HOPE UNSWERVING, HEARTS ENRICHING - Dec 2004
 
Yikes! Christmas is round the corner and soon another year passes by us "unnoticed". So what have we accomplished? Or rather, what have we to show to our Lord as a measure of our thankfulness to Him for giving us another year on earth? Do we realize that every day of our life is a gift from God?

LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
Psalm 39:4

Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1 Corinthians 3:13

Therefore my dear fellow brethren, in the final days of 2004 it is good that we reflect on our works and service for the Lord. Let us not waste another year of doing too little for Him or be distracted by carnal pursuits. Remember, Christ gave His life for us in order that we may enjoy life to it's fullest. We should be focusing our life on the eternal hope He has given us and not the temporal life we have here on earth. The earth IS NOT our home. Heaven IS our real home.

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:3-7
 
So let us stay focus on a hope that is unswerving for each day that the Lord blesses us with. And may we take the opportunity to enrich the hearts of others while we still can.

Let us continue to hold firmly to the hope that we confess without wavering, for the one who made the promise is faithful. And let us continue to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another even more as you see the day coming nearer.
Hebrews 10:23-25

God Bless,
WYF
 

HOPE UNSWERVING, HEARTS ENRICHING - Nov 2004
 
You would possibly agree that regardless of what the present holds for us, the time is tickling at usual pace as we are now moving towards yet another end of year. As Christians, the Bible provides us an important dimension of time - that is to be measured against the return of the Lord! "Be patient, then brothers, until the Lord's coming … You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." (James 4:7-8)
 
We also need to take seriously the exhortation to "watch and pray" for our Lord's return in Mark 13:33.  Consider with me some "positive points on His return:
- It challenges us to live holy in an unholy age (2 Peter 3).
- It encourages evangelism as it emphasizes the fact that the hour is late.
- It is a faith-builder. We see how Jesus fulfilled literally all the promises of His first coming. So His return will be also fulfilled.
- His return gets our eyes fixed on things of an eternal nature, not the dilemmas of this present life. It is a hopeful message in an age where hope is scarce!
- We can focus on the overwhelmingly positive future God has for us.
- It encourages us to get our lives in order.

This perspective makes all the difference in the world, and it influences how we respond to issues at work, home, our health and wealth. Paul says that as Christians we can rejoice even in tough times because we have hope in Christ (Romans 5:3).

Still, a lot of people are yawning and not yearning over His return. Many only want to focus on the "now," not the future. There are many scoffers asking, "So where is the promise of His coming?" as in Bible times. They are missing out on the crown promised to all who long for His return (2 Timothy 4:8).

God wants us to be encouraged. In Hebrews 10 we read that we are to "encourage one another, and all the more as you see the end draw near. This is watching and waiting for the King of kings and Lord of lords.

When days seem dark and current events get oppressive, I exhort you to look up and know that your Redeemer draws nigh (Luke 21:28). God has a Heavenly mansion awaiting you with your name on it if you are a child of the King. We will live in a community of believers who will spend eternity praising the One who lived and died for us and who has prepared an "out of this world" home for us for ever and ever.

With such confidence in our hope and faith, we can respond to it that our hope is unswerving and our heart is enriching until the day of His glorious return!
 
In His Service
QWK
 

HOPE UNSWERVING, HEARTS ENRICHING - Oct 2004
 
Having just seen the much-discussed movie, "The Passion of the Christ," I must say that it was a visually-powerful movie, one that was incredibly disturbing to see. It was especially bothersome because I know the event depicted in the movie was a retelling of the real event of some 2000 years ago. This was not based on a fairy tale or make-believe. I cannot recall ever having seen a movie with such a graphic display of brutality and merciless attacks on an innocent person. The overall depiction of events was powerful to see and I do not know of anyone who knows the story who would not be moved to tears by some of the scenes
 
As far as the story of Christ's arrest, trials, and crucifixion, the movie producer did a fair job of representing what happened. I believe the severity of the sufferings of Jesus, as seen in this movie, were far stronger than any ever put on the "big screen" and will probably get a few people to think about the seriousness of what happened.
 
If you go see the movie, I hope you are moved to want to know more about the Man named Jesus, but don't end your search when you walk out of the theater; pick up a Bible and open it to the New Testament and let Jesus tell you more about Himself than any movie could do. Let the words of Jesus convict you - and then let them guide you by hiding them in your heart and obeying them. Then, and only then - can He be your Saviour - "he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" (Hebrews 5:9).
 
