Sabbath refers to the practice of observing one day in seven as a time for rest and worship. This practice apparently originated in creation because God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh - Genesis 1 - By this act, God ordained a pattern for living - that man should work six days each week at subduing and ruling the creation and should rest one day a week. This is the understanding of the creation set forth by Moses in Exodus 20:1-21 (Ten Commandments).

During the period between the Old and New Testaments, Jewish religious leaders added greatly to the details of Sabbath legislation. They sought to insure proper and careful observance by making certain that people did not even come close to violating it. This substituted human law for divine law and make law a burden rather than a rest and delight, and reduced the Sabbath to little more than an external observance. Jesus, like the Old Testament prophets, kept the Sabbath Himself and urged others to observe the day. But He condemned the Pharisees attitude that missed the deep spiritual truth behind Sabbath observance.

Hypocrites! It was you Isaiah meant when he so rightly prophesied:
This people honours me only in lip service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless;
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. - Matt. 15:8-9 -

A lawyer then spoke up. 'Master', he said 'when you speak like this you insults us too'. 'Alas for you lawyers also, he replied 'because you load on men burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift. - Luke 11:45-46 -

At that time Jesus......... For the Son of Man is master of the Sabbath. - Matt. 12:1-8 -

Jesus came to Nazara, where he had been brought up and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. - Luke 4:16 -

And Jesus said to them, 'The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath'. - Mark 2:27-28 - Matt. 12:14; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1-11; John 5:1-18 -

Many Christians feel that God still expects His people to set aside one day in seven to Him. They argue that such an observance is a creation ordinance which is binding until this creation comes to an end and our ultimate rest as Christians is realized in heaven. - Heb. 4 - They also believed that as part of the moral system known as the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath is morally binding upon all people for all all time. Historically, Christians of this persuasion usually observe Sunday, the first day of the week, as Christian Sabbath. They note that Christ arouse on the first day of the week. - Matt. 28:1 - And thereafter, the New Testament Church regularly worshiped on Sunday. This day on which Jesus arouse was called the LORD'S DAY. - Acts 20:7; 1Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10 -

The Sabbath is a means by which man's living pattern imitates God's. - Ex. 20:3-11 - Work is followed by rest. This idea is expressed by the Hebrew word for Sabbath which means "cessation". Sabbath rest is also a time for God's people to think about and enjoy what God has accomplished. Another Hebrew word meaning "rest" embodies this idea. God's people are directed to keep the Sabbath because God delivered and redeemed His people from the bondage in Egypt. Thus, the Sabbath is an ordinance that relates redemption directly to history.

Sabbath rest holds promise of the ultimate salvation that God will accomplish for His people. As certainly as He delivered them from Egypt from Moses, so will He deliver His people from sin at the end of the age through the Great Redeemer. - Heb. 4 -

Finally, the Sabbath includes the idea and practice of celebrating rest or salvation. To this end, God declared that His Sabbath was a day for public convocation, a special time for His people to gather together in public worship to signify their submission to His lordship over them and their way of living. The Sabbath celebration includes the Sabbath as a Sacrament - a gift of God that allows man to enter into God's rest (salvation).
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By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
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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 -

'The fullness of Christ' means that state of Christian maturity in which believers are no longer children or tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine at the mercy of all the tricks men play and the cleverness in practising deceit. The apostle Paul used the phrase 'all the fullness of God', to show that Christ embodied the love of God.

Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong so that Christ may live in your hearts through, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breath and the length, the height and the depth until knowing the love of Christ which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God. - Eph. 3:16-19 -

Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would:

When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners, he gave gifts to men. When it says, 'he ascended' what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself. - Eph. 4:7-13 -

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joints adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love. - Eph. 4:15-16 -

The Lord Jesus Christ possesses the complete fullness of God's divine nature and attributes. "Christ alone is the true head of men and angels".

In his body lives the fullness of divinity and in him you too find your own fulfillment, in the one who is the head of every Sovereignty and Power. - Col. 2:9-10 -

There are other practical implications of the fullness of Christ. Knowing that He has been made full and 'complete' in Christ, each Christian must be willing to accept whatever edifying suffering God may send to 'fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ'.

It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church. - Col. 1:24 -

                                                                      Page 1

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

Contentment is not an innate virtue. It is acquired through great resolution and diligence in conquering unruly desires; hence it is an art which few study. Because there are millions of discontented souls in the world today, it might be helpful for them to analyze the four main causes of discontent and to suggest means to contentment.

