We often forget that there are many people waiting to hear the gospel. We often forget that we want to see people saved. We give many things, but not the most precious gift of all for the ones we love. Billy Graham understood the value of the message he was preaching, just as we know that because God loves us – we want to share it with the world. Of course we think, “But I’m nobody!” When the truth is that we don’t want to meet strangers or get rejected. But as Pastor Charlie Koh’s son said about his wayward friend, “If I don’t love him, who will?”

Ultimately it’s about how God transforms lives, it’s not about us. Begin with the desire to see people saved. Start with letting this great big secret of his love for you, out into the world. Don’t keep the good news to yourself. There is no method or script to follow. It’s about your heart.

First, love people. Everyone has needs, and you have the answer to meet them with. Invest in the moments of time it takes to really love someone. All your effort in life comes down to the only 3 things that are of any value. God, the Word and the souls of men. Have you been investing in the right things?

It isn’t easy being brave, even as adults. Children imagine that we are, but any Christian has felt like a coward more than a few times. We are all “too busy” with our day jobs and our night lives; when would we have time to ask a simple, “How are you?”

Luke 19

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

¹ Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

In this story, Zacchaeus summed up the very reason why Jesus came. The hallmark of the coming of Jesus lies in the chief of crooks and the most hated, wicked man. Although he was a wealthy man, he knew that there was something missing in his life. There are many people like Zacchaeus around us, totally rejected by life. Zacchaeus was also completely willing for Jesus to come into his life, responding to such a personal invitation. There are many others out there who are desperately seeking and saying, “If only someone would tell me how.”

In South Africa, Pastor Charlie saw the exponential needs of the black townships and asked himself, “Is there no Church?” The needs are there, all over the world. We need to move out of our comfortable places in life and start dreaming of a better tomorrow. God will empower us with a purpose and mission. Here’s the thing we can do as a Church, the little thing we can do: let’s start with one. Save one person for God this year. Wrap your head around this challenge and then get ready to go.

23 January 2011

Special Thanks to Pastor Charlie Koh

Genesis 12

The Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident that happened on October 17, 2000. Although only 4 people died, it exposed the major stewardship shortcomings of the national railway infrastructure company. The flaws revealed fatigue cracks, fundamental things, which had been neglected. Abraham was almost derailed himself, when he began to walk by sight and not by faith. From Negev (a place of dryness and famine) he had traveled to Egypt; known at the time for being a place filled with godlessness, flesh, and a self-seeking world system.

It was only when he moved up to Bethel that he called on the Lord. The crack was that he hadn’t called on the name of the Lord, and had leaned on his own understanding instead. It is so important that we worship, pray, surrender totally, submit and depend on God. It is our faith that will give us revelation and clarity of vision when we don’t know what to do.

Even a Pastor can be disillusioned, disappointed and discouraged in faith – when a life is lived without an altar for God. We can burn out with routine, even when we serve the Church. Ministry itself can become a God to us, if we aren’t careful.

Genesis 13:9

Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.

Abraham decided to separate himself from Lot. How can two walk together when one is so clearly wrong company? If he hadn’t chosen to go his separate way, he may have missed the blessing from God.

Pastor Daniel himself had taken a job at 20 years of age which had kept him from coming regularly to Church and from fellowship with others. He resigned and then received another offer, with double the pay! Some things may be good, but they are out of the boundaries of God’s blessings. We need to recognize the existence of this in our own lives.

At a retreat, a young girl he’d met shared with him a tragic story of having entered into a relationship with a non-Christian boy. When Pastor Daniel advised her to cut all ties and part with her boyfriend, she chose not to. Ask yourself if there are any ‘Lots’ in your own life, ones that you need to part with. ‘Lots’ could also been certain lifestyles which need to be left behind.

An altar is a place of sacrifice. It’s a place of death to your dreams and your Self. Separation will happen here, so determine what are your ‘Lots’ and make a choice to leave.

Genesis 13:14-15

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.

Once this has happened, you will gain a clarity of vision. Abraham fixed his eyes on Jesus.

Psalm 121

Our outlook determines our outcomes. Eve saw what was pleasing to the eye, just as our eyes see what our heart loves. This is what led Abraham to choose the plains instead of the provisions of heaven. What kind of eyes do you have?

