The Hebrew people reckoned their day from evening to evening, the period of time between two successive sunsets. "God called light 'day' and darkness He called 'night'. Evening came and morning came: the first day." - Gen. 1:5 - "Evening came and morning came: the second day." - Gen.1:8 - "Evening came and morning came: the third day." - Gen. 1:13 - "Evening came and morning came: the fourth day." - Gen. 1:19 - "Evening came and morning came: the fifth day." - Gen. 1:22 - "Evening came and morning came: the sixth day." - Gen.1:31 -

Thus the heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing. God rested on the seventh day after all the work He had been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day He had rested after all His work of creating. Such were the origins of heaven and earth when they were created. - Gen. 2:1-4 -

Among the Hebrew people, units of time were measured in hours, days, weeks, months, and years. The more abstract concept of time is mentioned in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible and speaks of God who exists eternally as well as man who lives in a time-space framework. - Ex. 12:1-19; Lev. 23:15-16, 32 - It uses the word day in a meaningful sense, as in "the day of God's Wrath" - Job 20: 28-29 - "the day of Yahweh Sabaoth", "the day of Yahweh/the Lord." - Is. 2:12, 13:6, 9; Amos 5:18-20 -

It is also meaningfully used in the New Testament, "the Day of the Lord" / "the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ" or His second coming. To those who scoff at the delay of the Lord Jesus return, Saint Peter declared: But there is one thing, my friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord 'a day' can mean a thousand year, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anybody else might be called slow; but he is being patient with you all, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to change his ways. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up. - 2Peter 3:8-10 - 'Since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night.' - 1Thes. 5:2 -

A related concept, Day of the Lord, focuses on God's judgment against human beings. The period at the end of time when Jesus Christ will return to claim faithful believers and baptized Christians of His Church as His own. 'The are no hidden meanings in our letters besides what you can read for yourselves and understand. And I hope that, although you do not know us very well yet, you will have come to recognize when the day of our Lord Jesus comes, that you can be as proud of us as we are for you.' - 2Cor. 1:13-14 -

My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognize what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God. - Phil. 1:9-11 - I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful. - 1Cor. 1:4-9 -

Eschatology is a theological term that designates the study of what will happen at the end time or end of history, particularly the event known as the SECOND COMING of Jesus Christ. Eschatology shows how God's Redeemer will establish His Kingdom upon a rebellious earth. The long process through which God selected a righteous group to serve Him on earth came a climax in the person of Christ. Prophet Isaiah spoke of God's presence in Jesus in order to save.

The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel. [God-with-us] - Is. 7:14 -

Yahweh will bring times for you
and your people and your father's House,
such as have not come
since Ephraim broke away from Judah. - Is. 7:17 -

Epiphany - The feast on which we remembered Christ's making Himself known to the Gentiles in the person of the Magi. Epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning "Manifestation"
For there is a child born for us,
a son given to us
and dominion is laid on his shoulders;
and this is the name they give him:
Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,
Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.
Wide is his dominion
in a peace that has no end, - Is. 9:1-21 -

The Lord Jesus Christ first coming was to save. - Mark 10:45 - His Second Coming will be primarily to 'Judge.' But His return will spell relief to His faithful Remnants, and those who love Him, with all his/her soul, heart, mind and strength. Eschatology shows that God's presence for the redeemed will be fully realized at Jesus' return, when He will dwell among all the redeemed in the new heavens and earth. - Rev. 21:3-4 -

THE DAY OF THE LORD is a special day at the end time when God's will and purpose for mankind and His world will be fulfilled. It will be a long period of time rather than a single day - a period when Christ will reign throughout the world before He cleanses heaven and earth in preparation for the eternal state of all mankind. That day would be a time of great darkness for any in rebellion against God, whether Jew or Gentile. The day would be a time of judgment as well as restoration.

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

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
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Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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


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

Blessings were promised to those who were generous in aiding the poor and needy. Eventually, the notion developed that almsgiving had power to atone for the giver's sins. 'He who looks down on his neighbours sins, blessed is he who takes pity on the poor. The man who is kind to the poor lends to Yahweh: he will repay him for what he has done.' - Pro. 14:21, 19:17 - In the Old Testament, the Israelite was commanded to be generous in opening his hand wide to the poor and needy. Gleanings from vineyards, orchards, olives groves and fields should be made available to the poor and needy. - Ruth 2:1-23 -

Is there a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any town of yours in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you? Do not harden your heart or close your hand against that poor brother of yours, but be open-handed with him and lend him enough for his needs. Do not allow this mean thought in your heart. "The seventh year, the year of remission is near" and look coldly on your poor brother and give him nothing; he could appeal against you to Yahweh and it would be a sin for you. When you give to him, you must give with an open heart; for this Yahweh your God will bless you in all you do and in all your giving. Of course there will never cease to be poor in the land; I command you therefore: Always be open-minded with your brothers, and with anyone in your country who is in need and poor. - Duet. 15:7-11 -

By Jesus' time, the word righteousness was tied closely to the word alms. Thus, when Jesus taught about 'alms-giving' or 'charitable deeds', prayer, fasting, He prefaced His teachings by saying, 'Beware of practicing your piety and righteousness before men in order to attract attention and seen by them.' - Matt. 6:1-18 - In this way Jesus taught that the giving of alms to the needy and poor must not become a theatrical display to people's applause; the praise that comes from God is far more important.

