https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/26/the-miracle-of-salvation

As much as the famous miracle of Lazarus in John 11 is spectacular, it is still in my view not as spectacular as the miracle of salvation.

To raise a person from the dead after a full four days in indeed an impossibility and only God could do that and it proved that Jesus is indeed God. This is because once a person dies, the body decomposes immediately. Without the movement of blood and the lungs working in tandem to oxygenise the blood and bring nutrients from the digestive system, the cells in the body will begin to die. Flesh will rot as the body then becomes food for microorganisms. That is why there was a bad odour. Yet Lazarus was raised from the dead. In fact, he and his village became famous after this episode with people going there to witness and see for themselves the miracle of the resurrected Lazarus. You can see this recorded in John 12:9.

As much as the miracle of Lazarus is spectacular, the miracle of salvation is even more spectacular as it means we will get to live for eternity. Though we may die, yet we will live. John 11:25 – I am the resurrection and the life, the one who believes in me will live even though they die. We know that our souls (spirits) live forever and will return to God after we pass from this world with our bodies only a shell that will return to dust (earth).

But if we believe in Jesus, we will live for eternity because one day we will be resurrected somewhat like Lazarus but not quite as we will be resurrected into a glorified body like Jesus’s after His death and resurrection. That is our hope of glory. Not only our spirit lives forever, but we will live forever in the presence of God in our glorified bodies in the new heaven and earth, the new Jerusalem with Christ as our King and Lord ruling the earth, in harmony with all the animals, birds of the air and those that are in the sea.

Although Lazarus was resurrected from the dead, he died eventually of old age. He has yet to experience immortality then. But he will one day be resurrected again like all believers in Christ and will then live forever as God had initially desired and intended for humans before sin came in and brought death with it. But all praises and glory be unto God and our Lord Jesus Christ that through His death on the cross, sin lost its sting and was defeated when Jesus rose again from the dead that to those who believe in Him will live even though they may die! That is the miracle of salvation. It conquers sin and death and returns immortality to humanity. That is why the miracle of salvation is even more spectacular than the miracle of Lazarus! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/25/choose-wisely

“Whoever wants to save their lives will lose it but whoever loses their lives for me and the Gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:35-36).

There will be many times as we walk the journey of faith that we will encounter and be challenged by this issue. Will we put our interests first or that of God first? Will we be preoccupied with human concerns more or the concerns of God? Which comes first, physical or spiritual needs?

One clear example is in the area of our jobs. Will we choose a job for its better prospects and career progression opportunities and deal with church and ministry accordingly or do we take the latter into consideration as we look at a job opportunity? I was twice offered an interview for a senior counsel position in a gaming company but declined as their core business was gaming. I also declined as one of the requirements was that I need to be up at the Hill for management or board meetings two weekends a month. Of course, if we work weekends officially we will have days off but that would also mean not going to church two Sundays a month for as long as I hold that job.

The question today I believe is that do we allow our bread and butter issues to overshadow our spiritual commitments to God in terms of our church and ministry. I think it is extreme to teach that we need to borrow to pay our tithes and offerings and yet if we are financially able to, we must do so faithfully to support the work of God. Different ones of us will face different issues as we progress on in this journey of faith. Do we put God first? Will we put the concerns of God first or will we place a higher priority and importance on our human concerns?

Have a blessed Sunday and have a good Sunday worship today! It will be good if we could make the effort to be on site to worship physically together as a congregation especially now when the pandemic has much abated and has moved on to the endemic stage. Are we putting God first or are we really genuinely afraid of contracting Covid? Are we putting our human concerns first? Remember those who save their lives will lose it while those who lose their lives will save it. It sounds paradoxical but there is much truth to it.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/23/the-story-isnt-over

In the movies, there are certain set rules. For example, there is always a protagonist and an antagonist, the hero or leading character and the villain respectively. No matter how complex or futuristic the movie, it nearly always boils down to the bad guys and good guys, the battle between good and evil, whether it is 007 or Star Wars or the Marvel cinematic universe or any other movie. The other thing is that usually the good guys will win in the end. Good will prevail over evil. But as movies are all creative efforts, there are some productions that mess up the formula and let evil win or at least imply that evil won when the antagonist walks free or is not caught. This will usually cause angst and frustration in the audience because as human beings we always want to see good being triumphant.

