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.


Finding our joy in the Lord

https://odb.org/2024/09/19/finding-wise-joy

In living life and our redeemed life in the Lord, we go through the usual routine of waking up, having our quiet time, brushing our teeth, bathe, having breakfast, going through traffic to work (depending on our length of commune and mode of transportation, that can be an adventure by itself!), work, lunch, work again, going back home, wash up, dinner, brush our teeth again, night prayer and then sleep and perhaps going through something similar in our dreams (I always dream when I sleep and usually about living life!).

The usual drill of a day is quite boring and predictable, except for the unexpected that occurs every now and then. Most of us will thus have something we do to find some joy amidst the dull days. Some may play video games, some watch television, or consume content on YouTube or social media through our portable devices, whether our handphone or tablet or computer monitor. Some develop unique hobbies like photographing insects (yes, there are such people, and when you see the photos, they are indeed fascinating!), or just landscape photography. More are into sports or the gym with the added benefit of good health. Some play snooker while others just chill with friends over coffee or a few beers. As for me, my joy is in playing the guitar, which I regularly need to play so that when I lead worship, my fingers don’t hurt! Haha

This morning’s ODB article suggests that we also find our joy in the Lord, and in my view, it is an excellent suggestion to break the dullness of the routine in life. Furthermore, this will certainly help us prepare for our lives in eternity. Some of us may find our joy in the Lord in His Word. Just reading His Word or researching topics in Scriptures that piqued our interest. Some of us may find our joy in serving Him, in the church, at some voluntary social organisation, or even at work. Some of us derive our joy in the Lord by praying and interceding or just communicating with the Lord in our quiet time. As for me, I find my joy in the Lord in worshipping Him while playing my guitar. I thus ended up killing 3 birds with one stone! Worshipping Him, playing my guitar, and preparing for my next worship lead session.

Find your joy in the Lord! We are all unique creatures created by God for His pleasure and fellowship. We are wired differently, and thus, our joy in the Lord will not be the same as another brother’s or sister’s. Develop our own joy in the Lord, and I believe it will bring us everlasting joy for the rest of our days!

The bruised reed, He will not break

https://odb.org/2024/09/18/gods-patient-love

I took a short break to chill and rejuvenate over the Malaysia Day weekend as we had a rare 4-day bank holiday (as they say in the UK), which ended today. Many actually took leave for the rest of the week, and thus, with just 3 days of annual leave, one can get a 9-day stretch to travel a bit.

The phrase that touched me this morning is that He will not break the bruised reed, and neither will He snuff out the smouldering wick. You may find this in Isaiah 42:3 – the passage that speaks of Jesus as the Messiah bringing justice on earth in His own gentle way. In Isaiah 42:1-7, you will see the mission of Christ and the nation of Israel culminating in the body of Christ as the spiritual Israel bringing justice to the world in fulfilment of the Abrahamic Covenant.

The point is that if we are down and out, even due to our own indiscretions, having succumbed to our weaknesses and the temptations that came our way, God will not kill our spirit and condemn us to a life of continued sin and spiritual misery. Instead, if we are willing, He will raise us up again and heal our heart and spirit. He will not break the bruised reed or snuff out the smouldering wick. He is a God of justice and righteousness, but He is not a cruel God. He is not the one who revels in the sufferings of His people. If we repent and turn back to Him, He will nurse us back to good health and spiritual vigour, to be mighty men and women of God again like we were before!

Just remember, as we go through this week, that Jesus is gentle, humble, and patient. Remember Matthew 11:29 ESV:

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

If we are down in the spirit or have backslided in the Lord, don’t lose hope for our spiritual life or lose sight of our salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. He urges us today to turn back to our Heavenly Father God and to get back quickly on to the narrow path. Let’s run the race again! If we are weak, let’s just walk as Jesus tends to us for us to recuperate in our spirit. Don’t be gullible again, and don’t allow ourselves to be misled by our fleshly and carnal desires and greed or allow the temptations of the world to distract or draw us unto the broad path that leads to destruction. Have a good week ahead in the Lord, everyone!