In the New Testament, the Book of Acts comments favourably  on several instances of alms-giving. At Jaffa there was a woman disciple called Tabitha or Dorcas in Greek, who never tired of doing good or giving in charity. But the time came when she got ill and died, and they washed her and laid her out in a room upstairs, Lydda is not far from Jaffa, so when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men with an urgent message for him, Come and visit us as soon as possible.' Peter went back with them straightaway, and on his arrival they took him to the upstairs room, where all the widows stood round him in tears, showing him tunics and other clothes Dorcas had made when she was with them. Peter sent them all out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the dead woman and said, 'Tabitha, stand up.' She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the saints and widows and showed them she was alive. The whole of Jaffa heard about it and many believed in the Lord. - Acts 9:36-42 -

One of the centurions of the Italica cohort stationed in Caesarea was called Cornelius. He and the whole of his household were devout and God-fearing, and he gave generously to Jewish causes and prayed constantly to God. One day at about the ninth hour he had a vision in which he distinctly saw the angel of God come into his house, and call out to him, 'Cornelius!' He stared at the vision in terror and exclaimed, 'What is it, Lord?' 'Your offering of prayers and alms' the angel answered 'has been accepted by God. Now you must send someone to Jaffa and fetch a man called Simon, known as Peter, who is lodging with Simon the tanner whose house is by the sea.' When the angel who said this had gone, Cornelius called two of the slaves and a devout soldier of his staff, told them what had happened, and sent them off to Jaffa.

Next day, while they still on their journey and had only a short distance to go before reaching Jaffa, Peter went to the housetop at about the sixth hour to pray. He felt hungry and was looking forward to his meal, but before it was ready he fell into a trance and saw heaven thrown open and something like a big sheet being let down to earth by its four corners; it contained every possible sort of animal and bird, walking, crawling or flying ones. A voice then said to him, 'Now, Peter; kill and eat!' But Peter answered, 'Certainly not, Lord; I have never yet eaten anything profane or unclean.' Again, a second time, the voice spoke to him, 'What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane.' This was repeated three times, and then suddenly the container was drawn up to heaven again.

Peter was still worrying over the meaning of the vision he had seen, when the men sent by Cornelius arrived. They had asked where Simon's house was and they were now standing at the door, calling out to know if the Simon known as Peter was lodging there. Peter's mind was still on the vision and the Spirit had to tell him, 'Some men have come to see you. Hurry down, and do not hesitate about going back with them; it was I who told them to come. Peter went down and said to them, 'I am the man you are looking for; why have you come?' They said, 'The centurion Cornelius, who is an upright and God-fearing man, highly regarded by the entire Jewish people, was directed by a holy angel to send for you and bring you to his house and to listen to what you have to say.' So Peter asked them in and gave them lodging.

Next day, he was ready to go off with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Jaffa. They reached Caesarea the following day, and Cornelius was waiting for them. He had asked his relations and close friends to be there, and as Peter reached the house Cornelius went out to meet him, knelt at his feet and prostrated himself. But Peter helped him up. 'Stand up' he said 'I am only a man after all!' Talking together they went in to meet all the people assembled there, and Peter said to them, 'You know it is forbidden for Jews to mix with people of another race and visit them, but God has made it clear to me that I must not call anyone profane or unclean.

That is why I made no objection to coming when I was sent for; but I should like to know exactly why you sent for me.' Cornelius replied, 'Three days ago I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, when I suddenly saw a man in front of me in shinning robes. He said, "Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been accepted as a sacrifice in the sight of God; so now you must send to Jaffa and fetch Simon known as Peter who is lodging in the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea." So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Here we all are, assembled in front of you to hear what message God has given you for us.' Then Peter addressed them: 'The truth I have come to realise' he said is that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him. - Acts 10:1-35 -

If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, 'I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty' without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead. This is the way to talk to people of that kind: You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds - now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show. - James 2:16-18 -

Then, as now, God acknowledges those who gave alms generously and in other ways show compassion to the needy and the poor. "If a man who was rich enough in this world's, and saw that one of his brothers or sisters was in need, but closed his heart to him or her, how could the love of God be living in him/her?

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

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
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Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

Nothing was more important to the nation of Israel in its earliest years than the development of its system of worship. God spoke directly to Moses and Moses wrote down His instructions to be passed along to the peoples. Thus, worship rules or worshiping God would have been established at a very early stage in Israel's history. This argues convincingly for the early writing of these rules at the hand of Moses, probably about 1445 B.C.

