Practicing Christian concentrated on the most lovable person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Practicing Christian studies, contemplates, prays, acknowledges, meditates, and enters His coming among mankind, His life, from His birth, His person, His work, His passion, death, and resurrection, His ascension, His ministry, His universal Church and His present vitality for every human being, and His glorious return [Second Coming] at the end of time.

In the beginning was the Word:
the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through him.
All that came to be had life in him
and that life was the light of men,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not overpower. - John 1:1-5 -

Thus, it becomes fitting that, indeed, Christ Jesus is fully human and fully divine. Having knowledge of God and the Lord Jesus Christ are enormous assertions, and it is a great privilege to know God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, Christians are always worthy and conscious of it. As in accordance with Sacred Scripture, it is an historical fact, and it is the symbol of a perpetual and eternal reality. On the other hand, many do not want to know and do not know who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Perhaps, they based themselves solely on external and family data and did not go beyond his or her human nature.

As pastors, priests, laity, brothers, sisters in Christ, and clergy as a whole, you are at the service of Christ Jesus the "Teacher" and the "Lord." To preach and teach the true Christian message [Gospel, Good News of Christ Jesus] is an essential and extremely important part of your ministry. How meticulous, attentive, and careful be about our preaching and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ doctrine!, Gospel! It should be the continuation and consistent of our prayer, and the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, with these practices, let people see, and it will leads people to God or bring peoples to God. We must have great faith, and love our vocation and mission. The Christian faith is ecclesial. The relation between theology and faith, founded and centered on Christ Jesus, fully connected that theology has with His Church.

Having this hope, we can be quite confident; not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not notice the ending of what had to fade. And anyway, their minds had been dulled; indeed, to this very day, that same veil is still there when the old covenant is being read, a veil never lifted, since Christ alone can remove it. 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. 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. - 2 Cor. 3:12-18 -

Since we have by an act of mercy been entrusted with this work of administration, there is no weakening on our part. On the contrary, we will have none of the reticence of those who are ashamed, no deceitfulness or watering down the word of God; but the way we commend ourselves to every human being with a conscience is by stating the truth openly in the sight of God. If our gospel does not penetrate the veil, then the veil is on those who are not on the way to salvation; the unbelievers whose minds the god of the world has blinded to stop them seeing the light shed by the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For it is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. It is the same God that said, 'Let there be light shining out of darkness', who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God's glory, the glory on the face of Christ. - 2 Cor. 4:1-6 -

God's kingdom has its beginning in the history of creation together with man. It has a long history. At the summit of this history stands Christ Jesus. 'The time has come' he said 'and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.' - Mark 1:15 - He spoke of it from the beginning of His messianic teaching and perseverance, tirelessly, announced this Kingdom to be chosen people.

Conversion is necessary for being able to regain the full truth of the Kingdom of God. After all, He gave His life for that truth... Good Friday closed with a controversy over God's Kingdom. On the Day of the Resurrection the truth of Christ's words confirmed, the Truth that the Kingdom of God has come to us, the Truth of the whole of His messianic mission.

The struggle between the kingdom of evil, of the evil spirit, and the Kingdom of God has not ceased, however, it is not over. It has only entered upon a new stage, actually the definitive stage. In this stage the struggle goes on in ever new generations of human history.

Do we really have to demonstrate that this struggle goes on in our day as well? Yes. It certainly goes on. Indeed, it develops together with human history in single peoples and nations.

It goes on in each of us. And, by following the history, including our own contemporary history, we can also define in what way the kingdom of the malign spirit is not divided but seeks unity of action in the world and, by various paths, tries to have its effects upon man, on groups, on families, on society.

As at the beginning, so also now, it stakes its program on 'human liberty' on man's apparently unlimited liberty.

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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 -

The Universal Church is "The Body of the Lord Jesus Christ" composed of the many millions of individuals who have been incorporated to it by Baptism and governed by the invisible head, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the visible head, the Vicar of Christ on earth. But a body and a head is not sufficient to constitute the "Mystical Christ" as the "Universal Church." The Universal Church must also have a soul as the principle of its life and its unity. That soul is the "Holy Spirit."

In order that we may properly understand the role of the Holy Spirit, the person of the Blessed Trinity, try to picture the apostles and the faithful on earth during the ten days after the "Ascension" of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven. The Universal Church then existed in its raw material - its great arteries had been formed, its head had been named, its faithful were called, but it still lacked a soul.

