What do we mean when we say that Augustine lived the theology that he write? Are we implying, for instance, that other theologians have not lived up to their principles? No. That possibility is not what concerns us here. It is more than a question of setting down on paper a series of abstract principles and then applying them in practice. Christianity is more than a moral code, more than a philosophy, more than a system of rites.

Although it is sufficient, in the abstract, to divide the Catholic religion into three aspects and call them creed, code and cult, yet in practice, the integral Christian life is something far more than all this. It is more than a belief; it is a life. that is to say, it is a belief that is lived and experienced and expressed in action. The action in which it is expressed, experienced and lived is called a mystery. This mystery is a sacred drama which keeps ever present in history the Sacrifice that was once consummated by Christ on Calvary.

In plain words - if you can accept them as plain - Christianity is the life and death and resurrection of Christ going on day after day in the souls of individual men and in the heart of society.

It is this Christ-life, this incorporation into the Body of Christ, this union with His death and resurrection as a matter of conscious experience, that St. Augustine wrote of in his "Confessions." But Augustine not only experienced the reality of Christ living in his own soul. He was just as keenly aware of the presence and action, the Birth, Sacrifice, Death and Resurrection of the Mystical Christ in the midst of human society.

And this experience, this vision, if you would call it that, qualified him to write a book that was to be, in fact, the autobiography of the Catholic Church. That is what "The City of God" is. Just as truly as the "Confessions" are the autobiography of St. Augustine, "The City of God" is the autobiography of the Church written by the most Catholic of her great saints.

That is the substance of the book. But how is the average modern people going to get at that substance? Evidently, the treatment of the theme is so leisurely and so meandering and so diffuse that "The City of God", more than any other book, requires an introduction. The best we can do here is to offer a few practical suggestions as to how to tackle it.

The first of these suggestions is this: since, after all, "The City of God" reflects much of St. Augustine's own personality and is colored by it, the reader who has never met Augustine before ought to go first of all to the "Confessions". Once he gets to know the saints, he will be better able to understand Augustine's view of society. Then, no one who is not a specialist, with a good background of history or of theology or of philosophy, ought not to attempt to read the City, for the first time, beginning at page one.

The living heart of the City is found in Book Nineteen, and this is the section that will make the most immediate appeal to us today because it is concerned with the theology of peace. However, Book Nineteen cannot be understood all by itself. The best source for solutions to the most pressing problems it will raise is Book Fourteen, where the origin of the two Cities is sketched, in an essay on original sin.

Finally, the last Book (twenty-two), which is perhaps the finest of them all, and a fitting climax to the whole work, will give the reader a broad view of Augustine's whole scheme because it describes the end of the City of God, the communal vision of the elect in Paradise, the contemplation which is the life of the "City of Vision" in heaven and the whole purpose of man's creation.

It may come as a surprise to some to learn...............

                                                                      Page 2

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Here is a book that written over fifteen hundred years ago by a mystic in North Africa. Yet to those who have ears to hear, it has a great deal to say to many of us who are not mystics, today, in the world. "The City of God" is a monumental theology of history. It grew out of St. Augustine's meditations on the fall of the Roman Empire.

But his analysis is timeless and universal. That is to say, it is Catholic in the etymological sense of the word. It is also Catholic in the sense that St. Augustine's view held by the Catholic Church,and by all Catholic tradition since the Apostles. It is a theology of history built on revelation, developed above all from the inspired pages of St. Paul's epistles and St. John's Apocalypse.

To those who do not know St. Augustine, the figure of the great Bishop of Hippo (the modern name of the city is Bona) may seem quite remote. And to one who attempts to make his first acquaintance with Augustine by starting to read "The City of God" from the beginning without a guide, the saint may remain an unappealing personality and his book may appear to be nothing more than amaze of curious, ancient fancies.