Luke 11

What do you feed your eyes daily? Is it the word or something else? Be careful about what you see. Guard the spirit which fills you. Let the spirit control your life. Pray in the spirit and you’ll be given oil for your ‘lamp’.

Symptoms of a cracked lamp is a lack of appetite for God, no desire to worship, and no need for Church of God himself. If you are in this state you will also excuse yourself in sinning and even sin deliberately.

Lastly, Abraham let God choose for him last possessions. Lot however, chose for himself what he felt was best. When Abraham was in Bethel God said for him to look up from where he was, which poses the question, “Where are you now?”  This pertains to your spiritual condition. Are you Negev, Bethel or Egypt? If you are at Negev, move up and not downstream.

28 November 2010

Special Thanks to Pastor Daniel Tan

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Yes you can be offended, as long as we aren’t greedy; God will not leave us. That is what we say to encourage our brothers. God is our constant, although we are fickle and may change. Leadership is found in God’s Church. Everything rises and falls on leadership. This is true in companies, and most especially in the Church. Pastor Chew shared with us what it is like to be the senior pastor of SIB KL. His responsibility is to share the word of God with us. He must also live in character and conduct that we may want to imitate. Lastly, he is to keep watch over all of us.

Sharing the word means that he cannot corrupt or manipulate the word, which means that he must study, research and then present it to us. He doesn’t pander to our whims and fancies, rather he must give us a balanced biblical view. We may not always like it, but so be it.

Hebrews 4:12-13

It’s not just him, it’s the word. It penetrates and it judges and as much as you want to hide from it, it will find you out. Therefore all he can do is preach the word, unadulterated, unashamedly and unapologetically. He has to catch us by the neck and say, “Look here.” And keep our hearts from hardening.

He also has to do more than just drive emotions through speech. For if one is to teach the word, he must make sure that he is worth following.

James 3:1

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

Many people fail to see this. Pastors have fallen, their Churches scattered and split. Morally, a good teacher of the word must also lead a good inner life.

He is also to watch over us; not in a Big Brother type of way, but to stay vigilant like a watchman over us. He doesn’t tell us what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. He must be doctrinely pure and morally clean. If he is, then it is our responsibility to submit to him. There are 2,500 ways to run a Church, in a Church with 2,500 members. There are people whom have left the Church because they were not made cell leaders, did not approve of the way there was no Sunday School or just plain didn’t agree with something said by another member. Do not judge leaders for what is inside you.

If you believe your leader is not good enough, he shall humbly release you and pray that you will flourish in another Church.

We ought to be persuaded in a trusting way. After hearing, we are to decide. If you tell a Pastor that you are going to sabotage him with innuendo, lies, slander and gossip – what joy will that bring you? What advantage? And more importantly, whose side are you on? Cover him with love instead and he shall give you a 200% return.

If he has to spend time worrying about your worries about him, where will he find the time to lead as he is ordained to? It is your call to leave the Church, and let our Pastor get on with his job. A Pastor’s plight is not an easy one as there is not perfect place to be. You are either doing something too much or too little, and they will always make mistakes. Will we forgive our Pastors?

Don’t fight your Church with criticisms, build it instead. Intercession for our Christian leaders is a prayer shield we must all take up.

14 November 2010

Special Thanks to Ps Dr Chew Weng Chee

²⁵ See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? ²⁶ At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”^{[a] 27} The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our “God is a consuming fire.”

God has never changed and never will. The only thing that has changed is our approach to Him. We ought to listen to God, he is still speaking even when we are too busy to hear. And it’s when we don’t hear him that he shakes things to get our attention.

Alarm systems detect and indicate an abnormal event. They also allow us enough time to correct the problem. A siren bell alerts us about danger, and an alarm clock simply wakes us up. God is both. We must wake up and listen when he shakes our systems to get our attention. While we go about our busy lives, doing everything we possibly can, God is trying to speak. God will shake 7 things to warn and wake us.

He will shake the environment, the natural world around us with disasters we have become almost immune to. Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and more all point to a birth that is about to take place – in the pain the world is going through.

Isaiah 24: 1-7

When we ignore the environmental law, we are all affected. And the world will be leveled because the world – it fights back.