The principal cause of discontent is 'egotism' or 'selfishness' which sets the self up as a primary planet around which everyone else must revolve. The second cause of discontent is 'envy' which makes us regard the possessions and the talents of others as if they were stolen from us. The third cause is 'covetousness' or 'inordinate desire to have more' in order to compensate for the emptiness of our heart. The fourth cause of discontent is 'jealousy' which is sometimes occasioned through melancholia and sadness and at other times by a hatred of those who have what we wish for ourselves.

One of the greatest mistakes is to think that contentment comes from something outside us rather than from a quality of the soul. There was once a boy who only wanted marble; when he had a marble, he only wanted a ball; when he had a ball, he only wanted top; when he had a top, he only wanted a kite, and when he had the marble, the ball, the top and the kite, he still was not happy. Trying to make a discontented person happy is like trying to fill a sieve with water. However much you pour into it, it runs out too rapidly for you to catch up.

Nor is contentment to be found in an exchange of places. There are some who believe that if they were in a different part of the earth they would have a greater peace of soul. A goldfish, in a globe of water, and a canary in a cage, on a hot day, began talking. The fish said: "I wish I could swing like that canary; I'd like to be up there in that cage". And the canary said: "Oh, how nice to be down in that cool water where the fish is". Suddenly a voice said: "Canary, go down to the water! Fish, go up to the cage!" Immediately, they exchanged places but neither was happy because God originally had given each a place according to his ability, one that best suited his own nature.

The condition of our contentment is to be contained, to recognize limits. Whatever is within limits is likely to be quiet. A walled garden is one of the quietest places in the world; the world is shut out, and through its gates one can look upon it with the affection of distance, borrowing enchantment from it. So, if the soul of man is kept within limits (that is to say, not avaricious, greedy, over-reacting or selfish) it is too, is shut into a calm, quiet, sunny contentment. Contented man, limited and bound by circumstances, makes those very limits the cure of his restlessness. It is not to the point whether a garden has one acre or three, or whether or not it has a wall: what matters is that we shall live within its bounds whether they be large or small, in order that we can possess a quiet spirit and a happy heart.

Contentment, therefore, comes in part from faith - that is, from knowing the purpose of life and being assured that whatever the trails are, they come from the hand of a loving Father. Secondly, in order to have contentment one must also have a 'good conscience'. If the inner self is unhappy because of moral failures and unatoned guilt, then nothing external can give rest to the spirit. A third and final need is 'mortification of desires' the limitation of delights. What we over-love, we often over-grieve. Contentment enhances our enjoyment and diminishes our misery. All evils become lighter if we endure them patiently but the greatest benefits can be poisoned by discontent. The miseries of life are sufficiently deep and extensive without our adding to them unnecessarily.

Contentment with our worldly condition is not in consistent with the desire for betterment. To the poorest man, Christianity says not to be merely content but "be diligent in business". The contentment enjoined is for the time being. Man is poor today and for this day, faith enjoins him to be satisfied; but deliverance from his poverty may be best for tomorrow and therefore the poor man works for his increased prosperity. he may not succeed; if his poverty continues for another day, he accepts it, and then proceeds until relief comes. Thus, contentment is relative to the entire demands of our nature. A contented man is never poor though he has very, very little. The discontented man is never rich, let him have so very much.

BY ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN - (1895 to 1979)

                                                                        Page 1

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

It is faith that enlivens hope and love. It is hope that enlivens faith and love too. Love also enlivens faith and hope. Without faith, the other two things (hope and love) will not last and may become hard and obligatory. Without hope, the other two things (faith and love) will not last and may become hard and obligatory. Without love, the other two things (faith and hope) will not last and may become hard and intolerable.

Hence, it is connected with the future. It could be health, success, a good career, a happy relationship, inner freedom, unity, prosperity, liberation for the oppressed and peace among nations. In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love. It is inseparable.

We place our faith, hope and love in God who cannot let us down because He loves us unconditionally unless we reject Him and unrepentant.