St. Augustine began to write this book three years after Rome first collapsed and opened its gates to a barbarian invader. Alaric and his Goths sacked the city in 410. Rome had been the inviolate mistress of the world for a thousand years. The fall of the city that some had thought would stand forever demoralized what was left of the civilized world. Those who still took the pagan gods seriously - and it seems they were not a few - looked about them for a scapegoat upon which to lay the guilt for this catastrophe. The Christians had emerged from the catacombs and had been officially recognized by the convert Emperor Constantine.

Nevertheless Christianity remained the object of superstitious fear on the part of many, and it was inevitable that the bad luck that had befallen the Empire should be blamed on the Catholic Church. St. Augustine took up his pen in 413 and set about proving the absurdity of such a charge. This furnished him with the subject matter for the ten books of "The City of God" - a work that was written slowly, and appeared in installments over a period of thirteen years.

But the topic that first engaged his attention - Christianity versus the official pagan religion of imperial Rome - is not one that will strike us, today, as a living issue. Nor was it altogether worthy of the genius of Augustine. After several years of writing he abandoned this aspect of the problem, and left it to be disposed of by a certain Orosius, who will probably never find his way into the catalogue of the Modern Library. We owe him at least a debt of gratitude for having set Augustine free to write about the problem that really interested him: the theology of the "two cities" and of the intervention of God in human history.

The saints does not settle down to treat the real theme of his work until he reaches Book Eleven. And even then, he takes such a broad view of his subject that his approach to the main point seems to us extraordinarily unhurried. He pauses to solve many questions of detail. He embarks on a historical exegesis of the Old Testaments in order to show how the "two cities" have entered into the very substance of sacred history.

Finally he completes this extraordinary panorama with a view of the final end of the two cities, and of their respective fates in eternity. How many peoples will have the patience to follow him through all of this? Those who do so will certainly find themselves profoundly changed by the experience, because they will have been exposed to a summary of Christian dogma. It is an exposition that can only be fully appreciated if it is read in the spirit in which it was written. And "The City of God" is an exposition of dogma that was not only written but lived.

What do we mean when we say.............

                                                                     Page 1

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

The New Testament as Fulfillment: the Church. The New Testament announced the ministry of Jesus as the turning point of the ages, the beginning of the great fulfillment proclaimed by the true prophets. It is impossible to exaggerate the centrality of this theme of fulfillment in the New Testament. The constant use of quotation from the Old Testament in the New Testament clearly demonstrates this point.

According to the first three gospels, the message of Jesus was that the kingdom of God had arrived. The kingdom was expressed in both the words and deeds of Jesus. The presence of the kingdom depends directly on the presence of the Messianic King. With His arrival, the fulfillment of the end time has already begun, although it is clear that the final realization of God's purpose remains yet in the future.

The death of Jesus was important as the basis of the kingdom. The rule of God cannot be experienced in any age, present or future, without the atoning sacrifice that reconciles sinners with a holy God. Thus the death of Jesus became central for the theology of the New Testament. But the resurrection was equally important. In the event, the new order of the new creation broke directly into the present age. The resurrection of Christ was assurance of the truths which He had proclaimed, as well as the resurrection of the dead at the end of time.

The pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost depended on the finished work of Christ in His passion, death and resurrection. This was a certain sign of the new age brought by Christ and the mark of the new people of God, the Church. The ministry of the Spirit guarantees that the results of Christ's work are experienced in the believer's life until Jesus returns to earth.

In fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus was born of the line of David, was crucified, died and was buried. But He arose from the dead and will return some day as Judge. The repentance and salvation is thus founded directly on these saving acts of God in His Son, Jesus Christ:
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me. - John 14:6 -

                                                                    Page 2

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

The history of salvation begins with the call of Abraham and the covenant between Abraham and God. This story reaches its conclusion in the coming of Christ. The election of the nation of Israel as God's special people is not for their sake, but for the sake of all the peoples of the world.

Yahweh said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your family and your father's house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing:
'I will bless those who bless you:
I will curse those who slight you.
All the tribes of the earth
shall bless themselves by you.' - Gen. 12:1-3 -

This blessing is ultimately experienced by the Church through the Sacraments in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The great redemptive act of the Old Testament is the EXODUS, the deliverance of God's people from bondage in Egypt. This is the Old Testament counterpart to the deliverance brought about by Christ through His death and resurrection. Through the Exodus, God revealed not only His sovereign power, but also his faithfulness and the depth of His covenant love for Israel.