For Christians, the question I have for you is a simple one: Where are you today in your relationship to God? Are you any closer to the Father in Heaven? Have you drifted farther away from Him? I plead with everyone to draw near to God.
 
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:7-10, NKJV)
 
If you are not yet a child of God, a Christian, then it is time that you become one today. If you truly believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God (John 3:16, Mark 16:16; Romans 10:9,10), if you are willing to repent of your sins and follow Jesus Christ (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38), if you are willing to let others know of your belief (Romans 10:9,10), and you are willing to obey Jesus' command to be baptized in water (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:26-27; 1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:3-4), then you will be saved, your sins will be forgiven, and you will be reconciled to the Heavenly Father.
 
Have you embrassed the passion of the Christ - that is to obey the Heavenly Father who loves us and do not want to see anyone of us to go astray. Put your unswerving hope in God. Let Christ enrich your hearts more than ever more.
 
In His Service
QWK
 

HOPE UNSWERVING, HEARTS ENRICHING - Sep 2004
 
Reading the prayer of Habakkuk 3:17-19: "even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my Saviour. The Sovereign Lord gives me strength. He makes me sure-footed as a deer and keeps me safe on the mountains"; gives us an assurance that our Sovereign God is the anchor of our lives even in the midst of turbulent times.
 
Against the backdrop of a deteriorating world's condition, we have read recent reports in our local media that a man had murdered his three children before taking his own life.  In another report, we were informed that a woman while returning home from work was the victim of a snatch thief; leaving her in a coma for some days before her death.  In one of our neighbouring countries, we were told that the armed forces had killed hundreds of civilian after they had gone on a rampage.
 
  Looking at what is happening around us everyday, how can we continue to trust in our God in this present age that He is in complete control of our lives' situation and knows exactly what He is doing. We are left bewildered as to why God permits evil to continue in His world that was originally created to His perfection.
 
 What if men and women have always obeyed the will of God and responded at every stage to the leading hands of their heavenly Father?  The world would have been a wonderful place where character would have been cultivated without discipline and where love would never have been linked with pain. But that is not the ideal world we live in today.  The world we know is a world of sin and chaos.
 
In the midst of all these chaos, however we believe that God is at work, turning what seemingly to be bad things to good and doing so with such skills and precision like a potter shaping the clay with his hands. It must be remembered that our Lord Jesus Christ Himself suffered in the hands of men who mocked and pierced Him with nails and strung Him up on a cross to die for the sins of humanity.  But the Father turned what perceived to be bad about His death on the cross to good for the salvation of men and women throughout history.
 
In Acts 16:16-40, we were told that Paul and Silas were languishing in a prison in Philippi after receiving a severe beating for ordering the evil spirit out of a slave girl who worked as a fortune teller for her masters.  Eventually Paul and Silas' imprisonment led to the salvation of the jailer and his family members who believed in the Lord and were baptised. Imagine what would have happened to the spiritual destiny of the jailer and his family members if he was not responsible for Paul and Silas when they were in prison.
 
At times we may struggle to understand God's purposes for mankind but we believe that in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). Embracing ourselves with this verse, we can then walk confidently into our future with the sure-footedness of a deer that is able to cross the rugged terrain of times. With such confidence in our walk forward, it is worthy to say that our hope is unswerving and our heart is enriching until the day of His glorious return!

In His Service
M G
 

HOPE UNSWERVING, HEARTS ENRICHING - Aug 2004

Is church life boring? Are we tired of the same routine over and over again every Sunday? Same songs, same old faces standing up to share, blah, blah, blah. If you're one of those who leave a Sunday morning service without feeling spiritually edified then notice that you're not alone. There are perhaps many in the church (be it in our church or in other churches) who feel that way. So who's to blame? The Church? The Sunday speakers? The leaders? The congregation? The brothers?

