Pastor's Corner

Disciples Are Trained

2012-01-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

Real Christians don’t try to be godly and Christ-like. They train to be so.

The Bible is clear that godliness is a result of training.

“…train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (I Tim 4:7,8)

Training is hard work. It requires intentionality, focus and hard work.

A person preparing for training does not enter the training field hoping to achieve his aim. He enters it knowing that his aim is attainable, within reach and he throws himself into the entire routine. He does not look back, contemplates surrender nor entertain thoughts of retreat. He goes all the way.

So it is with our training to be godly.

We go in for the drill, we stick around through the sweat and we believe without a doubt that the end more than make up for the grueling journey.

We expect hardships. We anticipate difficulties. We foresee discouragements. We do not assume quick results.

So godly training starts with a hard– core conviction that echoes Paul’s passionate proclamation, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:8)

You are Gifted

2011-10-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

You are gifted! God declares it to be so.

The word "gifts" in the Bible is a translation from the Greek word charisma and the root word for it is ‘grace’. Thus, spiritual gifts are unearned presents from God.

Each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made to play an awesome part in God’s kingdom. In using our gifts, we manifest the grace of God who generously endows us with all things good to glorify His Name. Our gifts are meant as a way of giving God’s glory back to Him.

The church is designed in such a way that each of us has a valued role particularly suited for us, but the problem is that we don’t always know what it is.

“How do I know what is my gift? What has God called me to do?”

In seeking to discover and use our gifts, we almost always start with trying to fit in. There is nothing wrong with that but it is not the right place to start.

When seeking to discover and use our gifts, we start by getting involved. Your spiritual gifts is given to you AND the church – so the discovery is from both parties. The church figures it out together with you. So rather than trying to do it alone, get involved. Receive feedback and grow.

However, to do so means we must be prepared to take the risk of failure and commitment.

It is true that sometimes we don't know how to fit in until we break out.

May God grant you courage to get involved for you are indeed gifted!

Prayer of the 'I don't know what else to pray" Christian

2011-10-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

Read Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:13
But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

There were many occasions in my life when I felt that I don’t know how else and what else to pray. Sometimes my struggle seems so long-hauled that I feel like a runner who has run out of breath. What do I say to God that I have not already mentioned? I think the tax-collector felt pretty much what I did on those occasions.

God accepted the one-line prayer of the tax-collector but rejected the Pharisee’s prayer. Jesus gave one reason for God’s decision – humility. The tax-collector knew that His salvation depends solely and fully upon God’s mercy. There was nothing in him that merited for him to be saved.

Elisabeth Elliot talks about this attitude of dependence on God in her book, "Keep a Quiet Heart”,

“Christians in the Orthodox Church use a prayer called the Jesus Prayer. Sometimes they pray in the rhythm of breathing, learning in this way almost to ‘pray without ceasing.’ The words are simple, but they cover everything we need to ask for ourselves and others: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us.”

The Very Reverend Kenneth R. Waldron, a priest of both the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and of the Anglican Church, wrote to me of his having had surgery. “The last moment of consciousness before the anaesthetic took over, I heard my surgeon repeating in a whisper: GOSPODI POMILUY, GOSPODI POMILUY, GOSPODI POMILUY [Dr. Waldron put the Russian words into phonetic spelling] – Lord, have mercy on us. … It is wonderful to drift off into unconsciousness hearing these words on the lips of the man whose hand s you trust to bring you out of your troubles. It is great to have a surgeon who knows how to pray at such a time. Think of the comfort and help that this simple prayer has brought to thousands through the years, a prayer that was a big help tome in January 1982. Some of my hospital friends thought they would not see me alive again, but the good Lord had a bit more work for this old priest to do.”

The Jesus prayer was one of my husband Add and I often used together when he was dying of cancer, when we seemed to have “used up” all the other prayers. I recommend it to you.”

Don't bother me

2011-10-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Galatians 6:17
Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

One of my favourite verses in the Bible in which Paul shook off all the controversies and conflicts in the Galatian Church and summed up his decision to focus on what needed to be focused on and forged ahead in serving God in His kingdom.

A pastor friend of mine resigned from his church recently. He is not the first to do so and will not be the last. My heart still aches as I intercede for my friend and his family. My heart still aches as I think about the plight of the Kingdom work. My heart still aches to see another wounded soldier in God’s battlefield.

What do I say to my many comrades who have served faithfully and wholeheartedly with sincerity in God’s vineyard but only have scars to show for their devotion?

We get discouraged, dismayed and distracted when we are too mindful of criticism and controversies. When we do so, we lose our concentration on Christ and may become too engrossed in issues and relationships that cloud our relationship with God and His calling for us.

To keep from discouragement and dropping off the service roll, this is how we should handle disappointments in ministry:

1. Listen with open heart to feedback/conflicts (be humble)
2. Evaluate the comments in light of Scriptures, (be trustworthy)
3. Accept that certain things must/ cannot change (be truthful )
4. Continue /begin doing what is right (be courageous)
5. Believe that you must do the right thing regardless of consequence (be faithful)
6. Forgive people. (Be loving and let it go)
7. Focus on Christ. (be encouraged and Press on)
Just as Jesus received the honoured scars of crucifixion, we are to be honoured that He counts us worthy to bear His marks of battle scars in service.
Don’t give up.

When Words are Not Enough

2011-10-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

Innate in every human being is the need to be understood.

We explain, we elaborate, because we know that being understood means being accepted and loved.

Yet words fail us at times. Words fail to convey what is in our hearts. Our vocabularies are limited. Our understanding at times carries too much cultural and emotional baggage. Words can get twisted, misinterpreted and often prove inadequate.

God understands us fully but do we understand Him? Our problem with God lies not in His failing to understand, accept and love us but our inability to understand, accept and love Him.

Knowing that, God speaks beyond vowels and consonants. God speaks through actions.

Actions speak louder and clearer. Actions carry meaning. Actions are words put in visual form.

Over 2000 years ago, in a certain culture, at a certain point in history, God came in the Person of Christ. He lived among us, suffered and died the most unjust death and then rose again on the third day and one day He is coming back to judge the living and the dead.

His message is simple – “I love you. Love me back. You are made in My image, created for Me, to be loved by Me and to love Me. I came for You, died and rose for You. And I will come back for you.”

The Holy Communion is the cryptic version of the Kingdom’s call and cause. It is the everlasting reminder to us that God loves us in the past, the present and the future.

God understands us fully. The question is do we understand Him?

Dealing with life's Imperfections

2011-10-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

16 October 2011

In life, we expect fair play. That is the ideal.

“All’s fair in love and war” – so people who break all fairness rules say. We can cry foul and get all upset but life is not as fair as we think it should be. That is the reality.

Do we throw away our idealism in the face of realism? Must the ideals of perfection be abandoned? Should we settle for less?

“Life is not fair. Just grow up!” So the world tells us.

But if growing up means giving up on the ideal, let me stay with Peter Pan! If growing up means giving in to something that is not right – banish me to Neverland!

Grow up – we must, but not by the world’s definition.

As Christians, we are to “grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Eph 4:15)

If spiritual growth means becoming like Christ, then how Christ handled life’s disappointments ought to be ours as well. Christ accepted life’s mess but did not settle for it. He gave Himself to reconcile an imperfect world with a perfect God. He did so by enduring the cross, persevering through sufferings and staying on the course of truth and love.

Thus, one of the signs of spiritual maturity is the ability to accept things as it is without becoming cynical or discouraged. It is the persistency to not give up on our beliefs while seeing life played out on warped values.

So keep believing. Keep growing. Keep working. Life is not fair. But God is. People are flawed. So are we. What it is is not what it should be. We are not yet what we could be.

Love and pain

2011-10-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Read Jeremiah 28

Jeremiah 8:21-22
Since my people are crushed, I am crushed;
I mourn, and horror grips me.
Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing
for the wound of my people?

When was the last time you cried for someone? Was there a time when you pleaded to God for mercy for the sake of someone you love? Was there ever a time when you felt as if you were going to die because someone you treasured dearly was heading stubbornly in the wrong direction?

Jeremiah was dubbed the ‘weeping prophet’ for a reason. He was a man who saw everything crystal clear but remained helpless to help his people. Judah was heading towards disaster but they were blinded to it. Jeremiah preached, screamed, cried and like a mad man begging for his people to repent but they would not.

Repentance is a prerequisite for salvation. Salvation is free in that we cannot earn it. However, salvation is ours only when we recognise that we need it. We realize we need it only when we discover that we are wrong. Just like the sick who cannot acknowledge the need of doctor unless he realizes he is sick; so the sinner cannot fathom his need of a Savior until he admits that he is wrong in his sins. That is the sad plight of Judah – their blindness to their real situation and stubborn pride to go on with their godless lies and lifestyle despite of Jeremiah’s ardent pleas out of genuine love for them.

For all who seek to walk with God in integrity and mature in service, there will come a time when we know our loved ones are going down the paths of destruction in the light of God’s truth and we cannot do anything about it.

Part of spiritual maturity and real love is that of letting go. Just as the father releases his protective hands to let the prodigal son go, we have to open our hands to let our loved ones go. We let go because love must mean the respect of the other person’s choice – even if we can see the inevitable disaster of his choice.

Love means the risk of allowing your heart to be broken. But love anyway.

A Joyful Christian Life

2011-10-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

I Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

It is God’s desire that we be people of joy that connect with God in communion and prayer in gratitude. Joy, prayer and thanksgiving are a 3-in-1 combo meal for God’s people. The 3 elements are interconnected and interdependent on each other.

Without joy, it will be difficult to pray without ceasing. To pray continually we need the fuel of joy in our hearts. Giving thanks in all situations well up within us the joy of God’s presence and generate more prayers. It is all interlocked and co-dependent one on the other.

Do you struggle with prayer? The joy of the Lord is likely a missing element as well then. Together with the struggle, you would likely find yourself focusing on things that should have been and you do not have rather than giving thanks for all that you possess and is presently experiencing.

So prayer, joy and thanksgiving all start with an attitude, a mindset and a certain focus. It is a discipline of deciding and choosing a response that fits God’s agenda for your life. It is a mastery of our thoughts on counting all things that we have as gifts for God with His purpose. We may not yet understand why God allows and wants it that way but we decide to rejoice, trust and enter into a dialogue with Him anyway.

In doing so, we fulfil God’s plan for us in our lives and to be in the center of God’s will bring even more tremendous gratefulness which is an on-top-of-the-world feeling that truly shouts, ‘I am blessed’.

The youth groups in my church decided to take up a ’40 Days Thanksgiving Challenge’. In this challenge, we will list 5 items of thanksgiving per day over a 40-days period. It is an exercise that will surely change your outlook in life. Try it 

We do not know what to do

2011-10-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30

2 Chronicles 20:12
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

Judah faced a national crisis. They were surrounded by 3 kings who seek to annihilate them. King Jehoshaphat’s response was to turn to the Lord.

In his prayer, Jehoshaphat did 3 things
1. Recalled who God is (v 6) : “Are you not…?” to which God’s answer has to be, “Yes, I am”
2. Reminded God of His relationship with His people (v.7-9) : “Did you not…?” He reminded God of His mighty deeds and promises made to God’s people; asking God to keep His word.
3. Requested that God take charge of the situation now (v 10-12)

After the prayer, with the whole nation in unity and fasting, 3 things happened
1. God showed up in a prophesy (v 14-17)
2. God’s people responded in worship (v18-22a)
3. God’s enemies (v 22-29). Noticed that God was the One who ambushed the enemies (v22) and it was the Lord who fought Jerusalem’s enemies (v 29)

When faced with problems and our ‘enemies’ too big and formidable for us, God only asks that we fix our eyes on Him which will translate into praising Him and then faith will rise up within us and to see the Lord delivers us from our plight.

“I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on you.” (2 Chron 20:12)

Instead of asking what should you do, turn to the One who is with you. He knows what to do and His eyes are on you.

Major on the majors and minor on the minors

2011-09-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

2 October 2011

If only life is as simple as ABC but it is not.

Life is complex and our world is far from being simplistic.

For the disciple of Christ, life gets real frustrating when we try to live biblically. The Bible teaches absolutes, the clear line between right and wrong, but life issues are often blurred in a hue of grey.

The Bible is indeed full of absolutes – about God, sin, salvation and holiness, etc.
However, within the perimeter of absolutes, there is great freedom. The Bible contains many leeway and freedom of choice regarding many things considered non-essentials of faith. For matters such as these, we are free to choose according to our conscience.

Life gets frustrating when we fail to discern the non-essentials from the essentials of our faith. God’s church is often of not much help because she tends to bicker over trivial matters of conscience instead of building God’s people in the fundamental teachings of Christ. It is like nitpicking and overly focused on the deco of the house while oblivious to the shaky foundation of the house.

How do we major on the majors and minor on the minors?

It can be as easy as ABC but it is not. It is easy because the Word of God is all sufficient to provide us with God’s blueprint for our living. It is not because it requires discipline, commitment and hard work.

All of us desire to know God’s truth – it is getting there that poses a great challenge.

Did I say that that life is complex and far from being simplistic? I rest my case.

The Promise Keeper

2011-09-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Read Numbers 23:1-26

Numbers 23:19
God is not human, that he should lie,
not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?

This is an interesting passage about Balaam who was hired by Balak, the Moabite king to curse Israel. However he ended up blessing Israel instead – all because God is a Promise-keeper.

People who keep promises are difficult to find these days. We are too quick to promise and too weak to deliver. A man’s word – how he keeps to his word – is a sign of his integrity. Being true to our word is a manifestation of our character; especially when the circumstances are dire.

God is a Promise-keeper. He will not let us down. He always acts upon what He says. Even when we forget His promises to us, He will not forget. His memory to all things good for us holds to eternity while He chooses to forget our sins in an instant. How much must He loves us!

The Bible is full of God’s promises toward us. One of the secrets of the great saints is to remind God of His promises to us and hold God at His word. To know and hold God at His promises fuels us in our prayers – we will not easily give up when things get tough because the God who promises will fulfil His word.

God’s integrity is at stake and He will do it.

Going the Second-Mile

2011-09-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Read Matthew 5:38-42

Matthew 5:41
If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

I read a book called “Second-mile People” by Isobel Kuhn when I was a youth. I told God and promised myself that I would practice the second-mile principle as I journey in this life with Christ. It is one of the hard sayings of Jesus and it is tough (still is) putting the saying into practice.

The second-mile principle is that of a non-violence response to being taking advantage of. It is looking violence and injustice in its ugly face and then choosing to turn the other cheek. It is standing up to injustice by choosing to love the person instead of retaliating against the sinful act.

It is easy to forgive and love a non-Christian for sinful acts done against us. But what if the person violating us is a Christian? Worse still, what if he or she is a person whom we trust? It is as what Julius Caesar would say to Marcus Brutus’ betrayal, “Even you, Brutus” (Shakespeare’s play).

There may be many days when we hear God’s call to go the extra mile for someone who hates or does not appreciate us. It will be tiring, stressful and sad. The feeling of unfairness will play its course in our minds. The feeling that God is harsh on us and too lenient on the offender will scream at us. Sometimes the feeling overwhelms us to the point where we feel that we are abandoned by God. We may then protest that we have been played the fool – and all for nothing.

In times like these, we remember the Cross. We remember our Lord Jesus. We played Him. He was the fool to have gone the second mile for us. He was ripped off and abandoned, laughed at and suffered for us, the ingrates. But He chose to do it – He decided to go God’s way and He was strong because of that choice.

