THE LIGHTER SIDE OF FRIENDSHIP

From Left - Chong Leang, Thean Khee, Heok Hee, Heok Cheow, Andy Thum

Once upon a time, long long time ago, back in the good old days, these "five wise guys" spent a lot of their waking hours together. Significant time was spent eating, talking, singing the blues BUT actively serving the Lord too. Back in our bachelor days, our blues were mainly about our girlfriends. It has been said that, of all God's creation, women were the hardest to understand and to comprehend. Therefore, many times our little "congregational conversations" were about the near impossibility of knowing what our girlfriends want and why the "dark cloud"! (If you cannot understand what "dark cloud" means in our context please talk to Yeoh Thean Khee. Search for him on the facebook.)

Actually, our regular meeting up for supper after tucking our girlfriends to bed was very therapeutic indeed. These sessions helped Andy through his bout of gastritis due to self-inflicted hunger because he could not eat and sleep over girlfriend issue! 

It was also very helpful to Thean Khee because his girlfriend has been pursued by some unabashed suitor! He needed the encouragement, a listening ear, a broad shoulder, and whatever hope we can give to him! 

Heok Hee had a long distance relationship. His girlfriend was hundreds of miles away from home, somewhere in the down-under state of Johor, studying to be a teacher. He needed some company to ward off his loneliness. We often caught him in his room reading love letters from her! On the side note (because he would not let us read the letter) we suspected that she might have returned his letter with the scribble of a red ink pen and a bold-letter note at the end of the letter "PLEASE SEE ME!" Of course, it's just our speculation!

Chong Leang and his girlfriend were the perfect couple! You see them you see music all over. They were like hand-in-glove OR should I say like the black and white keys of a piano - flow in and flow out! If there was any dissonant sound in their partnership we didn't hear about it - a very well kept secret! Anyway, for most of us, we were tone deaf, to begin with. 

It won't be fair if I didn't say something about the man with an "all round" ministry. His girlfriend issue was like our Malaysian four seasons - hot, very hot, terribly hot, and stinking hot. Most of the explosions were the result of his stubbornness. Hokkien said, "ka kee cho kwei lai" (loosely translated - he creates the mess all by himself). Thank God it was only the initial stages of their relationship. I was told that he had to work very hard to regain her trust. He prevailed in the end. They got married after 6 long years!

So you see, these five wise guys have a lot in common and a lot to sing the blues about. So it says - birds of the same feathers flock together. All of us, after close to 40 years of friendship, we took this photo at Heok Hee's 60th birthday dinner. We were all married to the love of our lives. We raised wonderful children who called us blessed. Some of us are grandpas now or going to be soon!

We stick together like brothers. We serve God together until today. We see our children serving God. Praise the Lord.

CHRISTIAN INSIDER LINGO

Language is a very powerful thing. In the Christian world, we have a set of words and vocabulary that only those on the inside can understand. If you are on the outside peeping in you will get confused. That was what I thought is happening when unbelievers that attend church finds it hard to understand our lingo. No wonder they find us strange people sometimes. It is already tough to help unbelievers to grasp the abstract truth about God, the fall, sin, incarnation, and justification, and to add words that only the initiated in the faith, the inner-circle, or born-again people uses among themselves can identify is really out of wag! Well, I thought we can change that by being relevant in our usage of language or to contextualize our vocabulary to modern secular terms so that they can hear in understandable sentences all about the precious gospel message. I thought that was a simple task. All would be fine.

