For a period of nine years, from age eighteen to twenty-seven, I lived seduced and seducing, deceived and deceiving in various forms of unholy desires: openly, by teaching what they call liberal sciences; secretly, by adhering to a false religion. Here proud, there superstitious, everywhere vain! On the one hand I was striving after the emptiness of popular praise, down even to theatrical applause, poetic prizes and competitions for grassy garlands, the follies of theatrical shows and untempered lusts. On the other hand, I desired to be cleansed of these defilement by carrying food to those who were called Elect and Holy, out of which, in the laboratories of their stomachs they should forge for us angels and gods by whom we might be cleansed. I followed these things and practised them with my friends who were deceived by me and with me.
Let the arrogant mock me and such as have not been struck down by you. O my God; but I would still in your praise confess my own shame to you. Bear with me and give me grace. I pray to go over the wanderings of former years and to offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving. For without you, what am I to myself but a guide to my own downfall? Or at my best, what am I but an infant suckled on your milk and feeding on you, O Food that never perishes? But what sort of man is any man since he is but a man? Let the strong and mighty laugh at me. In my need and helplessness I will confess to you.
In those years I taught rhetoric and driven by an inordinate desire for wealth. I offered the art of speaking for sale. Yet you know, Lord, that I preferred honest scholars, as honesty goes, and that I taught them tricks without trickery, not to be used against the life of the guiltless, although sometimes in behalf of the life of the guilty. And from afar, O God, you saw me stumbling in that slippery path and amid much smoke sending out some sparks of faithfulness which I showed in my guidance of those who loved vanity and sought after falsehood. In truth I was their companion.
In those years I had a mistress, not a wife in lawful marriage but a woman whom I had met following my wayward passion, as void of understanding as I was. I remained faithful to her and experienced for myself what difference there is between the self-restraint of the marriage covenant made for the sake of raising a family and the bargain of a lustful love where children are born against their parents will, although, once born, they may constraint our love.
I remember also that when I had decided to enter a contest for a theatrical prize, a soothsayer asked me what I would give him to win. Detesting and abhorring such foul mysteries, I answered, "Though the wreath should be made of gold itself, I would not permit a fly to be killed to gain it". For he would have killed a certain living creature to sacrifice and by that means invite the devils to favour me.
I rejected this evil but not out of pure love for you, O God of my heart; for I did not know how to love you, not knowing how to conceive of anything beyond a material brightness. And does not a person sighting after such idle fictions commit fornication against you, trust in unreality and feed the wind? I would not have him sacrifice to devils for me but I was sacrificing to them myself by my superstition. What else is it to feed the wind but to feed the devils, that is, by our wanderings to become their pleasure and mockery?
Those imposters whom they call mathematicians, I consulted without scruple because they used no sacrifice and did not pray to any spirit for their divination. Yet true Christian piety consistently rejects and condemns them, too. For it is a good thing to confess to you and say, "Have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you," and not to abuse your mercy for a license to sin but to remember the Lord's words, Behold, you are made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. All this good advice these men strive to destroy , saying, "the cause of your sin is inevitably determined in heaven," and "This Venus did, or Saturn, or Mars", so that man, indeed, flesh and blood and proud corruption, may be blameless while the Creator and Ordainer of heaven and the stars is to bear the blame. And also is he but our God, the very Sweetness and Wellspring of righteousness who renders to every man according to his works who will not despise a broken and contrite heart?
In those days there was a wise.................
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 -
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Peace is a word with several different meanings in the Old Testament and New Testament. The Old Testament meaning of peace was completeness, soundness and well beings of the total person. This peace was considered God-given, obtained by following the Law. - Ps. 119:165 - Peace sometimes had a physical meaning, suggesting security, - Ps. 4:8 - contentment, - Is. 26:3 - prosperity - Ps. 122:6-7 - and the absence of war. - 1Sam. 7:14 -
The traditional Jewish greeting, SHALOM, was a wish for peace.
In the New Testament, peace often refers to the inner tranquility and poise of the Christian whose trust is in God through Christ. This understanding was originally expressed in the Old Testament writings about the coming MESSIAH. - Is. 9:6-7 -
The peace that the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of was a combination of love, hope, trust and quiet in the mind and soul, brought about by a reconciliation with God. Such peace was proclaimed by the host of angels at Christ's birth and by Christ, Himself in His SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
'Glory to God in the highest heaven'
and peace to men who enjoy his favour'. - Luke 2:14 -
Happy the peacemakers;
they shall be called sons of God. - Matt. 5:9 -
He also taught about this kind of peace at the Lord's Supper and shortly before His death.
Peace I bequeath to you,
my own peace I give to you,
a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. - John 14:27 -
The apostle Paul later wrote that such peace and spiritual blessedness was a direct result of faith and love in God.
So far then we have seen that through our Lord Jesus Christ by faith we are judged righteous and at peace with God since it is by faith and through Jesus that we have entered this state of grace in which we can boast about looking forward to God's glory. - Rom. 5:1-2 -
For he is the peace between us and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his, own person the hostility cause by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them by restoring peace through the cross to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God. In his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father. Eph. 2:14-18 -
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace all the time and in every way. The Lord be with you all. - 2The. 3:16 -
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 traditional Jewish greeting, SHALOM, was a wish for peace.
In the New Testament, peace often refers to the inner tranquility and poise of the Christian whose trust is in God through Christ. This understanding was originally expressed in the Old Testament writings about the coming MESSIAH. - Is. 9:6-7 -
The peace that the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of was a combination of love, hope, trust and quiet in the mind and soul, brought about by a reconciliation with God. Such peace was proclaimed by the host of angels at Christ's birth and by Christ, Himself in His SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
'Glory to God in the highest heaven'
and peace to men who enjoy his favour'. - Luke 2:14 -
Happy the peacemakers;
they shall be called sons of God. - Matt. 5:9 -
He also taught about this kind of peace at the Lord's Supper and shortly before His death.
Peace I bequeath to you,
my own peace I give to you,
a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. - John 14:27 -
The apostle Paul later wrote that such peace and spiritual blessedness was a direct result of faith and love in God.
So far then we have seen that through our Lord Jesus Christ by faith we are judged righteous and at peace with God since it is by faith and through Jesus that we have entered this state of grace in which we can boast about looking forward to God's glory. - Rom. 5:1-2 -
For he is the peace between us and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his, own person the hostility cause by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them by restoring peace through the cross to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God. In his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father. Eph. 2:14-18 -
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace all the time and in every way. The Lord be with you all. - 2The. 3:16 -
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 -
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The people of Christ while living temporarily in the present age belong spiritually to the new age which has been inaugurated. The benefits of this new age are already made good to them by the Spirit. The last of the enemies which are to be subdued by Christ is death. The destruction of death will coincide with the resurrection of the people of Christ. Saint Paul wrote, "Just as all men die in Adam so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ those who belong to him. After that will come the end when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. - 1Cor. 15:22-24 - The eternal kingdom of God will be consummated at that time.
The resurrection of the people of Christ ,then, takes place at His coming again.
