https://odb.org/MY/2023/08/10/the-god-of-all-our-days

I think when we are young and all on fire for God, we feel we can conquer the world. We are at the top of our game. God is with us all the way, whether we lead in worship, preach, or minister or pray for the sick or just witnessing. We are at the frontline. Conquering the world for Christ, taking on new “lands” for the Lord. We are like Joshua and Caleb, full of energy – motivated by God’s words that we be strong and courageous because He is with us.

But we will grow old. One day, we will struggle just to get up from bed. We can’t sing as well anymore. Our fingers can’t play the guitar or the piano like we used to. Although we may not be bedridden, we are not as strong as before. Unlike Moses at 120 years old (see Deuteronomy 34), our eyesight is bad, and our body is not ailment free. We may still want to go out there and conquer the world for God – it’s really a question of the heart may be willing, but the flesh is weak.

Will God still be with us? Will Jesus still carry us like when we were younger? We feel that since we are not much of use to Him, He may not stand with us or love us as much. We may feel that we are just counting the days as to when we will see Him in heaven. We are just waiting for our time to depart this world. More of our friends are no more. Our children themselves have entered middle age and have their own distinct lives to live.

The promise, however, is that God is with us till the end, even as we enter old age and our last days. See Isaiah 46:4 – “Even to your old age and grey hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you, and I will rescue you.” Unlike our human bosses and companies, He will not discard us when we are no longer useful. He appreciates and treasures us despite our usefulness, having passed its expiry date. We are still loved and cherished by Him, and He will still carry us and sustain us. Even as we grow old, God is still with us. We will still experience His personal touches and the small and big miracles in our lives. Those intervening moments from the heavens. The outpourings of blessings from the spiritual realm. We will still feel special in His presence, and as we worship, we will still see Him face to face. As we read and meditate upon His Word, we will still learn something new.

Don’t worry too much about our old age. God will still be with us. He will find a way when there is no way. We will have a roof over our heads, a bed to sleep on, and a warm meal at our table.

https://odb.org/MY/2023/08/09/good-trouble-2

Today’s ODB life story is an interesting one. A girl saw her classmate cutting his arm with a razor. She took it from him and threw it away. But as she had the razor with her for a moment, which was not allowed in that school, she was given a 10-day suspension. Although the suspension was subsequently lifted, it illustrates the point that sometimes, in doing good, we may risk a sanction or punishment. Will we do good if there is a risk?

Recently, I helped a colleague who was facing an internal domestic inquiry that was politically motivated and targeted his boss. He was implicated in the crossfire, and he asked me to be one of his two representatives at the domestic inquiry. My other colleagues told me to stay away since the company may be looking at getting rid of his boss, but I feel that I couldn’t abandon him since we worked at the project together. I was clearly trying to do a good deed at the workplace to demontrate Christ, but it comes with a risk. Will we stand with someone because it is the right thing to do, although it could be risky?

Missionaries of old brave crocodiles and wild beasts to enter deep into the interiors to preach, sometimes even to head-hunting tribes and most if not all, ended up as trophies for the warriors of those tribes. The Bataks of Sumatra knew Christ and are today proud Christians because of the risk and sacrifice taken by those early missionaries. A modern-day Batak is a close friend, and he is proud of his heritage and thankful that his people know God because of the risky good done by the early missionaries. There are still many today risking life and liberty reaching out to the unreached in closed countries.

Will we, as Christians, stand with someone because we believe in a cause. Will we do good, although there is a risk attributed to it? Do we believe that in doing so, we are demonstrating God’s love and compassion? Do we dare to be like Jesus, who showed God’s love and mercy by healing the man with a shrivelled hand on the Sabbath when no Jew was supposed to be doing any work? God’s intention for the Sabbath is for His people to take a rest one day of the week, but surely if someone is dying, we will attempt to save that person despite it being the Sabbath?

