Have been dead busy last couple of months.... but I think I should drop a quick note here after having a edifying discussion in church.
Today, in our Jia En Fellowship we had a discussion on what makes a successful marraige which is a follow up on the "Fireproof" movie that we screened last week. It was a lively fellowship with many throwing in their opinions.
Finally, the discussion leader summarizes the following Rules:
1. Expect differences
Each party brings in different up-bring, idealogy, understanding, expectations, etc... into a union. Know this, and learn to deal with these cordially.
2. Do not Restrict
Control and suspicion are the marriage killer. Since there is love and mutual agreement therefore both parties came into marriage, let love, trust and mutual respect overrule all matters.
3. Do not Neglect
Relationship like all living creature need to be nurtured and both parties need to put in time and efforts. Marriage is not the end of a union but the begining of a lifelong partnership.
4. Do not Sin
Immorality, gambling, drunkardness, dishornesty and all kind of social ills are stress points in a marriage and no party should be subjected to. It will no be fair to expect the other party to accept such violation of trust and love.
5. Wrong methods of Expression
Marriage is never a bed of roses. When dealing with our differences, consider carefully our resolution methods. Nagging, violence, vulgar language, temper, etc are not constructive methods.
6. Good Communication
This does not mean voicing out our own view and opinion only. The ability to LISTEN is more important and speaking.
7. Compromise
Acknowledging that we are all different is good but it is more important to reach a middle ground a mist our differences, there must be give and take to make a relationship work.
8. Compliment
When was the last time you said "I LOVE You" ? Tangible appreciation is important. Take her out for private dinner, buy her flowers, give him a massage and buy him a gadget. Be pragmatic, love and relationship does not live on air alone, it needed to be fed.
9. Be Considerate
Mutual respect and join decision making is important. In no circumstances that one party is allow to belittle another.
10. Be Christlike
This is the golden key to all marriages. Learn to be like Christ to love and honor each others. Be righteous and an examplary to all.
Amen.
April 19, 2009
January 27, 2009
A small copper coin
It was in these festive holidays I happend to read an article in the recent Reader Digest (Feb-2009) issue entitled "The Other Side of the Coin". It was a simple testimony of a mother about a dark brown coin given to her by an old begger woman during her hour of desperation in a foreign land where she lost all her valuables and passport to a snatch theif.
The story inevitably reminded me of the story of the poor widow who put in 2 small copper coin into the temple treasury (Mk 12:41-44). Both these women are poor and probably lived on alms given by people on a daily basis. They both would not know when their next meal is going to be and just like the old begger woman...., would stretch out her hands to anyone who walks by hoping that they will give them something.
The mother in the story - in her frastration, shouted at the old begger woman, blaming the security in her country that had caused her to be stranded without a penny.
Instead of walking away or scolding the stranger, the old begger listens to her predicament quitely and smiled. Reaching into her own pocket, she retrieve a brown coin and gave it to the stranger - a great act of CHARITY, indeed.
These women, both, in their poverty showed much charity - which indeed worthy of the praises of the Lord Jesus. I believe they are happy that they are given an opportunity to give to those less fortunate then them.
I asked myself.... do I have the same courage and charity to give, if I'm in their situation? I could not say a definate YES! I'm indeed humbled after reading the story.
I hope you are much better than me... specially in this dreary time during such a global economic crisis.
I'm guessing that there are friends, neighbours or even strangers in your surrounding who may be in dire street - would you SMILE and extend a helping hand?
The story inevitably reminded me of the story of the poor widow who put in 2 small copper coin into the temple treasury (Mk 12:41-44). Both these women are poor and probably lived on alms given by people on a daily basis. They both would not know when their next meal is going to be and just like the old begger woman...., would stretch out her hands to anyone who walks by hoping that they will give them something.
The mother in the story - in her frastration, shouted at the old begger woman, blaming the security in her country that had caused her to be stranded without a penny.
Instead of walking away or scolding the stranger, the old begger listens to her predicament quitely and smiled. Reaching into her own pocket, she retrieve a brown coin and gave it to the stranger - a great act of CHARITY, indeed.
These women, both, in their poverty showed much charity - which indeed worthy of the praises of the Lord Jesus. I believe they are happy that they are given an opportunity to give to those less fortunate then them.
I asked myself.... do I have the same courage and charity to give, if I'm in their situation? I could not say a definate YES! I'm indeed humbled after reading the story.
I hope you are much better than me... specially in this dreary time during such a global economic crisis.
I'm guessing that there are friends, neighbours or even strangers in your surrounding who may be in dire street - would you SMILE and extend a helping hand?
January 04, 2009
The Lord added to them daily
First - let me apologize to those of you who had been dropping by in the past few weeks but find no updates. Well, it's been a busy year-end for me with a lot of happenings and travels :D
Anyway, life hv to return to normalcy and the kids had to go to school and me, I got a little more time to do something online. This year can be consider a significant year for us in Hougang as we started our 1st Friday nite service on 2-Jan-2009 at a rented venue in the Girls Brigade Center along Upper Serangoon Road.
Dn Shieh noted that this is the 2nd time in abt 20 yrs we tried to setup a place of worship in this neighbourhood. The first was aborted when we could not get government approval to convert a residential land for religious usage and that end up we sold of the place and bought a piece of land along Adam Road where the current Adam Church stands.
The title, "The Lord added to them daily" was choosen as the 1st sermon given by Dn Shieh to encourage the members in this area to come together with one accord and aim to start up a fully functional church in the near future.
The message encouraged the members in this area to stand together with ONE Heart as was recorded in ACT 2:46 and the Lord will add to us daily.
The turn out during this session was beyond our expectation... while we hv book a room for 60pax, we ended up stuffing in 93 people who had turn up for the service. Praise the Lord!
May the Lord God bless us and assist us to setup a church in this area within the next 1yr.
You can help by remembering us in your prayers.
Anyway, life hv to return to normalcy and the kids had to go to school and me, I got a little more time to do something online. This year can be consider a significant year for us in Hougang as we started our 1st Friday nite service on 2-Jan-2009 at a rented venue in the Girls Brigade Center along Upper Serangoon Road.
Dn Shieh noted that this is the 2nd time in abt 20 yrs we tried to setup a place of worship in this neighbourhood. The first was aborted when we could not get government approval to convert a residential land for religious usage and that end up we sold of the place and bought a piece of land along Adam Road where the current Adam Church stands.
The title, "The Lord added to them daily" was choosen as the 1st sermon given by Dn Shieh to encourage the members in this area to come together with one accord and aim to start up a fully functional church in the near future.
The message encouraged the members in this area to stand together with ONE Heart as was recorded in ACT 2:46 and the Lord will add to us daily.
The turn out during this session was beyond our expectation... while we hv book a room for 60pax, we ended up stuffing in 93 people who had turn up for the service. Praise the Lord!
May the Lord God bless us and assist us to setup a church in this area within the next 1yr.
You can help by remembering us in your prayers.
November 25, 2008
James 5:16-18
Last evening we had our area home fellowship and we studied on "Elijah being a man just like us". We shared a lot about Elijah's faith and persistance in prayer and how we can learn from him.
Following is what a brother shared further on his thoughts on the subject which I think is good material to share with all my readers. Read on...
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. In other words, he was a human being , with the same physical weaknesses as ourselves.