The condition of the Church at this time may be imperfect likened to America before the drawing up of the Declaration of Independence. The Dutch, the English, the French, the Irish, the Scotch, and the other nationalities were scattered up and down the Atlantic seaboard, but there was no common bond or spirit holding them together. They needed unity - a soul to make them one. That spark came in the Declaration of Independence, which fired them with the spirit of free-born American people. The Universal Church was somewhat in this position. The apostles and disciples and the faithful were still separate individuals; they needed a soul to make them one. But here the analogy breaks down. The spirit which was to make the faithful of the Universal Church one was different from the spirit that made America one.

The condition of the Church can be represented better by the analogy of life. Its faithful were like the elements in a chemical laboratory, capable of being part of a body, and yet not a body because lacking a soul. We know up to one hundred percent the chemicals that enter into the constitution of a human body, and yet with all our superior knowledge of chemistry, we cannot make a body in our laboratories. Why? Because we lack the power to give a unifying principle, a soul, to those chemicals which will make them mutually coalesce into that new emergent we call life.

Now the apostles were like the chemicals in a laboratory; they were individuals, each with his own outlook on life, each with his doubts, his uncertainties, his points of view. They could not give themselves unity anymore than chemicals alone can make life. The permanent union of their minds was impossible without a certitude from on high, for life is not a push from below, but a gift from above. They needed a soul, a spirit - a vivifying, unifying principle which would make the cells of the Mystical Body cohere in the unity of a headship under the Lord Jesus Christ. And this vivifying, unifying spirit did not come until the day of "Pentecost."

The apostles knew the Holy Spirit would come to them. They would never forget the beautiful way in which our Lord Jesus Christ promised his spirit the night before he died:

I have yet many things to say to you: but you cannot bear them now. But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth... And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever. This was only a promise of the Spirit that was to come. But our Lord Jesus Christ keeps his promises. Accordingly, ten days after the Ascension, the apostles with Peter as their head were in solitude in the Cenacle where the Savior had instituted the Eucharist and appeared to doubting Thomas.

And suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech. - Acts 2:2-4 -

In the fiery glow of that Pentecostal gift the individuals, the cells of the Mystical Body, like the bones in the vision of prophet Ezekiel, were drawn together into a living body, animated by the Eternal Spirit of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. The scattered rays now emerged into the light of the world. All they had dimly guessed at and faintly perceived now became absolute certainty in the glow of the Pentecostal fire, as they saw the continuity of Nazareth and the Cenacle: For as Christ Jesus had taken his physical body from the womb of the Virgin Mary overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, so now was Christ Jesus taking from the womb of humanity his Mystical Body overshadowed by the Pentecostal Spirit. The Universal Church was now created in the strictest sense of the term - it had its head, the Lord Jesus Christ, its soul, the Holy Spirit; and us, its body.

Organization has nothing to do with the marvelous vitality of the Church, nor is there any other human explanation. If the Church were to left to its human elements it would have perished long ago. The secret of her immortal life is her Eternal Spirit, which cannot be destroyed by the world anymore than the soul of an infant can be destroyed. Hence, in the face of the force of violence the Spirit manifests the immortality of her being; against the force of ideas the Spirit shows the immortality of her ideas; and against the force of passion the Spirit shows the immortality of her love.

If there is any picture that adequately describes the Church in time, it is that of a person living throughout cataclysms and revolutions, the progress and the unfolding of the centuries. A person who is fifty today is the same identical person as always, despite the changes in his bodily life and the historical upheavals of our time. He can say, "I saw mankind exalt itself to a god in the pre-war period; I saw that same humanity prove it was not a god but only a beast in the battlefields of the World War[s]; I saw it settle down to a false peace without ever learning the lesson that it cannot survive without God." In like manner, the Church is an abiding Person through all centuries. The only difference between the acorn and the oak, the mustard seed and the great tree. Her faithful have come and gone, like the cells in a human body, but her Spirit has remained one and the same.