But to my "surprise, surprise!" I discovered that within the faith community we have also developed different sets of words and catch-phrases. And they are linked strongly to different streams of theological persuasion within the church! So we no longer have to contend with helping the unbelievers to understand us but we struggle to try to understand each other because we have morphed into a tribal culture based on our pet beliefs. For example, we have a "father heart tribal culture" which uses a lot of "Papa said this, Papa said that" and ideas like love, father’s embrace, intimacy and hearing God seems like an exclusive culture to them - whatever that means is anyone guess. If you are not in the inner circle you'll be lost. Then there are those who have a "super-spiritual tribal culture" and they throw out lots of terms about the Holy Spirit, prophetic pronouncements, and sensing in the spirit stuff. How about the latest one who uses a set of lingo that makes you feel you are a "spiritual leper" and outcast with catch-phrases like - "fore-runners eschatology", "eschatology revolution", "intercessory missionaries", and a large glossary of insider terms and phrases, such as wilderness lifestyle, friend of the Bridegroom, Daniel anointing, eating the scroll, fasted lifestyle, burning and shining lamps, wholehearted lovers, zones of glory, corridor of glory, and many more that could be added.

I am not saying that these people are deceived in their faith but rather cult-like because only those in the inner-circle can understand! I hope I am making sense. I haven’t gone into the glossary of the “hyper-grace tribal culture,” the “prosperity gospel tribal guru”, and a whole lot of other sub-groups!

The gospel is simple. Our faith is simple. It’s NOT being simplistic but simple trust and faith. We create our own language and build a large glossary but we may be in danger of being cult-like. Worse, we think we are very impressive in our propagation, teachings, and proclamation of the gospel but in reality, many people go away more confused or decode it wrongly and fall into error. 

SWING TO THE LEFT, SWING TO THE RIGHT

SLOW OR FAST

Some things are slow moving and some are fast moving - how is that possible? Like for example, the change I desire or wish to see happen in Malaysia is so slow in coming that it frustrates me. Yet again, there are so much to accomplish and so little time because the day passes by so fast that I wish I had 48 hours in a day.

I believe there are exciting days ahead, but the only issue is that of the definition of the word "exciting." Exciting days ahead could mean different things to different people. Explosive political and economic events that shake the nation to its core - that's exciting for some! Ministry or career opportunities even in the midst of economic meltdown, now that's exciting too! How about persecution for our faith, our skin color, and our gender? They are all very exciting possibilities - though negative.

I tell you what I personally think what exciting days are ahead. I think God is about to do a powerful work - to shake this nation and every other nation. What can be shaken will be shaken, and what cannot be shaken will remain. I think there will be an increase both in righteousness and evil - in light and in darkness! I think many will be driven to look up for a Saviour while others will be driven further into themselves and their selfishness. I am excited because it drives me to want to see people come into the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ will establish His Kingdom and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!

So, what is "exciting days ahead" means to you?

POSITIVE OR ALARMIST

There are two types of people - one who is positive about everything and finds it a curse to be negative, and the other is an alarmist (the gloom and doom people).

As our country faces a very trying time - an economic meltdown, a political circus, and a racial drama in the coming days, I, on the other hand, am really "confused." I am confused because I am trying to understand God in the whole situation. I am confused because there are many theories about the country's woes. I am confused because there are so many stories being told to us through the media. I am confused because I am confused!

So the question is: should I be the positive guy? I need to stay positive, be positive, and in the end, it will work out! Or should I listen to the alarmist among us and be prepared for the worse - pack provision, keep lots of cash, and hide? Or maybe consider migrating to Melbourne, after all, it's the number one most livable place in the world!

I am confused.

OUTRAGEOUS OR REASONABLE

Nowadays, I don’t seem to have anything to write about or to comment. I mean, the positive things! Everything seems to be dark and gloomy. I really don’t want to comment on our country, our economy, and the things that are happening in the world. It’s too depressing. On top of that, I keep hearing from preachers who have the habit of dishing out statements that sent chills up my spine. I don’t pretend to know it all about theology or the Word of God, but I certainly can discern and differentiate between an outrageous statement and a reasonable one from the pulpit.

But I did have a good time last weekend with a group of medic students. I was speaking at their camp on building the altar of consecration, the temple of communion, the wall of character, and the Word, Christ our Lord! It’s great to spend time with the young adults because it makes me feel young again, and it gives me great hope in Christ.