At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them to meet the Lord in the air. So, we shall stay with the Lord forever. - 1The. 4:16-17 -
Those believers who are still alive at the time will undergo a similar change to fit them for the new conditions. These new conditions, the eternal kingdom of God are something which 'flesh and blood cannot inherit' they make up an imperishable realm which cannot accommodate the perishable bodies of this present life.
Everything that is flesh is not the same flesh: there is human flesh, animals flesh, the flesh of birds and the flesh of fish. Then there are heavenly bodies have a beauty of their own and the earthly bodies a different one.
Or else, brothers, put it this way: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God: and the perishable cannot inherit what lasts forever. I will tell you something that has been secret: that we are not all going to die but we shall all be changed. This will be instantaneous in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds. It will sound and the dead will be raised, imperishable, and we shall be changed as well because our present perishable nature must put on imperishability and this mortal nature must put on immortality, then the words of scripture will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory.
Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin and sin gets its power from the Law. So let us thank God for giving us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Never give in then, my dear brother, never admit defeat; keep on working at the Lord's good work always, knowing that, in the Lord, you cannot be labouring in vain. - 1Cor. 15:39-40, 50-58 -
The assurance that the faithful departed would be present at the Second Coming of Christ was a great comfort to Christians whose friends and relatives had died. But the question of their mode of existence between death and the Second Coming remained to be answered. Saint Paul's clearest answer to this question was given after a crisis in which he thought he faced certain death.
For we should like you to realise, brothers, that the things we had to undergo in Asia were more of a burden than we could carry so that we despaired of coming through alive. Yes, we were carrying our own death warrant with us and it has taught us not to rely on ourselves but only on God, who raises the dead to life. And he saved us from dying as he will save us again; yes, that is our firm hope in him that in the future he will save us again. You must all join in the prayers for us; the more people there are asking for help for us, the more will be giving thanks when it is granted to us. - 2Cor. 1:8-11 -
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 resurrection of the people of Christ ,then, takes place at His coming again.
At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them to meet the Lord in the air. So, we shall stay with the Lord forever. - 1The. 4:16-17 -
Those believers who are still alive at the time will undergo a similar change to fit them for the new conditions. These new conditions, the eternal kingdom of God are something which 'flesh and blood cannot inherit' they make up an imperishable realm which cannot accommodate the perishable bodies of this present life.
Everything that is flesh is not the same flesh: there is human flesh, animals flesh, the flesh of birds and the flesh of fish. Then there are heavenly bodies have a beauty of their own and the earthly bodies a different one.
Or else, brothers, put it this way: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God: and the perishable cannot inherit what lasts forever. I will tell you something that has been secret: that we are not all going to die but we shall all be changed. This will be instantaneous in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds. It will sound and the dead will be raised, imperishable, and we shall be changed as well because our present perishable nature must put on imperishability and this mortal nature must put on immortality, then the words of scripture will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory.
Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin and sin gets its power from the Law. So let us thank God for giving us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Never give in then, my dear brother, never admit defeat; keep on working at the Lord's good work always, knowing that, in the Lord, you cannot be labouring in vain. - 1Cor. 15:39-40, 50-58 -
The assurance that the faithful departed would be present at the Second Coming of Christ was a great comfort to Christians whose friends and relatives had died. But the question of their mode of existence between death and the Second Coming remained to be answered. Saint Paul's clearest answer to this question was given after a crisis in which he thought he faced certain death.
For we should like you to realise, brothers, that the things we had to undergo in Asia were more of a burden than we could carry so that we despaired of coming through alive. Yes, we were carrying our own death warrant with us and it has taught us not to rely on ourselves but only on God, who raises the dead to life. And he saved us from dying as he will save us again; yes, that is our firm hope in him that in the future he will save us again. You must all join in the prayers for us; the more people there are asking for help for us, the more will be giving thanks when it is granted to us. - 2Cor. 1:8-11 -
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 -
Monday, July 26, 2010
Those who believe God as Abraham did are not only justified by faith but also receive the Holy Spirit. The blessing promised to Abraham secured through the redemptive work of Christ, is identified with the gift of the Spirit. The age of the Spirit has replaced the age of the law.
It is common teaching in the New Testament that the age of the Spirit followed the completion of Christ's work on earth. Saint Paul presents this teaching with his own emphasis. His negative evaluation of the place of law in Christian life naturally caused others to ask how ethical and morals standards were to be maintained. Paul answered that the Spirit supplied a more effective power for holy living than the law could ever supply. The law imposed bondage but "Now this Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom or liberty". The law told people what to do but could provide neither the will nor the power to do it; the Spirit, operating within the believer's life, can provide both the will and the power.
Yes, even today whenever Moses is read the veil is over their minds. It will not be removed until they turn to the Lord. Now this Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom or liberty. And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; this is the work of the Lord who is Spirit. - 2Cor. 3:15-18 -
The Spirit is called not only the Spirit of God but also the Spirit of Christ. He is the Spirit who dwell within Christ during his earthly ministry, empowering Him to accomplish merciful works and to teach wisdom and grace. The quality that characterized Christ are reproduced by His Spirit in His people.
When Christ freed us he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. Christians are told by the Spirit to look to faith for those rewards that righteousness hopes for since in Christ whether you are circumcised or not makes no difference - what matters is faith that makes its power felt through love. - Gal.5:1, 5-6 -
My brothers, you were called as you know, to liberty; but be careful or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence. Serve one another, rather, in works of love since the whole of the Law is summarized in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself. If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community.
Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such thing and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions.
If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility, idolatry and sorcery, feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels, disagreements, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and similar things. I warn you before: those who behave like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self control. There can be no law against things like that , of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires.
Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit. We must stop being conceited, provocative and envious. - Gal. 5:13-26 -
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 -
It is common teaching in the New Testament that the age of the Spirit followed the completion of Christ's work on earth. Saint Paul presents this teaching with his own emphasis. His negative evaluation of the place of law in Christian life naturally caused others to ask how ethical and morals standards were to be maintained. Paul answered that the Spirit supplied a more effective power for holy living than the law could ever supply. The law imposed bondage but "Now this Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom or liberty". The law told people what to do but could provide neither the will nor the power to do it; the Spirit, operating within the believer's life, can provide both the will and the power.
Yes, even today whenever Moses is read the veil is over their minds. It will not be removed until they turn to the Lord. Now this Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom or liberty. And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; this is the work of the Lord who is Spirit. - 2Cor. 3:15-18 -
The Spirit is called not only the Spirit of God but also the Spirit of Christ. He is the Spirit who dwell within Christ during his earthly ministry, empowering Him to accomplish merciful works and to teach wisdom and grace. The quality that characterized Christ are reproduced by His Spirit in His people.
When Christ freed us he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. Christians are told by the Spirit to look to faith for those rewards that righteousness hopes for since in Christ whether you are circumcised or not makes no difference - what matters is faith that makes its power felt through love. - Gal.5:1, 5-6 -
My brothers, you were called as you know, to liberty; but be careful or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence. Serve one another, rather, in works of love since the whole of the Law is summarized in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself. If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community.
Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such thing and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions.