And since it is the Spirit that makes the Body, the Church which is the Mystical Body of Christ Jesus has been contemporaneous with the centuries. When, therefore, we in the twenty first century wish to know about the Lord Jesus Christ, about his early Church, about history, we go not only the dusty records but to the living Church:

I have adapted myself to every form of government the world has ever known; I have lived with Caesars and kings, tyrants and dictators, parliaments and presidents, monarchies and republics. I have welcomed every advance of science, and were it not for me the great records of the pagan world would not have been preserved. It is true I have not changed my doctrine, but that is because "the doctrine is not mine but his that sent me."I change my garments, which belong to time, but not my Spirit, which belongs to eternity. In the course of my long life, I have seen so many modern ideas become out-dated, that I know I shall live to chant a requiem over the modern ideas of the last century.

I shall grow weak when my faithful become rich and cease to pray, but I shall never die. I shall be crucified as I was on Calvary, but I shall rise again, and finally when time shall be no more, and I shall have grown to full stature, then shall I be taken into heaven as the bride of my Head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

BY  ARCHBISHOP  FULTON  J.  SHEEN  ( 1895 to 1979 )

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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 -

Heaven is the dwelling place of God. The word heaven is also used as a substitute for the name of God, especially to the pagans. God is the possessor of heaven. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are often spoken of interchangeably and it is because of the work of Christ Jesus on the Cross, heaven is, in part, present with believers on earth.

A man can lay claim only to what is given him from heaven. - John 3:27 -

I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you - Luke 15:18, 21 -

And now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. - Rev. 12:7-8 -

At the end of time, a new heaven will be created to surround the new earth. This new heaven will be the place of God's perfect presence. Then, there will be a literal fulfillment of heaven on earth. Heavenly City - the city prepared and built by God, for those whom God's loves and who are faithful to Him. It is also known as the heavenly Jerusalem, this is the city that is to come. The New Jerusalem is illuminated by the glory of God. It serves as the dwelling place of God among His redeemed for ever and ever. New Heaven is a term which, when used with new earth refers to the perfected state of the created universe and the final dwelling place, for those whom God's loves and of the righteous one.

For now I create new heavens and new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and will come no more to men's minds. Be glad and rejoice for ever and ever for what I am creating - Is. 65:17

They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God; but in fact, they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them. - Heb. 11:10, 16 -

But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a 'first-born' and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with the spirits of the saints who have been made perfect - Heb. 12:22-23 - Rev. 14:1, 21:10 -

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bridge all dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, 'You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone.' - Rev. 21:1-4 -

Rooted deep in Jewish thought was the dream of a new heaven and a new earth, a recreation of the universe that would occur following the Day of the Lord. - Is. 13:10-13; Joel 2:1-2, 30-31 - The concept of a recreated universe is closely related to the scriptural/biblical account of the Creation and the Fall. - Gen. 1:1 - and the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. - Gen. 3 - It is because of their sin, "the creation was subjected to futility and the bondage of corruption." The need for a new heaven and a new earth arises from man's sin and God judgment, not from some deficiency or evil in the universe.

I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God: but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free. For we must be content to hope that we shall be saved - our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were - but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet - it is something we must wait for with patience. - Rom. 8:18-25 -

Saint Paul referred to the Old Testament doctrine of the Day of the Lord and applied it to the events that will occur at the Second Coming of Christ Jesus. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, this present wicked, and evil age will give way to the age to come. The universe will be purified and cleansed by the power of God. This will be reminiscent of the purging of the earth in the days of Noah, but on a universal scale.

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. Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. - 2 Peter 3:10-13 -

Second Coming refers to Christ's future return to the earth at the end of the present age. The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible is filled with expectancy of the Lord Jesus Christ second coming, even as Christians should be today. A thorough study and examination of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, however, makes it clear that the Second Coming will be a climactic historical event. The Lord Jesus Christ would return in the same manner as they seen Him ascended into heaven. The date and time of the Second Coming is unknown, but the Lord Jesus Christ second coming will be personal, bodily, and visible.

I am going now to prepare a place for you,
and after I have gone and prepared you a place,
I shall return to take you with me;
so that where I am
you may be too. - John 14:3 -

Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there. - Acts 1:11 -

Jesus replied, It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority - Acts 1:7; Matt. 24:35-36; 1 Thess. 5:1-3; 2 Peter 3:10 -

Therefore, most of the believers may ask, what about 'Eschatology'? Eschatology is a theological term that designates the study of what will happen at the end of history, particularly the event known as the "Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ." The word comes from two Greek words, eschatos (last) and logos (study) - thus its definition as 'the study of last things.' It is also define as the part of theology concerned with death, Last Judgment: Heaven and Hell: and the ultimate destiny of the soul and of humankind. Eschatology reveals that Abraham's land, ultimately, is the new heaven and earth and that Abraham's lineage is the redeemed community in Christ Jesus.