At the same time, there was the Convergence-Crossroad Retreat, a young adult’s camp jointly organized by FG Plus and Crossroad network of churches. I was busy but delighted in hosting three youths from FGA Miri who were here for the Camp. There’s so much fun been with the young people. Thank God for their passion for the Lord. So, yes, last weekend was hectic but really fulfilling and enjoyable! At least it takes away the loneliness that sometimes engulfed me without any notice or warning.

LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW ADVENTURE WITH THE LORD. It doesn’t matter how dark the days ahead can get because I know deep within me that His light will shine the brightest. Looking forward to a brand new path to forge ahead for the Lord.

OPPORTUNITY OR DESPONDENCY

The flatulent of the disgusting putrefying political quotes of “supposed” honorable leaders of our country have become classics - should archive it for the future generations so that they would be able to sit back, relax, read the historical account, and laugh while drinking their tea. But for the present? Ah – Oo – Ouch!

Times of despair, depression, and despondency can actually present an opportunity for God to act. We can believe that God is still in control. When the enemy comes in like a flood God would raise a standard against it. We can rise and do exploits for the Lord. We could resign to frustration and anger or we can push back the tide of negativity, trusting God to see us through. I think, besides praying, we need to have God’s perspective, we need to have a clearer understanding of his love and forgiveness, and not to lose sight of our purpose and meaning in life in Christ.

We need to be in anticipation of the coming of the Bridegroom for His bride, the church, YET at the same time we need to get cracking – love Him with everything that is within us, and to love one another, to care for the poor and needy, and to reach out to those who are spiritually destitute! Christ will come and He will reign over all the earth, and we shall reign with Him. But there’s so much still to be done in our city, in our land, and in our homes! LET’S BE ADVENTUROUS. LET’S BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS!

JUDGMENT AND REDEMPTION

INTRODUCTION

Isaiah 59:14-16 (NKJV) – Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.

When Truth is fallen in the street; stumbled in the public squares, trampled underfoot or thrown away as rejects then justice is turned back. But turn back to what? The first thought is turning back to lawlessness and anarchy! People are left to their own devices. There’s a possibility of disorder and revolution. Righteousness stands afar off. Righteousness cannot be seen. It is sidelined. It is lost and out of sight! And the result would be unrighteousness! There will be secrets; lies and more lies. Equity cannot enter – “everyone does what was right in its own eyes.” Whatever happens to morality and ethics? The result is the INCREASE IN IMMORALITY and UNETHICAL PRACTICES – the rise of injustice, racism, partiality, and unethical decisions. He who departs from evil makes himself a prey – those who try to get away from evil, who wants to uphold righteousness will be hounded at, laughed at, and even be in danger for his life!!PERSECUTION, PROSECUTION, and INCARCERATION. There was no justice – injustice displeases the Lord. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). There was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor – Isn’t that a rebuke from the Lord? In the midst of all the injustices, lawlessness, unrighteousness, and immorality, where are the prayer warriors?

We need to stand in the gap, stand between the porch and the altar, and plead before our God. Righteousness exalts the nations. Let us get on our knees and pray to God as sons and daughters of righteousness through our Lord Jesus Christ. Church, let’s pray!

LORD, WHY DO YOU CASUALLY LOOK AT WRONG?

Habakkuk lived during a terrible time of national suffering: destruction and violence on a vast scale, perhaps at the hands of the Chaldeans, a ruthless people bent on world conquest, with no regard for any rule of law.

Habakkuk’s Complaint: Habakkuk has seen great horror and he flings this violence and perverted justice at God and demand for an account of His silence (1:1-4). In essence, he asked God: why do you casually (indifferent, relaxed) look at wrong? In spite of his emotional outburst, his demand for an answer, his lamenting, and railing, and a near despair he didn't stomp off. Instead, he climbed up to a high tower to watch and wait for God to answer (2:1). And an answer finally came. Those who care about righteousness have to accept the timetable of God, have to take the long view, and have to give God room to work out His purpose in a manner and with wisdom beyond our own. We have to live by faith.