We may be unfaithful but he is always faithful,
for he cannot disown his own self. - 2Tim. 1:13 -

God has chosen to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to true religion; and to give them the hope of the eternal life that was promised so long ago by God. - Titus 1:2 -

In the same way when God wanted to make the heirs to the promise thoroughly realise that his purpose was unalterable, he conveyed this by an oath; so that there would be two unalterable things in which it was impossible for God to be lying, and so that we, now we have found safety, should have a strong encouragement to take a firm grip on the hope that is held out to us. - Heb. 6:17-18 -

For Christians, there is an additional ground for our hope. Through his resurrection Jesus conquers death, sin and evil; the very moment of what appeared defeat and failure is transformed into triumph and glory. Like faith and love, hope is not something personal, to be cultivated in our hearts; it has to come out and affect our relationships and our surroundings. Faith, hope and love is a constant challenge. Though we know that God will always be faithful to his promises, we also know that we are weak and prone to waver. God's promises of salvation always take the form of invitation, never of compulsion...He invites, persuades and coaxes but he never forces...

Though it seemed Abraham's hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed, and through doing so he did become 'the father of many nations' exactly as he had been promised: 'Your descendants will be as many as the stars'. Even the thought that his was past fatherhood - he was about a hundred years old - and Sarah too old to become a mother, did he not shake his belief. Since God had promised it, Abraham refused either to deny it or even doubt it but drew strength from faith and gave glory to God, convinced that God had power to do what he had promised.

This is the faith that was 'considered justifying him'. Scripture however, does not refer only to him but to us as well when it says that his faith was thus 'considered'; our faith too will be 'considered' if we believed in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, Jesus who was put to death for our sins and raised to life to justify us. - Rom. 4:18-25 -

                                                              Page 1

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

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

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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

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

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

Introduction to the book of Revelation. A 'Revelation' (called Apocalypse, from the Greek term) literary form; apocalyptic writing was very popular in some Jewish circles at the beginning of the Christian era. The framework of a Revelation is always a vision of hidden supernatural events; the language in which the vision is described is richly symbolic and so allusive that the message can be interpreted in more ways than one. Its date is generally estimated as A,D. 95 or shortly before A.D. 70.

Thus the Book of Revelation is not to be accepted simply as an allegory which can be directly translated into other terms. It contains the author's vision of heaven and of the vindication of the Christian martyrs in the world to come but it must be understood first and foremost as a tract for the times, written to increase the hope and determination of the Church on earth in a period of disturbance and bitter persecution, and prophesying the certain downfall and destruction of the Roman imperial power.

The imagery, largely drawn from the Old Testament, especially Daniel, allows the author to allude to the enemy, Rome, under the disguise of the old enemy, Babylon;and to present the happenings of his own day, seen by their reflections in the heavens, as recapitulations or fulfillment of the great events of Israel's.

Why was apocalyptic literature written in such imagery? One reason is that these books were written in dangerous times when it was safer to hide one's message in images than to speak plainly. Moreover, the symbolism preserved an element of mystery about details of time and place. The purpose of such imagery and symbolism, however, was not to confuse but to inform and strengthen believers in the face of persecution.

REVELATION - (1) Prologue - The Letters To The Churches Of Asia - Address and greeting - The beginning of the vision - 1. Ephesus - 2. Smyrna - 3. Pergamum - 4. Thyatira - 5. Sardis - 6. Philadelphia - 7. Laodicea - Chapter 1 to 3 - (2) The Prophetic Visions - The prelude of the great day - God entrusts the future of the world to the Lamb - The Lamb breaks the seven seals - God's servants will be preserved - The rewarding of the saints - The seventh seal - The prayers of the saints bring the coming of the Great Day nearer - The first four trumpets - The fifth trumpet - The sixth trumpet - The imminence of the last punishment - The seer eats the small scroll - The two witnesses -

The seventh trumpet - The vision of the woman and the dragon - The dragon delegates his power to the beast - The false prophet as the slave of the beast - The companions of the Lamb - Angels announce the day of Judgment - The harvest and vintage of the pagans - The hymn of Moses and the Lamb - The seven bowls of plagues - Chapter 4 to 16 - (3) The Punishment Of Babylon - The famous prostitute - The symbolism of the beast and the prostitute - An angel announces the fall of Babylon - The people of God summoned away - The people of the world mourn for Babylon - Songs of victory in heaven - Chapter 17 to 19 - (4) The Destruction Of The Pagan Nations - The first battle of the End - The reign of a thousand years - The second battle of the End - The punishment of the pagans - Chapter 19 to 20 - (5) The Jerusalem Of The Future - The heavenly Jerusalem - The messianic Jerusalem - Epilogue -

In summary : An encouraging prophecy of the final days and God's ultimate triumph.