In real life though, it is not certain that good will always win. We want to believe that is so and yet we some times need a few generations to see the negative effects of evil and thus for those living in contemporary times, there is an impression that evil actually won. However, honestly we cannot be certain that even with the passage of time that good will prevail in the end and there lies the frustration of the human race. Is there no justice in this world?

Jesus taught us to pray by praying to the Father and asking that His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. In a way, it’s a prayer that good will prevail over evil. Surely it is the will of God that good will prevail. I personally believe that good will prevail, that God will make sure one day. Not for us to question His timing or intervention because ultimately it is the will of man that led to evil. Man chose to be evil even though he could be kind, loving, gracious and good.

As much as I believe that good will prevail in the end, that belief is not as important as what I myself practice. We ought to do good instead of evil. We must be good to people and not be evil. Why? Because God is good to us. He called us to be His own, His sons and daughters. God was and is gracious and merciful towards us. Do we then repay the kindness and goodness of God with evil unto other people? Something is very wrong with our heart if we are still able to do evil after enjoying the grace, love, kindness and goodness of God.

As I see the injustice around us including the stories of the pigeon (merpati) as lately circulated, I believe that good will ultimately prevail and that justice will be served here on earth as it is heaven. Yet what’s more important to me is the reminder this morning that we ourselves as children of the light do not perpetuate evil or help the evil one achieve his evil plans and goals for mankind. If enough of us do good, good will surely prevail in the end!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/22/people-who-need-people

I think in doing ministry, whether directly in church or indirectly in the mission field wherever out Lord may have placed us, we need people. This is obvious because we are reaching out to people. Ministry cannot be unto ourselves although we could minister to God and God could minister to us. But that’s more worship than ministry. That is why I think for ministry to work well, every minister needs to be like a salesman – friendly and have a network of friends. To reach out we cannot be a loner working in isolation. We need to reach out to people in order to reach out to them with the Gospel. Thus as a person we should be friendly, approachable, joyful and compassionate – an embodiment of Christ and not gloomy, moody or always having a negative outlook on things. Despite the headwinds and stormy seas, God is able to work in our lives – that is the message of the Gospel.

The other aspect of ministry is that we also need people to do ministry itself. Not only people as the audience and recipients but people as co-workers in Christ. Working as a team is much better than working alone. We complement each other’s giftings and talents and offset our individual weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. As a ministry team, each contributes his or her strengths and share the burden together. As a team it also helps alleviate the pressure that comes with ministry. For example, preaching once a month is less stressful than preaching every Sunday. In my local church, our ministry team preaches between 2 to 3 times a year and that gives us more time to prepare and seek the Lord for a Word that is both rhema and logos for the congregation.

The conclusion is that as ministers and ministry workers we cannot escape meeting people, whether our own congregation, friends and family, colleagues or the general public. It is thus important that we always maintain a demeanour of hope and faith. The world may be going on a spiral of destruction and the great tribulation may be sooner than later and yet as salt and light of the world, we must always uphold the name of God and preach hope and faith amidst the gloom and doom, that Christ crucified and resurrected will make a difference in our lives!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/21/living-water-3

God through Moses provided the Israelites with water from the rock as we saw in my devotional commentary yesterday. But instead of speaking to the rock as instructed by God, Moses used his tried and tested method of his staff. His disobedience displeased the LORD and as a result he was not permitted to enter the Promised Land. Nevertheless the provision of God throughout their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness is celebrated by the Jews through the Feast of the Tabernacles and one of the things they do is to have a water pouring ritual to remind them of God’s provision of water through the rock.