How was he with a nature like ours?
a) He needed food and drink to be strengthened.
After Elijah told Ahab that there would be no dew and rain, God sent him to Brook Cherith to drink from it and to be fed by ravens. When Brook Chrith dried up, God directed Elijah to the widow at Zarephath so that he could continue to live with food and drink. After he executed the prophets of Baal and Jezebel was after his life, he went to the wilderness and God provided him with a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. With these 2 meals, he was able to travel 40 days and 40 nights to the mountain of God. So with regards to the food and drink needed by the body, he has the same nature as us.
b) He was forgetful in a moment of difficulty
Elijah seemed to have forgotten about the miracles which God performed through him when he ran away from Jezebel. His food delivered by the ravens, the inexhaustible supply of flour and oil at Zarephath, the revival of the widow’s son, the contest at Mount Carmel and the control over the discharge of rain would be reason for him not to be so anxious over his life. He could have inquired of the Lord, like he did when he cried out to the Lord to revive the widow’s son. However, perhaps at the moment of panic, he could not stop to ask God for directions. Instead, he prayed for death when he was in the wilderness. Similarly, we have received much grace from God. The best gift which He has given is the Holy Spirit, and along with this, the plentiful blessings and His protection in our lives. All these are good evidences that He is in control and we should be anxious over nothing. However, in the face of a situation which is seemingly too difficult to overcome, all the memories of past deliverance are erased. We do not know how to rely on God and carry out what we deem fit, like Elijah running for his life. So in this sense, Elijah had the same nature as us.
c) He wanted a way out of difficulty
Elijah prayed for death when the going was tough. He was already a day’s journey into the wilderness and he was alone, for he had left his servant in Beersheba. There was not even a single soul around to give him support. Besides, Jezebel was after his life and there seemed to be no opportunity for him to turn back to continue God’s work. All these will present a good justification in asking God for a death request because he has arrived at a dead end. In this case, Elijah has the same nature as someone with a terminal illness. In one of the facebook blog, a sister lamented over her father’s request to God to end his life and she was at a lost on how to advise her father. I mean since it is a terminal illness and death is inevitable, wouldn’t it be justified to ask for death? We could also see that Elijah asked for death in an imperative way. He said, “Take my life..” without consideration for the sovereign choice of God. Was his death at that instant in accordance to God’s will? If we were to read beyond the earlier portion of chapter 19, the answer is no. For God needed Elijah to anoint Hazael as king over Syria, Jehu to be king over Israel and Elisha to take over his place as the prophet. Later on, Elijah was involved in pronouncing judgment on Ahab in the matter concerning Naboth’s vineyard.
d) He needed someone to wake him up.
Elijah needed someone, the angel of the Lord in this case, to wake him up. He might have felt that all was lost. Surely, after the successful miracle at Mount Carmel and his effective prayers for rain to be restored, it should lead to a good conclusion where he accomplished the work of God. Instead, he was on the run again, as in 1 Kings 17. That could be the reason why Elijah prayed for death and said that it was enough. Similarly, when we do God’s work, there will be times when things seemed to be progressing and then they are brought back to square one. Definitely we may feel discouraged and wondering why God wants us to go back to square one. We do not have the strength to continue in His work. At this time, we may become cold and dormant in doing God’s work, very much like Elijah sleeping under the broom tree. We will need someone to wake us up, and to encourage us with the words of God so that we could arise again to do God’s work. So in this sense, Elijah had the same nature as us.
Why were the prayers of Elijah effective?
a) Faith
I believe he was a man who manifests his faith. Elijah had faith in God to protect him from the hands of Ahab. On one occasion, he told Ahab that there would not be dew or rain except at his word. In another occasion after the execution of the prophets of Baal, he told Ahab to go up and eat and drink. It was quite courageous of Elijah to speak to Ahab in such an imperative manner, considering the fact that Ahab did more evil than all the kings before him. Why was he so courageous? The reason was his faith in the protection of God. It manifests Elijah’s great faith.
b) Righteousness
Elijah was also a righteous man. He was addressed as the man of God by the widow at Zarephath. In the book of James, the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Yes, it was true that Elijah showed his fervency in praying for the revival of the widow’s son. He had to carry the child to the upper room. He had to stretch himself on the child 3 times and cried out to the Lord. Also, at the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah prayed for rain by bowing on the ground and putting his face between his knees. All these were acts that went beyond the normal posture of kneeling in prayers. It reflected the fervency of Elijah. However, a fervent prayer can be more effective if the person who prays is righteous. Hence, this man of God saw his requests granted, as could be seen in the revival of the child and the resumption of rain. So this tells us the importance of being righteous, for God knows the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish. In the eight beatitudes, if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we shall be filled and the things we asked for in prayer will be satisfied.
========== == =
Well... I hope you like what you read. God bless.
Following is what a brother shared further on his thoughts on the subject which I think is good material to share with all my readers. Read on...
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. In other words, he was a human being , with the same physical weaknesses as ourselves.
How was he with a nature like ours?
a) He needed food and drink to be strengthened.
After Elijah told Ahab that there would be no dew and rain, God sent him to Brook Cherith to drink from it and to be fed by ravens. When Brook Chrith dried up, God directed Elijah to the widow at Zarephath so that he could continue to live with food and drink. After he executed the prophets of Baal and Jezebel was after his life, he went to the wilderness and God provided him with a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. With these 2 meals, he was able to travel 40 days and 40 nights to the mountain of God. So with regards to the food and drink needed by the body, he has the same nature as us.
b) He was forgetful in a moment of difficulty
Elijah seemed to have forgotten about the miracles which God performed through him when he ran away from Jezebel. His food delivered by the ravens, the inexhaustible supply of flour and oil at Zarephath, the revival of the widow’s son, the contest at Mount Carmel and the control over the discharge of rain would be reason for him not to be so anxious over his life. He could have inquired of the Lord, like he did when he cried out to the Lord to revive the widow’s son. However, perhaps at the moment of panic, he could not stop to ask God for directions. Instead, he prayed for death when he was in the wilderness. Similarly, we have received much grace from God. The best gift which He has given is the Holy Spirit, and along with this, the plentiful blessings and His protection in our lives. All these are good evidences that He is in control and we should be anxious over nothing. However, in the face of a situation which is seemingly too difficult to overcome, all the memories of past deliverance are erased. We do not know how to rely on God and carry out what we deem fit, like Elijah running for his life. So in this sense, Elijah had the same nature as us.
c) He wanted a way out of difficulty
Elijah prayed for death when the going was tough. He was already a day’s journey into the wilderness and he was alone, for he had left his servant in Beersheba. There was not even a single soul around to give him support. Besides, Jezebel was after his life and there seemed to be no opportunity for him to turn back to continue God’s work. All these will present a good justification in asking God for a death request because he has arrived at a dead end. In this case, Elijah has the same nature as someone with a terminal illness. In one of the facebook blog, a sister lamented over her father’s request to God to end his life and she was at a lost on how to advise her father. I mean since it is a terminal illness and death is inevitable, wouldn’t it be justified to ask for death? We could also see that Elijah asked for death in an imperative way. He said, “Take my life..” without consideration for the sovereign choice of God. Was his death at that instant in accordance to God’s will? If we were to read beyond the earlier portion of chapter 19, the answer is no. For God needed Elijah to anoint Hazael as king over Syria, Jehu to be king over Israel and Elisha to take over his place as the prophet. Later on, Elijah was involved in pronouncing judgment on Ahab in the matter concerning Naboth’s vineyard.
d) He needed someone to wake him up.
