"MERRY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO YOU, FAMILY AND FRIENDS" - THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS:

The partridge in a pear tree was the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13 -

The four calling birds were the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The five golden rings recalled "The Pentateuch" the five books of the Old Testament. - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy -

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of God creation. - Genesis 1:1-31 -

Seven swans a-swimming represented the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Piety, Counsel, Fortitude and Fear of the Lord.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight Beatitudes. - Matthew 5:1-10 -

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirits: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. - Galatians 5:22 - [The Jerusalem Bible]

The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments. - Deuteronomy 5:1-21 -

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven "Faithful" disciples/apostles. [Simon Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot] - Mark 3:13-19 -

The twelve drummers drumming were the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

"WISHING YOU A BLESSED CHRISTMAS." - EMMANUEL / IMMANUEL -

"The symbolic and meaning of the 12 Days of Christmas?

The 12 days of Christmas is the period in Christian theology that marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men. It begins on December 25 (Christmas) and runs through January 6 (the Epiphany, sometimes also called Three Kings' Day).

In a nutshell, the theory claims that during a time when Christians were punished for worshiping openly, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song was used to secretly pass on the ideology of Christianity. In this theory, each gift symbolizes a different aspect of the faith: The Partridge in the Pear Tree is the Lord Jesus Christ."

His Holiness Pope Francis (Vicar Of Christ) to theologians: Don't do theology away from people. "A theology that helps every Christian proclaim the saving face of God is necessary."

For Pope Francis (Vicar Of Christ) theologian isn't just a simple scholar of God, but rather much more. He or She is a scholar at the service of a people, the Church, to which he or she belongs and is nurtured by. There's no room for individualist theologians who compete amongst themselves to see who knows more.

Before members of the Italian Theological Association, the Pope said theology must be used to help evangelize.

His Holiness Pope Francis (Vicar Of Christ)

"A theology that helps every Christian proclaim and show is necessary; above all, saving face of God of the merciful God, especially in light of some unprecedented challenges the human being faces today."

Pope Francis met with the organization in honor of its 50th anniversary. The association was created with the goal of helping people understand the Second Vatican Council. - RomeReports.com December 29, 2017 -

HENCE, I EARNESTLY AND PROFOUNDLY BELIEVED THAT AS FAR AS SPIRITUALITY IS CONCERN. IT CAN ONLY COME FROM GOD, THE AUTHOR. THUS, THERE IS NO SUCH THING, AS COPYRIGHT, OR IT IS PRODUCED OR WRITTEN BY ME OR IT IS MINE; THE WORD OF GOD, THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE.

"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 -

ALL WRITERS, PERTAINING TO SPIRITUALITY WERE DEFINITELY QUOTED OR TAKE FROM HERE AND THERE, WHICH MAY BE ON AND FROM SOME OTHER WRITERS ARTICLES, BOOKS, BLOGS, OR SITES, ESPECIALLY THE "WORD OF GOD" THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE. BUT IN REALITY, IT IS FIRST USED ALREADY, PERHAPS, LONG, LONG TIME AGO.

"THIS DISCIPLE IS THE ONE WHO VOUCHES FOR THESE THINGS AND HAS WRITTEN THEM DOWN, AND WE KNOW THAT HIS TESTIMONY IS TRUE. THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS THAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DID; IF ALL WERE WRITTEN DOWN, THE WORLD ITSELF, I SUPPOSE, WOULD NOT HOLD ALL THE BOOKS THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE WRITTEN." - JOHN 21:24-25 -

JUST AS GOD ORIGINALLY INSPIRED THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE. GOD HAS USED THIS MEANS TO PRESERVE HIS 'WORD' FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. BUT BEHIND THE WRITING LAY PERIODS OF TIME WHEN THESE MESSAGES WERE CIRCULATED IN SPOKEN FORM. (ORAL TRADITION) THE STORIES OF THE PATRIARCHS WERE PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION BY WORD OF MOUTH BEFORE THEY WERE WRITTEN. (WRITTEN TRADITION)

THE MESSAGES OF THE PROPHETS WERE DELIVERED ORALLY BEFORE THEY WERE FIXED IN WRITING. NARRATIVES OF THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF CHRIST JESUS WERE REPEATED ORALLY FOR TWO OR THREE DECADES BEFORE THEY WERE FIXED IN WRITING.