This was followed immediately by the covenant between God and His people renewed at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Law. God had already entered into covenant relationship with His people and had miraculously delivered them. This means that obedience to the Law cannot be understood as a requirement for becoming the people of God and enjoying His favour. The Law was given in the context of God's grace.

From the perspective of the New Testament, the Law may be interpreted as having several purposes. It was given to instruct the people about the absolute holiness of God and the sinfulness of humanity. The Law also set Israel apart from the surrounding nations in order that the Hebrews might be pure channel by which the Messiah could come and accomplish His saving work for all humanity.

Through the prophets of the Old Testament the work of Christ was anticipated most clearly. They cautioned the people against presuming upon their relationship with God, as though being a member of the Jewish race were a virtue in itself. And they tried to lift the people's eyes from their national and political concerns to God's love for all nations. God's intent was to transform the entire fallen creation. He was not concerned only with the political sovereignty of the nation of Israel.

All along God was up to something far greater than the Israel realized. The prophet Jeremiah expressed this truth by referring to a "new covenant"which God would establish in the future. - Jer. 31:31-34 - The old covenant, particularly the Law, could not accomplish the goal which God had for His people and His creation. In the new covenant His Law would be written on the hearts of His people , and they would enjoy the lasting forgiveness of their sins.

God preserved His people through the experiences of the divisions of the kingdom, the destruction of the nations of Israel and Judah, the CAPTIVITY, and the resettlement of His people in Jerusalem. He continued to reveal Himself and His purposes through the prophets, who increasingly spoke of what God would do in the near future. In this spirit of anticipation His people entered the New Testament era with its great announcement of fulfillment and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The New Testament as Fulfillment..............

                                                                  Page 1

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Fasting also occurs in the New Testament, Anna at the Temple 'served God with fasting and prayer night and day.' - Luke 2:37 - Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights before His temptation. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry. - Matt. 4:1-2 -

Jesus teach in parable and also told them as long as they have the bridegroom with them they could not think of fasting.

One day when John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came and said to him, 'Why is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?' Jesus replied, 'Surely the bridegroom's attendants would never think of fasting while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they could not think of fasting. But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then, on that day, they will fast. - Mark 2:18-20,21-22; Matt. 9:14-17; Luke 5:33-39 -

When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the the hypocrites do; they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. - Matt. 6:16-18 -

Paul and Barnabas was set apart on the missionary journey with fasting and prayer. One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, 'I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.' So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off. - Acts 13:2-3 -

                                                                   Page 2

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Going without food or drink voluntarily is refers to Fast, Fasting. However, Fasting could also be done for other reasons, for example, for self-interest purposes or for material gains purposes. As for religious purposes, it was done as a sign of repentance, grief and distress. The law of Moses specially required fasting for one occasion - DAY OF ATONEMENT. This custom resulted in calling this day 'the day of fasting' - Jer. 36:6 - or 'the Fast' - Acts 27:9 -

Moses did not eat bread or drink water during the 40 days and 40 nights he was on Mount Sinai receiving the law. - Ex. 34:28 -

In the Old Testament, people fasted in times of grief. A seven day fast was held when the bones of Saul and his sons were buried. - 1Sam. 31:13; 1Chr. 10:12 - Fasting was done during the 70 years of the exile period on the fifth and seventh months, the date the siege of Jerusalem began and the date when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. - Zech. 7:5 -

Fasting was often done by individuals in times of distress. King David fasted after hearing that Saul and Jonathan were dead. - 2Sam. 1:12 - Nehemiah fasted and prayed upon learning that Jerusalem had remained in ruins since its destruction. - Neh. 1:4 - Darius, the king of Persia, fasted all night after placing Daniel in the lions' den. - Dan. 6:18 -

Going without food or water was not automatically effective in accomplishing the desires of those who fasted. In the prophet Isaiah's time, people complained that they had fasted and that God had not responded favourably . - Isiah 58:1-14 -

They ask me for the laws that just,
they long for God to draw near:
'Why should we fast if you never see it,
why do penance if you never notice?'

