The first appearance of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Upper Room was to only ten of the Apostles; Thomas was not present. He was not with the Apostles, but the Gospel assumes that he should have been with them. The reason of his absence is unknown; but likely it was because of his unbelief. In three different passages of the Gospel, Thomas is always portrayed as looking on the darker side of things, as regards both the present and the future.

When the news came to Our Lord Jesus about the death of Lazarus, Thomas wanted to go and to die with him. Later on, when Our Blessed Lord said that He would return again to the Father and prepare a place for His Apostles, Thomas' doleful answer was that he knew not where the Lord was going, nor did he himself know the way.

Immediately after the other apostles became convinced of the Resurrection and glory of Our Divine Savior, they brought to Thomas the tidings of the Resurrection. Thomas did not say he refused to believe, but that he was unable to believe until he had some experimental proof of the Resurrection, in spite of their testimony that they had seen the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. He enumerated the conditions of his belief:

Unless I see the mark of the nails on his hands, unless I put my finger into the place where the nails were, and my hands into his side, I will not believe it. - John 20:25 -

The disparity between those who believed and those who were unprepared for belief could be seen in the reception that ten got as they told Thomas of the resurrection. His refusal to trust the testimony of ten competent companions, who had seen the Risen Christ with their own eyes, proved how skeptical was the gloomy man. His, however, was not the frivolous skepticism of indifference or hostility to truth; he wanted knowledge in order to have faith. It was unlike the self-wise who want knowledge against faith. In one sense, his attitude was that scientific theologian who promotes knowledge and intelligence after having banished all doubt.

This is the only passage in Sacred Scripture where the word "nails" is used in connection with Our Savior, and which harkens back to the words of the Psalmist: "They pierced My hands and My feet." Thomas' doubts arose, for the most part, from his despondency and from the depressing influence of sorrow and isolation; for he was a man apart from his fellows. Sometimes a man who misses a meeting misses much. If the minutes of the first meeting were written they would have contained the tragic words of the Gospel: "Thomas was not there." Sunday was beginning to be the Lord's Day; for after eight days the Apostles were again assembled in the Upper Room, and Thomas was with them.

The doors still being closed, the Risen Christ stood in the midst of them and, for the third time, gave the salutation: Peace be with you! - John 20:19 -

Immediately upon speaking of peace, Our Divine Savior treated the subject on which peace rested, namely, His death and Resurrection. There was not the slightest trace of faultfinding with Peter at a later appearance by the Sea of Galilee. Thomas had asked for a proof based on the senses or the faculties that belong to the animal kingdom; and a proof of the senses would be given him. Our Lord Savior spoke to Thomas:

Reach your finger here; see my hands. Reach your hand here and put it into my side. Be unbelieving no longer, but believe. - John 20:27 -

He had once said that sinful and adulterous generation seek after a sign, and no sign would be given them other than the sign of Jonas/Jonah, the prophet. This was precisely the sign that was given to Thomas. The Lord Jesus knew of the skeptical words that Thomas had previously spoken to his fellow Apostles - another proof of His Omniscience. The wound in His side must have been very large, since He asked Thomas to put his hand into it; so also the wounds on His hands must have been large, as Thomas was bidden to substitute a finger for a nail. Thomas' doubts lingered longer than those of the others, and his extraordinary skepticism is an added proof of the reality of the Resurrection.

There was every reason to suppose that Thomas did as he was invited to do, just as there was every reason to suppose that the Ten Apostles had done precisely the same on the first Easter evening. The rebuking words of Our Lord to Thomas - to be doubting no longer - also contained an exhortation to believe and to shake off his gloom, which was his besetting sin.

Paul was not disobedient to the heavenly vision; neither was Thomas. The doubter was so convinced by positive proof that he became a worshiper. Throwing himself on his knees, he said to the Risen Savior: "My Lord and My God!" - John 20:28 -

In one burning utterance, Thomas gathered up all of the doubts of a depressed humanity to have them healed by the full implications of the exclamation, "My Lord and My God." It was an acknowledgement that the Emmanuel of Isaiah was before him. He, who was the last to believe, was the first to make the full confession of the Divinity of the Risen Savior. But since it came from evidence of flesh and blood, it was not followed by the blessing which was conferred on Peter when he acknowledged that He was the Son of the Living God. However, the Risen Savior said to Thomas:

Because you have seen me you have found faith. Happy are those who never saw me and yet have found faith. - John 20:29 -

There are some who will not believe even when they see, such as Pharaoh; others believe only when they see.  Above both these types the Lord God placed those who had not seen and yet believed. Noah had been warned by God of the things that had not yet come to pass; he believed as he prepared his ark. Abraham went out of his own home not knowing whither he went, but still trusting in the God who promised that he would be the father of a progeny more numerous that the sands of the seas. If Thomas had believed through the testimony of his fellow disciples, his faith in Christ would have been greater; for Thomas had often heard his Lord say that He would be crucified and rise again. He also knew from the Scriptures that the Crucifixion was the fulfillment of a prophecy, but he wanted the additional testimony of the senses.