In the Old Testament, the Book of Leviticus belongs to the period of Israel's history when the people were encamped at Mount Sinai following their miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt. At Mount Sinai Moses received the Ten Commandments and other parts of the Law directly from God. Moses also built and furnished the tabernacle as a place where the people could worship God. - Exodus 40 - Just after the tabernacle was filled with God's glory, Moses received instructions for the people regarding worship of God in this Holy Place. It is these instructions that the Book of Leviticus is important because of its clear teachings on three vital 'Spiritual Truths': Atonement, Sacrifice and Holiness. Without the background of these concepts in Leviticus, we could not understand their later fulfillment in the ministry, life, passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter 16 of Leviticus contains God's instructions for observing the Day of Atonement. On that day the high priest of Israel entered the most sacred place in the tabernacle and offered an animal sacrifice to atone for his own sins. Then he killed another animal and sprinkled it blood on the altar to atone for the sins of the people. This familiar picture to the sacrifice to Jesus on our behalf is found in - Hebrew 7:1-28 - But unlike a human priest, Jesus did not have to offer sacrifices, "first for His own sins and then for the people for this, he did once for all when He offered up Himself." - Heb. 7:26-28 -

Although Old Testament believers were truly forgiven and received genuine atonement through animal sacrifice, the New Testament clearly states that during the Old Testament period God' justice was not served: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. - Heb. 10:4 - Atonement was possible because in Jesus forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed. - Rom. 3:25 - However, God's justice was served in the death of Jesus Christ as substitute who not with the blood of goats and calves but with His own blood Jesus entered the Most Holy Place once and for all, having obtained eternal redemption. And for this reason Jesus is the Mediator of the new covenant. - Heb. 9:11-17 -

The Book of Leviticus instructs the Covenant People to bring many types of sacrifices or offerings to God which a worshiper expressed his love and devotion to God. But a blood offering - presenting the blood of a sacrificed animal to God - the worshiper went beyond the idea of offering his own life to God, since that the Hebrews believed that the life of the flesh is in the blood. - Lev. 17:11 - Again, this familiar teaching assumed deeper meaning in the New Testament when applied to Jesus Christ. He gave His life on our behalf when He shed His blood to take away our sins. 'Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.' - John 1:29 - Through Him we now have faith in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory for that very reason - so that we would have faith, hope and love in God.

The basic meaning of 'Holiness' as presented in the Old Testament is that God demands absolute obedience of His peoples and also make it clear that Holiness demanded by God extended to the daily behaviour of His peoples. They were expected to practice love, joy, peace, kindness, honesty, justice and show compassion to all peoples.

Originating in God's nature, Holiness is a unique quality of His character. The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible emphasizes this divine attribute. "Who is like you, O Lord?" - Ex. 15:11 - "There is none Holy like the Lord" - 1Sam. 2:2 - "Who shall not fear You, O Lord...For You alone are Holy" - Rev. 15:4 - God's high expectations of His peoples flow out of His own nature: "You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a Holy nation" - Ex. 19:6 - "Sanctify yourselves therefore and be Holy, for I am the Lord your God" - Lev. 20:7 -

Jesus was the very personification of Holiness; He reinforced God's demands for Holiness by insisting that His disciples must have a higher quality of righteousness than of the Scribes and Pharisees. - Matt. 5:20 -

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

The Gospel of Saint Mark is evidently written for Gentiles, and for Romans in particular, and portrays the person of Jesus more by what He does than by what He says. It is characterized by a vivid, direct style that leaves the impression of familiarity with the original events.

Although the Gospel of Saint Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels, it pays close attention to matters of human interest. He is fond of linking the episodes of Jesus' ministry together with catchwords, rather than editorial comment; and frequently he interrupts a longer story by inserting a smaller one within it. - Mark 5:21-43, 6:6-30, 11:12-25, 14:1-11 -

There are two parts: Jesus' ministry in Judea and Jerusalem, it begins with the appearance of John of Baptist, followed by the baptism of Jesus. He comments on the temptation of Jesus only briefly and concludes his introduction by a capsule of Jesus' message, 'The time has come, and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe in the Good News.' - 1:15 - Then follows a series of phenomenon, depicting Jesus as a teacher, healer and exorcist in and around Capernaum, and Jesus often is in conflict with the Jewish authorities of His day. Then, it followed by a number of Jesus' parables and in each parable He uses common experiences to tell who God is and what man can become. Saint Mark then resumes the activities of Jesus as an open-air preacher and healer.

The first half of the Gospel reaches a climax when Jesus is enroute to Caesarea Philippi and asks His disciples, "Who do people say I am?" And they told him. 'John the Baptist' they said, 'others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.' 'But you' he asked, 'who do you say I am?' Peter spoke up and said to him. 'You are the Christ.' - 8:27-29 - Jesus then shocks the disciples by explaining that the Christ must suffer, die and resurrected, and whoever desires to be His disciples must be prepared for the same. A glorious TRANSFIGURATION of Jesus immediately follows this pronouncement; it shows that the Father in heaven confirms Jesus' role as a suffering Messiah.