Look, you do business on your fast days,
you oppress all your workmen;
look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast
and strike the poor man with your fist.

Fasting like yours today
will never make your voice heard on high,
Is that the sort of fast that pleases me,
a truly penitential day for men?

The fast that the Lord requires is to loose the bonds of wickedness, undo the heavy burdens, feed the hungry, shelter the poor and clothe the naked.

Fasting also occurs in the New Testament.........

                                                                      Page 1

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Finally, we gain a deeper understanding of Jesus in His miracles. He is Lord over nature and death. He is the Suffering Servant who bears the infirmities of others. He is the Messiah who was to come. He fights the battle against evil. - Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:41-56; John 11:1-44; Matt.8:16-17, 11:2-6; Mark 3:23-30; Luke 11:18-23 -

Jesus did not work miracles to prove His messiah-ship. In fact, He clearly refused to work miracles as proofs. - Matt. 12:38-42; Luke 11:29-32 - His death was the proof. However, Jesus' miracles do give evidence that He was divine, that he was the Son of God, the Messiah.

The Acts of the Apostles is a book of miracles. Again, these miracles are a continuation of the miracles of Jesus, made possible through the Holy Spirit. The miracles of the apostles were done in the name of Jesus and were manifestations of God's salvation. This thread of continuity is seen in Peter's miracles which paralleled those of Jesus. - Acts 3:1-16, 9:32-42; Luke 5:18-26, 7:22, 8:49-56 -

God began His Church with a powerful display of miracles. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came on the people with great power, leading to conversions. When Philip went to Samaria, the Spirit of God anointed him with power , and the same happened with Peter and Cornelius. These powerful wonders were designed to convince the apostles and the stunning act of God through Peter when Ananias and Sapphira acted in hypocrisy, the Church power in prayer and Paul's transforming vision. - The Acts of the Apostles -

Miraculous powers were also present in the apostles. Peter healed a lame man, a paralytic and raised the dead. The apostles performed mighty miracles and Peter was miraculously released from prison. Paul's conversion was a startling incident. Ability to work miracles was taken as a sign for apostleship by Paul. Thus, this ability to work miracles is not only an expression of God's salvation but also God's way of authenticating His apostles.

The reason why I have written to you and put some things rather strongly, is to refresh your memories, since God has given me this special position. He has appointed me as a priest of Jesus Christ, and I am to carry out my priestly duty by bringing the Good News from God to the pagans and so make them acceptable as an offering, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

I think I have some reason to be proud of what I, in union with Christ Jesus have been able to do for God. What I am presuming to speak of, of course, is only what Christ himself has done to win the allegiance of the pagans, using what I have said and done by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Rom. 15:15-19 -

You have seen done among you all the things that mark the true apostle, unfailingly produced: the signs, the marvels, the miracles. - 2Cor. 12:12 -

                                                                   Page 3

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Miracles in the New Testament. As with the Old Testament, the New Testament miracles are essentially expressions of God's salvation and glory.

Why did Jesus perform miracles? Jesus answered this question Himself. When in prison, John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to Jesus to see if He was the "one to come". - Matt. 11:3 - Jesus told them to inform John of what He had done. 'The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.' With these words, Jesus declared that His miracles were the fulfillment of the promises of the Messiah's kingdom as foretold by Isaiah 24:18-19, 35:5-6. 61:1 -

Jesus' miracles were signs of the presence of the kingdom of God. - Matt. 12:39 -

This theme of the miracles pointing to the kingdom of God was developed and deepened especially in the Gospel of John. John presented the miracles of Jesus as 'sign' on many occasions. He thought of these miracles as pointing to deep spiritual truth, demanding obedient and faith. - John 2:11,23-25 - Thus, Jesus' feeding miracle was Jesus' presentation of Himself as the True Manna, the one who gives life and sustenance. - John 6:1-15 -