Elijah needed someone, the angel of the Lord in this case, to wake him up. He might have felt that all was lost. Surely, after the successful miracle at Mount Carmel and his effective prayers for rain to be restored, it should lead to a good conclusion where he accomplished the work of God. Instead, he was on the run again, as in 1 Kings 17. That could be the reason why Elijah prayed for death and said that it was enough. Similarly, when we do God’s work, there will be times when things seemed to be progressing and then they are brought back to square one. Definitely we may feel discouraged and wondering why God wants us to go back to square one. We do not have the strength to continue in His work. At this time, we may become cold and dormant in doing God’s work, very much like Elijah sleeping under the broom tree. We will need someone to wake us up, and to encourage us with the words of God so that we could arise again to do God’s work. So in this sense, Elijah had the same nature as us.
Why were the prayers of Elijah effective?
a) Faith
I believe he was a man who manifests his faith. Elijah had faith in God to protect him from the hands of Ahab. On one occasion, he told Ahab that there would not be dew or rain except at his word. In another occasion after the execution of the prophets of Baal, he told Ahab to go up and eat and drink. It was quite courageous of Elijah to speak to Ahab in such an imperative manner, considering the fact that Ahab did more evil than all the kings before him. Why was he so courageous? The reason was his faith in the protection of God. It manifests Elijah’s great faith.
b) Righteousness
Elijah was also a righteous man. He was addressed as the man of God by the widow at Zarephath. In the book of James, the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Yes, it was true that Elijah showed his fervency in praying for the revival of the widow’s son. He had to carry the child to the upper room. He had to stretch himself on the child 3 times and cried out to the Lord. Also, at the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah prayed for rain by bowing on the ground and putting his face between his knees. All these were acts that went beyond the normal posture of kneeling in prayers. It reflected the fervency of Elijah. However, a fervent prayer can be more effective if the person who prays is righteous. Hence, this man of God saw his requests granted, as could be seen in the revival of the child and the resumption of rain. So this tells us the importance of being righteous, for God knows the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish. In the eight beatitudes, if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we shall be filled and the things we asked for in prayer will be satisfied.
========== == =
Well... I hope you like what you read. God bless.
November 12, 2008
The True Essence of Fellowship
Home fellowships usually have 3 components i.e. Hymnal, Bible Study and Fellowship. In the last home fellowship after the bible study we were having casual chats with those presents and the host family and we inquiring about some members whom some of us had not seen for awhile. At the same time, we were also joking and poking fun at some others all in the spirit of communion.
After the home fellowship is over, I received an SMS from one brethren who was present in the fellowship indicating his concern that we are gossiping and talking behind others back. I was distress on reading it. Thoughts came thru my head... did we over do what we did?
"and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks" - Eph 5:4
Are we guilty of the above instruction?
Further thoughts on the issue brings up to me yet another aspect of this event. If you are in the company, would you have raise this concern?
Probably not - why would you risk offending others and risking others to think that you are being self righteous?! - Right?
But apostle Paul was different, he had wrote many letters to encourage the brethren to admonish each others, so that they can grow in faith and in strength. (1 The 5:14; 2 The 3:15; Rom 15:14)
Having thought over this, I concluded that the true ESSENCE of fellowship is not just gathering together to study the words of God BUT also provide an opportunity to admonish and edify each others with brotherly love so as to help each one to grow spiritually into maturity.
BUT there is a TWIST in this - how many of us are ready to be reproved and admonished?!
If you are the one who had received the SMS, how would you have reacted? Would you have a calm and humble spirit to ponder over it and make adjustment to yourself? Or would you have reacted negatively to a such a comment?
It is not easy for some of us but if we can build a fellowship based on openess with mutual trust and love then we shall stand as one before God. Remembering always that; No one is perfect - except God.
We must always be humble before God and have the mentality to learn. It should not matter who taught the lesson - it might be the blind begger that Jesus healed or a child or someone others despire or even your enemy!
Remembering always that God talks to us through all his creations - even the child, the begger, the thuds and the ungodly, what more if it is from a brethren in Christ?!
So therefore, let us not despise one another but with love, admonish and edify each other. There shall be no shame before the Lord for we are all the same and equal. May God bears with our weakness and continue to bless us.
Amen.
"... now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you.". On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it." - 1 Cor 12:20-27
After the home fellowship is over, I received an SMS from one brethren who was present in the fellowship indicating his concern that we are gossiping and talking behind others back. I was distress on reading it. Thoughts came thru my head... did we over do what we did?
"and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks" - Eph 5:4
Are we guilty of the above instruction?
Further thoughts on the issue brings up to me yet another aspect of this event. If you are in the company, would you have raise this concern?
Probably not - why would you risk offending others and risking others to think that you are being self righteous?! - Right?
But apostle Paul was different, he had wrote many letters to encourage the brethren to admonish each others, so that they can grow in faith and in strength. (1 The 5:14; 2 The 3:15; Rom 15:14)
Having thought over this, I concluded that the true ESSENCE of fellowship is not just gathering together to study the words of God BUT also provide an opportunity to admonish and edify each others with brotherly love so as to help each one to grow spiritually into maturity.
BUT there is a TWIST in this - how many of us are ready to be reproved and admonished?!
If you are the one who had received the SMS, how would you have reacted? Would you have a calm and humble spirit to ponder over it and make adjustment to yourself? Or would you have reacted negatively to a such a comment?
It is not easy for some of us but if we can build a fellowship based on openess with mutual trust and love then we shall stand as one before God. Remembering always that; No one is perfect - except God.
We must always be humble before God and have the mentality to learn. It should not matter who taught the lesson - it might be the blind begger that Jesus healed or a child or someone others despire or even your enemy!
Remembering always that God talks to us through all his creations - even the child, the begger, the thuds and the ungodly, what more if it is from a brethren in Christ?!
So therefore, let us not despise one another but with love, admonish and edify each other. There shall be no shame before the Lord for we are all the same and equal. May God bears with our weakness and continue to bless us.
Amen.
"... now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you.". On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it." - 1 Cor 12:20-27
October 15, 2008
Offering an acceptable service to God (3)
In the conclusion of my previous posting, I say, “… we must strive patiently”.
Aren’t having true knowledge of the will of God, good attitude and not seeking the praises of men enough to qualify our “acceptable” service to God?
Are there more, requirements? Well, I guess not so much of “requirement” but rather it is when we thought we qualify, we disregarded God's plan for us.
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death! And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me." - Lk 22:31-34
Peter was fully convinced that he was ready to follow Christ all the way but Jesus told him that he would denied Him, 3 times in the same day.
Was Peter ready to serve?
He thought he was.
In fact, he and the 70 other disciples did great works for Jesus when they were sent out. Why not this time? I believe, he still lack or fall short of God’s requirement and therefore Jesus prayed for him and said, “…when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers..”.