Jesus tries to drive home the truth and practices leadership with service. 'You know that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and the great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen to you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.' - 10:42-45 -

One of Saint Mark's key objectives is to portray Jesus as God's Son. At decisive points in the Gospel, he reveals the mystery of Jesus' person. At the baptism - 1:11 - and transfiguration - 9:7 - the Father in heaven calls Jesus "My beloved Son." thus indicating that Jesus shares a unique relationship with the Father. Demons recognize Jesus as God's Son, too - 1:24, 3:11, 5:17 - testifying that Jesus is equipped with God's authority and power.

He, however, is careful to avoid portraying Jesus as an unrealistic superstar whose feet do not touch the ground. The Son of God is not immune from the problems of earthly life, but enters fully into them. Jesus is obedient to the will of the Father, even to death on a Cross. Jesus is the model of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. Thus, Jesus tells a parable, which ultimately reflects His own earthly life: the only son of the owner of a vineyard suffers rejection and death at the hands of rebellious tenant farmers. - 12:1-12 -

Furthermore, Saint Mark does not emphasize Jesus' divinity at the expense of His humanity. Jesus appears fatigued - 4:37-38 - "Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep." -  amazed - 6:6 - "He was amazed at their lack of faith." - disappointed - 8:11-12 - "The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with him; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came straight from the heart he said, 'Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.' And leaving them again and re-embarking he went to the opposite shore." - displeased - 10:13-14 - "People were bringing little children to him, for him to touch them. The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, 'Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.'" - and sorrowful - 14:34 - "And a sudden fear came over him, and great distress. And he said to them, 'My soul is sorrowful to the point of death.'"

Faith and discipleship have no meaning apart from following the suffering Son of God. Faith is not a magic or illusion that works independently of the believers's participation; rather it draws the believer into intimate union with Jesus as Lord. Jesus' disciples are to be with Him as He is with the Father, and they are given the same tasks of proclamation and power over the forces of evil as He had. As the Son of Man serves in self-abasement, so too must His disciples serve. Discipleship with Christ leads to self-denial and suffering.

This, however, is not a matter of a religious desire to suffer; rather when one loses his life, he finds it in Christ. It is only through the Son of God who suffers and dies that we may see into the heart of God and enter into fellowship with the Father. "But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the veil of the Temple was torn into two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, 'In truth this man was a son of God.'" - 15:37-38 -

In the Gospel according to Saint Mark, it has long puzzled readers why Jesus, who came into the world to make Himself known, would work at cross-purposes with His mission by trying to remain hidden. The puzzle can be explained in part by realizing that Jesus' command to silence was intended to protect Himself from false expectations of the Messiah that were current at that time. For most of Jesus' contemporaries, "messiah" brought up pictures of a military hero overthrowing the Roman rule of Palestine. Another reason why Jesus tried to conceal His miraculous power was because He realized that faith could not be forced upon people by a spectacle. - Matt. 4:1-11 - Not sight but insight into Jesus' life and purpose could evoke true faith.

Finally, Jesus demanded silence because no title or label could convey Him adequately. Saving knowledge of Jesus needed to come through personal encounter and experience with Him. Indeed, until Jesus died on the cross He could not rightly be known as God incognito who reveals Himself to those who are willing to deny self and follow Him in costly discipleship.

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

Stephen is the first Christian martyr. In the period following Pentecost, the number of Christians grew steadily, and the whole assembly approved and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicalaus of Antioch to handle the work of providing aid to needy Christians. Stephen assumed a place of prominence among the seven leaders, and was filled with God's grace and power, and began to work miracles, and great signs among the people.

Stephen was probably critical of the system of Old Testament laws, claiming they had already lost their effectiveness because of their failure, of not practicing what they preach, and also because they had reached fulfillment in Christ. This viewpoint, which Stephen put it very skillfully, brought him into conflict with powerful leaders, elders, scribes and among the Jewish people. They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom, and because it was the Spirit that prompted what he said. So they procured some men to say, 'We heard him using blasphemous language against Moses and against God.'

Having in this way, they managed to turned the people against Stephen, they took him by surprise, and arrested him and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They put up false witnesses to say, 'This man is always making speeches against this Holy Place and the Law. We have heard him say that Jesus the Nazarene is going to destroy this Place and alter the traditions that Moses handed down to us. The members of the Sanhedrin all looked intently at Stephen, and his face appeared to them like the face of an angel.

The lengthy speech which Stephen made is reported in detail. - Acts 7:1-54 - He summarized Old Testament teachings, showing how God had guided Israel and reviewed Israel's history in such a way that he replied to all false charges made against him, without actually denying anything. This amounted to a criticism of the Sanhedrin itself. Stephen denounced the council as 'stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears' and accursed them of resisting the Holy Spirit. Then he charged that they had killed Christ, just as their ancestors had killed the prophets, and failing to keep their own law by not practicing what they preach.

Stephen's speech enraged the Sanhedrin so that they were 'cut to the heart' and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand. 'I can see heaven thrown open.' he said, 'and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.' At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him. Among the people consenting to Stephen's death that day was Saul, who later became the apostle Paul - great Christian missionary to the Gentiles. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he knelt down and said aloud, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them'; and with these words he fell asleep.