                                                                 Page 46

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 -

1John, 2John, 3John - The three letters are like the gospel in style and doctrine. The first, an encyclical letter to the Christian communities of "Asia", summarises the whole content of John's religious experience and develops themes from the gospel, for churches threatened with disintegration under the impact of the early heresies. The second letter was written to a church in answer to some who had denied the reality of the Incarnation. The third, which is probably the earliest in date, was written to settle a dispute on jurisdiction in one of the churches acknowledging John's authority.

1JOHN - (1) Introduction - The incarnate Word - Walk in the Light - First condition: break with sin - Second condition: keep the commandments, especially the law of love - Third condition: detachment from the world - Fourth condition: be on guard against the enemies of Christ - Chapter 1 to 2 - (2) Live as God's Children - First condition: break with sin - Second condition: keep the commandments, especially the law of love - Third condition: be on guard against the enemies of Christ - Chapter 3 to 4 - (3) Love and Faith - Love - Faith - Conclusion - Prayer for sinners - Summary of the letter - Chapter 4 to 5 - In summary : John's reminder of the full humanity and divinity of Christ -

2JOHN - (1) The law of love - The enemies of Christ - In summary : John's letter of encouragement and approval -

3JOHN - (1) Beware of the example of Diotrephes - Commendation of Demetrius - Epilogue - In summary : John's personal note of appreciation to Gaius. And successively develop the parallel themes of light, righteousness, love and truth and to show how we are children of God.

Jude - This is also a letter to Jewish Christians probably written between A.D. 70 and 80. Jude's purpose in writing this letter is to denounce the false teachers who are a danger to Christian faith. He threatens them with the divine punishments familiar from Jewish tradition and also seems to base his description of their false teaching on the same traditions. He accuses them of irreligious and immorality in particular of blasphemies against the Lord Jesus Christ and the angels.

JUDE - (1) Address - The reason for this letter - The false teachers: the certainty of their punishment - Their violent language - Their vicious behaviour - A warning - The duties of love - Doxology -

In summary : A strong warning against false teachers and false prophets.

                                                                Page 45

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 -

1Peter. 2Peter - Two of these 'universal' letters are attributed to Peter. 1Peter introduces the name of the apostle in the opening verse - 1:1 - 1Peter has from the earliest times been accepted as written by the apostle though it may not have been first composed as a single letter. It is addressed to Christian Church, largely made up of converts from paganism and is in quite good Greek, perhaps, through the help of the disciple Silvanus mentioned in it as secretary . The letter reflects a time of trail through which the churches were passing and contains much practical teaching under the dominating theme of fortitude in persecution.

The purpose of the letter is to help its readers' faith in a time of trail. Some critics think this may refer to a persecution under Domitian or Trajan which would date the letter much later than Peter; but the allusions in the letter are not strong enough to make this conclusion inevitable since it seems that this 'time of trail' could refer rather to the personal malice and spiteful calumnies caused by the strictly moral life led by converts among those whose sins they no longer shared. Though a very practical letter, it is also a valuable summary of apostolic theology. The dominating theme is fortitude in trail, for which Christ himself is the model.

The Second Letter of Peter claims to have been written by the apostle himself. He is named in the opening address and the prediction of Peter's death is made by Jesus to the author himself who also claims to have witnessed the transfiguration, and who alludes to a former letter that is obviously meant to be 1Peter.

The purpose of the letter is twofold: to warn against false teachers, false prophets and to allay anxiety due to the delay of the Parousia. The letter has been accepted by the Church as canonical and Christians accept it as an authoritative document from the apostolic age. The doctrine it teaches supports this: note especially the vocation of all Christians to the 'share in the divine nature', the way scriptural inspiration is defined, the assurance that eventually the Parousia will come though no one can know when; the prediction of a new world free of all injustice after the old world has been destroyed by fire.

1PETER - (1) Address and greetings - Introduction. The salvation of Christians - The hope of the prophets - A call to sanctity and watchfulness - Love - Integrity - The new priesthood - The obligation of Christians: towards pagan - Towards civil authority - Towards masters - In marriage - Towards the brothers - In persecution - The resurrection and 'the descent into hell' - The revelation of Christ is close - Recapitulation - Instructions: to the elders - To the faithful - Last words. Greetings - Chapter 1 to 5 - In summary : Encouragement and comfort from Peter to suffering Christians.

2PETER - (1) Greetings - A call to Christian living and its reward - The apostolic witness - The value of prophecy - False teachers - The punishment to come - The Day of the Lord; the prophets and the apostles - Conclusion and doxology - Chapter 1 to 3 -

In summary : Peter's warning against false teachers and false prophets.

                                                              Page 44

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 -