Similarly, Moses thought he was ready to lead the people of God when he was 40 with all his vigor and knowledge but he ended up going into exile for 40 yrs. He must have felt it was unfair that such talent was not appreciated and his desire to be the leader of the Israelite was squashed. The following 40yrs in the wilderness as nothing more than a shepherd had humbled him to the state that God could finally use him… (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth – Num 12:3)
The important factor to qualify for an Acceptable Service is TIME. Just as it is written in Ecclesiastes 3 – “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven…”
When we believe, we each receive a special gift from God – “…employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Pt 4:10-11
“Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it... All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles …” – 1 Cor 12:27-31
The gift and the ability to serve God are not ours, we must know that we are just vessels for His use and we will be given the right gift for the occasion. These are special gifts – to be prophets or teachers or workers of miracles, etc. Or be a church leader in our current context, etc.
We can pray for it but we cannot demand it, for if we were to take it upon ourselves by our own will then we will be like Moses and our service will be rejected by God. We will be threading on dangerous ground and can be easily taken by the evil one if we are not careful and alert.
However, there is one thing (service) that we must always do i.e. personal evangelism.
This is a commission already given to us. Just like what Paul said… “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.” – 1 Cor 9:16-17.
Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." – Mat 28:19-20
This is our Acceptable Service – to be true to His will and wait on His calling.
Aren’t having true knowledge of the will of God, good attitude and not seeking the praises of men enough to qualify our “acceptable” service to God?
Are there more, requirements? Well, I guess not so much of “requirement” but rather it is when we thought we qualify, we disregarded God's plan for us.
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death! And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me." - Lk 22:31-34
Peter was fully convinced that he was ready to follow Christ all the way but Jesus told him that he would denied Him, 3 times in the same day.
Was Peter ready to serve?
He thought he was.
In fact, he and the 70 other disciples did great works for Jesus when they were sent out. Why not this time? I believe, he still lack or fall short of God’s requirement and therefore Jesus prayed for him and said, “…when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers..”.
Similarly, Moses thought he was ready to lead the people of God when he was 40 with all his vigor and knowledge but he ended up going into exile for 40 yrs. He must have felt it was unfair that such talent was not appreciated and his desire to be the leader of the Israelite was squashed. The following 40yrs in the wilderness as nothing more than a shepherd had humbled him to the state that God could finally use him… (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth – Num 12:3)
The important factor to qualify for an Acceptable Service is TIME. Just as it is written in Ecclesiastes 3 – “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven…”
When we believe, we each receive a special gift from God – “…employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Pt 4:10-11
“Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it... All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles …” – 1 Cor 12:27-31
The gift and the ability to serve God are not ours, we must know that we are just vessels for His use and we will be given the right gift for the occasion. These are special gifts – to be prophets or teachers or workers of miracles, etc. Or be a church leader in our current context, etc.
We can pray for it but we cannot demand it, for if we were to take it upon ourselves by our own will then we will be like Moses and our service will be rejected by God. We will be threading on dangerous ground and can be easily taken by the evil one if we are not careful and alert.
However, there is one thing (service) that we must always do i.e. personal evangelism.
This is a commission already given to us. Just like what Paul said… “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.” – 1 Cor 9:16-17.
Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." – Mat 28:19-20
This is our Acceptable Service – to be true to His will and wait on His calling.
September 29, 2008
Offering an acceptable service to God (2)
In my previous posting, I ended with the mention of Moses earnest service to God - “…By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh`s daughter; choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;” – Heb 11:24-25
God didn’t seem to be there when he wanted to take on the leadership role to lead his people. Instead, he was forced to abandon his plan and became a fugitive fleeing into the wilderness – banished from his people.
Have you taken time to find out why was his service and sacrifice not acceptable to God? The question is - What is an acceptable service? From the example of Moses, an individual desire to serve does not seem to be the only criteria. In fact, by itself, it was counted unacceptable… mmm… what am I saying?
The desire to serve without knowledge and/or with wrong reasons are not acceptable to the Lord e.g. “Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you…” – Mat 7:22-23
This group of Christians served in the ministry without the knowledge of the true WILL of God (Mat 7:21) and were rejected.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” – Mat 23:27-28
This group of religious teachers served Jehovah for the praises of men (Mat 6:16) and they too were rejected.
So in our service to God, we must truly understands the will of God in His salvation plan and truly understands our own attitude toward service.
Cain’s offering was disregarded by God because he did not do well and his deeds were evil (Gen 4:5-7; 1 Jn 3:12).
In summary, an acceptable service must be accompanied by:
1. True knowledge of the will of God. This does not equal to works like prophesying the words of God, casting out demons, performing miracles, etc.
2. Good attitude to service. This include humility, faith, patience, forbearance, love, etc.
3. Rejecting to seek the praises of man, having full knowledge that our ability to serve are entrusted to us and not from out of our own.
For these then we must strive patiently to acquire the knowledge and the right attitude to offer up our acceptable service to God.
God didn’t seem to be there when he wanted to take on the leadership role to lead his people. Instead, he was forced to abandon his plan and became a fugitive fleeing into the wilderness – banished from his people.
Have you taken time to find out why was his service and sacrifice not acceptable to God? The question is - What is an acceptable service? From the example of Moses, an individual desire to serve does not seem to be the only criteria. In fact, by itself, it was counted unacceptable… mmm… what am I saying?
The desire to serve without knowledge and/or with wrong reasons are not acceptable to the Lord e.g. “Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you…” – Mat 7:22-23
This group of Christians served in the ministry without the knowledge of the true WILL of God (Mat 7:21) and were rejected.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” – Mat 23:27-28
This group of religious teachers served Jehovah for the praises of men (Mat 6:16) and they too were rejected.
So in our service to God, we must truly understands the will of God in His salvation plan and truly understands our own attitude toward service.
Cain’s offering was disregarded by God because he did not do well and his deeds were evil (Gen 4:5-7; 1 Jn 3:12).
In summary, an acceptable service must be accompanied by:
1. True knowledge of the will of God. This does not equal to works like prophesying the words of God, casting out demons, performing miracles, etc.
2. Good attitude to service. This include humility, faith, patience, forbearance, love, etc.
3. Rejecting to seek the praises of man, having full knowledge that our ability to serve are entrusted to us and not from out of our own.
For these then we must strive patiently to acquire the knowledge and the right attitude to offer up our acceptable service to God.
September 24, 2008
Offering an acceptable service to God (1)
As believer and children of God, we strive to offer our best service to God at some point of time in our life. It is unrealistic to say or even think that we always give our best. Undeniably, our level of faith goes up and down throughout our earthly sojourn with our God.
"... by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire." - Heb 12:28-29
Regardless of what status we are in, we should at all times consciously offer up our services to God. It doesn’t need to be something exceptional, great or worthy of praise - just our sincere offering, out of our given ability and most of all a willing heart, seeking anything.
“…so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” – Mat 6:16
In our service to God, we are often in the danger of (unknowingly) seeking recognition from our peers and often having the urge of leaving our mark or legacy for the generation after us. This is human weakness which we must be fully conscious of and at all time reject such urging.
Otherwise, we may lose out on the true and divine reward prepared for us in heaven (Mat 6:16).
Moses (after he knew of his calling) at age 40 decided to take things into his own hands to try to save his people from the autocracy of the Egyptians. Thinking that this was his service to Jehovah and to his own people, he got himself into trouble (the rest of the story should be very familiar to you).
