Pastor Prince surprised many in church yesterday when he shared one aspect of the word which the Lord gave him for the coming year 2008. And he said that he will share it over the next few weeks because there is more.
The cruz of the message for next year is that it will be "A Year of Manifested Blessings!" The number '8' signifies resurrection and he shared last week how some of our plans and hopes did not get fulfilled because of obstacles placed along the way by the devil and that this coming year, many of these obstacles will be removed and we will see our plans and hopes 'resurrected' and this is in line with the year of manifested blessings.
In order that we enjoy every blessing that is from Abba Daddy, we need to understand our blessings in Abraham, our spiritual father and these are found in Deuteronomy 28:1-13. The key to our blessings is found in verse 1 itself; Abba Daddy had placed us HIGH above everything else through Christ and because we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places, we will enjoy those blessings.
So people, get ready for your blessings and they are going to be great!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Updating of Address Books
It is a very strange feeling for me; at the end of every year I will usually end with mails (physical and electronic) with greetings from business associates and friends who would otherwise have been thought of as being lost and cannot be traced.
Yes, over the years I did have some who were permanently lost due to sudden deaths and there were some who were intentionally lost due to migration or home moves but by and large I would have received some form of Christmas or year-end greeting cards.
Two cases in point: -
1. A business friend who had taken up a job with a multinational corporation and sent to Mumbai India to help them set up shop sent me an email yesterday with his year-end message and included his contact details;
2. A church friend who lives in Wellington New Zealand sent his annual update together with his Christmas greetings and this is his only form of update. Last year he shared the passing of his 96 year-old sister from old age and this year he is 87.
So even though news and updates may be spartan but the ties remain and I really appreciate this updates.
A blessed 2008 filled with Jesus to one and all.
SHALOM
Yes, over the years I did have some who were permanently lost due to sudden deaths and there were some who were intentionally lost due to migration or home moves but by and large I would have received some form of Christmas or year-end greeting cards.
Two cases in point: -
1. A business friend who had taken up a job with a multinational corporation and sent to Mumbai India to help them set up shop sent me an email yesterday with his year-end message and included his contact details;
2. A church friend who lives in Wellington New Zealand sent his annual update together with his Christmas greetings and this is his only form of update. Last year he shared the passing of his 96 year-old sister from old age and this year he is 87.
So even though news and updates may be spartan but the ties remain and I really appreciate this updates.
A blessed 2008 filled with Jesus to one and all.
SHALOM
Friday, December 28, 2007
Three Prayer Requests for 2007
Every year on the last Sunday service for the year, Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church will ask the congregation to make three prayer requests of Abba Daddy and to note the answers to these requests when they come.
I recalled two years back in December 2005 that I specifically asked the Lord to restore my parents' health and to provide for my two children's university education in UK. Little did I know then that the Lord would be taking both parents home the following year and so, in a way, He did answer my prayer - they are now healthy and well in Heaven, without spot or blemish. And He did provide the funds for my children's education - more than sufficient.
And then at the end of 2006, I asked Him for three things
1. My daughter to have good success in her career (she graduated in July 2007)
2. My son to enjoy His blessings at work
3. Blessings on my career and business
Reviewing the year, I give thanks that Abba Daddy indeed had answered all three requests in a supernatural manner.
1. Adeline graduated with a Second Class Upper (2-1) and started work on October 15 and is enjoying supernatural favor with her superiors and is believing the Lord for a more bountiful year in 2008.
2. Adrian completed his probation (one-year) at the end of Sept and received many increments throughout this year. In fact he received more than 16 months of salary in 2007 (bonuses plus adjustments plus increments) and is trusting Abba for more favor in 2008.
3. It had been nine months since I started out on my own. Although the road had not been all that smooth, Abba Daddy had not failed to deliver His blessings and His provisions had always been on time.
So what will be my three prayer requests for 2008? To be honest, I have not really penned them down but will have them by Sunday Dec 30 in time for 4th service at New Creation Church. And I have learnt that Abba Daddy is not one who shortchanges His children. In fact He is always on time (except that His timing may not always synchronize with ours).
I recalled two years back in December 2005 that I specifically asked the Lord to restore my parents' health and to provide for my two children's university education in UK. Little did I know then that the Lord would be taking both parents home the following year and so, in a way, He did answer my prayer - they are now healthy and well in Heaven, without spot or blemish. And He did provide the funds for my children's education - more than sufficient.