Like the water drawn from the well by the Samaritan woman for Jesus, water refreshes and quenches our thirst. The same way water from the rock sustained the Israelites, water makes sure that our bodies remain hydrated. Besides the air we breathe and the food that we eat, living creatures need water to live. Animals sometimes travel for miles in search of water during a drought and wildebeest brave crocodiles to drink water from the edge of the river.

Yet as essential is water to humans, Jesus talks about us having living waters flowing from within us. If we were to drink from Him, we will never become thristy as He is the living water. The source of eternal waters which is the Holy Spirit given after Christ was glorified and thus fully accessible by us as believers in this post-Christ era of the church.

With the Holy Spirit living in us, practically our spirit is revived and refreshed daily as we wake and get ready to face the world again every morning. We shouldn’t be down or discouraged as we have the source of living waters flowing inside us. Like water refreshed a bouquet of Ecuadorian flowers in today’s ODB’s life story, the living water inside us will revive and refresh our spirit and empowers us to soar with wings like an eagle. Like an eagle, we will able to see far into the horizon of an exciting future full of exploits for God. Jesus has much more in store for us than the job we hold and the life we live right now. More adventures from and for God await us as we allow the living waters to flow freely within us!

Life can be dreary, boring and lifeless but with the living waters of the Holy Spirit, life lived for God will surely be a sparkle, exciting and even a spectacle! Hallelujah! Praise the name of the Lord forever and ever!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/20/reckless-decisions

Driving fast in the rain is dangerous even in these modern times with ABS brakes and a host of advanced driving assistance (ADA) systems like adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane change monitor, driver attention alerts etc. Thus if we chose to drive fast in the rain, we could be regarded as having driven recklessly.

In the heat of a moment when emotions run high, we may make decisions or take actions we may regret later. In the case of Moses, for some reason, he chose not to listen fully to God’s instructions and instead relied on his time-tested method of using his staff on the rock to bring forth water for the community. Some say it could be he wanted to be like the magicians of old showing off his powers. But I think it’s more like he was under tremendous pressure then and thus relied on what worked in the past, forgetting that God is holy and God is God. Since the LORD had said to speak to the rock, why did Moses misinterpret it to mean to use his staff like he did in previous times? In retrospect, it may look silly to disobey, but at the heat of the moment in the split second, Moses chose the status quo, the tried and tested method. A similar situation was experienced by Saul, and he entered the Holy place and offered the LORD the burnt offering without waiting for Samuel, the high priest, who was the only one authorised to do so at that time. He acted hastily as he was under tremendous pressure to appease the troops. Saul’s case, though, was not to rely on the status quo but to take matters into his own hands, which, unfortunately for him, he was prohibited to do.

I think there are two lessons here. One is don’t act or decide in a rush or at the heat of the moment. Our decisions or actions will most likely be emotionally and unduly influenced and will not be the best. Take time to withdraw to pray and consider carefully. Seek God for guidance and wisdom. Don’t decide and act hastily.

The other lesson is that we must trust God at His Word. If He calls us, we must respond as He says. We mustn’t rationalise and put our own spin and interpret His Word in a safe and conventional manner, which is our human tendency. Dare to move out of our comfort zone and step out in faith and do new things. Embrace fresh ideas as God instructs. We will notice that the consequence of the reckless decision was far worse in the case of Saul compared to Moses. Moses is still revered as the person appointed by God to bring the Israelites out of slavery and bondage in Egypt into the Promised Land, although he himself did not enter. Saul, on the other hand, is known as the person who took matters into his own hands and lost the crown as a result.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/19/imaginative-faith

Isaiah 55:6-13 is very interesting as it speaks about the time when the hills and the mountains will burst out in song and the trees shall clap their hands. A time when even nature will express their joy because the end of age has come and there is then a new heaven and a new earth. It is the time of the new Jerusalem, with God dwelling among His people again. The new Eden! A time of joy with no more tears and sorrow. A time when we will live for eternity and the time for us to be reconciled with our loved ones who had died in the Lord.