God is also shaking created things.

Hebrews 12: 26-27

²⁶ When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”^{[a] 27} This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

Idolatry is anything that is more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. This could be your business or even your health. What do you think about when you drive? This can reveal idolatry.

Jonah 2:8

⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.

History repeats itself because people have short memories.

Money is neutral, but it has been misused to manipulate. Greed has caused the Federal Reserve to print more money for yet another recession.

Revelations 18

Babylon fell in one hour. He will continue to shake the financial world until we open our eyes.

God will also shake the spiritual forces in former Christian nations. The rise of Islamic Fundamentalism is gathering. Occult films are desensitizing us as the destruction of families, division of Churches and the downfall of pastors happens. The dark side is working overtime. The good news is that we are in the midst of completing the great commission. There are more Christians than babies being born (Lausenne Taskforce in Evangelism). Our task is achievable in our lifetime. And it is testimony to all the nations that we are nearer than we think.

Israel, the time clock and the sign post to the world, will be shaken. Hear and sense what God is saying in the news, there is yet another war to come. Lastly and most imminent to us, God will shake the Church. Judgment starts with the house, through the Church. As his army we are judged for how else can we overcome the challenges ahead? Only two things will never pass away: The word of God and the souls of men. Why are you who you are today? Invert your mindset, invest your time and resources and involved yourselves hands-on. Look for opportunities to pray for someone and to build and encourage others. God is a consuming fire, but just as with our security alarms, we have time to recalibrate.

7 November 2010

Special Thanks to Dr Ps Chew Weng Chee

James 3: 1-12

The tongue has the ability to wage war and corrupt our souls. It is the one thing behind destruction.

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 13:3

He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

We are told to guard our lips and in doing so, guard our hearts. The words we say are important. It is not only what we say to others that matters, it is also about the harm we do to ourselves. To tame our tongues it so domesticate and train them to become mild and gentle. It is wild and to rein it in, is to rein evil in our lives.

Pastor Andy’s own mother taught him to tame his tongue by punishing him before he could tell a lie. His father taught him not to complain. Our words can mark the destruction of our past as well as our future, and we must be very careful of this especially with our children.

Proverbs 16:23-24

The wise in heart will be called understanding,
And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

1 Peter 3:10

For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

Our words must be like honeycomb.

Matthew 12:33-37

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

Matthew 15:17:20

¹⁷“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ “

God will ask us why we said the things we did. And we will not be able to answer if we have cursed others, even if it’s just on Facebook. Be watchful of the things you write online; they reveal your heart.

We have the right to express ourselves of course, but not the right to create lies or spread gossip and slander. To be holy is watch our tongues. Gossip comes from a very judgmental and jealous place. Even children can spread gossip that we spread to them.

Psalm 101:5

Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.

To slander is from the devil himself and the devil does not need any help with this. It comes from a heart condition of feeling bitterness. Even flattery and sarcasm come from hearts which are full of pride, selfishness, false and insincere. However subtle, they reveal the condition of your heart.

We are created for a divine purpose, and we should use our tongues for what they were intended. To glorify God and to bless others. To build, cheer, stir and encourage others. To edify others.

Colossians 4:6

⁶Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Ephesians 4:25, 27, 29

Ephesians 5:1-5

Words that build others will life them up just as God’s word lifts us up. Imitate God without a hint of immorality. Do not joke obscenely and about these things, which are dirty because they come from the heart and the hearts must be clean. An uncontrolled tongue leads to hell and tear others apart, in ways that can’t always be repaired.

Pastor Andy also shared how in school he had slandered a boy who has considered him a friend, all behind his back. This boy ended up dying of cancer, and an apology was never made. To learn from this we should not join others in talking down other people, making fun of others, spreading lies and mocking others behind their backs.

None of us are perfect in taming our tongues, but we can ask God to help us and we can guard our hearts by watching our tongues and cleansing our lips in ways that will immeasurably do good to glofiy God to others. Many people stood up in Church today at the end of this message to ask forgiveness for having an untamed tongue and for having sinned with the world’s most dangerous weapon.