And then at the end of 2006, I asked Him for three things
1. My daughter to have good success in her career (she graduated in July 2007)
2. My son to enjoy His blessings at work
3. Blessings on my career and business
Reviewing the year, I give thanks that Abba Daddy indeed had answered all three requests in a supernatural manner.
1. Adeline graduated with a Second Class Upper (2-1) and started work on October 15 and is enjoying supernatural favor with her superiors and is believing the Lord for a more bountiful year in 2008.
2. Adrian completed his probation (one-year) at the end of Sept and received many increments throughout this year. In fact he received more than 16 months of salary in 2007 (bonuses plus adjustments plus increments) and is trusting Abba for more favor in 2008.
3. It had been nine months since I started out on my own. Although the road had not been all that smooth, Abba Daddy had not failed to deliver His blessings and His provisions had always been on time.
So what will be my three prayer requests for 2008? To be honest, I have not really penned them down but will have them by Sunday Dec 30 in time for 4th service at New Creation Church. And I have learnt that Abba Daddy is not one who shortchanges His children. In fact He is always on time (except that His timing may not always synchronize with ours).
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Was Jesus really born on December 25th?
As the festivities of Christmas sets in and before we get too engrossed with the celebrations - parties and giving of gifts - we need to reflect on the real reason for the season and I would like to share this thought with you - was Jesus really born ON Christmas day? If He were not born on that day, then why are churches celebrating His birth on such a day?
There were only two accounts of the birth of Jesus in the bible – Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 2:1-20. Matthew’s account tells us of the announcement by the Angel Gabriel to Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, that she would conceive supernaturally and bear a Son and that she and Joseph, her husband, were to name Him Jesus.
The gospel of Luke gives us a little more information by giving us a glimpse of the activities on the day of His birth. Luke told us that there was a big holiday in Israel on and around the day of His birth. And because of the importance of this festival (feast day as is known in the Old Testament), all the hotels and inns in Jerusalem and in all the surrounding towns were fully taken up by people who traveled from the other parts of Israel into Jerusalem to participate in these feasts. And looking at the Jewish calendar, there could only be two seasons when many important feasts are bunched up together –
- in March/ April during the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits and
- in September/ October during the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and the Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Passover is usually observed in the homes of the people and rarely was there a requirement for the worshipper to make the long and arduous journey from their hometowns to Jerusalem. Also the Feast of First Fruits would be the time when the farmers would literally offer the first crop of the harvest to the Lord in worship (as a tithe). Therefore we may conclude that Jesus was not born in March or April during these feast days.
Could Jesus be born in September/ October then? Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur would most likely be the time of His birth as these two feasts required the Israelites to be physically present in the Temple at Jerusalem for the annual sacrifice of the scapegoat. The only other feast day which required the Israelite worshipper to be at the Temple was the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost as we know it and this is usually celebrated in May (fifty days after Easter). Certainly a reading of Luke’s account of His birth would indicate that the timing is most likely in September.
Another indication that Jesus was born in September (autumn) was the fact that the shepherds were still out in the fields with their sheep when the angels came to announce the good news of the birth of the Savior. If Jesus were really born in December, the wintry weather at night would have made it too unbearably cold for the shepherds and sheep to be out in the fields on that night. Trust me, December nights do get rather chilly as I was in Israel in December 2003.
Are there any other proofs apart from the scriptures that tell us that Jesus was not born in December? On the night that Jesus was born, there was a cosmic phenomenon – a star was born and this star was observed by the wise men in the East (believed by many bible scholars as from Persia or present day Iran). A check with the records kept by astronomers indicates that a new star indeed was ‘born’ in the constellation of Virgo on September 11, 3BC. The American historian Dr. Ernest L. Martin published an article in 1976 and later released his research entitled “The Birth of Christ Recalculated” in 1981 revealing that the signs in the sky on the night of Jesus’ birth occurred exactly on September 11, 3BC between 06:15PM and 07:49PM Eastern Standard Time (USA) and that would have been translated as between 02:15AM and 03:49AM Jerusalem time.
It must have been an exceptionally spectacular night for the shepherds for they were woken up from their sleep with the sheer brilliance from the host of angels gathered to give glory to God for the miracle of His birth. From Luke’s account, we read that the shepherds quickly left their shepherd fields outside Bethlehem and made their way to the stable where the baby was to be found. And when they found Him, they worshipped Him.