THEREFORE, SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE QUOTATION, THAT IS, HOW ANYONE AND I PUT WORD OF GOD INTO SENTENCES OR PUT WORDS INTO SENTENCES. REMEMBER ALWAYS! NO MATTER HOW THE "WORD OF GOD" AND WORDS PUT INTO SENTENCES, IN TRUTH, EVERYONE STARTED AND TOOK IT FROM THE MAIN SOURCE, THAT IS, FROM THE WITNESSES AND FROM THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE; "WORD OF GOD."

"IT IS TRUE, GOD SENT HIS WORD TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, AND IT WAS TO THEM THAT THE GOOD NEWS OF PEACE WAS BROUGHT BY JESUS CHRIST - BUT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD OF ALL MEN. 

YOU MUST HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE RECENT HAPPENINGS IN JUDAEA; ABOUT JESUS OF NAZARETH AND HOW HE BEGAN IN GALILEE, AFTER JOHN THE BAPTIST HAD BEEN PREACHING BAPTISM. GOD HAD ANOINTED HIM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH POWER, AND BECAUSE GOD WAS WITH HIM, JESUS WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD AND CURING ALL WHO HAD FALLEN INTO THE POWER OF THE DEVIL.

NOW I, ( SIMON PETER / PETER ) AND THOSE WITH ME, CAN WITNESS TO EVERYTHING JESUS DID THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRYSIDE OF JUDAEA AND IN JERUSALEM ITSELF; AND ALSO TO THE FACT THAT THEY KILLED HIM BY HANGING HIM ON A TREE, YET THREE DAYS AFTERWARDS GOD RAISED HIM TO LIFE AND ALLOWED HIM TO BE SEEN, NOT BY THE WHOLE PEOPLE BUT ONLY BY CERTAIN WITNESSES GOD HAD CHOSEN BEFOREHAND.

NOW WE ARE THOSE WITNESSES - WE HAVE EATEN AND DRUNK WITH HIM AFTER HIS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD - AND JESUS CHRIST HAS ORDERED US TO PROCLAIM THIS TO HIS PEOPLE AND TO TELL THEM THAT GOD HAS APPOINTED HIM TO JUDGE EVERYONE, ALIVE AND DEAD.

IT IS TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT ALL THE PROPHETS BEAR THIS WITNESS: THAT ALL WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS WILL HAVE THEIR SINS FORGIVEN THROUGH HIS NAME." - ACTS 10:36-43 -

WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY. - Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear Him who after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. - Luke 12:4-5 -

I shall not call you servants anymore,

because a servant does not know

his/her master's business;

I call you friends, 

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt from my Father. - John 15:15 -

We are all aware who it was that said: Vengeance is mine; I will repay. And again: The Lord will judge his people. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. - Hebrews 10:31 -

'Fear God and praise Him because the time has come for Him to sit in judgement; worship the maker of heaven and earth and sea and every water-spring.' - Revelation 14:7 -

IF WE LIVE BY THE TRUTH AND IN LOVE, WE SHALL GROW IN ALL WAYS INTO CHRIST JESUS, WHO IS THE HEAD BY WHOM THE WHOLE BODY IS FITTED AND JOINED TOGETHER, EVERY JOINT ADDING ITS OWN STRENGTH, FOR EACH SEPARATE PART TO WORK ACCORDING TO IT FUNCTION. SO THE BODY GROWS UNTIL IT HAS BUILT ITSELF UP, IN LOVE." - EPHESIANS 4:15-16 -

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.

You and 1 ot

The unscrupulous judge and the importunate widow - Luke 18:1-8 - N. T. -

Then Jesus told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. 'There was a judge in a certain town' he said 'who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, "I want justice from you against my enemy!" For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, "Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death".' 

And the Lord said, 'You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?'

