The Law and the Spirit

https://odb.org/2024/10/02/reflecting-the-character-of-jesus

Galatians 5:13-18, 22-23 NIV

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.

In Galatians 5 above, Paul asserts and settles the debate then (and even now in some quarters) that as believers in Christ, we are no longer bound by the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament. This is because when Christ died for our sins, He had fulfilled the law. By giving us the Holy Spirit, we now live by the Spirit and not by our flesh, and if we are led by the Spirit, we are no longer under the Law.

Further, the whole law is fulfilled when we love our neighbour as ourselves. With the fruit of the Spirit, against such things, there is no law. If we have love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, what law can be against us? The background to Galatians 5 was the debate, whether new believers in Christ who were Gentiles need to be circumcised like the Jews. It is obvious that Christians do not practice circumcision. Why is there still a debate by some today that we are still bound by the Mosaic Law?

For our application, it is important to focus on the Holy Spirit. We are not bound by the law because we are led by the Spirit. We must not fulfil or gratify the desires of our flesh and must acquire the fruit of the Spirit. If we are still in the flesh, Christ’s death has not impacted us in the sense that our flesh has not been crucified with Christ. Then, perhaps we can not say that we are freed from the law. How can we be free from the law if we are still led by our flesh? We will be judged by the law based on our flesh as we are not led by the Spirit.

Have a good week ahead (although it is mid week already)! I pray that all of us will have the wisdom and discernment from the Lord as we earn our living in the world and relate to those around us while being led by the Spirit! Loce your neighbour as yourself and the whole law will be fulfilled by us!

Small miracles

https://odb.org/2024/09/30/small-miracles

The guiding principle for serving God can be found in Luke 6:10, which reads as follows and is taught by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself:

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

We start with small things like maybe vacuuming the carpet, washing the toilets, arranging chairs to street evangelism (for example, distributing pamphlets for an evangelistic rally) and maybe progress to bigger things like worship leading and leading a bible study or home fellowship. So, do not despise the smaller things in God as God uses the smaller things to lead us to greater things in Him.

It’s the same principle applied for miracles and signs and wonders. When we pray, we ask God’s help, maybe to help us find a parking spot or bring to rememberance where we left our house keys? Or pray over our fever or an ache in our body before we progress to bigger things like praying for cancer or for the deaf and mute or blind. We always start small and let the Holy Spirit lead us to greater exploits for God. If you are into church planting or outreach work, it usually starts with a house fellowship, and then it progresses to a proper meeting place, but for outreach work, be prepared to do the whole works from praying, worship leading to sharing a sermon. The platform may be smaller and less formal, yet the tasks are the same, just on a reduced scale and intensity.

In my experience serving God, the great thing is that we will experience His love, joy, and peace with full satisfaction, and the Lord never requires more than we can give. He takes us step by step and progresses us as we mature and get better. He always starts small.

Serve God in whatever capacity He has called us. Don’t despise the smaller things in life. Start serving Him from whatever position we are. Over time, He will promote us and lead us to bigger things!

Guard our hearts

https://odb.org/2024/09/29/heart-healthy

Proverbs 4:23 – Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

One of the prayers I always pray for my sons is for God to guard their hearts so that wherever they are, they always remain true and faithful to God in all that they do. They always remember Jesus in all that they do. They do not jeopardise their faith and salvation. They always choose to honour God in all of their decisions.

Thus, I am thankful that my elder son in the UK has found a church where he is able to relate to the people and the pastors, and he is now serving God in music playing either the guitar or piano. He has been serving in music for 3 Sundays consecutively, including today’s Sunday worship! Praise the Lord! Every believer must have a church and a community of believers they can call home, where they may serve and be encouraged in the faith. It is part of the support system for our faith. If we are all alone, especially in a foreign land, it is likely that we will get drawn away by the bright lights of the world and lose our way.

Our hearts are the moral centre of our beings. It is part of our soul and spirit. As much as the physical heart determines the health of our physical body, our other heart determines our spiritual health and maturity. The little organ (weighs only between 200g to 400g) is probably the strongest organ in our body. It beats 100,000 times a day and pumps 7,500 litres of blood through nearly 100,000 km of blood vessels in our body! The whole blood circulation system in our body transporting oxygen, nutrients, and disposing waste is a testament to God’s brilliance! Yet, it is the other heart that determines our destiny for eternity.