Stephen's martyrdom was followed by a general persecution which forced the disciples to flee from Jerusalem into the outlying areas. This scattering led to the preaching of the Gospel first to Samaritans and then to the Gentiles in the nations surrounding Palestine. - Acts 7:1 to 8:8 -

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

How do you think of God?

Do you think of God as Someone on a throne who sulks and pouts and becomes angry if you do not worship and glorify Him and who is happy and grateful to you when you go to Church and pray to Him?

Or do you think of God as a benevolent grandfather who is indifferent to what you do so long as you enjoy yourself?

If you hold either of these two views of God you cannot understand either why you should worship God or how God can be good if He does not let you do as you please.

Let us start with the first difficulty: Why worship God?

The word "worship" is a contraction of "worthship". It is a manifestation of the worth in which we hold another person. When you applaud an actor on the stage, or a returning hero, you are "worshiping" him. Every time a man takes off his hat to a lady, he is "worshiping" her. Now to worship God means to acknowledge in some way His Worth, His Power, His Goodness, and His Truth.

If you do not worship God, you worship something, and nine times out of ten it will be yourself. If there is no God, then you are a god; and if you are a god and your own law and your own creator, then I am an atheist. The basic reason there is so little worship of God today is because man denies he is a creature. But we have not yet answered the question: "Why should you worship God?" You have a duty to worship God, not because He will be imperfect and unhappy if you do not, but because you will be imperfect and unhappy.

If you are a father, do you not like to receive a tiny little gift, such as a penny chocolate cigar, from your son? Why do you value it more than a box of Corona Coronas from your insurance agent? If you are a mother, does not your heart find a greater joy in a handful of yellow dandelions from your little daughter, than in a bouquet of roses from a dinner guest? Do these trivialities make you richer? Do you need them? Would you be imperfect without them? They are absolutely no utility to you! And yet you love them. And why? Because by these gifts your children are "worshiping" you; they are acknowledging your love, your goodness, and by doing so they are perfecting themselves; that is, they are developing along the lines of love rather than hate, thankfulness rather than ingratitude, and therefore they are becoming more perfect children and happier children as well.

As you do not need dandelions and chocolate cigars, neither does God need your worship. But if their giving is a sign of your worth in your children's eyes, then is not prayer, adoration, and worship a sign of God's worth in our eyes? And if you do not need your children's worship, why do you think God needs yours? But if the worship of your children is for their perfection, not yours, then may not your worship of God be not for His perfection, but yours? Worship is your opportunity to express devotion, dependence, and love, and in doing that you make yourself happy.

A lover does not give gifts to the beloved because she is poor; he gives gifts because she is already in his eyes possessed of all gifts. The more he loves, the poorer he thinks his gifts are. If he gave her a million, he would still think he had fallen short. If he gave everything, even that would not be enough. On of the reasons he take price tags off his gifts is not because he is ashamed, but because he does not wish to establish a proportion between his gift and his love. His gifts do not make her more precious, but they make him less inadequate. By giving, he is no longer nothing. The gift is his perfection, not hers. Worship in like manner is our perfection, not  God's.

God would still be perfectly happy if you never existed. God has no need of your love, for there is nothing in you, of and by yourself, which makes you lovable to God. Most of us are fortunate to have even a spark of affection from our fellow creatures. God does not love us for the same reason that we love others. We loves others because of need and incompleteness. But God does not love us because He needs us. He loves us because He put some of His love in us. God does not love us because we are valuable; we are valuable because He loves us.

God thirsts for your love, not because you are His waters of everlasting life, but because you are the thirst, He the waters. He needs you only because you need Him. Without Him you are imperfect; but without you, He is still Perfect. It is the echo that needs the Voice, and not the Voice that needs the echo.

Now we come to that other misunderstanding concerning God which interprets His Goodness as indifference to justice, and regards Him less as a loving father than as a doting grandfather who likes to see His children amuse themselves even when they are breaking things, including His commandments.

Too many assume that God is good only when He gives us what we want. We are like children who think our parents do not love us because they do not give us revolvers or because they make us go to school. In order to understand goodness, we must make a distinction between getting what we 'want' and getting what we 'need'. Is God good only when He gives us what we 'want' or is He good only when gives us what we 'need' even though we do not want it? When the prodigal son left the father's house he said, "Give me." He judged his father's goodness, by the way the father satisfied his 'wants.' But when he returned a much wiser young man, he merely asked for what he 'needed': a restoration of his father's love; and hence he said: "Make me."

The thief on the left judged the goodness of Our Lord Jesus by His power to take him down from his cross; that is what he 'wanted.' The thief on the right judged the goodness of Our Lord Jesus by His power to take him into Paradise; that is what he 'needed.'

The Goodness of God means that God gives us what we 'need' for our perfection, not what we 'want' for our pleasure and sometimes for our destruction. As a sculptor, He sometimes applies the chisel to the marble of our imperfect selves and knocks off huge chunks of selfishness that His image may better stand revealed. Like a musician, whenever He finds the strings too loose on the violin of our personality, He tightens them even though it hurts, that we may better reveal our hidden harmonies. As the Supreme Lover of our soul He does care how we act and think and speak. What father does not want to be proud of his son? If the father speaks with authority now and then to his son it is not because he is a dictator, but because he wants him to be a worthy son. So long as there is love, there is necessarily a desire for the perfecting of the beloved.