Jesus also understood the miracles as evidences of the presence of the kingdom of His ministry. - Matt. 11:2-5, 12:28 - Every miracle story was a sign that God's salvation was present. But not only did the kingdom come; it came in great power, because the dead were raised and Satan was bound. - Is. 26:19; Luke 7:11-15; Mark 3:27 -

Jesus miracles were also performed upon the most unlikely people. Jesus consciously brought the salvation of God to those who were rejected. he healed the lame, the dumb, and the lepers, Jesus brought the kingdom to all, regardless of their condition. Jesus' miracles were not theatrical sensations. he demanded faith and believe. The hemorrhaging woman was healed because of her faith and believe. Furthermore, Jesus expected the disciples to do miracles and rebuked them for their 'little faith' and unbelief. - Matt. 17:20 -

Jesus' demand of trust in Himself led regularly to opposition by Jewish leaders. John drew this out when he recorded Jesus' healing of a man born blind. Jesus' salvation comes even on the Sabbath, overturning Pharisaic legalism and resulting in their blindness. - John 9:16,39-41 - Similarly, the Pharisees broke into a charge of blasphemy when Jesus healed the paralytic and pronounced him forgiven of sins. - Mark 2:1-12 -

The miracles of Jesus, being God's offer of salvation, demanded a decision. As a result, a division of the Pharisees occurred. - Matt. 9:32-34 -

Finally, we gain a deeper understanding of Jesus.....................

                                                                   Page 2

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

A valuable way of understanding the meaning of miracles is to examine the various terms for miracles used in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible.

Miracles refers to historic events or natural phenomena which appear to violate natural laws but which reveal God to the eye of faith at the same time.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament use the word sign to denote a miracle that points to a deeper revelation. - Is. 7:11 - John 2:11 - Wonder emphasizes the effect of the miracle, causing awe and even terror. - Joel 2:30 - Mark 13:22 - The New Testament uses the word power to emphasize God's acting in strength. These terms often overlap in meaning. They are more specific than the more general term "miracle." - Mark 6:7 - Acts 2:43 -

Miracles in the Old Testament. The readers of the Old Testament recognized that God is the Creator and Sustainer of all life. This assumption permitted the Israelites the possibility of miracles. They thought of the world as God's theater for displaying His glory and love. Thus, the miracle was not so much a proof for God's existence as a revelation to the faithful of God's covenant love. - Ex. 34:10; Is. 40:26; Ps. 33:5, 6-7, 65:6-13 -

When God parted the water for the Israelites, or when He saved Israel in Egypt through the Passover, God revealed His character; and the Israelites were convinced that God was working for their salvation. Miracles were expressions of God's saving love as well as His holy justice. - Ex. 12:13-14 -

Miracles in the Old Testament are connected especially with the great events in Israel's history - the call of Abraham, the birth of Moses, the Exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Law, and entry into the Promised Land, etc. These miracles are for salvation, but God also acts in history for judgment. - Gen. 12:1-3 - Ex. 1:1-2:22, 12:1-14:31, 19:1 - Josh. 3:1-4:7 - Gen. 11:1-9 -

The plagues of the Exodus showed God's sovereign power in judgment and salvation. - Ex. 7:3-5 - In parting the water, God showed His love and protection for Israel as well as His judgment on Egypt for its failure to recognize God. - Ex. 15:2, 4:10 - During the wilderness journey, God demonstrated His love and protection in supplying the daily Manna. - Ex. 16:1-36 - Another critical period in Israel's history was the time of Elijah, the champion of Israel. Elijah controlled the rain and successfully challenged the pagan priests of Baal. - 1Kin. 17:1, 18:1-40 - God revealed Himself as Lord and as Saviour.

Miraculous wonders like these were not as frequent during the days of the writing prophets. But one unusual miracle was the recovery of Hezekiah - 2Kin. 20:1-21; Is. 38:1-21 - as well as the miracles in Jonah and Daniel. Prophecy itself can even be interpreted as a miracle. God revealed Himself during this time through the spoken and written Word.

