The Lord exhorts us to produce fruits that are worthy of the gospel / kingdom. It does not only mean making more disciples. It also means that we produce in increasing measure the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). There is also the warning that those who do not produce good fruit will be cut off, gathered and burned. Take heed.

We must also remember that there is no such thing as pedigree or lineage. Two people can be from the same background and they can come out totally different just like the mango trees mentioned before. It all depends on the way they respond to the circumstances surrounding them. How they take heed of the word of the Lord and live it out will produce varying results. Being the children of pastors do not necessarily make one a saint. It all depends on how much one wants to walk in the way of the Lord in one’s personal capacity, not vicariously through someone else. It is in this sense that some commented that “God has no grandchildren.” The tragic story of Cain and Abel is a good example for us.

Brothers and sisters, let us watch how we live our lives. Do not be enticed to live as the worldly ones do. Go back to the Word of God and do not waste too much of your time on the world of the Internet. Submit to God, test every spirit, resist the devil, and live well. Bear good fruit that will bode well for you.

God bless!

Hijacking an identity is not that difficult nowadays. The more technology makes things convenient to you, the more vulnerable you become. All you need is to accidentally or unknowingly “click” on something and you will be caught.

We may never know what we step on or what others will say behind our backs. There are those who spend considerable time to make sure that things said are stamped out. Others, though felt hurt by it, will brush it off by and by. There will be noises around us, and how we deal with them is important.

The Bible tells us to know the tree from its fruit. Good trees produce good fruits. In the same way that we trusted the person mentioned earlier and knew otherwise, we can filter out the “noises” about a person. If one is biased, however, then no amount of reason will help.

That would mean that we must watch the way we live our lives. Others can smear Christ all they want. They can try to misinterpret the Bible all they wish. Once our lives are lived to the standards of the gospel, truly being salt and light to the world, then we will uphold the name of the Lord, even without words.

Brothers and sisters, the world is no longer interested in words and rhetoric. Love in action can never be denied. The fruit will tell of the tree. You decide.

God bless!

An Asian boy complained to his mother that the kitchen was too hot when she was cooking and insisted that she should only cook when he was not around. To that, the mother replied: “If you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” I wonder if the child would then “sue” the mother for making the kitchen hot while preparing dinner for him.

To those parents suing the tech giant, I would tell them this – nobody forced you (or your children) to play those games. If you had wanted to play, you ought to have read the terms and conditions. If you had agreed to the T&C, then abide by it. Alternatively, you can always stop playing the game or using the product of the tech giant. Nobody is going to die if they cease to use the phone or play those “addictive” games! Anyway, the company is doing what it is supposed to do – to make money. They are not wrong in their quest and it is up the wisdom of the people to choose what is right for them.

Likewise, God laid down His rules very clearly in the Bible. One can get to know the “T & C” of God’s salvation plan – repent of our ways and believe in Jesus Christ – before you choose to walk in His will. It is quite ridiculous to ask Jesus Christ to be one’s Lord and Saviour but insisting in one’s own way. A sad example of trying to change the wordings in the bible to suit our lifestyles, is asserting that there was no need to read the book of Hebrews as it is written exclusively for Hebrews.

Well, brothers and sisters, these are the type of nonsense that we need to deal with in these last days. People become self-centred and want the world to revolve around them. Do not allow such thinking to get into your life. Watch it carefully and live with God as THE centre.

God bless!

We may not tell anyone of the things we do or indulge in. It may even be that no one will ever know about them; even if they work a lifetime to try to dig them out. If we think that we can get away with it, we should really ask, can we really lie to ourselves? I do not think so. Although there are people who advocate that one will believe that the lie is true when it is told frequently enough. Even then, can we hide the lie forever? All the hidden lies and sins that we thought no one knew will be revealed in full light on Judgement Day. There is no escape from it.

The good news for those who believe in Jesus Christ is that the sins are washed away, paid for. Therefore, we will not be punished for them. Of course, that is no excuse to go sinning and dismiss them as “mistakes”. Deliberate sinning is the equivalent of saying that one does not believe in Jesus Christ. The life is not worthy of the gospel. Therefore, judgement will ensue. No amount of slick arguments, seeking for loopholes, or throwing of tantrums will help in any way.

Do not attempt to mock God. Let us strive to live a life truly worthy of the gospel. In that, we will also not grieve the Holy Spirit by denying that Jesus Christ is the saviour because of our frivolous lifestyles. The victory in Christ is not shouted out with mere voices. The loudest shout of the victory of Christ comes through our changed lives. As an axiom goes, “your action is so loud that I cannot hear your voice.”

Brothers and sisters, the end is not too far off. Be sober and alert, keep close to Christ and live well.

God bless!

I wondered to myself how anyone could be so distracted as to lose a young child. I could accept it if the boy was much older and probably ran off by himself; but a child below three? That would be a little more than careless. Were they distracted by the material world around them or fully immersed in the small screen in front of them?

What if you are the small child that is lost? How would you feel? I remember ministering to a young man in his twenties, helping him to release the hurt that he harboured when his elders “abandoned” him as a very young child. He was later found by them but the hurt and anger had already been entrenched. It was over twenty years later that the hurt and anger were healed when he found Jesus Christ one night.

I am glad that the God that we worship never takes His eyes away from us. He is constantly watching out for us. He never sleeps nor grows weary even when we are always straying off. He cares for us in every way, even in matters that we deem too menial to mention. If He collects our every teardrop, what else is too small for Him? Yes, we have a loving heavenly Father.

We take comfort in that fact. However, that does not give us the right or liberty to go astray as and when we feel like it. We should be learning to please the Father. In all our ways, we work towards a life pleasing to the Father and worthy of the gospel. It is no wonder that Jesus did teach us to be like the little child when it comes to the matter of the Kingdom of God.