Accepting God’s Timetable: We have to accept the timetable of God. His way is higher than ours and His thought is higher than ours. God is sovereign and He is still on the throne. He has the final say and He decides at any finality! We have to take a long view. We have to look beyond the immediate and the present. We need to see with the eyes of God – seeing the end from the beginning. We have to give room for Him to work out His purpose – something that is even beyond our wisdom to understand. He is God and He knows all things! We need to trust in God for that. That is living by faith. That is tenacity of faith!

Climb the Tower and Wait: The book of Habakkuk has more to say about the tenacity of faith than the answers to the prophet's complaint. It took faith to accept that answer, of course, but it took a different kind of faith to expect an answer at all, to expect to hear from God in the first place. We see the character of faith not so much when God proposes a certain way of looking at the problem of evil and the prophet embraces it. We see the character of faith when Habakkuk climbed the tower to wait for a word to come to him, believing God will speak, precisely when God has been silent for so long (Hab. 2:1-2). There was tenacious faith; fierce belief and foundational trust. It is betting his life that there is a God who may appear to be but is not absent, not complacent, not indifferent and not incompetent. It is betting his life that there will be a trustworthy and effective word from God even if he should have to wait for it until the day he dies.

THOUGH THE FIG TREE DOES NOT BLOSSOM

Habakkuk 3:17-19 - Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

We read the account of Habakkuk and all we hear is the gloom and doom! There seems to be nothing good happening but disasters instead. There were no fruits in the vine, the field did not produce any food, the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the barnyard! There can be no worse situation in one’s life than this. Nothing seems to be happening and nothing seems to go right. No amount of labor and hard work has yielded any results. He was on the brink of poverty! The attitude of Habakkuk is one who possesses a tenacious spirit. His tenacity outflows from the fierce supposition and foundational faith he has in God. He possesses a positive faith-attitude. He declared that even though all around him seems to be nothing but deadness yet he will rejoice in the God of his salvation. He declared that the Lord is his strength. He declared that the Lord will come through for him. He refused to believe otherwise. What did he believe in? Habakkuk believed in the strength of God. He said that the Lord will make his feet like deer’s feet, that is, the Lord will give him the strength to overcome, will give him the strength to experience victory. He believes that the Lord will make him walk on his high places, that is, a place of greater testing and responsibility perhaps, but it will be a place of greater authority too. That is where he will experience victory. That is where he will rule and reign with authority.

Waiting, watching and praying at the high tower has a way of changing us inside out – giving us a new perspective and helping us see the endgame! Habakkuk started off with “Lord, why do you casually look at wrong?” but ended with “though the fig tree does not blossom….yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” What a change!

GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE

If I were to ask you what images you have of God what would they be like? If I were to ask you to imagine the kind of God you put your faith in what would be the answer? These are important questions to ask yourselves today because how you view God will affect how you will play out your role in this present world. You and I live in a very hostile world, not that we are under oppressive rule yet, but under the subtle and oppressive ideologies, worldly pressure that seeks to squeeze us into their mold and to their follies, and hidden agendas of religious & racial persecutions

Let me quote Carl F. H. Henry in his book “Twilight Of A Great Civilization” where he described very appropriately the kind of world we are living in and the condition of Christians who are in danger of a relapse into paganism: “We are steeped in the anti-christ philosophy – namely, that success consists in embracing not the values of the Sermon on the Mount but an infinity of material things, of sex and status – that we little sense how much of what passes for practical Christianity is really an apostate compromise with the spirit of the age. Our generation is lost to the truth of God, to the reality of divine revelation, to the content of God’s will, to the power of His redemption, and to the authority of His word. For this loss, it is paying dearly in a swift relapse to paganism. The savages are stirring again; you can hear them rumbling and rustling in the tempo of our times.

Christians would do well to understand that how they view God will determine how faithful and committed they are to him. In Daniel chapter 7, Daniel wants to help you enter into his visionary world and see for yourselves the majestic, all-powerful God called the Ancient of days. He wants you to see His Son Jesus Christ – one who is given all power, glory, and authority. I pray your heart will be encouraged, your mind will be enlightened, and your faith will be steadfast as we explore three great themes in this vision of Daniel together. God is still on the throne.