And that is precisely the way God's goodness manifests itself to us. God really 'loves' us, and because He loves us He is not disinterested. He no more wants you to be unhappy than your own parents want you to be unhappy. God made you not for His happiness, but for yours, and to ask God to be satisfied with most of us as we really are is to ask that God cease to love.

Think of the thousands you have met whom you could never love. You may even wonder how their mothers could love them. But God loves them! He even loves them more than He loves us who look down on them with disdain and scorn.

If you want to know about God, there is only one way to do it: get down on your knees. You can make His acquaintance by investigation, but you can win His love only by loving. Arguments will tell you God exists, for God's existence can be confirmed by reason; but only by surrender will you come to know Him intimately.

That is one of the reasons why so many professors in secular institutions have no religion. They know about God, but they do not know God. And because they do not 'love' what they already know, because they do not act on their belief, even the little they have is taken away. They rattle the milk cans of theology but they never drink the milk. Atheism is born from the womb of a bad conscience. Disbelief comes from sin, not from reason.

This is not a broadcast about God, it is a plea to love God. Worship Him because He is your perfection, more than knowledge is the perfection of the mind. Love Him because you cannot be happy without love. Love Him quite apart from all you are, for you have the right to love Him in your heart, even though you do not always succeed in loving Him in your acts. Think a little less about whether you deserve to be loved by Him; He loves you even though you are not deserving - it is His love alone that will make you deserving. It is love that confers value. "Nobody loves me" is the equivalent of being valueless. Hence the more important the person who loves you, the more precious is your value. You are infinitely precious because you are loved by God. Most of you are unhappy because you never give God a chance to love you. You are in love only with yourself.

BY ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN  ( 1895 to 1979 )

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

Do not put too much trust in human relationships and human remedies. Things human can bring only a limited help in our daily needs. If we depend on them too much, we are doomed to bitter disappointments. Above all the persons and things that satisfy our needs each day, put our trust in God. People who are for us today, may be against us tomorrow. Those who please us now, may displease us later on. The things that satisfy us at present, may dissatisfy us in the future. Do not be so foolish as to rely too much on these ambiguous creatures.

God, alone know what is truly best for us at all times. Rely first on God [the Creator] and His holy Will. Depend on everything else only as far as God permit. Too few have the trust that God demand. Many lack the confidence which He desire of us. Heaven's perfect life is the only lasting good for us and live our earthly life according to His commandments, and He shall not fail us. May we never depend too much on human beings.

People are human like us. There is a limit to their wisdom, their understanding, and their love. Only in God shall we perfect Understanding, all satisfying Love, and infinite Wisdom. If we can make God the First One in our daily life, there will be a great positive change in our outlook, our goodness and in everything around us. No longer will people have power to rob us of our interior peace. We will not need human company as much as before, we will enjoy a new freedom from the human distractions which at present worry or frighten us.

Do not care too much about who likes us and who does not. Why waste time worrying about who is for us and who is against us? Just do our best to please God, and He will be on our side. God will stand by us as long as we hate sin and avoid it in our daily life. When God with us, what does it matter who else is against us? Never be disturbed when others say things that hurt. If we thought more often of our sins, we might even agree with some of their remarks. Therefore, speak often with God, and men will impress us less than they do now. The more we advance in prayer, the less will we be tempted to talk against others. What they say or do against us, will seem so trivial when we have learned to join Him through prayer and recollection. God know what we really are. What men say about us, will not change what we are. Do not worry what anyone may think or say of us. Do not fear the judgments of those around us. Just do our best for God's sake and then, we will enjoy His peace.

In God alone will we find true peace and glory. We must not desire to please men, nor fear to displease them, when there is question of doing what is right. Only God's judgment is important. All men will be judge at the Last Judgment by the Lord.

How many friends stand by us when we  need them? As soon as a sacrifice is required, so many of these so called friends are busy with other matters. No matter how dear any human may be to us, we still live our daily life pretty much alone. In the middle of the night or in moments of fatigue, or at times when others are absorbed in their own interests, we get a momentary awareness of being alone, of being unnoticed or forgotten by others. Do not overestimate earthly friendship. Sooner or later we must leave our friends, or they must leave us.

If we depend too much on any human companion, we will have to bear a painful separation later. Human friendship needs God blessing, therefore, try to help our friends come nearer to Him by our good example. Look forward to the purification and continuation of our earthly friendships in Heaven. With God blessing, earthly friendships can be a lasting thing. In Heaven they will bring a new kind of joy to us and our friends. All true friendship must be based on virtue and loyalty to Christ. Unless we are helping our friends in some way to live a better and moral life, we are not a true friend. So, people who are not helping us to become a better and moral person, are not real friends of ours, but useless acquaintances. Anyone who brings us closer to sin by words and actions, is an enemy in spite of any good intentions which he/she profess.

