Has it ever occurred to you why God did not allow Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit from the two trees right from the beginning? If He had allowed it right from the start, then there will not be sin, is it not? After all, there will not be objects of temptations.

Have you considered why the devil fell from grace? It was the most beautiful angel created, so beautiful that it thought it could rival God. It was also one of the archangels. Is it not given enough power?

Look around and you will be able to see how we human beings are not able to handle power and wealth. The irony is that the more power we have, the more we lose control – mainly ourselves. The more wealth one has, the more one needs. Are they not ironies of life? Now suppose that we are given unimaginable knowledge. What will happen then? Try putting two very smart people in the same committee, and you will know the result : infighting. Now throw in immortality. Yes, you are beginning to see the picture. Unimaginable knowledge with immortality would only result in endless bloodshed and strife.

The wisdom of God is now clear for us why those two trees are forbidden until the fullness of time. Already, with the power of knowledge (coupled with the inability to control its use), we abuse it in wars and exploitation. Mind you, it was Einstein who persuaded FDR to build the atomic bomb. Many are suffering from the after-effects of radiation in those two places that the bombs were dropped.

Brothers and sisters, God’s ways are truly higher than ours. We need to be up in a higher plane before we can grasp even a little of God’s wonderful plan. Otherwise, we are like the frog in the well with that little patch of sky for himself.

Be careful not to think too highly of oneself. Keep humble especially in the light of the Holy Scripture. Live well and abide in the words of the Lord. We will have all the answers when we meet the Lord. You can hold me to that. Meanwhile, TRUST and BELIEVE in the Lord.

 

 

God bless!

It is one of those rare times that I had fallen so ill. While I lie there sneezing and coughing, with the whole body aching, I prayed to the Lord for healing. With each difficult cough, the faith of a divine healing becomes thinner. With that comes a wavering of faith and a little impatience with the Lord. Then the struggle within that says, ‘Keep the faith’. Somewhere in there a voice keeps saying that He is the Lord and He decides on what is to happen, not me. This struggle went on within throughout, with depressive mood swings between. Then with one very deliberate effort I decided to just trust the Lord and let Him be Lord. No, I was not instantly healed but peace came into my inner being.

It is so often for us to want to get out of whatever difficult situations immediately. In most cases we “demand” that the Lord should act instantly. Often it is not so. Our faith wavers and we fight on, thankful for faithful brothers-and-sisters-in-Christ standing with us to keep us strong. We look to the Scriptures for all kinds of comfort, the book of Job in particular. The reality is that we do not want to be Job. We want to be Jabez – a life without pain. There are times we think that we did so much for God and we do not deserve the pain that we are suffering now. We may feel that we might as well give up. All these feelings are real and we must not deny their existence or to brush it aside as faithlessness.

In the years of plenty, it is time for us to learn and hone our trust in God. It is easier in those times. It demands sacrifice, no doubt, but it is less painful. During such times we must learn the Scriptures well, so that we do not crash when hardship comes. After the years of plenty come the lean years and with adequate preparation we can weather through the famine without shipwrecking our faith.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

 

God bless!

There are times that I do not understand certain Christian organisations. They organise a simple teaching conference for the people within their organisation and insist that they pay to go. Naturally, the attendance is low. They then complain that people are not interested, indifferent and what have you, instead of kicking themselves for not thinking through their whole objective of the conference. It was not a “money making” conference as the fee was a token amount.  The question that begs asking is, why collect at all? In so doing, they discourage people from coming to a reasonable teaching for preachers.

Yes, you may want to say that those people should have just paid for it, as the amount is small. My argument is that an organisation that is serious about training their people should just concentrate on the objective of getting their people trained. Such a meagre amount that was being charged arises from poor thinking and understanding of what they really want.

A man will not charge his daughter while he teaches her to clean the house. No master will charge his servants when he trains them to do his bidding. No country will charge their National Service men any money for training them to fight for the nation. Collection of a small amount to ensure commitment is, in my opinion, very unwise. The intended audience becomes smaller, while a little sacrifice (which is really little) will ensure a much greater harvest. Well, being penny-wise and pound-foolish is not a new thing. It happens too often in our world.

Sacrificing a little of this world to gain eternity is something that we must pay careful attention to. Jesus had warned us about gaining the world but losing our salvation. We must take careful heed to this. There are just too many contrary teachings that are very convincing floating around, and supported by so-called big churches and well sought-after preachers. Beware.

God bless!

A very enthusiastic couple spoke to me recently about their calling to the mission field. They went on about their readiness to go and the excitement of the possibilities to do the work over at St. Andrew’s School Batam (SASB). I would have been excited too if not for the fact that this couple had had their calling ten years ago and is still only talking about it today. When I offered them the opportunity to go and serve in SASB, they started telling me about their present commitments in Singapore and how they wish they were free to just “go and serve the Lord.” I am quite sure that their answer will be the same in another ten years’ time.