SOVEREIGN CONTROL OVER HUMAN HISTORY

God’s people should continue to trust in God and remain committed to him because he is in sovereign control over every human history.

Interwoven into this apocalyptic narrative is the hand of a Sovereign God in absolute control over historical events. The kings and kingdoms of the earth serve the purposes of the Sovereign God. To the first beast (4): “…the wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground and was raised on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.” It implicitly implied that God gives to him the power to rule. To the second beast (5): “…and it was told, ‘Arise and eat much flesh!’” It is obvious that God is in control of his action. In verse 6 the Most High gave the third beast the authority to rule. The fourth beast has only a time, times, and half a time, indicating a brief time period (25b) to continue in his arrogant rule before the Ancient of Days judge him and destroy him. God’s sovereignty is seen throughout the apocalyptic narrative of Daniel’s visionary world. The understanding of the vision as given to Daniel is that earthly kingdoms come and go. The fate of the kings and kingdoms is sealed by the Sovereign hand of God, the Most High, the Ancient of Days and the eternal Judge (11-12).

The description of the Ancient of Days befits the majestic, powerful Sovereign God in control. He has a throne flaming with fire and its wheels were all ablaze (9). His clothing was white as snow, his hair white like pure wool (9). There is a river of fire flowing and coming out from before him (10a). Daniel sees masses of people standing before him (10b) and in the latter interpretation, it is the saints worshiping and obeying him (27). Then Daniel sees the Ancient of Days taking his seat on the throne and the books opened speaking of him as the Judge, the Ruler and the final authority (10b).

This description in Daniel’s visionary world of the Sovereign Lord serves to remind the saints to trust in God and remain faithful because he is majestic, glorious and his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. He has the earthly kings under the palm of his hands. He is in control.

I experienced a crisis in my family when my youngest son was about 8 years old. He went to sleep as usual but about half hour later his sister told us that he was staring at the ceiling and was not himself at all. To cut a long story short, we found that he could not speak and could not see straight and his body began to grow weak on the right side. The symptom looks like someone having a stroke. I quickly rush him to the hospital. The next two and a half hours was like an eternity for my wife and I. At the hospital’s emergency room many thoughts crosses my mind. The crisis was not just about the life of the child but my crisis of faith. I have a choice. I have preached and taught for years about the faithfulness of God, about God being in control of every situation of our lives. Here I had to choose between trusting God over this crisis situation that I am facing or to question his goodness. I had to make a decision in my heart. Am I expecting God to be at my disposal or am I trusting his sovereign power and grace over my family? Praise God I choose to trust him rather than question him. Through this crisis, I learned a lesson on what is trusting God for every situation. After all the scare from the doctor about swelling of the brain because he was experiencing excruciating pain, the doctor discovered that he had epileptic feat but today he is completely well.

God is so powerful, so majestic and he is in control over every situation, therefore, there is no need for you to be afraid and be discouraged over your present situation (whatever may be), but to remain faithful and committed to him.

JUDGE THEIR ENEMIES

God’s people should continue to trust in God and remain committed to him because he will judge their enemies.

The four beasts which speak of earthly kingdoms will be judged, slain and destroyed and their authority will be taken away. It starts with Babylon, the Persian then the Medes culminating at the rise of Antiochus IV (11-12). The lion-eagle appearance of the first beast is reduced from being able to soar above the earth to experience the limitation of mere humanity. The removal of the eagle’s wings, reducing the creature to a mere four-legged animal, is an act of the judgment paralleling the one regarding Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 4. The second is bear-like. Encouraged to do so, it savagely devours.

The third beast is leopard-like, with four wings and four heads, and it is given dominion. The fourth beast receives greater attention from Daniel. Different from the first three, this beast seems uglier, more powerful, and much more hostile toward God and His saints. With iron-like teeth, horns (some with eyes), and feet, it is utterly destructive. What it does not destroy or consume with its teeth, it crushes underfoot, much like a bull in a china shop. This fourth beast has the distinction of ten horns. As Daniel continues to watch, another horn emerges, as three of the other horns are plucked out by the roots to make room for it. Looking about with its numerous eyes, no one can escape his look or hide from him. With its mouth, the beast continues to speak boastfully. The “horn” continues to sound off while the court is being set up for judgment. So far it looks depressing, isn’t it?