God bless!

There is always a time to do something. The Bible tells us that there is a time to sow and a time to harvest, a time to rejoice and a time to mourn. The world moves at its pace and is no respecter of man. When autumn is gone, winter follows; there is no two ways about it.

The problem with the world today is that we are too full of ourselves. We tend to forget that it is God who is really in control of the world and not us. It is His rules that we abide to; not the other way round. He does not grant special favours to anyone just because the roast pig is bigger or the offering more expensive. His sun shines on the rich and the poor alike. The rain comes upon everyone without exception.

Do not procrastinate in matters of faith. Worship God today and not wait till tomorrow. Remember Him from the days of our youth and not wait till the sunset years. God is the Almighty in our entire life and not some insurance as we approach our journey end.

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon us like a robber, and want like an armed man. If we take our time with God and give of the best years to worldly pursuits, then we will have to watch out that we may just miss the boat. Work while it is still day, for when darkness approaches, no one can work.

Take heed, my dear brothers and sisters. All of you are precious to God. The risk of losing is greater than ever. Be alert and watch out. Hold on to God tightly and never let go. Do it pronto!

God bless!

However, reading the Bible tells a totally different story. It is not very thick nor the language too difficult but many have not read it through once even after many years. Why? If it is the most important document that we must read in our lifetime, how come we have not read it, at the least, once through if not more?

The ministry “Faith comes by Hearing” has a reading programme that enables a person to finish the New Testament in 40 days by listening 28 minutes a day. Let’s extrapolate that a little and we can come to estimate that we can also finish the Old Testament in another 80 days. That would make 120 days to finish the entire Bible once. That would mean that we should be able to read the bible three times in a year without much difficulty. 28 minutes too long? Okay, let us read the Bible once in one year, which would mean that we ought to take about 9 minutes of reading a day. 9 minutes still too much? How about 5 minutes a day to finish reading the Bible through once in two years? Not too much to give to read the Word of the living God, is it?

My brothers and sisters, set your priority right. This is the Word of the living God. It is not some novel or fiction. It concerns our lives— present and future. If people can spend considerably more time on social media and mobile gaming, then I do not know how they can respond honestly about not reading the Word of God. Facebook and what-have-you will fade away. But the Word of God will stand forever.

Do not take the Word of God for granted. It will come (maybe already came) a time when some will come and lead many astray using the Word of God but in a twisted way. Consider for yourself what you want to do with the rest of your time here on earth.

God bless!

If you are still in the dark about what is happening, a reality check will tell you that the world is becoming more evil. Is it a concern? Of course it is. Can we change it? Not likely! It should not, however, stop us from trying. After all, the fastest way to let evil proliferate is for good people to do nothing.

The Bible has already warned us that the world will get more and more evil as the last days approach. In contrast, those who really live a life worthy of the gospel will appear holier and holier. It is not a “holier than thou” attitude. It is like a white contrasted with an increasingly dark background. The white simply appears brighter.

What does that mean? Simple, it means that the Lord’s return is imminent. It also means that Judgement Day is near. How we are going to stand up to that will depend on what we understand from the Bible. Yes, God loves us and gave us His only begotten son. We must be aware that it also says that “whoever believes in Him” shall not perish. The word “believes” is important here. It would mean that we live according to what Jesus taught us to do. People who believe in Jesus will live a life that is worthy of the gospel. People who do not bother about Jesus (can we even say that they believe in Him?) will have much to think about.

Brothers and sisters, do not live according to the world. There are more important things in life than work, gadgets, games or others. Live a good life and prepare the way of the Lord.

God bless!

There is a time for everything. A time to rest, a time to work, a time to sow and a time to harvest. If we are to think about it, all our troubles are caused by doing things at the wrong time. Doing the right thing at the wrong time is as bad as doing the wrong thing at the right time. Studying while you are watching a movie with the family is not exactly enjoyable for you and the family. Wearing a bikini to a black-tie affair is not exactly right either. There is a time to do everything. Doing the right thing at the right time makes for glad hearts.

So brothers and sisters, there must be a time to worship God. The time to worship God should not be tainted with SMS, chats, Facebooking…. in the midst of worshipping God. Yes, it includes listening to a “boring” sermon. If at all possible, switch off the phone totally. If you are using the phone as your Bible reader, then switch off the phone module. Frankly, if you have no time for God, then do not blame Him for not having time for you. He did mention this in the Bible if you bothered to make time to read the Scriptures. Choose this day whom you will worship.

God bless!

In the same vein, how we live our lives tell others about the God we worship. If our lives are not worthy of the gospel, then others will think badly about the God we worship. If our lives truly glorify God, the rest is history. There is no need to critique how others live their lives or what they believe. It is vital for them to see for themselves what we stand for. Are we for real about what we believe? Or is it a facade?

There is really no point in burning religious books. It does not show that you love God. It only shows that you are a bigot. God never needed us to defend Him. We need Him to defend us. So it is for us to check on ourselves all the time to live right.
We do not like others to criticise us. It is especially so for us Asians, the face is so important. Well, if there is no mirror, then how will we really know that our faces are dirty. Our friends, real friends, will tell us what is wrong with us. If we despise them, then they will back off and leave us to our own destructions? Face is vital, but a good moral life is even more so. Live well with the help of good people around you. Iron sharpens iron, so let them help shape our lives.

Do not be afraid to point out to your peers their glaring faults. If they listen, you have saved one and gained a better friend. If they scorn you then leave them be. Do not be discouraged. At the end of the day, be careful what our life reveals about the God we worship.

God bless!