If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility, idolatry and sorcery, feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels, disagreements, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and similar things. I warn you before: those who behave like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self control. There can be no law against things like that , of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires.
Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit. We must stop being conceited, provocative and envious. - Gal. 5:13-26 -
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 -
Sunday, July 25, 2010
In the Gospels there is virtually nothing about idolatry but in the letters of Saint Paul and the New Testament books, Christians are frequently warned against idolatry. The Christian lived in a world filled with idols. Both the Romans and the Greeks used them. Saint Paul's observation about Athens in Acts 17:16 tell it well. He saw that the city was given over to idols.
In the New Testament period the term idolatry began to be used as an intellectual concept. Idolatry became not the actual bowing down before a statue but the replacement of God in the mind of the worshiper.
That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life, fornication,impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; all this is the sort of behaviour that makes God angry. And it is the way in which you used to live when you were surrounded by people doing the same thing but now you, of all people must give all these things up: getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language and dirty talk; and never tell each other lies.
You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self and you on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jews, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything. - Col. 3:5-11 -
At this point the modern believer must understand the vicious nature of idolatry. While we may not make or bow down to a statue we must be constantly on guard that we let nothing come between us and God. As soon as anything does, that thing is an idol.
There must be no coarseness or salacious talk and jokes - all this is wrong for you; raise your voices in thanksgiving instead. For you can be quite certain that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity - which is worshipping a false god - can inherit anything of the kingdom of God. Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments: it is for this loose living that God's anger comes down on those who rebel against him. Make sure that you are not included with them.
You were darkness once but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said:
Wake up from your sleep,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
So be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people. This may be a wicked age but your lives should redeem it. And do not be thoughtless but recognise what is the will of the Lord. Do not drug yourselves with wine, this is simply dissipation; be filled with the Spirit. Sing the words and tunes of the psalms and hymns when you are together and go on singing and chanting to the Lord in your hearts, so that always and everywhere you are giving thanks to God who is our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Eph. 5:4-20 -
In addition to material objects such as houses, land and cars, idols can be people, popular heroes or those whom we love. Objects of worship can even include things like fame, reputation, hobbies, pride and deeds done in the name of the Lord. Idolatry is a dangerous and deceitful sin. No wonder prophets preached against it so often and so strongly.
Since the 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 breath - 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. - Acts 17:24-26 -
Page 2
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. 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 -
In the New Testament period the term idolatry began to be used as an intellectual concept. Idolatry became not the actual bowing down before a statue but the replacement of God in the mind of the worshiper.
That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life, fornication,impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; all this is the sort of behaviour that makes God angry. And it is the way in which you used to live when you were surrounded by people doing the same thing but now you, of all people must give all these things up: getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language and dirty talk; and never tell each other lies.
You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self and you on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jews, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything. - Col. 3:5-11 -
At this point the modern believer must understand the vicious nature of idolatry. While we may not make or bow down to a statue we must be constantly on guard that we let nothing come between us and God. As soon as anything does, that thing is an idol.
There must be no coarseness or salacious talk and jokes - all this is wrong for you; raise your voices in thanksgiving instead. For you can be quite certain that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity - which is worshipping a false god - can inherit anything of the kingdom of God. Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments: it is for this loose living that God's anger comes down on those who rebel against him. Make sure that you are not included with them.
You were darkness once but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said:
Wake up from your sleep,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
So be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people. This may be a wicked age but your lives should redeem it. And do not be thoughtless but recognise what is the will of the Lord. Do not drug yourselves with wine, this is simply dissipation; be filled with the Spirit. Sing the words and tunes of the psalms and hymns when you are together and go on singing and chanting to the Lord in your hearts, so that always and everywhere you are giving thanks to God who is our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Eph. 5:4-20 -
In addition to material objects such as houses, land and cars, idols can be people, popular heroes or those whom we love. Objects of worship can even include things like fame, reputation, hobbies, pride and deeds done in the name of the Lord. Idolatry is a dangerous and deceitful sin. No wonder prophets preached against it so often and so strongly.
Since the 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 breath - 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. - Acts 17:24-26 -
Page 2
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. 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 -
Friday, July 23, 2010
The conquest of Canaan by the Hebrews brought new temptations to worship the object created rather than the Creator. In the Old Testament, Joshua poses the classic question: Whom will you serve? The gods of Egypt where you have lived? The gods of the Amorites where you now dwell? Or Yahweh the God of Israel?
So now, fear Yahweh and serve him perfectly and sincerely; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve Yahweh. But if you will not serve Yahweh, choose today whom you wish to serve whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve Yahweh. - Joshua 24:14-15 - As always, some made the wrong choices and made an idol for his personal use but the tribe of Dan took it over for their own use. - Judges chapter 17; 18 -
Others tried the route of compromise: the mixing of idolatry with worship of the true God. So, Gideon ephod was made an object of worship.
The men of Israel said to Gideon, 'Rule over us, you and your sons and your grandson because you have rescued us from the power of Midian'. But GIdeon answered them, 'It is not I who shall rule over you, nor my son; Yahweh must be your lord'. But Gideon went on, 'Let me make one request of you'. Let every man of you give me one of the rings out of his spoils - for the vanquished army had golden rings because they were Ishmaelites.
They answered, 'Gladly'. So he spread out his cloak and on it they threw, every man of them, a ring taken from their spoils. The weight of the golden rings he had asked for reached seventeen hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescents and the earrings and purple garments worn by kings of Midian and besides the collars round their camels necks too. Of all this, Gideon made an ephod and put it in his own city of Ophrah. After him, all Israel prostituted themselves to it and it was a snare for Gideon and his family. - Judges 8:22-27 -
Much later there was another instance of an otherwise good symbol of God's deliverance turned into an idol. In king Hezekiah time the people worshiped Moses' bronze snakes.
On the way the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here, we are sick of this unsatisfying food.
At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, 'We have sinned by speaking against Yahweh and against you. Intercede for us with Yahweh to save us from these serpents'. Moses interceded for the people and Yahweh answered him. 'Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live'. So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard and anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived, - Num. 21:5-9 -
While idolatry was held in check during most of the period of the United Kingdom under King David and Solomon, it burst forth again after the separation of the Israelites into two nations in 922 B.C. All the successive monarchs in the northern kingdom of Israel was bad. Invariably their sin involved idolatry. Starting with Elijah, the prophet called on the people to turn from the worship of false gods back to reverence for the true God. Hosea's entire book is devoted to preaching against idolatry. Under the figure of speech of divorcing the Lord and marrying Baal, he tied together the ideas of idolatry, spiritual idolatry and literal adultery.
Although there were some good kings in the southern kingdom of Judah, the bad ones invariably fell to idolatry. This prompted the major prophets - Isaiah - Jeremiah - Ezekiel and most of the minor prophets as well to ridicule, condemn and warn against idolatry. A sampling of courageous preachers would include Isaiah 2:8; Jeremiah 50:2; Ezekiel 6:4-6; Micah 1; Habakkuk 2:18; and Zechariah 13:2.
The captivity of the people of Israel at the hands of the Babylonians produced a permanent cure for the sin of idolatry. Never again, even to the present time, has Judaism succumbed to idolatry.