Your will be done here on earth

https://odb.org/2024/09/13/kingdom-shaped-workplace

The Lord’s prayer teaches us how to pray as a basic structure of what we should pray for, although the prerequisite remains a sincere and forgiving heart.

You may find the whole prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV:

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

It starts by addressing God as our Heavenly Father and by giving honour and proclaiming His name. Then we pray that His Kingdom will come and His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. We then seek His forgiveness for our sins (debts as translated in NKJV) as we also forgive others who have sinned against us. Lastly, but not the least, we pray that God will not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the devil and ends with another proclamation that His is the kingdom, power, and glory forevermore!

Central to the Lord’s prayer is the prayer for the will of God be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Like George Cadbury imagining how heaven will be like and providing suitable housing for his workers in Bournville, we should also imagine how “His will will be done here on earth as it is in heaven” in the various situations of our lives. In the life struggles we face, we pray for His will be done, not our desires or ambitions but His will, that is, His plans and purposes. In the choices we make, may His will be done. In the career decisions we make, may His will be done. In the relationships we cultivate, the opportunities we pursue, the talents we develop, the spiritual gifts we grow, may His will be done. No less important, imagine too that His will may be done here on earth through us and our lives in our own little sphere of influence – be it our family or at our university or college or school or at our workplace! We are His instruments, the touch points for Him to reach out to others around us with His love, compassion, and grace. May our lives reflect His glory and will here on earth as it is in heaven!

Sabbath as a day of rest

https://odb.org/2024/09/12/retrieval-practice

They say if you retire early, you risk dying early. This is probably because the lack of work pressure and motivation may lead to a lazy, sedentary, and unproductive lifestyle that may somehow bring us to an untimely demise. On the other hand, too much work pressure may lead to unnecessary stress, and that may bring about illnesses like the big three of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes – also a recipe for early death! This is especially crucial when we are between our 50s and 60s, and one of the solutions is to have a balanced life, by continuing to work to maintain good mental and physical health but in a less stressful environment.

By working, we are also assured we have continued financial independence before we start to dig into our old age funds. We may also continue paying our tithes and offerings to the church and for His work and also provide financial assistance to the needy, if so required.

The LORD also has a balanced life remedy for us in the form of the Sabbath or Shabbat (in Hebrew). Because He Himself as God rested on the seventh day after spending six days creating the world and all the creatures therein. He instituted the Sabbath for us to rest and worship Him and remember His mighty works and goodness in our lives. We need not take it as religiously as the Jews with all the strict rules governing it, but we should nevertheless set aside a day for us to rest and reflect on God. The latter helps us retrieve our memories, which inevitably will worsen as we age and prayerfully, we will avoid getting dementia. That is why it is an excellent practice to chill on a Sunday and attend church physically to fellowship and worship the LORD. It is much better if we are also serving in church.

A church full of old folks need not come across as lifeless as even the elderly can have boundless energy in the Lord, serving Him until our last breath. It is important to work as long as our employers still want us, but it is equally necessary to serve God to have a good balance between the natural and the spiritual. Work and serve God as long as we can, but remember to observe our personal Sabbath to rest and rejuvenate and to remember the goodness and grace of God!

God and His rainbow

https://odb.org/2024/09/11/colors-of-hope

Genesis 9:11-13 NKJV

11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

After the great flood that killed every human being and other air breathing creatures on earth except Noah, his family, and the animals on board Noah’s ark, the LORD made the rainbow 🌈 as the sign of His covenant and promise that He will never again destroy every living creature on earth by flood again, for perpetual generations. In Hebrew, rainbow is qesheth, also translated as bow. Thus, the rainbow is God’s bow without the arrow – a weapon that has been deweaponised. It is the sign of God’s grace and mercy towards humans and other air breathing creatures. (Note that marine life was not affected by the flood as water obviously can not kill creatures living in the water)

We learned about the rainbow in school as part of science – rather the colours of the rainbow. It is these core colours, ROYGBIV – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet that make up all colours and hues that we see on earth. It symbolises hope and the colours of life that life is worth living despite all that we may go through. It also symbolises diversity, which the LGBTQ community has adopted as their calling card or slogan, except that their colours are not exactly that of the natural rainbow made by God.