Choosing to not just forgive, but forget and choosing to love again the sinner is our choice. We may feel cornered by God without a choice but it is not true. We choose it and by our choice, we display God’s strength and it reveals our identity as followers of the Cross.

Fools

2011-09-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Read Proverbs 26:1-12

Proverbs 26:11
As a dog returns to its vomit,
so fools repeat their folly.

My son had the stomach flu recently and I caught the bug yesterday. Vomit and stomach upset (with the runs) are the symptoms – which led me to think about this verse. I actually have seen a dog eating its own vomit (not my dog thankfully) but it was the most unpleasant sight.

Like snow and summer, honour and fools simply do not go together. It is hard to respect a fool because his actions just do not warrant it. Encouragement will not work on a fool. Encourage him and he will increase only his foolishness. The way to handle a fool is strict correction, according to Proverbs 26:3. Fools only understand through consequences of punishment.

Solomon advises his readers not to trust a fool with words and explanations because it will cause more confusion and trouble (26:4-9). The definition of a fool comes down to verse 11 which compares a fool to a dog who returns to its vomit. A fool is one who is beyond correction and guidance”. He will persist in his own ignorant ways.

The Bible is clear: have nothing to do with a fool because he has decided to stick to his mistakes like a dog licking up his vomit.

Only One Thing is Needful

2011-09-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

Read Luke 10:38-42
Luke 10:41-42
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

It is always difficult to differentiate between the felt needs and the real needs.
Felt needs are those things that we think or feel that we need whereas real needs are those items that we truly necessary for us.

Martha felt the needs to get everything in order for Jesus. The house needed to be de-odorised with Lysol, the cushions need to be spruced up and the food must be piping hot! To play the best hostess, she forgot the guest; in fact, became resentful toward her guest! She was worried about many things but Jesus said he had few needs. In fact, He had only one need – He needed Martha’s undivided attention.

Mary knew her one need and knew Jesus had only one need in coming to the house – to spend time with the people in the house. Her only one worry was that her guest might be neglected and she dropped everything to give him total focus.

Jesus commented that Mary had made the better choice.

I was no different from Martha this week (with school starting and all) and Jesus has to remind me that only one thing is needful. Thank You Lord.

Forgiven not Perfect

2011-09-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

September 4, 2011

“Christians are not perfect. Just forgiven.”

It may sound cliché but it is true.

Or consider another quotation, “No one is perfect… that’s why pencils have erasers”.

God has wiped away our sins as an eraser gets rid of mistakes. We are given a clean slate, a new beginning and second, third and even fourth chances.

Christians are indeed not perfect. Just forgiven.

This is why there is no such thing as a perfect church because imperfect forgiven people belong to it, leaders and pastors included. People shopping for a perfect church will inevitably be disappointed.

Instead of looking for a church that fits me, I much prefer to become a member that will contribute to the growth of my community of friends who gather with me weekly. To acknowledge our imperfection means accepting the possibility and potential of growth. Growth spells excitement because it means a sure return of my investment, though the form of progress may be unpredictable (which actually adds to the excitement)

It is my prayer that we as a church may focus more on seeking a perfect Lord and be less hung up on trying to create a perfect church. When our focus is on loving our perfect God wholeheartedly and passionately, the reality of God’s Presence will radiate in and through us.

Cry Freedom!

2011-08-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!

Freedom is a peculiar word – it means different things to different people.

To the people in Libya and many Middle-Eastern countries, it spells the overthrowing of a dictator and oppressive regimes. To the suffering populace in the horn of Africa, freedom means no more drought and famine. Yet to the oppressed Dalits in India or the many minority groups in Pakistan, it means the basic human right to make choices of their own.

What does Jesus means when he said we are set free? Free from what?

The answer is free from myself. Jesus came to set me free from my own sin, my self-centredness. The greatest enemy of ours is not from without but from within.

Some religious group wrap up their women from top to bottom thinking that the problem of lust is the women. But lust comes from the heart – something internal. Some people justify their lukewarmness toward God because the ‘Christians’ disappoint us. But our lack of faith in God is due to our obsession that God must act a certain way through a certain people. We still call the shots.

The freedom Jesus promises is the ability to ‘de-centralise’ ourselves so that we can love God and love others. This freedom is liberty from my dark malicious ego and it takes the selfless death of Christ to make this transaction possible. Galatians 2:20 must then be my conscious prayer everyday,

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Worries

2011-08-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

These words of Philippians were penned by Paul. If there is one who has legitimate concerns, it would be Paul. He was in prison awaiting trial – his life was hanging on a thread – and here he urged the Philippian church not to be anxious! This passages shows that our state of mind need not be dictated by our circumstances.

To counter-attack worries, there are a few things that you can do beside prayer
1. Consciously examine your ‘want’ list – are they really what you need? If not, say ‘no’ to them and be done with them.
2. Cut down your time on technology – including emails, cell-phones, computers, television and radio. Too much information leads to indigestion of the souls.
3. Turn off your cell phone for a few hours a day – if the call is important, they will call back. Have an alone time with God and with yourself
4. Keep a notebook – write down the things you worry about – decide if they can be dealt with. If yes, then set a date to deal with the issues.

However, the replacement of worries by peace can only and ultimately be achieved through prayer. Talk to God. Peace is the result of prayer. The peace of God will ‘garrison and mount guard’ (amplified version) over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Worries are like invading armies that need defending against and God's peace wrought through prayers is that strong fortress that no invading worries can penetrate.

Part of being alive is the ability to plan ahead. However, if planning ahead leads to over-thinking, it becomes a worry. Remember Jesus’ words, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:24-26)

Seeing things in a new light

2011-08-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:18-19a
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

What we see with our naked eyes is pseudo-reality, at best. It has the form of reality and truth but it is not. If we only evaluate things according to our naked eyes, we are missing out on the full picture of life.

A mole has eyes (little and covered) but it is virtually blind. It lives in darkness, moves in darkness and light has no consequential bearing on its livelihood, it seems. So a Christian who becomes numbed to the heavenly light sees only the earthly dimension of life. He interprets events and things according to his earthly mind, makes decisions based on his human needs and lives his life based on the values of this world.

However we are told that there is a spiritual dimension to all things. God is spirit. He operates the world based on spiritual principles. He does things for His great purpose. Miracles are everywhere for the Christian who has spiritual insight and heavenly intuition.

We need to pray that God will open our spiritual eyes so that we can see things in a new light.

We need to see things in a new light. We can only do so when we acquire the eyes of faith. This comes about when we take in the word of God for ‘faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ’ (Rom 10:17).

Commit yourself to know God’s power and our riches in Him by taking in the word of God.

Doing and Being

2011-08-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

Conforming to the image of Christ is counter-cultural. It requires intentionality and hard work.

When we just become Christians, we tend to focus on the external evidence of faith such as attending services, fellowship and getting involved in Christian services. Activities are important avenues for growth but deficient by itself to ground us in our faith.

In Christianity, the ‘being’ should precede and decide the ‘doing’. This is because spirituality is an inside-out experience. However, focusing on the ‘being’ does not exclude the ‘doing’.

For example, we connect with others because we are beings of love. Love finds expressions in relationships, and we join church gatherings because we seek to build loving interdependent bonds with God’s family. Thus, being a loving person dictates our doing a fellowship function.

The dilemma comes when my doing and being does not match up. What if I am not a loving person? Do I just not do anything loving so as not to be hypocritical? That is where the ‘doing’ comes along as a discipline. The ‘doing’ of loving activities presents us with opportunities to develop love as our character trait. It gives us the outward stimuli to work on something we want internalized in us.

As we mature spiritually, we will see a gradual integration of our ‘being’ and ‘doing’. We are no longer threatened by the doing nor intimidated by our lack of being.

Spiritual transformation and growth is a lifelong process but “the one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (I Thess 5:24)

More than One Lifespan

2011-08-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

We are too short-sighted. Our lives are not limited to one short life-span.

True that life has demands. Our parents demand that we have certain things at a certain time. Our society says if we don’t achieve certain marks at a certain time, we are not as good as others. Our eyes rove at our peers’ advances in life and we feel dejected that we are as accomplished as they are.

We pray for lots of things, ask for lots of stuff and fret over lots of non-essentials. A good job, a good name, a good spouse – legitimate wants and needs but life is more than this.

Jesus asks, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:36,37)

We pray, we work and we live – but all for God. Nothing in this world ultimately is as important as seeking God. Nothing in this world satisfies as God does. Nothing in this world ultimately lasts beyond one lifespan. We are made for eternity. We are meant to end this earthly life but our journey with God carries on to the age beyond.
Let us cast our vision to the reality and promise of the Eternal One.

Begin with the end in mind. Live with eternity in your heart. Then I guarantee everything will fall into place. Test God on His promise, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt 6:33)

Blessings in disguise

2011-08-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

2 Corinthians 4:16-17
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

In this world there will be troubles. If you care, you might be heartbroken. If you love, you might be hurt. If you hope, you might be disappointed. Not that everything is negative; but that you open yourself to the possibility of pain as well as love when you choose to live the way God asks you to – the way of love.

Paul was a super-apostle who chose God’s way. He chose obedience and sacrifice for God’s kingdom by serving God’s cause. However, his life was full of hardships and pains. But he said it was worth it. Through physically taxing, emotionally draining and mentally anguishing, it was spiritually rewarding. All the seen troubles served as ‘rumors’ of the world in which he was living and aiming for – eternal glory. Through all these heart-wrenching events, the longing in him for that ‘rumored’ eternal world where his Lord reigns supreme. It pulled him along and gave him hope.

The following song ‘Blessings’ by Laura Story expresses it nicely.

Blessed to be a Blessing

2011-08-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

It is a Christian tradition to always dismiss a gathering by pronouncing God’s blessing on the people. This act is called the Benediction.

There are many blessings in the Bible but one of my favourites happened to be the handed down from the Franciscan Order founded by Francis of Assisi. I have often reflected upon it and used it in private prayer.

May the benediction be the prayer and purpose in our lives.

Franciscan Benediction
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done,
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen.

Mosquitoes, God and Obedience

2011-08-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

Read I Sam 15:1-26

I Sam 15:22
But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of ram.

Obedience to God must be in everything. It will be hypocritical to say Jesus is Lord if we pick and choose what and when to obey Him. Obedience in convenience is not obedience all at.

That is what Saul found out.

Last week, I was tormented by the presence of a mosquito in my room. It drove me up the walls and kept me scratching and whining. In times like those, I had dialogues with God. Ranging from “God help me kill the stupid mosquito” to “why God did you make the mosquito at all and since we are on the topic, why the cockroach and those hideous wasps too?”

Then our conversation turned to Noah – “why didn’t Noah kill these damned mosquitoes on the ark?”

“Obedience” – came the answer. When it comes to obedience, it must be in BIG and small things, in ALL THINGs. I have been thinking about it since.

Having Jesus as Lord means obeying Him even when it is inconvenient and annoying. We do it because He is Lord and we are not. Good enough answer for me.

P/S: So Noah and his family in the ark – were they tormented by mosquitoes? I bet they must have temptations to kill them (I did some research on mosquitoes and found out that they live an average lifespan of 3 to 100 days... and that they sucked blood of animals and not just humans. Turns out I don’t know that much about mosquitoes at all…)

Human Rights, Dignity and Responsibility

2011-08-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

Canadians have always pride ourselves on being a nation of tolerance. We believe that everyone has the right to live as he chooses.

As a church, we have committed to work towards “Empowering Mission to the Dalits and Beyond”.

This vision is birthed and rooted in our conviction that everyone is endowed with dignity with basic human rights. As the custodian of God’s truth, the church recognises her responsibility to tell all peoples that God loves them because they are made in the image of God and they have a right to choose Christ (John 3:16).

However, human rights do not mean unlimited rights.

Theologian John Stott offered his view on the relationship between human rights, equality and responsibility in his book, New Issues Facing Christian Today,
“Here then is a Christian perspective on human rights. First, we affirm human dignity. Because human beings are created in God’s image to know him, serve one another and be stewards of the earth, therefore they must be respected. Secondly, we affirm human equality. Because human beings have all been made in the same image by the same Creator, therefore we must not be obsequious to some and scornful to others, but behave without partiality to all. Thirdly, we affirm human responsibility. Because God has laid it upon us to love and serve our neighbours, therefore we must fight for their rights, while being ready to renounce our own in order to do so.”

When the church is able to exercise our freedom and responsibility in a way that is compatible to our calling, the world will see that Jesus is the Light of the world.

God's Spirit Speaks

2011-08-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Read Job 1:1-5

Job 1:5
When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

This morning I woke up to this particular verse – even before I opened my Bible. The verse just came as I was washing my face. What was I thinking then? Actually I don’t think I was thinking at all – to be honest. (It usually takes me about a good half an hour after I wake up for my brain cells to start working).

So – what was happening here? I believe that this is God’s Spirit speaking to me – period. I have known this passage and verse before but today the Spirit is trying to tell me something. Of course I immediately prayed for my children (the plain text says so). Then during my devotion, weird (not really – God is just real – not weird), the devotional prayer book I have been using directed me to Job again!! It was Job again but Job 16:19-21 – talking about our intercessor in heaven – our Lord Jesus…

3 things hit me again today (well, Job 1:5 was more like a lightning bolt hit)…
1. God’s Spirit speaks to our spirit – question is “are we sensitive to His prompting and whisper?”
2. God’s Word is “alive and alive, sharper than any double-edged sword…” (Heb 4:12)
3. God’s fellowship is so very real – I won’t trade my relationship with Him for anything.

But this experience comes to nothing if I do not apply His word. So I
1. Pray for my children – biological and spiritual children
2. Pray that I will be like Job – to be consistent in my prayer-life and discipline and love for my children. To be like Job – that God may ‘boast’ of me to Satan 
3. Praise God for the Spirit’s active intercession for me (Rom 8:26,27)

The untapped Resource

2011-08-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

Prayer is the most powerful resource in the hands of the Church.

Prayer inspires – it fuels courage, instils faith and shatters lies. Prayer works – it moves mountains, tears down strongholds and accomplishes feats. Prayer moves the hands of God who holds the universe.

Prayer is also the least utilised tool among God’s people.

It is the last resort after we have tried everything. It is the passive act after all our activities. It is the negligible consultation session after men’s idea. YET the greatest exploits ever undertaken by men for God are achieved in, through and because of prayer.

In prayer, we think God’s thoughts, hear God’s voice and experience God’s Presence. In prayer, we acquire God’s wisdom, see God’s vision and taste God’s goodness. In prayer, we engage the Divine, overcome our flesh and make spiritual advances.

In prayer, the church comes together as a body, unites as a body and moves as a body. In prayer, the church acknowledges our connection to one Lord and depends on each other for sustenance. We laugh, cry and groan as a family.

Prayer works.