Page 1
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.
So now, fear Yahweh and serve him perfectly and sincerely; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve Yahweh. But if you will not serve Yahweh, choose today whom you wish to serve whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve Yahweh. - Joshua 24:14-15 - As always, some made the wrong choices and made an idol for his personal use but the tribe of Dan took it over for their own use. - Judges chapter 17; 18 -
Others tried the route of compromise: the mixing of idolatry with worship of the true God. So, Gideon ephod was made an object of worship.
The men of Israel said to Gideon, 'Rule over us, you and your sons and your grandson because you have rescued us from the power of Midian'. But GIdeon answered them, 'It is not I who shall rule over you, nor my son; Yahweh must be your lord'. But Gideon went on, 'Let me make one request of you'. Let every man of you give me one of the rings out of his spoils - for the vanquished army had golden rings because they were Ishmaelites.
They answered, 'Gladly'. So he spread out his cloak and on it they threw, every man of them, a ring taken from their spoils. The weight of the golden rings he had asked for reached seventeen hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescents and the earrings and purple garments worn by kings of Midian and besides the collars round their camels necks too. Of all this, Gideon made an ephod and put it in his own city of Ophrah. After him, all Israel prostituted themselves to it and it was a snare for Gideon and his family. - Judges 8:22-27 -
Much later there was another instance of an otherwise good symbol of God's deliverance turned into an idol. In king Hezekiah time the people worshiped Moses' bronze snakes.
On the way the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here, we are sick of this unsatisfying food.
At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, 'We have sinned by speaking against Yahweh and against you. Intercede for us with Yahweh to save us from these serpents'. Moses interceded for the people and Yahweh answered him. 'Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live'. So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard and anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived, - Num. 21:5-9 -
While idolatry was held in check during most of the period of the United Kingdom under King David and Solomon, it burst forth again after the separation of the Israelites into two nations in 922 B.C. All the successive monarchs in the northern kingdom of Israel was bad. Invariably their sin involved idolatry. Starting with Elijah, the prophet called on the people to turn from the worship of false gods back to reverence for the true God. Hosea's entire book is devoted to preaching against idolatry. Under the figure of speech of divorcing the Lord and marrying Baal, he tied together the ideas of idolatry, spiritual idolatry and literal adultery.
Although there were some good kings in the southern kingdom of Judah, the bad ones invariably fell to idolatry. This prompted the major prophets - Isaiah - Jeremiah - Ezekiel and most of the minor prophets as well to ridicule, condemn and warn against idolatry. A sampling of courageous preachers would include Isaiah 2:8; Jeremiah 50:2; Ezekiel 6:4-6; Micah 1; Habakkuk 2:18; and Zechariah 13:2.
The captivity of the people of Israel at the hands of the Babylonians produced a permanent cure for the sin of idolatry. Never again, even to the present time, has Judaism succumbed to idolatry.
Page 1
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. 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 -
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The worship of something created as opposed to the worship of the Creator Himself refers to Idolatry. Scores of references to idolatry appear in the Old Testament. This shows that idolatry probably was the greatest temptation, our spiritual forefathers faced. While we find bowing down to a statue is no temptation they apparently slipped into idolatry constantly. So serious was this sin that the prohibition against the making and worshiping of images was included as the second of the Ten Commandments.
"You shall have no gods except me".
"You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God and I punished the father's fault in the sons, the grandsons, and the great grandsons of those who hate me; but I show kindness of those who love me and keep my commandments".
"You shall not utter the name of Yahweh your God to misuse it, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished the man who utters his name to misuse it". - Ex. 20:3-7 -
Israel's ancient neighbors believed there were many gods. They worshiped whatever gods were necessary at a given time. An equally erroneous notion was that these gods either were the idols themselves or were represented by idols. Some people probably insisted that the idol was only an aid to worship and not the object of worship itself. But this distinction must have been hard to keep in mind. That is why the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible strictly forbids the making of images of any kind because they themselves receive the worship - a worship which God reserves for Himself.
Archaeologists have discovered idols of most of the pagans gods mentioned in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, in addition to many unidentified ones. Since the Romans began, emperor worship late in the New Testament period, some of the elegant statues of the Caesars discovered by the archaeologists must have been idols to be worshiped. Idolatry can take many forms and it has persisted from the earliest times, The Old Testament states that Abraham's father served idols.
Then Joshua said to all the people: Yahweh the God of Israel says this, "In ancient days your ancestors lived beyond the River - such was Terah the father of Abraham and of Nahor - and they served other gods". Then I brought your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan. I increased his descendants and gave him Isaac. - Joshua 24:2-3 -
Perhaps, the earliest reference in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible to idols is the 'household idols' or Teraphim (small clay figurines) which Rachel stole from her father Laban. - Gen. 31:26-42 -
The next noteworthy instance of idolatry was Aaron's making of the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai. This happened when the Israelites lost their patience waiting for Moses to return with the revelation of the true and living God. Ex. 32:1-6 - The incident at Baal of Peor also involved the worship of idol. - Num. 25:1-9 -
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 -
"You shall have no gods except me".
"You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God and I punished the father's fault in the sons, the grandsons, and the great grandsons of those who hate me; but I show kindness of those who love me and keep my commandments".
"You shall not utter the name of Yahweh your God to misuse it, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished the man who utters his name to misuse it". - Ex. 20:3-7 -
Israel's ancient neighbors believed there were many gods. They worshiped whatever gods were necessary at a given time. An equally erroneous notion was that these gods either were the idols themselves or were represented by idols. Some people probably insisted that the idol was only an aid to worship and not the object of worship itself. But this distinction must have been hard to keep in mind. That is why the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible strictly forbids the making of images of any kind because they themselves receive the worship - a worship which God reserves for Himself.
Archaeologists have discovered idols of most of the pagans gods mentioned in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, in addition to many unidentified ones. Since the Romans began, emperor worship late in the New Testament period, some of the elegant statues of the Caesars discovered by the archaeologists must have been idols to be worshiped. Idolatry can take many forms and it has persisted from the earliest times, The Old Testament states that Abraham's father served idols.