Nowhere in the Word of God states that a person's faith is determined by the kind of eloquent speakers he gets from the pulpit or the various ministries that are offered in the church or the seemingly "spiritually" active nature of the congregation. If such being the case then the likes of Moses and Paul would never have been chosen by God to lead and guide His people. Moses was never known to be eloquent (see Exo 4:10) and Paul's sermons were a real sleeper for some (see 2 Corin 11:6, Acts 20:9). If our faith is determined by the size and the multitude of ministries in the church then Christ would not have used a paltry few of unskilled "ministers" made up of fishermen, tax collectors and laymen and entrust them to preach the Gospel and make disciples of all nations. Peter whose curriculum vitae states "small time fisherman, really really small time" was alone able to bring thousands to Christ through his one man ministry.

So is the church or Sunday speakers or leaders or congregation be at fault for the slack in your spiritual growth or whatever reason why you find church life boring? Nay! Our spiritual growth is determined solely by our intimate relationship with God and fulfilling His purpose for us. Isaiah said "Here am I, send me".  Isaiah did not say "Who am I? Why me?".

Until unless we establish a day to day living relationship with God and truly identify His purpose for us we will continue to find church life meaningless.

To know God's purpose for your life is quite simple, look at the people around you inside and outside the church. The discipling and sharing of the Gospel to them is God's purpose for you. Yes, it's that simple. Need you ask God time and again of what is His purpose for you when you are looking at it everyday?

Therefore having known His purpose for you, go fulfil them either through teaching in Sunday School or join the Cell Group or participate in any church ministry that enables us to spiritually grow and experience God’s Joy through His church, any church.

If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be yours. This is how my Father is glorified, when you produce a lot of fruit and prove to be my disciples. Just as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. So abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

(John 15:7-11)

God Bless,
W Y F
 

PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL AWARENESS - July 2004

Now and then, we read in the news of cases of people being cheated, tricked,
abused, snatch thieves and victims of other crimes. In fact, these crimes
are on the rise and we should all be vigilant and watchful of our
surroundings all the time. Due to this, many initiatives have been created
to deter such incidents. Women were advice to carry a whistle, pepper spray
and many are taking up basic lessons of self-defense.

While we are "physically" watchful, are we also "spiritually" watchful of
our surroundings? Temptations will always be there and the lures of the
world are looking more and more attractive as time progresses. Electronic
temptation via the internet is also helping it to spread wider and easier.
What actions are we taking? Are we reasoning it out and say that we should
move on with the trends of the world? Are we compromising because others are
doing it?

Satan is also known as the Father of lies. He is very cunning and crafty. If
you are not careful, you will fall into its trap so much so that at times
you do not even realize what got into you. Are we taking precautions?  1
John 4:5, "They are of the world, therefore they speak of the world, and the
world hears them". The world recognizes its own people and listens to their
message. The world religions are comfortable with him. People from other
religious background find their messages acceptable. There are similarities
among them. And we know that this will eventually lead all religions to be
united as one, ecumenical, to worship the Anti-Christ.

Ephesians 4:14, "so that we no longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and
carried about by every wind of doctrine, in the dishonesty of men, in
cunning craftiness, to the wiles of deceit". We have been coming to church
for many years, attended camps, fellowship.etc. After all these years, are
we still at infant stage? Our personal relationship with God has to grow
otherwise we will not know what is right and wrong. As we grow, we need to
seek him for guidance and direction through prayers and reading of His Word.

As we crossed the half-year mark, may we take stock and re-examine our lives
before God. May our hope be unswervingly rooted and our lives continue to be
enriched in our risen Lord.

In His Service
A. Q.
 

HOPE UNSWERVING, HEARTS ENRICHING - June 2004

Looking at Mark’s account on Jesus stilling of the storm, we are informed that Jesus was in the stern of the boat, sleeping with His head on a pillow (Mark 4:38a), oblivious of the fear-stricken disciples who were in the same boat with Him. Resting in His Father’s love and care of Him allowed Jesus to sleep soundly and let His Father to deal with the storm which not only confronted Jesus alone but all the twelve disciples who were together with Him.

How easy it is to have an unswerving hope and an unshakeable faith in our Lord on a Sunday worship service or when life is plain sailing and comfortable. But when crisis or problems spill over into our life’s boat, just like when the strong wind blew up and the waves began to spill over into the disciples’ boat, we begin to doubt the Father’s sovereignty and protection. In such situations, we would navigate ourselves through life’s storms instead of drawing on our Father’s support and love.