Prayer is the power-house of the church

God Speaks - a sample

2011-08-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

Read Mark 11:20-25
God speaks to me through His word this morning: How? Let me show you…

In Mark 11:22-24 (the words in bold font are the verses – the ones in italics are my interaction with God)

“Have faith in God,” (not the program, not in myself, or any system)
Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, (this phrase often means ‘pay attention, no kidding – take note. In King James version, ‘Verily, I say unto you”. Matter-of-fact, no speculation, no guessing work here, I am not lying – Okay Lord, I get it – YOU are serious here

if anyone (that means me- yes, Lord, ‘if I”) says (not do, not work harder, but just open my mouth – kind of like what you did at creation huh? “let there be light – and there was light”? COOL), >to this mountain, (big obstacle, the ‘Goliath’, ‘the impossible’ task to ignore or get around…)

‘Go, throw yourself (haha – speak to the obstacle, challenge – to remove itself – I don’t have to lift a finger. I don’t move, the problem is to move and not me!! what God says to ‘stand firm’ and ‘take my place’) into the sea,’

and does not doubt in their heart but believes (Lord, I believe, even then, help my unbelief – okay, I believe not in the mountain but in YOU Lord, take my eyes off the mountain but onto YOU alone) that what they say will happen, (wow! It is done!!) it will be done for them. (God, you are gonna do it, aren’t You? Yes! Yes! I didn’t do it – You did it for me! How much You must love me!! My self-worth just got a booster shot)

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Lord, a promise!! I bank in this promise cheque today!!)

Of course, verse 25 talks about the requirement to get God’s promise – we must not harbour unforgiveness in our hearts – O Lord, thank you – so mountain, be moved in Jesus’ Name. AMEN!

Pray for Victories

2011-08-05T12:12:00.001-07:00

Read Exodus 17:8-16

Exodus 17:11
As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

This passage teaches us much about spiritual warfare.

1. Victories don’t come without a fight.
Joshua went to fight the Amalekites and Moses went to pray. There are two-prongs to all battles – prayer and action. Moses prayed and Joshua fought. Both parties engage the enemy but in different ways.

2. Victories are dependent on prayer.
When Moses’ hands were up in prayer, Joshua’s armies prevailed. When Moses’ hands were down, the enemies triumphed. Our private relationships with God determine the outcome of our public lives and never vice versa.

3. Victories are best secured with friends.
Aaron and Hur were there to hold up Moses’ hands and let him sit on the stone when Moses’ hands grew weary. Moses could not have made it without his two friends. We all grow tired praying for the same thing over and over again, that is why we need spiritual buddies to come alongside us. They let us sit beside them and help us hold up our hands of faith when our strength is gone. Ask God for such friends. We need them. They are precious allies.

4. Victories are God’s response to prayer.
God allows us to go through defeat when we fail to pray. In prayer, we learn to depend on God. In prayer, we partner with God to secure the victories. Why? Because He wants us to experience the sweat, intensity and joy of the battle. God chooses to move in response to our prayers.

Prayer is a powerful resource weapon bestowed to us by God. Don’t shelf it. Don’t waste it. Use it.

My Goliath and my God

2011-08-04T11:50:00.001-07:00

Read I Samuel 17:1-54

I Sam 17:45
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

Are you facing a Goliath-David situation right now? A career hit, a relationship breakup, a difficult choice or a personal faith crisis – looking at the issue feels like we are staring into the face of a giant. Where do we start? What do we do? How is it possible to overcome it when just thinking of it is enough to overwhelm us?

In such an encounter, you don’t take on the giant yourself. You don’t look at the giant and his weapons. You focus on the Lord who is the Commander of the armies of not just Israel, but “the armies of heaven” (Rev 19:14).

Your friends may tell you the situation is hopeless and the task is impossible. Don’t listen to them. They are David’s brothers and the soldiers – professionals who trust in themselves instead of God. Faith defies logical analysis!

You may be hearing whispers within your head telling you to give up – give up on God, give up on faith and give in to depression for you have a right to be bitter about the whole thing. Reject these naysayers in the mighty Name of Jesus.

Instead go in full confidence against the Goliath of our lives in the name of “the LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle” and secure the victory that is in Him.

Hallelujah and praise the Lord right now for the victory that is already won through Him.

2011-07-25T02:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I will be out of town for a family vacation till august 3rd so i will not be blogging
till august 4th.

take care and remember to spend time with God.

cp

Rhythm of Life

2011-07-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

July 24, 2011

It is God’s intention for us to ‘have life, and have it to the full.’ (John 10:10)

Abundant life does not necessarily mean a busy life. Many of us believe that we are saved by faith but we behave like the Galatian believers. We labour and toil and then feel that ‘meaningless! All is meaningless!”

A crowded agenda and a crammed schedule is not a reflection of life quality. More does not necessarily mean better. Running a fast-paced frenzied life will only result in exhaustion and burnout.

God does not want us to burnout.

However, the abundant life does not mean an idyllic life either. The gospel of ‘believe in Jesus and you will have no problems in life” is an equally toxic lie to our souls. Some people over-advertise the good news and the result is that we become disillusioned in our faith.

God does not want us to just ‘chill out’ in life.

God has wired in us the need to work and rest. God ordains us to work but also to observe the Sabbath. He is the God of the seasons. In the rising and the setting of the sun, God designs us to be creatures of rhythm. Burnout or apathy results when we fail to observe this creature-clock in us.

The abundant life that Jesus promises is from Him and in Him. We live lives to the fullest when we intentionally live out our calling to live a balanced life of rhythm.

It is a rhythm of retreat into solitude and engaging the world.

God Delights in us

2011-07-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Read Zephaniah 3:9-20

Zeph 3:17
The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Throughout the Bible, we are told to ‘take delight in God” (Psalm 37:4) and to ‘rejoice in God (I Chronicles 16:10).

However, here is a wonderful picture of reversal. God is said to take delight in us and rejoice over us – with singing!!

Picture God jumping over the smallest achievement in us as a parent takes great pride in his child’s slightest action. Then imagine god breaking out in songs of happiness because of us! That is the kind of heavenly Father we have.

However, this does not mean that God is an indulgent parent who just spoils us rotten. The text here refers to those ‘remnant’ – the people who are the ‘residual’ believers who stick up for God and worship God despite the nation’s rebellion. These people have taken God to be their delight and in doing so, God takes delight in them as well.

God loves all of us (even with our sins and all) but it is those who have chosen to follow Him that He takes great delight in and rejoices over.

“Such as are upright in their way are his delight” (Proverbs 11:20).
“The prayer of the upright is his delight” (15:8).
“My strong enemy [was]…too strong for me…but the Lord was my stay. He brought me forth into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:17-19).

May God's delight in us energizes and transforms us in supernatural ways!

Ministry is not a quick Dash

2011-07-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

Read I Corinthians 15:50-58

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

“A recent television documentary pointed out that the cheetah survives on the African plains by running down its prey. The big cat can sprint seventy miles per hour. But the cheetah cannot sustain that pace for long. Within its long, sleek body is a disproportionately small heart, which causes the cheetah to tire quickly. Unless the cheetah catches its prey in the first flurry, it must abandon the chase.

Sometimes Christians seem to have the cheetah's approach to ministry. We speed into projects with great energy. But lacking the heart for sustained effort, we fizzle before we finish. We vow to start faster and run harder, when what we need may be not more speed but more staying power--stamina that comes only from a bigger heart. Motion and busyness, no matter how great, yield nothing unless we allow God to give us the heart.” (quoted from Grant Lovejoy)

One of the glorious spiritual truths is that we are on the winning side. Jesus has conquered our last enemy, death. Satan is a defeated foe and our victory is secured. This truth gives us the confidence and faith to build stamina and persevere in our service for Him. How do we ensure that we don’t start well and end badly? We must be determined to adopt three attitudes in ministry and life.

First, we will approach our life and service firmly. We will not be discouraged, side-tracked or intimidated. We will not back down from a challenge or back away from a situation.

Second, we will approach our life and service wholeheartedly. We will give ourselves completely, without reservation to inspire, encourage and serve God. We will hold nothing back.

Third, we will approach our life and service confidently. We lay hold of God’s promise and His completed work – our minds are fixed on the eternal. We are convinced that His values count and His methods are right. We cling on to what He says and let Him set our pace.

Salvation and Grace

2011-07-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Read I Tim 1:12-17

I Tim 1:15
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

To many of us, Paul is like a hero that we look up to. He seems so sure of his faith, so firm in his ways and so dedicated in his devotion to Christ. We all, at some point in our lives, wish that we are half the man Paul is.

Paul’s life message is that of Christ coming, dying and rising to save sinners and he counts himself the first in Jesus’ list of chief sinners.

Paul is able to achieve much for God because he understands grace. He has a right view of himself and clear understanding of God’s saving grace. He knows that he deserves nothing but punishment and death but Christ has given him nothing but grace and mercy and salvation.

An old Indian chief, after living many years in sin, was led to Christ by a missionary. Friends asked him to explain the change in his life. Reaching down he picked up a little worm and placed it on a pile of leaves. Then touching a match to the leaves, he watched them smolder and burst into flames. As the flames worked their way up to the center where the worm laid, the old chief suddenly plunged his hand into the center of the burning pile and snatched the worm out. Holding the worm gently in his hand he gave his testimony to the grace of God: "Me...that worm!"

Do you desire to be used by God? Then you need to remember where you were before you come to salvation. The pits of sin and the agony of bondage to self! If you have never seen yourself as a ‘worm’, totally saved by God’s mercy, you can never serve Him wholeheartedly and passionately.

Worship Confusion

2011-07-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

There is panic and confusion in the church these days.

The panic is caused by the dwindling number of church attendees. The depleting number of worshippers has driven the church to try all kinds of new fads to attract people into their fold. They pump up the music, simplify the sermon and shorten the service time; all in the hope that the people won’t leave.

Worship is about God and all who comes to Him ‘must worship in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

True worship is God-centred and not man-centred. While trying to engage the congregation, the church must not manipulate and ‘stage’ an encounter with God. How easy it is to degenerate into gimmicks and entertainment in the guise of being ’relevant’! It will be tragic if people gauge how ‘good’ a worship is by how they feel.

Church size is neither a reflection of authentic worship nor style an indication of true spirituality. The church is an assembly of sincere God-seekers and a community of loving members.

God does not care about church customers. He is looking or God-lovers.

The church must leave the number game to God and stick to our calling to pursue God individually and corporately.

A God of our past, present and future

2011-07-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Read Jeremiah 29:1-14

Jer 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

On Sunday, the preacher highlighted that there are three things that we have to let go in order to run and complete the Christian race. The three things are:
1. An unresolved past
2. An unsettled present
3. An uncertain future

The Israelites were in exile in this Jeremiah passage. God had to assure them that He is the Same God yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Israelites needed deliverance from their past. They were in exile because of their sin. They needed to hear that their past had been dealt with by God. So many of us are held back by our past; thinking that everything we have done is irreparable. God says He has plans for us and His plans are not going to be hindered because of our past errors.

The Jews were in a foreign country. Should they prepare to go back to their land? Should they settle among their pagan hosts? They could not do anything till they settle their minds were settled. God told them to settle their hearts, to be faithful where they were and build up the city that they were in. God guarantees us that His hands are upon us to flourish us; to make us grow and His thoughts toward us are kind. So where we are right now, stay faithful and live, work for Him.

The Jews were forcibly removed from their homeland by a pagan country due to their idolatries against God. They saw God as the ultimate sovereign in this entire act. Thus, to hear from God that He had plans to give them a hope and a future were kind of challenging. God told them that if they did learn their lesson and return to Him, the Jews would see Him keeping His part of the bargain. So it is with us – our uncertain future is unknown but if God, the King of the Universe has it all planned out and we go according to His way, there is no fear. We can look forward to our future with confidence.

To trust that God has got our backs covered. That our heavenly Father knows the exact way our lives would turn out if we trust Him – we need to remember, claim and live this promise.

Encouragement

2011-07-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Read Hebrews 3: 1-19
Hebrews 3:13
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

We all need encouragement. The scripture says we are to build each other up every day. The reason why we are to spur each other on is so that we will not be become so discouraged by our sins that we give up trying.

Hebrews 3 talks about the generation of Israelites in the desert who have tasted God’s goodness and yet continued in their unbelief. Many of us who have had experienced God’s blessings in life are also capable of stubbornly disbelieving Him. Encouragement from our brothers and sisters are God’s verbal audible voice to us to keep faith and not lose heart when the going gets tough and rough.

When and how do you give encouragement?
1. When the person is going through a tough time and looks down
2. When the person does something well or completes a task
3. When the person has ministered to you
4. Tell the person privately
5. Acknowledge the person publicly
6. Convey thanks to the person’s loved ones or family
7. Write a note, say it verbally, give a thumb-up, a pat on the back, etc
8. Do it IMMEDIATELY or as soon as possible

”Everyone needs recognition for his accomplishments, but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father: "Let's play darts. I'll throw and you say 'Wonderful!'" (Bits & Pieces, December 9, 1993, p. 24)

Following Jesus

2011-07-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

So I read (but cannot verify) that our generation is getting ‘too soft’; so soft that it has been said that in the United States, the army has to revamp its training regimen.

If all our institutions are reflections of our society, it also means that they absorb the society’s norms and values. As one of the oldest institution on earth, is the church producing ‘soft’ Christians as well?

By ‘soft’, we mean people who are unable to take hardships, have difficulty persevering and break easily. By being ‘soft’ we refer to people who are unwilling and unable to make sacrifices, give up material comfort and lack stamina to endure hardship. Translated in biblical terms, it points to a generation of Christians who cannot follow through with long term tough commitment.

In a nutshell, it says, ‘when the going gets tough, the soft gets packing.” This is all bad news for the gospel. Our Lord promises sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears to all who calls Him Lord. He says the road is narrow, the way tough and only those willing to endure hardship and pay the price of the cross will make it to the end. Disciples of Jesus must be tough mentally, steady emotionally, firm morally and prepared spiritually to go for the long haul. We cannot be ‘soft’ in our follower-ship.

But lest we think we are on our own, the Lord also promises to empower us and be with us till the end of the world. The glory will come after the cross, this He assures us. If we keep our focus on Him, on the joy that is set before us, we shall be able to make it to the end.

And through it all, we will build resilience, become stronger and develop character. We shall not be ‘soft’.

Delighting in God

2011-07-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

If God becomes our all-consuming aspiration, He will satisfy our deepest longing. Instead of chasing after our desire, we must yearn after God. When God becomes our desire, He will grant us our deepest yearnings.

There is no self-made man in Christianity. Instead of asking God to lead us, we plan everything and then pray that God will bless our efforts. Instead of believing that God is in control, we would not allow ourselves to deviate from our agenda. We find it difficult to let go.

The first sign that we have taken delight in God is when we allow Him to direct our course. God becomes our goal – to please Him becomes our highest and only aim. When we do that, we find our own desires being met. If our desire is that of a career, He will direct and lead. If our desire is to be the best student that we can be, when we pursue Him wholeheartedly, it will be so.

God takes delight in us and when we take delight in Him too, there is a match of our hearts and things will just fall into place according to His timetable; in His time.

Rest for the Weary

2011-07-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Matt 11:28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

You can feel recharged after sleep if you are physically tired but where do you find relief from the weariness of the soul?

It is to the one who feels beat that Jesus issues the invitation. The only qualification to come to Jesus is if you are weary and feel the weight of living upon your shoulders.

There are many things in life that can drain us of life. It may be a misunderstanding, disharmony and broken relationship. We can also be weighed down by unfulfilled expectations, disappointing career or persistent unresolved issues. Sickness and chronic pain can also take a toll on us.

When we feel holed in and darkness surrounds us, we must lift up our heads and look toward Jesus. When worries and signs are nagging in our ears, we must hear the call of our Saviour to go to Him.

Jesus promises rest to us. Rest means no more internal wars. Rest means no more struggles within you. Rest means relief. It means letting down the load on your shoulder. Rest means peace deep within.