Then Joshua said to all the people: Yahweh the God of Israel says this, "In ancient days your ancestors lived beyond the River - such was Terah the father of Abraham and of Nahor - and they served other gods". Then I brought your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan. I increased his descendants and gave him Isaac. - Joshua 24:2-3 -
Perhaps, the earliest reference in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible to idols is the 'household idols' or Teraphim (small clay figurines) which Rachel stole from her father Laban. - Gen. 31:26-42 -
The next noteworthy instance of idolatry was Aaron's making of the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai. This happened when the Israelites lost their patience waiting for Moses to return with the revelation of the true and living God. Ex. 32:1-6 - The incident at Baal of Peor also involved the worship of idol. - Num. 25:1-9 -
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 -
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
After having spoken His own autobiography, Christ wrote the biography of whom He redeemed; the fruits of His Cross must now be applied to all peoples and all nations:
In his name repentance bringing the forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to all nations. Begin from Jerusalem; it is you who are the witnesses to it all. - Luke 24:47-48 -
The first sermon that Christ preached was on the subject of repentance:
From that day Jesus began to proclaim the message: Repent; for the kingdom of Heaven is upon you. - Matt. 4:17 -
The first sermon of Saint Peter was on repentance; the first sermon of Saint Paul was on repentance; now the last sermon Christ preached before ascending into heaven was the theme of His first. Repentance was to be the burden of the New Testament teaching. Repentance is thus linked up with the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies but above all with the application of the Redemption won on Calvary. Saint Peter, who heard this message would be preaching it himself in a short time:
It is to him that all the prophets testify, declaring that everyone who trusts in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. - Acts 10:43 -
Repentance implied a turning away from sin and a turning to God. The first four Beatitudes He preached were a description of this inner and radical change of heart, namely, poverty or humility of spirit, sorrow for sin, meekness, hunger and thirst for love of God. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Our Lord had drawn a picture of the soul penitent who "entered into himself" as if sin had externalized him and then returned humbly to the father's house. The Angels of heaven, He said, rejoice more over one sinner doing penance than ninety-nine just who need not penance; the publican in the back of the temple mourning over his sins, He said, went back to his house justified. Now in His farewell discourse before the Ascension, He bade the world repent.
This preaching of repentance was to begin at Jerusalem for salvation was first to the Jews. In that city the one great Sacrifice was offered for the sins of the world; there it was that the priesthood was shadowed forth with its rites and oracles, There it was that prophecy announced the Captain of Israel and it was there as Isaiah said:
For instruction issues from Zion and out of Jerusalem comes the word of the Lord. - Isaiah 2:3 -
The Divine order to begin preaching Redemption in Jerusalem was a mark of His great compassion; for He was directing the Apostles to go to those who had falsely accused Him and tell them that He was their Advocate; that He would plead their cause from on high; and finally assure them that though they scourged Him through His stripes they would be healed.
Having finished His own autobiography, Our Lord reminded them again of the Spirit that He promised the night of the Last Supper and fulfilled partly when He breathed on them and gave them the power to forgive sins.
I am sending upon you my Father's promised gift; so stay here in this city until you are armed with power from above. - Luke 24:49 -
Thus, He promised a manifest increase of the Spirit beyond a breathing; in fact it would be a "power from on high". But to receive it, they must wait ten days after His Ascension. This power would be greater than that given to Moses for his work of guiding Israel, greater than that given to Joshua to conquer his enemies, greater than that given to kings and prophets; and it would enable them to proclaim the Redemption. The Apostles did not understand the nature of this power; for to them it meant a kind of restoration of Israel;
Lord, is this the time when you are to establish once again the sovereignty of Israel? - Acts 1:6 -
They were still thinking in the old terms of a political Messiah and of making Jerusalem what Caesar had presently made Rome. But He warned that it was not for them to know the times or the season; a faith in a bright future was not to prompt a presumptuous curiosity. In all things they must wait upon God. the present is the exclusive object of apostolic duty; as regards the future, some will reap where they did not sow.
Power they would have but not power to restore Israel; it would be a power over living souls to channel into them the forgiveness and grace stored up in the reservoir of Calvary.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will bear witness for me in Jerusalem and all over Judea and Samaria and away to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8 -
They wanted an earthly kingdom; He spoke of a spiritual one. They wanted a return of the old things; He told them they would be "witnesses" of a new thing. And to be a witness meant to be martyr. The power of Holy Spirit was consonant with human weakness. They could be humbly weak as Saint Paul was in his preaching but full of power because of the Spirit. They were bound by the idea of a nation: Israel; He included the world in His vision.
Their new power would be a gift; it would not be generated from within self-confidence by a subjective belief that one had influence over others or by a psychological trick of believing in oneself. Organized revivals based on commercialized propaganda would draw crowds but such tricks could no more produce spiritual effects than they could produce thunder and lightning. At this solemn moment when Christ is about to turn over the world itself to His eleven, He returned to the subject of the Last Supper; the Holy Spirit.
As He began His public life with the descent of the Holy Spirit so they were to begin their mission to the world. The Spirit came to Him after His obedience to His mother and foster father in Nazareth; so the Spirit would come to them after their obedience to tarry in Jerusalem as they abide in prayer. When that power would come they were to be witness not to His miracles alone or His prophecies or His moral commands but to His Person. As on the Mount of the Beatitudes He reaffirmed that there is no doctrine apart from His Person. One could no more choose to believe His words about the lilies and disbelieve His words about hell than to believe in His Body and not His Blood. With this affirmation that Christianity is Christ, He prepared to ascend to His Father.
BY ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN ( 1895 to 1979 )
Page 1
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.
In his name repentance bringing the forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to all nations. Begin from Jerusalem; it is you who are the witnesses to it all. - Luke 24:47-48 -
The first sermon that Christ preached was on the subject of repentance:
From that day Jesus began to proclaim the message: Repent; for the kingdom of Heaven is upon you. - Matt. 4:17 -
The first sermon of Saint Peter was on repentance; the first sermon of Saint Paul was on repentance; now the last sermon Christ preached before ascending into heaven was the theme of His first. Repentance was to be the burden of the New Testament teaching. Repentance is thus linked up with the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies but above all with the application of the Redemption won on Calvary. Saint Peter, who heard this message would be preaching it himself in a short time:
It is to him that all the prophets testify, declaring that everyone who trusts in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. - Acts 10:43 -
Repentance implied a turning away from sin and a turning to God. The first four Beatitudes He preached were a description of this inner and radical change of heart, namely, poverty or humility of spirit, sorrow for sin, meekness, hunger and thirst for love of God. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Our Lord had drawn a picture of the soul penitent who "entered into himself" as if sin had externalized him and then returned humbly to the father's house. The Angels of heaven, He said, rejoice more over one sinner doing penance than ninety-nine just who need not penance; the publican in the back of the temple mourning over his sins, He said, went back to his house justified. Now in His farewell discourse before the Ascension, He bade the world repent.
This preaching of repentance was to begin at Jerusalem for salvation was first to the Jews. In that city the one great Sacrifice was offered for the sins of the world; there it was that the priesthood was shadowed forth with its rites and oracles, There it was that prophecy announced the Captain of Israel and it was there as Isaiah said:
For instruction issues from Zion and out of Jerusalem comes the word of the Lord. - Isaiah 2:3 -
The Divine order to begin preaching Redemption in Jerusalem was a mark of His great compassion; for He was directing the Apostles to go to those who had falsely accused Him and tell them that He was their Advocate; that He would plead their cause from on high; and finally assure them that though they scourged Him through His stripes they would be healed.
Having finished His own autobiography, Our Lord reminded them again of the Spirit that He promised the night of the Last Supper and fulfilled partly when He breathed on them and gave them the power to forgive sins.