But suddenly, the boasting beast is silenced by death, and his body is cast into the burning fire. Even the fate of this fourth beast is different than his three predecessors, as his life and his kingdom seem to end at the same moment. The other three are removed from power but allowed to live for some time after their removal (verse 12).

Today, in a dog eat dog world, we face many enemies of our souls: detractors, blasphemers, unscrupulous people, betrayers, and backbiters. Someone said this: “Saint Paul use to have wings until all the backbiters bite it off.” We constantly face persecutions, ridicule, words that hurt, and swear words about our God. Sometimes we may even feel infuriated yet defenseless and at times defeated. To those under the oppressive rule of Antiochus IV and to us today it is important to read from Daniel’s vision that while the enemy is mouthing his arrogance a court is being set up and the eternal judge, the ancient of Days takes his sit on the throne. John Calvin said, “He is said to ascend his tribunal when he assumes to himself the office of a judge and openly demonstrates that he is neither asleep nor absent.”

Just as it is proven in history that God deals with all the evil pagan kings he will also deal with all the enemies of your life. There is no need for you to be afraid and discouraged over your present situation (whatever may be), but to remain faithful and committed to him.

ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM WITH HIS SAINTS

God’s people should continue to trust in God and remain committed to him because he will establish his kingdom with his saints.

In verse 13, this humanlike figure has the heavenly nature underlined by his coming with the cloud of heaven. His human-likeness is genuine and not contrived and the heavenly glory is given, not seized. Jesus Christ our Lord is seen here coming with the clouds of heaven and presented to the Ancient of Days. In the apocalyptic vision, we have a glimpse of Christ having all power and authority and receiving worship when all peoples, nations, and languages give reverence to him (14). We are told in the interpretation of the vision report that this kingdom he came to establish is an everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed (14). What an encouragement for God’s people!

This vision of the son of man, the vision of Christ Jesus the Messiah ties in very much with the destiny of God’s faithful people. In the New Testament, you will read that hope is the anchor of your soul. Indeed, the vision of Daniel 7 will give you a glimpse of what the end will be who trust in him and continue to be faithful. Your destiny in God ties in with the establishment of his everlasting kingdom through his son Jesus Christ.

This passage in Daniel 7 has the context of the severe persecution of God’s people with defeat at hand too (21, 25) but it quickly followed by the intervention of the Most High – judging these persecutors and destroys them until the end (26). In fact, their humiliation is the beginning of their victory.

The destiny of God’s people was sealed because the end is determined for the saints. This is your hope, the anchor of your soul so be faithful and be steadfast. The destiny of God’s people was sealed because the judgment of God was given in favor of the saints of the Most High (22). Though your outward man may perish, your inward man is being renewed; though you may weep in the night for a season joy shall come in the morning. Christ in you the hope of glory. May you continue to trust in him! The destiny of God’s people was sealed because the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the saints of the Most High (27).

You shall be co-heirs with Christ in the inheritance God has prepared for you. You are secured in him; therefore walk in obedience, walk in the reverential worship of him who loves you and saves you. There is no need for you to be afraid and discouraged over your present situation (whatever it may be) that to remain faithful and committed to him.

The oppressive situation may be real in your life, the pressure face in your daily life may be mounting, and the work of the enemy through earthly vessels may continue to rise again and again but the message from the Ancient of Days is clear and distinct. Be encouraged and be resolved in your heart - stand steadfast and unmovable in your faith. You should continue to trust in him and remain committed to him in whatever circumstances and situations in life because he is still in control of human history, he will judge your enemies, and he will establish his kingdom through his Son Jesus Christ of which you have a part in.

IF ONLY....