31 October 2010

Special Thanks to Pastor Andy Loh

¹Keep on loving each other as brothers. ²Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. ³Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

⁴Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. ⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”^{[a] 6}So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”^[b]

We are asked to love everyone, entertain everyone and remember those in prison amongst many things.

God himself has taught us to love, but it is a tough thing to follow God’s love. We are new covenant people, which mean that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, who will help us to love even when it’s the hardest thing we can imagine doing. He makes it possible.

1 John 3:16-19

Romans 13:8-10

Brotherly love has everything to do with our love of God. If we say we hate our brother, then we do not love God. For who could love God but hate a member of the body of Christ? Therefore we cannot hate a brother or sister.

Love is most seriously a responsibility. We have a debt to owe and it is our action and our response that most show our transformation. This is because we choose to do it. We choose love, little by little, one step at a time because it isn’t easy to love practically. The most practical application of this should be at home. How many of us are kind and patient at home? Or perhaps we are envious or easily angered instead?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Galatians 5: 22-23

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Just because you have an issue doesn’t mean that you can’t grow. The important thing is that we make progress in our growth, and come to Church for more than just a tick of our names on the register, but to have our lives transformed.

Human nature loves gossip. We love to hear of another’s weakness so that we can feel good about ourselves. Instead we should stop and pray for the one we are gossiping about, before word spreads.  Pray for people instead of tearing them down. If you pray anything in the body of Christ, God will do it. Our ‘fruit’ can be seen by everyone. People will notice negative fruit.

Say things as straight as you can, but say them to heal. No one likes to be reprimanded but if things are said in the right away, they can lead people to say, “I want to improve and I want to be a better person.”

We are asked to entertain those who are ‘directed’ our way. Therefore if the Lord tells you to do something, do it. If you do something out of pity it is doesn’t mean anything. Many people who come to us are challenged and the least we can do is pray for them. When we see someone being abused in any way, we can do something small to bless them. This is what God expects of us. It is a tough topic, love – but we need to know the truths of God so that we do not live casual lives.

We must also be pure from stain, and honor the God ordained institution of marriage. Marriage is holy and honorable.

We invite Jesus in marriage, just as in the garden of Eden. As a way of expressing God and his Church. Immorality is possibly avoided when husbands and wives fulfill their duties to one another.

1 Corinthians 7:1-5

We lack moral integrity today. Do not abuse this institution of marriage and come back into the Church’s counsel in times of struggle.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

One of the few places the word “Flee” is used. Don’t express sexual desire anywhere but in the safety of marriage. Cut the soul ties and stop the behavior.

Let everyone be satisfied sufficiently with what we have.

Matthew 6: 19-34

No one can steal what is in your heart. Do not worry, our heavenly Father knows what we need and he provides it freely. Contentment is achievable, the Lord teaches us how. And we must model it to our children, because it is how they will grow up. The man who does the will of God lives forever.

Matthew 23:13

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

17 October 2010

Special Thanks to Pastor Chandran

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ¹⁶See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.

Last week we learned that God’s discipline is never punitive, it is purifying. To partake in His holiness is to see God. Holiness is in our character, and righteousness is a conduct in itself. God’s intention is not to give us a ticket to heaven, but to get his holiness into us.

Peace, righteousness and holiness are a package that comes only when we are at peace with God and rested in our spirit. Without it we would be fighting with everyone all the time. It is not a phony, illusive or fake peace – lasting peace carries with it integrity, honesty, truthfulness and purity of heart. It gives us the ability to discern (see) with perceptive insight and understanding what the will of God is in every situation. We will not make the usual mistakes with holiness in our character.

To be holy is to be separate from the world in depth, insight and character. It is to carry God’s presence with you. Holiness does not mean to be a spooky Christian, but to live a natural life. Holiness is to be separated from something towards something.

1 Peter 1:16

¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

You are not holy with a halo around your head, you are holy by the choice you make to live for God.

2 Timothy 2:21

If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

With your choice, you are now fit for the Master’s use for noble purposes. Many of us don’t realize that our work can be a calling.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18

Therefore
“ Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”^[a]
18 “ I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty.”^[b]

This also reassures us that holiness is indeed achievable and not impossible. Unholiness however is caused by unforgiveness, immorality and worldliness. Essentially it is the Esau nature.