Jesus does not say “I will give you a solution to your problem”. Some of the problems in life will always be with us. As much as we want them to go away, they will not. Our Lord says, “I will give you rest”. Jesus promises strength for the journey, rest for the weary and peace for the brokenhearted.

For His Glory

2011-07-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

Read Psalm 46

Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.

So seldom do we remember that God is the God of the Universe. So often we see God as relevant only in our small little world.

Yet the God of Christianity is the God of the entire universe. The world events do not happen by chance. It is the interplay of human sinful freewill and God’s sovereign righteousness converging into one to bring about God’s purpose – His glory.

It has been proven that people who have gone through pains and trauma in life are usually open to the possibility of God. When mankind continually fail to honour God in politics and world-care, wars and natural disasters are the outcomes. Our century has seen lots of such happenings. These calamities have seen more open doors and open hearts to God.

On a smaller scale, when our world comes crumbling down and everything in our lives seem to spin out of control, it is important to steady ourselves and ask, “is God still God?” The Psalmist says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Ps 46:1).

Are you going through a tough time right now? Having troubles understanding all the crazy stuff that is happening right now? Be still. Know (believe) that He is still God of the universe. Be confident that through all these, His Name will be acknowledged and lifted up in your life.

Seeing God

2011-07-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

Read Job 42

Job 42: 5-6 My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.

It is one thing to hear about God but quite another to 'see' Him.

Job had walked with God all his life yet he testified that he had only heard of God.
It takes a deep experience with God to 'see' God as He is. We may go through all our lives being a Christian without a remarkable encounter with God.

There are many people tiptoeing near God without entering into His presence. They are close enough to hear rumors of His kingdom and distant enough not to bother with Him. Imagine standing outside the Amusement Park and hearing all the laughter and joys but not experiencing it. Imagine hearing all the exciting testimonies of the roller-coaster rides without the exhilaration of being on one. That is the sad reality of many Christians.

We are told to 'taste and see' that the Lord is good. No one can experience God on another person's behalf. There are no proxies when come to encountering God.

God's presence in our lives humble us. He silences our arguments. He quiet our souls. He forces us to see ourselves as who we really are. The effects of that encounter are humility and repentance.

May we be stirred in our spirits to 'see' God.

Talk, Stop and Listen

2011-07-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

Read Job 31

"The words of Job are ended" (Job 31:40c)

What would you do if all that you believe in for all your life suddenly seems to be wrong?

The Jews believe that wealth and health is a sign of God's favour. Live according to God's Word and you will be blessed by God. Live sinfully and you will suffer at God's hand. Thus Job's anguish was that of his whole life's beliefs being shaken at its foundation. Had he lived his life righteously in vain?

God cannot speak to us because we sometimes talk without stopping. We want to have the first and last word. God politely refuses to butt in and interrupt us.

We scream and shout when things don't go right. We demand answers. We justify, complain and argue because we feel that we have been unfairly treated. We air it all out because we feel that to keep it in will kill us. Rightly so. There is indeed a place for laments and grievings in our lives. God does not despise nor judge us for pouring out our pains to Him. He listens intently, patiently and attentively.

But God can only answer us when we are silent. When we stop talking and start listening, God speaks. So after the tsunami of words, "The words of Job ended".

Why not practise some solitude, some alone time with God? Speak if you must, air your frustrations, ask Him all the questions that have been plaguing your mind and then stop. Stop, wait and let God take His turn.

Let your words cease so that God can commence His healing words to us. You will be surprised when His answer comes.

Looking Back and Seeing God Lead

2011-07-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

The church has many seen many developments in the last three years.

Our first significant big change is our move from Jackson St, Chinatown to our present Nanaimo-Broadway location. This tactical move prompts us to ask, “Why and for what is God moving us here?”

Our leaving the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Canada (ELCiC) to become an independent congregation came about because of our conviction of the Bible’s authority on our lives. The proposed new Constitution and Ordination Policy are the residual steps to complete that vote.

As a family, we have also seen some subtractions and additions to our membership. By holding on to God’s ideal for the church and our faith in each other and by our refusal to leave this community, we have chosen to stick around and build together.

From our first church mission trip to building the Living Hope School for the Dalits in Faridkot, India, we have learnt what it means to stretch our faith. But what a blessing it has been for us! As we push forward to complete this challenge, will we see more miracles along the way?

Looking at the compressed history of BHLC for the past 3 years, my heart almost leap out as I see how closely aligned they are to the direction that God has been leading us. Are you?

A uthentic Lifelong Discipleship & Mentoring
L oving Committed Family Church
I ntentional Disciple-making Church
V ital Witness to Our Neighbours
E mpowering Mission to the Dalits & Beyond

Our Limp and God's Grace

2011-06-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Read Genesis 32

Gen 32:30
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

I preached a sermon on “Jacob, the Limping Disciple” in my church on Sunday. For me, Jacob is a biblical character that I can easily relate to.

He is a man with complexities, great insecurities and whose life motto is, “in me I trust”. He believes in his own intelligence, his own passive-aggression and his own judgement of life, people and events. He is clearly a man with high intellect.

His greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. His greatest asset is also his greatest liability. But it will take a divine encounter for Jacob to see himself.

At the end of his life journey, Jacob is enriched with possessions but impoverished in relationships. In Genesis Chapter 32, Jacob‘s past, so called, ‘caught up with him’. A life threatening situation of meeting Esau, his brother whom he has stolen his birthright and blessing keeps him awake. His thoughts must have flashed back to all of his life events – a past that he is not proud of. However, his mind continues to churn up schemes of escape. The old cunning Jacob is working yet again.

The battled Jacob is cornered but is he humbled? Not until God breaks the hollow of his thigh. In that instant, Jacob has an epiphany – he has been wrestling with God yet his life is spared!

Our broken lives, unglamorous past, wilful sins and twisted lives; God sees it all – and God has had mercy on us.

There is a twist to the story – Jacob came face to face with Esau and his life is preserved. Esau, the sinned-against forgives the sinner, Jacob freely. Who would have thought that possible? This is yet another great manifestation of God’s grace.

Lament and Life-storms

2011-06-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Read Job 16

How do you explain away pain, anguish and the wrenching of heart?

Life is not free of problems and troubles. There will be times when you feel all alone and totally abandoned. In times like these, it is okay to lament. It is okay ton lament that there is no one who understands; okay to acknowledge your feeling forsaken. Why? Because sometimes life just makes no sense at all.

In times like these, there is a sense of ambiguity and haziness as to what we should do, say and think.

Rather than keep it all bottled up, God gives us the permission to lament, to cry, to wail and to ask Him questions, to tell Him our doubts, to vent to Him our anger and to ‘pester’ Him for an answer. God is our Father, for that is what children do and behave toward their daddy when life overwhelms them.

There is space for lament and a time for crying and permission to go to our heavenly daddy.

So Job cries out “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, it does not go away.” All that is left in Job is a huge blotch of pain that stabs and pierces his innermost being.

During moments of darkness, the more pertinent question is “who” you have with you and who is for us instead of “why it is happening”.

Job’s friends fail in rendering him comfort so he appeals to an advocate on high, to the witness in heaven. To Job, his friend is one who prays with him and for him during his time of trial.

We have such a friend. “Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34)

When you feel caught in a senseless situation where no explanation will satisfy, when your heart seems to be yanked out of you, turn to Jesus and He will be there. He promises ‘never to leave you nor forsake you.’

Reflecting on our Generation after the Stanley Cup Riot

2011-06-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

June 26, 2011

We were crushed by the Boston Bruins but the decisive defeating blow happened in the downtown streets of our city.

It is one thing to lose the Games, but another to lose our cool. It is one thing to lose our heads momentarily, but another to abandon our values.

In the riot aftermath, Gurstein and Rotberg asked the poignant question, "Have we lost our moral compass?" (The Vancouver Sun, June 24 2011). They asked the distressing question, "What if what we see being reflected are the cultural consequences of a post-religious society with no clear moral compass and no overarching guiding values?”

This reminds me of a lost generation in the Bible.

Upon entering the Promised Land, the Israelites became complacent and turned away from God. What followed were generations that were godless, lawless and hopeless. “Everyone did as they saw fit” was the order of the day (Judges 21:25).

Before we dismiss the downtown mayhem as a crazy mob mentality gone whacked, we need to ponder the “WHAT IF” propositions of Gurstein and Rotberg.

WHAT IF our city, our country is in fact crying out for God even without their acknowledging it? WHAT IF we pretend along with them that they are well and have no need of God?

WHAT THEN will it be said of our times?

Passion

2011-06-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

June 12, 2011

Go! Canucks! Go!

I am no hockey fan but this much I know - the Stanley Cup is coming home soon!

Emotions run high and people are not shy to express their support when it comes to sports. Ever notice how a passive man gets all worked up when 'his' player gets shoved? Watch the sweet gentleman transform before your eyes when 'his' players fail to perform.

I wonder what our church will be like if we are as intense about God as we are about hockey?

What will it be like?

Perhaps more expressions in worship? Well, hockey fans chant, jump, dance and storm the stadium.

Perhaps more 'amens' and participation during the sermons? Well, hockey fans 'oh', 'ah' and 'what the -' on every move the players make.

Perhaps more reading and investigation of the Bible? Well, hockey fans devour every analysis of the game.

Perhaps more attendance on Sundays? Well, hockey fans call in sick and leave early on Games night.

Perhaps more praying? Well, hockey fans hold their breath and pray nervously when watching the game.

Perhaps we will share our faith openly? Well, hockey fans paint their faces, wear their Canucks jerseys (or their Green Man suits) , scream, curse, honk all in support of their team.

Now, what if we are as passionate about God as we are about hockey?

Now, I'm no smart theologian, but this much i know - our Lord is coming back soon!

Will He receive the same excitement, anticapation, love and ovation as our Canucks?

2011-05-30T16:40:00.001-07:00

Hi all faithful followers and friends,

My computer is dead - so till i get my new computer,
I will not be able to write for a while :)

Sorry about that. Meanwhile, please do check out
www.biblegateway.com if you are contemplating on
reading through the Bible.

cp

Faithfulness in marriage

2011-05-26T12:23:00.001-07:00

Read Proverbs 15

Proverbs 5:15
Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.

A cistern is a large vessel which is used to hold a reserve of water for household needs.

The theme of faithfulness in a marriage is peppered throughout the book of Proverbs. For Solomon, known for his consortium of many foreign wives as much as his wisdom, it is kind of bitter-sweet advice. Biblical history shows that Solomon was led astray in his faith by his many vies.

God detests marital infidelity for it is a breaking of a covenant between man and wife.

In modern society, it is not unusual for married people to flirt around without feeling guilty. However, this is not to be so for the Christians. What is harmless is a slippery slope toward adultery. Many marriages are wrecked not because the spouse deliberately sets out to have an affair. It is the unconscious, unguarded care one displays toward another person of the opposite sex which later develops into a tangled relationship.

There is something to be said of a relationship that has been given time to grow, bloom and weather the passing of time. It is rich trust with an abiding appreciation for the other party. It may be devoid of the ‘high’ feeling (which does not last anyway) but it is a reliable assurance that our special someone will stick to us through the end.
In the end, your spouse becomes your friend, confidant, lover and wife/husband all rolled-into-one. He or she is to be treasured because he/she has seen the best of you and the worst of you and still chooses to stay with you.

Does he/she meet all your needs? No. But so will not another new woman/man. Yet the spouse that walked with you down the aisle and promised you ‘till death do us part” is sufficient and enough for you – he is the best incomplete fit for an incomplete you.

I speak so as one who has been married for near 19 years.

Que Sera Sera??

2011-05-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 4: 24-27
Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.

A friend of mine testified that he was surrounded by obscene talks all the time. Even though he did not participate in those conversations, it wore him down every day for a period of time. Cursing and the misuse of Christ’s name was the dialect among his friends. Not wanting to be the odd one out, he hung out with these people until one day the perversity of these conversations ceased to offend or disturb him. Then one day he was woken up by his wife from his sleep. His wife told him that he had been talking in his sleep for the past few nights. But what was appalling to the wife was that he was cursing all kinds of obscenity in his sleep!

Even though consciously my friend had avoided all kinds of contamination from his own mouth, the company he kept has had an impact on him. The realization so shook him up that he told his friends about his struggle and desire to be holy. To his surprise, his friends respected his wish and became careful with their language whenever he was around. Those who were offended by his confession just ceased to hang out with him. My friend was glad because he said, “I found out who are my true friends that day.”

We are to give careful thought to the path ahead of us – to be deliberate and weigh the consequences of how our lives will turn out if we continue with our present association and route. Life is afterall not just an accident. It is a result of our choices and decisions made along the way.

Verse 27 continues the admonition to ‘be steadfast in all your ways’ – it is the presupposition that we have already decided what is the right way to go – and to keep at the decided decision (forgive the double emphasis).

So if you have been living with a “Que Sera Sera” kind of attitude – whatever will be will be – it is not a biblical way. The God-anointed way of living is to know the truth, decide to follow the true way of integrity and then keep at it.

Guard Your Heart

2011-05-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.

We are to barricade our heart against anything or anyone else that seek to claim it.

Our heart belongs to God alone and no one else. No one should be given the right into our heart except God. Only God, our Creator and Maker can have the permission to lead, guide and instruct our heart.

There are many claimants to our heart but they can only possess it with our permission. If something or someone has taken hold of it, it is because we have let down our “heart-gate” and let it or him/her in.

Christianity is all about Christ possessing us, having every bit and corner of us. There is nowhere and no place in our lives in which God has no occupation of.

To love God with all our heart means that there is no room for others. God is a jealous God and there is no one worthy enough to be His rival in love.

Pierce the heart and one dies. Capture the heart and dominion over the person is completed. Out of the heart come all our motives, desires and motivations. That is why we must safeguard it. We must diligently and consciously protect it from invasions other than God.

Does safeguarding our heart make us callous and cold? Far from it.

If God is the only Captain of our heart, we will love more, care more and usually cry more. Yet the people we love, the things we care about do not have the power to lead us. We are not ordered by these fallible beings or fickle issues but our heartstrings are pulled and our decisions are based on the eternal loving God.

Guard our heart against anything or anyone who seeks to command it for it belongs to God and God alone. Only He is worthy and wise enough to direct our paths.

The Battle is On!

2011-05-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

May 22, 2011

Yesterday, May 21 was supposed to be Judgment Day.

There was supposed to be a giant earthquake yesterday too - according to Harold Camping, a retired civil engineer who founded a California-based evangelical Christian radio. Again according to Camping, all non-believers would be dead by October 21.

So is Camping a false prophet? This we know at least – that he will not be the last evangelist to claim the foreknowledge of Christ’s second coming. Funny that they should know what even Christ does not,

Matt 24:36
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

The Bible says that He might come back any time, but we do not know the exact time.

Instead of going into wild and interesting speculations of end-times prophecies, the Bible tells us to be alert for signs that points to His imminent return. The signs are there since Christ’s time – escalating natural catastrophes, heightening lawlessness and intensifying sinfulness.

Is Christ’s return very soon? Yes. Satan knows that and he is working overtime to oppose God. The devil believes God and is on an assault to win. He is waging terrorism, guerrilla and even open warfare to capture the souls of men. And the only army to stop him is the CHURCH.

The church is in a spiritual warfare. Jesus, our military Commander has defeated the enemy, Satan but he is fighting back. The stakes are high and the battle is fierce. But we must not back down nor bow out.

We must clean up our act, wake up from our sleep and stay alert and vigilant for the fight is on!

Generous and implusive giving

2011-05-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 3:27-28
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.

When it comes to generosity, being impulsive is good.

My mom was and is an impulsive giver. She has never withheld anything from anyone in need. I remembered vividly pictures of mom lending money to friends who were broke, running after a neighbour who went berserk because she found out her husband had an affair and cooking for my cousins and extended household.

One incident in my childhood stuck in my memory the most. I was ten years old. My cousin who was the same age as me came and stayed with us. She was adopted and not well-treated by her mom. It was near Chinese New Year. I was looking forward to having a new dress. During those times, you only get one new dress at Chinese New Year. When mom came home with the shopping bags, we were all excited. My cousin sat in a corner and said nothing. When mom took out the dress (which I thought was meant for me), she called my cousin instead and gave it to her. I remember how her face lit up – kind of disbelief, happiness and wow look and of course, mom beaming at her. Of course, I also remember how I felt – unfair and angry cos it was supposed to be my dress!

Looking back, I am glad that mom did it. Generosity and big-heartedness was not so much preached to me as it was lived out in front of me.

Proverbs said “if you have, give it now – don’t think twice.’ I think mom lived by that creed.

But Proverbs add that phrase, “to whom it is due” (v. 27). Think about those who are odd-job daily labourers. They would rely on being paid daily to feed their families and withholding what is supposed to be theirs, would mean hunger and abuse.

Those who have are the ones with power and that power comes with responsibility. It is a power of duty; to act justly and promptly and fairly on behalf and for the poor.

Power is a call to generous living and giving.

God's Discipline

2011-05-19T16:02:00.001-07:00

Proverbs 3:11-12
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.

I did a lesson long time ago for a group of Sunday School teachers on classroom discipline and we had a very interesting discussion on the topic. One of the things we did was to examine the purpose of discipline. Was it to control the class? Was it to teach them respect? I put in my two-sense at the end which drew an “Aha” response. I believe that the end purpose of discipline is so as to let our children learn self-discipline.

One of the gifts of the spirit is ‘self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23). Self-control is impossible without the discipline of discipline (pardon the double usage).

However, many people shy away from the word discipline nowadays. God certainly does not think that it deserves the negative connotation of today. In fact, God sees discipline as an act of love, rebuke as motivated by care.

Does it hurt when we are told we are wrong? Certainly. Does it make us look bad? Oh yes. Is it necessary? Is it good for us? Definitely. That is God’s guarantee. In fact, the person who does not love us will not bother to tell us our mistakes. But our God the Father delights so much in us that He would rather risk us misunderstanding Him than letting us hurt ourselves.

Don’t shun God’s chastisement because it is the greatest proof that He loves us. He loves us enough to hurt us temporarily in order to grow us eternally.

Trust God

2011-05-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 3:5,6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

You got to trust someone in order to have a good relationship. But absolute trust is challenging.
To believe with your entire heart means not to give in to any doubt or have any second thought about God.

How often we read that God loves us yet when things don’t go our way, we betray Him. “God, I trust you but only if you know…” The “BUT” betrays our lack of confidence in God. Each time we say ‘but’, we are asking God to look at things from our angle and suggesting subtly that He is not in control of the situation or does not have our best interest at heart.

We don’t let God in into all aspects of our lives most of the time. Until something has proven too difficult for us do we seek God and plead for divine help. That again is a tell-tale sign of our independence from God and a signal of our leaning on our own intelligence.

God desires all of us to walk before Him in humility and to believe that He is who claims Himself to be. To have faith in Him will help us in times of struggles to pray ‘Lord I believe, help my unbelief”.

Strong families, strong church

2011-05-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

15 May 2011

The Bible is full of dysfunctional families, with members fighting among themselves.

The first couple, Adam and Eve blamed each other for eating the forbidden fruit. Their older son, Cain killed his younger brother, Abel. Abraham sacrificed Sarah to save his own skin while Sarah manipulated and ill-treated her stepson, Ishmael. Rebekah favoured Jacob while her husband, Isaac showed favouritism toward Esau.

The home is meant to be a haven where we can rest our weary souls and heal our wounded spirits. It is the place where we let our guards down, a place where we can be ourselves. From the time of our birth, we are introduced to the first humans from whom we would derive our identity and sense of worth. It is meant to be a place of refuge, a safe place.

Yet many family relationships fail to deliver their goods. Our hurts are frequently inflicted by our closest kin and loved ones. Spouses fail to live up to their marital vows, sibling rivalry is taken as norm and parents and children are often caught in a tug of war.

Yes, where there are humans, there will be sin – that is the reality.

But, where there is Christ, there is also redemption, love and transformation – that is also the truth.

And where the family members are Christians, the impact of God’s love will see a breakthrough in the family dynamics.

A church is as strong as the families in the church.

Advice and Rebuke

2011-05-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

Read Proverbs 1:20-33

I hate it when something happened and people said, “I told you so”.

Number one, it hurts to know that you are wrong and the other person is right. Ego bruised! Ouch!

Number two, it hurts to know that you blew the chance of being right by not listening to good advice. Double ouch!

Number three, sometimes the thing you are wrong in has a huge price tag. Ouch and double ouch!

Number four and worst of all, some people just loves to rub it in – that they are right and you are stupid; which you obviously already know, through the hard way and humbling way. 

Today’s passage exhorts us to respond to wisdom’s call by heeding its advice and rebuke or pay the consequences for folly. It is clear from Scripture that fools hate instructions while the wise will never dismiss advice and discipline.

Pride rejects advice and often leads us down the path of stubborn disobedience. Everyone can and has experienced that before. However, real folly becomes of us when we refuse to respond humbly to rebuke. When we recognise that we are wrong, it can be humiliating but we are given an opportunity to turn around if we choose to listen to the warning and chastisement. However when we reject that second chance, we are left with the consequences of choosing to remain foolish.

Psalm 14:1 reads, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

When we choose not to listen to God or others in humility and lean on our own understanding. We are then no different from the fool who may acknowledge God with their mouths but in their heart, there is really no God.

Friends

2011-05-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 1:8-19

I will be looking at the Book of Proverbs this spring.

First, it is important to note the genre of Proverbs. The book of Proverbs is a wisdom literature. It is the gathering of general wise sayings and not absolute commands. They consist of principles and must not be taken therefore to apply to all situations.

Proverbs 1:8-19 talks about friendship with a particular group of people.
When we are young, our parents play the important roles in our decision-making. As we gradually mature, especially during our teens, our friends’ advice and opinion tend to influence us more than our parents. Friendship becomes the most powerful, influential voice in our lives.

Solomon lay out two advices that are universal of all parents’ advice to their children regarding friendship.

First, stay away from friends who are greedy for ill-gotten gains. Stay away from them, our parents cry. Regardless of race, culture or religion – all good parents would mete out this caution to their growing teens. These are people who will sweet-talk, persuade and try to convince you to their values.

I Corinthians 15:33 is clear: "Bad company corrupts good character."

But what if you did not know that the company you are keeping are wayward and evil till later? The Bible advises us to not just ‘do not give in to them” (v10) but not to “go along with them” (v 15). Sin has a gradual process – once you are lured into it, entrapment becomes inevitable. Thus, all parents would advise their children to cut off from such unhealthy friendship upon discovering the characters of these associates.

My take as a parent and as a pastor is while we love our friends; we need not associate and go along with them when they are clearly going down the wrong path with open eyes. Our job is to warn them, love them but not to go along with them. In fact, if they are not listening, we are to avoid them so as not to be entangled in their lifestyles.

The Fear of the Lord

2011-05-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Our God is not a terrorising God from whom we must cower in fear. Those who know God will not hesitate to testify that we are not emotionally blackmailed into following His commands.

What then does this verse mean? What does it mean to ‘fear’ God?

To fear God is to not take His Being, His Name for granted or lightly. It is to revere Him and to esteem Him as who He is. It is to take His word seriously and not to make light His being.

You see God is a being apart from all of us. He is not created but the creator. He is life Himself from whom all living creatures, including you and I, draw our breath. He is the being APART from this world. Though deeply concerned and involved in our world, He stands apart from us. He has no beginning and no end. You do not take such a being lightly. You should not and dare not.

The best way is to think about approaching a king in charge of the entire kingdom. By his command, he can bestow pardon or death on his subjects. If you are a subject before the king, you better fear him. However, that is not the full picture when it comes to our relationship with God.

What if this King is also your Father? Would you disobey him and dismiss his command because of the blood relationship? No. But what if this kingly father also loves and is endearing toward you, will you want to respect and honour him even more?

This is what it means to fear God. To see Him in a dual image – the High King in whom all authority rests and the loving father from whom we derive all our favours.

Hold those two images of God in our minds and that will enable us to fear him – to choose the wise ways of listening to His commands and truly liberate us to love Him wholeheartedly; thereby fulfilling the first Great Commandment.

Knowledge and wisdom

2011-05-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 1:1-6

Wisdom is not to be mistaken as knowledge. While one can have great knowledge, knowledge may not have any effect on their lives. Not so for wisdom. Being wise has to do not so much with what you know as compared to how your life is lived and empowered by what you know.

There are all kinds of knowledge. My son could go into a torrent of speeches and debates and arguments on the Stanley Cup and Ice hockey. But how does this knowledge enlighten or empower him in his life? Not much.

Acquiring new knowledge stimulates our mind. As humans, we should be learning new things and we are programmed to do so – nothing beats the exhilaration of finally understanding something. Therein lays the purpose of education – to grow our minds. But if education is just for that, then we have missed the greater purpose of knowledge acquisition.

A learned mind must result in responsible living, responsible to us and others. An informed life must result in a transformed life.

That is what King Solomon, famous for his wisdom, sees the connection between knowing and seeing. Wisdom and discipline goes together. If someone has lived well, it is because he is wise. If someone is wise, his life will not be reckless but all he does will be right, just and fair.

The book of Proverbs has been used by many missionaries as a textbook to teach English in countries hostile to Christianity. It is a timeless book with gems and instructions on practical living.

Proverbs 1:5
“Let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance— “

But it will require attentive listening. Jesus often says, “Let those who have ears listen” – it will starts with the first action on our part – to listen.

Be Patient

2011-05-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

James 5:7
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

Have you ever prayed for patience only to find it being tested again and again? Have you ever come to certain roadblocks in your lives where you have to cry out, “How long, O LORD? How long?” Well, the Psalmist experienced that. (see Psalm 6:3, and especially Psalm 13).

Patience is a game that not many of us fare well. Patience is not a virtue that we extol nowadays too.

We city folks, tend to frown at the idea of waiting. Slow is a sin – it seems. It is hard to fathom the logic and goodness of waiting when we are told that everything can be sped up and no one should be made to wait. There is a conspiracy of the economy to suck us into addictive consumers without the means to pay for those things that we all want but can ill afford and could possibly do without.

The farmer has to do everything before waiting – he has to prepare the soil, take out the seeds, put them in the ground, water the crops and chase away the crows. He has to be in tune with the seasons, the weather and then act accordingly. So, the first lesson to learn in patience is to learn to listen. Just as the farmer pays close attention to the weather, we must cultivate a listening ear to God. Learn to listen before you leap. Pay close attention to our Creator’s instructions before you embark on anything. Patience is an attitude and it does pay off.

The farmer has to fold his hands after everything and just wait it out – for the natural elements to come and bring about the produce. So, the next lesson to learn from the farmer is this: you can’t hurry growth. You got to be patient. Parents understand this principle super well. Children need time to grow up – so too, we need time to grow into a patient being.

Third, there will be a harvest in due time. With spring and autumn rains, the earth nourishes the crops and the farmer just needs to remember to reap his rewards for waiting.

There is an end to our trials – if you are waiting for God’s deliverance; just like James’ readers.
There is an answer to our patience in faith. How long before the answer to our cry? James says, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming.”

Meanwhile, be patient and hang on to the Lord.

Fix our Eyes on Jesus

2011-04-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

Read Hebrews 12:1-3

Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

“A dog is man’s best friend”. Touted for its loyalty, a dog exemplifies what it a Master-and-servant relationship should be like.

I used to have a dog when I was growing up. Lucky (for that was its name) followed me everywhere and was my best pal. Though it was a family dog, there was no doubt in its mind that I was the master. So devoted to me was Lucky that it would not take its eyes off me when I was around the house. If I was in the house and my family called out to it, it would not leave my side unless I gave the command. Even tempting it with dog treats would not do the trick to lure it away from my side.

My dog illustrates what it means to ‘fix our eyes’ on the Master. As disciples, we are to fix our eyes on our Master and King Jesus. He is the One from whom we get our commands, approvals and satisfaction from. He left us with the example of how we should follow Christ. He also embodies the journey of discipleship and points to the end result of faithful commitment to God.

This lesson of spiritual concentration – of keeping our eyes on Christ must be mastered by everyone who wants to finish the race well. In verse 2, it says “fix” and in verse 3, we are exhorted to ‘consider” Christ. It all speaks of the need to focus and be attentive or concentrate.

Hebrews 12:1-3 outlines 3 daily practices to develop this concentration on Christ:
1.Remember Christ’s excellence – our faith starts in Him and will be perfected in Him
2.Remember Christ’s exaltation – the rewards from God far outweighed the difficulties
3.Remember Christ’s example – He ‘endured’ great opposition and so did our spiritual forefathers and left us a model to emulate

In view of all these truths found in Christ, we are to throw off our every sin and fasten our eyes on Him.

Go tell them - an incredible relationship is waiting for them!

2011-04-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

John 20:16
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Mary remained in despair and grief, without hope till Jesus called out her name, “Mary”. Just by uttering her name, Mary was awakened from her trance of sadness, from her slumber of grief to that of unexpected joy!

Miracles and surprises are part of the resurrection story – but the greatest miracle is that God knows you and me by name and we can recognise our Lord when He calls.

This is the eternal truth regarding the Resurrection of our Lord – the privilege of being in an incredible relationship with an awesome God!

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me (john 10:14)

What is in a name? A name is an identity. The Jewish people are particular about naming their children for they believe that the child will live up to his/her name. Imagine in a big room you call out “Hercules’ and out came a scrawny, skinny undernourished kid! Yet many of us still fail to live up to our names – oh to have a name that truly befits us and reflects who we really are!

So in the new heaven and new earth, to all who overcomes, God says he “will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” On that final day, we will be given names that truly reflect who we really are.

What then do we do with the resurrection truth?

Jesus says to Mary, “Don’t hold on to me (v 17) go instead to my brothers and tell them”

Mary left and told the others, “I have seen the Lord!”

So we must not just hold on to the good news – we must now go and tell everyone who would hear that Christ is risen! He is alive! We have seen the Lord!

Go tell them - that there is an invisible world!

Go tell them – we serve an invincible God!

Go tell them – an incredible relationship is waiting for him who believes this good news!

An invincible God

2011-04-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

John 20:15
“…Who is it you are looking for?”

What an absurd question! You don’t look for someone who is dead; only someone who is alive. Imagine how freaking it would sound if someone comes knocking on your door looking for your dead relatives or loved ones!

Who is it that you are looking for? Mary thought she was looking at a Gardener who would have news of the Lord’s body. Mary did not recognise the angels or Jesus.

Mary came not looking for the living Lord. She came looking for a corpse. She had followed Jesus from the time when he healed her from the demonic possession and she had seen where they laid her beloved Messiah. She came with her spices to anoint her dear teacher’s dead body. (Jews do not believe in embalming)

Expecting to find a dead body, she found the resurrected Lord instead.

The Resurrection of our Lord reminds us that we serve an invincible God.

Death couldn’t keep him, the grave couldn't hold him. He looked death in the eye, took all our sins on himself and by one decisive act of sacrifice, overcame the sting of death.

To Him belongs the final victory. In conquering death, he proves himself indestructible and invincible.

Therefore God “gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. “ (Phil 2:9-11)

So in the new heaven and new earth, we were told that the one day the “kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

If this invincible God is for us, then indeed who can stand against us?

Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

The Invisible World

2011-04-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

For the next 3 days, I will share the 3 parts of my Easter meditations which I later delivered during the Easter Sonrise Service with my congregation.

Read John 20:10-18

John 20:13, 15a
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?

It would seem a strange question to ask at a grave site. The Jews said of Mary, "she goeth unto his grave to weep there." Through her tears, Mary could not recognise the angels or the Lord. Through her tears and pains, Mary could not see her Lord. Her vision was tainted by her pains.

Sin and pain has marred our once perfect world and with our sinful nature, our vision is not 20/20. What we see may not be the whole truth. Mingled it with our own feelings, pains and thoughts (all tainted by the effect of sin) – it may further distort our understanding,

We were told not to judge a book by its cover and so we must not trust all that we see with our naked eyes. If Mary could see clearly, she would have no reason to cry. The angels were there. Jesus was there. She was on Holy ground but she knew not and detected it not. She was overcome with sadness.

She had followed Jesus from the time when He cast out seven demons from her, from his ministry to suffering to death on the cross. She saw with her own two eyes when the soldiers took the body down from that crucifix. She knew what she saw.

But faith requires confidence not in our senses – for to rely on our senses would ultimately means belief in ourselves. Our faith and confidence is and must be in Christ alone. There is the invisible world, a world where we but only hear rumours of and of which we are destined for.

The resurrection points to the reality of an invisible world.

It is the reality of an invisible world which Mary had yet to experience and understood. So the resurrection reminds us that “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see Him face to face. Now we know in part; then we shall know fully, even as we are fully known.”(I Cor 13:12)

Our present world of pains, struggles and sins will give way ONE DAY (THE FINAL EASTER – I call it) – when with the new heaven and new earth – God “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." (Rev 21:4)

Hallelujah – praise the Lord!! Jesus is risen!

Be still and Know that i am God

2011-04-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Read Psalm 46

Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

There are always almost two reactions when we hear of wars, uprisings, epidemics and natural disasters. The first reaction is to be overwhelmed and become crippled by fears toward the happenings. We then switch off the news or becomes so glued to the television with a sense of helplessness.

The second reaction is to numb ourselves from feeling anything. Casualties are just statistics and figures to us. What happens somewhere else has nothing to do with us and we stay in our bubble-world; refusing to be emotionally engaged with any bad news.

The psalmist is neither unaware, nor unaffected by the events of his world but declares his confidence in the Lord. In our turbulent world, do we have the faith that “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Verse 1).

Verse 10 “be still and know that I am God’ is perhaps the most misquoted verse in the Bible. It is used before worship services and prayer meetings to request the people to quiet down their hearts and pray.

In its context, this verse is a call for God’s people to remain steady in the midst of disasters and great unrest. It is a call for God’s people to remember who God is. He is who He claims to be – the Lord of the universe. Our hearts and minds must be completely at rest, confidence that He is in full control of all things on earth and everything in heaven. Nothing surprises Him and disturbs Him. He is Creator, Sustainer and King of all things seen and unseen.

With that quiet confident trust comes the realization that God is exalting Himself in all the world and making Himself known to all nations. God is the God of the universe and He reveals and is still revealing Himself to the peoples – we are then to be still and see God at His mission – knowing His Name great.

The next time you steady your heart using this verse, reminds yourself that God is the One you know and He wants others to know Him too.

Love Redefined

2011-04-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Read John 13:1-17

John 13:1
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

Everyone wants to believe in love. Love is much talked about but short in supply. It is a sellable commodity in theatres and because of our sinful nature, it is a concept much distorted these days.

Jesus took the form of human because of love. He ministered because He loved. He is the epitome of what real love is. He took the towel, washed the feet of His disciples as a prelude to that final show – the cross and the crucifixion.

“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

The best love movies pale in comparison to the expression of Christ’s love.

Looking at his band of followers on that day, Jesus felt love – intense and jealous love for them. Did he know they were all going to deny, abandon and betray Him? He did. Was He looking forward to His own death? I doubt so. Were they deserving of His love? We cry, ‘No’. So we too – are undeserving recipients indeed.

But our betrayals, denials, failures and pains inflicted on Him stop Him not. He is motivated by love for His creatures because He loves – not because we are lovely.

We are loved.

I John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.”

Because He loves us and we accept His love, the Holy Spirit, God’s nature of love now resides and forms in us. We are then able to love God and others as a response of being in love with God.

Love therefore starts with knowing God’s love, growing God’s love in us and then ends up showing God’s love to Him by loving others.

Love, therefore is a state of being that spills into our doing. It is supernatural. Having received such extravagant love, we love Him back to the end.

Be a Clear Channel for God

2011-04-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

Read John 14:15-31

John 14:22
Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

Judas had a valid question. People after Judas have asked God the same question. Some have even given Him some helpful suggestions as well. Surely something spectacular will show everyone who the true God is and solve our world’s entire problem.

My sons told me that a pilot would write across the sky “Jesus loves you” in his plane daily without fail near their cousin’s house in Florida.

To Judas’ question, Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)

The only way for God to show Himself to the world is through those who love Him and obey His teaching. If we are such God-lovers, God’s love for us will be so clearly manifested that it is as if God is the Host and Resident in our lives.

In other words, the God nature becomes our nature. God’s home is us and we are the showcase that God is real and God is alive. We do so by obeying His words and loving Him passionately with the daily Presence of the Holy Spirit.

God intends to show Himself to the world through us. We are the only channel through which the world views the reality, nature and character of God. To the world, their evaluation of God depends on their reading of us, His disciples.

Represent Christ well. Be a clear channel for God to the world.

Fast and Pray for Revival

2011-04-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

April 17, 2011

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

God promises forgiveness and healing for His people – at a scope that will touch and impact the society that we live in. Revival is needed when the church falls into a state of complacency and maintenance. When God’s people become spectators instead of participants, when our hearts are lukewarm toward God and our faith has inconsequential effects on our values and lives.

Prayer is the only way to bring about a passion for God. Fasting sharpens our need for God and whets our appetites to ‘live not on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”. What do we pray for in seeking personal and corporate revival?

• Pray for an awakening in all our senses toward God’s Presence
• Pray for greater power of the Holy Spirit and conviction that we cannot
live without it.
• Pray that we may not be ashamed of Jesus
• Pray believing that this is in accordance with God’s will
• Practise “P.U.S.H” (Pray Until Something Happens).

Dr. R. A. Torrey’s first rule for revival is that “a few members of any church must get thoroughly right with God”. Can you imagine what it will be like if all of us gets thoroughly right with God? Sin will be shunned like a cancer; radically dealt with and removed. Then - revival fire will come upon BHLC and the Holy Spirit will once again sweep our nation and transform our land.

Until that day comes, we must fast, pray and seek His face.

Don't give up

2011-04-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Galatians 6:9
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Are you tired of doing the same thing again and again but seeing no results? Do you feel discouraged? Are you questioning the worth of investing your time, energy and love in a project of a person? Or perhaps you are getting weary in serving the Lord and seeing no returns or response?

The Lord wants us to hang on. Don’t give up. Continue doing it. Focus not on the present. Keep an eye on the possibilities of what your service will yield in the future. Take another day in stride. Keep doing it. Don’t abandon what you have already started.

God has a timing for everything. The time for the project and people to bloom will come. Stay on the course. God wants us to learn perseverance. It teaches faith and trust in the Lord’s timing and promise.

The gardener who cultivates a garden must first prepare the soil. He must not give up after the third day of watering. He must weed the garden, fertilize the soil and ward off the pests. Growing the garden takes time and consistent care. The harvest is guaranteed but the gardener who gives up too fast will not reap the rewards.

So be encouraged in your service for the Lord. Never give up too fast. Give it another day. Give it another push. Recite the promise of God to yourself and press on. Then when the harvest comes, enjoy the satisfaction of having partnered with God and smell the aroma of success!

By his wounds we are healed

2011-04-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

I Peter 2:24
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

All of us have wounds -we are all inflicted in some ways by a sense of incompleteness and brokenness because of sin.

Some wounds heal fast while some wounds are so deep that we might instinctively try to repress them. To pretend that the deep wounds are not there will only make it worse. We must admit that we have been hurt and are in pain in order for healing to begin.

Jesus took those wounds physically, emotionally and spiritually for us when he suffered and chose to die on the cross for us.

Nothing is impossible for God and with God – He could have chosen to just say the words. ‘Your sins are forgiven. You are healed’ and we would be zapped into health. He did so for those seeking Him during his ministry years on earth.

But for us He did it the Jesus’ way – the LOVE way.

HE SUFFERED FOR US AND DIED FOR US – SO THAT WE WOULD BE HEALED.

That is the most convincing act of His love and the sure evidence that no wounds of ours is too ugly and deep for Him to touch and heal.

It is the best of times, and the worst of times

2011-04-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

10 April 2011

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way.”

How fitting the above paragraph describes our present time, though the writer penned them nearly a century ago in his novel.

There are great opportunities for faith proclamation and great resistance against spirituality. There are wonderful possibilities of hope and yet enormous apathy and indifference. Ours indeed is the best of times and the worst of times.

The church living in our age and time needs the Holy Spirit. Discernment of God’s will require that we grow toward spiritual maturity. To be filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit and live in the Spirit must be our life aim and goal as a church of disciples.

A redeemed lifestyle starts with a renewed mind. A renewed mind has the mind of Christ which results in kingdom-fuelled purpose. May the Holy Spirit enable us to understand our times and pray in all earnest conviction, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”

All things Work for the good - Rom 8:28

2011-04-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

After resisting for a week, my body finally caved in, and the fever came last night. I thought it was just spring allergy!

With my husband away, i was left alone juggling home and church (with my two teenage sons)- i finally feel guilt-free lying on my bed and typing this. Spent some time to pray and started looking back my life (just the past few weeks...) and i remember this -

A very wise friend sent me this a while back when i was going through tough times and i want to share this with you -

"Romans 8:28 says “all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.” Notice, it says all things. I explain it to the students this way. You all like to eat cake, especially homemade. What if I said, here is some flour, eat it. You would not enjoy it. Vanilla by itself is not pleasant. We don’t eat just a big lump of butter. However, if I mix it all together and make a delicious cake out of it, you all like it. When God says all things He means just that—all things, the good, the bad, the ugly. God is working out His purposes in our lives. Some things are dry and tasteless like flour, some are bitter like vanilla, some are not very nice like a big lump of butter or a couple of raw eggs but together they make a beautiful life if we let God have His way.

God will never allow more in your life than you can handle with Him.

God is more interested in who you are becoming. He will work His will no matter the outcome of the meeting. You already have victory in Christ. Whatever happens accept it as from the Lord. He is there with you. Even if it turns out bad, believe this is God’s plan for you right now. He will lead you out, but first He will lead you through."

I am praying for you. Take courage. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. God will have the glory, at least in your life. That is all you need concern yourself with. The others are responsible for their own actions and reactions. Jesus went through all this and more for you.

Part of this is the fellowship of suffering the Bible talks about in Philippians 3:10. Suffering is never pleasant but it is needful."

Friends (esp my 18 special friends on this blog), as i lay in bed today nursing my cold, i will pray for you.

Seek great things for yourself? Seek them not.

2011-04-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Read Jeremiah 45

Jeremiah 45:5
Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them.

When God comes to us, all our lofty dreams and plans have to be put aside. They have to be surrendered to the Lord. But here Baruch was perhaps merely asking for relief and a little creature comfort? Are those great things? Those I thought were legitimate things….

What Baruch was suffering from was perhaps a sense of self-pity and blaming God for adding to his pain instead of relieving his anguish. His thoughts were on himself and turned inward.

What does it mean to seek? To seek something is to look out, search for, hunt and track it down. It is intense, deliberate and totally consuming. If I am seeking my things, then I cannot be seeking God’s kingdom.

God knows that we have needs for things, for comfort and relief. But he wants us to focus on Him.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

God must be our first and our main passion. Other than God, everything else we run after are the great things for ourselves.

Taking God's Presence for Granted

2011-04-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Read Judges 16

Judges 16:20
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

How easy it is for us to take God for granted.

Samson had great strength. It was freely bestowed upon him not because he was better than others. God had ear-marked him for greatness. He was raised carefully but never took responsibility and ownership of his calling.

He squandered and despised his call by doing things according to his carnal appetites. Samson was a man who lived for himself to satisfy his own desires. His frivolous attitude toward God led him to think that his supernatural strength came from himself.

“I’ll go out as before and shake myself free”. There are two mistakes in Samson’s beliefs.

First, he presumed that things will never change. Complacency and a false sense of control of our lives is the first sign of backsliding in our hearts. We become so confident of how things will be and have a false sense of how things should be that we forget that we are not God.

Second, he believed that he could shake himself free. We cannot free ourselves on our own. We cannot save ourselves. We can never shake ourselves free. Only Jesus can. Our greatest enemy is not others, circumstances or the world. Our greatest enemy is our own sinful self. Satan knows that if He can get us to focus on ourselves, he has defeated us.

It is interesting that Samson only prayed after he realized that God had left him (Judges 16:28). May it never be to us to learn to call on God only when we discover that we have left Him out of our lives.

Psalm 51:11-12
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Serving God with what we have

2011-04-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Luke 8:1-3
After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

The world is full of unsung and overlooked heroes. The female gender was despised during Jesus’ days. They were treated as properties, testimonies inadmissible and had no status or power.

Yet they were ardent contributors and supporters of Jesus’ ministry.
“They support them (including the Twelve Disciples, i.e.) out of their own means.”

There are no limitations in serving the Lord.

You don’t have to be rich to serve God. Women in Jesus’ time certainly had no inheritance but they supported him for the last 3 years.

You don’t have to have power and means to be involved in God’s kingdom. They were not prominent supporters but Jesus had rooms and houses to go in and out because of them,

While there is no qualifications to serve, there is sacrifice in service.

“Out of their own means” was a phrase that signify sacrifice.

You can serve God.

All you need is a grateful, willing and sacrificial heart.

What Jesus accomplished in the three years through their contributions change the world.

So we can change the world.

Holiness is a Learned Experience

2011-04-02T23:35:00.000-07:00

3 April 2011

Human beings are a complex species.

We are capable of noble good and totally competent of great evil. Within us lie a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – an angel and a demon.

The Bible is clear that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Rom 3:23). In Isaiah 64:6 it says that “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

Thus, by our own efforts and willpower, we cannot attain to holiness. We are made holy by and through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Though declared holy, we have to learn holiness. It is a discipline.

The great theologian, J. I. Packer says,
“Holiness, like prayer (which is indeed part of it), is something that, though Christians have an instinct for it through their new birth, they have to learn in and through experience. As Jesus “learned obedience from what he suffered” (Heb 5:8) — learned what obedience requires, costs, and involves through the experience of actually doing his Father’s will up to and in his passion — so Christians must, and do, learn prayer from their struggles to pray, and learn holiness from their battles for purity of heart and righteousness of life.”

God wills for us to be holy. Will His body bears the trademark of Christ, our head?

Our Limitations is God's Opportunity

2011-04-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

Read Judges 6, 7

Judges 7:2
The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’

Numbers are inconsequential to God. God specializes in small numbers and minute human strength. God only needs one thing from those whom he calls – dependence on him.

Trust and faith in God alone, not in human wisdom or power; lest we start rationalising God’s act and miracle and fail to give Him all the credit due His name.

Gideon struggled with his lack of faith as seen in his asking for signs from God again and again. He faced enormous pressure from his community and family. He was timid by nature as seen in his tearing down Baal’s altar in the dark. He wrestled with self-doubts and probably second-guessed himself lots.

But God is not limited by Gideon’s limitations. All the limitations are challenges in Gideon’s eyes but great opportunities from God’s viewpoint.

God wants to do great things through us. He knows all our fears, weaknesses and even handicaps. His focus is not on us – so we must shift our focus from ourselves to the Great God who calls us. We get in God’s way when we concentrate on what we have and we are instead of who He is and who is for us and with us.

God will reduce us to the bare minimum and strip us of all dependence on man and self so that no one can claim credit when He delivers or does a miracle; for the greater the odds, the greater the praise.

I Cor 1:31, Jer 9:24
“Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Is Faith a Trend or ?

2011-03-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

March 27, 2011

The Vancouver Sun newspapers ran a report headlined, “Canadians losing faith as religion faces extinction” on March 23, 2011.

Part of its report read, “Researchers said that as the masses who claim religious non-affiliation swell, it becomes more appealing to join the ranks of that group. The model predicts that for societies in which the perceived utility of not adhering is greater than the utility of adhering, religion will be driven toward extinction," the study said.”

Faith has been categorised among trends such as fashion and a matter of vogue. As it becomes less ‘in’ and ‘cool’ to be religious, it becomes less and less attractive to be identified as a person of faith.

There used to be a time when ‘spirituality’ is used exclusively to refer to things or actions that spring from a sacred source. However, ‘spirituality’ has evolved today to also mean a personal state of mind, a totally individual inner path, without engaging with the supernatural.

Meditation used to be on the Word of God while meditation today probably means emptying your mind of any thoughts and achieving a peace within yourself.

Prayer used to be the language between man and a known God, while it is now used loosely to refer to remembering the person in our thoughts and messaging an unidentifiable Being up there, if there is really one. Never mind that the Divine may or may not be there.

We live in a spiritually confusing time and a media-shaped time.

Unless we are committed to invest our time, live and grow into the values of the Holy Book, we will be sucked into the world’s trend and hoodwinked into Satan’s lie.

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A church Worthy of God

2011-03-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

March 20, 2011

The Church is Christ’s glory and pride.

God is extremely proud of His church not because she is perfect. He is pleased with the church because Christ founded the community of faith with His precious blood. The church is dear to God because we are now covered with the precious blood of our beloved Saviour.

As the Head of the church, Christ is the Director and the President. The church has been given a message to speak. The message is Christ. In lifting up Jesus, we fulfil God’s plan for His church. Christ is our hope for salvation, our antidote to sin, our example in living and our aim in character transformation.

Thus in Colossians 1:28,
“He (Christ) is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”

The Church makes good Christ’s sacrifice for us when we aim to grow in spiritual maturity. When each member takes responsibility for our own growth and cares for the development of each other, the church will realize God’s plan for us.

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for us (Eph 5:25). What extravagant love! May we not forget this vital truth and may Galatians 2:20 now be our life motto as individuals and as a corporate body.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Only then can we confidently say we have done our best, with His help, to make Him proud.

2011-03-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry. I will not be blogging til the month of April.

Visitation of the Holy Spirit

2011-03-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

14 February, 2011

Read Acts 2:1-4

The visitation of the Holy Spirit upon a band of frightened, puzzled and fearful disciples totally transformed them. They would go on to become stirrers and shapers of history.

The Holy Spirit was described as a “sound like the blowing of a violent wind” from heaven and “what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated”. It was a phenomenon not of this world and difficult to describe. The manifestation of the Spirit’s enabling was that the disciples broke out in tongues or different languages in verse 4.

Christians have all longed for the Holy Spirit’s filling and many have been confused by it. Some believe that the Spirit comes in a quiet peaceful way and are sceptical about the display of emotions such as crying and tongues. Yes, the Spirit comes in that way too. Bezalel of the tribe of Judah was filled with the Spirit of God and worked quietly with his hands (Exodus 31:2-4). Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit when he preached with logic and clarity (Acts 4:8). The filling of the Holy Spirit need not be loud and spectacular.

There are also records of others being filled with the Spirit and something visible and almost outrageous happened; such as in Acts 2 here. There are Christians who claim that the filling of the Holy Spirit must be evidenced in the speaking of tongues and outward signs. There is even a denomination called “Pentecostalism”.

All Christians must know that the Holy Spirit has His own way and how He comes and manifests the filling is of His prerogative. The Holy Spirit decides. He could do it in outward signs and wonders or in quiet boldness and confidence. Either way He is not containable, beyond our comprehension and cannot be manipulated or locked in.

There are two things that are clear though. First, God wants to give us His Holy Spirit and we can ask for His filling. We must and should ask because God never goes back on His promise.

Luke 11:13
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Secondly, the sure sign of the Spirit’s filling is that of a transformed, courageous bold life lived out in obedience to God. It will be a fruitful life that bears the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22.23) and effective witness to the gospel’s truth (Acts 1:8).

Big or Small Role

2011-03-10T12:47:00.000-08:00

Read Acts 1:15-26

Acts 1:26
Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

Jesus was gone from among them. The 11 disciples were waiting for the filling of the Holy Spirit. However, they also had to make sense of the situation before them.

Judas Iscariot was one of them. He had relationships with them. They ate with him, walked with him for more than three years. They were buddies. They were intimate for they were “The Twelve”. And now they were the eleven.

How does one make sense of a senseless situation? How does one wrap his/her mind around things that had happened but shouldn’t have and doesn’t make any sense?

The disciples did 2 things: they went to the Word of God and they prayed. Through these two means, they found a sense of peace and saw what they must do to move forward. Judas’ betrayal and death was not out of God’s control even though it was tragic. God showed them the next step: another person was needed to take the place of Judas.

The disciples knew what to do next to pick up the broken pieces. The qualification criteria for an apostle were drafted. Two men were nominated: one Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Both were equally qualified for the selection. They drew lots and Matthias was chosen. Justus was no less qualified but Matthias was chosen.

Yet how many of us read about Matthias in the Bible after this? Not much; nothing in fact. In fact, James, the brother of Jesus surpassed many of the apostles in terms of mentioning in the Bible. But James (the author of James in the Bible) did not even fit the criteria for an apostle because he only believed after the resurrected Jesus appeared to him (I Cor 15:7 and John 7:5).

Justus, Matthias, James and the apostles – all these lives teach us one great important truth: that each of us has a role to play in God’s kingdom. It is not how big or small a role one plays, it is that humble obedience to play the role well that counts in God’s eyes. Be it a visual and big role or quiet and small role, what God demands is that of complete obedience and submission.

Ultimately, God decides our role. Our call is to be faithful to the roles that He has called us.

New Power

2011-03-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

Read Acts 1:6-8

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

God left us a job to do on earth. God's kingdom is not a pie in the sky - heaven is not just 'up there'. God's kingdom will come when He brings about a union of the new heaven and new earth in a new way (Read Rev 21 and Eph 1). Jesus new resurrected body functions kind of illustrates this 'newness".

The disciples were told not to worry about the time when the kingdom 'would be restored' but they were told to be faithful to the commission Jesus gave them.

Jesus has all the 'authority' as the Resurrected Savior in verse 7. We are told one day 'every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2:10,11) This gives us tremendous comfort: no earthly authority is vested without the permission of God; no earthly organisation and person has absolute authority except Jesus. It gives us boldness and courage to appeal to the absolute authority on earth and in heaven, Jesus. He is the just and loving One who holds the full authority.

Notice too that we are given 'power'. The word 'power' used here is 'dynamis', where the word 'dynamite' is derived from. This is the promise given to us who seeks to do God's will and fulfil his Great Commission to testify of who Jesus is. We will receive 'dynamite' or power to do so. How? By waiting to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4,5)

My cell phone is an amazing tool for me to connect with my friends and loved ones but if i don't take time to charge it every now and then, it becomes a useless piece of technology junk. It fulfils it function only when i remember to charge its battery and that takes time.

Take time to charge your 'power' and then you can be witnesses for Christ in a dynamic way.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit

2011-03-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

Read Acts 1:1-5

Acts 1:4,5
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”

The book of Acts is a sequel to Christ's continuing work via the Holy Spirit. It records the exciting beginning of the Christian Church: of Jews and Gentiles coming to the saving knowledge of Christ.

Jesus told the disciples to wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit before venturing out to serve. How important is the waiting.

Many of God's servants are eager to dash out and serve without waiting upon the Holy Spirit anointing and filling. The filling of the Holy Spirit is an important step that should not be skipped if we are to be fruitful in God's vineyard.

Imagine a combat soldier rushing off to fight the enemies without his weapons or instructions from his commander. That is how it is for one who does not have the filling of the Holy Spirit rushing out to serve God. This is blind zeal and unprepared service.

The Holy Spirit is the Person that guides, leads and instructs us as to how to serve God. The Holy Spirit is also our Power, the Energizer who gives us the Power to stay when service gets tough.

Make it a practice to wait for the Lord in some quiet, giving the Holy Spirit to fill and use us for His glory today. Make this a habit daily upon waking and see if your day takes on a God-dimension then.

The Wisdom of God

2011-03-05T22:18:00.000-08:00

March 6, 2011

In Christianity, there exists a “Theology of the weak”. In this theology, we recognise the necessity to be weak in order to be strong. The strong has no need of God but the weak does. God is near to the weak and faint-hearted but resists the proud and the strong.

Coming to God and admitting that our strengths may lead us to self-sufficiency and thus is our very weakness, God generously take us, forgive us and heal us. In broken repentance, we emerge from God’s Presence, strengthened in Him and not in our own power. This is a mystery and the Christian paradox.

Yes, the world applauds greatness and strength while God takes delight in the weak and the meek.

Christ illustrated this spiritual truth when He made Himself weak, emptied Himself at the cross and died as Sin for the sinners. He was a pathetic sight on the cross. He was weak.

But then in submitting to God, the Almighty lifted Him up – Christ rose again and is now seated at the Right hand of the Father. He became strong.

The cross is an apparatus of weakness and death but it is now a symbol of victory and life.

There is no brilliance in the Message of the cross – only sufferings, shames and pains. There is nothing to attract us to the cross – only nails and blood. Yet it is the tool through which our Savior uses to pardon, redeem and save us.

Looking back and looking forward, it is a mystery, paradox and brilliant and altogether wise.

I Cor 1:25
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Brokenness

2011-03-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

Read Psalm 51

Psalm 51:17
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

The world values strength, wholeness and completeness but God values brokenness. This is just another reversed value of the kingdom.

What is brokenness? It is the sense of being vulnerable, helpless and of need. It goes together with a contrite heart. Contrite means being repentant, sorry and a sense of needing God.

Being broken requires humility and submission. It commands that the "I" (self) in us will bow to the "C" (Christ) in us.

Jesus says it is ‘not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matt 9:12).
Being broken is the recognition of us who need healing, that we are far from being whole. When we come to God with our condition, God takes us and gently heals us. The result is wholeness as God cures us from our waywardness, sin and pains.

Before a patient can be operated upon, she has to sign a consent form permitting the surgeon to perform the surgery. She has to submit herself to the doctor’s directives, making herself completely at the mercy of her surgeon’s wisdom. Part of her journey toward healing is to endure the pain before and after operation and trust the physician’s expertise to her recovery.

King David penned Psalm 51 after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He came to God broken in spirit and contrite in heart and in God’s forgiveness, finds restoration and revival again.

Tests and Trials

2011-03-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

March 2, 2011

Read I Peter 1:3-9

I Peter 1:7
These (trials) have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I learned the following song when I was a youth and I still sing it when life gets difficult.

“God never moves without purpose or plan,
When trying His servant or moulding a man.
Give thanks to the Lord when your testing seems strong,
In darkness He gives us a song.

Chorus
O rejoice in the Lord – He makes no mistake
He knows the way of the path that I take,
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.

I could not see through the shadows ahead,
So I look to the cross of my Saviour instead.
I bow to the will of my Master that day,
Peace came – and tears fade away.”

Just as gold can only be refined through fire, our motives and desires can only be purified through trials. Just as all the dross of gold must be burnt in the fiery furnace, all that hinders our capacity to become more like Christ must be destroyed through the testings of life.

Are you going through a difficult time right now? Turn your eyes to God and remember
1.There is hope. Jesus sets a new rule when He died and rose again. No situation is hopeless. No hopeless situation is final. (v 3)
2.It could be worse but God has protected you (v 5)
3.There will be an end to the testing/trial (v6)
4.This is a test of your faith from God (v 7)
5.The bottom-line of your test is ‘Do you love him even when He seems absent during this time?” (v8-9)

“A man is lost when honor, truth, and character are gone; but when faith has gone, he has suffered the greatest lost.” - Anon

Resurrection Good News

2011-03-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

Read Luke 24:36-50

Luke 24:38
He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?

They say, “Seeing is believing”. However many things remain unbelievable even when we have seen it. Such is the experience of the disciples when Jesus appeared to them in his resurrected body.

In his resurrected body, Jesus could appear and disappear in thin air in a moment. He could walk through doors and YET he could eat and drink. The physical matter remains and so do the new altered resurrected form. It is so out of this world and almost seems like a page from the “X Files”.

This account is important because it brings together the whole doctrine of Jesus’ redemption for the world. In Revelation, there is this vision of the New Heaven and New Earth coming together as one.

Far from our traditional reading where the new heaven is a space up in the air, of ‘life after death’, God’s vision is that in the final days, all of earth’s corruption will be renewed and fused with the new heaven of God coming down. Jesus’ new resurrected body is the first taste and fulfilment of that grand vision.

On that final day our decaying sin-ridden body will be restored to its best and given a new dimension. The earth and heaven coming together will be a fusion of the matter and spiritual. There will be no more sin, no more pain and no more sorrow and no more death (Read Rev 21).

In this final scene in Luke, Jesus told the disciples not to doubt but believe. His resurrected body embodies the resurrection good news – that sin is defeated, forgiveness is now freely given and they are to now bring this glorious good news to the world.

The world needs such a message. Where sin, decay, division and unrest still plague the earth, the resurrection offers good news.

Just as the disciples were told not to doubt Jesus then in His new resurrected body form, so we his disciples must not question the resurrected message now commissioned to us. We are the carriers and messengers of the good news of the Resurrection, of hope, forgiveness and restoration.

Road to Emmaus

2011-02-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

February 28, 2011

Read Luke 24: 13-35

Luke 24:17,19
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” ... “What things?” he asked

The Road to Emmaus forever changed the lives of Cleopas and his companion. Prayer and journey with God through difficult and overwhelming times have that impact on Christians.

We have a companion in our life journey. Just as the Risen Lord came to Cleopas and his companion, He is the One alongside us in times of our struggles. Jesus, ‘God with us’, Immanuel stays true in all of life’s circumstances. We are not alone. In marriage, it is husband and wife plus Christ. In our church committee, it is always all members plus Christ. In parenting, it is mother plus Christ. In the workplace, it is I, the worker plus Christ. Practise the presence of Christ with you.

We have Someone to discuss things through. Jesus longs to be in our conversations. Like a stranger who takes the initiative to broach our subject of concern, Jesus comes near to us in times of our struggle and gently probes us to open up. In times of confusion, bewilderment and pain, God invites us to talk to him He is the One who will figure things out with us. Prayer is when we discuss things with God. When we pour out all that is in our hearts and try to work out all possible solutions to a problem with him.

We have Someone to share our rawest emotions with. Jesus is God. He knows all things. He gets us to talk because we need it. In talking out things, we identify our feelings, hurts and emotions. In telling him, we share our disappointments, pains and sadness. This is the point of us coming to God in prayer. Prayer is always for us. It is the space, person and peace that we desperately need in times of trials.

We gain new perspective in time spent with God. Cleopas and companion thought Israel would be delivered from suffering – a dead Messiah dashed all their hopes. Jesus’ going through the Scriptures with them righted their vision – Israel would be delivered THROUGH suffering by the sacrificial Messiah. They were looking through the wrong side of the telescope. The most important component of our prayer is to listen to God’s input. Pray for Samuel’s ear, David’s heart, Esther’s courage and Solomon’s wisdom to put God’s instructions into life.

We share the Passion of Christ in time spent with God. Cleopas and his companion’s hearts burned within them throughout the journey, conversation and Bible reading. There is a stirring within our hearts as we spend time with God. Prayer and communion time with God seals and builds our relationship with our Saviour. There is a rupture of souls as we learn to engage our spirits with God’s spirits, as we align our thoughts to His, as we open our eyes to His ways and submits to His wisdom. It is time well spent with Someone who loves us passionately and we will emerge from His presence with a deeper passion for Him.

The Road to Emmaus calls us all into a deeper fellowship and prayer life with God.
Life is difficult but God is good. Life can be confusing but God remains true. Life can be overwhelming but God journeys with us. We are not alone.

Unity in the Church

2011-02-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

February 27, 2011

Christ is the head of the church. We are His body. We are ONE because of Christ.

All of us are different – in personalities, gifting and upbringings. Coming from different backgrounds and cultures, we are called into a family to belong to upon salvation in Christ.

We are already one in Christ but we are now called upon to preserve this unity in Him. We preserve and build unity by focusing on three things – truth, love and trust. All three must be present in order for the church to be united.

Truth is our foundation for unity. God’s word is truth. It determines what is the truth and not our feelings and experiences. Valid as they may be, our feelings must be interpreted according to the truth highlighted in the Bible. God’s teaching is the common gel that holds all our different ethnicities, cultures and experiences together.

Love is our action on truth in unity. Love is a commitment. It dares to confront our sisters and brothers when they are wrong. It takes risk. Love rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts and never fails because it is tough love. Love also keeps no record of wrongs. It forgives, forgoes and with time, forgets and heals. Unity does not mean that there will be no conflicts but it means that reconciliation is possible.

Finally, trust holds truth and love together which seals unity. A misrepresentation of truth or a casting of doubt is enough to separate friends. That has been Satan’s strategy since the Garden of Eden. He is a Con-Master that specialises in distorting the truth, creating suspicion and his aim is to grief the heart of God and to topple His kingdom work. Satan’s work is always to deceive, divide and destroy the body.

May we anchor ourselves in truth, live out in love and trust each other to build BHLC together.

The Hour of Darkness

2011-02-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

February 24, 2011

Read Luke 22:39-53

Luke 22:46
“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

In intense warfare and difficult journeys, you need loyal and trusted friends.

One of my favourite characters in the movie, “Lord of the Rings” is Sam, the faithful companion of Frodo. The importance of Sam’s role is captured in Frodo’s words, “Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam.”

As the “hour of darkness” drew near, Jesus was perplexed by his disciples’ inability to stay awake and pray. There was imminent danger and the oppressive air was suffocating him but alas, his companions were oblivious to the intensity of the warfare. Their leader was going to be arrested but the followers were clueless.

Jesus struggled with the Father over what was about to happen. Why? Was he disobedient? Was he unprepared? No.

He had forewarned his disciples of the coming suffering, of the betrayal, of the denials, of the cross and all. So why did he pray for the cup to be removed from him, if possible?

I believe Jesus’ struggle is more of a mental and emotional struggle – the darkness that is going to envelop him, a darkness whereby the utter sense of being forsaken by God overwhelmed the Saviour.

That sense of God-abandonment with the unceasing questionings of ‘did I read God’s will wrongly”, “was there another way”? Doubts assailing his mind and that momentary but intense fear of misreading and misunderstanding God’s will.

We all have those moments – moments whereby we waver and ask if what we are doing is really what God wills. And if we are the leader, or the stakes of what we read as God’s will are high, we will experience that questioning. In that moment of overpowering darkness, our faith in God is not shaken, our desires to do God’s will is there but our fears of misinterpreting God’s desire is also real.

In times like these, we must wrestle through with God. The stakes are high. Our fears are real. Don't skip the process. Don't try to cut short the process.
Wrestle and work through it.

But be assured - the hour of darkness will pass.

The Servant-Leader

2011-02-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

Read Luke 22:24-38

Luke 22:27
For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves it? But I am among you as one who serves.

Imagine yourself as the coach preparing your hockey team for the Stanley Cup. This is the game of a lifetime and you have outlined the strategy for the game. You remind your team to stay focused as they are about to face their greatest enemy on ice. When you stop talking, the team members turn to each other and start squabbling about who is the better player, who has a better track record and who should play in which position.

You stop the bickering and try again to explain that they have come together so far as a team and remind them of the great plans ahead and how they need to be prepared for this big day.

Suddenly, the team captain jumps in and assures you that he is going to lead the team into victory. You know he has missed the point - he has underestimated the enemy and overestimated his capability. You stop him and tell him that before half time he is going to give away two penalties and even be sent-off.

As the coach, you try one last time - it is not going to be an easy game. You have journeyed with them thus far. But on the field, they are on their own. They have to remember everything they have learned and play it out in the field. One of them then says in jest, "It is ok - if it becomes too hard, we will just fight - punch them in the face!!!" The room breaks into laughter.

"That is enough!" You cry out in exasperation.

That in a nutshell was how Jesus felt in his attempt to prepare the disciples for his arrest, crucifixion and death.

We sense his loneliness and how his heart bleeds at being so misunderstood - even by closed friends. Frustration, disappointment and loneliness all roll into one in this scenario.

All who have been entrusted with God's vision and ministry will face times like these; when we have to carry through God's will despite misunderstanding, opposition, doubt and denial, even from close friends and ministry partners. In times like these, reading and re-reading this passage will give us the strength that we need.

In God's kingdom, the aloneness of ministry is a puzzling truth. In all great things that God wants to do through us, it will have to be through the baptism of loneliness and aloneness.

So Jesus went to the cross alone and took on the servant role alone. But the promise of the kingdom came to us because He was willing to go through it.

In times like these, i find it worthwhile to read Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah Chapter 53 again.

If our leader so does it, we must be willing too.

"The Red Sea" Rules

2011-02-22T01:47:00.000-08:00

22 February, 2011

Read Exodus Chapter 14.

Exodus 14:1-2
Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.

A friend sharing of “The Red Sea Rules” from a book written by Robert J. Morgan ministered greatly to me.

“In Exodus, God told Moses to take the children of Israel to the Red Sea. When they got there, Pharaoh and his army were not far behind. On either sides were high mountains, the sea was in front of them and their enemies were behind them, well armed with chariots and horses. Notice God had led them there. God “took responsibility for leading them into peril. He gave them specific, step-by-step instructions, leading them down a route to apparent ruin: turn and camp. Camp there,. There, before the entrapping sea. Yes, right there in that impossible place.

The Lord occasionally does the same with us, testing our faith, leading us into hardship, teaching us wisdom, showing us His ways. Our first reaction may be a surge of panic and a sense of alarm, but we must learn to consult the Scriptures for guidance.

So, take a deep breath and recall this deeper secret of the Christian life: when you are in a difficult place, realize that the Lord either placed you there or allowed you to be there, for reasons perhaps known for now only to Himself.

The same God who led you in will lead you out.”

Rule 1: Realize that God means for you to be where you are. Tough as it may seem, God has you where He wants you. He will use this for your good and His glory.

Rule 2: Be more concerned for God’s glory than for your relief.

Rule 3: Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord. God is able to deal with the situation Himself. He wants you to trust Him and leave Him to do His work without your interference. At this time, every time you think of the problem, force yourself instead to look at the Lord. Keep focusing on Him even when you don’t understand and everything looks bleak.

Rule 4: Pray

Rule 5: Stay calm and confident, and give God time to work. God is neither in a hurry nor is He slow.

Rule 6: When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith. There are other needs to be attended to. Sometimes helping others gives us a break from our own problems. It can give us a different perspective as well.

Rule 7: Envision God’s enveloping presence. God came between Israel and Pharoah. The Egyptians were in darkness but God’s light shone on the Israelites and the Red Sea so they could cross over. God is with you. He will not allow anything to harm you or destroy you. He knows exactly what you are going through. He has been there first and will walk you through this. He will put His loving arms around you and comfort you.

Rule 8: Trust God to deliver in His own unique way

Rule 9: View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future. He is preparing you for something bigger in the future and growing you for greater works.

Rule 10: Don’t forget to praise Him.”

May we see God’s glory and power in our Red-Sea situation.

2011-02-15T22:43:00.000-08:00

Please Note that there will not be any postings on this blog
from 16 February t0 21 February, 2011.

Tricky Situation

2011-02-15T08:43:00.000-08:00

15 February, 2011

Read Luke Luke 20:20-26

Luke 20:24-25
"Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

The religious teachers were trying to look for a way to frame Jesus. So they sent pious looking Jews with hard questions, hoping to trick him and arrest him. Jesus had become too big a threat to their power.

The Roman coin bore the image of Tiberius Caesar with the inscription of him as the "Son of God" which was blasphemous to the Jews.

If Jesus oppose the payment to Caesar, he would be exposed as a revolutionary. If Jesus said to pay, he would disqualify himself as a Messiah. In the eyes of the Jews, God's kingdom was not merely spiritual in nature. The kingdom of God touches everyday reality.

Jesus' answer was brilliant. First he asked for a coin from his questioners. The act of taking the coin out of their pockets was a visual slap on their hypocrisy. What are they doing possessing such blasphemous objects? Getting them to read the inscription further confounded them to admit Caesar's blasphemous title.

So when Jesus said, "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's" - he was challenging them in their position of supporting the Romans to oppress their own people. The religious leaders (not the Pharisees) had to admit the revolutionaries were right in their belief not to allow the pagan rulers to crush their own people though wrong in their methods.

But Jesus' challenge came stronger in the second part of his answer. The temple and the religious authorities had failed to give to God what belongs to God.

Jesus ultimate answer was give to God what rightfully belongs to Him, and the Caesar's part would right itself.

In encountering a tricky situation, practice what is first clear to us - the clear commands of God and the gray area will take care of itself.

Jesus' answer bears much wisdom even today. This is the essence of wisdom living.

Spiritual Eyesight

2011-02-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

14 February, 2011

Read Luke 18:31-43

Luke 18:41
“What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

How would you answer if Jesus were to ask you the above question? What would your answer be?

The man was both blind and a beggar. He could have asked for money or food (which would be his 'normal daily' request) but he went for the chance of his lifetime - sight. This shows his complete faith in Jesus and he received what he asked for.

The story of the blind beggar happened on Jesus' route to Jerusalem where he would be betrayed, tortured and crucified. (v. 31-33). Yet "the disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about."(v.34).

The disciples were still caught up with their own idea of how things should be. They imagined Jesus going to bring in the Kingdom of God through healing, victory but minus the suffering and the cross. They anticipated the glory and were clueless about the pains.

They have eyes but cannot see. Those who were with Jesus 24/7, for nearly three-and-a-half years failed to see. The beggar who encountered Jesus for that few minutes received sight. That was the faith commended by Jesus.

Luke 11:9-10
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

The key and right to ask Jesus for anything has been given us.

Will we ask for sight - spiritual sight that will enable us to see Jesus taking all the blindness of a world gone wrong? Opening our eyes to see things from His angle, understanding God's purpose and plan through His spiritual sight?

May we ask for spiritual insight - to live a life of wisdom where things are done the godly way to reflect the God whom we worship.

The Power of the Church

2011-02-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

February 13, 2011

According to Oswald Sanders, “Prayer is the most ancient, most universal, and most intensive expression of the religious instinct”. (Spiritual Leadership, p. 85).

Just like holiness, prayer is innate in those who are born-again children of God.
While most of our human instincts are to be curbed and Spirit-controlled, the instinct to be holy and pray must not be stifled. We must act on these spiritual instincts and work these into our daily lives until they become who we are.

To be the church we are to be, we must pray. Prayer is life to the church as oxygen is to the body.

Yet the department of prayer is often overlooked in the church life because it is not a visible ministry. Prayer is a ‘behind-the-closet’ ministry that is often unnoticed and without glamour. However, the effect of this neglect is often costly.

In prayer, we tap on a Resource that is full of wisdom. When we pray, we seek a higher Power to navigate through the stages of church growth and challenges. Most importantly, we declare our dependence on the Creator and Architect of the church. God is the orchestrator of church formation and He alone provides the blueprint and roadmap of His body. Surely then the community of God can ill afford not to pray.

I am convinced that the power of God is unleashed when His church bends its knees and humbles itself in prayer. It is a discipline that we as a church must master.

May God arise and His enemies be scattered through the church that prays.

Pray and don't Give up

2011-02-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

February 11, 2011

Read Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:7-8
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

The Israelites suffered many hardships under different empires, including the Romans. They knew injustice firsthand. It was the hope of the Messiah who would deliver them that kept the nation going. They longed for the day when the Saviour would free them. They had been oppressed and mistreated, longing for the day when the Messiah would come and liberate them from these barbaric rulers.

Finally God’s justice came. It came in Jesus. Their liberation would be obtained through the crucifixion of their Mighty Saviour and not through violent uprising. It would come in their acknowledging Jesus and His sacrificial way of salvation. But would these same Jews who longed for justice be able to embrace the entire message of God’s justice. That was the challenge Jesus posed to his hearers.

Prayers come in many forms. A sigh, a tear, a clench of fist, an outraged cry at our predicament – all these are recognisable outcries of our hearts when language fails us. Prayer comes quickly and frequently when we feel that we are unjustly treated and a desperate cry to God to set things right and fair.

When we feel that we have been taken advantage of, our natural reaction is to hit back. Retaliation is never a godly response. We may be tempted to take things into our own hands and orchestrate events so as to get justice. But the process and response is as important to God as the outcome. God’s way is Jesus’ way. In Jesus, love and justice meets. Jesus way is the faith way. If we follow His way, we will be marked as those who follow THE way.

Faith in the face of injustice is seen in our conviction that God is a fair judge and he shows no favouritism. The anchor of justice is truth based on God’s revelation and character. God will not deny justice to us. Faith in God means to trust in His timing and His way.

Choose the way of love and choose to wait for His perfect way. He promises to vindicate us and He promises not to turn a blind eye to our plight nor turn a deaf ear to our cries. Do we trust Him enough to suffer through and pray till justice comes? That is the godly way.