Thomas thought that he was doing the right thing in demanding the full evidence of sensible proof; but what would become of future generations if the same evidence was to be demanded by them? The future believers, the Lord implied, must accept the fact of the Resurrection from those who had been with Him. Our Lord thus pictured the faith of believers after the apostolic age when there would be none who would have seen it; but their faith would have a foundation because the Apostles themselves had seen the Risen Christ.

They saw that the faithful might be able to do so without seeing, believing on their testimony. The Apostles were happy men. not just because they had seen Our Lord and believed; they were far happier when they fully understood the mystery of Redemption and so lived in it, and even had their throats cut for the reality of the Resurrection. Some gratitude must always, however, be credited to Thomas, who touched Christ as a man, but believed in Him as God.

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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 -

Murder refers to the unlawful killing of one person by another, especially with premeditated malice. After the Fall in the Garden of Eden. - Gen. 3:1-24 - It was not long before the first murder occurred, as Cain killed Abel his brother. - Gen. 4:8 -

Mankind is created in God's image and likeness. - Gen. 1:26-27 - Murdering a human being, therefore, is a serious crime and must be punished. - Gen. 9:6 - One of the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament states, "You shall not kill/murder" - Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17 - This commandment is quoted several times in the New Testament. - Matt. 19:18; Luke 18:20; Rom. 13:9 -

Although a compensation - a 'ransom' or payment of money - could be made for some crimes, this was not so in the case of murder or killing. The "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" law held that an appropriate punishment must be given for a crime, but that the punishment must not be greater than the crime.

In any case of homicide, the evidence of witnesses must determine whether the murderer is to be put to death; but the evidence of a single witness is not sufficient to uphold a capital charge. You are not to accept ransom for the life of a murderer condemned to death; he must die. - Num. 35:30-31 - Deut. 19:21 - Ex. 21:22-25 -

In the Old Testament, and in according to the Law of Moses, the person responsible for carrying out the death penalty, in revenge for a murder, was called the go'el or Kinsman Redeemer. He was the able bodied male most closely related to the person who had been murdered. The normal means of execution apparently was stoning; the body was then hung on a tree. A person who had accidentally killed another might flee to a City of Refuge for safety and protection.

Then all his fellow citizens shall stone him to death. You must banish this evil from your midst. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid. If a man guilty of a capital offence is put to death and you hang him on a tree, his body must not remain on the tree overnight; you must bury him the same day. for one who has been hanged is accursed of God, and you must not defile the land that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance. - Deut. 21;21-23 -

In the New Testament, Jesus deepened the Old Testament teaching about murder or killing by giving it a spiritual dimension. Whoever harbors anger and hatred against his brothers/sisters is in danger of God's judgment. Murder begins in the heart - one's thoughts and meditations - and proceeds out of the heart.

Can you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes through the stomach and is discharged into the sewer? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and it is these that make a man unclean. For from the heart come evil intentions: murder, adultery, fornication, theft, perjury, slander. - Matt. 15:17-19 -

For it is from within, from men hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. - Mark 7:21-22 -

By the grace of God, even murder can be forgiven. Before his conversion of heart, Saul of Tarsus launched threats and murder against the disciples, followers, believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, but by the forgiveness and grace of God he was converted and became Paul the apostle, missionary to the Gentiles.

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And I tell you, everyone of men sins and blasphemies will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And anyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but let anyone speak against the Holy Spirit and he will not be forgiven either in this world or in the next. - Matt. 12:30-32 -

'I tell you most solemnly, all men sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.' - Mark 3:28-29 -

Everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. - Luke 12:10 -

... The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul........ Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church: he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.  - Acts 7:55-60, 8:1-3 -

Meanwhile Saul was still breathing threats to slaughter the Lord's disciples............ - Acts 9:1-30 -

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.............who had heard nothing except that their one-time persecutor was now preaching the faith he had previously tried to destroy; and they gave glory to God for me. - Gal. 1: 11-24 -

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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 -

In ancient times, a curse was considered to be more than a mere wish that evil would befall one's enemies; its was believed to possess the power to bring about evil the cursor spoke, a prayer of injury, harm, or misfortune to befall someone.

In the account of the temptation and the Fall, God's Himself is described as cursing the serpent, as well as the ground. - Gen. 3:14-17 - Although the word curse is not used directly of Adam and Eve, the woman/female is sentenced to pain in childbirth and the man/male is condemned to earn his living by the sweat of his face.

Noah, for instance, pronounced a curse on Canaan. Isaac pronounced a curse on anyone who cursed Jacob. - Gen. 9:25-29 - The soothsayer Balaam was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to pronounced a curse on the Israelites. - Num. 22-24 - Goliath, the Philistine cursed David by his gods. - 1Sam. 17:43 -

In the New Testament, a lot of readers grossly mistaken, Matthew 21:17-22 and Mark 11:12-14, that Jesus pronounced a curse on someone, or a person, but it is not, Jesus is actually demonstrated that He is fully human and fully divine by using practical analogy; giving order to a fig tree and it obeyed, and He tell us solemnly, if we have faith, everything we ask for in prayer we will receive.

As he was returning to the city in the early morning, he felt hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it but leaves. And he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again'; and at that instant the fig tree withered. The disciples were amazed when they saw it. 'What happened to the tree' they said 'that withered there and then?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you solemnly, if you have faith and do not doubt at all, not only will you do what I have done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, "Get up and throw yourself into the sea" it will be done. And if you have faith, everything you ask for in prayer you will receive.' - Matt. 21:18-22 -

Next day as they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry. Seeing a fig tree in leaf some distance away, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it, but when he came up to it he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. And he addressed the fig tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again' he said. And his disciples heard him say this. - Mark 11:12-14 -

Jesus also taught His disciples, believers and followers how to deal with curses: "But I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly." - Luke 6:27-28 - Matt. 5:43-44 -

Finally: you should all agree among yourselves and be sympathetic; love the brothers, have compassion and be self-effacing. Never pay back one wrong with another, or an angry word with another one; instead pay back with a blessing. That is what you are called to do, so that you inherit a blessing yourself. - 1Peter 3:8-9 -

Saint Paul's spoke of the Law as a curse because it pronounces a curse upon everyone, who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the Law, to do them. By the grace of God, however, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law.

On the other hand, those who rely on the keeping of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in observing everything prescribed in the book of the Law. The Law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told: the righteous man finds life through faith. The law is not even based on faith, since we are told: The man who practices these precepts finds life through practicing them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree. This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit. - Gal. 3:10-14 -

John's promised that the day is coming when there shall be no more curse; all those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will enjoy the abundant blessings of God. "The ban will be lifted." - Rev. 22:3 -

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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 account of the Fall in the Garden of Eden. - Gen. 3:1-24 - The disobedience and sin of Adam and Eve that caused them to lose the state of innocence in which they had been created. This event plunged them and all of mankind into a state of sin and corruption.

Adam and Eve was created by God in a state of sinless perfection so they could glorify God, reflecting His righteousness and Holiness on the earth, and enjoy fellowship and union with Him. They calling was to exercise dominion or control, over God's creation through their own labors and those of their offspring in faithful response to the word of God. As a specific test of this loyalty, God commanded them not to eat of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." - Gen. 2:17 - Adam and Eve were to demonstrate their willingness to live "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." God warned them clearly that their disobedience would result in death.

Remember how Yahweh your God led you for forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, to test you and know your inmost heart - whether you would keep his commandments or not. He humbled you, he made you feel hungry, he fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to make you understand that man does not live on bread alone but that man lives on everything that comes from the mouth of Yahweh. - Deut. 8:2-3 -

'If you are Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.' But he replied, 'Scripture says:

             Man does not live on bread alone
             but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' - Matt. 3:3-4 -

The fall from the original state of innocence occurred when Satan approached Eve through the serpent, who tempted her to eat of the forbidden fruit. Satan called into question the truthfulness of what God had spoken about the tree and its significance. He urged Eve to discover, through trail and error, whether it was her best interest to do what God had forbidden. Eve's sin did not consist of being tempted but in believing and acting on Satan's lie. Her rejection of God's command occurred when she ate of the forbidden fruit and persuaded her husband to do the same thing. The term Fall should not be interpreted to suggest that their sin was accidental. The temptation was purposeful, and their submission to it involved their willing consent.

The immediate consequence of the Fall was death, symbolized by their loss of fellowship with God. For the first time, Adam and Eve experienced fear in the presence of the Lord God; and they hid when He approached. - Gen. 3:8-10 - Because of their unbelief and rebellion, they were driven from the garden that God had provided as their home. From that time on, man would experience pain and encounter resistance as he worked at the task of earning his daily bread. Physical death, with the decay of the body, is not a natural process. It entered the human experience as God's curse upon sin.

Adam and Eve did not sin simply as private persons, but as the representatives of all human members of the human race. Their sin is the sin of all; and all persons receive from them a corrupt nature. It is this nature that stands behind all personal violations of the Lord commandments. For this reason, the fall of Adam is the fall of the human race.

Saint Paul thought of Jesus Christ as the second Adam who would rebuild the old, sinful Adam through His plan of redemption and salvation. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet. _Though when it is said that everything is subjected, this clearly cannot include the One who subjected everything to him. And when everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subject in his turn to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all. - 1Cor. 15:22-28 -

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 -

We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him. We can tell you this from the Lord's teaching, that any of us who are left alive until the Lord's coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. So we shall stay with the Lord forever. With such thoughts as these you should comfort one another. - 1Thess. 4:13-18 -

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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 -

Seed is a fertilized and ripened egg cell of a plant, capable of sprouting to produce a new plant. The word seed is used figuratively in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible to express several important truths. It refers to human descendants or offspring.

Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no child......................The angel of Yahweh said to her, 'Go back to your mistress and submit to her.' The angel of Yahweh said to her, I will make your descendants too numerous to be counted.' Then the angel of Yahweh said to her: 'Now you have conceived, and you will bear a son, and you shall name him Ishmael. - Gen.16:1-11 -

God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah. I will bless her and moreover give you a son by her; kings of peoples shall descend from her. Abraham bowed to the ground, and he laughed, thinking to himself, 'Is a child to be born to a man one hundred years old, and will Sarah have a child at the age of ninety?' Abraham said to God, 'Oh, let Ishmael live in your presence!' But God replied, 'No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son whom you are to name Isaac. With him I will establish my Covenant, a Covenant in perpetuity, to be his God and the God of his descendants after him. For Ishmael too I grant you your request: I bless him and I will make him fruitful and greatly increased in numbers. He shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But my Covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear you at this time next year.' When he had finished speaking to Abraham God went up from him. - Gen. 17:15-27 -

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Then Sarah said, 'God has given me cause to laugh; all those who hear of it will laugh with me.' She added:

                                                                'Who would have told Abraham
                                                                that Sarah would nurse children!
                                                                Yet I have borne him a child in his old age.'

The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham gave a great banquet on the day Isaac was weaned. Now Sarah watched the son that Hagar [the slave-girl] the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 'Drive away that slave-girl and her son' she said to Abraham; 'this slave-girl's son is not to share the inheritance with my son Isaac.' This greatly distressed Abraham because of his son, but God said to him, 'Do not distress yourself on account of the boy and your slave-girl. Grant Sarah all she asks of you, for it is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. But the slave-girl's son I will also make into a nation, for he is your child too.' Rising early next morning Abraham took some bread and a skin of water and giving them to Hagar, he put the child on her shoulder and sent her away.

She wandered off into the wilderness of Beersheba. When the skin of water was finished she abandoned the child under a bush. Then she went and sat down at a distance, about a bow shot away, saying to herself. 'I cannot see the child die.' So she sat at a distance; and the child wailed and wept.

But God heard the boy wailing, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. 'What is wrong, Hagar?' he asked. 'Do not be afraid, for God has heard the boy's cry where he lies. Come pick up the boy and hold him safe, for I will make him a great nation.' Then God opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well, so she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

God was with the boy. He grew up and made his home in the wilderness, and he became a bowman. He made his home in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother chose him a wife from the land of Egypt. - Gen. 21:5-21 -

Saint Paul explained that the seed of Abraham not only referred to his physical descendants, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, and he went even further, stating that Abraham's seed is Jesus Christ rather than the nation of Israel.

That is why what fulfils the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and be available to all of Abraham 's descendants, not only those who belong to the Law but also those who belong to the faith of Abraham who is the father of all of us. As scripture says: I have made you the ancestors of many nations - Rom. 4:16 -

It was through his faith Noah, when he had been warned by God of something that had never been seen before, felt a holy fear and built an ark to save his family....... By faith he arrived, as a foreigner, in the Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. - Heb. 11:7-9 -

Compare this, brothers, with what happens in ordinary life. If a will has been drawn up in due form, no one is allowed to disregard it or add to it. Now the promises were addressed to Abraham and to his descendants - notice, in passing, that scripture does not use a plural word as if there were several descendants, it uses the singular: to his posterity, which is Christ. - Gal. 3:15-16 -

Jesus often used the imagery of seeds in His parables. In the New Testament, the Gospel according to Saint Matthew in Chapter 13:1-32, Jesus told three different parables involving seeds: the parable of the sower, the parable of the darnel, the parable of the mustard seed. The Lord Jesus Christ compared His own death and resurrection in a figuratively sense to the sowing of the seeds. Saint Paul's confirmed it.

Jesus replied to them:

                                 Now the hour has come
                                 for the Son of Man to be glorified.
                                 I tell you, most solemnly,
                                 unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies,
                                 it remains only a single grain;
                                 but if it dies,
                                 it yields a rich harvest. - John 12:23-24 -

Someone may ask, 'How are dead people raised, and what sort of body do they have when they come back?' They are stupid questions. Whatever you sow in the ground has to die before it is given new life and the thing that you sow is not what is going to come; you sow a bare grain, say of wheat or something like that, and then God gives it the sort of body that he has chosen: each sort of seed gets its own sort of body. - 1Cor. 15:35-38 -

Don't delude yourself into thinking God can be cheated: when a man sows, there he reaps: if he sows in the field of self-indulgence he will get a harvest of corruption out of it; if he sows in the field of the Spirit he will get from it a harvest of eternal life. - Gal. 6:7-8 -

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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 -

The Greek word for trance literally means 'standing outside' or 'being put outside' of one's normal state of mind. Thus, trance is an ecstatic state of mind that gives a person a sense of detachment from his physical surroundings. Apostle Peter had been in prayer when he 'fell into a trance' receiving the vision indicating that the Gentiles were to be included in the Christian community as well.

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 led down to earth by its four corners; its contained every possible sort of animal and bird, walking, crawling or flying ones. - Acts 10:9-12 -

While Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit came down on all the listeners, Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit should be poured out on the pagans too, since they could hear them speaking strange languages and proclaiming the greatness of God. Peter himself then said, 'Could anyone refuse the water of baptism to these people, now they have received the Holy Spirit just as much as we have?' - Acts 10:44-47 -

In the defense to the people in Jerusalem, the apostle Paul declared that after his conversion by the Lord Jesus Christ, he fell into a trance and Christ commanded him to leave the city and evangelize the Gentiles.

Apostle Paul vision on the way to Damascus, and just before he reached the city, there came a light from heaven all round him. He fell to the ground, and then he heard a voice saying,  'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' he asked, and the voice answered, 'I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.' - Acts 9:1-19 -

'Once, after I had got back to Jerusalem, when I was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance and then I saw him, "Hurry" he said, "leave Jerusalem at once; they will not accept the testimony you are giving about me." Lord, I answered, it is because they know that I used to go from synagogue to synagogue, imprisoning and flogging those who believed in you; and that when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing by in full agreement with his murderers, and minding their clothes. Then he said to me, "Go! I am sending you out to the pagans far away." - Acts 22:17-21 -

The trances of apostle Peter and apostle Paul involved their seeing and hearing senses. They saw and heard the Lord speaking to them. Both trances took place as they were in prayer, and both cases the recipients were awake. Neither trance was self-induced; God revealed Himself in both.

The apostle Paul experience recorded in 2Corinthians 12:2-4 - "I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago, was caught up - whether still in the body or out of the body. I do not know; God knows - right into the third heaven. I do know, however, that this same person - whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows - was caught up into paradise and heard things which must not and cannot be put into human language." - and John's experience of being "in the Spirit" are other examples of the revelation trances in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible. - "My name is John, and through our union in Jesus I am your brother and share your sufferings, your kingdom, and all you endure. I was on the island of Patmos for having preached God's word and witnessed for Jesus; it was the Lord's day and the Spirit possessed me, and I heard a voice behind me, shouting like a trumpet.'Write down all that you see in a book, - Rev. 1:9-10 -

In the Old Testament, the word translated as blindness suggests that God caused a trance-like state to fall on the men at Lot's house and on the Syrians. Trances are experiences through which God communicates His will and purpose to man.

But the men reached out, pull Lot back and moved forward to break down the door. And they struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, from youngest to the oldest, and they never found the doorway. - Gen. 19:10-11 -

As the Aramaeans came down towards him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh, 'I beg you to strike this people with blindness.' And at the word of Elisha he struck them blind. - 2Kings 6:18 -

                                                                      Page 1
 If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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


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

Some of the psalms written by David grew out of specific experiences in his life. For example, Psalm 3 is described as "a Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son" [see also 51, 52, 54, 56, 57,59] But others seem to be general psalms that arouse from no specific life situation [53,55,58] Knowing the particular historical background of a psalm can help to interpret it correctly and apply its message to life today.

We may think of the psalms as a description of human response to God. At times God is presented in all His majesty and glory. Our response is wonder, awe, and fear: "Sing to God, you kingdom of the earth." - Ps. 68:32 - But other psalms portray God as a loving Lord who is involved in our lives. Our response in these cases is to draw close to His comfort and security: "I will fear no evil; for You are with me." - Ps. 23:4 - God is the same Lord in both these psalms. But we response to Him in a different ways, according to the specific needs of our lives. What a marvelous God we worship, the psalmist declares - One who is high and lifted up beyond our human experiences but also one who is close enough to touch and who walks beside us along life's way.

Other psalms might be described as outcries against God and the circumstances of life rather than responses to God because of His glory and His presence in our lives. The psalmist admits he sometimes feels abandoned by God as well as his human friends - Ps. 88 - He agonizes over the lies directed against him by his false accusers. - Ps. 109 - He calls upon God to deliver him from his enemies and to wipe them out with His wrath.  - Ps. 59 - Whatever else we may say about the psalms, we must admit they are realistic about human feelings and the way we sometimes respond to the problems and inequities of life.

But even in these strong psalms of lament, the psalmist is never totally engulfed by a feeling of despair. The fact that he uttered his protest to the Lord is a sign of hope in God and His sense of justice. This has a significant message for all believers. We can bring all our feelings to God, no matter how negative or complaining they may be. And we can rest assured that He will hear and understand. The psalmist teaches us that the most profound prayer of all is a cry for help as we find ourselves overwhelmed by the problems of life.

The psalms also have a great deal to say about the person and work of Christ. Psalm 22 contains a remarkable prophecy of the crucifixion of the Savior. Jesus quoted from this psalm as He was dying on the cross. - Ps. 22;1; Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34 - Other statements about the Messiah from the psalms that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus include these predictions: "You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and forever." - Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6 - "He would pray for His enemies." - Ps.109:4; Luke 23:34 - "His throne would be established forever." - Ps. 45:6; Heb. 1:8 -

The Book of Psalms is the best example in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible of the nature of Hebrew poetry. The principle upon which this poetry is based is not rhythm or rhyme but parallelism. In parallelism, one phrase is followed by another that says essentially the same thing but in a more creative, expressive way. Here is a good example of this poetic technique:

                                       The Lord of hosts is with us;
                                       The God of Jacob is our refuge. - Ps. 46:11 -

This example is known as synonymous parallelism because the second phrase expresses the same thought as the first. But sometimes the succeeding line introduces a thought that is directly opposite to the first idea. This is known as antithetic parallelism. Here is a familiar couplet that demonstrates this form:

                                        For Yahweh takes care of the way the virtuous go,
                                        But the way of the wicked is doomed. - Ps. 1:6 -

A third kind of parallelism in Hebrew poetry may be called progressive or climbing - in which part of the first line is repeated in the second but also something more is added. For example:

                                         Yahweh, the rivers raise,
                                          the rivers raise their voices,
                                          the rivers raise their thunders; - Ps. 93:3 -

Another literacy device which the Hebrew writers used to give their psalms a peculiar style and rhythm was the alphabetical acrostic. The best example of this technique is Psalm 119 - the longest in the collection - which contains 22 different sections of eight verses each. Each major section is headed by a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the original language, each verse in these major divisions of the psalm begins with the Hebrew letter appears as the heading for that section. Many modern translations of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible include these Hebrew letters as a part of the structure of this psalm. Writing this poem with such a structure required a high degree of literary skill.

The peculiar poetic structure of the 150 psalms make them ideal for believers who like to create their own devotional exercises. You can easily combine the lines from many different psalms into a fresh, authentic expression of praise to God. Here is an example of such a combined psalm:
                                     
                                       Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
                                        For His mercy endures forever. - Ps. 136:1 -
                                                                 
                                        He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
                                        Nor punished us according to our iniquities. - Ps. 103;10 -

More example of such a combined psalm can be found in Ps. 61:5, Ps. 93:5, 90:12, 111:10, and 136:26.

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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 -