The message today is that we can not be risk adverse as believers. We can not always be taking the safe path as there will be trials and tribulations in the path of righteousness. Even obeying the Holy Spirit and moving out in faith requires us to take risks and throw caution to the wind. Do what is right, and trust God to do the rest.

https://odb.org/MY/2023/08/08/different-together

I think it is good that our Christian faith does not distinguish between Jew or Greek or free or slave or male or female as enumerated by Paul in the first century (see Galatians 3: 23-29 despite some initial disagreements between the Apostles). Paul, as the ambassador appointed by Christ to the Gentiles, stood his ground when some among the leadership were under the impression that to adhere to the faith, conformity to the Law (the Old Covenant) or even Jewish traditions was still required, like, for example, circumcision. However, although the Old Covenant was never abolished, Jesus Christ by His death fulfilled its requirements on our behalf and thus established the New Covenant. We are now living in the age where salvation is by grace, not obedience to the law.

However, the reality on the ground may well be quite different. The same way people stick together with their kind, churches are also formed the same way. In some instances, motivated by a common tongue, but in other instances by skin or creed. In Malaysia, established churches have English, Chinese, and Tamil congregations, whether protestant or Catholic with the English congregation usually comprised of the upper and middle class of professionals and those working in large corporates. It’s probably a legacy of the history of our society, previously ruled by the British but possibly sub-consciously congregating based on a common tongue or similar socio-economic backgrounds. Newer independent churches who are not large enough to have multiple congregations run bilingual worship services. Even in Sarawak, we can see distinct Iban/Dayak and Chinese churches. When I was in Bangkok last year, I attended a Cantonese church comprised mostly of settlers from Hong Kong and Cantonese-speaking Mainlanders.

The congregation of believers based on language is perhaps an unavoidable consequence of God having diversified our languages post Tower of Babel. It doesn’t change the fact that Christ died for all, and there is no distinction in our faith whether one is Chinese, Dayak, or Indian. But sadly, there are still prejudices, whether among or within congregations, based on race, upbringing, vocation, or socio-economic status. Sometimes, it’s somewhat hypocritical, we appear to accept, and yet we don’t really deep inside us.

The message this morning is to look at everyone through the lens of Christ. He died for all, Jew or Gentile, Greek or Roman, European or Asian or Latino, coloured or white, Japanese, Chinese or Korean or Thai or Indonesian or Filipino or Samoan. We are all the same in the Kingdom of God, whatever our ethnicity or ancestry or wealth (or lack thereof) or education or profession or station in life. Everyone has an equal chance to make it past the finish line once we have signed on to the race. Every race is an individual race catered to our specific needs and abilities, and yet all of us are in this together. Help one another to finish the race. There is no special prize for finishing first as once we finish, the game is over. In fact, there might be a crown of glory for those who help others who are struggling to finish their races. The more we lose our human prejudices and look at others like Christ, the more effective we will be as fellow servants in Christ!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/08/07/a-thousand-dots-of-light

As born-again believers, we are differentiated by our faith in Jesus Christ, believing that He died for our sins and was resurrected 3 days after, and thus defeated the sting of sin, which is death. We are now on the road to righteousness, a projectory that will ultimately bring us to life eternal. Our salvation is by the grace of God on the basis of our faith in Christ, not by our conformity to the Mosaic law or by our works. Nothing we can do will get us saved except our faith and belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

Of course, once we are saved by Christ, our life journey begins with Him transforming us to become like Him. We need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling as it is only right that we present our bodies as a living sacrifice for the redeeming sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross. We need to be transformed from inside out, and as we reflect God’s glory in our lives, we do the good works that God had prepared for us, as we work out God’s plans and purposes for our lives.

If we follow this path, we will never be afraid to meet Christ anytime that God calls us home since we are living in the centre of His will. We are thus a light in the sea of millions of lights that will illuminate the darkness in the world and give hope to millions of others that there is a real and genuine path to salvation as Jesus is the way, the truth and the life!

The message this morning is that our light may just be tiny, but we are not alone. There are millions more of us. We are thus a sea of lights like the millions of tiny plankton that whales and other marine creatures feed on. Some say nearly 80% of the earth’s oxygen supply is produced by oceanic phytoplankton. Like the plankton, our collective worship and prayers ushers the glory of God and enable the spiritual realm to penetrate more into the physical. When we pray and intercede, we are never alone. There are millions of others like us praying and interceding for the world and those who are lost.

