G12 Conference

Sorry, I know it may be a little outdated. But I'll still post it anyway.
Had a bad stomach flu for the past few days and haven't been really updating my blog. But I'll update all those people that have been reading my blog about the G12 conference that was held from Thurday to Saturday.

Over the 3 days of conferences, there were many topics spoken that i felt were extremely relevant and touching to me.

One of them was talking about a man named Cornelius.

Acts 10:1-4 Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort. He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people and prayed to God regularly. About three o’clock one afternoon, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.” Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius replied, “What is it, Lord?” The angel said to him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have gone up as a memorial before God.

Apparently, he was not a Jew but a gentile. However, he managed to unlock the power of God through 2 secret weapons. Prayer and Generosity.

As Pastor Cesar was talking about this on Friday, I was thinking to myself. Yes, I have been praying hard for miracles to happen in my life. My family, my workplace, my health, even my friends but they have not been successful till date. Maybe its just not God's timing yet. Or maybe, it has to do with the other weapon that Cornelius used, Generosity.

Earlier, Cell leader Daniel Khong was talking about a famous phrase used some time back WWJD (What Would Jesus Do). Thinking back, I realised that I have not done many things that Jesus
would have done.

Would he have joined in with racist jokes or comments?
Would he have shunned the beggars or the poor that have asked for donations?

As he was talking about that, I realised that I have lacked generosity in my life. I have not given when I should have given. Every morning, I would avoid people who ask for money on the roads or those that are handicapped on the roads. There was a string linking from my heart to my pockets. I have been lacking in generosity. Is it what Jesus would have done?

Thinking through, I went back and prayed that the Lord would open up my heart and give me a heart of generosity. Not only to the people close to me or my friends but to anyone who is needy or just anyone who requires my help.

Just today, I was given a simple test to test my heart.

I took the day off and was sleeping for the whole day due to my stomach flu again. But in the evening I decided to go to the gym for a short workout as I was feeling a little better.

When I left my house, it was pouring heavily so I decided to take public transport to the gym. When I arrived at the entrance, there was a group of teenage students leaving the premises. One of the girls were using vulgarities and was just crude in her mannerisms. I decided to just ignore and walk past her. But as I did that, she turned around and asked me if I could lend her my umbrella as she wanted to walk to the bus stop which was about 500m away.

At that time, the rain was stopping and it was actually quite fine to walk to the bus stop without an umbrella (I was doing so by the way). I really did not want to part with my umbrella, I did not even want to lend her the umbrella as it would mean I have to accompany her to the bus stop.

However, at that moment, I heard the Lord speaking to my heart. He wants me to give my umbrella to her. I said Lord, please do not make me do it. It could be raining later and I may have to go home in the rain.

Just as that thought entered my head, another thought came in as well.

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Immediately, without any questions, I gave the umbrella to the girl and blessed her to be on her way. Surprising, I did not find it difficult to do. I felt good after it actually.

After that, the rain stopped and there was no rain for the rest of the night. Bless the Lord.

This is just a simple scenerio that happened just today and it was just a small object, an umbrella.

But as I write this blog, I came to experience a little more of God's Love for us. It is already difficult to give up an item to someone in need especially if it is someone you do not know or even despise or dislike. Imagine the magnitude of God's love for us that he was willing to sent his only son to die for us on the cross for all the sinners in the whole world. Those sinners include the ones that hated him, who plotted to inflict all the pain to his heart like Judas or those who plotted to inflict pain on him on the body, the Pharisses.

I pray that as I continue with my walk with God, he would continue to touch me and widen my heart to give as he has so freely given to me. Amen.

Go Deep
Look Far
Ask Big

Forty Men Died on Ice Rather than Renounce Christ.

Governor Agricola of Armenia was confronted with "mutiny." Forty soldiers refused to offer the sacrifice ordered by emperor Licinius. The forty who stood before him that wintry fourth-century day in Sevaste were fine specimens of manhood who radiated an aura of courage. He was determined to make them see reason.
Traditional icon of the forty. Christ awaits above to receive them.
But the soldiers were adamant. They refused to sacrifice. To do so was to betray their faith in Christ. "But what about your comrades?" asked Agricola. "Consider--you alone of all Caesar's thousands of troops defy him! Think of the disgrace you bring upon your legion!"
"To disgrace the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is more terrible still," replied the men. Exasperated, the governor threatened to flog and torture them. The soldiers stood firm, although they knew he would carry out his threat. In the fourth century, there were few civil rights. Boldly the men answered, "Nothing you can offer us would replace what we would lose in the next world. As for your threats-- we despise our bodies when the welfare of our souls is at stake."
Pairs of guards seized each man and dragged them out into the cold where they were stripped and tied to posts. Whips laid open their backs and iron hooks tore their sides. Still the forty refused to surrender. Agricola chained them in his dungeons. Finally, he commanded that they be stripped naked and driven onto the ice of a pond below Sevaste.
The "rebels" did not wait for the sentence to be imposed, but tearing off their own clothes, ran to the pond in the raw March air. "We are soldiers of the Lord and fear no hardship," they said. "What is death for us but an entrance into eternal life?" On this day, March 9, 320, singing hymns, they stood shivering on the pond as the sun sank.
Baffled, Agricola ordered hot baths around the pond. Surely the warm water would lure the men off the ice! But the crisp night air carried a prayer to all ears: "Lord, there are forty of us engaged in this battle; grant that forty may be crowned and not one be wanting from this sacred number."
One of the men did lose his nerve, however, and crawled off the ice to a bath. He died the instant he touched the hot water. That was too much for one of the guards. He shucked off his clothes, marched onto the ice and took the place of the man who had failed.