The mountains and the hills will burst forth in singing and the trees shall clap their hands. Reminds me of the song that I used to sing when I was growing up as a young believer. Certainly a song written using the words in Isaiah 55.

But note that Isaiah 55:6-13 starts with a warning and exaltation, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call on Him while He is near”. As much as everyone is given the opportunity to know the LORD, we as humans created in His image must nevertheless take the step to reach out to Him in faith like little children that we spoke about yesterday. Seek the LORD while He may be found is not speaking of Israel then only during the time of Isaiah. It transcends time and is still applicable in this present age, the era of the church after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. If you have yet to come to faith, it is time to seek God and find Him now. It is time to accept Jesus into our lives. It is time to call on Him while He is near. Meaning to say, while we still can and that applies to even believers who have drifted away or left the faith. It is not that God will disappear but because we will not live forever here on earth. The time will come for us to depart from this earth and we need to decide before we leave this realm. Life and death is in the hands of the Lord, but not everyone dies of old age like QE2.

Seek the LORD while He may be found so that one day we will hear the mountains and the hills sing for joy and the trees clap their hands. Thus when the end of time as we know it comes, we will be resurrected like our Lord Jesus and meet Him as the triumphant and victorious Lord of Lords and King of Kings. That privilege is only extended to those who are in the Lord. So call on Him while He is near, while He can still be found!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/18/learning-and-loving

The value of children is indisputable and it is at all levels. They represent and are the future. No doubt it is end times now and the second coming of Christ is imminent. Yet we don’t know whether we will really see the end in our generation or the generations that come. That is why it is important to invest in children. We need to invest in children whether at the church level or at the family. We need to mould and start cultivating the next generation of leaders to guide and bring the congregation to greater heights like Moses passing on the baton to Joshua and Caleb or Elijah to Elisha or David to Solomon or Abraham to Isaac to Jacob.

At the family, we pass on our legacy to our children that they may carry on God’s work in our lives and continue that work in their lives, their children’s lives and their children’s children. As a country, an ageing population is a worry as there will be less people in the future if people do not reproduce to a minimum of two to replace themselves. It is worrying policy makers if people don’t marry and have children. That is why same sex marriages and relationships are wrong as same genders cannot naturally reproduce and the primary purpose of sexual relations is reproduction. The preservation of species is thus inbuilt in the DNA of every living being with mothers naturally and by instinct bringing up their young – and we know that larger mammals including humans have their offsprings sticking with them until past adolescent ages.

Yet when Jesus welcomed children in His midst when He was teaching, He went deeper than the symbolism of the next generation being the future. The disciples thought the children will be a bother as they will not understand Jesus’s teachings and yet Jesus was happy to have them with Him. Jesus went a step further and praised the innocence of children. He emphasised that the Kingdom of God belongs to children. Anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it. The simplicity of faith and innocence of a child are prerequisites for entry into the Kingdom of God.

It is true because we need to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God and yet how can a man having been born be born again? Can he re-enter his mother’s womb? These were questions asked and answered even in the day of Jesus. Believing in things unseen in fact placing our hope and life upon the eternal requires simple faith that is only possible if we approach such things like a child. If we ask for proof like an adult, then we will forever be on the fringes of the glory of God. Our life will then be clouded and hindered by unbelief and a hardened heart. That is why Jesus already said that if we are not like a child, we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

The message to us today is that in the matter of our faith, we need to have faith and we can only have faith if we are like a child no matter how advance in age are we. Christ will always challenge us to step out. He promises to catch us if we were to fall or stumble. Will we trust Him enough to step out in faith? Will we be like little children or will we always be counting, calculating and weighing the risks and odds adult? Will we suspend unbelief and trust God? David was confident that God will rescue him because he knew God was delighted with him. Can we say the same thing? That the Lord is delighted with us like He is with little children?