What we should learn, just as the disciples had learnt when Jesus said: “Let us go across to the other side of the lake,” then that no storm can possibly sink our “boat” in which Jesus is sailing with us in life. For when Jesus commanded the wind: ”Be quiet” and to the waves: “Be still”, Jesus can also calm the winds and the waves of our lives if only we can lean on Him in silent obedience and trust.

Perhaps some of us, while reading these lines, are in a crisis or being burdened with many problems: broken relationships, financial difficulties, retrenchment, loss of a bread-winner, rebellious children in the family, etc. Yet how many of us have really accepted our Lord’s invitation, who said: “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

How can a perfect God allow such sufferings to happen to good people? Why does it sometimes seem that the righteous suffer more than the unrighteous?  Is pain part of some unchangeable law of the universe?  These are some of the questions we sometimes ask ourselves over and over again.  Yet what is so remarkable about our Christian life is the fact that we have Jesus Christ who has suffered much for our sake to fully realise and share our pain of sufferings. Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow his steps (1 Peter 2:21).

It must be remembered that no one in all of God’s creation is spared from suffering. The great apostles of Jesus Christ suffered even more than many of us have experienced - to name some of them: Joseph, Job, Jeremiah and Paul whom he said: “…..I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more and I have been near death more often. Five times I was given the thirty nine lashes by the Jews; three times I was whipped by the Romans and once I was stoned.  I have been in three shipwrecks and once I spent twenty four hours in the water (2 Corinthians 11:23-25).  What made the apostles of the past different from us in suffering is the fact that they trusted God to deliver them from the burden of pain and anguish..    

Finally, the apostle Paul assured us in 2 Corinthians 4:17 – “And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble”. With such assurance coming to us, is there any wonder why believing Christians, God’s chosen people have ‘hopes that are unswerving and hearts that are enriching’

In His Service
M G
 

HOPE UNSWERVING, HEARTS ENRICHING (May 2004)

As part of the Singing Team Easter Ministry, I have the opportunity to visit a few churches to share the Easter message with many Christians and non-Christians through audio and visual cantata. Through the presentations, many, including myself, responded in tears with shock and awe as we are being reminded again the brutal and heart-wrenching crucifixion of Jesus.

Crucifixion originated in the Persian Empire but was used by barbarians in other cultures as well. It was usual for the convicted criminal to first be flogged. Then the whipping would be carried out in such a way so as to maximize the pain in the allotted timeframe in which the crucifixion would occur. This meant that if a victim were to hang on the cross for several days, which was common during that time, he would be whipped so as to insure his death would not occur before the scheduled time. If, as in Jesus' case, the victim were to hang on the cross for a short period of time, the scourging would be carried out with such bloodcurdling brutality so as to insure the victim's death within hours. If the death did not occur as planned, the legs would be broken to hasten asphyxia, or suffocation.

This year's Eater season also coincides with the release of the much debated film called "The Passion of the Christ", which in a graphic and accurate way, depicted the incredible portrayal of the last hours of Jesus Christ.

What does that word "Christ" means? Jews, Muslims, agnostics, religionists, and certainly Christians use that word freely. But do we know what it means to refer to Jesus as the Christ? Christ means Saviour. From a doctrinal point of view, if Jesus is the Christ, He is the Saviour. But what is it we are saved from?

He died on the cross to redeem men from their sins they can know for certain they have eternal life. Eventually what we are saved from is the wrath of God. Through Jesus we are spared hell.

How can this be? Jesus went to that cross in my place and suffered the equivalent of an eternity in hell on my behalf. There He took my punishment in love so that I would not have to. To miss that message by tagging Jesus with an identity that is anything short of God incarnate is to miss the message of the cross.

In our society of tolerance and religious pluralism, anyone who would dare believe that faith in this Jesus is the only way to salvation, and that eternal life is obtained only by repenting of one's sins and trusting in Christ and Christ alone for their salvation is often being labelled as a religious radical. But let's not forget this fact. Jesus was crucified for blasphemy. That is, He made Himself to be God. The Jews got the charges right. No, He was not a seditionist who threatened the peace of Rome, though within two plus centuries Rome bowed at His feet. But He was, and is, God in the flesh and He has never rescinded His life message when He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man will see God but by Me."