Is not his service acceptable to God? Why? – I’ll leave this for your own research and study. Meanwhile, I'll do mine - too. We can exchange notes - if you're willing. :D
"... by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire." - Heb 12:28-29
Regardless of what status we are in, we should at all times consciously offer up our services to God. It doesn’t need to be something exceptional, great or worthy of praise - just our sincere offering, out of our given ability and most of all a willing heart, seeking anything.
“…so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” – Mat 6:16
In our service to God, we are often in the danger of (unknowingly) seeking recognition from our peers and often having the urge of leaving our mark or legacy for the generation after us. This is human weakness which we must be fully conscious of and at all time reject such urging.
Otherwise, we may lose out on the true and divine reward prepared for us in heaven (Mat 6:16).
Moses (after he knew of his calling) at age 40 decided to take things into his own hands to try to save his people from the autocracy of the Egyptians. Thinking that this was his service to Jehovah and to his own people, he got himself into trouble (the rest of the story should be very familiar to you).
Is not his service acceptable to God? Why? – I’ll leave this for your own research and study. Meanwhile, I'll do mine - too. We can exchange notes - if you're willing. :D
September 16, 2008
Free Will Exist in Predestination (6)
===========================================================
If this is your first time reading this article, you might want to read up the other parts first. You can follow this links to Part-1, Part-2, Part-3, Part-4 and Part-5
===========================================================
It had been awhile for those of you who has been following this thread. I was having trouble trying to give a conclusive ending to this topic... so for this final installment, I'm going to bring you an experience (try out the following scenario).
Scenario: Going to church on time
Objective: To bring the family to church
Start - You return home an hour before Sabbath service starts to pick up the family to church (the journey will usually takes about 20min). To your dismay, you found none of them are ready to leave and the children are still sitting in front of the TV!
You became:
(a) furious at the sight and started shouting at everyone to get ready quickly -- Go to Section 500
(b) angry and start directing everyone to get ready quickly -- Go to Section 300
200 - (**) You make a U-turn to go home to have this problem fixed and started scolding her until you reach home and order her to get down immediately. Shouting after her, you threaten to leave without her if she doesn’t come out in 5min.
Finally, after slightly more then 5min you are ready to leave home (again) and drove off with greater speed to compensate for the time lost. Determine to get to church on time, you zigzagged through the traffic going as fast as you could, knowing that created fear in your passengers (just to teach them a lesson).
About 500m to destination, your wife sitting next to you stroked your thigh lightly. You turn slightly and saw from her expression and slightly moist eyes; you knew instantly that she had wanted you to slow down.
(a) You ignore her, thinking that it is only another 500m to go -- Go to Section 800
(b) You slows down on her hint -- Go to Section 900
300 - Slightly more than 40min later – you managed to get everyone out of the house and into the car. You knew that you’ll probably be late for service and drove off at your normal cruising speed.
400m down the road, your eldest daughter squeaked – “Oh! No! I think, I’ve forgotten to switch of the iron!”
(a) Now it is getting to you and you felt really angry now -- Go to Section 200
(b) You’re frustrated and knew instantly you’ll not going to make it on time to church -- Go to Section 600
400 - 10min later and you saw the family started coming out one-by-one. You waited another 5min for everyone to get in the car and you drove off speedily (burning some rubber), hoping that you’ll still be able to reach church on time.
400m down the road, your eldest daughter squeaked – “Oh! No! I think, I’ve forgotten to switch of the iron!”
(a) You’re frustrated and blew your top -- Go to Section 200
(b) You’re frustrated and knew instantly you’ll not going to make it on time to church -- Go to Section 600
500 - 30min later – the family is still not ready to leave, anxious and feeling very angry you announced that transport will leave in 10min and everyone must get out of the house in the stipulated time!
(a) You grumbled and walked out of the house, shouting that you’ll be waiting in the car! -- Go to Section 400
(b) You tried to assist in whatever you can to get the family ready while still feeling irate. -- Go to Section 700
600 - You make a U-turn to go home to have this problem fixed. You were quiet along the way, trying to calm yourself and thinking how to make the best of the situation. On reaching you told your daughter to hurry up.
Slightly more than 5min later, you are ready to go. You drove off faster than your normal cruising speed and told the family this can be avoided if everyone were to take service time more seriously and get prepare ahead of time. You explain that mistakes are often made when we do thing in haste.
As you approach the junction (turning toward church), you saw a slight traffic jam in front and concluded that there was an accident ahead. As you pass the scene, you realized that you could have been in the same accident if you had driven a little faster.
You thank God that you are able to reach church safely although you’re almost 80min late.
Go to Review B.
700 - (**) 15min later you had everyone out of the house and into the car. You drove off speedily (burning some rubber), hoping that you’ll still be able to reach church on time. You zigzagged through the traffic, going as fast as you could, knowing that created fear in your passengers (just to teach them a lesson).
About 500m to destination, your wife sitting next to you stroked your thigh lightly. You turn slightly and saw from her expression and slightly moist eyes; you know instantly that she had wanted you to slow down.
(a) You ignore her, thinking that it was only another 500m to go -- Go to Section 800
(b) You slows down on her hint -- Go to Section 900
800 - (*) As you approach the junction (turning toward church), you heard a loud crash on your right and the next moment you saw a red car crashing through the grilled road divider and headed toward you. You tried to steer away from it but there wasn’t enough time and the last thing you heard was a super loud BANG!
You were crushed instantly when the red car crashes into the driver side door. Your family was seriously injured. You are dead and your family didn’t make it to church that day.
Go to Review C.
900 - Knowing that you’re already late, it does not matter now. You slow to slightly faster than your normal cruising speed. As you approach the junction (turning toward church), you heard a loud crash and you saw about 100m away a red car had crashed through the grilled road divider and headed toward you.
You jammed on your brakes and red car veer pass in front of you, misses your car by a few meters and went up the curb onto the pedestrian way and into a tree. You got out of your car and get your wife to drive the children to church while you render assistance to the red car driver.
You did not manage to attend service that day and your family was late for church but you were thankful to God that you and your family are safe.
Go to Review A.
Review A: If I’m God, you might say that you’re destined to be saved from disaster by God’s grace. When you saw the (**) marking, I knew that you’re in danger of getting hurt. I use your wife (external influence) to signal you to back down but it is still your choice to decide otherwise. Since you are reading this review, you’ve chosen wisely and you are saved. I’m happy that you’ve taken the hint.
Review B: If I’m God, this is my will for you that you’ll be safe. You have chosen to live wisely and fully in control of yourself. I’m glad that you’ve followed the way I wanted.
Review C: If I’m God, you might say that it is not fair that I’ve destine you to die this way. When you saw the (**) marking, I knew that you’re in danger of getting hurt. I use your wife (external influence) to signal you to back down but it is still your choice to decide otherwise. When you saw the (*) marking, I already know that you’re dead and I regretted that you did not take the hint.
Conclusion:
The above scenario is synonymous to the blueprint of our life – as the person preparing this, I’ve transcended time. The essence of time within the blueprint has no effect on me and you might say that I’m present throughout the entire scenario; this is the omnipresent aspect of God. The markings (**) and (*) clearly shows that I’ve fore knowledge of what is going to happen; this is the omniscience aspect of God.
Just like the scenario above, I’ve wanted that you’ll reach church safely. However, there is a chance that you might not reach at all. Do I know before hand you’ll reach church or not? Frankly, I don’t but I’m sure I do when you make fatal mistakes (indicated by my markings) and I intervene to steer you out of danger, only if you will. This is FREE WILL to you.
