007

Dear Theophili and Theophilae

Anyone of you remember the sermon Rev Wee Boon Hup preached in July 2005 during our Church's 73rd Anniversary, on Malachi 3 about bringing the "whole tithe into the storehouse"?

I really thank the Lord for that sermon because since then, the Lord has given me one financial breakthrough after another. Just last month, I received the biggest bonus ever in my entire career. Today, I received into my bank account a "Spot Award" for spending 4 days in Korea. And this Saturday, I will be collecting the keys to a brand new set of wheels -- a Mitsubishi Grandis. Praise God, for He is indeed Jerovah Jireh, the LORD that provides!

When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, one of the passages He quoted was, "It is written you shall not put the Lord your God to the test." The only exception to this is recorded in Mal 3:10 -- "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

In this passage, God tells us specifically to test Him! If we test Him by giving the entire 10% of our gross salary to my church, then He will bless us exceedingly abundantly! I can testify that this is indeed true. It was tough, especially when I saw my bank balances gradually falling, but God more than restored it in Dec 2005, and then again in Dec 2006.

While looking through my email archive, I came across the following post which I sent to my previous cell, 3L2:

-----Original Message-----
From: Malcolm Loh [mailto:mloh77@starhub.net.sg]
Sent: Saturday, 23 July, 2005 7:58PM
Subject: Storehouse, Tithing and Offerings

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

You may have observed that I suddenly became very pensive towards the end of the session last night. This is because I have been "selecting" the way in which my monthly "tithe" was to be distributed.

Having seen the financial statements of organisations such as MWS and MMS that were running an annual deficit, I rationalised that since our Church was already
so well-off, it was OK for me to give part of my tithe to these organisations instead.

Having spoken to Eugene, Choon Seng and done some research on the Internet, I humbly concede that I have been wrong in my understanding. The WHOLE tithe is to the STOREHOUSE (which Eugene further helped to explain by referring to 1 Chr 26:20). Having searched my heart, I also realise that I had been "judgemental" of the Church leadership, in that I felt more could have been channelled to missions, so I took things into my own hands to give specifically to missions-related work.

Having now understood that the 10% is to go to our own church, my next struggle was what to do with the existing commitments to those organisations (which are arranged via standing order GIRO / credit card each month). Choon Seng told me that it was important to honour the pledge already made. These would be considered "offerings" over and above the tithe. 10% is actually the minimum obligation required of us as Christians to observe toward our local church.

In particular, the following article (from Assemblies of God website) ministered to me
http://www.ag.org/top/beliefs/christian_doctrines/gendoct_06_tithing.cfm
"Christians can miss out on God’s abundant blessing by looking on the tithe as the entire requirement for giving. The tithe is only one aspect of support for the church and its ministry of spreading the gospel. The Bible also mentions voluntary offerings given by God’s people over and above the required tithe. Of course, the attitude with which both tithes and offerings are given is very important. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). The giving of either tithes or offerings with a grudging spirit loses much of the blessing that can come as we faithfully give out of love rather than obligation. The Assemblies of God is also concerned about people who withhold tithes when they do not like decisions and directions espoused by spiritual leaders. Christians should fellowship with a local body of believers and bring their whole tithes into that storehouse (Malachi 3:10). Though some of the Israelites may not have liked decisions made by Moses and his successors, they were given no alternatives. While we may designate some of our offerings (beyond the tithes) to ministries outside the local church, the tithes rightfully belong in the church with which the Christian identifies. And if one is not identifying with a local body of believers, he or she disregards God’s instruction that we not forsake assembling together with believers (Hebrews 10:25).

Some Christians do not tithe, claiming they cannot afford to give up 10 percent of their income. Simple arithmetic may suggest that 90 percent will not go as far as 100 percent in satisfying essential family needs. But God has built a multiplication factor into our giving of tithes and offerings. Malachi recorded God’s words, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse... Test me in this... and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" (Malachi 3:10).

Though we do not give to God in order to get more back, as some suggest we
should, God’s promises are still true–if our giving is according to His instruction."

The 310 test

I also chanced upon an SMS conversation I had with a radio DJ friend of mine on 3 March 2006:

M: Hi. I'm meetg Jxxxx Oxx, the S'pore Idol finalist for lunch next wk. Wld u like me to get his autograph?

J: He's going to ask u to join Oxxxxxxxxxx :-). kidding. Eh u should really come to one of our meetings to have a look again. We just added telecoms to our mix.

