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5 February 2012 – Solas Beliefs (Solas Scriptural)

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:32:48 +0000

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
This month, we focus on the “Four Solas” of the Christian Faith which are: Sola Scriptura (The Bible Alone), Solas Christus (Christ Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone) & Sola Fide (Faith Alone). As believers, we must know what we believe (doctrines) and practice according to the Scriptures.
Today, we focus on Sola Scriptura, namely; “The Bible is the only basis or foundation of our Christian faith”. The Bible teaches the truth about God. It is the pure, undiluted Word of God. It is the absolute authoritative Word of God for Christian faith and practice. Jesus declares that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). He told the Jews who intended to stone Him that “the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35b). In His High Priestly prayer, Jesus said that the Father’s “word is truth” (John 17:17). Let’s confidently mean what we declare in the Bible Confession: “This is my Bible. It is the Word of God. I believe it. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do!” When we believe Jesus and take His word at face value, Jesus says “we can do greater works in His Name” (John 14:12).

29 January 2012 – The Disciple’s Prayer (Forgive Us/For Thine is the Kingdom)

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:33:19 +0000

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (remitted, let go of the debts and have given up resentment against) our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12 Amplified Bible)
This verse contains both a petition and a declaration. We often utter the petition, “Forgive us our debts” ignoring the declaration, “as we have forgiven our debtors”. When Jesus uses the conjunction “as,” He is making the relationship between the petition and the declaration. He says that we set the standard and then God follows the standard (vs 14-15). In Mark 11:22, we are to ask for “faith in God” to remove mountain. However, this “mountain” is unforgiveness (Mark 11:25) and it blocks the blessing of God to our prayers. St. Augustine called this “a terrible petition.” He pointed out that if you pray these words while harboring an unforgiving spirit, you are actually asking God not to forgive you. Ponder that for a moment. If you pray “Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors” while refusing to forgive those who have wronged you, this prayer which is meant to be a blessing becomes a self-inflicted curse. Charles Spurgeon says, you are signing you own ‘death-warrant’. You are really saying, “O God, since I have not forgiven my brother, please do not forgive me.” When you cancel another’s debt, you are poorer financially but the debtor becomes richer. However, you are enriched because you are obeying God. Matthew, a tax collector, who wrote this Gospel must have forgiven many debtors for he knew how much God has forgiven him.

22 January 2012 – The Disciple’s Prayer (Give Us This Day/Lead Us)

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:14:55 +0000

“Give us today our daily bread….” (Matthew 6:11-13).
The pronoun that is used in the first half of this prayer is “your” i.e. Your name, Your kingdom, Your will. The other pronoun used for the other half of the prayer is “us” i.e. Give us, forgive us, lead us and deliver us. Jesus teaches us that God’s concerns should take priority over our concerns. We are to pray to God about the things that God is most concerned about. After that, we are to pray for our own concerns. We are to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” then all “these things will be given” (Matthew 6:33). When we take care of God’s concerns; God takes care of our earthly concerns. Literally, Jesus wants us to start praying for Heavenly things, then the earthly things. When we mind God and His matters, He will mind the things that concern us. Our Heavenly Father is very concerned over the little details of our lives. He knows the number of hair on our heads. Our Heavenly Father feeds the sparrows and notices them when they fall. He also cares for the tiny details of our daily lives. When we are prayerful and commit our needs to Him, we will be care-free and stress-free for God is able to care for us better than we do. The Psalmist declares that “it is better to trust in God than to trust in man” (Psalm 118:8).

15 January 2012 – The Disciple’s Prayer (Thy Kingdom Come/Thy Will Be Done)

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:12:26 +0000

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven” (Matthew 6:10)
The above petitions are very brief but are ‘dangerous’. In Greek, it simply means “Come, Kingdom of God; Be done, will of God”. They implied joyful expectation and humble submission. The apostle John said, “Amen, Come Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20). How ready and how many of us can cry out from our hearts “Your kingdom come, your will be done”. We have been sleeping like the five foolish virgins. We may be awakened to the rude shock when our “Bridegroom arrived and are caught unprepared (Matthew 25:10). This parable tells us that about 50% of us will be left behind to regret forever. So close yet we miss it! Lately I have been praying this Hebrew prayer before the Lord, “Modeh Ani” meaning “I surrender”. It also means “I am grateful” for being alive. We need to surrender our plans, our ambitions, our ministries, our ‘kingdoms’ etc to the King of kings and gladly say “Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as in heaven. Every one, every family, every church must surrender all to follow the Lord. If we are unwilling to do so now, we are then unwilling “to take up our own cross and follow Him” all the way. Let’s corporately follow Jesus and declare, “Our little kingdoms go; our plans be done away with” and only God’s Kingdom and His Will remain forever. Amen!

8 January 2012 – The Disciple’s Prayer (Our Father/Hallowed Be Thy Name)

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:11:14 +0000

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9)
In this model prayer, we see relationships: that of Father/children, God/worshippers, King/subjects, Master/servants, Giver/receivers, Saviour/sinners, Shepherd/sheep and Protector/protected. Before we can enjoy the blessings that come with relationship, we need to be truly “born again” into God’s Kingdom. Christians, have we fathomed what it means to have the Almighty God as our Father? Ignorance results in unnecessary worries, stresses, sicknesses, troubles, temptations that take a toll of our lives and effectiveness. When we don’t fully comprehend Who our Father is and What our Father has prepared for us, we look to idols/rival lovers to meet our needs. Imagine, if Bill Gates were your father, would you be begging for your basic needs? Wouldn’t it be an insult to your billionaire dad? Meditate, pray this prayer & ponder upon the reality that God “who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also along with him, graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32). We are not orphans, but we are sons/daughters of the living and loving God. Our Daddy God reigns, rules in Heaven over all our affairs. The question is: “Is GOD your dad?”