Guard our hearts that we always live in the centre of His will, fulfilling His plans and purposes for our lives. Love and serve Him with all our heart, soul, and body. May our lives be a living testament of His glory, wisdom, and goodness!

Have an amazing Sunday worship service today, everyone! May we dwell in the glory of His presence and meet Him face to face as we worship Him in spirit and, in truth!

Reckless and careless

https://odb.org/2024/09/27/reckless-and-careless

Proverbs 14:16 ESV – One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

I had participated as a note-taker in a domestic enquiry last year, where the prosecution amended the charge to contend that something was done in a reckless manner. It adds a layer of complexity to the company’s case against the employee, but it also means that the employee’s offence or wrongdoing is more serious and grave. It is more difficult to prove, but once proven, it facilitates the justification for termination. In contracting, we add the word “reckless” to impose a higher burden on the counter-party to claim for losses. Thus, in order for us to be liable, they not only need to prove that we were negligent but also reckless. It means that we had acted in a fashion that totally disregarded any form of caution as though we had crossed the street without looking at all. In other words, we acted without giving any thought to any possible consequences, and in the corporate world, that’s a rarity indeed.

In the spiritual sense, we are reckless if we do something without thinking how much it could affect us spiritually. A reckless action is not only irresponsible but also rash. So it’s different from not praying much or not reading the Word. It’s like pursuing a non-believer as a life partner, not with the intention to convert him or her, but due primarily to physical attraction. Thus, we didn’t see beyond the immediate and our own carnal desires. We threw caution to the wind, although we know of the possible long-term consequence to our life in Christ. We may leave the faith. Even if we don’t, it will likely be difficult for us to bring up our children in the faith if our spouse is not of faith. Or just a simple act of picking up josssticks to pray to an idol. It is reckless since that act clearly violates the first commandment of the Mosaic law.

Even if we believe we are called by God to do mission work overseas and quit our jobs in response, it is reckless if we don’t consider the consequences and all possible scenarios. It requires faith and boldness to take the step of faith, but it should be done after much prayer seeking God. Not at the spur of the moment but much prayer and planning.

Don’t be reckless and careless in our actions. Always think and consider the possible consequences to our spiritual lives. Will Jesus be overjoyed by our decision and course of action, or will He be sad and disappointed? Did the Holy Spirit prompt us, or are we just following our fleshy desires? Will we still be on the narrow path, or will we now be charting a course on the broad path that leads to destruction? Pray hard before we make rash, reckless, and careless decisions in life!

Friendships in Christ

https://odb.org/2024/09/26/what-a-friend-2

Friends in Christ

Recently, we met up with two families and a pastor, friends whom we knew since our university days. That was more than 30 years ago, and although we seldom meet face to face, we have kept in touch all these years. There was, however, one major difference with our other childhood friends – we were serving God then, and we are still serving God today. In fact, in those 30+ years, nearly 18 of those years were spent serving God together, first at the varsity work of our previous church, and later, we established a small independent church with others. This is an example of friendships forged in Christ while serving God in ministry – friendships that lasted for many years. Our children also get along very well since they grew up together in Sunday school during their early formative years, and they are all youths and young adults now.

As much as Jesus is our one true friend who laid down His life for us to die for our sins, we need friends in Christ. Yes, we are spirit beings clothe in our earthen vessels. We are still flesh and blood. We therefore need to interact with others in the natural. Others who face the daily struggles of life like us, whose lives inspire and encourage us to preserve on in Christ. We could also be the inspiration for others. What does it mean to live a balanced Christian life in the midst of the world with its temptations and worldly attractions? How we may earn a living while still actively serving God in our own ways?

Cultivate friendships in Christ. Such friendships will last a lifetime. The best way is still to serve God together in church or in missions or doing voluntary work in society. As we serve God, we grow in our maturity in Christ and, most importantly, in our character as children of God. We are, after all, called to be the salt and light to the world, to reflect the glory of God in our midst!

Godly wisdom

https://odb.org/2024/09/25/mind-blowing-teaching

Proverbs 3:5-10 NKJV –

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.

9 Honor the Lord with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they not only sinned against God but acquired worldly wisdom. As a result, mankind likewise sinned and was separated from God, but we have an intellect that is far superior compared to other living creatures on earth. Worldly wisdom enabled us to achieve much throughout civilisations. We use tools in our everyday lives. We cultivate the land and rear animals for wheat, rice, vegetables, fruits, meat, and milk. We could travel to the ends of the earth and back in a matter of hours or travel to farlands relying on vehicles rather than just our legs. Today, we could communicate, keep in contact, and visually see our loved ones through video calls and text messages via WhatsApp, sending photos and video clips wherever we are. It is amazing how far we have progressed as a human race compared to other animals.