Is there a real need to talk “spiritual”? I mean to impress other church members by talking “enthusiastically” about missions, bible study classes, spiritual retreats, etc….. What is there really to gain? A reputation for being spiritual perhaps? Or is there more? I really would like to know.

There are many “talkers” but really very few doers. Usually, the doers are not around to talk, as they are right out there in the fields. What we are surrounded with are, at most, arm-chair missioners – mostly talk and more talk.

When are we going to really bring the Good News to all those around us? Enough courses had been conducted and attended. The labourers in the harvest fields, both far and near, are few. As a particular pastor said “immediately” or “own sweet time”? When will we stop the chatter and start cranking the motor to move?

The road to hell is paved with many good intentions, so when will we really begin to seriously engage in the business of living a life worthy of the Gospel, to start making it count.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, start living and working. Do our work while it is still day, for the night is coming when no work can be done.

 

God bless!

It was wonderful watching a group of young people gathered around the Koi pond in St. Andrew’s Cathedral learning about God and praying. They were led by two older leaders from a mission organisation. Then they bowed their heads to pray, led by one of the older leaders. The other leader, however, was busy with her mobile phone during the entire prayer session which was quite long. She was busy messaging (I wonder if it was to God) and quite oblivious to the fact that she may be setting a very bad example to the young ones.

The mobile phone, especially those with very sophisticated functions, is very much a blessing and a bane in life. It has compressed space and time between people. It facilitates work and businesses. It provides a means for fast request and response to emergencies. All well and good.

The problem is when people are enslaved by it. They lose control of their lives to the almighty phone. Everywhere they are, they must be instantly contactable even while in the toilet on ‘major business’. There is the terrible urge to be in communication with someone else at any one time. If it does not happen, then it seems like the end of the world.

We really must learn to take control of the gadgets and not allow them to be our masters. Gadgets, especially mobile phones and portable computers, are good servants but very poor masters. They are like evil lurking in a corner.  Once they see the opportunity they will take control and start destroying your life – very slowly. Notice that I am not advocating that we dump them. I am asking you to take FULL control of them. Do not let the need to be on FB, SMSing, surfing the net and plugging the ears to some devices deluge you from the real presence of all those around you. This is especially so with regards to your communion with the Almighty God, Jesus Christ.

It is up to you.

 

God bless!

It was an internment of ashes with a twist. Imagine a fully robed Christian priest walking around in a very Buddhist-themed columbarium, conducting a service for interment of ash for a member who had recently passed on to glory. That was quite a sight, even for the workers in the columbarium. The Christian bereaved family did not quite believe that I would conduct the service for them there.

If you come from a hyper faith Christian genre, you would have flipped and despised me for doing this. Probably citing many reasons (heard from other preachers but not from the bible) why it should not be done, and how there was no honouring of God there.

On the contrary, God is truly honoured in a mighty way. It is only with wrong theology and practices that God cannot be honoured (one example would be a “Team healing” hailed by some groups of Christians. This borders on superstition arising from wrong exegesis of scripture and theology).

If we uphold the fact that God is the one true God that created everything, then it is easier for you to understand. There is only one true and living God, the rest are idols that bear no consequence. Then where we worship Jesus Christ is immaterial. We worship Jesus Christ and no one else! We stand in the midst of “idol worshippers” proclaiming the sovereignty of Christ, how is that not honouring God?

Brothers and sisters, do not be fooled. Learn the word of God well from studying the scriptures. Do not be mesmerised by the fame and “projected image” of so-called huge congregation preachers. They can lead many to hell because of their greed and agenda. Know God well, be intimate with HIM, and follow Him in accordance with His words. That will keep all of us in good stead.

Remember our status in Christ, the redeemed but not the saviour. Only God is the Saviour, all things are under Him and subjected to Him. All things come from Him, not by our chanting or formations but by His love for us.

 

God bless!

The sign at the petrol station cashier indicated clearly that only people above 18 are allowed to buy cigarettes. Then there are indications on magazines that mark “mature” themes. I wonder what they are. Do they mean that there are magazines with immature themes?

The question in my mind was this: “Is there an age limit before one is allowed to sin?” Do all those signs tell us that one can, therefore, smoke cigarettes as long as one is above 18 years old? Or, for that matter, watch pornography once that age limit is reached? To stretch it to its logical conclusion, it means that when you reach “legal” age, you are allowed to “kill” yourself. If that is the case, then 18 years old is a very dangerous age, is it not? If the people and the government are really convinced that smoking is bad for the health, then more drastic measures should be taken to stop it. A ban on the product would be a good start. Likewise, the holding on to the ban on pornography instead of “relaxing” the standard.

A sin is a sin, big or small, old or young. Its wage is death and there are no discounts. All of us will be judged equally, regardless of black or white. God is not interested in the so called democratic process or “people’s power”. God is sovereign and His actions are just. He will not waver, like politicians, under pressure to agree to what is wrong. He cannot be mocked, so let us not fool ourselves. There is no legal age to sin.