1 January 2012 – Introducti0n To The Disciple’s Prayer

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:09:30 +0000

“He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jer 17:8)
We are all seasonal. We change. Life changes. Living things grow, move and change. Often we fear change and resist change. But change is inevitable. To have wisdom is to plan good changes, the God- kind of changes, in 2012. One good change is to read, meditate and study the Word of God that does not change. Jesus said that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mark 13:31). One corporate change as a church is to read the two books of wisdom, namely the Psalms and Proverbs, for a season of 40 Days from 1 Jan – 9 Feb. Aim to read 5 Psalms for the first 30 days and 3 chapters of Proverbs for the last 10 days. Then weekly come together as a family or Oikos and have “QC Time” (a time to ask any Question that puzzles you in the course of your Bible reading). Let’s have fun in our family/Oikos time by learning from one another. Surely we can learn from one another in our Contribution (i.e. answer). By having “QC Time”, we let His Word influence and change us from one degree to another degree of glory. Faithfully reading and meditating on His Word daily enable us to be cool, green, worry-free and fruitful even when “heat comes” our way. We can soar above the storms and not let them hit us in the New Year.

25 December – Extraordinary Sons (Jesus)

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:06:52 +0000

And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” Behold, the virgin shall bear a Son, and they shall call His Name, Immanuel, which translated means, “God with us”. (Matthew 1:21, 23)
There are at least 198 different names/titles attributed to the Lord Jesus. Here in Matthew 1, we have five of them: “Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, Jesus, and Immanuel” (Matthew 1:1, 21, 23). Each name/title and its order is significant. The first verse of the New Testament writes “Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham”. “Jesus” is a human name and given to the “Word, who is God” and He became “flesh/human-being” (John 1:1, 14). The name “Jesus” is explained, “He will save His people from their sins”. The title “Christ” means the Messiah, the Anointed Deliverer of the children of Israel. “Jesus” as Saviour is the Saviour for the world & as Messiah; He is the Anointed Deliverer of the Jews. It’s wonderful that the Gospel of Matthew is not just for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles! The fact that Matthew mentioned 4 Gentile women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth & the wife of Uriah) in the genealogy shows that Matthew’s Gospel is for the whole world, Jews and Gentiles alike. This “Jesus” not only “will save His people from their sins” but He is also the “Immanuel” the “God with us”. We see “God and Man” in the Person of Jesus and He will never leave us who trust in Him

18 December – Extraordinary Sons (John the Baptist)

admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 05:47:47 +0000

“Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11)
When we think of great men of God, we would usually name Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Peter and Paul. However, the Lord Jesus said that no one had ever been born who is greater than John the Baptist. What are the things that single him out as the greatest human being born up to that time? I believe that John was the greatest because he was “filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15). His conception and birth were unique and supernatural. Through the angel, Zechariah, the high priest, was told that he would father a son and call him, John. Let’s not undermine the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives even from the moment of conception. In fact, both John the Baptist and his cousin, Jesus, depended much on the Holy Spirit from beginning to the end. The Holy Spirit indwelt them and filled them continuously in their ministry that they were able to impact many lives. John’s boldness was so remarkable that even King Herod feared him. When the Holy Spirit uses us, we too become great in the Kingdom of God.

11 December – Extraordinary Sons (Moses)

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:04:22 +0000

“He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrew 11:25).
Life is filled with both pleasures and pains and we have the power to choose one or the other. For Moses, he chose pain (to be mistreated) than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Sinning does give temporary pleasures and if we do not flee from sin, we become addicted to it. Choosing pain for pain’s sake is stupidity but choosing pain for God’s sake like Moses is worthy for us to emulate. Our Lord Jesus chose the nails – “He humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). Some prefer to remain as they are because they want to keep enjoying “the fleeting pleasures of sin”. I believe that some of us fail to make changes and progress in our faith because we fail to count the “pain” (cost) of discipleship. The apostle James calls them “adulterous people” and declares that “friendship with the world is hatred towards God” (James 4:4). James implied that believers ought to be faithful lovers and friends of God instead they had gone after rival lovers. Let’s enjoy God for this kind of pleasures has eternal rewards. Let’s choose true pleasures!

4 December – Missions (Laying Down Your Nets)

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:03:43 +0000

“And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Rom 10:15)
Most of us have made changes to Isaiah 6:8, “Here am I. Send me! to “Here am I, send my sister”. No wonder we have more sisters in the Mission Fields than men. For three consecutive Sundays, we have been hearing the testimonies of these servants of the Lord at our pulpit. On one hand, we thank God for their dedication to fulltime ministries but on the other hand, we ought to repent for staying in our comfort zone and letting the fairer sex labour in the forefront of missions.
As I read the book, “Out of the Harbour” by Choo Jiamin, I am challenged. I pray that many youths will respond to God’s call for fulltime ministry. She began with two months, then two years and then six years for fulltime ministry with Operation Mobilization. Her faith and love for the Lord grows as she continues in the Lord’s ministry. Indeed, serving the KING of kings is very rewarding. There may be pains, difficulties and obstacles, but with the Lord’s help, we can scale every wall, climb the highest mountain, tread through flood and fire unharmed for the Lord is with us. Jiamin testified that God was with her from port to port. With Christ in the vessel, she could smile at every storm. May the Lord change us so that we will be willing to say with Isaiah, “Here am I, send me!”