Cf. - Luke 11:9 -

Cf. - Proverbs 25:15; 11:5-8 - O. T. - With patience a judge may be cajoled: a soft tongue breaks bones. The virtues of the blameless man smooth the way before him, the wicked man founders in his own wickedness. Their virtuous conducts sets honest men free, treacherous men are imprisoned by their own desires. The hope of the wicked perishes with death, the expectation of the godless is frustrated.

Cf. - Revelation 6:9-11 - N. T. - When he broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of all the people who had been killed on account of the word of God, for witnessing to it. They shouted aloud, 'Holy, faithful Master, how much longer will you wait before you pass sentence and take vengeance for our death on the inhabitants of the earth? Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little longer, until the roll was complete and their fellow servants and brothers had been killed just as they had been.

Cf. - Matthew 8:5-13 - N. T. - When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. 'Sir,' he said 'my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.' 'I will come myself and cure him' said Jesus. The centurion replied, 'Sir, I am not worthy to have under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.'

When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, 'I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven; but the subjects of the kingdom will be turned out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.' And to the centurion Jesus said, 'Go back, then; you have believed, so let this be done for you'. And the servant was cured at that moment.

Cf. - Matthew 24:11-13 - N. T. - 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.

The Pharisee and the publican - Luke 18:9-14 - N. T. -

Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else, 'Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, "I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get."

The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beats his breast and said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner". This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.'

Cf. - Luke 16:15 -

Cf. - Proverbs 21:2; 28:13 - O. T. - A man's conduct may strike him as upright, Yahweh, however, weighs the heart. He who conceals his faults will not prosper, he who confesses and renounces them will find mercy.

Cf. - Matthew 6:1-2 - N. T. - Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven.

Cf. - Matthew 21:28-32 - N. T. - 'What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, "My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today". He answered, "I will not go", but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, "Certainly, sir", but did not go. Which of the two did the father's will?' 'The first' they said. Jesus said to them, 'I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.

Cf. - Matthew 23:27-28 - N. T. - Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Cf. - Romans 2:17-24 - N. T. - If you call yourself a Jew, if you really trust in the Law and are proud of your God, if you know God's will through the Law and can tell what is right, if you are convinced you can guide the blind and be beacon to those in the dark, if you can teach the ignorant and instruct the unlearned because your Law embodies all knowledge and truth, then why not teach yourself as well as the others?

You preach against stealing, yet you steal; you forbid adultery, yet you commit adultery; you despise idols, yet you rob their temples. By boasting about the Law and then disobeying it, you bring God into contempt. As scripture says: It is your faults that the name of God is blasphemed among the pagans. 

Cf. - Matthew 23:12, Luke 14:11 - N. T. - Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.                                                                                                                                                                                                                -  PAGE  57  -

Jesus and the children

People even brought little children to Jesus... -  PAGE  58  -

The Lord Jesus Christ, promised to us that our mission on this earth is really and utmost important for our own salvation.

'Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?'

"Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He is like a man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built.

But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 -

WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY. - Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Hence, these two books (The Gospel According To Apostle/Saint Luke & The Acts Of The Apostles) of the New Testament were closely associated, and being call 'a history of the rise of Christianity'. Therefore, I faithfully believe that it is utmost importance for us; all human beings to comprehend these two books, [ All the others Old Testament and New Testament books are equally importance, but as for now, we will start studying and read these two books first, that is, being call 'a history of the rise of Christianity', before continuing the other books.] to the best of our knowledge and enabling our spirit to acknowledges: "Who is God, and how, and in what ways, that is, God is with us." Amen!  

IF WE LIVE BY THE TRUTH AND IN LOVE, WE SHALL GROW IN ALL WAYS INTO CHRIST JESUS, WHO IS THE HEAD BY WHOM THE WHOLE BODY IS FITTED AND JOINED TOGETHER, EVERY JOINT ADDING ITS OWN STRENGTH, FOR EACH SEPARATE PART TO WORK ACCORDING TO IT FUNCTION. SO THE BODY GROWS UNTIL IT HAS BUILT ITSELF UP, IN LOVE." - EPHESIANS 4:15-16 -

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.

The coming of the kingdom of God - Luke 17:20-21 - N. T. - 

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, 'The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, "Look here! Look there!" For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.'

Cf. - Matthew 4:17 - N. T. - From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand'. 

Cf. - Luke 11:20 - 

Cf. - Matthew 3:1-3 - N. T. - In due course John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand'. This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said: A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his path straight. 

The day of the Son of Man - Luke 17:22-37 - N. T. -

Jesus said to the disciples, 'A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, "Look there!" or, "Look here!" Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.

'As it was in Noah's day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in Lot's day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, God rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed.

'When that day comes, anyone on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must mot come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back either. Remember Lot's wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe. I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed: one will be taken, the other left; two women will be grinding corn together: one will be taken, the other left. The disciples interrupted. Where, Lord?" they asked. Jesus said, 'Where the body is, there too will be the vultures gather'.

Cf. - Matthew 8:20-22 - N. T. - 'Master, I will follow you wherever you go'. Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head'. Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, 'Sir, let me go and bury my father first'. But Jesus replied, 'Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead'.

Cf. - John 8:56-59 - N. T. - Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad. The Jews then said, 'You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!' Jesus replied: 'I tell you most solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I AM'. 

Cf. - Matthew 24:23, 26-27, 15-22 - N. T. - 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.

Cf. - Mark 13:21-23, 14-23 - N. T. - And if anyone says to you then, "Look, here is the Christ" or, "Look, he is there", do not believe it; for false Christs and false prophets will arise and produce signs and portents to deceive the elect, if that were possible. You therefore must be on your guard. I have forewarned you of everything. 

Cf. - Luke 9:22+ - 

Cf. - Matthew 24:37-39 - N. T. - As it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went in the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away.

Cf. - Genesis chapter 6-8 - O. T. - Sons of God and daughters of men - THE FLOOD -

Cf. - Genesis 19:1-29 - O. T. - The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - 

Cf. - Luke 21:21; 9:24 - 

Cf. - Matthew 10:37-39 - N. T. - Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. 

Cf. - John 12:25-26 - N. T. - Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him. 

Cf. - Matthew 24:40-42; 24:28 - N. T. - Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes. Then two men in the fields one is taken, one left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left. So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. Wherever the corpse is, there will the vultures gather.                                                                 -  PAGE  56  -                                                                                                                                The unscrupulous judge and the importunate widow

Then Jesus told them a parable............           -  PAGE  57  -

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

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.

Just as God originally inspired the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, He has used this means to preserve His Word for future generations. But behind the writing lay periods of time when these messages were circulated in spoken form. [Oral Tradition] The stories of the patriarchs were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth before they were written. [Written Tradition] The messages of the prophets were delivered orally before they were fixed in writing. Narratives of the life and ministry of Christ Jesus were repeated orally for two or three decades before they were given written form.

It is true, God sent his word to the people of Israel, and it was to them that the Good News of peace was brought by Jesus Christ - But Jesus Christ is Lord of all men. - Acts 10:36 -

The Lord Jesus Christ, promised to us that our mission on this earth is really and utmost important for our own salvation.

"I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not be given repayment many times over in this present time, in the world to come, Eternal Life." - Luke 18:28-30 -

'Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?'

"Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He is like a man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built.

But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 -

IF WE LIVE BY THE TRUTH AND IN LOVE, WE SHALL GROW IN ALL WAYS INTO CHRIST JESUS, WHO IS THE HEAD BY WHOM THE WHOLE BODY IS FITTED AND JOINED TOGETHER, EVERY JOINT ADDING ITS OWN STRENGTH, FOR EACH SEPARATE PART TO WORK ACCORDING TO IT FUNCTION. SO THE BODY GROWS UNTIL IT HAS BUILT ITSELF UP, IN LOVE." - EPHESIANS 4:15-16 -

 

The power of faith - Luke 17:5-6 - N. T. -

The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith'. The Lord replied, 'Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea", and it would obey you.

Cf. - Matthew 17:19-20; 21:21 - N. T. - Then the disciples came privately to Jesus. 'Why were we unable to cast it out?' they asked. He answered, 'Because you have little faith. I tell you solemnly, if your faith were the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, "Move from here to there", and it would move; nothing would be impossible for you.' And if you have faith, everything you ask for in prayer you will receive.'

Cf. - Mark 11:23 - N. T. - Jesus answered, 'Have faith in God. I tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this mountain, "Get up and throw yourself into the sea", with no hesitation in his/her heart but believing that what he/she says will happen, it will be done for him/her.

Humble service - Luke 17:7-10 - N. T. - 

'Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, "Come and have a meal immediately"? Would he not be more likely to say, "Get mu supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards"? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, "We are merely servants; we have done no more than our duty".'

Cf. - John 13:3-5 - N. T. - Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up from the table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing.

Cf. - Job 22:3; 35:7 - O. T. - Does Shaddai derive any benefit from your integrity, or profit from your blameless conduct? If you are just, what do you give him, what benefit does he receive at your hands?

Cf. - Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 10:26 - O. T. - It is not right to despise a poor but intelligent man, and it is not good to honour a man who is a sinner.

The ten lepers - Luke 17:11-19 - N. T. -

Now on the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, 'Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.' When he saw them Jesus said, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests'. Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 

The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, 'Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.' And he said to the man, 'Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.'

Cf. - Luke 9:51+ - 

Cf. - John 4:9 - N. T. - Jesus disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to Jesus, 'What? You are a Jew and you ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink?' - Jews, in fact, do not associate with Samaritans.

Cf. - Leviticus 13:45-46 - O. T. - A man infected with leprosy must wear his clothing torn and his hair disordered; he must shield his upper lip and cry, "Unclean, unclean". As long as the disease lasts he must be unclean; and therefore he must live apart: he must live outside the camp. 

Cf. - Luke 5:14 - 

Cf. - Leviticus 14:1-32 - O. T. - Purification of lepers - Yahweh spoke to Moses; he said: 'This is the law to be applied to a leper on the day he is purified........... 'Such is the law concerning a person afflicted by leprosy who cannot afford the means for his purification.'

Cf. - Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:44; Matthew 8:1-4 - N. T. - After Jesus had come down from the mountain large crowds followed him. A leper now came up and bowed low in front of Jesus. 'Sir,' he said 'if you want to, you can cure me.' Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, 'Of course I want to! Be cured!' And his leprosy was cured at once. Then Jesus said to him, 'Mind you do not tell anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and make the offering prescribed by Moses, as evidence for them'. 

Cf. - Luke 2:20+, 9:53+, 10:33+ -

                                                          -  PAGE  55  -    

The coming of the kingdom of God     

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom...       -  PAGE  56  -

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

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.

Just as God originally inspired the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, He has used this means to preserve His Word for future generations. But behind the writing lay periods of time when these messages were circulated in spoken form. [Oral Tradition] The stories of the patriarchs were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth before they were written. [Written Tradition] The messages of the prophets were delivered orally before they were fixed in writing. Narratives of the life and ministry of Christ Jesus were repeated orally for two or three decades before they were given written form.

It is true, God sent his word to the people of Israel, and it was to them that the Good News of peace was brought by Jesus Christ - But Jesus Christ is Lord of all men. - Acts 10:36 -

The Lord Jesus Christ, promised to us that our mission on this earth is really and utmost important for our own salvation.

"I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not be given repayment many times over in this present time, in the world to come, Eternal Life." - Luke 18:28-30 -

'Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?'

"Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He is like a man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built.

But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 -

IF WE LIVE BY THE TRUTH AND IN LOVE, WE SHALL GROW IN ALL WAYS INTO CHRIST JESUS, WHO IS THE HEAD BY WHOM THE WHOLE BODY IS FITTED AND JOINED TOGETHER, EVERY JOINT ADDING ITS OWN STRENGTH, FOR EACH SEPARATE PART TO WORK ACCORDING TO IT FUNCTION. SO THE BODY GROWS UNTIL IT HAS BUILT ITSELF UP, IN LOVE." - EPHESIANS 4:15-16 -