If we want the sincerest friendship, we will find it in God's saints. They are God's favorites  because they were heroically loyal and faithful to God during their life on earth, and they made God's their favorites. They chose to love God more than their own life. They served Him with all the unselfishness and generosity at their command. They gave God the best service in their power, and they denied Him nothing.

Whether God sent them labor, hardship, failures, disappointments, sickness, they accepted all from His hand with complete willingness. Even after the saints have left this world, they are still interested in seeing God glorified by men. Their greatest desire for us is that we may some day join them in the perfect life and joy of Heaven. We honor God when we honor His friends. We will also be acting wisely if we request them to join us in asking for God help. What we may not deserve by ourselves alone, we may receive when the saints intercede for us. They are far more deserving of God favours than their selfish fellowmen.

Honor God's saints not only for the help which they can obtain for us, but also because they are the greatest heroes of all mankind. The greater the cause for which a man lives, the greater the man. The saints lived for God glory, for the praise of His goodness and the following of His truth. Theirs was the highest, most noble, and least selfish of all causes. They labored for Him alone, and loved Him more than any personal advantage or profit. As far as they could, they tried to do their work, hidden from the eyes of their fellowmen. They were working for God, and they desired no human recognition.

In their noble generosity, they could not offer God less. In God's saints we will find sincere friends and strong helpers before God. Their prayers and friendship will bring us extra helps from God's hand, helps which they earned by their glorious generosity with God. In their love for God we can see a wonderful example of continual self-giving to Him Who deserves all that we can offer.

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

So often we kneel before God only in body. In spirit we are somewhere else. Many times we begin to think of God or speak to God, and then find ourselves thinking of other persons or things. We know that these distractions come to us in spite of our goodwill. Let God, then show us how to deal with distractions, so that we may learn the secret. Action is the proof of sincerity. How sincere do we desire to turn our attention to God throughout the day?

Distractions are thoughts, imaginations, feelings or sentiments, and desires which hold our attention longer than they deserve. At a time when we might direct our attention to God or to some profitable activity, we often find ourselves fighting to keep control of our thoughts. These distractions are due to the various experiences which we have in our daily life. By diminishing these experiences, we will also lessen the number of our distractions. True, we are obliged to give our attention to a number of people and attend to various duties and needs throughout the day. Yet, we need not give our attention to these people and things anymore than is necessary.

We could eliminate many a distraction without neglecting the necessary obligation of our daily life. If we really want to become more aware of God nearness to us throughout the day, we must do our part to gain so great a favour. Begin at once to examine what comes between us and God. See how many things we can eliminate in our daily life without neglecting our duties and obligations. Unless we make a determined effort to concentrate our attention on God, we will always be the victim of distractions.

Holy desires are worthless unless they are put into action. The saints tried so hard to keep their attention on God. They deliberately avoided all unnecessary distractions. They learned how to fix their minds on holy things throughout the day. They knew how to enjoy God's company. True, we must give our attention to our duties and obligations. So often, however, we give our attention to what is unnecessary. Is it any wonder that we find prayer hard or strange? We want to begin today to avoid unnecessary distractions, so that we may think more often of God and speak to Him more frequently throughout the day.

The grace of devotion is not just a holy feeling, nor is it a religious mood. It is an intelligent attachment of our will to God and do whatever He command or desire of us. This is a great grace. God will grant it to us if we make a sincere effort to turn our back on whatever hinders our spiritual progress. We must empty our heart of all useless interests in order to make room for God. Often it is such a small matter that prevents one from obtaining this grace. Misguided self-interest cuts many people off from this glorious gift. In fact, God desire us to have this grace. If we do not have it yet, it is because we have not yet prepared our soul for it. Pray for it and labor for it, and gain control of our feelings and unreasoning desires by acts of self-denial and self-sacrifice.

Above all, begin a determined battle against the outstanding faults in our daily life. Acquiring this grace of true devotion, we will find many things easy and light which now seem difficult and impossible. We will never again lose sight of God power, wisdom, and love, and we will consider it a privilege to follow His Will. If we make a firm and persevering effort to abandon our foolish love for unnecessary distractions, God will give us the gifts. From then on, we will have a steady faith, hope and love to Jesus Christ. We will no longer depend on feelings or moods, but instead, follow God's Will intelligently and faithfully even when we do not feel like doing so.

Thus, live our daily life in God presence by trying to be constantly aware of His nearness to us. The more we strive to develop this virtue, the more God will help us to acquire it. With this grace we will grow in love and kindness toward others. Our faults will become less and less frequent, and our goodness will shine before the world. This daily labor for virtue requires a continual effort. We must go on trying, like a man swimming against the current. To stop trying, even for a little while, is to lose ground. Without a determined and constant effort there will be no progress.