Yet, Solomon, regarded as the wisest man ever lived, concluded in Ecclesiastes that life is vanity or meaningless unless we know God. Are we created just to live and die, to exist in the 60 to 90 years of our lives? Or do we have a higher calling and purpose in life? Proverbs, also written by Solomon, advises us to trust in God and not lean on our own wisdom. In all our ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct our paths. Fear the LORD and depart from evil. Do not be wise in our own eyes, speaking of the pride of life. Honour the LORD with our possessions and our produce (money), and He will fill our barns with plenty and our vats (tanks) with wine. This means we will have wealth and enjoy the finer things in life if we honour Him with what He blesses us in terms of our finances and possessions.

In the end, the Godly wisdom we should have on top of our human wisdom is the wisdom to put our trust in God. If we have God in our lives, our lives will not be vanity. With God in our lives, our lives will be meaningful as we get to serve Him and live our lives for Him. One day, we will live with God again in Eden recreated in the new heaven and new earth. Solomon was given the choice – do you choose wisdom or wealth? In foresight, I used to say that it’s a no-brainer as wisdom will lead to wealth. But true wisdom is really choosing God over everything else. It’s actually also a no-brainer, except that not everyone will choose God. Do we live by faith or by sight? Do we follow our flesh or our born-again spirit, led by the Holy Spirit?

Living sacrifice and the community of believers

https://odb.org/2024/09/24/together

Romans 12:1-2 & 4 – 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will isk—his good, pleasing, and perfect will. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

In the world, many bring sacrifices to gods in the hope of mercy and blessings. Sometimes, it is also to atone for sin. Ancient Israel was in a similar place. They offer an unblemished lamb for the LORD to overlook their sins and transgressions. Jesus changed all that when He became the Lamb of God who took all the sins of mankind and thus, by His stripes, we are healed of our sins and transgressions with God (Isaiah 53:5). Then, it became blessings, grace, and mercy first, and we, in return, respond in sacrifice with our lives as a living sacrifice for God. As part of our living sacrifice unto God, we live a holy and righteous life. We give tithes and offerings for the expansion of His Kingdom, and we serve him faithfully to the best of our God-given talents and giftings.

Integral to our living sacrifice, like a schedule is an integral part of the main body of an agreement, is the community of believers in the local church that we belong to. It is a community that we are a part of, sharing our lives together as we serve one another and grow together in maturity in Christ. Thus, as believers, we can not live in isolation to the people of our church. We are of the same body of Christ with many members, and yet we are one in Christ. There is no such thing as a lone Christian practising his faith on his own in seclusion, separated from the main body.

Therefore, because of God’s mercy and grace in Christ Jesus, we are reconciled with God, we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, not conforming to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. So in Christ, we, though many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Our faith is personal and yet collective. We are individuals, but we are a part of a community of believers, and we belong to one another. We worship and serve God together. We fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives together. We have our own lanes in our walk of faith, and yet we are in this together.

No longer the foreigner

https://odb.org/2024/09/23/no-longer-a-foreigner

As ancient Israel was a religious state, the foreigner or Gentile did not have equal rights under the Covenant Law. The rationale is to maintain the purity of the Jewish race and faith. Thus, inter-marriages with the other communities in Canaan were not allowed. As history has shown, when the Israelites inter-marry, they tend to worship other gods like Baal, and that angered the LORD as it breached the first commandment of the Mosaic law that thou shall worship no other gods except the LORD. For example, an offering from a foreigner is not considered unblemished and is not acceptable. The foreigner may not enter the inner courts of the Temple, reserved only for the priests. Thus, the Gentile is confined to the outer courts.

The blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary changed all that as Jesus reconciled all to God, whether Jew or Gentile, allowing access to every one who believes in Christ to enter even the Holy of Holies. We no longer need a High Priest to represent us to atone for our sins as Jesus is now our High Priest interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. In Christ, we are no longer foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household built on the foundation of Christ and that of the apostles and the prophets.