Have a blessed week ahead! Know that we are not alone in our spiritual walk. God is with us. There are millions of others with us, too! If we could see the earth through spiritual eyes, I believe it is a shiny and bright star illuminated by millions of believers who are for Christ! A true manifestation of His glory throughout the vast universe!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/08/04/people-of-refuge

Naomi is a married Jewish woman who resettled in Moab from Judea due to famine. In Moab, her husband died, and so did her two sons who married Moabite women, leaving her with two Moabite daughters-in-law. It was a double tragedy. She asked them to return to their hometowns. But Ruth decided to follow Naomi back to Jerusalem and declared that Naomi’s God would be her God.

The two widows returned to Jerusalem practically penniless, but the Mosaic law allowing widows and orphans to glean from harvest fields helped them to live. In the process, Ruth met Boaz, the wealthy owner of the harvest who also happened to be the guardian-redeemer of the family. Boaz was impressed with Ruth’s dedication to Naomi and prayed a blessing that “may the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have sought refuge” (Ruth 2:12).

In the end, Boaz took Ruth as his wife although she was neither young or a virgin, and their great grandson was the great and mighty King David, whose line the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, was born. Ruth was among the five women mentioned in the geneology of Christ, and it is worth noting that she was originally a Moabite, a foreigner.

The love story of Ruth and Boaz is touching indeed. It speaks of how a foreigner seeking refuge in Israel from the God of Israel was not only blessed with a comfortable life but became part of the human family line that brought the Saviour of mankind into the world. Due recognition was given to Ruth, a Moabite, in the geneology of Christ with a whole book on her life story bearing her name in the Bible!

In the story of Ruth and Boaz, we see the real-life application of the Mosaic law of leaving a little harvest behind for widows to glean as well as the application of the concept of guardian-redeemer in ancient Jewish society. It demonstrates the love and compassion of God working through the law that as we seek refuge in Him, He blesses us with His love and protection. The LORD provided Ruth, and consequently, Naomi, a lifeline in Boaz even as Boaz was the one who prayed for God’s blessings upon Ruth. In the process, Boaz became a major character in the Book of Ruth and is now remembered for all eternity!

I think the lesson we can learn is that sometimes God may use us to answer our prayers for others. We may well become the channel for God’s blessings to flow. But like Boaz, our efforts may be remembered for generations to come. At work, sometimes when we volunteer a good idea, our bosses may ask us to execute it. It is the same with God. When we pray for someone, God may ask us to help that person!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/08/03/vulnerability

I think when it comes to cell group or house fellowship members opening up during meetings, the solution or answer is to lead in opening up as leaders. My wife and I led the young adults group in our local church. We have always set the tone by being open and frank when we share about our struggles and issues we face at our workplace or in raising our children or even the fights and quarrels we had. We knew that if we were superficial, then everyone else would likewise be superficial.

Of course, when we first started, we mainly had our age difference of more than 20 years compared to the others in the group who were mostly fresh out of university and who had just started working. We were both much more senior, both in terms of seniority at the workplace as well as work experience. So we could share how to live a balanced life at work, working hard and yet honouring God. How to stay above office politics and sometimes refraining from getting emotional or vengeful or even envious when dealing with others in the office. Most of our bible study materials were on effective Christian living. Thus, it was easy to talk about things like upholding our faith and Christian values at the workplace. About how we could make a stand but also at the right timing and forum. About how we could blend in, but at the same time be the salt and the light without standing out like a sore thumb. Issues like working late, corruption, and work/life balance.

But as time passed, we also grew older like our cell group members. Now, one by one, they are getting engaged or married. So, for the past few years, we have started to share more of our own family lives. Like what’s it like or means being married. The financial issues we faced when we first started out buying a house, for example, and what we had to do to pay off our first house like forgoing holidays in the initial years of our marriage. When the boys came, our lives were turned upside down. How we cope and dealt with child care and how as our boys grew up, we had to deal with their adolescent years and issues of schools and later universities.