I believe God is saying to us today that no matter how difficult life may be to some of us and how dark the outlook may appear to us for the coming days, if we look to Him, we will find the rainbow 🌈 that will brighten up our future. He is the true source of hope and life. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Whoever drinks of Him shall never thrist again. Turn to Jesus, and He will give us true hope and eternal life! He is our rock and our salvation, our redeemer and stronghold!

Jesus Christ, the Word

https://odb.org/2024/09/10/royal-family

John 1:9-13 NIV

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God —13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

It is true that when Christ came to walk on the earth as a human being of human birth but conceived by the Holy Spirit, He was initially followed by many, but eventually, most fell away. Only a remnant remained with Him until His death and resurrection. After Pentecost with the manifested and outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit, many believed, and these believers formed the core for the message of the Gospel to travel beyond Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria and the Gentile world, reaching Rome and the Judeo-Greek communities across Europe. In fact, John 1:1 on the concept of the Word being with God at the beginning and is God was in response to prevalent Greek thought on a supreme being or force known as Logos that preceeded all things.

The message of the Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected later spread to the ends of the earth. The Abrahamic Covenant and the promise of God that Father Abraham will have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore finally came to pass. Today, the Gospel has reached most people groups and communities, and yet there are pockets of indigenous tribes, who, for reasons of reach and language, have still been unaccessible by missionaries and messengers of the Good News. At the same time, there are closed countries whose people have heard of the Gospel but still reject the message of Christ as the Messiah, and sadly, that includes most of present-day Israel.

But for those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we have been given the privilege to be sons and daughters of God, co-heirs to the heavenly inheritance that awaits us at the end of age.

Be thankful and grateful that we are the privileged few, the remnant that chose to stay on the narrow path that leads to eternal life. Thus, be watchful that we do not lose the plot or be drawn away by the attractions of the world that constantly tempt and entice us to upgrade our status and stature, which will eventually compromise our faith and lead us away from our narrow path.

Instead, be constantly serving Him diligently and faithfully in every way we could to the best of our abilities and God-given talents and as the Spirit prompts us. So that we are always fulfilling His plans and purposes for our lives in every season and living out His Word at the center of His will – as David described in Psalm 23 – surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever!

The church

https://odb.org/2024/09/09/what-remains

Matthew 16:17-19 –

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

One new thing I learnt today from Matthew 16 is that preceding the above passages is verse 13, and Matthew writes that as Jesus entered the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked the disciples who others and they say He is. Some say He is John the Baptist while others say He is Elijah or Jeremiah. But Peter, when specifically asked, answered that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Caesarea Philippi was the region known as Bashan, where the people in the past used to worship false gods and performed child sacrifices. It is believed that Bashan was the entrance to the underworld.

That was why Jesus mentioned the Gates of Hades when He proclaimed that He would build His church upon the rock – that the Gates of Hades would not prevail against it. We, of course, know by now that the rock is Peter’s revelation that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of the living God. It is upon this revelation that Jesus will build His church as that’s the foundational teaching for our faith that distinguishes us from other faiths. As believers, our faith is founded upon the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, the only one who is unblemished and without sin who became the Lamb of God and who died on the cross for our sins and rose victorious 3 days later having overcome the sting of sin, which is death. That is why the Gates of Hades, which is death, will not prevail against the church. The whole doctrine of our faith as expounded by the Apostles, especially Paul in his letters, is the death and resurrection of Christ, as the Son of the living God.

Thus, the church, wherever it may be, is ultimately that of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Saviour. He will build it and equip it. Wherever He calls us to, we may serve Him and fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives for that season, but it is He who builds it and gives it its increase. It is not the building but the congregation. It is more than the bricks and mortar, but the spiritual lives of the people. It is where God is leading us as a congregation that matters. Where He wants us to be and what He wants us to do in the midst of what He is doing. May we as a congregation participate in the work He is doing in our midst so we may live and serve Him and be at the centre of His will!

My prayer for us this morning, myself included, for the coming week is that our Lord Jesus Christ may grant us wisdom and discernment in all the things we do at work, in school and college, and in the church that we may excel, and that many others may be blessed by the work of our hands and His name will be glorified on earth as it is in heaven! Amen!