Our lives are predestined, but we’re free to chose and do as we will within God’s blueprint. “…not wishing that any should perish, but…” – 2 Pt 3:9
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end. And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” – Jer 29:11-12
If this is your first time reading this article, you might want to read up the other parts first. You can follow this links to Part-1, Part-2, Part-3, Part-4 and Part-5
===========================================================
It had been awhile for those of you who has been following this thread. I was having trouble trying to give a conclusive ending to this topic... so for this final installment, I'm going to bring you an experience (try out the following scenario).
Scenario: Going to church on time
Objective: To bring the family to church
Start - You return home an hour before Sabbath service starts to pick up the family to church (the journey will usually takes about 20min). To your dismay, you found none of them are ready to leave and the children are still sitting in front of the TV!
You became:
(a) furious at the sight and started shouting at everyone to get ready quickly -- Go to Section 500
(b) angry and start directing everyone to get ready quickly -- Go to Section 300
200 - (**) You make a U-turn to go home to have this problem fixed and started scolding her until you reach home and order her to get down immediately. Shouting after her, you threaten to leave without her if she doesn’t come out in 5min.
Finally, after slightly more then 5min you are ready to leave home (again) and drove off with greater speed to compensate for the time lost. Determine to get to church on time, you zigzagged through the traffic going as fast as you could, knowing that created fear in your passengers (just to teach them a lesson).
About 500m to destination, your wife sitting next to you stroked your thigh lightly. You turn slightly and saw from her expression and slightly moist eyes; you knew instantly that she had wanted you to slow down.
(a) You ignore her, thinking that it is only another 500m to go -- Go to Section 800
(b) You slows down on her hint -- Go to Section 900
300 - Slightly more than 40min later – you managed to get everyone out of the house and into the car. You knew that you’ll probably be late for service and drove off at your normal cruising speed.
400m down the road, your eldest daughter squeaked – “Oh! No! I think, I’ve forgotten to switch of the iron!”
(a) Now it is getting to you and you felt really angry now -- Go to Section 200
(b) You’re frustrated and knew instantly you’ll not going to make it on time to church -- Go to Section 600
400 - 10min later and you saw the family started coming out one-by-one. You waited another 5min for everyone to get in the car and you drove off speedily (burning some rubber), hoping that you’ll still be able to reach church on time.
400m down the road, your eldest daughter squeaked – “Oh! No! I think, I’ve forgotten to switch of the iron!”
(a) You’re frustrated and blew your top -- Go to Section 200
(b) You’re frustrated and knew instantly you’ll not going to make it on time to church -- Go to Section 600
500 - 30min later – the family is still not ready to leave, anxious and feeling very angry you announced that transport will leave in 10min and everyone must get out of the house in the stipulated time!
(a) You grumbled and walked out of the house, shouting that you’ll be waiting in the car! -- Go to Section 400
(b) You tried to assist in whatever you can to get the family ready while still feeling irate. -- Go to Section 700
600 - You make a U-turn to go home to have this problem fixed. You were quiet along the way, trying to calm yourself and thinking how to make the best of the situation. On reaching you told your daughter to hurry up.
Slightly more than 5min later, you are ready to go. You drove off faster than your normal cruising speed and told the family this can be avoided if everyone were to take service time more seriously and get prepare ahead of time. You explain that mistakes are often made when we do thing in haste.
As you approach the junction (turning toward church), you saw a slight traffic jam in front and concluded that there was an accident ahead. As you pass the scene, you realized that you could have been in the same accident if you had driven a little faster.
You thank God that you are able to reach church safely although you’re almost 80min late.
Go to Review B.
700 - (**) 15min later you had everyone out of the house and into the car. You drove off speedily (burning some rubber), hoping that you’ll still be able to reach church on time. You zigzagged through the traffic, going as fast as you could, knowing that created fear in your passengers (just to teach them a lesson).
About 500m to destination, your wife sitting next to you stroked your thigh lightly. You turn slightly and saw from her expression and slightly moist eyes; you know instantly that she had wanted you to slow down.
(a) You ignore her, thinking that it was only another 500m to go -- Go to Section 800
(b) You slows down on her hint -- Go to Section 900
800 - (*) As you approach the junction (turning toward church), you heard a loud crash on your right and the next moment you saw a red car crashing through the grilled road divider and headed toward you. You tried to steer away from it but there wasn’t enough time and the last thing you heard was a super loud BANG!
You were crushed instantly when the red car crashes into the driver side door. Your family was seriously injured. You are dead and your family didn’t make it to church that day.
Go to Review C.
900 - Knowing that you’re already late, it does not matter now. You slow to slightly faster than your normal cruising speed. As you approach the junction (turning toward church), you heard a loud crash and you saw about 100m away a red car had crashed through the grilled road divider and headed toward you.
You jammed on your brakes and red car veer pass in front of you, misses your car by a few meters and went up the curb onto the pedestrian way and into a tree. You got out of your car and get your wife to drive the children to church while you render assistance to the red car driver.
You did not manage to attend service that day and your family was late for church but you were thankful to God that you and your family are safe.
Go to Review A.
Review A: If I’m God, you might say that you’re destined to be saved from disaster by God’s grace. When you saw the (**) marking, I knew that you’re in danger of getting hurt. I use your wife (external influence) to signal you to back down but it is still your choice to decide otherwise. Since you are reading this review, you’ve chosen wisely and you are saved. I’m happy that you’ve taken the hint.
Review B: If I’m God, this is my will for you that you’ll be safe. You have chosen to live wisely and fully in control of yourself. I’m glad that you’ve followed the way I wanted.
Review C: If I’m God, you might say that it is not fair that I’ve destine you to die this way. When you saw the (**) marking, I knew that you’re in danger of getting hurt. I use your wife (external influence) to signal you to back down but it is still your choice to decide otherwise. When you saw the (*) marking, I already know that you’re dead and I regretted that you did not take the hint.
Conclusion:
The above scenario is synonymous to the blueprint of our life – as the person preparing this, I’ve transcended time. The essence of time within the blueprint has no effect on me and you might say that I’m present throughout the entire scenario; this is the omnipresent aspect of God. The markings (**) and (*) clearly shows that I’ve fore knowledge of what is going to happen; this is the omniscience aspect of God.
Just like the scenario above, I’ve wanted that you’ll reach church safely. However, there is a chance that you might not reach at all. Do I know before hand you’ll reach church or not? Frankly, I don’t but I’m sure I do when you make fatal mistakes (indicated by my markings) and I intervene to steer you out of danger, only if you will. This is FREE WILL to you.
Our lives are predestined, but we’re free to chose and do as we will within God’s blueprint. “…not wishing that any should perish, but…” – 2 Pt 3:9
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end. And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” – Jer 29:11-12
August 07, 2008
Free Will exist in Predestination (5)
===========================================================
If this is your first time reading this article, you might want to read up the other parts first. You can follow this links to Part-1, Part-2, Part-3 and Part-4 ===========================================================
Now that you’re satisfied with the explanation given for the previous question about Judas betrayal. We’ll need to test the same theory further with regards to the challenge posed to whether God is truly Omniscience.