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/17/deep-water-rescue

I remember two occasions falling into the water and my father pulling me up. Once when I was barely 5, probably around 4, when I fell into a drain leading into a river and my dad was quick enough to pull me up. The other was when I fell into a pond after I took a wrong step and my dad was also quick enough to pull me up. I think I was probably around 7 or 8 then. The first was particularly dangerous as I could have been swept into the river and drown. The second was less dramatic but I went all the way in before resurfacing. Needless to say I was totally drenched as I was not wearing swimming clothes!

In Psalm 18:19, David exalted the LORD by proclaiming that the LORD rescued Him because He delighted in him. David was confident at that time that his conduct before God then was impeccable. He was true and faithful to God and it was the LORD who got Samuel to anoint him as King and now he had the present King Saul chasing after him to kill him. So David sort of know and was fully confident that God will be his salvation and rock since it was his obedience to the calling of God upon his life that led him to his predicament then.

The question today I think we should ponder in is not so much the deep water and storms and floods of life that we may face. But more of what is our standing before Him. Granted we have the blood of Christ covering us and our sins, making us white as snow and unblemished before Him. But strip all that, who are we before God? Beyond our human frailty and imperfections, is our heart pure and true to Him? Is our conduct impeccable? Are we faithful to Him and His cause? Have we responded to His calling upon our life? Dare we say like David that the LORD rescued me because He was delighted in me. Or can we only say God rescued me because Jesus paid the price for my sins?

I think it is imperative that as much as Jesus has cleansed us of our sins by His death on the cross of Calvary, we must be able to stand before God and testify of His goodness and that we have been true and faithful to Him and His Word as much as we could humanely do so. We have been and are giving Him our all, our best. Beyond that it is the blood of Christ but up to that point, we have done our best. If we fail or fall, we pick ourselves up and start again. We are always striving ahead. Pushing on in our Christian walk. Always responding and stepping out in faith, knowing that if we were to fall into deep water, Jesus will rescue us and pull us up like my dad did for me when I was a child and as Jesus did for Peter when the latter walked on water to meet Him in the sea. Will the LORD rescue us because He is delighted in us?

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/15/where-i-belong

It is unusual but not surprising that ODB repeats a theme. It is unusual because we just spoke about unity of the body in yesterday’s post. But I guess the angle is different and there is still much we can learn and apply.

The unity in today’s post sets the background for the real message to emerge which is about people having a sense of belonging to a local church. I recall in my own spiritual journey that the year after my mum passed, the lay pastor of my previous church also passed away to be with the Lord. As I was one of the elders of that small community of believers, I tried my best to keep the community going. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough continuing support from the remaining core leaders and thus we had to disband the fellowship.

After that, I joined a local church in the city I was staying which I have been attending till today. Before that, we used to travel to that small church every weekend, making the journey early in the morning and returning in the late afternoon after a lunch fellowship and till today my children fondly remember that weekly Sunday experience. It was the church they grew up in during those formative years.

I am glad to say that in that previous small church as well as in my current local church that I joined after that, there is a strong sense of belonging. In both instances, there is a sense that we are all together in this journey of faith as we grow in the glory of God and in the image of Christ. Like the life example in today’s ODB story, I have this feeling that this is my family now. This is my community. I have found somewhere where I know I can love and be loved…. where I belong. These are the places where I had raised my family over the past 20 years and my boys literally grew up in these two communities.

We all need to find that place, that community that we belong to. We need to be anchored in a spiritual family and community that we may raise our family, grow spiritually, serve God in ministry; a place that makes the best of our God-given talents and gifts – that we may become the person God always wanted us to be. A place where we can fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives. We cannot live alone as a Christian, worshipping God alone. Our faith is both personal and communal. Yet we cannot be travelling church members, visiting different churches every weekend whether on site or online as a guest always. Church is never just about attending a service or enjoying the worship. It is a sum of everything that goes into the life of a church and most importantly it is a family, a community. Anchor ourselves somewhere and participate and contribute and we will find true peace and fulfilment in the Father, in Jesus Christ our Lord and in the Holy Spirit!