Source: http://chi.gospelcom.net/DAILYF/2002/03/daily-03-09-2002.shtml

Wow. I was surfing the Net yesterday when I came across this article about Christian history. I was utterly amazed by the determination and the strength of these forty men. I start to ponder, in modern day context, when we are faced with dillemmas in our lives whether to follow the lord or succumb to the ways of the world, are we able to have the strength of these forty men to reject the ways of the world and follow the lord?

Sometimes, I struggle with the ways of the world as well, especially if it is pressure from a higher authority like your boss at work or my parents.

One of the main reasons why my mum is very against me and my sister getting baptised is due to the fact that my brother had once made a statement that he would not pray and offer joss sticks to my mum if she so passes away and that actually broke my mum who is a devout taoist that believes that the offering of joss sticks is a form of fillial piety.

At that time, I had already accept Christ but had not been consistent with reading the Word of God. I could not understand why my brother could not compromise and give in to my mum's request.

It's Just ONE small issue. The lord will forgive you.

When I stumbled upon this article yesterday, I finally understood why. It would be betraying his faith in Christ. It is like the forty men who refused to sarcifice. "To disgrace the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is more terrible still," that was how the men replied. They placed their faith above that of their lives and their pride as a roman soldier. I believe that my brother also placed his faith in the lord greater than giving in to authority (my mum) who wants him to walk away from his faith.

I'm not saying that you should renounce and go against authority in our lives but I hope that we as christians will be given the wisdom and the strength to do the right thing for the lord even if it means going against the higher authorities in our lives.

Ecc 5:8If you see the extortion of the poor, or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government, do not be astonished by the matter. For the high official is watched by a higher official, and there are higher ones over them!

Know your place in the kingdom of God, know who is in charge of your lives. It is not the way of your superior on earth but the one that sit high in heaven watching over all of us.

"Nothing you can offer us would replace what we would lose in the next world. As for your threats-- we despise our bodies when the welfare of our souls is at stake."

Who is the authority in your life?

Men or God? Will You renounce Your faith under pressure from authority?

This is the key to be able to sit tight in the kingdom of God before you can walk right and stand up to fight for the lord.

GO DEEP

LOOK FAR

ASK BIG

The Belt of Truth

If you all remember from my first post,

Sodium is an extremely active element found naturally only in combined form; it always links itself to another element. Chlorine, on the other hand, is the poisonous gas that gives bleach it offensive odor. When sodium and chlorine are combined, the result is sodium chloride—common table salt—the substance we use to preserve meat and bring out its flavor. Love and truth can be like sodium and chlorine. Love without truth is flighty, sometimes blind, willing to combine with various doctrines. On the other hand, truth by itself can be offensive, sometimes even poisonous. Spoken without love, it can turn people away from the gospel. When truth and love are combined in an individual or a church, however, then we have what Jesus called “the salt of the earth,” and we’re able to preserve and bring out the beauty of our faith.

David H. Johnson

This was where I got my inspiration for my blog.

The sermon this week was from Pastor Khong regarding the belt of truth. During the sermon, he was talking about his wife, Pastor Nina who would just speak out the truth in front of Pastor Khong if he was not consistent with his walk with God, shooting him right between the eyes.

Many times, as a Christian, we would see many things in the world that do not conform with our doctrines in the Bible such as scolding vulgarities, sexual immoralities, stealing, cheating ,etc. These things may be present in our family members or even people in the church. This is where we are told to be the salt of the world, to be in the world but not of the world. To not only put on the belt of truth but to speak of the truth to people that you love the most.

As a new christian, I struggled with this aspect of my christian walk. When I saw my dad becoming conceited with his achievements at work, I was quick to remind him that the glory was to be to God and to be humble. However, that led to a few days without allowances and a scolding.

When my sister was coming home late, I chided her for that without first listening her out although sometimes she would have a good reason for doing so. This eventually led to a small scale cold war between us.

What went wrong, didn't I tell the truth?

Eph1:15-16 But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love.

I prayed and went to the bible and the Netbible, searching for answers. I stumbled upon the passage in the beginning of the blog and the verse above. I finally realised that I was saying the truth but I did not think about the feelings of the people who I was telling these to. It was just chlorine. Also, I lacked the wisdom from God. It was not the right timing of God to say those words. I should not be hurrying God's plan into my life but falling into his plan for my life.

The fact is the truth is painful. Sometimes, telling someone the truth cannot be avoided if you want the person to improve or break free from bondages in his or her life. By witholding the truth from a person, you may be actually hurting that person. However, by telling the person, the truth, he may even experience more pain and reject you in the process.

Slowly, I learnt the the truth will be eventually revealed to that person but I believe in the manner of telling the person the truth. Whether you do it in a harsh or soft manner would depend on the situation and the person that you are speaking to.

In my instance, I should have waited for the correct moment when they were in a better mood to talk to them and I should have used a softer manner to do so instead of immediate rebuttal without reason.

I am still learning how to cope with this aspect of my walk and I pray that I would always be able to be salty for the lord.

Sit Tight,
Walk Right,
Stand Up and Fight.

Then you can
Go Deep,
Look Far,
Ask Big.