Eschatology shows how God's Redeemer will establish His kingdom upon a rebellious earth. The long process through which God selected a righteous group (apostles, saints, righteous one, and those whom God's loves) to serve Him on earth came to a climax in the person of Christ Jesus.

The Lord Jesus Christ first coming was to save. His second coming will be primarily to judge. The Lord Jesus Christ return will also spell relief to His faithful remnant. Eschatology shows that God's presence for the redeemed will be fully realized at Jesus' second coming, when He will dwell among all the redeemed in the new heavens and earth.

For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. - Mark 10:45; Matt. 20:28; Luke 22:27 -

You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. Rev. 21:3 -

In the end times, a basic order of judgment will prevail as the conflict between God and Satan comes to an end. There will be a time of great 'Tribulation,' followed by the 'Second Coming' and the 'Judgment of all peoples.' Another judgment is portrayed in the Book of Revelation, is called the second death. Those who are judged will be thrown into the lake of fire if their names are not found in the Book of Life.

Above all, the Cross is the decisive eschatology event. In it the curse that brought God's wrath was reversed. Ever since, God has been progressively accomplishing His judgment against the forces of wickedness in heaven and earth.

Tell us, when is this going to happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered them, Take care that no one deceives you; because many will come using my name and saying, "I am the Christ" and they will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; do not be alarmed, for this is something that must happen, but the end will not be yet. For nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes here and there. All this is only the beginning of the birth-pangs.

Then they will hand you over to be tortured and put to death; and you will be hated by all nations on account of my name. And then many will fall away; men will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise; they will deceive many, and with the increase of lawlessness, love in most men will grow cold; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved. This Good News of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world as a witness to all the nations. And then the end will come.

So when you see the disastrous abomination, of which prophet Daniel spoke, set up in the Holy Place (let the reader understand) then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains; if a man is on the housetop, he must not come down to collect his belongings; if a man is in the fields, he must not turn back to fetch his cloak. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come! Pray that you will not have to escape in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great distress such as, until now, since the world began, there never has been, nor ever will be again. And if that time had not been shortened, no one would have survived; but shortened that time shall be, for the sake of those who are chosen.

If anyone says to you then, "Look, here is the Christ" or "He is there" do not believe it; for false Christs and false prophets will arise and produce great signs and portents, enough to deceive even the chosen, if that were possible.There; I have forewarned you.

If, then they say to you, "Look, he is in the desert" do not go there; "Look, he is in some hiding place" do not believe it; because the coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning striking in the east and flashing far into the west. Wherever the corpse is, there will the vultures gather.

Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven; then too all the peoples of the earth will beat their breasts; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet to gather his chosen from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. - Matt. 24:3-31 - Mark 13:4-37 - Luke 21:7-28 -

Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. In his presence, earth and sky vanished, leaving no trace. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of his throne, while the book of life was opened, and other books opened which were the record of what they had done in their lives, by which the dead were judged.

The sea gave up all the dead who were in it; Death and Hades were emptied of the dead that were in them; and every one was judged according to the way in which he had lived. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the burning lake. This burning lake is the second death; and anybody whose name could not be found written in the book of life was thrown into the burning lake. - Rev. 20:11-15 -

The full and final revelation of God has occurred in Jesus Christ. "This is the revelation given by God to Jesus Christ." - Rev. 1:1 - The Book of Revelation depicts the end of the present age and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is a personal Spirit distinct from the world; He is absolutely holy and is invisible to the view of physical, finite, sinful minds. Although people, on their own, can never create truth about God, God has graciously unveiled and manifested Himself to mankind. God has made Himself known to all peoples everywhere in the marvels of nature and in the human conscience.

The central figure in the army of God the King is Jesus Christ. John's first vision is of the Lord Jesus Christ standing in the midst of His Church with eyes like fire (all-seeing) feet like fine brass (all-powerful) hair like wool, white as snow (eternal and all-knowing) and with a sharp two edged sword coming out of His mouth (the word of truth). Indeed, Christ Jesus is "the First and the Last", "the Alpha and the Omega", "the Beginning and the End." - Rev. 22:13 -

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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 -

Paul's, an apostle who does not owe his authority to men or his appointment to any human being but who has been appointed by Jesus Christ and by God the Father who raised Jesus from the dead.