M: tks so much for the offer, but i recently discovered a surefire way to always hv more than enuff financially, n never b in want. it's called the 310 test.

J: Ah but 310 leaves little room for getting more out of life today. No room for having a good lifestyle in the present AND having one while ur kids r in UNI. But no issue - who do u know might want to build a substantial secondary income so that they can do more of the things they want to do w/o worries re money.

M: This 310 test appears foolish, but those who dare take a step of faith to try it out r amazed at the results. i did last aug, n hv never felt more liberated. Finances arrive when one least expects it. To tell u the truth, my bank bal dropped fr sep to nov, but it was more than restored in dec. It's beyond explanation.

J: the 310 works with an increasing income source as well, yes?

M: not exactly. But as income sources increases, corresp increase in "re-investment" is expected. The author of the book actually ask us to test him in this area. As i said, it sounds foolish to sceptics, but i've tried it n it's workg. i'm on the lookout for worthwhile investments. That's why i'm meeting Jxxxx Oxx next wk. The 310 test says that the more we "invest", the more "returns" we will get. Want to know more? Read Malachi 3:10.

Footnotes:
1. Pastor Wee Boon Hup preached a sermon on Malachi 3 in July 2005.
2. Jxxxx Oxx works for a charity organisation that focuses on helping families

Dear brothers and sisters, my prayer is that you will likewise apply the 310 test in your finances. I know it could be tough, but start somewhere first, with 1%, and then 2%, and then 3%, and so on, and see how God starts to open doors in your life to prosper your business. When you set apart the 10% as a firstfruit to Him, He will make the rest of the 90% holy as well, which means the devil cannot touch it.

Oh ya. By the way, my new car's number is SGR7557L. I chose it because 7 represents perfection (which is also my favourite number), while 5 represents favour/grace, which is the central theme of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Shalom

Generational Blessings? Yes! Generational Curses? No!

Tuesday, 23rd January 2007

A doctine that is still prevalent in many churches of the denomination which I am currently a member of is that of generational curses. If we accept this doctrine, then we will tend to apportion blame and get upset with our parents, or grandparents, which in turn makes them feel guilty and condemned. Is this of the Lord?

Whatever word brings about condemnation or guilt is definitely not from the Lord, because there is now no condemnation in Christ (Rom 8:1). Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law when He paid the price by His once and for all, finished work on the cross. The good thing is that Jesus redeemed us from the curses, but not from the blessings. What this means is that now, the only thing that can be passed down from generation to generation are blessings and not curses. Amen!

Hence, it does not matter whether people get heart problems because of Free Mason roots or whatever. Does it change the fact that God heals? Absolutely not! If we seriously want to trace the source, why stop at Free Mason roots? Why don't we trace everything back to the original sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden, and the blame should then fall squarely and rightly upon the serpent who until this very day still wants to kill, steal and destroy.

I have shared with quite a number of fellow church members about my testimony and as I look back, the devil was in the details, and behind the scenes, as it were, wanting to destroy my family, marriage and career. But praise be to God for restoring all of them!

Can God use "Contaminated Vessels"?

Monday, 22nd January 2007

Dearest brothers- and sisters-in Christ

Recently, a good friend of mine brought up the topic of "contaminated vessels", saying that we need to be wary of such people because God’s Word cannot be spoken through them.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this should not be the case. To a greater or lesser extent, all of us are earthen vessels (or jars of clay), but God has chosen to place His treasures in us (2 Cor 4:7). Just because the messenger has imperfections, it does not change the fact that the Message itself is perfect. Throughout the Bible, we see God using "contaminated vessels" to carry out His greater purpose.

Take for example, the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in Matt 1. Here, we see the names of 4 women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba being mentioned among the names of men, viz:

Matthew 1: The Genealogy of Jesus
1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud,
15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Now, why did the Holy Spirit see it fit to specifically mention the names of these 4 women, yet did not mention more prominent names like that of Sarah, Rebekah and Leah? Let’s find out the background of these women:

1. Tamar

Genesis 38:6-27

6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also.

11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house. 12 After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

13 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," 14 she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked. 17 "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked. 18 He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again. 20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said. 22 So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, 'There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.' " 23 Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her."

24 About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!" 25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." 26 Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.

27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first." 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez.

In short, Tamar was a widow who lost 2 husbands. She wanted a son, so she disguised herself as a prostitute to seduce her father-in-law Judah. Through that union, Perez came forth. Now, would you say that Tamar was a "contaminated vessel"?