Miracles in the New Testament...............

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If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Man in search of God. In the act of creation, God calls every being from nothingness into existence. "Crowned with glory and honour," man is, after the angels, capable of acknowledging "how majestic is the name of the Lord in all the earth." Even after losing through his sin his likeness to God, man remains an image of his Creator, and retains the desire for the one who calls him into existence.
All religions bear witness to men's essential search for God. - CCC 2566 -

For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made it plain. - Rom. 1:19 -

Seek Yahweh while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Let the wicked man abandon his way,
the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn back to Yahweh who will take pity on him,
to our God who is rich in forgiving;
for my thoughts are not your thoughts,
my ways not your ways - it is Yahweh who speaks. - Isaiah 55:6-8 -

But you will seek Yahweh your God from there, and if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul, you shall find him. In your distress, all that I have said will overtake you, but at the end of days you will return to Yahweh your God and listen to his voice. For Yahweh your God is a merciful God and will not desert or destroy you or forget the covenant he made on oaths with your fathers. - Deut. 4:29-31 -

Since God who made the world and everything in it, is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands. Nor is he dependent on anything that human hands can do for him, since he can never be in need of anything; on the contrary, it is he who gives everything - including life and death - to everyone.

From one single stock he not only created the whole human race so that they could occupy the entire earth, but he decreed how long each nation should flourish and what the boundaries of its territory should be. And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said:

"We are all his children."

'Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by a man.'

God overlooked that sort of things when men were ignorant, but has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged, and judged in righteousness, and he has appointed a man to be the judge. And God has publicly proved this by raising this man from the dead. - Acts 17:24-31 -

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If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Forgiveness in the New Testament is directly linked to the Lord Jesus Christ.

By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey. - Acts 5:31-32 -

Because that is what he has done; he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him,we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins. - Col. 1:13-14 -

His sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection, He was the morally perfect sacrifice, the final and ultimate fulfillment of all Old Testament sacrifices.

But now Christ has come, as the high priest of all the blessings which were to come. He has passed through the greater, the more perfect tent, which is better than the one made by men's hands because it is not of this created order; and he has entered the sanctuary once and for all, taking with him not the blood of goats and bull calves, but his own blood, having won an eternal redemption for us.

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer are sprinkled on those who have incurred defilement and they restore the holiness of their outward lives; how much more effectively the blood of Christ, who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit, can purify our inner self from dead actions so that we do our service to the living God. - Heb. 9:11-14 -

Christ resurrection was the proof and it was related in a special way to His forgiveness. Christ's resurrection was an act by which God wiped out the false charges against Him; it was God's declaration of the perfect righteousness of His Son, the Second Adam, and of His acceptance of Christ's sacrifice.

I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God's family - that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed:
He was made visible in the flesh,
attested by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed to the pagans,
believed in by the world,
taken up in glory. - 1Tim. 3:15-16 -

Thus, Christ's resurrection was a necessary condition for the forgiveness of man's sins. To be forgiven is to be identified with Christ in His crucifixion and resurrection.

Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached,..................... and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins...................... And when everything is subjected to him, the Son himself will be subject in his turn to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all. - 1Cor. 15:12-28 -

Christ has authority to forgive sins.
She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins. - Matt. 1:21 -

A forgiving spirit shows that one is a true apostle, disciple, follower and believer of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. - Luke 6:36-37 -

And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too. - Mark 11:25 - Matt. 5:43-48; 18:23-35 -

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If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Forgiveness refers to God's pardon of the sins of human beings. The act of excusing or pardoning another in spite of his slights, shortcomings and errors. No religious book, but the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible teaches that God completely forgives sin.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness,
in your great tenderness wipe away my faults;
wash me clean of my guilt,
purify me from my sin. - Psalms 51:1-2 -

Lord, my heart will live for you,
my spirit will live for you alone.
You will cure me and give me life,
my suffering will turn to health.