Do not be afraid of work, inconvenience, suffering, our way to Heaven was the way of prayer, work, patience and suffering. To earn Heaven we must become God-like in our daily life. It seems impossible, yet God Himself wants to lead us on toward this goal which so many have had received it. A lively consciousness of God's presence will help us to control and direct our likes and dislikes. Gradually there will be less and less unguarded moments, less slips into our old faults. We shall gradually come to see God's Will in every event that comes along and He desires to grant us this wonderful grace. We must prepare ourselves for it by beginning today to practice acts of faith in God's presence, and acts of self-offering in our daily activities. Too many peoples make a feeble effort to improve themselves, and they give up because of repeated failures. Others claim they feel too small and unworthy of such gift from God. Their real reason, however, is not a virtuous one. They are selfish and afraid of the effort required or the sacrifice involved.

Lord Jesus Christ, let Your holy grace fall on this sinful heart of ours, so that we may love most what is most lovable, know best what is most important, and desire first what is most valuable. [our soul] Let us fear and remove whatever draws us away from You. Teach us to pray, and help us to love Your company, and to seek it as often as possible. Make us aware of Your presence throughout the day. Amen.

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

THE GREAT CHARACTERISTIC of life is growth. Youth and growth are synonymous; age and decay are synonymous. Life has therefore been properly defined as the sum of those forces which resist death. The law of growth was imposed on creation when God told man and the lower creatures of which he was the master, "Increase and multiply."

The same law of growth was imposed on super nature, on the Church, when our Lord told his apostles, "Preach the gospel to every creature." The Church was thus ordered to reproduce, to generate new life, to fill up the Kingdom of God, to make conquests from the outside, to increase progeny from within. For the Church that does not reproduce, that is not missionary, is weaving its own shroud. "You have not chosen me" said our Lord, "but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain."

But just how is this Mystical Body of Christ to grow from a mustard seed into a great tree? Is it to grow by God pouring out his grace on human beings, while we the members remain inactive? Or is it to grow by members cooperating with the grace of God?

The law of nature suggests the answer. The human body develops from infancy to perfection, thanks principally to food and drink. But food and drink would not make the body grow unless the body already possessed a soul, which is the principle of life. Corpses do not grow, regardless of how much nourishment is poured into them. Neither does the soul alone suffice for life. The food that the living body needs comes to the body through the members of the body: the feet that walk to the table and the hands that touch it and take it into the organism. Thus the two factors combine for growth: the living soul, and the food given to the body through the help of the body itself.

The Church's soul is the Spirit of Christ, without which the Church would be an organization, not an organism. Its body is made up of all who have been baptized. But the Body and Soul alone are not enough to account for the growth of the Church. The Church, like the human body, depends for its development on the activity of its members. The fact that we share the life of Christ does not dispense us from the obligation of working with him for the increase of his Mystical Body.

Do not the branches reach out to absorb the sunlight: do not the hands and feet reach out to grasp the food? Why then should not our Lord, in like manner, make the growth of his Church dependent on its members? Mary was called to share in the Redemption, and the apostles were called to preach what Christ had preached, and Peter was called to be the rock of his Church. In fact, since the call of Abraham and the endowing of Adam with free will, it is by means of human beings that God deals with everyone.

As the diamond is polished only by the diamond, so it is by and through human natures that Christ spreads the Kingdom. The zealous souls, the apostles, the missionaries in far countries, the saintly souls in our own land, the sisters in our schools, the priests in our parishes: All Christ-loving men and women whose hearts are on fire with the love of God, are the eyes, the feet, and the hands of Christ which reach out to pagan, the dejected, the forlorn, the humanists, the sinners, the erring, to lift them into the Body where they may be quickened again into Life and Love and Truth by the vivifying power of the Spirit of Christ.

What nobler work could there be than zeal for souls? What finer way to spend oneself and be spent than in drawing souls to the love of their Lord and their God? The world holds in high repute physicians who restore health to the diseased, surgeons who amputate cancerous growth, teachers who bring history and grammar to the illiterate, social workers who rehabilitate the broken human earthenware of our streets, and scientists who extend the frontiers of our science beyond another star. All this is noble, but since there is a life beyond this one, let it be remembered that in the Book of Life they are written in letters of gold who do for souls what others have done for the body. The great Heart of Christ holds in eternal love 'spiritual' physicians, 'spiritual' teachers, 'spiritual' surgeons - those who bring to others his truth, knowledge, healing, and grace.

The responsibility to extend the Mystical Body devolves upon everyone of us. Any member who refuses the right of way to life by denying it facilities for transmission is guilty of a breach of trust. The privilege of being a cell in the Body is the privilege of a stewardship of service and of apostolate. Through loyalty to this missionary imperative each member may pay his debt of thanks for the gift of faith by endowing the future with that faith. Every living unit thus stands between past and future with obligations to both which it cannot default. What we have received we must pass on, not pocket. What has been given to us must not be confined, but cradled for growth. As guardians of the Divine Life that has come down to us since Pentecost, we must answer to God for misappropriation and impounding to our own ends. Every talent received must bear interest, and every grace received must furnish a highway along which the Gospel shall have a straight and unimpeded path for propagation.

We do not save our souls alone, but only in conjunction with others.

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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