Inadvertently, we often find ourselves in unpleasant circumstances that we do not wish for. If only life could be a little more sweet and pleasant, more bearable, and comfortable ...if only. Who knows, we might decide to stay on in this world hoping to taste the elixir of immortality, love the things of this world to bits, and not be concerned about the issue of eternity, about God, and about salvation at all! HELLO, THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME!

Those who put their entire "stack" on this world or who believe that life here on earth is what it is and ever will have already decided that there is no hereafter, no God, and no purpose in life. These are the ones who find it unreasonable when a little trouble comes their way, when some unpleasant situations hit the fan, and when confronted with pain and suffering. They only want to live in a sugar-coated fantasy world of non-interruption of their dreams, perfect playout of conveniences, and absolute freedom to live their own lives. No wonder it is so easy to take the escape route for some when things get tough or to live frivolously, riotously, and carelessly without restraint for others – “eat, drink and be merry” mentality!

I hope that the followers of Christ would heed God’s Word and not be swayed by the ideologies of this world. The humanistic secular ideas (worldviews) are often fatalistic, deterministic, nihilistic and depressive! When we refuse to believe and put our trust in someone bigger than us, someone who is our Master Designer, but desire to be free from Him that all the talks of a greater good for mankind, the freedom of choice, morality, and human rights become futile, pointless and useless. There needs to be a main focal point, a divine compass, in our lives to make life worth living and a destiny worth pursuing! And that divine compass is none other than the God who created us in His image, who loves us with an everlasting love, and who has a plan for us, a plan for good and not for evil! Only when we return to our true calling because he has placed eternity in our hearts that we find our “greater good”, our divine destiny or else we will continue in the cesspool of sin, pride, and selfish arrogance.

I can’t, for the life of me, understand those who accused God of the violence in this world. They say: How could a loving God allow so much evil in the world? They blatantly accused monotheistic religions as the main culprits for some of our violent history – the crusades, the inquisitions, and the wars caused by religious conflicts. They accused God of killing women and children, for injustice because he hated Cain but loved Abel and the many accounts of God’s judgments in the Christian bible (especially in the Old Testament). Yet, the same people forgot about the millions upon millions of innocent people who were butchered, tortured, and murdered for the last 80 years at the hand of dictators and evil personified. They are all well-known professed atheists – Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Pol Pot and Chairman Mao, to name a few. It was estimated that between these five characters they have sent close to 100 million innocent people to their early grave (not counting those who died during wartime).

So folks, let’s not be too comfortable with this world. Let us serve Him while yet it is still daytime. Let’s reach out in love to those around us who have yet to come to know God and His Son Jesus who died for the sins of the world. We have a hope. We have a destiny. We have eternity in our hearts.

CHRIST’S KINGDOM IN OUR HOME

It’s been quite a while since I last post on FB. For a long while my post centered on the trial that my family and I was going through, and the journey of faith that I had to journey through. At those times, there were many things to ponder, many issues to deal with, and many questions that needed answers. Well, this valley of pain and uncomfortableness have pretty much out of sight now, but still there is a sense of emptiness within my heart. It’s not that I don’t have things to do and that I have so much time on hand to waste in thinking. It’s not that I have a mountain of obstacles to overcome or a valley of despair that I have to conquer. I enjoy the work of the ministry. I enjoy my present status in life. In fact, it’s already almost a year since I lost my wife. I have wonderful children and I don’t have any financial burden, but still there’s a nagging emptiness that I could not put my finger on.

I don’t want to sound like I am whining or complaining. I am not saying that I am sad. I am not even saying that I am not satisfied in life – especially in Christ. I guess there’s going to be that feeling of losing someone who is a part of you for so long that’s not going away for the rest of your life. I like to move on – as some have suggested that – but it’s easier said than done.

So where is God in all of this? I don’t have an answer, but I know deeply within my heart that God loves me and He takes care of me. I have no doubt of His goodness toward me and my family. In fact, God is the strength of my life, and through it all, He is faithful and compassionate. But every day I came back home and deeply felt the absence of the love of my life. I missed the laughter, the silly quarrels, and the times we watch Asian Food Channel, the only TV Show she watched. Of course, I missed the family prayer and Bible reading. I missed her cooking, going to Tesco and Sunshine Farlim, and wet market. How many things we take for granted until …. Now I missed her! How I wished I could have done more for her, spend more time with her, and take her for holidays.