The fact is, brothers, and I want you to realize this, the Good News I preached is not a human message that I was given by men, it is something I learnt only through a revelation of Jesus Christ. You must have heard of my career as a practicing Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews for my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors. - Gal. 1:2, 11-14 -

The first Christian martyr of the Universal Church was apostle Stephen, one of the most outspoken leaders. The Gospel According To Saint Luke told how Saint Paul publicly associated himself with Saint Stephen's executioners and then embarked on a campaign designed to suppress the Universal Church. At the height of Saul's / Paul's campaign of repression, he was confronted on the road to Damascus by the Lord Jesus Christ. In an instant his life was reoriented. The Jewish law was replaced as the central theme of Paul's life by the Lord Jesus Christ. He became the leading champion of the cause which he had tried to overthrow. The keeping or obeying the law alone had lost its validity.

Saint Paul learned that it was no longer by keeping or obeying the law alone that a person was justified in God's sight, but by faith, hope, love in the Lord Jesus Christ. And if faith and love in Christ provided acceptance with God, the Gentiles ( not Jewish ) might enjoy that acceptance as readily as Jews. This was the implication of the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ which gripped Paul's mind. He was assured that he himself had received that revelation in order that he might proclaim Christ and His salvation to the Gentile world.

Writing epistles/letters to the faithful is another way of Saint Paul teaching, and proclaiming the kingdom of God to the faithful, believers, and followers.

Ephesians is one of four shorter epistles/letters written by the apostle Paul while he was in prison, the others being Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Ephesians shares many similarities in style and content with Colossians; it may have been written about the same time and delivered by the same person.

In the Epistle/Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul is transported to the limits of language in order to describe the enthroned Christ Jesus who is Lord of the Universal Church, the world, and the entire created order. As the ascended Lord, Christ Jesus is completing what He began in His earthly ministry, by means of His now "extended body, Holy Spirit" the Universal, One, Holy, and Apostolic Church. The Lord Jesus Christ mission is to fill all things with Himself and bring all things to Himself.

That will explain why I, having once heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus, and the love that you show towards all the saints, have never failed to remember you in my prayers and to thank God for you. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers.

This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at the right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body. The fullness of him who fills the whole creation. - Eph. 1:15-23 -

Saint Paul emphases that the Christian fellowship should pattern itself after the unity of the Godhead, and the example of Christ: as a new person in Christ and he or she should walk in love, joy, peace, light and wisdom. Saint Paul cites Christ's relationship with the Church as a model for wives and husbands, children and parents, servants and masters and an appeal to put the whole armor of God and to stand against the forces of evil and the wicked.

The marriage relationship between the husband and wife is a beautiful analogy for expressing the Lord Jesus Christ love, sacrifice, and the head of the Church. The enthroned Christ has reinvested Himself in the hearts of believers through faith so they can marvel at His love. The Lord Jesus Christ bond with His universal Church is also portrayed in the oneness of believers. Those who were once 'far off' and separated from God have been made near by the body and blood of Christ Jesus.

Rather than setting down laws and regulations, Saint Paul says, in effect, 'Let your life be a credit to the One who called you.' The Christian is set free by the Lord Jesus Christ; yet he and she is responsible to Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ has raised believers to the heavenly places with the assurance that the One in whom we hope is more powerful, real, and eternal than the forces of chaos and destruction which threaten our earth.

Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power. Put God's armor on so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics. For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness in this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens. That is why you must rely on God's armor, or you will not be able to put up any resistance when the worst happens, or have enough resources to hold your ground. - Eph. 6:10-13 -

Throughout Saint Paul's life the Philippians held a special place in his heart. Saint Paul writes to them with affection, and the epistle/letter breathes a note of joy throughout. When Paul first came to Philippi, he was thrown in jail. In the deep of the night, bound and beaten, he sang a hymn to God. A decade later Saint Paul was again in prison. Even though he is in prison, the Gospel/Good News is not confined; on the contrary, it is increasing. Whether Paul's lives or dies, "Christ Jesus is preached" and this results in salvation. Following these reflections, Saint Paul introduces a series of exhortations: to remain faithful in suffering; to remain considerate of others, as Jesus Christ was; and to avoid evil and live blamelessly.