I am sending upon you my Father's promised gift; so stay here in this city until you are armed with power from above. - Luke 24:49 -
Thus, He promised a manifest increase of the Spirit beyond a breathing; in fact it would be a "power from on high". But to receive it, they must wait ten days after His Ascension. This power would be greater than that given to Moses for his work of guiding Israel, greater than that given to Joshua to conquer his enemies, greater than that given to kings and prophets; and it would enable them to proclaim the Redemption. The Apostles did not understand the nature of this power; for to them it meant a kind of restoration of Israel;
Lord, is this the time when you are to establish once again the sovereignty of Israel? - Acts 1:6 -
They were still thinking in the old terms of a political Messiah and of making Jerusalem what Caesar had presently made Rome. But He warned that it was not for them to know the times or the season; a faith in a bright future was not to prompt a presumptuous curiosity. In all things they must wait upon God. the present is the exclusive object of apostolic duty; as regards the future, some will reap where they did not sow.
Power they would have but not power to restore Israel; it would be a power over living souls to channel into them the forgiveness and grace stored up in the reservoir of Calvary.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will bear witness for me in Jerusalem and all over Judea and Samaria and away to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8 -
They wanted an earthly kingdom; He spoke of a spiritual one. They wanted a return of the old things; He told them they would be "witnesses" of a new thing. And to be a witness meant to be martyr. The power of Holy Spirit was consonant with human weakness. They could be humbly weak as Saint Paul was in his preaching but full of power because of the Spirit. They were bound by the idea of a nation: Israel; He included the world in His vision.
Their new power would be a gift; it would not be generated from within self-confidence by a subjective belief that one had influence over others or by a psychological trick of believing in oneself. Organized revivals based on commercialized propaganda would draw crowds but such tricks could no more produce spiritual effects than they could produce thunder and lightning. At this solemn moment when Christ is about to turn over the world itself to His eleven, He returned to the subject of the Last Supper; the Holy Spirit.
As He began His public life with the descent of the Holy Spirit so they were to begin their mission to the world. The Spirit came to Him after His obedience to His mother and foster father in Nazareth; so the Spirit would come to them after their obedience to tarry in Jerusalem as they abide in prayer. When that power would come they were to be witness not to His miracles alone or His prophecies or His moral commands but to His Person. As on the Mount of the Beatitudes He reaffirmed that there is no doctrine apart from His Person. One could no more choose to believe His words about the lilies and disbelieve His words about hell than to believe in His Body and not His Blood. With this affirmation that Christianity is Christ, He prepared to ascend to His Father.
BY ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN ( 1895 to 1979 )
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 -
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Heavenly beings created by God and associated with Him in His rule over the world refers to Host of Heaven. God is a social beings who brings others families into being and implants His divine image in them. The families of earth bear the image as does the host of heaven.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork;
day discourses of it today,
night to night hands on the knowledge.
No utterances at all, no speech,
no sounds that anyone can hear;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their message to the ends of the world.
High above, he pitched a tent for the sun,
who comes out of his pavilion like a bridegroom,
exulting like a hero to run his race.
He has his rising on the edge of heaven,
the end of his course is its furthest edge,
and nothing can escape his heat. - Psalms 19:1-6 -
I, it was who made the earth,
and created man who is on it,
I, it was who spread out the heavens with my hands
and now give orders to their whole array. - Isaiah 45:12 -
At the angel's announcement to the shepherds of the birth of Jesus, a multitude of the heavenly host praised God. They served as a great choir of created heavenly beings who glorified their Creator and participated in the background of the new age of salvation.
And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of heavenly host, praising God and singing;
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace to men who enjoy his favour". - Luke 2:13-14 -
God is also called "the Lord of hosts". The host of heaven consists of angelic beings and celestial bodies whom God has created and whose principal role, like ours, is to serve and glorify Him.
Had Yahweh not left us a few survivors,
we should be like Sodom,
we should now be like Gomorrah. - Is. 1:9 -
As Isaiah foretold: Had the Lord of hosts not left us some descendants we should now be like Sodom, we should be like Gomorrah. - Rom. 9:29 -
Micaiah went on.'Listen rather to the word of Yahweh. I have seen Yahweh seated on his throne; all the array of heaven stood in the presence, on his right and on his left. - 1Kings 22:19 -
Lift your eyes and look.
Who make these stars
if not he who drills them like an army,
calling each one by name?
So mighty is his power, so great his strength,
that not one fails to answer. - Is. 40:26 -
But the host of heaven can become demonic, rebel against God and come under His judgment. - Is. 24:21, 34:4 - God's people must not give undue attention or worship to the host of heaven. Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible warns of God's judgment upon those who love and serve created things like the host of heaven.
He did away with the spurious priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed and who offered sacrifice on the high places in the towns of Judah and the neighbourhood of Jerusalem; also those who offered sacrifice to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constellations and the whole array of heaven. - 2Kings 23:5 -
God turned away from them and abandoned them to the worship of the army of heaven, as scripture says in the book of the prophets; - Acts 7:42 -
Now before we came of age we were as good as slaves to the elemental principles of this world but when the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. - Gal. 4:3-5 =
but now that you have come to acknowledge God - or rather, now that God has acknowledged you - how can you want to go back to elemental things like these that can do nothing and give nothing and to be their slaves? - Gal. 4:9 -
All things are created by God to demonstrate His glory and should be enjoyed as such. But these must never displace God the Creator.
Page 1
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.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork;
day discourses of it today,
night to night hands on the knowledge.
No utterances at all, no speech,
no sounds that anyone can hear;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their message to the ends of the world.
High above, he pitched a tent for the sun,
who comes out of his pavilion like a bridegroom,
exulting like a hero to run his race.
He has his rising on the edge of heaven,
the end of his course is its furthest edge,
and nothing can escape his heat. - Psalms 19:1-6 -
I, it was who made the earth,
and created man who is on it,
I, it was who spread out the heavens with my hands
and now give orders to their whole array. - Isaiah 45:12 -
At the angel's announcement to the shepherds of the birth of Jesus, a multitude of the heavenly host praised God. They served as a great choir of created heavenly beings who glorified their Creator and participated in the background of the new age of salvation.
And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of heavenly host, praising God and singing;
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace to men who enjoy his favour". - Luke 2:13-14 -
God is also called "the Lord of hosts". The host of heaven consists of angelic beings and celestial bodies whom God has created and whose principal role, like ours, is to serve and glorify Him.
Had Yahweh not left us a few survivors,
we should be like Sodom,
we should now be like Gomorrah. - Is. 1:9 -
As Isaiah foretold: Had the Lord of hosts not left us some descendants we should now be like Sodom, we should be like Gomorrah. - Rom. 9:29 -
Micaiah went on.'Listen rather to the word of Yahweh. I have seen Yahweh seated on his throne; all the array of heaven stood in the presence, on his right and on his left. - 1Kings 22:19 -
Lift your eyes and look.
Who make these stars
if not he who drills them like an army,
calling each one by name?
So mighty is his power, so great his strength,
that not one fails to answer. - Is. 40:26 -
But the host of heaven can become demonic, rebel against God and come under His judgment. - Is. 24:21, 34:4 - God's people must not give undue attention or worship to the host of heaven. Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible warns of God's judgment upon those who love and serve created things like the host of heaven.