The question: “If man’s life is predestined even before he was born then why did God regret that He made Saul the king and why was God sorry that He had made man? (1 Sam 15:10-11; Gen 6:6) Didn’t God know before hand that Saul will fail Him and that man will sin?”
The above question challenges predestination and God’s Omniscience i.e if our life is truly predestinated then God would have known what happens next and therefore God could not have regretted or saddened for something that He already predestined. Otherwise, we’ll have to agree that God is not Omniscience since He does not seems to know that Saul will turn away from Him and therefore, He regretted selecting him.
In order to provide a satisfactory explanation, we’ll need to determine what does Regret and Sad means. Does it means that God does not know that Saul will turn away from Him or that Man will sin?
Simply by the definition of predestination, it may seem difficult to explain why God felt this way. However, if we were to explain predestination as we’ve established earlier in our theory then it became a straightforward answer.
Take the example of Saul, he would have the choice to walk with God or turn away from God. Saul was personally select by God to be king (1 Sam 9:15-16); surely God knows that Saul would fail Him in future. If that is correct, then why God still choose him?
I like to introduce a theory here, which requires your careful consideration. While God had predestinated our life, God also gave us free will. Therefore, before we make a decision – God does not know what would be our decision.
To make this clearer, we use the example of Saul again.
When God selected Saul, He knew there is a chance that Saul will turn away from Him but at that point in time, Saul was the best choice to save the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines.
We all know that God is not limited by time and space but man is constrained. As long as Saul had not lived his life up to the point in time when he turn away from God, God’s view of Saul’s life is still a set of mingled paths of “good” and “bad” decisions. It is this, God had prepared or predestined for Saul - also for each of us, our own unique blueprint.
God will be clear of what is Saul’s outcome when Saul comes close to the turning point. God may, through some events and situations tries to influence him to make a “good” decision, just like He did for Judas but Satan is also working at the same time.
In the end, according to the example of Saul, God regretted that He choose Saul because Saul had made a “bad” decision. At that point when Saul was about to make that fatal decision, God knows that Saul is going to make a “bad” decision and informed Samuel (1 Sam 15:11-23). This is a solid proof of God’s Omniscience.
In conclusion, when God regretted or saddened, it does not mean that God does not know the outcome of man but rather it was the decision that man had made that had causes God to grieve.
God had predestinated our life for “good” and “bad” outcomes and it was up to us to choose how we live out our lives. This is when most of the time, we causes God to regret and be saddened.
My theory supports that God is Omniscience and the reason why God regretted or saddened, is solely due to "bad" decisions on the part of man. Man could have chosen to obey God – so, always consider you decisions and choose wisely.
===========================================================
You can continue reading this article by following this link to Part-6
===========================================================
More Reference:
Recently, I came across a set of fantasy game books by Ian Livingstone. Browsing through one of them will give you a very clear understanding of this theory of Predestination that I'm presenting here.
You can also go to Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Fantasy for further information about him and his books.
If this is your first time reading this article, you might want to read up the other parts first. You can follow this links to Part-1, Part-2, Part-3 and Part-4 ===========================================================
Now that you’re satisfied with the explanation given for the previous question about Judas betrayal. We’ll need to test the same theory further with regards to the challenge posed to whether God is truly Omniscience.
The question: “If man’s life is predestined even before he was born then why did God regret that He made Saul the king and why was God sorry that He had made man? (1 Sam 15:10-11; Gen 6:6) Didn’t God know before hand that Saul will fail Him and that man will sin?”
The above question challenges predestination and God’s Omniscience i.e if our life is truly predestinated then God would have known what happens next and therefore God could not have regretted or saddened for something that He already predestined. Otherwise, we’ll have to agree that God is not Omniscience since He does not seems to know that Saul will turn away from Him and therefore, He regretted selecting him.
In order to provide a satisfactory explanation, we’ll need to determine what does Regret and Sad means. Does it means that God does not know that Saul will turn away from Him or that Man will sin?
Simply by the definition of predestination, it may seem difficult to explain why God felt this way. However, if we were to explain predestination as we’ve established earlier in our theory then it became a straightforward answer.
Take the example of Saul, he would have the choice to walk with God or turn away from God. Saul was personally select by God to be king (1 Sam 9:15-16); surely God knows that Saul would fail Him in future. If that is correct, then why God still choose him?
I like to introduce a theory here, which requires your careful consideration. While God had predestinated our life, God also gave us free will. Therefore, before we make a decision – God does not know what would be our decision.
To make this clearer, we use the example of Saul again.
When God selected Saul, He knew there is a chance that Saul will turn away from Him but at that point in time, Saul was the best choice to save the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines.
We all know that God is not limited by time and space but man is constrained. As long as Saul had not lived his life up to the point in time when he turn away from God, God’s view of Saul’s life is still a set of mingled paths of “good” and “bad” decisions. It is this, God had prepared or predestined for Saul - also for each of us, our own unique blueprint.
God will be clear of what is Saul’s outcome when Saul comes close to the turning point. God may, through some events and situations tries to influence him to make a “good” decision, just like He did for Judas but Satan is also working at the same time.
In the end, according to the example of Saul, God regretted that He choose Saul because Saul had made a “bad” decision. At that point when Saul was about to make that fatal decision, God knows that Saul is going to make a “bad” decision and informed Samuel (1 Sam 15:11-23). This is a solid proof of God’s Omniscience.
In conclusion, when God regretted or saddened, it does not mean that God does not know the outcome of man but rather it was the decision that man had made that had causes God to grieve.
God had predestinated our life for “good” and “bad” outcomes and it was up to us to choose how we live out our lives. This is when most of the time, we causes God to regret and be saddened.
My theory supports that God is Omniscience and the reason why God regretted or saddened, is solely due to "bad" decisions on the part of man. Man could have chosen to obey God – so, always consider you decisions and choose wisely.
===========================================================
You can continue reading this article by following this link to Part-6
===========================================================
More Reference:
Recently, I came across a set of fantasy game books by Ian Livingstone. Browsing through one of them will give you a very clear understanding of this theory of Predestination that I'm presenting here.
You can also go to Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Fantasy for further information about him and his books.
July 31, 2008
Free Will exist in Predestination (4)
===========================================================
If this is your first time reading this article, you might want to read up the other parts first. You can follow this links to Part-1, Part-2 and Part-3 ===========================================================
In my previous posting, we’ve stated that FREE WILL exists in the blueprint of our existence. This covers all possible decisions (good and bad) that we’ll make in life. More importantly, while we’ve the free will to choose what we want, our decision is often influence by our environment and prevailing situation.
Bearing that in mind, we can now revisit the original question that was posted to me i.e. "If God is righteous and just as you said, why then He made Judas to be the one to betray Jesus and ultimately had Him killed so that He can be the Savior for man? Is it fair to Judas, who by fulfilling God's will, he was destined to hell? How is this justified?"
Based on the above explanation, the following is the answer to that question:
Judas Free Will
In the blueprint of Judas’s life, it will show that he has a choice not to betray the Lord (remember, God predestined all possible decisions we could ever made).
However, the events that had happened in the specific environment and/or situations many epochs prior to Judas eventual betrayal of the Lord would have influenced his final decision.
Trying to influence Judas’s decision
Jesus tried to dissuade Judas from his action, even to the final moment but failed. (Mat 26:21-25, John 13:27) Judas, on his own free will made the fatal decision, which eventually leads to his own death – broken and remorseful.