Even as the church stress on Christ’s Kingdom in our home in this few months I pray that each one of us would treasure our family – our spouse, children, parents, and extended family (church friends). We need to treasure relationship – “owe no one anything except to love” – truly love one another while they are still here. There’s no point rehearsing all our love for our parents, spouse and children when they are no longer around. Love while they are still alive and it would be the best thing God would have us do!

IN DESPERATION

Jude 11 - “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily after the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”

There are THREE CONCLUSIONS when humanity follows its own devices -

First we have the way of Cain. I call that THE BANALITY OF SELFISHNESS - The Incarnation of Evil. Cain murdered his own flesh and blood. From there on we see humanity began to perpetuate evil and finally evil became so ordinary and so mundane. God-given conscience was seared with a hot iron. Man has no more conscience. Look around you. Read the news and you would soon have realized that evil has no face – many have become selfishly wicked. That’s what banality means – ordinary! 1 John 3:11-12 gave us an insight into the evilness of Cain. Cain’s action was evil while his brother Able was righteous. He had offered up unacceptable sacrifices before the Lord when he knew full well what needed to be done for an acceptable sacrifice. Instead of repenting and making good he allowed hatred, bitterness and jealousy to develop within his heart and the full force of evil took over from then on. He plotted to kill his brother. We see that later on in the life Joseph and much later in the life of Jesus too. In Joseph’s life, his brothers allowed bitterness and jealousy to take control. In the end, they sold him into slavery. The same with Jesus, the religious authority were proud and took matter into their own hand – claiming to be God’s defender of faith but in reality they were the religious bigots of the day, the framer of the true faith! “The way of Cain” is acting on fleshly impulses, being deliberately presumptuous and intentional to spike God. But what a contrast to Abel his brother! Hebrews 11:4 tells us that “by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.”

Second comes the error of Balaam. I call that THE CUPIDITY OF SELF-PROFITABILITY - The Propensity to Error. Balaam tried to make a profit out of the gift of God. He possessed some knowledge of the true God. He acknowledged that his superior powers as poet and prophet derived from God. He was famous but self-conceited and covetous. He was not sensitive - a donkey was used by God to reveal Himself to him proving that he doesn't know it all (Deuteronomy 23:4; Numbers 3:8). Three things can be said about him: (1) He tried to commercialize the gift of God. (2) Apparently there was no fear of God in him. He did not see the gravity of his action because greed had taken over. (3) There was a religious deception. Presumptuous living is living not just on the edge but on the brink of hell! In 2 Peter 2:15 Apostle Peter lamented on the depravity of the adulterous people who followed after “the way of Balaam”. The adulterous people had forsaken the right way, gone astray, and loved the wages of unrighteousness. In fact, the way of Balaam had turned into a doctrine (Revelation 2:14), a set of principles and beliefs. They had abandoned godly separation and a pilgrim character in favor of worldly conformity. Balaam taught Balak to corrupt the people that could not be cursed. (Numbers 31:15 & 16; 22:5; 23:8). The error of Balaam was living presumptuously - doing what God did not say to do by deception, covetousness, and greed. He used pagan ritual to carry out what God hates.

Third is the rebellion of Korah. I call that THE MUTINY OF SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT - The Finality of Egoism. Korah perished in rebellion. He fell into the trap of conspiracy (Numbers 16:1-49). He was jealous of the high honor and privileges of the priesthood. This priesthood was exclusively the family of Aaron. He was also jealous of the supreme authority of Moses. Their offices were small compared to Aaron and Moses. He joined up with Dathan, Abiram, and 250 others in a usurpation of authority (Numbers14:5). The gainsaying of Korah brought him destruction. He's a self-seeking rebel that had the sin of pride. Moses' intercession gave the contrast - humble and full of compassion.