In His Service
QWK
 

WHAT DO I OWE YOU? (April 2004)

A man went to Europe and visited the battle sites where his father fought as a soldier during World War 2. His aging father couldn't join his son in his European trip due to poor health. The son took many pictures and gathered a lot of information about the battle that his father fought in. The more information he gathered the more he swelled in pride of his father's sacrifice during the war. When he returned home and showed to his father all the pictures and information he gathered, his father puzzled at his son's interest in his war experience yet grateful asked his son "What do I owe you for that trip? I feel as if I owe you something." His son replied "I'm free dad, you've paid the price for my freedom a long time ago."

In the great battle for the salvation of mankind some 2000 years ago, Christ sacrificed His life to give us everlasting life. This gift of everlasting life not only promises us freedom from the bondage of sin but also freedom from the chronic effect of sin, namely spiritual death.

Like that curious son who wanted to know more about the enormous sacrifice of his father to purchase freedom for his children, we should do the same to know more about Christ's sacrifice for us.

Was it just a simple act of Christ to sacrifice his life for us? No, Scripture showed otherwise (in fact historical documentations from non-Christian authors say the same ex: Josephus, Tacitus, etc.). Christ was flogged and crucified. Two cruel punishments designed to inflict the greatest of pain and a slow suffering death. The flogging ensured every stripe will tear into the flesh with such force that the victim is left screaming with pain. The crucifixion ensured that every breath of the victim is coupled with excruciating pain on his nailed hands and feet that he uses to support his breathing.

Usually, a person who is crucified takes about a whole day or for some, days before they die. The Romans out of pity or to quicken the execution would break the bones of the victim's leg causing him to suffocate and die. For Christ, the breaking of the bones on his leg was not done because He was already dead. This surprised the Romans and they pierced his side with a spear just to make sure. Blood and water flowed from His pierced side.

So did Christ die from His wounds? Probably not, because His executors were surprised that He was already dead. It is highly likely that Christ died as a result of  a broken heart.

It is said that victims of crucifixion who are under severe cardiac stress will burst their heart. Medical doctors call it "Cardiac Rupture". Scripture supports this possibility with the following verse:

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
(Psalm 22:14)

So what do we owe Christ who not only gave His life for us but also His heart? Our undivided devotion and service? Our life? Our all? And what will we say when someone asks us why are we so seriously devoted to Christ? Perhaps the apostle John sums it best:

We love because he first loved us.
(1 John 4:19)

We OWE Christ our Love.

In Christ
W Y F
 

PACK OF BISCUITS (March 2004)

One night there was a woman at the airport who had to wait for several hours before catching her next flight. While she waited she bought a book and a pack of biscuits to spend the time. She looked for a place to sit and waited. She was deep into her book, when suddenly she realized that there was a young man sitting next to her who was stretching his and, with no concern whatsoever, and grabbing the pack of cookies lying between them. He started to eat them one by one. Not wanting to make a fuss about it she decided to ignore him.

The woman, slightly bothered, ate the cookies and watched the clock, while the young and shameless thief of biscuits was also finishing them. The woman started to get really angry at this point and thought "If I wasn't such a good and educated person, I would have given this daring man a black eye by now. "Every time she ate a biscuit, he had one too.

The dialogue between their eyes continued and when only one biscuit was left, she wondered what was he going to do. Softly and with a nervous smile, the young man grabbed the last biscuit and broke it in two. He offered one half to the woman while he ate the other half.

Briskly she took the biscuit and thought, "What an insolent man! How uneducated! He didn't even thank me! "She had never met anybody so fresh and sighed relieved to hear her flight announced. She grabbed her bags and went towards the boarding gate refusing to look back to where that insolent thief was seated. After boarding the plane and nicely seated, she looked for her book which was nearly finished by now. While looking into her bag she was totally surprised to find her pack of biscuits nearly intact. If my biscuits are here, she thought feeling terribly, those others were his and he tried to share them with me. Too late to apologize to the young man, she realized with pain, that it was her who had been insolent, uneducated and a thief, and not him.

How many times in our lives, had we known with certainty that something happened in a certain way, only to discover later that it wasn't true? How many times has our lack of trust within us made us judge other people unfairly with our conceited ideas, often far away from reality. That is why we have to think twice before we judge others. Let's always give others the benefit of the doubt before we think badly of them. Matthew 7: 1&2 – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judge, and with measure you use, it will be measured to you”.

In His Service
A. Q.
 