It is you who have kept my soul
from the pit of nothingness,
you have thrust all my sins
behind your back. - Is. 37:16-17 -

and the Lord then goes on to say:
I will put my laws into their hearts
and write them on their minds.
I will never call their sins to mind,
or their offences. When all sins have been forgiven, there can be no more sin offering. - Heb. 10:16-18 -

The initiative comes from Him because He is ready to forgive. He is a God of forgiveness, gracious and loving. - Neh. 9:17; Daniel 9:9 -

Sin deserves divine punishment because it is a violation of God's holy character.
Nevertheless of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you are not to eat, for on the day you eat on it you shall most surely die. - Gen. 2:17 -

The anger of God is being revealed from heaven against all the impiety and depravity of men who keep truth imprisoned in their wickedness..................... In other words, since they refused to see it was rational to acknowledge God. God has left them to their own irrational ideas and to their monstrous behaviour. And so they are steeped, in all sort of depravity, rottenness, greed and malice, and addicted to envy, murder, wrangling, treachery and spite, Libellers, slanderers, enemies of God, rude, arrogant and boastful, enterprising in sin, rebellious to parents without brains, honour, love or pity. They know what God verdict is: that those who behave like this deserve to die - and yet they do it; and what is worse, encourage others to do the same. - Rom. 1:18-32 -

Do not behave in the way that you liked to before you learnt the truth; make a habit of obedience: be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you, and scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy. - 1Peter 1:14-16 -

But His pardon is gracious. - Ps. 130:4; Rom. 5:6-8 - In order for God to forgive sin. A life must be taken as a substitute for that of the sinner, - Lev. 17:11-14; Heb. 9:22 - and the sinner must come to God's sacrifice in a spirit of repentance and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. - Mark 1:4 -

It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness; that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name. - Acts 10:43 -

The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you; the heartfelt prayer of a good man works very powerfully. - James 5:15-16 -

Forgiveness in the New Testament is directly linked to Christ................

                                                                    Page 1

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Intercession is the act of petitioning God or praying on behalf of another person or group. The sinful nature of this world separates human beings from God. It has always been necessary, therefore, for righteous individuals to go before God to seek reconciliation between Him and His fallen creation.

One of the earliest and example of intercession of this type occurs in Genesis 18, where Abraham speaks to God on behalf of Sodom. His plea is compassionate; it is concerned with the well being of others rather than with his own needs. Such selfless concern is the mark of all true intercession. Another good example is the intercessory prayers of Moses. The leader of a nation and a righteous man, Moses successfully petitioned God on behalf of the Hebrew people.

The people grumbled at Moses: 'What are we to drink?' they said, So Moses appealed to God, and God pointed out some wood to him; this Moses threw into the water and the watered is sweetened. There it was he changed them with statute and with ordinance, there that he put them to the test. - Ex. 15:25 - Even the Pharaoh asked Moses to intercede for him. - Ex. 8:28 - But just as righteous men often succeeded in reconciling Creator and creation, the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible also reminds us that the ongoing sinfulness of a people can hinder the effects of intercession.

If man sins against man, God will be the arbiter, but if he sins against Yahweh, who will intercede for him? But they did not listen to their father's words, for Yahweh was determined to bring them to their death. - 1Sam. 2:25 -

You, for my part, must not intercede for this people, nor raise either plea or prayer on their behalf; do not plea with me, for I will not listen to you. - Jer. 7:16 -

The sacrifices and prayers of Old Testament priests - Ex. 29:42, 30:7 - were acts of intercession which point forward to the work of Christ. Jesus Christ, while on earth [fully man] is, of course the greatest intercessor. He prayed on behalf of Peter and His disciples. Then in the most selfless intercession of all, He petitioned God on behalf of those who crucified Him. - Luke 22:23; John 17; Luke 23:34 -

But Christ's intercessory work did not cease when He returned to heaven.

The Spirit too comes to helps us in our weakness. For we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God. - Rom. 8:26-27 -

My advise is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone - petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving - and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. To do this is right and will please God our saviour: he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth. - 1Tim. 2:1-4 -

                                                                     Page 1

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -