tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53177961045445023462023-11-16T03:02:54.515-08:00On Solid Rock I StandPastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-32158290438091419032021-03-08T07:13:00.006-08:002021-03-08T07:19:58.577-08:00Hypocrisy and Spiritual Pride<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Uj82kodXoACK8onYqZA6Dp3xf_ScR3g0BWznEIkDSqAutlxef_w_jkv9Kl7mQnBXJejhoPQuTZUfY_XoTxOtJhSM7wX1UPEgbZl5d2KSGfAJbOcKWXdSDTeYpBxVDNogkS3HM8En8WE/s638/Mark+7_6-7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Uj82kodXoACK8onYqZA6Dp3xf_ScR3g0BWznEIkDSqAutlxef_w_jkv9Kl7mQnBXJejhoPQuTZUfY_XoTxOtJhSM7wX1UPEgbZl5d2KSGfAJbOcKWXdSDTeYpBxVDNogkS3HM8En8WE/s320/Mark+7_6-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Campaign SG2021 – Reading the Gospels, Reflection from Mark 7 (day 19).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">In </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">this encounter
between Jesus and the Pharisees, we can see that religious dedication per se, does
not bring God’s approval. In the New Testament, there is no more-religiously
dedicated group of people than the Pharisees. They were PHDs who would have spent
hours upon hours memorizing God’s laws. Then meticulously making sure everyone followed
them daily. However, as Jesus shows mere zeal and dedication does not also
automatically guarantee pleasing God in the spiritual realm.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In fact,
mere dedication and zeal to religious practice leads to spiritual pride. The
Pharisees were the spiritual elite and they considered Jesus, an upstart rabbi,
who challenged. But so far, they have been batting zero in nailing him down. They
try again, this time about Jesus’ disciples who ate with unwashed hands. It had
nothing to do with hygiene 101 but religious tradition and purity, over and
above what scripture commanded. Here Mark provides a commentary for non-Jewish
readers to understand the situation, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“the
Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial
washing, holding to the tradition of the elders (no scriptural basis cited).
When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they
observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and
kettles (Mark 7:3-4).</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><u>U</u>nclean was
big under Moses’ Law. He taught “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">If a
person is unclean and does not purify himself, he must be cut off from his
community, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">” (Num 19:20).
However, the good intent of Moses’ teaching on ritual cleansing was to remind
the Israelites of their unholy state before a holy God. But the Pharisees failed
to grasp that what really made them unholy before God was not mere external form
but internal substance. It was a matter of the heart, not the hands. The thing
is, only God and no one else can read the heart. So, the religious authorities
drew up a list of regulations for everyone to perform. Much of these
regulations were drawn in the 400-year period between the Old and New Testament.
No surprise, when God is silent, man put themselves in the place of God. So, they
put dedication and zeal into performing the rules and regulations, believing
that gave them an ‘A’ for devotion, a proper ‘holy joe’.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 456.3pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">But did that
make them a spiritual success in Jesus’ eyes? He called them hypocrites (Mark
7:6). A hypocrite was an actor. It means, “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">one
who plays a part on a stage</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">”. To entertain a crowd, the actor pretends to
be somebody he is not. Jesus tells us why he called the Pharisees hypocrites.
Their devotion was all words and show, a mask to gain points of spiritual
superiority. The result was vain, empty devotion – something that God rejects
and dismisses. “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">You have let go of the
commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">” (Mark 7:8). Jesus
saw the motivation behind these actions. They studied Jewish law to show their
spiritual superiority. They pointed out other people’s sins so that they would
look better spiritually. They wore nice masks to cover their undevoted faces.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Many such
people still occupy the church today, not just in the pews. Been there, seen
that. Where are we in our walk with God today? If our actions of devotion stem
from a heart that is not surrendered to Jesus, we may fool our neighbor, pastor,
spouse, etc., but not Jesus. We may tithe but do it grudgingly or for the sake
of acclaim. We may serve in ministry but only for the attention we get. We may
tell people we read the Bible daily but it may be for reputation. We may pray
long prayers using all the right biblical phrases but for the sake of praise. We
may quote scripture and condemn sin but do it to look spiritually mature. We
may even discipline our children to conduct themselves in God-honouring ways for
our own face. If so, then we are simply another actor. We put zeal and
dedication into these acts to make our external form look good. After all, that
is what most people see. They cannot see our hearts anyway, only our external
mask. So, even though we do not mouth our pride, mere zeal and dedication in church
matters can only lead to spiritual pride. The heart determines why we do what
we do. Therefore, it must be a heart that is surrendered to Jesus in humility. The
heart is what matters and Jesus can read our hearts. So why pretend? We may now
use our posturing to jostle for the seat at the head of the table. But, when we
stand before Jesus, he may tell us to even move far away from the table of
feasting. That’s sad. I do</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">not want that
for my worst enemy. We must live for eternity not for what we can get in this
life.</span></span></p>
<p></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-65215552696679945082021-02-26T23:32:00.002-08:002021-02-26T23:32:20.282-08:00<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidNgGTqIEXzSeU6tvfIlJb_hc5DGol_FiFFBkyEfA3XVXuJn0ako-gX2hB1e89yUnp32aZs4h23_HuLepgFamJrRyRenZhHZb8J7_n9LwTTLiz8mupeoschDrfZQDvprSCcuJ51vHkRI/s259/matthew+17_17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidNgGTqIEXzSeU6tvfIlJb_hc5DGol_FiFFBkyEfA3XVXuJn0ako-gX2hB1e89yUnp32aZs4h23_HuLepgFamJrRyRenZhHZb8J7_n9LwTTLiz8mupeoschDrfZQDvprSCcuJ51vHkRI/w450-h194/matthew+17_17.jpg" width="450" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><p>A distraught father had brought
his demon-possessed son to Jesus for healing. From Mark’s narrative, we learn
that Jesus’ disciples had earlier tried and failed and were now embroiled in a
heated exchange with some religious leaders. All this while, as the present
tense indicates (Matt 17:15), the father is in continual agony. As Jesus
surveys the setting, he responds, “<span class="verse-span"><i><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long
shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?</span></i></span><span class="verse-span"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">” (Matt 17:17). I believe
Jesus’ response was more of anguish and dismay rather than judgment and
condemnation. He </span></span>was more
hurt than angry that things had not gone well. The words indicate he may well
have been addressing everyone there, not just his disciples. That’s what hurt
him: no one seemed to have faith. The father, disciples, religious leaders,
bystanders didn’t have faith: nada, zilch, zero, abu pun tidak ada. It must
have been a very distressing moment for Jesus to see the lack of faith all
around coupled with the powerlessness of his disciples. They had seen his
miracles first-hand. They too performed miracles in Jesus’ name, casting out
demons and healing the sick. But here the father says of them, “<i>but they (the disciples) could not heal him”
(matt 17:16). </i>They were powerless.</p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I wonder if this picture of powerlessness
of Jesus’ followers can be still carried over into our 21</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> Century
church. Church literally means “a called-out assembly of people”, called-out to
tell the world the difference Jesus makes. We gather to worship and honour our
glorious Lord Jesus, not for our own social needs or entertainment. We take on
different values from the world as we adopt the values and virtues of Christ
and a desire to walk with God and in his ways. We keep his truths in our
hearts. It is when we do that as a pattern of our life that we have power. A
church exists to offer hope to a dying world. It promises others help for their
greatest need – a solution to sin. It testifies of a Saviour who loves all
without reservation and helps all to put their broken life together again. I
can say this because I have been there, experienced that.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Yet, I can’t help but see that
the powerlessness of these disciples are a picture of today’s church. The
regular picture of today’s church is well-dressed people with money. Of course,
to the world, when you are rich, you are seen as powerful. Look at churches
today. Despite many churches undergoing persecution, most have nice facilities
to meet in, especially the city churches. Many have the financial muscle to employ
the best preachers to fill the pulpit and administrators to run the church. But
although we have financial power, the church has not really been an influence
in the world. Past reputation does not necessarily guarantee power and
influence. Not when we compare today with the previous centuries where its
Judeo-Christian heritage exerted great influence on the social, moral and legal
fabric of the community. When I was in Adelaide, many years back, I saw a sign
in Hahndorf, a town settled by German settlers about 175 years ago. It probably
has the most delicious pork knuckle I’ve eaten. But what caught my eye was a
shop sign saying, “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">no policemen were
required and the pastor’s words was law; in fact we looked upon his as our
Kaiser</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.” Today, how the mighty are fallen, aggravated by the scandals of
the modern-day church. Further, statistics indicate more people are calling
themselves Christians but do not attend church. Reputation does not equal
power. The disciples too had a reputation as followers of the miracle-working Jesus.
So the father came to seek their help. But reputation is not spiritual power.
They failed and were ridiculed for their lack of power.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">When I was in the Helping Hand,
there was this resident who was constantly relapsing. Each time, he came in, he
would be a good example of Christ-likeness but he would go back to drugs after
discharge. He regularly shared the Gospel with his non-believing wife. But his
wife wouldn’t believe in Christ. She said to him, “<i>I cannot believe in your Jesus because he doesn’t have any power. After
all, he cannot change your drug habits</i>.” Are we like that when the world
examines us as we share the Gospel? Look at the church with its money, sex and
conflict scandals in the media. Will the watching world say, “<i>I want to believe in your Jesus but I don’t
see his power changing your lives</i>.” Will they look at us and then then like
the distraught father say, “<i>but they
could not..</i>.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">But if we are
powerless today, there is hope. T B C. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">One
Campaign SG2021 – Reading the Gospels, day 9, Matt 17-19. Reflection from Matt
17.</span></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-61991679390902232342021-02-22T02:07:00.005-08:002021-02-22T02:09:27.802-08:00The Gospel is Good News because we can repent and be forgiven of our sin, in Christ<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneY39W-jsDhU8VC2to6aZJmeymkb-UDAcithPIVNYPjZMrce3LPnKbu9_jDFMzJakd7S7VLnNYo4HmsFj4jmxvtrZgqOpSGni6V83GDAEnnu6CrmOXOQaFgAM7-ROcXq84W5OUSydnb8/s720/John+1_4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneY39W-jsDhU8VC2to6aZJmeymkb-UDAcithPIVNYPjZMrce3LPnKbu9_jDFMzJakd7S7VLnNYo4HmsFj4jmxvtrZgqOpSGni6V83GDAEnnu6CrmOXOQaFgAM7-ROcXq84W5OUSydnb8/s320/John+1_4.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rebL-5MDuWOhSupHmf7kIOkq3pIo0DUbEYrSk1j1t83AqwFi1W2UwTWJvwtFtPvXGQM0XYOUR08oYQ2rOVIkZ7qBERufGViRsl1QIL7A0IlR_QhA5ygj7udppZYJEC88soEkbb-eu3I/s800/mark-1-15.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rebL-5MDuWOhSupHmf7kIOkq3pIo0DUbEYrSk1j1t83AqwFi1W2UwTWJvwtFtPvXGQM0XYOUR08oYQ2rOVIkZ7qBERufGViRsl1QIL7A0IlR_QhA5ygj7udppZYJEC88soEkbb-eu3I/s320/mark-1-15.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmuDB4rtiDxgLb6h51WtY9oEgNNoIacSgfvlb-i13av6fBBlW5oVRxEafFpUJnjpkyUjHW0kVZxskRGPqvsi3flZKdnJp2Fzlu2-AANCoGVwilvnfq02Bff031cWoT_yH1eBIb7jNbcM/s1376/mark-10-45.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmuDB4rtiDxgLb6h51WtY9oEgNNoIacSgfvlb-i13av6fBBlW5oVRxEafFpUJnjpkyUjHW0kVZxskRGPqvsi3flZKdnJp2Fzlu2-AANCoGVwilvnfq02Bff031cWoT_yH1eBIb7jNbcM/s320/mark-10-45.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3keERzfhQ_z2uRsm0suDafskZbhaMeEtK-6DE7VLnoLigSamL1C0gZDjluAx2GGoK8Cd9RdoQjvWkkN76UQ2kQEx6Q8m96drOM1JsZbxmhqe8nUa5Qp9ZqaClBPXUVIMCBDw8KS_Hs5c/s480/svop244.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3keERzfhQ_z2uRsm0suDafskZbhaMeEtK-6DE7VLnoLigSamL1C0gZDjluAx2GGoK8Cd9RdoQjvWkkN76UQ2kQEx6Q8m96drOM1JsZbxmhqe8nUa5Qp9ZqaClBPXUVIMCBDw8KS_Hs5c/s320/svop244.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One Campaign SG2021 – Reading the Gospels, day 5, Mark 1-3. Reflection from Mark 1.</span></span></p><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">During worship in song yesterday, before singing “the Lord is my Salvation”, Lily, the worship leader encouraged the congregation to remember their own salvation story and the person whom God used to reveal Jesus personally to them. And then she said that we too are to go and share Jesus’ salvation with others. Then Elder Ronald mentioned that “i<i>f knowing God is life eternal then our highest calling is to know Christ and to make him known is the highest calling of every disciple of Christ</i>”. Truth indeed! </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In Mark’s Gospel, John the Baptist’s first message was “<b>preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins</b>” (Mark 1:4). Jesus’s first message too was about repentance, “…<b>The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (</b>Mark 1:15) The Gospel is the Good News calling people to repent and find forgiveness of sin in Jesus Christ. That is why I believe Mark 10:45 is the ultimate foundation and theme verse for Mark’s Gospel: Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for us.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, from experience, I see many who call themselves ‘Christians’ do not yet understand their need for Christ. I once attended a funeral wake. Sitting at this table of church people, I shared a little on my work at the Helping Hand and how I used the 2 EE questions as an evangelism tool to explain the Gospel. One of them asked me what the questions are. I mentioned the first question and then the 2nd question, “<i>If you were die today and find yourself standing before God, how would you answer if he asked you, 'Why should I let you into my heaven?’”</i> It was not a trick question so I was really shocked when one of them asked me, “so actually what is the answer?”. He had been attending church at least 30 years and in fact served on the Board of a Christian ministry. Yet, he lacked a foundation and source of his faith. As Ps Mah preached some weeks back, our faith must have an object as it is not blind faith.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That encounter made me wonder if we are assuming that people are Christians just because they do the ‘Christian thing’. That’s what I encountered when I returned back to the Helping Hand as Chaplain. In my one-on-one sessions with the residents, I would use the EE method to discern their faith’s foundations. Quite a number would answer the 2nd question with “<i>I have been attending church for a few years before I went in</i>”, or “<i>inside I attend Christian counselling</i>”, or “<i>I go for weekly Bible classes</i>”, etc. Very few say they know they are sinners and that they trusted in Jesus because only he could save them. That’s why after that, I assigned my staff to discern each resident’s faith and to share the Gospel with each one. Even if they did not believe, at least the Gospel seed was planted for the future. These examples reinforced my belief there may be many who think they are Christians but do not know they are not Christians.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As a pastor, though now retired, I do not take anyone’s salvation in Christ for granted. Thus, when I conduct membership classes, I will pass a questionnaire with the 2 EE questions out to each person, tell them to answer and hand up before class begins. For those who are not sure, I will follow up with them or let another mature Christian follow-up. Sometimes, I meet people who say they are coming back to the Lord. Instead of merely praying for their recommitment, I will share the Gospel, ‘Heaven->Man->Sin->Jesus Christ->assurance & growth’ before leading them to pray for themselves. When I meet someone, who has been interested in the faith, reading the Bible or attending church for some years, I will ask them if they have come to faith in Christ. Some of them reply, “not yet… slowly, slowly’. I usually will then share the Gospel with them and tell them lovingly, “there is no slowly, slowly...” to becoming a Christian. It is a step of faith. Faith in Christ is the way to becoming a Christian not more of the Bible or attending church.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The first message of John the Baptist and Jesus himself should be </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the message we bring to others. This is the message we cannot leave to others to carry because, as Gospel recipients, this is our calling. We diligently help our friends and family members to pass exams, to maintain their health, etc. Should we not also help them to answer the question of life in eternity? After all, the implications of their lost-ness is simply too dreadful to ponder upon.</span></span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I remember a scene from the movie ‘Justice League’. The hero, Flash, was afraid that the task of saving so many people from the invading forces was too big for him. The Batman told him before joining the fight, <i>‘save one, save one person</i>'. That’s what the Flash did: save one and then he proceeded to save another. He had found his calling. That’s how I started too: shared the Gospel one person at a time. And then I proceeded to share it with a whole congregation. Every one of us can do the same, live by ‘each one, save one’. After all the same Holy Spirit lives in each one of us.</span></div></div>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-92180201506076014112021-02-20T01:31:00.000-08:002021-02-20T01:32:07.010-08:00You areb the salt of the earth<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Matt 5:13 - “<b>You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.</b> In biblical times, salt was very precious. Ït was not easily available. Roman soldiers received a certain amount of their salary in salt. This portion of salt in their salary was called salarium, which gives us the word ‘salary’, payment we get for the work we do. One use of salt was to preserves things, to keep things from going bad. We live in a time of refrigerators but generations ago, people had to rely upon salt to keep their meats from going bad before being eaten. They would rub the meats with salt or they would soak them in a barrel of salt water. This caused the salt to thoroughly penetrate the meat. This prevented bacteria from growing and thus extended the shelf life of the meat products to many months.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I read this story once. A pastor was building a wooden framework for his wife’s roses. There he was merrily cutting the planks and nailing them together when he saw this little boy watching him intensely over the fence. The pastor was feeling quite proud because he thought the boy wanted to learn from him. So he asked the boy, “<i>Are you interested in becoming a carpenter. It’s a good profession. After all Jesus was a carpenter?</i>” The boy looked at him weirdly and said, “<i>No, my father swears a lot when he hits his thumb with a hammer. I always wanted to know if a preacher uses the same words</i>.”</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The boy’s impression of the preacher depended on how the preacher responded to a particular situation. We Christians are marked people. People are always watching us to see how we act and react. Consider this! What if someone followed us around for a week or so? Would they see a difference in our life, or would it look much like another non-Christian’s life? When we chat, will they hear gossip, backstabbing, crude or foul language, etc.? What if they sat beside us in our homes and rooms? Will they see us watching TV and Internet shows with our children? Or will they see us going for dodgy shows after our children are asleep? If they followed us around in our daily work, will they find us putting in an honest day’s work every day or simply wasting company time? Will they see us humiliating people or cutting corners on jobs when no one is looking? If non-Christians see us, do they see us as a different people with different values? Or will they think we are just like them except that we go to church on Sundays and carry a Bible? People should see a distinct difference in our values and the way we walk in this journey of life. Our friends, family and coworkers hear the stories and jokes we tell. They will see how we treat other people. Like it or not, in that moment of response, we represent what it means to be a Christian in that person’s mind. Therefore, are we preserving the truths of what Christianity really is in our lives? Do people get a true picture of what it means to be a Christian when they study or work with us? If we did not tell others that we are Christians, will they know we are Christians by our conduct and lifestyle? There will be situations where we may well be the only Bible other people are willing to read.</span></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-55108455527340443842021-02-17T06:21:00.003-08:002021-02-17T06:26:28.288-08:00Finishing Well In Christ<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRUVGqEFEbC5yXe48uaTwPN6aafhG2Gan6ehz_TZ9-YgE1eXQ-QGLNlJHHBULbd5NV4BaTCeizVvYAnoza8vf0n_75vyYsPwhxzGqXBblvsvvcg6zhuFjOqjj-RVz5yB-eLCr2saB5HM/s960/rahab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRUVGqEFEbC5yXe48uaTwPN6aafhG2Gan6ehz_TZ9-YgE1eXQ-QGLNlJHHBULbd5NV4BaTCeizVvYAnoza8vf0n_75vyYsPwhxzGqXBblvsvvcg6zhuFjOqjj-RVz5yB-eLCr2saB5HM/s320/rahab.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOgmDDficUZYSgUqENbYxf21_PI62pI5Hqk5Takg4-1cl_zfs-swG3FxthW55buJLwpp7HmORmngBvI5KNV2ljr9Lk0E6PHHYQPQ1aSpFP3hJhi1Z9h0sQ3YrdSxM3GQHUDSxhCmn4w0/s227/Gen+15_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOgmDDficUZYSgUqENbYxf21_PI62pI5Hqk5Takg4-1cl_zfs-swG3FxthW55buJLwpp7HmORmngBvI5KNV2ljr9Lk0E6PHHYQPQ1aSpFP3hJhi1Z9h0sQ3YrdSxM3GQHUDSxhCmn4w0/s0/Gen+15_6.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBySKlYweaPXE2m60JnO2lC5wBz_R4nN7UCTbERfJIWGwu7op1N9fNlySpUV9iV3GcDk_3qLx27cJeP4H6EdGQAGKQjIUJ3oviuPlL0J5ERMBZp70ZfOLv2Gmb423yTRqTRF3fqZKcTow/s1024/1-kings-11-7-8-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBySKlYweaPXE2m60JnO2lC5wBz_R4nN7UCTbERfJIWGwu7op1N9fNlySpUV9iV3GcDk_3qLx27cJeP4H6EdGQAGKQjIUJ3oviuPlL0J5ERMBZp70ZfOLv2Gmb423yTRqTRF3fqZKcTow/s320/1-kings-11-7-8-l.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One Campaign SG2021
– Reading the Gospels, Matt 1-3. Reflection from Matthew 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The genealogy
of Jesus (Matt 1:1-17) threw up this interesting observation. There are 4 ways of
how a person’s life turns out.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We
can start well and end well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We
can start well but end badly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We
can start badly but end well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We
can start badly and end badly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">That truth is
seen here in the genealogy of Jesus. Look at the characters here. Josiah (v11),
the reformer king, started well and ended well. So did Abraham (v2) and David (v6)
although they hit a few bumps along the way. Solomon (v6) started out well by
asking for wisdom to rule but ended badly when he married foreign wives who
turned his heart away from the true God. His son Rehoboam was worse, starting
badly and ending badly (v7). Under him, the nation of Israel split into two.
There were others too </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">who also started
badly and ended badly like Manasseh and Amon (v10). On the other hand, there was
Rahab (v5), who being a prostitute, started badly but ended up well by saving
Joshua’s spies resulting in saving herself and her family.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We may not have
much choice over how we start but how we end up depends on the choices we make along
the road of life. In other words, we may start badly but the Good News of the
Gospel promises us we can end well, when we surrender our lives to Jesus. Even
if we have been among the chief of sinners, the Gospel promises cleansing
through the blood of Jesus. Even if we have started well as a Christian and
then back-slided into gross sin, there is hope of a turn-around when we return
back to Jesus. That is the message of the Bible. God invites the wicked, and
without Christ, we are all wicked people and enemies of God, to repent of our
sin and be reconciled with him through Jesus Christ. God invites the
backslidden to return and renew their relationship with him. This is the
message peppered throughout the Bible. I know this message because I have
experienced its truth. I was on a downward slide to perdition, with no hope of
a proper life even here on earth. But Jesus rescued me, planted my life on
solid ground and gave me an abundant life. All that I have achieved is by his
grace alone. I have a good and happy life now. Walking with Jesus is exciting
and fulfilling. It can be challenging at times, but Jesus has never left me
high and dry. Further, I have a bright future for tomorrow in eternity. We all
can end up well when we belong to Jesus and walk in a posture of trust that he
knows best and therefore all we need to do is follow his leading. When we do
so, ending up well is guaranteed even though we have started out very badly.</span></span></p><p></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-35998404938876574972021-02-16T06:15:00.000-08:002021-02-16T06:15:25.773-08:00Ash Wednesday Reflection - The Bait of Satan<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Today is Ash Wednesday. Ashes are symbolic of grief (2 Samuel 13:19, Esther 4:1), mourning (Psalm 102:9, Job 2:8, Jer 6:26) and repentance (Job 42:6, Daniel 9:3, Matthew 1:21) in the Bible. Today, it seems there is an aversion to preaching on the need for grief and mourning over our sins. In fact, even repentance of sin is rarely spoken off. Some preachers even denounce the preaching of sin based on God having forgiven all our sin, past, present and future sins. So why dwell on our sin? Why keep condemning yourself when you are forgiven? Actually, the preaching/teaching of sin and the need to repent of it is not dwelling on our sin. It is not condemnation. Instead, it confronts us with our sin so that our need for a Saviour is awakened again. Paul said it best in Romans 7:24-25, “<b>What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!</b>” Confrontation with our sin also leads to confirmation of our Lord Jesus’ unconditional love for us. Repentance is not self-condemnation. In fact, it strengthens our faith as we lean only on the promises of God who gave his Son to die on the cross for us. Repentance and forgiveness and unconditional love are all messages emanating from the glorious Gospel.</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, these truths of the Gospel are not being taught in balance. Instead, the Gospel preached today sways towards dwelling only God’s unconditional love, i.e., the goodness of God seen in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The theological truth of unconditional love for us can cut both ways. It is used by the Holy Spirit to grow us spiritually as we respond to God’s unconditional love in forgetting our sin even when we are at our worst. However, it can also be the bait of Satan to lure us away from growing in obedience. Satan’s best tactic is always perverting the truths of God. Using this truth then, Satan lulls us in our state of numb comfort into an apathy that disregards the idea of growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. <b>After all, ‘once saved, always saved’ so why worry about our penchant to sin</b>. We can always justify ourselves later with cliched Christian jargon like ‘<i>God knows my heart</i>’, ‘<i>Jesus has taken all of my sins from me and cleansed me from all unrighteousness</i>’, ‘<i>I cannot give an accounting of myself and so I will depend on the perfect advocacy of Christ when I stand before Go</i>d’, etc. All that is not wrong, I too subscribe to these theological statements. However, if that is where we have chosen to remain in our Christian lives without seeing the need for spiritual progress, then maybe we need to re-think a bit: is our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ or is our faith in our own faith of Jesus Christ? If our faith is truly resting on the Lord, then there must be signs of spiritual progress and overcoming of sin in our life. Although it is impossible to be completely sinless, one can still achieve victory over sinful patterns in our life. However, if our faith is resting only on our own faith of Jesus Christ, the unconditional love of God and the righteousness of Jesus becomes a ‘get-out-of-jail’ card for our sin. It becomes an excuse for our apathy towards growing spiritually and ignoring our need to grow spiritually. As Ps Mah mentioned on 7 Feb 2021, faith always has an object. The question is whether the object is our Lord Jesus Christ or our own faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a difference that has eternal implications for every Christian. Real faith or blind faith? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So who or what does our faith really rest on? Finding that answer is critical to our future. The Continental Divide is a geographical feature in North America that determines whether water flows into the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Rain or snow on the east side of the Continental Divide flows toward the Atlantic Ocean while rain or snow on the west side drains and flows toward the Pacific Ocean. At certain points, it may be just a ridge less than a meter wide. Yet even that small measure is enough to determine where the water will end up, as it travels hundreds of kilometers away to the sea. <b>Thus, the determination of where our faith rests may seem like a small division. We think this is a theological divide that we can ignore since we are ‘sincere’ in our faith. </b>However, it is not something to be dismissive of. We may even feel right and be sincere in our faith but yet end up still sincerely wrong. The consequences are just too grim and so we need to get our faith right while we are still here. Jesus has said you will know a tree by its fruit. John the Baptist clearly taught that repentance must bear its fruit. So too our repentance and faith in Christ must bear fruit instead of being a 'get out of jail' free pass that gives us a license to continue in our sinfulness.</span></span></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-90624051306267380252016-02-24T04:19:00.000-08:002016-02-24T04:26:26.616-08:00GOD is Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Bible tells us “<i>God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in
God, and God in him</i>” (1 John 4:16). We are reminded that God IS love not merely
God is loving. Love is the nature of God not just one of his characteristics. One
of the most vivid images throughout the Bible is that God is love. In Psalm
103, we see how God’s love manifests itself in actions. God is merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy (v8). His love is like a father
towards his children, filled with compassion (v13). He does not deal with us as
our sins deserve (v10). Instead he has removed our sins from us as far as the
east is from the west (v12). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In fact, to say God
is love means God has our best interests in mind. He wants to give us good
gifts and provide us with “<i>all his
benefits”</i> (v2). What are these benefits? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Spiritually God's
love removes the barrier that separates us from him by cancelling the debt of
our sin (v3 & 12). We can never pay for our sins but because of Jesus Christ,
our debt is cancelled. Now we can enjoy a loving relationship with him because
he has removed our sins as though they never existed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next are the eternal
benefits. God’s love “<i>redeems us from the pit</i>” (v4) i.e. eternal death. More
than that, he grants us eternal life. Even more than that, we are adopted into
his family. We are the children of the king of kings and lord of lords.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What else can we know
of God's love here? I think the best thing we can know is that God’s love is personal.
Notice again in Psalm 103 the number of times the personal pronouns used - "me",
"my", “your”. The Bible tells us God is a person. As a person, God is
capable of loving us and being loved. Further, being a person, he loves each
one of us intensely and personally. That means he loves not simply not just
mankind as a whole but each one of us personally as an individual. He loves
each one of us as though each one of us is the only child he has. That’s how
God loves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was this
famous Bible scholar who was asked, ‘<i>What
is the single most important truth about Christianity?</i>’ He answered simply
with ‘<i>Jesus loves me this I know, for the
Bible tells me so.’</i> ‘<i>Jesus loves me’</i>
– that is the cornerstone of our Christian faith. So when God says “<i>I love you</i>”, he is saying that you are
important to him. You are a person of worth. You are valuable to him.
Regardless of what others think, whether you have little or much, old or young,
strong or weak, in God’s eyes, you are precious and wonderful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally we know that
God’s love is beyond human understanding (vv13-14). He knows how terrible we
are but still loves and forgives us. We were drowning in sin but he pulled us
out. We deserve justice and punishment but instead we get life. That is how God
loves us - beyond comprehension.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To see God’s love in
action, all we have to do is look at the cross, “<i>But God demonstrates his own love toward us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us” </i>(Rom. 5:8). If we really want to understand
what it means to love and be loved, look to the cross! It is there that God’s
love for mankind is seen beyond any doubt. It’s a love beyond human
comprehension. All we can do is receive it. And then we thank him not just for
his love but for the many benefits that we are blessed with as a result of his
love, by living for him alone.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-34972100507324319442015-12-29T00:54:00.000-08:002015-12-29T00:54:05.928-08:00Cultivating the Presence of God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Psalm
32:8, “<i>I will instruct you and teach you
in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”</i> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
morning as I was reading Psalm 32 and meditating on this verse, I felt the
Lord’s prodding – be God-oriented instead of merely being activity-oriented and
result-oriented. What do I mean by ‘God-oriented’? I believe it is to ensure we
are not being overwhelmed by our daily to-do list and pace of life to the
extent that we overlook our encounters with God in the small minutes of our
daily life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
‘The Practice of the Presence of God’, Brother Lawrence said, “<i>I make it my business to rest in His holy
presence which I keep myself by a habitual, silent and secret conversation with
God. This often causes me joys and raptures inwardly.</i>” He desired a
lifestyle where he intentionally and consciously cultivated a deeper awareness
of God’s activity in his lives. This, for anyone, is an excellent desire to
cultivate and so I asked our glorious Lord to help me live this out in 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
involves habitually building in small pauses and breaks in the daily routines
to turn and re-tune the heart back to God. Before we pick up the phone, we
breathe a prayer to the Lord to help us listen. As concerns pop up, we place
those concerns in God’s hands before moving on to handle them. As we fulfil our
daily tasks and responsibilities, we talk it over with God and dedicate each
task to Him before we begin and after we complete it. When interruptions
happen, we ask Jesus for grace to be like him because he always had time for
people who questioned and interrupted him. We can set our mobile devices to
alert us several times throughout the day so that we intentionally pay
attention to God and live in his presence. It may be just as short as five
minutes for reading a short Psalm, praying or even simply revelling in his
goodness. I am sure you will have other suggestions to lay alongside these
practices.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ultimately,
the desire to develop this awareness of Christ’s presence is to see God grow
spiritual fruit in our lives. The fruit could be keeping company with Jesus
through the day, receiving each daily moment as God-given. It could be learning
a new lifestyle of letting go of our need to control, to compete. Instead we grow
in awareness of our constant need of God. We learn to rest in his presence so
that we see him even in those situations which needlessly sap our energy,
irritate and anger us. We will reap the promise of Ps 32:8 that he will
instruct us of the direction we ought to go as we orient our lives with Christ
at the centre. I am very sure God will grow even more fruit other than these as
we continue to intentionally set time aside regular time for him daily.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">However,
it is important that we remember that the spiritual discipline is about
personal relationship. It is not just an activity embedded with ritual and
strategy. It arises out of a love for God that desires to live in a deeper
union with Christ. Ultimately, it is about our life being a love letter to
Christ, an expression that we love him and desire to remain wired to him alone
throughout the day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">May
our glorious Lord Jesus be your great reward in 2016 as you remain in him and
may you see the fruit of his tender care as you walk with him.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-1601215347265334082015-12-23T19:14:00.001-08:002015-12-23T19:15:56.327-08:00Christmas is about Giving and Sharing<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Christmas is just around the corner again. Many people will again be shopping for gifts for their
family and friends. It is hard to miss this part of Christmas. We are reminded
of it by our friends’ busyness in planning and buying their gifts. We are
reminded of it by the media advertisements on where the best buys and offers
are found. </span><span style="font-size: large;">We definitely cannot miss the
air if we take a walk in the shopping malls. I am sure many will also be
doing this today at the last minute, thinking of something special to get for a friend or family member <i>(I've given out all the presents I need to give so I am at peace for one). </i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Gift-giving is a
wonderful way of showing someone that he or she matters to you. The act of
buying something meaningful, wrapping it appropriately and penning one’s thoughts
of the season on a card to go along takes time, effort and resources.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Gift-giving at
Christmas is also significant because it reminds us of God’s gift to all of
us—his one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve had an
intimate fellowship with God. This was broken when Adam and Eve chose to go
their own way and resulted in God’s crowning act of creation, mankind, being
alienated from God. Yet Christmas reminds us that God did not give up on man
but gave up his only son for man. The Christmas story is about God’s unfailing
love for his creation. <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">However, this
Christmas story needs also to be shared and spread.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></span></div>
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<strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">There still are many people who celebrate the season
but do not know the story, not in their hearts anyway. Friends and family may
have lots of fun amidst the food, feasting and festivities but yet not know
Jesus Christ, the real reason for the season. They may receive gifts from one
another and yet not receive the gift that God has prepared for them, through
Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">There will also
be people who will see us enjoying ourselves and yet they will have no one to
call friend. <b>When you laugh, the whole world laughs with you but when you cry,
you cry alone</b>. I hope that all of us will make sure that no one in their cirlce ever cries alone. The best gift we can give anyone is to bring them to
Christ. While we may bear each other’s burdens, we can never bear it completely
because we can never be there for those in need all the time. Omnipresent friendship
can only come from Jesus Christ. His name is Immanuel which means ‘God is with
us’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">For many people,
the big question in life is “Is God with me?”
We can tell people there is a God and they agree. But yet they find it
hard to accept that God is there with them. They find it hard to accept that
God is so easily accessible to them. This is what the message of Christmas is –
there is a God whose unfailing love for us led him to give his son Jesus to
carry our sins. In this messy mixed-up world filled with death, disease and disasters,
where millions of people cry out “where is the hope?” we Christians can offer
them the hope of Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let us then commit ourselves to being God’s gift-bearers to
the people around us. As we hand out our gifts to friends and family, let us
tell them of the special gift that gives the meaning to Christmas. The Bible reminds
us that God is preparing a great celebration for his people in eternity. This
Christmas, let us be the ones that God uses to send his invitations to this celebration.
Let our willingness to be his messengers be the special gift that we offer to
God this Christmas.</span></span></strong></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-22242288280868775242015-12-12T00:17:00.001-08:002015-12-12T00:17:31.108-08:00Praying Like Jesus Prayed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i style="font-size: x-large;">"Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I
will, but what you will</i><span style="font-size: large;">" Mark 14:36</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In life, there are times we
struggle not knowing if we will ever see a solution. However, God has provided
a channel through which we find an answer to life’s challenges – prayer. On the
night, before he was betrayed and deserted by his friends, Jesus prayed in this
time of distress. And in his prayer we see a model for our own prayers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He prays like a child
addressing a loving father and called out “<i>Abba</i>”.
The Aramaic word expressed the idea of love, tenderness and intimacy. Jesus was
praying to someone he knew he could put his complete trust in. There will be
times when we will experience the challenges of life – illness, office
politics, loss, etc. These will be our Gethsemane-like challenges. We will have
to bear emotions of loneliness, pain, humiliation, etc. That is the time we
will also have to go on our knees and address God as Abba – the cry of a child
to a loving Heavenly Father.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Prayer is also a time for
us to acknowledge who God is and who we are. Jesus wanted to be spared the agony of crucifixion. He wanted to be spared the
agony of separation from his father when he bore the world’s sin. So he asked
his father if it was possible for this upcoming misery to go away. Could the
Father remove the cup? Yes! Could Jesus refuse the cup? Yes! However, that
would mean our being lost forever. So Jesus prayed, “<i>Abba! Father! Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet
not what I will, but what you will</i>." Just because something is
possible does not mean it is according to God’s plan. It was God’s plan that
Jesus would sacrifice his life in payment for the world’s sin. Jesus knew what
was important was not his own earthly desires but his Father’s desire for
reconciliation with us. So Jesus used prayer to bend his own will to the
Father’s will. That is the way prayer works. In prayer our desires are shaped
around what God wants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If Jesus being God himself
could bend his will to follow his father, how about us? Through prayer we
realize that we are finite and God is infinite. This should create in us a sense of
humility. We know that talking with our Heavenly Father, who also created the
universe, anything we ask is possible. But what is possible may not be in God’s
Will or beneficial to us. So we ask for what we want and God gives us what he
knows we need. Sometimes, we set our expectations very high. Thus, if our prayers are
not answered positively to our liking, let us see with eyes of faith, that God loves us and wants the
best for us. Therefore we pray and bring our petitions to our Heavenly Father
and trust that he will respond in the appropriate way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What is your cup of
suffering today? Perhaps you are asking God to take it away. But he may not because
he sees a greater plan for your life than you can see for yourself. That’s when you need to pray an ‘Abba’ prayer of trust just like Jesus did here. God
may not remove your cup because he want to see you bring others to Jesus as
they see Christ-likeness in your response to challenges of hurt and
humiliation. We can choose to disobey our Father. But then we will lose the
opportunity to glorify him. Therefore, we should pray to be like obedient sons
and daughters who have complete faith and trust in their Abba, “<i>Yet not what I will, but what you will</i>.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-61319694931427169422015-12-09T01:21:00.000-08:002015-12-09T01:21:51.798-08:00The Great Divide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“<i>Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or
sit in the seat of mockers. His delight is in the law of law of the Lord, and
on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of
water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither</i>.”
(Psalm 1:1-3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In Ps 119:105, “</span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">your
Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">”, the Psalmist declares
plainly – without Scripture, we walk in darkness. Psalm 1 illustrates this effect
of Scripture with a graphic contrast between the wicked and the righteous - the
“</span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">tree planted by streams of water” </i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">versus
the “</span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">chaff that the wind blows away</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">”.
One is unwavering and flourishing while the other is unsteady and fruitless. The
root of the practical difference between these two is the contrast in their attitudes
towards the “law of the Lord”. Our attitude to God is seen in how we live, act
and perceive right from wrong in response to the objective truth of his Word.
In Psalm 1, one man, whose life is pictured as an ever-fruitful tree - lush, lasting
and a blessing to all, delights in Scripture and meditates on it “day and night.”
The other, whose life is pictured as windblown chaff, i.e. momentary and good-for-nothing,
does not. That is the only difference but it is all the difference in the world.
It is a watershed in every person's life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">What is a watershed? Geographically, it describes an area or
ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or
seas and literally, it is an event or period marking a turning point in a
situation (Google). The Continental Divide stretching from north to south of
North America is a watershed. Rain and snow falling on one side of the Rocky
Mountains eventually flows in the Pacific Ocean. Rain and snow on the other
side flows into the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. There is no way that
water destined for one will end up in the other ocean. At its point of origin
on the mountain peak, the Divide is hardly apparent, perhaps mere millimetres apart.
Walking along it, one may even get the illusion there is no Divide. Yet, the
destination of water and snow running down either slope ends up thousands of
kilometres, even a continent apart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">There is a spiritual truth here that can be applied in our
lives. The great divide between followers and non-followers of Christ is the
attitude of belief or unbelief to the Word of God. The prefix ‘un-’ looks so
insignificant. Yet this prefix defines the follower of Christ. It is the great
divide between the fruitful Christian and the fruitless Christian. On one side,
we find fruitfulness and delight in God’s Word. On the other, we find dryness
and dreariness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">How stands our relationship
with Christ? Are we like the Psalmist, “</span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">whose
delight is in the law of God</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">”? I believe the Psalmist is pointing the way
to joy in our relationship with God. God’s Word remains in his mind and he
cannot stop thinking about it. He thirsts for God so he keeps drinking and
drinking. As a follower of Christ, we too should delight in God’s Word. To some
it is dull and boring, but to us it is fulfilling and joyful. To remain in
Christ, we delight to study it, hear the preaching of the Word and have faith
in God's Word. Such an attitude results in a life of joy, trust, godly desires
and blessing from God, not wavering even when sometimes, we lose our happiness along
the way. That’s the way to live - staying rooted in Christ alone.</span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-63046421077816980502015-10-14T07:28:00.001-07:002015-10-14T07:34:01.848-07:00On Handling Anger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the movie,
‘The Hulk’, the main character is a mild-mannered scientist. However, whenever
assaulted, he would turn into a raging 9-foot green giant and punch out those
attacking him. My friends and I used to watch the TV series of this movie when
we were young. Being young, we loved to see the Hulk punch their lights out
because that was how we would express our anger - by retaliating. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">However, is
expressing our anger by raging or screaming right? Someone said the only way not
to sin in anger is to be angry on the right grounds, against the right persons,
in the right manner, at the right moment, and for the right length of time. That’s
impossible. Almost always, our anger is a destructive anger, <i>“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to
speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the
righteous life that God desires</i>” (James 1:19-20). We should always aim to
be very slow in getting angry because it does not bring about the righteous
life that God expects of us. Since God does not want us to sin by expressing
our anger, it is best then to resolve it. Paul helps us with some wise words in
Eph 4:26, 27. “<i>In your anger do not
sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the
devil a foothold.” </i>Paul is saying that while anger
is an inevitable emotion sin should not entangle us in our anger. Nurturing anger
results in bitterness which allows the devil a foothold in our life. When
someone hurts us, let us not brood and nurse that anger. Instead pray to God
for self-control and grace and that God’s love will overflow from us to the
person.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN">Often the best
way to deal with anger is to learn to forgive. Since expressing or suppressing it
does not help, the </span><span lang="EN">best way
is to replace it with Christlike qualities. Paul teaches, “<i>Get rid of all
bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of
malice” (Eph 4:31). </i>He is saying “Don't
choose it. Get rid of anger.” Then, he says we are to replace it, “<i>Be kind
and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you” (Eph 4:32). </i>Forgiving one another and committing the hurt received
to Christ is the best solution.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In 1955, Jim Elliott and four missionary friends landed in the Ecuadorian jungle.
They wanted to reach out to the Auca Indians but were speared to death by the
very Indians they were trying to befriend. Elliot’s death must have shaken his
widow, Elizabeth. However, her response mirrors what Paul is teaching us in Eph
4:32, <i>“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just
as in Christ God forgave you.”</i> Later with her daughter, Valerie, she went
back to the Ecuadorian jungles to reach out to the same Auca Indians who killed
her husband. In time, through her witness, she won many Auca Indian souls to
the Kingdom of Christ. Her husband’s death and her sacrifice worked for the
good of the Auca Indians who came to know Jesus Christ. She was definitely a
very Christ-like person, filled with grace and love. She could have responded
to her husband’s murder with malice, bitterness or rage. She could have
instilled those feelings in her daughter and many of us would have thought her
justified in doing so. But she chose to follow the guidance in Eph 4:32 and
replace anger with kindness, compassion and forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We don’t have to be angry and sin. With God’s grace, we can glorify our
Lord by choosing to replace our anger with something that will edify. </span></span><b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-38225996153316704592015-09-25T01:56:00.002-07:002015-09-25T02:01:20.638-07:00HE Makes All Things New <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ </i>Rev 21:1-5</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Somehow, reading the above text makes me think of Chinese New Year. For the Lunar New Year, we believe in a traditional emphasis on newness. Perhaps that is why so many people do last minute shopping. When they cross over at midnight into the New Year, their things are still very new. The smell is new. The taste is new. The look is new. Somehow the newness of everything surrounding us renews the soul and excites us. That is why I don’t think negatively of people who do last-minute shopping. This is the kind of newness presented in the passage from Revelation. It promises us a hope of newness. It makes us excited and restless for a coming of newness that will be eternal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">At the end of Revelation, the Apostle John gives us a vision of the final stage of God’s plan for an all-new creation. In the first 20 chapters, John uses very dramatic symbols to show God’s judgments on creation. The war between satanic forces and God’s people ends with the final defeat of the Devil. John then closes with the final judgment where everything that is not of God is thrown into the lake of fire. Now if the Bible ends at Rev 20, God’s people will face a dark and dystopian existence. That is because much of creation is still in a state of devastation. However as we turn the page to Rev 21-22, we see John describing the glorious inheritance which awaits all of God’s people. It’s an indescribable inheritance, beyond anything we can imagine. For those who believe in Jesus as Saviour and Lord, judgment day is past because Jesus has already taken the judgment we deserve. Instead, at the end of history, what await us are words of blessing, <i>“Well done good and faithful servant! Let the little children come to me! Nothing can separate you from my love!” </i>And we can see in Rev 21, a new creation replacing the present heaven and earth. The word ‘new’ means unworn, unused, fresh, original, etc. God is making all things new because he wants all things new, the best, from his children. Isn’t that how it is with you? If you had something new to use or wear, would you want to go back to your wardrobe and pick some old clothes to wear?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">God is not satisfied just to refurbish his old creation, give it a touch-up and hand it over to us, saying ‘<i>there you go</i>.’ No, no, no, <b><span style="color: red;">HE is making all things new</span></b> - “T<i>hen I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.”</i> There is not going to be a renovation or makeover. It will be a new earth that we will live in. It will have to be a glorious place. It will be a place where nothing that we have or build can compare with it. This is because God’s people have new bodies and so God gives us a new, glorious place fitting for our new bodies. Nothing in the old earth compare with what is in the new earth. In fact, nothing we can have today can compare with what awaits us. Our possessions, our cars, our homes, our trinkets and toys will be nothing in the new creation of God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Not only will we be living in a new creation, we will also be a new community of people drawn out of every tribe and tongue and nation. The new Jerusalem is called a bride beautifully dressed for her groom. Whenever I counsel couples for weddings, I tell the bride-to-be that she only has one job to do on her wedding day and that is to look beautiful. A wedding always makes a beautiful picture doesn’t it? The high point is when the bride walks slowly down the aisle, beautifully gowned for her husband. She would have prepared months in advance for this special day so that everyone looks at her. The new Jerusalem is called both a city and a bride, “<i>I saw the Holy City coming out of heaven from God prepared as a bride</i>.” A bride is a picture of intimacy. A city is a picture of community. That is a wonderful picture of the church, beautiful in glory given to Jesus Christ. Our fatty livers, thinning hair, overweight body parts and bad hearts are not going to be a bother anymore because they belong to the past. All the people that we love will be radiant in their new bodies, looking glorious, morally and spiritually pure. Glorious as befitting the bride of our glorious groom, Jesus Christ.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">The text promises us “<i>Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." </i>There will no longer be poor, rich, powerful, underprivileged people. Every citizen of this kingdom will be equal because the only qualification for citizenship is to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour in this life. That’s the only thing that matters to God. How wonderful. Whether the one has only one leg or arm, suffers from autism, has poor dress sense, speaks poorly, or suffers any other disadvantage or disability, that one is still not disqualified from this new community.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">How would we live our life if you knew that our eternal future is secure? All of us live with a sense of hope, don’t we? We hope the economy will do well so that our jobs will remain stable. We hope our children will do well in school especially if it is a crunch year like ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels. My wife may be hoping I will have more time for her this year. I certainly hope so too. Some of our hopes will be realized but some will be disappointed. Yet, there is one hope that all people can rejoice and never be disappointed. That is the glorious hope of the new world in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of us may have struggled a lot last year. Some of us may have struggles ahead of us this year. There can be so many ways we can struggle through - a nasty boss, difficult politicking colleagues, and stubborn subordinates. Perhaps it could be the lack of work – retrenchment and restructuring. Perhaps it could be a relationship problem - a nagging wife, an uncaring husband, a rebellious child or an uncaring parent who does not bother to care for you. Maybe it is a health problem – a recurring pain, a tumour, disability, growing anxiety or depression. Although I hope not yet, none of us can guarantee it will not happen. There is one thing we do know. We have the glorious hope in Jesus ahead of us. That hope cannot change because it is the hope of glory before all of us.
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Or perhaps we have been the cause of others’ struggles. Perhaps we have been a difficult boss, politicking colleague or stubborn subordinate. Perhaps you have been the nagging wife, uncaring husband, rebellious child or indifferent parent. The glorious hope of our future in Christ gives us all hope to change. Or perhaps we have changed but we still live with the guilt of what one has you done in the past. After all, there are some things broken that cannot be repaired so easily. And sometimes they may never be. The glorious hope of our future in Christ gives us hope too. We may never be able to make all things right in this life. But because of the glorious hope we have in Christ, we can let the guilt go. Because God will make all things new, we can ask him to change us, make us new in heart, mind and soul. Then we will not repeat the hurts we brought to others. It can happen because <b><span style="color: red;">God is making all things new</span></b>.
</span>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-76472924553616356062015-08-15T01:31:00.000-07:002015-08-15T01:32:45.997-07:00What is True Blessing?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Almost 8 years ago, in its December
2007 issue, Fortune Magazine subtitled its report on the Wall Street financial
crisis arising out of mortgage debt as “<i>the subprime mortgage crisis keeps
getting worse—and claiming more victims</i>.” The subprime crisis caused billions
of dollars in losses then. The share prices of Citigroup and Merrill Lynch, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
biggest commercial and investment bank respectively, dropped 35%. Many other
Wall Street financial giants such as Bank of America, Credit Suisse, etc., posted
billions of US$ losses.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Nine months later in 2008, the statement, “<i>the subprime mortgage crisis keeps getting worse—and
claiming more victims</i>” seemed prophetic. Mortgage giants FannieMae &
FreddieMac needed <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
government intervention to stop going under. Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers and
Merrill Lynch, three of Wall Street’s biggest five investment banks, were sold or
forced into bankruptcy. When these financial dominoes fell, they sent jitters
through the world economy, resulting in shock-waves in various stock
markets around the world. The future looked grim then with financial losses
and massive unemployment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Will it happen again? Why not? The signs seems to point to another one, with the Greek crisis in Europe and the fall of the yuan very recently. At least, that is what the harbingers have pointed to for 2015. If so, many of us will be affected. As Christians, what are the lessons that we can take with
us?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">One immediate thought is learning contentment, amidst trial and tribulation.
Paul was in prison yet he was contented. (Phil 4:11, 12) “…</span><span lang="EN-US"> <i>I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it
is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the
secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living well-fed or
hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.</i>” What was Paul’s secret? “<i>I can do everything through Him who gives me
strength</i>” (Phil. 4:13). Jesus was Paul’s all-in-all. Jesus should be our
all-in-all. If he truly is, we will find grace to withstand the losses. We
will learn to reduce our living expenses to match our income. We will learn to
ask, “<i>How much do I want before I say I have enough?</i>” We may learn that the
next car, gadget, appliance is not something we really need. Perhaps we will then teach our children that the next video-game or toy or clothes or sportswear
may not really be necessary and that they could do with a cheaper version or
even not at all. Then, when the economy looks rosier and our living picks up, we
will remember Jesus’ exhortation, <i>“…a
man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”(Luke 12:15).</i> This is what caused the downfall of Wall
Street’s investment bankers – imprudence arising out of discontentment with
what they already possessed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">The other is to avoid ill-gotten
gain. One news article then described the crux of the sub-prime crisis was because
these banks “<i>bought each other’s debt and erased one another’s risk by dealing
with one another in a giant chain letter</i>.” It was paper wealth that was
unethical if not downright illegal. W</span><span lang="EN-US">ealth per se is
not a sin. It is our security in adverse
times and it has the power to influence things for good. I believe God expects
us to work and, at the same time, be a good steward and prudently handle the
wealth and resources that we accumulate from our labour. But I also believe our
means to attain wealth as well as the ends to which we use our wealth matters
to him. Wealth, ill-used or ill-gotten displeases God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Let us learn to
live life by the standards that God expects of us. When we do so, we are
blessed and “<i>the blessing of the Lord
brings wealth and He adds no trouble to it</i>” </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(Prov 10:22).</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-70926153533474879422015-08-11T07:09:00.000-07:002015-08-11T07:14:42.113-07:00Why Do I Delight In The Law?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just last Sunday, 9 August 2015, Singapore celebrated
50 years of peace, progress and prosperity as a sovereign and independent
nation. I have no doubt that we enjoy these blessings because of our founding
fathers’ wisdom in ensuring that Singapore is a nation built on law and order.
Each time Parliament meets, it is to pass new laws or amend others to ensure
our society does not break down. Some may lament that the law restricts freedom
but good laws that order our society and protect us are not burdensome and
restrictive. For instance, good traffic laws do not restrict our freedom.
Instead, they bring safety and order to potentially dangerous situations and
preserve life. In this Jubilee Year, we see the blessings of building our
nation on law and order. In fact, the law is a delight for those who see how it
benefits in bestowing peace, freedom and sound judgment on its citizens. These
are also the same blessings of God's law that the Psalmist declares in Psalm
119 - <i>"your law is my delight..." </i>(v174), <i>"Great peace
have they who love your law and nothing can make them stumble" </i>(v165),<i>
"I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts" </i>(v45),
<i>"teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your
commands"</i> (v66).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thus, the Psalmist declares the authority of God's
laws over his life in this Psalm. Consider the imperatives and the number of
times they point to the power and authority of Scripture – law (45), statutes
(23), precepts (21), decrees (22), commands (14), word (23), promise (11). Yet
the law does not produce a cringing fear. Instead, he delights in God’s law.
This is so unlike many churches today where talk of obedience to God’s law and
authority seems to produce a visceral aversion. These same churches label,
sometimes disparagingly, such responses to God’s commandments as ‘self-effort’,
‘salvation by works’, etc. Not so the Psalmist here. Why? It is because he
recognises the beneficial role God’s Word plays in guiding his life – <i>“I run
in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free”</i> (v32), “<i>I
gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path” </i>(v104), <i>“Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord" (v1)</i>, etc. How positive the Psalmist sounds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span><span style="color: red;">The value of God’s Word is seen in the many blessings it gives us:</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">It shows us a better way of living in not yielding to temptation -<i>"how can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word"</i> (v9).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">It frees us from duplicity - <i>"I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame"</i> (v46).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">It outweighs the value of all material things - <i>"the law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold” </i>(v72).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">However simple-minded or dull-witted one may seem to be, God's Word is not beyond understanding - <i>"I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts" (v100), "the unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple"</i> (v130).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">It enhances our quality of life -<i> "how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth" (v103).</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">It promises wrath for those who hurt God’s people -<i> "you reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain. All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes"</i> (v118-119).</span></span></li>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We can see the blessings in obeying God’s Word. Should
we not then be studying God’s Word in a daily, dynamic walk with Jesus so that
we may reap the full blessings of growing to be like Christ, pleasing our
Heavenly father in this life? May our life echo the Psalmist's prayer, "<i>Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law</i>" (v18).</span></span></div>
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Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-56272969883573099712015-07-31T02:32:00.000-07:002015-07-31T02:35:24.579-07:00Caring for the Weakest Links<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I
remember a reality TV programme called “The Weakest Link”. At the end of each
quiz round, the contestants voted off each other until two were left. Throughout
each episode, the hostess would make cutting remarks about the contestants. As
the contestants gave their reasons for voting off the ‘weakest link’, she made
comments such as “he couldn’t answer much”, “she didn’t bank in enough money,”
“he was too slow”, etc. You get to see a lot of scheming and manipulation to
win the prize money. If this was reality TV, it’s a sad reflection of the human
race. Praise God, the Kingdom of God does not work that way. God shows extra
concern for the weakest links in his Kingdom as we see in I Thess 5:14, “<i>and we urge you, brothers, warn those who
are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I
must admit that I found it a bit difficult to understand ‘warn those who are
idle’. Does it mean conducting a witch-hunt to weed out those who are idle and
then counselling them? Wouldn’t that
mean judging and condemning one another? I believe that a better way to warn
the idle is to serve with energy, dynamic ideas and ability that others are
stirred to contribute and do their best alongside you and refraining from
finger pointing. The ‘timid’, literally ‘small-souled.’ described those who
lose heart easily and are prone to quitting because of persecution, trials,
lack of immediate results. The ‘weak’ likely refer to the spiritually weak in
the church. Perhaps they lack knowledge or experience and so they struggle with
certain issues over which they are unable to have victory or they may lack
courage and find it difficult to trust God. They need help in their journey in
life. I think all of us can identify with this group of people at one time or
another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">God
is always concerned for the weak and those unable to take care of themselves. That
is why he told the Israelites in Leviticus 19: 9,10 not to reap the harvest to the
edges of their fields and forbade them from going back to pick up whatever
crops they dropped as they did their harvesting. These were to be left for the
poor and the aliens, people who could not care for themselves. In the New
Testament, James 1:27 tells us “<i>Religion
that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after
orphans and widows in their distress</i>.”
I think the lesson is quite clear, God expects his people to be very
concerned for those who less strong, the so-called weakest links in our community.
So in a way, they are a litmus test of our identity as God’s people. Do we deal
patiently with them, as exhorted here by Paul or do we brush them aside as per
the practice of worldly culture. I admit “people work” is difficult and maybe
even frustrating at times. We all mature at different times and we have
different personalities, backgrounds, baggage, likes, dislikes and habits. However,
let us look at it this way. God is patient with us. In my own life, I have
experienced that ‘two steps forward’ and ‘one step backward’ phases in my own
spiritual life. Praise God for being patient and for putting patient people
around me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Our
Christian faith is a dynamic one, one that manifests itself in our
relationships with one another. It is seen in our walk with God and man and so may the grace of our Lord Jesus be sufficient for us to look
out for one another and encourage those who are weaker than us.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-19388761919945828842015-07-28T01:02:00.000-07:002015-07-28T01:12:30.022-07:00Loving and Serving<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;">In the
Gospel account of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet, what did he mean in
telling Peter “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unless I wash you, you
have no part with me</i>”? (John 13:8b) I believe he saw the need for Peter and
the disciples that night to have the life of Jesus in them. They would soon learn
that he was going away. Luke 9 records a quarrel the disciples had about who
would be the greatest in God’s Kingdom. Obviously, they thought of an earthly
kingdom so they needed spiritual eyes to see God’s plan of salvation for
mankind. To see with spiritual eyes, they needed the life of Jesus in them. </span></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 2; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;">In showing
the disciples their greatest need, Jesus also gave them an example of what they
were to do with his life in them. In biblical times, the roads were not the
smooth paved roads of today. Both animals and humans used them. Sometimes
animal droppings stuck to travelers’ feet. If it rained, their feet were caked
with mud. So feet were usually smelly and grimy. That is why the host never
washed his guests’ feet. He would welcome his guests with a kiss and then
direct his servants to do the foot washing. Yet Jesus went around and washed
everyone’s feet - Judas, Peter, James, John and all the rest. He served their
needs and then said, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I have set an
example that you should do as I have done for you” </i>(John 13:15).</span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;">However, serving
others is tough. It requires a sacrifice of something – one’s comfort, ease,
recognition, adulation, etc. It requires a sacrifice of oneself, not just time
and resources. That can be draining and exhausting. Sometimes the people you
serve are the ones who let you down. Think about it. The scene is filled with
irony. Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, knowing they would betray him. Peter's
feet would carry him to denial. Judas would run to betrayal. The rest would hide
behind locked doors out of fear and anxiety. Yet he washed their feet anyway. He
knew that they would fail him. Jesus knew that he would be left alone in the
end, yet he loved those failed and frightened men whose feet he washed. Then he
tells his disciples, and us too, that he has set an example for us to follow!</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How can we
do it? By our own effort, we will fail. We will end up with burnout,
frustration and despair. We can only do it if we allow the love of God to flow out
from us into our service to others. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John 13:34 reminds us, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you so you must love one another.” </i>That is the only way we
can serve – by loving. In fact, I believe you cannot serve without loving and
you cannot love without serving. If you say you love someone, you will serve
that person sacrificially. Those who are married will know the truth of this statement.
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Love is from
the heart and servanthood begins with an attitude of the heart.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;">How can you make this command a reality
today? There are many ways because, if love is there, we can be creative in
finding ways to serve one another, even if it costs in time and resources. So be
intentional, draw up a list of acts of service today. After that, commit it to
God praying “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this is what I will do, by
your grace and because of your love for me</i>.”</span></span></div>
</div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-7353676136745750192014-09-01T06:58:00.000-07:002014-09-01T07:01:43.874-07:00Getting Real about Giving<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">The Old
Testament teaches a tithe of 10% to God. It was a type of income tax given for
the use of supporting the theocratic government of Israel. The people were
legally required to give tithes to feed the Levites, the widows and orphans. In
churches today, some people have asked, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Are
we supposed to tithe 10% of our salary before CPF deduction or after CPF
deduction?</i>” I actually do not believe that New Testament teaches a
compulsory tithe of 10%. That is legalism. It hardly has the essence of grace
or heart-righteousness permeating Jesus’ teachings. That is why Paul does not
talk about tithing a fixed portion of income. Instead, he says </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">“</span><span class="versetext4"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Now about the collection<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a> for God's people:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="2"></a> Do what I told the Galatian<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="3"></a> churches to do. </span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">On the first day of every week,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="4"></a> each one
of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it
up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">”</span></span></i><span lang="EN-US"> (1Cor
16:1-2). The key phrase to observe is “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in keeping with his income</i></b>.” I
believe we should not stick to giving a fixed portion of income to God but according
to the level of our prosperity.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Therefore, 10%
is not a Christian’s obligatory tithe but a starting-point for giving. That
margin should generously increase with increase in our prosperity. For a person
earning $1000, giving 10%, i.e. $100 and living on the balance of $900 might be
a struggle. However, if we earn $10000, will giving $1000 and living on $9000 be
as much a struggle for us? Not likely. In fact, we can just as easily live on $7000
and give $3,000. How much will we give then if we earned $25,000 a month, or
more than that, and how much of that are we willing to live with?</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">When it comes to
living and giving, the question is all about our priorities. Is the money we
give to Christ a forethought stemming from our prosperity or is it an
after-thought stemming from our material wants? Does our money go first to
Christ sacrificially and after that, then we decide how the rest will pay for our
bills and lifestyle? Or do we decide on how to finance a ‘good’ lifestyle first
and then decide on how much to give to Christ? It is simply a matter of
priority. Do we give out of surplus or leftover? Christ first or lifestyle
first? If you struggle with these thoughts, be encouraged. Struggling means the
Holy Spirit is working in you. So pray and ask God to enlighten you on the ways
to put Christ first.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">That is the
whole point of our lives isn’t it? It is not about how much we want to live
comfortably or what we leave our children. The point is Christ. He becomes the
paradigm by which we live. He becomes the pattern by which we can live a life
rich in grace. Scripture tells us “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">though
Christ was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his
poverty might become rich</i>” (2 Cor 8:9). Christ, who was worshiped in heaven,
chose to walk this earth so that we, who had lost everything, could have what
mattered; eternity with God who loved us first.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Christ gave
everything so that we might live. Scripture testifies that having been given so
much by Christ, we need to give thanks in every area of our lives. Let us pray
that even as Christ has given us so much, may we grow to have that same
gracious attitude to God’s work that Christ has towards us.</span></span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-84528725134510338352014-07-25T01:23:00.000-07:002014-07-25T01:30:47.034-07:00Suffering For Jesus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/rob-bell-jesus-peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://joyinthisjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/rob-bell-jesus-peace.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Acts 5, we read of the Sanhedrin punishing Peter and the
other apostles for preaching Jesus. After whipping them, the Sanhedrin released
them. After suffering about 40 lashes each, what was the apostles’ response? Acts
5:41 tells us, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the apostles left the
Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace
for the Name</i>.” Even after being beaten badly, they continued their task of
proclaiming the Gospel as 5:42 tells us. To them the Gospel was worth suffering
and dying for.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As I reflected on this, I realised that suffering for Christ is nothing new under the sun. As the early apostles were persecuted and their blood shed for Christ, we see the same thing happening today. Christians are being ostracised, thrown out of their homes, made to pay special taxes and even having to sacrifice their lives for Jesus. What was once done to the Jews during the Holocaust is now being done to Christians on a global scale.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On martyrs, my mind can help but be drawn to one extraordinary woman whose story I had read. Many would have read or heard of
Wang Ming Dao, unofficial architect of the house church movement in China from
the 1950s onwards. Despite government oppression and persecution, the house
churches in China grew as they were led by men such as him and others. His wife
was Deborah Wang or Auntie Wang as friends called her. When Wang Ming Dao was
sentenced to prison for what the government called “anti-revolutionary
activities”, his wife also had to follow him into prison. For twenty years, she
lived in a Northern Chinese prison, where winters were very cold. She lived
with insufficient food and winter clothes. She only saw her husband three times
in those 20 years but she never complained and never lost her faith. When they
were released, their home continued to be used by their Christian friends. Even
after her husband died, her spiritual strength never diminished and she said,
“I will not be lonely; I was not lonely before”, implying she found Jesus to be