There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people's interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus: His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself - Phil. 2:3-6 -

The focus of Saint Paul's thoughts in this epistle/letter is the Christ-centered life ( Christology ) the hallmark which is love, joy, and peace. The Lord Jesus Christ has laid hold of Paul and Paul's passion is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, he shares in the power of Christ Jesus and "can do all things through Christ Jesus" who is his joy and strength.

Saint Paul exhorts the faithful, believers, followers to set their mind on the high calling of God in Jesus Christ and to meditate on whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. To have the mind of Christ Jesus is to see life from Christ's perspective and to act toward other people with the intentions of Christ.

Nowhere is the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ presented to the Christian more strongly that in Philippians. Appealing to the Philippians to be of "one mind" in pursuing humility, Saint Paul cites the example of the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. "In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus." - 2:5 - This is the Lord Jesus Christ whose attitude and intention all faithful, believers must share. To be identified with the Lord Jesus Christ in humility and obedience is the noblest achievement which anyone can aspire.

Finally, brothers, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honor, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you. - 3:8-9 -

The Epistle/Letter to the Colossians focuses on the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It reaches heights of expression that rival anything said of Christ Jesus elsewhere in Sacred Scripture. Colossians shares many similarity in style and content with Ephesians. Colossians probably was written as a companion to the brief letter to Philemon. ( Col. 4:7-13 and Philem. 12, 24 )

Following the opening address, Saint Paul expresses his thankfulness for the faith, hope, love, and example of the Colossians. He, then develops a majestic hymn to Christ Jesus, emphasizing His role in both creation and redemption. In light of the surpassing worth of Jesus Christ and His work, Paul willingly accepts the obligation to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ and to suffer for Him. He also appeals to the Colossians to take root in Christ Jesus rather than in confusing speculations.

Saint Paul urges the Colossians Christians to mold their attitude and behavior to fit their beliefs. Since believers share in the Lord Jesus Christ resurrection. He also encourages them to continue living to please God by putting to death various vices and to put on the attitude and character of Christ Jesus.

Saint Paul unmasks the false teaching as empty deceit of men, that is, having the appearance of wisdom but useless in fact. He declared that the addition of such things dilutes rather than strengthens the faith and love of God.

You must live your whole life according to the Christ you have received - Jesus the Lord; you must be rooted in him and built on him and held firm by the faith you have been taught, and full of thanksgiving. Make sure that no one traps you and deprives you of your freedom by some secondhand, empty, rational philosophy based on the principles of this world instead of on Christ Jesus. - 2:6-8 -

Saint Paul does more than denounce false teaching. The best medicine is a firm grip on who Jesus Christ is and what He did for our salvation. In Christ Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, and "in Him all fullness" dwells. In fact, "The Lord Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God." He has stripped every power opposed to Him, wiped out every accusation against us, and actually reconciled all things to Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ is not only head of the Universal Church, but He stands all time and above every power, and at the end of all history. The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of all creation.

He is the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation,
for in him were created
all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers -
all things were created through him and for him.

Before anything was created, he existed,
and he holds all things in unity.
Now the Church is his body,
he is its head.

As he is the Beginning,
he was first to be born from the dead,
so that he should be first in every way;
because God wanted all perfection
to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when he made peace
by his death on the cross. - 1:15-20 -

Philemon - the shortest and most personal of Saint Paul's epistles/letters. Philemon tells the story of the conversion of a runaway slave, Onesimus, and the appeal to his owner, Philemon, to accept him back. The epistle/letter is warm and masterful, reminding us that the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ drastically changes every relationship in life.

The Epistle/Letter to Philemon is a lesson in the art of Christian relationships. No finer example of 'speaking the truth in love' exists than this beautiful letter. While it was Philemon's legal right in the ancient world to punish or even kill a runaway slave, Paul hoped - indeed expected that Philemon would receive Onesimus back as a brother in the Lord, not as a slave.

From beginning to end Saint Paul addresses Philemon as a trusted friend than as an adversary; he appeals to the best in his character. In spite of Paul's subtle pressures for Philemon to restore Onesimus, he is careful not to force Philemon to do what is right; he helps him choose it for himself.

Although Saint Paul never, so far as we know, called for an end to slavery, the Epistle/Letter laid the axe at the root of that cruel and deformed institution - and to every way of treating individuals as property instead of persons. If there is "one God and Father of all" - Eph. 4:6 -and if all are debtors to Him - Rom. 3:21-26 - then no person can look on another person as something to be used for his own ends.

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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless.

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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 -