Ephesians 2:17-20 NKJV:
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him, we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

Assert our rights and entitlements as legitimate sons and daughters of God through Christ, as co-heirs with Christ in the Kingdom of God. For example, we are no longer bound by the bondage of sin and have authority over spiritual forces. We may work in signs and wonders and healing for those around us with the power and authority granted us by Christ. Most importantly, we have an eternal destination even as where we are is the Kingdom of God here on earth to live out and reflect the glory of God. Greater is He who is in us that he who is in the world!

Have a fruitful week ahead, everyone! Assert our rights, entitlements, power, and authority in Christ Jesus! May we all have a spiritual breakthrough in our walk of faith as we persevere on in righteousness and fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives!

The return of the King

https://odb.org/2024/09/22/royal-return

The one event every believer is looking forward to is the second coming of Christ, the return of the King of Kings, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and the Chosen One. It is an event that will certainly happen, but its timing, only Father God knows. The believers during the time of the Acts of the Apostles believed He would return then. 2,000 years have passed since then, and the world has made much advancements and progress in science and technology and development, and yet Christ has not returned.

It is believed that He will only return when every tribe and people’s group on earth has had the opportunity to hear the Gospel, and yet many have preached that ours shall indeed be the generation that will see and experience His return as the King of Glory to rule and later judge all mankind.

Thus, as millions in the world had watched the funeral of the passing of the oldest and longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, we will one day see the return of our own King Jesus Christ. The difference is that Christ will return as an immortal in His glorified body, and He will reign on earth for eternity one day merging the spiritual realm into the natural in the new heaven and new earth.

In the meantime, as we await His return with anticipation, the rigmarole of life goes on with its ups and downs and daily challenges. There will be temptations coming our way. Distractions from the world to distract us. Our own weaknesses in the flesh to contend with. Compromises we may make to carry on with the living. Whatever it is, we must always return to the narrow path and protect and safeguard our faith. Salvation is by grace, by our faith in Christ. It is not by our good works. Yet it may be lost by our own doing if we lose our faith in Christ or if we cease running the race or if we depart from the faith.

In these end times, there are and will be many false teachers who may lead us away from our lane to first pause us and then bring us on to another path like Alice in the wonderland. Always ask ourselves what is temporal and what is eternal, and although we need to live in the temporal, we hold on to what is eternal.

Have a fantastic time worshipping God today, celebrating His goodness as we await in anticipation of the return of His Son, our beloved Christ and King! Have a great time worshipping and fellowshipping in church today! Blessed Sunday, everyone!

Niniveh – God is slow to anger

https://odb.org/2024/09/20/gods-justice-and-grace

Niniveh, a ruin located near the city of Mosul in present-day Iraq, has an interesting history as descrobed in the bible. In the book of Jonah, God asked Jonah to preach to them to warn them of the impending judgment if they do not repent. Instead, Jonah fled to the other direction as he saw their wickedness and thus, in a way, preferred that they meet their doom. But he was eaten by a big whale, and after 3 days and 3 nights in its belly, he was released, and he made his way to Niniveh to preach to the people of Niniveh. They repented, and God spared the city. About 100 years later, they fell back to their old ways and this time Nahum prophesied against them, and they were later destroyed by God.

You may read this in Nahum 1:1-8 NIV –

A prophecy concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh
2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
and vents his wrath against his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up;
he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither
and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
5 The mountains quake before him
and the hills melt away.
The earth trembles at his presence,
the world and all who live in it.
6 Who can withstand his indignation?
Who can endure his fierce anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
the rocks are shattered before him.

7 The Lord is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
8 but with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of Nineveh;
he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.

The point I would like to make this morning is that the LORD is slow to anger, although His power is great. He was slow to deliver judgment on Niniveh and sent Jonah to give them a chance to repent. When they repented, He didn’t destroy them. He treats us and others in this world the same way. Chances to repent will be given before judgment is delivered.

We are to forgive when others do wrong to us. This is the basic tenet of our faith as God first forgave us, and if we do not forgive others, He will also not forgive us. But there is a teaching that advocates us to leave the judgment to God as vengence is His. It’s just that we have to remember that God is slow to anger and even slower to take revenge for us. His capacity to forgive is immense, even if evil is or may be perpetuated.

So perhaps the best way forward, though it may be very difficult, is to take the attitude and spirit of Jesus in Luke 23:34 – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. In other words, if we are wronged, forgive them and ask God to forgive them instead of asking God to take revenge for us. That’s the Christ-like attitude to have despite our fleshy desire to see destruction by God of the people who had wronged or sinned against us. Remember, even though God is powerful, He is slow to anger.