While Judas was destined to betray the Lord so that the prophecy of the Messiah may be fulfilled, he also had the choice of not choosing to betray the Lord. Should Judas had chosen wisely, then another person could have fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah, instead of him. (Note: I believe that the prophecy will be fulfilled, just as planned. Only God did not plan specifically who will singularly fulfill it).
Judas’s Choice
All things works to the advantage of God (Rom 8:28)… if it is not Judas, then it could be another person. It all lies in the decisions that each of us would made - our freedom of choice. This privilege sometimes causes God to be saddened. I’m sure Jesus loves Judas as much as the others disciples.
Finally, based on the above explanations you decide – Is God justified to punish Judas for betraying Jesus?
Do you agreed with my explanation to the question? This explanation satisfies two important points i.e God is Omniscience (Jesus, knew Judas is about to make a bad decision) and God is fair and justified (Judas was given the free will to choose and he wasn’t the only one that would betray Jesus).
If you’ve other views, you may raise your comment.
===========================================================
You can continue reading this article by following this link to Part-5 and Part-6 ===========================================================
If this is your first time reading this article, you might want to read up the other parts first. You can follow this links to Part-1, Part-2 and Part-3 ===========================================================
In my previous posting, we’ve stated that FREE WILL exists in the blueprint of our existence. This covers all possible decisions (good and bad) that we’ll make in life. More importantly, while we’ve the free will to choose what we want, our decision is often influence by our environment and prevailing situation.
Bearing that in mind, we can now revisit the original question that was posted to me i.e. "If God is righteous and just as you said, why then He made Judas to be the one to betray Jesus and ultimately had Him killed so that He can be the Savior for man? Is it fair to Judas, who by fulfilling God's will, he was destined to hell? How is this justified?"
Based on the above explanation, the following is the answer to that question:
Judas Free Will
In the blueprint of Judas’s life, it will show that he has a choice not to betray the Lord (remember, God predestined all possible decisions we could ever made).
However, the events that had happened in the specific environment and/or situations many epochs prior to Judas eventual betrayal of the Lord would have influenced his final decision.
Trying to influence Judas’s decision
Jesus tried to dissuade Judas from his action, even to the final moment but failed. (Mat 26:21-25, John 13:27) Judas, on his own free will made the fatal decision, which eventually leads to his own death – broken and remorseful.
While Judas was destined to betray the Lord so that the prophecy of the Messiah may be fulfilled, he also had the choice of not choosing to betray the Lord. Should Judas had chosen wisely, then another person could have fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah, instead of him. (Note: I believe that the prophecy will be fulfilled, just as planned. Only God did not plan specifically who will singularly fulfill it).
Judas’s Choice
All things works to the advantage of God (Rom 8:28)… if it is not Judas, then it could be another person. It all lies in the decisions that each of us would made - our freedom of choice. This privilege sometimes causes God to be saddened. I’m sure Jesus loves Judas as much as the others disciples.
Finally, based on the above explanations you decide – Is God justified to punish Judas for betraying Jesus?
Do you agreed with my explanation to the question? This explanation satisfies two important points i.e God is Omniscience (Jesus, knew Judas is about to make a bad decision) and God is fair and justified (Judas was given the free will to choose and he wasn’t the only one that would betray Jesus).
If you’ve other views, you may raise your comment.
===========================================================
You can continue reading this article by following this link to Part-5 and Part-6 ===========================================================
July 24, 2008
Free Will exist in Predestination (3)
===========================================================
If this is your first time reading this article, you might want to read up the other parts first. You can follow this links to Part-1 and Part-2
===========================================================
How does FREE WILL work in a predestinated environment? To answer this, we have to establish that FREE WILL is synonymous to FREEDOM of CHOICE.
Using the example of Adam in the Garden of Eden, God placed Adam in this vast garden and commanded that he can eat of every tree that is in the garden, except the Tree of Knowledge, which is in the center of the garden. (Gen 2:9)
God has given Man the free will to choose not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge but man’s decision was effected by the fact that, the Tree of Knowledge was planted in the middle of the garden where man is more likely to pass by this Tree when he walk about in the garden.
Thus, man was predestined to SIN, not because it is God’s will but the influence of the environment where the Tree was placed, gives the opportunity for man to access the Tree or its vicinity more often (the shortest distance between 2 extreme points, often passes thru the center). Then at an opportune time the Snake, entices the woman and she made the wrong choice, thus, causes SIN to creep into the world.
Simply put it, God has predestinated that Man will sin against Him as well as predestinated Man will not sin. God places man in the garden, with all the trees and animals then gives man the freedom of choice.
Illustrated in the diagram beside, the BLUE line is the consequence of “Good” decision, while the RED line is that of “Bad” decision. Each decision (GREEN circle) in life is influence by some external forces or events. These external influences are dynamic and can be taken advantage by the devil (in the case of the snake).
While it is God who predestined the outcome of each decision, it is man who will have the freedom to make that choice.
So, God knows that man will sin but not of His will. Man could have chosen not to eat of the fruit of Tree of Knowledge but because of external influence, man failed to choose wisely.
In conclusion, while our lives are predestined we need to know that God has covered all possible outcomes of our decisions. So choose wisely and make the Lord glad. This affirms that God is Omniscience.
===========================================================
You can continue reading this article by following this link to Part-4, Part-5 and Part-6 ===========================================================
If this is your first time reading this article, you might want to read up the other parts first. You can follow this links to Part-1 and Part-2
===========================================================
How does FREE WILL work in a predestinated environment? To answer this, we have to establish that FREE WILL is synonymous to FREEDOM of CHOICE.
Using the example of Adam in the Garden of Eden, God placed Adam in this vast garden and commanded that he can eat of every tree that is in the garden, except the Tree of Knowledge, which is in the center of the garden. (Gen 2:9)
God has given Man the free will to choose not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge but man’s decision was effected by the fact that, the Tree of Knowledge was planted in the middle of the garden where man is more likely to pass by this Tree when he walk about in the garden.
Thus, man was predestined to SIN, not because it is God’s will but the influence of the environment where the Tree was placed, gives the opportunity for man to access the Tree or its vicinity more often (the shortest distance between 2 extreme points, often passes thru the center). Then at an opportune time the Snake, entices the woman and she made the wrong choice, thus, causes SIN to creep into the world.
Simply put it, God has predestinated that Man will sin against Him as well as predestinated Man will not sin. God places man in the garden, with all the trees and animals then gives man the freedom of choice.
Illustrated in the diagram beside, the BLUE line is the consequence of “Good” decision, while the RED line is that of “Bad” decision. Each decision (GREEN circle) in life is influence by some external forces or events. These external influences are dynamic and can be taken advantage by the devil (in the case of the snake).While it is God who predestined the outcome of each decision, it is man who will have the freedom to make that choice.
So, God knows that man will sin but not of His will. Man could have chosen not to eat of the fruit of Tree of Knowledge but because of external influence, man failed to choose wisely.
In conclusion, while our lives are predestined we need to know that God has covered all possible outcomes of our decisions. So choose wisely and make the Lord glad. This affirms that God is Omniscience.
===========================================================
You can continue reading this article by following this link to Part-4, Part-5 and Part-6 ===========================================================
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