In life we will be offended. This is nothing new, but it is how we respond that reveals the bitter roots that grow underneath. Hiding beneath the surface, spreading and growing, defiling others and causing trouble to anyone around us. You have to get rid of that anger and hatred that makes you say and do things that even a non-Christian would not do. And you must perform a major therapeutic surgery of forgiveness in order to grow a beautiful relational landscape. If Jesus can continually forgive you, why can’t you forgive others?

Without forgiveness you inflict pain upon yourself from a self-inflated ego. And as Forest Gump said after Jenny had hurled rocks at the abusive house she’d grown up in, “Sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks to throw.” If you’re angry with everyone, let it go. Sometimes the person you’re angry with doesn’t even know you are. And don’t allow yourself to be vicariously angry either, for that too is senseless. The root of your bitterness will lead to self destruction.

Luke 6:37-38

Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

This verse is often quoted in reference to giving tithes and offerings to the Church, when in fact is about forgiveness. If you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven.

When we are worldly we compromise our morals. We become like Esau and prostitutes who will sell or trade our bodies. He sold his birthright for a meal. A long term promise for an immediate gratification. He turned away from eternal things and therefore profaned the most beautiful. Rethink what you enjoy in life and don’t cleave to it. It’s alright to enjoy things, but do not sell and trade those things or live by what you can physically see. Material things to further your own agenda will only lead to the law of diminishing returns.

Pursue a righteous relationship, a righteous lifestyle and peace with all men. Walk tall for you are being used by the Master. Discern God’s perfect will for your life and he shall show you if there is indeed any rubbish in you that needs clearing out; remember that God always wants to bless you.

Biblical holiness is observable. So ask yourself about your habits, and do not harbor anything negative against any one (even your Pastors!)

10 October 2010

Special Thanks to Ps Dr Chew Weng Chee

No one enjoys being punished. In fact we have avoided it all our lives. As children, we’d run from our mother’s (or father’s) terrorizing hands, hide behind furniture; failing which curling up into a ball on the floor seemed to minimize the pain the most.

We learnt about faith last week and how we must have the right perspective and fix our eyes upon Jesus. The question asked this morning was, “How do you respond in the face of trial and tribulation?” When life gets hard we often ask ourselves, “What sin have I committed?” or, “What have I done to deserve this?” This is only natural of course, but we ought to try looking at this from God’s perspective.

To chasten is to train, correct, cultivate and educate children in order to help them develop and mature as they must. For this very reason God chastens us. When looking at how we should respond, there are 2 admonishments that we must not do. Firstly, do not despise God’s discipline.

Deuteronomy 8:1-5

Exodus 15 & 16

Numbers 11

The people complained so God gave them manna to test them. They failed and upgraded their complaints to criticism (Numbers 14:1-4)

When Pastor Daniel was 16 years old he was dumped cruelly and coldly by his sweetheart. At the time he had served in the Church, but his heart had been with her. He asked God, “Why are you doing this to me?” Thankfully this colossal mistake did not cause his heart to be hardened and he repented upon hearing the word of God in a service.

The second important thing we must not do is be discouraged. When we are discouraged but we and God shrink. We must be strong and courageous by enduring our hardship and submit to it. To submit after all is humbling.

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Hebrews 12: 6-8

Discpline authenticates 2 things. One is that it reflects God’s love for us. Secondly it proves that we are God’s children, for he would only love his sons.

Proverbs 13:24

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Parents discipline their children out of love, not hate. And the only time we have to think twice about disciplining is when the children do not belong to us. Very few of us would actually discipline a stranger or a friend’s child. In fact when we do, as step parents and counselors will know, we are asked, “Who are you?” We are not their parents, and therefore we lack a so called ‘right’.

Hebrews 9:28

So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

God’s discipline is not punitive. His discipline is there to teach us something and it is never meant to hurt but always meant to purify us instead. And we must remember that his discipline is never his disfavor. His redemptive and corrective discipline is pure love. Because instead of lashes of his wrath, he lavishes his love.

Some of us may have had bad experiences of discipline. These may affect our image of God the Father. We may think God punishes our families when we stop going to Church, never knowing that he wants to heal us. We have to know in our hearts that we are beloved children of His; that is the outcome of discipline. He does it for our good and to form holiness, fullness and a Christ like character in us.