He did away with the spurious priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed and who offered sacrifice on the high places in the towns of Judah and the neighbourhood of Jerusalem; also those who offered sacrifice to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constellations and the whole array of heaven. - 2Kings 23:5 -
God turned away from them and abandoned them to the worship of the army of heaven, as scripture says in the book of the prophets; - Acts 7:42 -
Now before we came of age we were as good as slaves to the elemental principles of this world but when the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. - Gal. 4:3-5 =
but now that you have come to acknowledge God - or rather, now that God has acknowledged you - how can you want to go back to elemental things like these that can do nothing and give nothing and to be their slaves? - Gal. 4:9 -
All things are created by God to demonstrate His glory and should be enjoyed as such. But these must never displace God the Creator.
Page 1
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. 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 -
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Apparently, Paul also counted James, as an apostle. - Gal. 1:19 - This James was not one of the Twelve; in fact, he was not a believer in Jesus before the Crucifixion. It was the resurrected Lord who appeared to James and presumably commissioned him for his ministry. When Paul says Jesus was seen not only by James but also by all the apostles he seems to be describing a wider group than "the Twelve" to whom Jesus appeared earlier. - 1Cor. 15:5-8 -
Apostles are listed along with prophets and other saints as part of the foundation of the household of God. In the New Testament, apostles are confined to the first generation of Christians.
In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers, after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing, helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. - 1Cor. 12:27-28 -
And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelist; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself. - Eph. 4:11-13 -
At an early stage in the Church history, the apostles was separated into mission, Paul and Barnabas were to concentrate on the Good News to the Gentiles; Peter, John and James were to concentrate on the Good News to the Jews.
I was so determined to safeguard for you the true meaning of the Good News that I refused even out of deference to yield to such people for one moment. As a result, these people who are acknowledged leaders - not that their importance matters to me since God has no favourites, these leaders, as I say, had nothing to add to the Good News as I preach it. On the contrary, they recognised that I had been commissioned to preach the Good News to the uncircumcised.
The same person whose action had made Peter the apostle of the circumcised had given me a similar mission to the pagans. So, James, Cephas and John, these leaders, these pillar, shook hands with Barnabas and me as a sign of partnership; we were to go to the pagans and they to the circumcised. - Gal. 2:5-9 -
When persecution erupted, they were the primary targets for attack. Paul in particular, welcome the suffering which he endured as an apostle because it was his way of participating in the suffering of Christ.
The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory. - Rom. 8:16-17 -
Is it that you have everything you want - that you are rich already in possession of your kingdom with us left outside? Indeed, I wish you were really kings and we could be kings with you! But instead, it seems to me, God has put us apostles at the end of his parade, with the men sentenced to death; it is true - we have been put on show in front of the whole universe, angels as well as men. Here we are, fools for the sake of Christ while you are the learned men in Christ; we have no power but you are influential; you are celebrities, we are nobodies.
To this day, we go without food and drink and clothes; we are beaten and have no homes; we work for our living with our own hands. When we were cursed, we answer with a blessing; when we are hounded, we put up with it; we are insulted and we answer politely. We are treated the offal of the world, still to this day, the scum of the earth. - 1Cor. 4:8-13 -
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves. Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear. And our hope for you is confident since we know that sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations. - 2Cor. 1:3-7 -
Page 2
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.
Apostles are listed along with prophets and other saints as part of the foundation of the household of God. In the New Testament, apostles are confined to the first generation of Christians.
In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers, after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing, helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. - 1Cor. 12:27-28 -
And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelist; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself. - Eph. 4:11-13 -
At an early stage in the Church history, the apostles was separated into mission, Paul and Barnabas were to concentrate on the Good News to the Gentiles; Peter, John and James were to concentrate on the Good News to the Jews.
I was so determined to safeguard for you the true meaning of the Good News that I refused even out of deference to yield to such people for one moment. As a result, these people who are acknowledged leaders - not that their importance matters to me since God has no favourites, these leaders, as I say, had nothing to add to the Good News as I preach it. On the contrary, they recognised that I had been commissioned to preach the Good News to the uncircumcised.
The same person whose action had made Peter the apostle of the circumcised had given me a similar mission to the pagans. So, James, Cephas and John, these leaders, these pillar, shook hands with Barnabas and me as a sign of partnership; we were to go to the pagans and they to the circumcised. - Gal. 2:5-9 -
When persecution erupted, they were the primary targets for attack. Paul in particular, welcome the suffering which he endured as an apostle because it was his way of participating in the suffering of Christ.
The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory. - Rom. 8:16-17 -
Is it that you have everything you want - that you are rich already in possession of your kingdom with us left outside? Indeed, I wish you were really kings and we could be kings with you! But instead, it seems to me, God has put us apostles at the end of his parade, with the men sentenced to death; it is true - we have been put on show in front of the whole universe, angels as well as men. Here we are, fools for the sake of Christ while you are the learned men in Christ; we have no power but you are influential; you are celebrities, we are nobodies.
To this day, we go without food and drink and clothes; we are beaten and have no homes; we work for our living with our own hands. When we were cursed, we answer with a blessing; when we are hounded, we put up with it; we are insulted and we answer politely. We are treated the offal of the world, still to this day, the scum of the earth. - 1Cor. 4:8-13 -
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves. Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear. And our hope for you is confident since we know that sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations. - 2Cor. 1:3-7 -
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 -
Friday, July 16, 2010
A special messenger of Jesus Christ; a person to whom Jesus delegated authority for certain tasks refers to Apostle. The word apostle is used of those twelve disciples whom Jesus sent out, two by two, during His ministry in Galilee and to expand His ministry of preaching and healing. It was on that occasion evidently that they were first called "apostles".
So they came to Him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve; - Mark 3:14-16 -
He made a tour round the villages, teaching. Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over the unclean spirits. - Mark 6:7 - The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. - Mark 6:30 -
The word apostle has a wider meaning in the letters of the apostle Paul. It includes people who like himself, were not included in the Twelve but who saw the risen Lord Jesus Christ and were specially commissioned by Him. Paul's claim to be an apostle was questioned by others. He based his apostleship, however, on the direct call of the exalted Lord who appeared to him while he was on Damascus and on the Lord's blessings of his ministry in winning converts.
Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive though some have died; then he appeared to James and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it.
I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God's grace that is what I am and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is with me, have worked harder than any of the others; but what matters is that I preach what they preach and this is what you all believed.
Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself cannot have been raised and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless; indeed, we are shown up as witnesses who have committed perjury before God because we swore in evidence before God that he had raised Christ to life.
For if the dead are not raised. Christ has not been raised and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people. - 1Cor. 15:3-13 -
Page 1
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.
So they came to Him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve; - Mark 3:14-16 -
He made a tour round the villages, teaching. Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over the unclean spirits. - Mark 6:7 - The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. - Mark 6:30 -
The word apostle has a wider meaning in the letters of the apostle Paul. It includes people who like himself, were not included in the Twelve but who saw the risen Lord Jesus Christ and were specially commissioned by Him. Paul's claim to be an apostle was questioned by others. He based his apostleship, however, on the direct call of the exalted Lord who appeared to him while he was on Damascus and on the Lord's blessings of his ministry in winning converts.
Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive though some have died; then he appeared to James and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it.
I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God's grace that is what I am and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is with me, have worked harder than any of the others; but what matters is that I preach what they preach and this is what you all believed.
Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself cannot have been raised and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless; indeed, we are shown up as witnesses who have committed perjury before God because we swore in evidence before God that he had raised Christ to life.
For if the dead are not raised. Christ has not been raised and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people. - 1Cor. 15:3-13 -
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 -
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
SERMON ON THE MOUNT refers to the title given to Jesus' moral and ethical teachings as recorded in Matthew chapter 5 through 7.
The Sermon on the Mount was brought on by Jesus' growing popularity. - Matt. 4:25 - At first, the people were attracted to Him because of His healing. When Jesus began to teach the people remained to hear what He said. They were impressed with the authority with which He taught. Although many people heard the Sermon on the Mount, it was primarily directed to Jesus' followers or disciples.
The central theme of the Sermon is; You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matt. 5:48 - The word perfect does not refer to sinless or moral perfection. It means completeness, wholeness, maturity - being all that God wants a person to be.. It is a goal that is never attained in our earthly life but it continuously challenges us to greater achievements for the Lord.
Jesus began His teachings by stating the way to happiness. The word blessed is appropriately translated as "happy". The Beatitudes describe the ideal disciple and his rewards both present and future. The person whom Jesus describes in this passage has a different quality of character and lifestyle than those still "outside' the kingdom.
As a literary form, the beatitude is also found often in the Old Testament and often in the New Testament.
Happy the man
who never follows the advice of the wicked
or loiters on the way that sinners take
or sits about with scoffers - Psalms 1:1
How good Yahweh is - only taste and see!
Happy the man who takes shelter in him. - Psalms 34:8 -
Happy the man you choose whom you invite
to live in your courts.
Fill us with good things of your house
of your holy Temple. - Psalms 65:4 -
Happy all those who fear Yahweh
and follow in his paths. - Psalms 128:1 -
'You believe because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe'. - John 20:29 -
Happy the man who stands firm when trails come. He has proved himself and win the prize of life, the crown that the Lord has promised to those who love him. - James 1:12 -
Happy are those who die in the Lord! Happy indeed, the Spirit says; now they can rest forever after their work since their good deeds go with them. - Rev. 14:13 -
How happy are the poor in spirit;
their is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle;
their shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn;
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right;
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful;
they shall have mercy shown on them.
Happy the pure in heart;
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers;
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
'Happy are you when abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you'. - Matt. 5:2-12 -
Page 1
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.
The Sermon on the Mount was brought on by Jesus' growing popularity. - Matt. 4:25 - At first, the people were attracted to Him because of His healing. When Jesus began to teach the people remained to hear what He said. They were impressed with the authority with which He taught. Although many people heard the Sermon on the Mount, it was primarily directed to Jesus' followers or disciples.
The central theme of the Sermon is; You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matt. 5:48 - The word perfect does not refer to sinless or moral perfection. It means completeness, wholeness, maturity - being all that God wants a person to be.. It is a goal that is never attained in our earthly life but it continuously challenges us to greater achievements for the Lord.
Jesus began His teachings by stating the way to happiness. The word blessed is appropriately translated as "happy". The Beatitudes describe the ideal disciple and his rewards both present and future. The person whom Jesus describes in this passage has a different quality of character and lifestyle than those still "outside' the kingdom.
As a literary form, the beatitude is also found often in the Old Testament and often in the New Testament.
Happy the man
who never follows the advice of the wicked
or loiters on the way that sinners take
or sits about with scoffers - Psalms 1:1
How good Yahweh is - only taste and see!
Happy the man who takes shelter in him. - Psalms 34:8 -
Happy the man you choose whom you invite
to live in your courts.
Fill us with good things of your house
of your holy Temple. - Psalms 65:4 -
Happy all those who fear Yahweh
and follow in his paths. - Psalms 128:1 -
'You believe because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe'. - John 20:29 -
Happy the man who stands firm when trails come. He has proved himself and win the prize of life, the crown that the Lord has promised to those who love him. - James 1:12 -
Happy are those who die in the Lord! Happy indeed, the Spirit says; now they can rest forever after their work since their good deeds go with them. - Rev. 14:13 -
How happy are the poor in spirit;
their is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle;
their shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn;
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right;
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful;
they shall have mercy shown on them.
Happy the pure in heart;
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers;
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
'Happy are you when abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you'. - Matt. 5:2-12 -
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 -
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
These Gnostic teachings also had a disruptive effect on the fellowship in the Church. Those who were 'enlightened' thought of themselves as being superior to those who did not have such knowledge. Divisions, factions and groups arose between the spiritual and the fleshly. This attitude of superiority is severely condemned in the New Testament.
Now my dear brothers, I want to clear up a wrong impression about spiritual gifts. You remember that when you were pagans, whenever you felt irresistibly drawn, it was towards dumb idols? It is for that reason that I want you to understand that on the one hand no one can be speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit and say, 'Curse Jesus', and on the other hand no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord' unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.
One may have the gift of preaching instruction given him by the same Spirit; and another the gift of faith given by the same Spirit; another again the gift of healing through this one Spirit; one, the power of miracles; another, prophecy; another the gift of recognising spirits; another the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses.
Just as a human body though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink. Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. If the foot were to say, 'I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body', would that mean that it stopped being part of the body? If the ear were to say, 'I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body', would that mean that it was not a part of the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything?
Instead of that God put all the separate parts into the body on purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you', nor can the head say to the feet, 'I do not need you'.
What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the indispensable ones; and it is the least honourable parts of the body that we clothe with the greatest care. So our more improper parts get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honour, all parts enjoy it.
Now you together are Christ's body but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers, after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages and all interpret them? - 1Cor. chapter 12
Spiritual gifts are given from God and it is for the common good to the community rather than individual use; they should promote humility rather than pride.
Page 3
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.
Now my dear brothers, I want to clear up a wrong impression about spiritual gifts. You remember that when you were pagans, whenever you felt irresistibly drawn, it was towards dumb idols? It is for that reason that I want you to understand that on the one hand no one can be speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit and say, 'Curse Jesus', and on the other hand no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord' unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.
One may have the gift of preaching instruction given him by the same Spirit; and another the gift of faith given by the same Spirit; another again the gift of healing through this one Spirit; one, the power of miracles; another, prophecy; another the gift of recognising spirits; another the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses.
Just as a human body though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink. Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. If the foot were to say, 'I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body', would that mean that it stopped being part of the body? If the ear were to say, 'I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body', would that mean that it was not a part of the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything?
Instead of that God put all the separate parts into the body on purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you', nor can the head say to the feet, 'I do not need you'.
What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the indispensable ones; and it is the least honourable parts of the body that we clothe with the greatest care. So our more improper parts get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honour, all parts enjoy it.
Now you together are Christ's body but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers, after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages and all interpret them? - 1Cor. chapter 12
Spiritual gifts are given from God and it is for the common good to the community rather than individual use; they should promote humility rather than pride.
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 -
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