all-sufficient for her life. What a remarkable woman! She too rejoiced because
she had been found worthy of disgrace for that name.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We may not have to suffer for our Christian faith like the
apostles or Deborah Wang. Yet, we can be sure that the world will always
examine Christians critically. We are labelled ‘lousy Christians’ or worse
still ‘hypocrites’. We may not be jailed or beaten but we can be sure that we will
also be ridiculed, disliked, become unpopular, etc. as we live out our
Christian life. God has already forewarned us of this in 2 Tim 3:12 where Paul
writes, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In fact, everyone who wants to
live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted</i>.” Sometimes you may have
to live out your faith by refusing to lie for your boss, or pilfer the company
goods like your colleagues do, or stand up for the weak ones who are bullied in
your office. When you do all these things, you can be sure that people will not
be happy and they will look out for ways to retaliate and make you suffer. Be
encouraged! The resurrection reminds us we serve a risen Saviour and that this
life is not all there is. We have a better one awaiting us in Heaven. After
having lived our earthly life for our Lord, we can look forward to hear his
commendation, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Well done, my good and
faithful servant. Come now and share your master’s happiness</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">May the Lord bless us to witness and live for
Him as so many others have gone before and done for us.</span></span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-6631301638675476652014-07-16T08:20:00.001-07:002014-07-16T08:24:58.520-07:00The Bible on Financial Accountability <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1Cor 16:1-2, Paul tells the Corinthian Church to take up
an offering for the poverty-stricken Jerusalem Christians, "<em>Now about the collection</em></span></span></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a><sup class="crossref" style="display: none;"><a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/1-corinthians/16.html#cr-descriptionAnchor-1" id="1" title="S Ac 24:17"></a></sup><em><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> for God's people:</span></em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="2"></a><sup class="crossref" style="display: none;"><a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/1-corinthians/16.html#cr-descriptionAnchor-2" id="2" title="S Ac 9:13"></a></sup><em><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Do what I told the Galatian</span></em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="3"></a><sup class="crossref" style="display: none;"><a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/1-corinthians/16.html#cr-descriptionAnchor-3" id="3" title="S Ac 16:6"></a></sup><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em> churches to do. <span class="versetext" id="1co16-2" style="display: inline;">On the first day of every week,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="4"></a><sup class="crossref" style="display: none;"><a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/1-corinthians/16.html#cr-descriptionAnchor-4" id="4" title="Ac 20:7"></a></sup> each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made</span></em>." After this,
he introduces the principle of financial accountability in 1Cor 16:3-4, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of
introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If
it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.</i>” With the letters
of introduction, Paul is making sure there will be no opportunity for financial
mismanagement. If he needed to go, these representatives of the Macedonian
churches would accompany him as witnesses. This would avert any accusation of
him committing embezzlement. In other words, the churches that made this
offering were to form an audit committee. The ones receiving the funds would
have to be accountable to them.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is unfortunate when Christian ministries lose their
testimony because of financial mismanagement. The opportunity for mismanagement
is great simply because Christians are a giving and sharing people. These words
were said to me by a non-Christian, ‘you Christians are a very charitable people.’
I used to run a Christian home for drug addicts in the Philippines called the
House of Hope. One day a friend invited me to a dinner gathering with his
church friends. As I sat down, he introduced his friend to me and mentioned
what I was doing in the country. Immediately his friend reached into his pocket
and counted off P$10,000, worth about SG$500+ then. He gave it to me, saying “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Use this for your good work helping our
people</i>.” Then he went to the next table and encouraged his other friends to
take up an offering for my ministry. That’s typical of Christians, charitable by
nature.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sadly, that is also why there are pastors and Christian leaders
who are so motivated in enriching themselves, they use all means to squeeze money
from their flock. The apostle Peter warned Christians in 2Peter 2:3, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In their greed these teachers will exploit
you with stories they have made up</i>”, about false teachers and preachers who
would deceive the church for their own profit. In the phrase “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">these teachers will exploit you</i>”, the
Greek word translated as ‘exploit’ is ἐμπορεύομαι, (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">em-po-rio'-om-ai</i>). From this, we get the English word ‘emporium’
meaning ‘a centre of commerce or a market’. It implies trading or making a deal
for profit. Peter says these teachers will ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">em-po-rio'-om-ai’</i>
Christians, meaning they will sell and trade Christians off for profit. The
King James actually translates it more accurately with “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">these teachers will make merchandise out of you…</i>” To these false
teachers, their flock were not sheep to be spiritually fed but lambs to be
slaughtered. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No believer should want
this to happen to his generous giving. Therefore, he should also hold the
church or ministry accountable for the way they use his charitable giving. Faith
is not blind so we do not give blindly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am glad that, having worked with four
treasurers in our church, I know HPC takes its financial accountability to its members
seriously. That’s why we can be perceived as slow in disbursing money and
making financial decisions. The main aim is not only to ensure money is used
wisely but also to ensure no financial decision comes back to bite us, years
down the road. By then, everyone would have forgotten the circumstances that
led to the decision. It will then be tragic to see church leaders point
accusing fingers at each other in order to avoid blame. Thus, members can help
by scrutinizing the expenditure statements to make sure money is used wisely
and blamelessly. I believe it pleases our Lord Jesus Christ when members act
responsibly in this way</span></span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-74702683164899957192014-07-13T06:45:00.000-07:002014-07-13T06:46:25.968-07:00What Does World Cup Soccer Teach us about the Church?<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the past
month, the world was struck by fever; World Cup fever. In some countries, work stops
when their national team plays. Bosses will note bloodshot eyes and more employees
on medical leave after all those late night live telecasts. I remember watching
my first live World Cup final in 1974. West Germany (as Germany was then known
as) played Holland and Germany won. I believe history will repeat itself
tomorrow morning. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Soccer is a
team sport like basketball, cricket, etc. One thing to learn from team games is
that the team must play well together. There may be some superstars who win
games on their own but that is rare. By and large, a team is only as good as
its team performance on the field. The 2014 German soccer team shone with their
team-work while superstar-driven teams like England with Rooney, Portugal with
Ronaldo and a Neymar-less Brazil failed miserably. That is why managers like Jose<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> Mourinho of Chelsea and Sir Alex of MUFC
discipline their stars to play for the team rather than their own glory.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The other thing
to learn from team games is that you can make a difference, whichever position
you play. In the 1974 World Cup, Germany won because of goals by Paul Breitner
and Gerd Muller. However, the win was also because their goalkeeper, Sepp Maier,
was in top form. Further, Berti Vogts their defender marked the Dutch star, Cruyff,
out of the game while their elegant captain, Beckenbauer tidied and swept up
the Dutch attacks that crept through German cracks in defence. It was
the effort of all eleven players playing together as a team that enabled West
Germany to win the World Cup. Team games are encouraging – no matter what our position
is, we can make a difference.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In life too, t</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">here
are many situations where we have a part. Team sports help us see that whatever
part we play, it is a necessary part. The part we play may well mean the difference
between winning and losing, failure or success. So, while not every person is a
star, every person can make a difference, a positive contribution.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In 1
Cor 12, Paul likens the Corinthian Church to a team. Actually, that is what we
are - a team of God’s people at work. We are many individuals with each one
having different parts to play. Yet everyone is needed to make sure God’s work
is done properly. Many miss this idea of a church as a team. Some think of
church as just a service they attend. If there are ‘good’ speakers or they have
good friends there, they will attend regularly. Yet, they may not be too
concerned about the well-being of the church. As long as they do their personal
quiet time daily and read Christian books, they presume everything is well in God’s
Kingdom and their spiritual lives are going well.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">However,
in 1 Cor 12, Paul teaches us the church is many people, but not just a crowd of
people. It is an assembly of people who have surrendered to Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior. Thus, we are identified not only with him but also with one
another. So we organize ourselves according to the Biblical pattern to
accomplish the purposes that Jesus established.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hope
PC is a team of many members, organized for the purpose of God’s Kingdom. That
is Paul’s conclusion in 1 Cor 12:12, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts
are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”</i> Now that we know that,
what is our response? Each of us must be involved for our church to make a
difference in God’s Kingdom. Do we want our church to make a difference in God’s
Kingdom? I am sure we do. So will you step forward to make that difference?</span></span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-19072609307099561522014-05-14T19:41:00.000-07:002014-05-14T19:48:25.859-07:00The Power of the Resurrection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://dancehallarena.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/00-Arise-Shine-Riddim-Cover-644x320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://dancehallarena.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/00-Arise-Shine-Riddim-Cover-644x320.jpg" height="198" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In John’s Gospel (John 20), we read the account where Mary
Magdalene discovers that Jesus was alive and the tomb where he was laid after
his death from crucifixion was empty. She returns to tell Jesus’ disciples, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I have seen the Lord</i>” (John 20:18) and
relate Jesus’ own words to them. Yet, apparently Mary’s good news did not strengthen
them. This is seen in John 20:19, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the
disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews</i>.” It is
quite ironic, isn’t it? Mary’s message meant Jesus had conquered death but they
were only concerned with self-preservation. If we were to form a Disciple
Search Committee to look for disciples to carry Christ’s message, I doubt these
disciples would be high up on the list of candidates. Yet Jesus did not shunt
them aside but continued to entrust his Good News to them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus’ action, in standing by his disciples, demonstrates
the truth of the saying, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God does not
call the qualified. He qualifies the called</i>.” Nowhere is this seen more
clearly than here. Jesus appears before his disciples and gives them the Holy
Spirit. From now on the Holy Spirit would live in them and empower them to do
the task he had assigned them – “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">as the Father
has sent me, I am sending you</i>.” This is the life to which they were, as we
today too are called – to extend forgiveness in his name thereby bringing life
to others. There can be no higher calling than that. With God there is no Plan
B. He calls us and empowers us through the Holy Spirit to fulfill our calling. When
we receive the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us
forever. That means Christian ministry is not just for the strong, the powerful
and the qualified because God works in and even through our failures and
weaknesses. When we move beyond fear of circumstances and uncertain outcomes to
embrace our calling, God’s Spirit empowers us to participate in HIS mission.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Rick Warren’s book, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Purpose-Driven Life’, </i>his opening words were ‘<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It’s not about you</b>’. That’s right; it’s about the Holy Spirit
working in and through us. So when we are called to serve, we need to remember;
it’s not about us. It’s about the Holy Spirit working in and through us as we
humbly submit to his leading and guidance. We walk in faith. We do not think of
what we cannot do but what God can do through us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is the way I look at it. God is sovereign over all
things meaning he will accomplish his purpose for his creation, with or without
us. Yet, out of love, he has called us to partner him in bringing life to
others. Imagine a millionaire who invests resources in training and developing
our talents by sending us to the best schools of learning. After we have been
trained, the same millionaire goes on to use more of his resources to open up
markets to enable us to use the talents he has developed in us. He willingly
gives all that we need to succeed. That’s grace - it’s not about us but God
working in us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">Resurrection Sunday bids us “Arise”. Jesus Christ did arise from the
dead about 2 centuries ago. He gave the Holy Spirit to his disciples so that
they would arise and bring his message of forgiveness far and wide without fear,
which they did. How about us? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May each
one of us arise to fulfil all that God has called us to do!</span></span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-63929043290401530712014-04-11T20:34:00.000-07:002014-04-11T20:37:02.725-07:00Choose Right, Live Right Part 2<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“He is no fool to
give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”</b> When Jim Eliott made
this statement, he may have been applying Mark 8:36-38, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his
soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of
me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will
be ashamed of him when</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he comes in
his Father's glory with the holy angels.</i>" With these questions, Jesus
challenges us to think about our real focus in life. We believe we will live
with Jesus Christ in eternity. How is this fact lived out in our daily lives?
Are we living in anticipation of his commendation when he comes again in glory?
Are we focused on the temporal things of this world? Our daily focus determines
how we live.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">People without Christ have nothing better to live for. So
their lives are portrayed by chasing after earthly things – eating, drinking
and material possessions. The more they have, the more successful they think
they are. There is nothing wrong with eating, drinking and material
possessions. However, that should not be the main goal of our lives. We should
live for what is eternal and not what is temporary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">That means refocusing whatever we do to reflect Christ’s
Kingdom in our daily lives. <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">If we are businessmen, we apply Christian principles in the conduct of our business. As workers, we work keeping in mind that Christ is our true boss. In the home, we inculcate Kingdom values in
our children. We train them to have values and concerns and priorities and
relationships as citizens of God’s kingdom. I am sure every parent is concerned that their
children have a good education and future. That is not a bad thing but that is
also not the only thing in life. Our children should also learn to put Christ
first. It is good to celebrate good grades, goals and the achievements of our children at
home. But parents should also celebrate the fruit of godliness, humility, purity, stewardship and
self-sacrifice in their children.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In the use of our mind too, we should be kingdom-focused. We
may need to think intentionally about making needed changes to reflect our
kingdom focus. What can we do to be a better steward of our leisure and
entertainment? That means intentionally checking how much time we spend on TV,
games, net surfing, etc. We compare that with the daily time we spend reading
the Bible, prayer and Christian fellowship. If the gap is wide, we need to cut
down on our entertainment and use the time for our spiritual pursuits. After
all, which one has temporal and which one has eternal value?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In choosing Jesus over the things of this world, we are not
exchanging one form of slavery over another. The cross of faith is light
compared to the yoke of sin we once bore. This is because the resurrection
power of Jesus empowers us to bear it. That is why we can align ourselves with
God’s Will. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do so, as we walk in faith. We put
into practice the right focus in life. We will take up our cross, i.e. our
Christian responsibilities, and see them for what they really are - the source
of freedom in Christ. When we take on the burden of charity, we are freed from the
weight of greed. When we take on the burden of humility, we are freed from the
weight of arrogance. When we take on the burden of mercy, we are freed from the
weight of anger and guilt. In Him, we find the power to live right.</span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-5311496250189826582014-04-01T00:57:00.000-07:002014-04-01T00:58:53.382-07:00Choose Right, Live Right<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the hours before Jesus was crucified, we see examples of
cowardice by his disciples. They fled as he was arrested, Peter denied him. The
only apostle present at the cross where Jesus died was John. Yet, in the early
days of the church as seen in Acts, we see these same disciples acting as lions
proclaiming Christ. What made the difference? It was the fact that they knew
Jesus was not dead but risen. His resurrection and victory over death energized
his disciples. They now had the courage to make the right choices in life. They
now knew how to live right because the resurrection gave them the power to do
that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is a daily challenge that confronts us today too. Do we
live as a citizen of Heaven or of Earth? There are so many choices that seem
right to us. How do we know we have chosen to make the right decision? In Mark
8, we see Jesus himself confronting his disciples with their very understanding
of him, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“but what about you… who do you
say I am?”</i> (Mark 8:29). It is only with the power of understanding Christ
that they were able to make the right decisions in life. Only after Jesus’
resurrection, did the disciples know how to make the right decisions to live as
citizens of heaven as they carried out their Christ’s mission for them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our choosing to do the will of God should guide our
decision-making. When we consistently follow this principle, we will see the
resurrection power is working in us. We will see God’s grace empowering us to
live right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Peter has just proclaimed in Mark 8:29 that Jesus is the
Messiah, the chosen one. After that proclamation, Jesus explains to his close
friends that there is more to salvation than feeding the hungry or leading a
political revolution. He tells them that being the Messiah also meant he must
suffer and die and then rise again from the dead. However, Peter does not want
to hear about suffering and dying. He finds that unacceptable. He takes Jesus
aside and “rebukes” him, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C’mon Jesus.
You’re God. You don’t need to suffer. We came to you to escape suffering. We
came to you to escape the oppression of the religious leaders. This is crazy
talk. We’ve seen what you can do; we know no one can beat you</i>.”</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What is Jesus’ response? “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking in human and not divine terms</i>”.
Peter’s words were actually a heady temptation to Jesus. Jesus clearly knew
about the suffering of the poor and the oppressed people of Palestine. He had
divine power and could have overthrown, if he wanted to, the Roman Empire and
taken over the government. He could have fixed all social injustice and cured
all of the diseases of the world. To use modern terminology, he could have
created a society where the standard of living was unimaginable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that was not his objective. His objective was to do the
will of the Father. That is why he rebuked Peter with these words, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You do not have in mind the things of God</i>”.
To Jesus, the will of the Father was most important above all. Think about it
for a moment. The Bible tells us that Jesus was God himself. Yet he obediently
followed his Heavenly Father’s will. And if Jesus, the perfect and sinless man
chose to put obedience to God above all, then can you and I live a God-pleasing
life by doing anything less?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Genesis 1:1 says God is the maker of Heaven and Earth. We
read that in the Apostle’s Creed too. He is the same God, who so loved the
world that he gave his one and only son so that whoever among us believes in
him would be saved. Imagine God, the all-powerful, all-knowing maker of Heaven
and Earth, becoming your kind and loving Heavenly Father. How awesome is that
to you? Surely his Will must be worth following.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Whose will do we really follow in life? Is it God or the
world? If we want to know whose will, all we have to do is examine what we do
with our time and money. I heard Tim Keller preach this once. Tim is a
Presbyterian pastor in New York City. He said that if anything replaces God as
the object of your heart’s affection, that object becomes your god (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">small g</i>). Are there any other gods that
we serve - golf, cars, money, careers, online gaming, anime watching,
pornography, high fashion, even our own talents? The list goes on. Let us think
about what is really the central object of our heart’s affection. Who really
sits on the throne in our hearts-God’s will or our own?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would you stop coming to church near exam
time? Then your exam results and not God sits on the throne of your hearts. Do
you work yourself to exhaustion to the point where the Bible and prayer becomes
just an option in your daily life? Then your career is now your idol and has
replaced God’s will for your life. Do you rush back from school and go online
immediately to chat, play games online or download videos for hours ignoring
Jesus who wants to chat with you? Then your internet activities have become
your idol. When we place anyone or anything above our Almighty God, we are
choosing to disregard God’s will and follow that false idol’s will.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">No amount of earthly success will carry us into eternity. We
cannot even carry our symbols of earthly success into heaven. So, let us rest
in Christ and in Him, find the power to choose boldly on how to live right.</span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317796104544502346.post-65081818008699017132014-03-14T01:27:00.000-07:002014-03-14T01:38:16.727-07:00The Person God Uses<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How can we be used effectively by God? In the confrontation
with the prophets of Baal, Elijah prayed: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">O
LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God
in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your
command” </i>(1 Kings 18:36). In this prayer, we see how God can use a person
effectively.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The person God uses is filled with a passion for God’s glory
– “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let it be known that today YOU are God
in Israel</i>”. Elijah cared only for one thing - God’s glory. He could well
have been thinking of the ruined altars, dead prophets and priests in Israel
and in his heart prayed, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">enough is
enough, this day let the people see that you truly are God</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The man God uses is fully convicted that he is God’s servant
– “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and that I am your servant</i>.” A
servant does not tell his master what to do or argues when his master tells him
the plan. He just goes ahead and does it. When God told Elijah to hide in the
Kerith Ravine, he does that immediately. When God tells him to go and see Ahab,
he does the same. This was Elijah’s attitude throughout his life – a life that
was surrendered, yielded and emptied for the master’s use.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The man God uses does only what God tells him to do - “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am your servant</i>”. To know God’s plan
is to know his purpose and to know his purpose is to be able to do his work
successfully. I think this is the key to being of effective service. We
normally ask God to endorse our steps but I am sure Elijah consulted God every
step of the way. The text just tells us that he went appeared before the people
but I am sure that while waiting, he was praying. We note that he did not
unveil the contest details earlier when he told Ahab to assemble the Baal
prophets for the contest on Mount Carmel. It could be that Elijah himself, at that
point, did now how this contest was to be fought. It could be that while
awaiting the people to assemble, Elijah was in prayer up on that cold mountain,
seeking God’s Will. He had seen God lead him for so many years. So he waited on
God to show him the remaining steps so that everyone would see it was the hand
of God and not of Elijah that brought about the defeat of the false prophets of
Baal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If we want to accomplish God’s purposes, first we need to
pray. It was the hard work of praying for the people on the mountain that
turned their hearts to the true God. That is a good lesson for us on how Elijah
succeeded. His nature and circumstances are no different from us. What made the
difference was that he was willing to commit time to discern what God’s will
was. Then, once he knew he went ahead and did it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">We all know how this story ends. God sends down fire to consume the
sacrifice of Elijah, proving who the true God was. Normally, we pray to get God
to endorse what we want to do. But Elijah prayed to find out what God’s will
was. Then when he found out what God’s will was, he went ahead and did what God
wanted done. That’s how a servant of God gets God’s Word done. Perhaps, that is
how we need to see ourselves. We should ask our great God for a humble heart to
do what he requires of us, whether big or small. God may well choose us not to
do great things like Elijah but tasks that are insignificant in the eyes of
many people. Yet, let us do them anyway. What is important is that we let God
use our lives the way he wants to and not the way we want to.</span></div>
Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13616582587297647765noreply@blogger.com0