We attain 2 things when we partake in God’s holiness.

Romans 8:17

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

From the character of Christ comes the fruit; for it is in a package. The devil tempts us to bring out the worst in us. But our God is not just interested in getting us to heaven, his intentions are to get his Holiness into us.

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

How can we produce fruits of righteousness and peace? We must be trained, stripped naked before our spiritual trainer, the one who knows what we lack. To produce fruits of peace we must consider and reflect upon what Christ went through and compare it to our own hardship, to discover that ours – is nothing. Meditate on what he’s done and contemplate his promises. Do not interpret God’s love by your circumstances; rather interpret your circumstances by God’s love.

3 October 2010

Special Thanks to Pastor Daniel Tan

Why is there an entire chapter on faith? In the previous chapter, we learned that our confidence comes from believing in Jesus. Now the writer wants us to know that faith alone pleases God.  At that time, do not shrink back from your faith.

What is biblical faith? Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith stands as a hidden principle of the believer’s life, upholding him in times of affliction and life itself. The evidence is in the conviction. How do you know God is real? The evidence is in the faith of his believers. Faith is the organ which enables people to see the invisible. Biblical faith is not natural faith, presumptuous faith, faith in faith, mental faith or superstitious faith. You cannot base faith on our five senses. Or base it on the assumption of what you’ve heard is possible. You do not generate your own faith (which has nothing to do with God).  And simply believing in God does not mean that you have a faith that pleases God. For even the devil believes in God.

James 2:17

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Superstition is based on fear and not theory. A faith that pleases God is no based on theory and not conceptual. You can declare and confess your faith all you want, but only acted out faith can please God.

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

What caused Abraham, Abel, Noah and all the other heroes of faith to act out that way? The underlining substance was that they believed that God would honor what he said he would do.

Romans 10:17

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

You must hear God’s word. Stephen Hawking is a man who has clearly not read his Bible. Hence he has no faith. If we are to have faith that is acted out we need to hear the word and hear his voice through it. We may ask ourselves if God exists. If he can be trusted, and if he is all sufficient for us. These questions are normal, but you will never obey a leader whom you can’t trust. Even though Abraham didn’t know where he was going, he went because he knew who he was following.

Hebrews 11:17

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

He offered his son Issac as a sacrifice even though he knew child sacrifice at the time was a practice that belonged to other religions. It was perplexing situation, and he must have wondered to himself, “Why does God want me to do this?” Yet he obeyed because he understood: God will not show you every detail (ie how he can raise someone from the dead) but rational faith is based on an intimate relationship. He moved because God had spoken and he considered Him faithful to his promise. He reasoned that God could raise the dead.

Psalm 23

In God’s heart that is not even a hint of evil. All the plans he has for us are good. From Genesis 22 we hear for the first time about Love. God is love and he is able and powerful. Abraham admitted that there must be something he did not understand. We may not be able, but God is able. You must know what kind of God you have. Establish who he is. It is not something dreamy thing, you must ask questions to build your faith.

In the jungles of Borneo, in the interior is an overwhelming atmosphere of people worshipping God. This was made possible by missionaries who had left their homeland (Australia) and traveled by foot, into the depths of the jungle to reach the tribes that lived there. There were many dangers, and yet they knew God had spoken. 60% of Christians in Malaysia are in Sabah and Sarawak. What if the missionaries had never made in there? If only the same could be done in places like Afghanistan.

As we act out in faith, He will reward us. When Noah acted out in faith and built the ark, when the floods came up, everyone knew that God existed. They knew that there must be a God. If missionaries had never gone into the interiors, there would be no SIB church today. If our Pastors had considered their own ideas about what they should do, and what they wanted, we would have never had them. But heroes of faith focus on a better country, in God. They know that his destiny is better and that the rewards of faith are what enable us to understand what the mind does not. Faith enables us to stay true to him, even in death. Keeps us believing and keeps us saved.

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.

Fix your eyes on Jesus and focus on the God of your prayer, not just the answer to your prayer.

19 September 2010

Special Thanks to Pastor Lew Lee Choo