The key to any cell group being authentic and vulnerable is, I believe, for the leaders to make the first move. If we as leaders are genuine and share from deep within us, we will find that everyone else will start to open up, and the Holy Spirit will move in a special way among us, strengthening the weak and comforting the broken hearted. People must see the real you – they will then shed their own masks and reveal their true selves. Sometimes, in sharing our life stories, we tear up. I guess it’s OK when we want to be authentic and vulnerable.

https://odb.org/MY/2023/08/02/the-powerful-and-the-weak

Ezekial 34:1-2, 7-12 is a prophesy of God against the leaders of Israel during the time of Ezekial for not being the shepherds of the people, for only caring for themselves as they allowed their sheep to be plundered and become food of wild animals. Thus, the LORD declared that He is against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for their sheep.

I think that as we progress in our Christian walk and assume leadership positions in the church, we have to remember that we have essentially become shepherds for our congregation. With the role comes the responsibility. We need to tend and care for our sheep and protect them from the enemy who is here to steal, kill, and destroy. Not just a question of protecting them from being deceived by the evil one or the world (that is controlled by the former) but to ensure to the best of our abilities that they are on the right path to fulfil their full potential in God. That our sheep are able to live out the plans and purposes God had prepared for them before the foundations of the world, for I know your plans for me are to prosper me per Jeremiah 29:11.

But taking this a little further, I think everyone is a shepherd in some context, a leader to someone else. As a senior at the workplace. As an elder brother or sister or even the elder cousin. As a father or mother or a husband to a wife. As a manager or a section leader or a supervisor. We have people who look up to us as their role model or even as a mentor.

Be a proper and caring shepherd who looks out for the sheep around you. We don’t only care for ourselves but look out for the interests and good of everyone. If the company goes under, all will be affected. All will be out of their jobs. I hear nowadays companies with a workforce of about 4,000 are looking to slash up to 2,000 people. Times are tough, and jobs are getting scarce. Care and look out for one another as caring shepherds lest God turns against us. If God is for us, who can be against us. But if God is against us, how will we stand?

https://odb.org/MY/2023/08/01/faith-of-a-child-2

This story of Jesus asking the disciples not to hinder the little children from coming to Him is well-known to espouse the principle that Jesus reiterated – we need to have the faith of a child to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. See Luke 18:15-17.

What, then, is the faith of a child? A child, as we all know, has limited knowledge of the world and also a limited experience interacting with people. The world of a child may even be characterised by the fairy tales read to them. It’s a “happily ever after” kind of world. To us adults, it is unreal and unrealistic as the world is harsh and people can be evil. People are, in general, looking after themselves, selfish rather than selfless. But the child not knowing much just thinks positively of everyone. He thinks everyone is good. While time and experience may have conditioned adults to think otherwise, Christ looks at the good of everyone, and thus, that’s a good trait to have as a believer. God loves everyone, including our enemies, and we must do likewise.

Secondly, a child’s reaction is almost instantaneous. As adults, we may sometimes say that such decisions are rushed or rash – doing without thinking through. We hesitate and weigh the situation and think of the pros and cons, and alas, sometimes the moment just passes. As adults, we may have a tendency to over-analyse things. But faith often needs an immediate response. Do we help that person over there? Do we offer to pray for him? Do we send him RM1,000? Do we apply to join the Doulos ship? Do we become a missionary for God? Usually, when we hesitate and think, we end up not doing.

Thus, in my view, our faith and response to God are usually hampered by overthinking. But if we are like little children, we will respond immediately in faith and trust God to do the rest. That is why I believe Jesus taught us that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we need to be like a child. Moreover, if we think like adults, just like the Sadducees and Pharisees, we may not be able to believe that we will be “born-again” as a child of God. Can we even believe in two births and one death?

There is a lot of wisdom when Jesus said we need to be like a child to enter the Kingdom of God. Do not hesitate. Be like a child, move in faith. Trust the Lord. Be like Peter, just jump into the water as Jesus calls. Be bold and courageous like Joshua and Caleb. Faith requires action, not thinking.

https://odb.org/MY/2023/07/31/staying-on-track-2

In life, we learn about boundaries as we grow up. Even as a toddler, there are things we can and can not do. Like we are not allowed to climb down the stairs. So, it’s common to install a detachable gate at the entrance to stairs. Toddlers and young children need to avoid combustible things, and thus, lighters and matches are put away. Anything a child may swallow is kept away, especially medication. These boundaries are put in place for our own good to protect us.

As we grow up and start going to school, we learn that there are social nuances and boundaries. So even though girls are treated like boys when young, they become different when puberty sets in. Thus, as they grow up, boys avoid touching girls. In fact, as we enter society, inappropriately touching a female may result in a sexual harassment case against us at work or may even lead to a criminal charge of molest. At the workplace, sexual harassment encompasses a variety of actions beyond just touching, and that includes words used in conversation or in writing or the things we send out via WhatsApp. Even when driving on the road, there are clear boundaries – we need to stay in our lane and not cut queue or drive against traffic signs or lights. All these boundaries are meant for orderly living and driving. It’s part and parcel of life as we know it.

Therefore, when we enter into the Kingdom of God as believers redeemed by Christ, there are likewise spiritual boundaries. We just heard a coined phrase “spiritual fornification” by our local preacher at our worship service yesterday. It basically means we must always remember that we may only worship the one and only God and not go round searching for other gods or alternative spiritual experiences lest we are put away or “divorced” by Christ before He comes again to invite us as His bride. We will recall that during the betrothal period, Joseph thought of putting away Mary who was already with a child prior to their marriage, but didn’t do that as an angel assured him that Mary’s child was conceived supernaturally by the Holy Spirit.

Know our boundaries as we journey with Christ on this narrow path to everlasting life. Stay the course and don’t get distracted from our calling or be diverted into the wide and easy road that leads to destruction. As sheep, we will know the voice of the Shepherd – listen to Him. Jesus has given us the Helper – the Holy Spirit will guide and convict us of our sins. He is the voice of our conscience and more as He is Christ living in us. He not only keeps us honest, but He also empowers us and strengthens us when we are weak.

Move out in faith, believing and trusting God. Do not let unbelief deprive us of our full potential in Christ, like how one whole generation of Israelites were left behind except Joshua and Caleb. After being freed from the bondage of slavery, because of unbelief, they spent another 38 years in the wilderness before the new generation could enter the Promised Land. As much as the LORD told Joshua to be bold and courageous for He is with him, Moses repeated the commandments to them to remind them to keep them when they live in the Promised Land. There are still boundaries, and as history will show, Israel later disregarded them and ended up being exiled first by the Assyrians and then the Babylonians. Know and remember our boundaries with God – as much as He is our Father and Shepherd, He is still God.

https://odb.org/MY/2023/07/30/lower-deck-people

I’m sure everyone has experienced this before – we hurt our little toe or our finger or practically any part of our body, but there’s an impact on the whole body. Maybe because it’s just a small cut, it doesn’t really bother us. It will heal in a few days. But the pain is nevertheless felt. Although we can function as normal, we can not really fully function at our best. Just put one arm in a sling or a wound on one leg that we need to keep dry and see how difficult it is just to take a bath!

It’s the same with the body of Christ, the church. Every member needs to do his or her appointed part. We work together as one. The pastor or the leaders can not be the only ones doing the work. Everyone needs to pull their weight, their share of the burden. Also, everyone needs to move together with God so that we move together as a body. Not some move ahead, while others stay behind.

But of course, there are the frontliners and those in the backroom. In a company, the sales are out there pitching for the jobs, but it is the delivery people with their solutions and coding that make it all happen. The back office folks then need to make sure that all processes run smoothly from the paperwork to the invoicing to the accounting and the collection. They need to ensure that there are no governance or compliance issues, for example, that the anti-bribery pledges are adhered to. The back office and delivery people are seldom the stars, but they are nevertheless crucial. You can make a big sale, but it comes to nought if the product is not delivered in time per specifications. But if delivered but the paperwork was not done properly, we may not be able to translate the sales into proper revenue as there could be leakages. Or worse, we could even lose money on a job if we need to spend more than we are earning to complete the project.

Whether in the world or the church, everyone working together as one is fundamental to the success of any organisation, especially for it to operate at optimum efficency. In the church, in particular, everyone must do its part, whether it’s worship, preaching, chairing, ushering, or visitations or follow-up. Even as a member, turning up for the service or the cell group meeting is a contribution that encourages, and if we participate, it will surely make the service and meeting more meaningful to all.

Blessed Sunday, everyone! Go to church for an on-site service, and lend your voice to the singing and worship – you will be a blessing to everyone who attends!