The Word of God exhorts us to grow to maturity in Christ. We are to keep growing in our spiritual life, which is intertwined with our physical life. There is no separation between them. When we spend our time in living a life worthy of the Gospel (believe me it takes up all your time), we have no time for vices like smoking, gambling or pornography.

Do not be fooled into thinking that we can be “old” enough to be wise not to touch the vices. Look again and see who are the ones committing all the offences, the so called “legal” aged people.

Let us, therefore, move on to grow and walk in the light of God. That is our inheritance and eventually our blessing.

 

 

God bless!

Some of us were in the men’s toilet minding our own business when a young lady walked in. She was totally engrossed in her texting on the mobile phone. When one of the men said loudly that this is a men’s toilet, she jumped up and walked out quickly. It was quite an embarrassing moment for us guys and for this young lady. What was so urgent about the message anyway? I wonder if all of us are living in a world where our instant answers are needed, failing which a world war would ensue.

There are specific times to doing specific things. A wrong timing would surely wreck even the most well-meaning intention. We seem to have lost the touch of correct timing. There was a time when people knew when to work and when to rest. You will agree that it is a topsy-turvy world now. People will sleep at their work and work at play or rest time. And then they complain about it.

It is also vital for us to remember the familiar “Stop, Look, Go” saying. Before we proceed on doing something, it is good to take stock and check our bearings. Then, we move on ahead to do knowing full well that we had thought about it. In the case of that young lady, she obviously did not think about where she was heading.

Also, we must watch out for the cares of the world that clutter up our minds and visions. Unnecessary communication and needless pressure to respond are some of the ‘stress” that we bring on ourselves. You may want to know that we once survived wonderfully without the need of any communication device. In fact, it was a happier time.

Brothers and sisters, live free and well. Do not let the unnecessary drain away your time. Stop, look, go and enjoy the life that God has given you.

 

 

God bless!

I was watching “This is It” (Michael Jackson’s unfinished concert) with my son. The dancers for this concert were carefully selected from thousands of hopeful applicants. Despite being the best among them, they would practise those dance moves for hours everyday. If I have not heard wrongly, it was something to the tune of ten hours everyday. It is no wonder that they were fantastic to watch when they danced with MJ.

I wonder how many minutes we put in each day to read the Word of God? I would like to imagine hours but I was trying very hard to be realistic. Along with that, how much effort do we put in to live a life worthy of the Gospel? Or what does that even mean? Will others be amazed at the way we try to please our Lord? Or will they see us as no different from pagans?

These are very difficult questions. I know they cause pain to many of us. Can we not just talk about ‘grace abound’ and become sin insensitive? Or about monetary blessings in abundance without sacrifice? That would make being a Christian so easy and so much more enjoyable. Why must this “stupiuck” fellow ask such hard questions to cause us pain?

For not so important things in our lives, we are willing to sacrifice a lot and I mean, a lot. I remember a time when I played badminton 3 times a day, eight days a week just to hone my skills to compete at a high level. I actually sleep with my racquets beside my bed. Am I as fervent in trying to please God? I really dare not think about it.  I only dare say that I do try, albeit struggling but trying. Of course there are those who spend many hours engaging in meaningless, mindless games on the computers or fruit phones.

The apostle Paul mentioned  that while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as  it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8).

Maybe we can start working at it, just maybe….

 

 

God bless!

It was a battle scene. People were rushing everywhere and it was difficult to know who was in which side. It was chaotic. It was the SJCp “retreat”.  Teams formed alliances to attack and defend their objectives. Their objective is to capture the royalties of the other teams.  In the midst of the chaos, a lady was heading into the “castle” of her opponents. She was immediately confronted by three defenders. Seeing the danger, the lady retreated slowly. At this crucial moment, her daughter in the same alliance, came running fast and furious to join in the battle to protect the mother. It was a scene that would touch the hearts of many.

Life’s journey is full of perils. At times we are able to overcome without help. Other times, we will need help. The question is, will there be help when we need it? Who would know that we need help?

Of course God is there and He knows. However, I believe that He has prepared the family, especially the family of God, to fulfil this duty of looking into the interests of others and caring for each other.

We must not neglect coming together in fellowship during the good times. Yes, times of hardship do have the effect of bringing people together. But why wait till those times? We must build foundations before anything happens. I pray that we need not go through difficult times. Coming to church has a social dimension as much as a spiritual dimension. Worshipping God at home through Internet streaming of the service only means that we do not really understand God or His intent. We are not meant to be loners. We are communal beings; God made us that way. Did not God say that it is not good for man to be alone? The apostle Paul also mentioned that we should not give up coming together to worship and fellowship.

Brothers and sisters, come and let us build up the family of God together. We will never walk alone.

 

 

 

God bless!