HOPE UNSWERVING, HEARTS ENRICHING - Feb 2004

I had an opportunity to share in a gathering on our Chinese tradition of celebrating the Chinese New Year. One of the important practice is to exchange greetings of good prosperity and blessings when we meet one another. As Christian, we understand true blessedness and prosperity is not found in this world, but in God.

The Bible told us that Adam and Eve received the very first blessing recorded in the Bible when God created them (Gen. 1:28). However, this blessing was lost when they disobeyed God (Gen. 3). Since then, the blessed relationship between God and man is broken and man's soul continues to cry out, longing to find the blessedness that is missing. The answer is not in work; it's not in being more religious, not in wealth and health, not in other people but in Jesus.

Many efforts made by men – either in the form of religion or practices, are men's attempt to reach God. But Christianity is the opposite. It is God reaching down to us through His son Jesus Christ. The whole message of the Good News is that through Jesus’ death on the cross, the penalty of sin is dealt once and for all so we could have a right relationship with Him.

Jesus calls out to the person who is hurting and needs help. Jesus calls out to the person who is running on spiritual empty. "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you REST. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your WEARY souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light".

There was no way possible for us to do what it took for us to have the right relationship with Him. God did it. We couldn't be good enough. But Jesus offers the best way. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the ONLY way to true freedom. Jesus made it perfectly clear that He is the only way when He said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me." (John 14:6) He doesn't say, get better first, because you're not worthy yet, so work a little harder for a while, then come to me. He doesn't say, you've got to get good first, friend - you've got to first start obeying all these rules first, and when you master them, and you've proven yourself, then come to me. But in a profound way - Jesus says, COME to ME. Come just as YOU are.

God will forgive us when we confess our sin. When there is gap between the Father and us, He has already bridged that gap with His own Son, Jesus. Friends, God has loved you and me, and every man, woman, boy and girl, so very much, that He did what only He could do, and He provided the means for us to be right with Him through Jesus Christ. And He is just waiting for all of us to respond to His free gift.

The only way to experience true blessedness is to surrender our lives totally to Jesus Christ, and follow Him. Let’s put your hope in Jesus. Let’s your heart be bless.

In His Service
QWK
 

HOPE UNSWERVING, HEARTS ENRICHING - Jan 2004

At the dawn of another year, let us be reminded of a quotation by Oswald Chambers: ‘Life is more tragic than orderly’.

Looking back over the past 12 months of the year 2003 which now remains a history, indeed it is true when we consider the events that had taken place, namely the Iraq war which claimed thousands of lives; the SARS outbreak in the region, the terrorist bombings in many cities of the world and most recently, the major earthquake in Iran which devastated their city populated by as many as 40,000 people.

Living in an age when lives even though are so precious to us yet are so transient when we fall victim to such calamities.  How thankful we ought to be and how unswerving our hopes should be that we as God’s precious children are belong to a kingdom whose foundations could never be moved or shaken.

The epistle to the Hebrews was written to the Christians to remind them of the supremacy of Christ over all people and orders that rule this universe we live in.  The writer of that letter encouraged the Hebrews to place their faith upon foundations that can withstand any attacks whether in this world or the next. We should then embrace ourselves with the fact that He who promised us this unshakeable Kingdom is faithful. Because of His promise, we should share our Christian love with others and also to do good works so that others would become citizens of this same Kingdom with us.

The writer to the Hebrews exhorted us not to give up our meetings with one another since we are living in the last days.  Instead let us all the more encourage one another for fellowship and praising God together, just like the early Christians as recorded for us in Acts 2:44-47.

Sadly to mention that many of us are not too keen nowadays to have fellowship with Christians because of our individualistic lifestyle we have been brought up over the years.  The spirit of today’s Christians is: ‘What is mine, is mine’. When we compare ourselves with the early Christians who would even sell their possessions and goods and later divide their proceeds among others, we are indeed a shame of ourselves.

What has really gone wrong with us as Christians in the 21st century?  Why are we so self-centered?  Didn’t Christ set the tone for us when He was here on earth to live not for ourselves but for others? In Paul’s letter to the saints in Rome, he beseeched us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

Finally let us join our hearts and spirits together as we stand at the corridor of a new year by sharing our love with others and by looking into the interests of others through our regular meetings and fellowships.  Unless and until we commit ourselves to living for others and not for ourselves, a revival in the Church would continue to remain a distant dream.

In His Service
Michael Goh

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