2. Rahab

Joshua 2:3-6

3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land." 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)

Joshua 6:17
17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.

Joshua 6:23
23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

Joshua 6:25
25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

In short, Rahab was a harlot, who lied to her own king that she did not harbour illegal immigrants (which by the way, is a crime here in Singapore punishable by caning). Would a prostitute and a liar be considered a "contaminated vessel" in today’s context?


3. Ruth

Ruth 3:1-18

1 One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? 2 Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."

5 "I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

7 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. 9 "Who are you?" he asked. "I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."

10 "The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."

14 So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor." 15 He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.

16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?" Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her 17 and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.' " 18 Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."

In short, Ruth was a Moabite Gentile and a widow. She was told by her mom-in-law Naomi to lie at the feet of a very rich man called Boaz, to indicate to him that she was single and available. In today’s context, would such behaviour cause others to label her a "contaminated vessel"?


4. Bathsheba – Uriah’s wife

2 Samuel 11:1-27

1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.

5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant." 6 So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.

9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house. 10 When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?" 11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!" 12 Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." 16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20 the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.' "

22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead." 25 David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."

26 When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

This one probably needs no introduction. Bathsheba deliberately took a bath in full view of King David. One thing led to another, and she ended up in bed with him. She got pregnant so the king arranged for her husband to be killed in the frontline of battle. "Contaminated vessel" would be your verdict, no?

Well, I am so glad that God can use contaminated vessels to bring across His incorruptible Word and to fulfill His purposes, which means there is hope for you and I! There are so many more examples: - Abraham was a coward who asked his wife to lie that she was his sister. David was both an adulterer and a murderer. Paul went around persecuting Christians, etc.

Yes indeed, there is hope for you and I. He can use us, as long as we avail ourselves for His purposes. Amen?

Sowing and Reaping in God's Economy

Sunday, 21st January 2007

Dear all

Some of you guys must probably be quite "sian" of reading my testimonies already, so let me share one about our daughter Rachel.

Rachel is very dear to us, as well as to my parents and parents-in-law, because she is our firstborn (as well as their firstborn grandchild).

One of the principles we have been trying to inculcate in her is that of sowing and reaping in God's economy. She knows the value of money because it can be used to buy her a Nintendo DS game or to top-up her prepaid mobile phone card.

Sometime in Dec 06, 3L2 held a 12-hour extravaganza that included swimming, lunch, bowling and dinner. Roland and I (and our spouses) were going to leave 3L2 to form 3L7 in 2007, so as a parting gift, we decided to bless 3L2, with the Tays taking care of dinner and us taking care of the day-time activities.

I remember Rachel asking me, "Daddy, isn't that going to cost a lot of money?". I said, "Yes, sweetheart, but the way God sees things is different from the way we humans see things. When we bless others, we are actually sowing into their lives. When we sow plentifully, God causes us to reap even more abundantly.

Guess what? Just 10 days ago, I received a letter from my boss. I was given a Spot Award for "Helping the Finance Team in Korea". To cut a long story short, I was informed by my boss sometime in Oct 06 that I had to go to Korea to look after the Finance team for 3 weeks, because the Head of Finance there had to leave suddenly. I am one who does not like to be away from my family for too long a time, so I shared this with 3L2 to pray that I need not spend too much time in Korea.

As it turned out, I was allowed to fly there on a Monday morning, and fly back on the Friday of that same week. The next 2 weeks were handled via conference calls. My colleagues were amazed that my big boss had allowed me this arrangement, and said "you must have prayed very hard". I told them that "my cell group was praying for me." Now God has exceeded my expectations again by giving me a monetary award that has more than covered the cost of the extravaganza! And that was just for spending 4 days in Korea and 3 hours on conference calls! Isn't God a good God!

Anyway, the testimony is supposed to be about Rachel, so sorry for sidetracking. I told her that we all need to start small first. It is first giving 10 cents without any difficulty. Then it becomes $1, and then $10, and then $100, and then $1,000 etc. I then shared with her that someone had underwritten the shortfall for Project Uplift and given the church more than $50,000, and I am looking forward to the day in which I am in the position to do likewise.

Just yesterday, as I was fetching her back from Chinese tuition, I gave her her weekly allowance of $30. I told her to remember to put aside $3 for God. She told me that she had just put $10 in the offering bag that morning in Silver Boxes! As I type this, tears are flowing down my face, because I am so grateful to God that He has taught her His principle of sowing and reaping at such a young and tender age! I am sure that in her mind, that $10 could have bought her many other things. But she decided to put it into the offering bag! That represents 33% of her weekly allowance, and I must say that my own faith has never ever reached that kind of level before!

I was so encouraged that this morning, I went to an AXS machine to top-up her mobile phone prepaid card by $50. As parents, we are supposed to reflect the character of our Heavenly Father to our children. I want her to know, through me, that He is a generous and loving God. For the $10 she has sown, I wanted her to reap 5-fold (which incidentally is the number representing God's grace).

Hallelujah, and praise to Him alone!

Shalom
Malcolm

I nearly left the church of my forefathers

Saturday, 20th January 2007

Dearest brothers- and sisters-in-Christ

I have shared with you how God blessed me with the biggest bonus ever in my entire career on 22 Dec 06.

What I may not have shared in great detail is that my spiritual growth in the past 2 years has really spurted because I have been feeding on God’s Word spoken via a truly anointed man of God – Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church.

I have been attending this particular church for 39 years (since I was born). My late great-grandfather was a Pastor of this denomination, and since then my grandparents, parents, siblings and now children have been faithfully attending this church.

Sometime in April 2005, my boss and I were interviewing candidates for a managerial vacancy in our department. One particular candidate that we shortlisted conducted himself very well, and could answer all the questions we threw at him. However, what impressed me the most was that not only did this person indicate openly he was a Christian, he even told us that he could not work late on Thursdays because he had to attend bible study on those nights :-)

To cut a long story short, we offered him the job and he joined us in May 2005. Soon after that, he started to bring CD sermons from his church to circulate around the office. Coming from a traditional church background, I was very wary and sceptical of 'independent' churches. But out of curiosity, I brought back one to listen in the car and guess what? God so touched my spirit man that I was shedding tears only 10 minutes into that sermon! It was as though a burden that was upon me was being lifted, and at the same time, a void inside me was being filled.

That made me hungry for more, so the very next day, I took back a handful of other sermons to listen to. Later on, colleagues and family members would peer into my car wondering why I was still seated in it in spite of having reached my destination: it turned out that I was so caught up in listening to a particular sermon, and like that thrilling novel that could not be put away, I just had to listen to the sermon to the very end. Very soon, I had started to venture onto my colleague's church's website and ended buying about a dozen other of his Pastor's sermons. As at Nov 2006, I had already purchased close to 50 of his sermons already.

This Pastor of his is truly anointed, because 9 out of 10 of his sermons will move me to tears. At Easter 2006, I brought my mom to the 4th service and was amazed to see hundreds upon hundreds of youths queuing up patiently to enter the auditorium. I have seen youths queuing up to enter a pub or a disco, but this was the first time I saw youngsters queuing up to enter a church!

Anyway, I have been very blessed and enlightened by God's progressive revelation of His true nature through the messages of this Pastor. Being steeped in the doctrine preached by previous pastors, you can just imagine how tough it was for me to unlearn wrong doctrines such as "fearing vs loving God" paradoxes, conditional healing, keeping the balance between law and grace, generational curses, etc.

I was so disillusioned that at one time even considered leaving my church to join the 14,000 others. But somehow, God has impressed upon me the need to stay on to change things from the inside. About 5 months ago, He raised me up to be serve Him as a member of my church's LCEC (local church executive committee) as the Honorary Treasurer. And just this month, He has also raised me to serve as the cell leader of 3L7, one of the cells in Sunny Yap's 3L Cluster. So it does appear that my season is still with the church that my great-grandparents, grandparents and parents grew up in.

I thank the Lord for my colleague, whom I really believe He had divinely-appointed to point me to the man of God, who is able to uncover Jesus in the most unlikely parts of the Bible: from the genealogy of Noah, to Ruth, to Esther, even right down to the Leviticus customs!

Coming back to the bonus I received last month. I had been contemplating how to “tithe” on this bonus, and the Lord impressed upon me 4 days ago to start a personal “resource library” of the sermons and books of the Pastor who has so blessed me with his messages on grace and the finished work of the cross. Last night, I placed an order so as to obtain the entire catalogue of his sermons and books.

Meanwhile, I have compiled a database of his sermons and books (using Microsoft Access). Do let me know if there are any that you would like to borrow, and I will arrange to lend them to you accordingly.

Shalom