A recent study was made by some historians and bible scholars on the number of incidents that took place on September 11 stretching from 3BC till 2001 AD and an interesting list emerged. I am including the internet URL here for you to visit and read for yourselves http://www.september11news.com/Sept11History.htm
Also interesting to note was that the same scholars went to the Hebrew calendar and, after some lengthy mathematical algorithms, concluded that September 11, 3BC happened to be Tishri 01 (the first day in the Hebrew month of Tishri) and rabbis believe that Tishri 01 was the day that God created Adam and so the calendar started from thence. It thrills me to note that Tishri 01 is also the day of the Feast of Rosh Hashanah and the Hebrew New Year. Now is that not candid that God chose the same day that the first Adam was created to be the day that our Lord, the second Adam, was born? It is no wonder that the devil really hates the September 11th in our calendars.
So, if Jesus were really born on September 11th, what about December 25th? If we were to take the normal gestation period of 38 - 40 weeks for a pregnancy and calculate backwards we would have arrived at Dec 05th (40 weeks) or Dec 19th (38 weeks). What then happened in December and how did the church finally ended up with December 25th as Christmas day?
The Feast of Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights usually starts in mid-December and this festival will go on for eight days and ends somewhere around the 20's of December. During the festival, households will light one candle per evening on their Hanukkah lamps until the eight and final day and during the evening lighting of the candles, the story was retold of how the brave Maccabees led by Antiochus IV drove out the Syro-Grecians and restored the desecrated Temple in Jerusalem more than 2000 years ago.
The message of Hanukkah is that light overcomes the darkness and indeed it was so appropriate that the angel Gabriel should be sent at such a time to announce to Mary that the Savior was to be born and that she should be the mother of the Child. Certainly the Light had come and He shone in the land but His own knew Him not (John 1: 9-11).
History revealed that December 25 was indeed a Roman holiday where citizens celebrated the “Day of the Invincible Sun.” The leaders of the early Christian church chose this same day to celebrate the birth of Christ (instead of in September), in order to give Christians a rival holiday to those worshipping the pagan gods of Greece and Rome. Today although these gods are no longer worshipped, the church continues with this tradition and celebrates Christmas on December 25th.
Frankly, it is not important that we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th or in September. What is more important is to remember the real reason why He came – to save a lost and dying world badly in need of a Savior. The Gift of Life had already been given by the Father when Jesus was born but what is paramount is that He chose to go to the cross and took our full penalty by dying in our place so that we can receive His gift of Life. Because He died, we need not be separated from the Father but we have reconciliation with Him through Christ our Lord. Have you been reconciled with the Father through the Blood of His Son Jesus Christ Who is now our Lord and Savior?
There were only two accounts of the birth of Jesus in the bible – Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 2:1-20. Matthew’s account tells us of the announcement by the Angel Gabriel to Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, that she would conceive supernaturally and bear a Son and that she and Joseph, her husband, were to name Him Jesus.
The gospel of Luke gives us a little more information by giving us a glimpse of the activities on the day of His birth. Luke told us that there was a big holiday in Israel on and around the day of His birth. And because of the importance of this festival (feast day as is known in the Old Testament), all the hotels and inns in Jerusalem and in all the surrounding towns were fully taken up by people who traveled from the other parts of Israel into Jerusalem to participate in these feasts. And looking at the Jewish calendar, there could only be two seasons when many important feasts are bunched up together –
- in March/ April during the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits and
- in September/ October during the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and the Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Passover is usually observed in the homes of the people and rarely was there a requirement for the worshipper to make the long and arduous journey from their hometowns to Jerusalem. Also the Feast of First Fruits would be the time when the farmers would literally offer the first crop of the harvest to the Lord in worship (as a tithe). Therefore we may conclude that Jesus was not born in March or April during these feast days.
Could Jesus be born in September/ October then? Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur would most likely be the time of His birth as these two feasts required the Israelites to be physically present in the Temple at Jerusalem for the annual sacrifice of the scapegoat. The only other feast day which required the Israelite worshipper to be at the Temple was the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost as we know it and this is usually celebrated in May (fifty days after Easter). Certainly a reading of Luke’s account of His birth would indicate that the timing is most likely in September.
Another indication that Jesus was born in September (autumn) was the fact that the shepherds were still out in the fields with their sheep when the angels came to announce the good news of the birth of the Savior. If Jesus were really born in December, the wintry weather at night would have made it too unbearably cold for the shepherds and sheep to be out in the fields on that night. Trust me, December nights do get rather chilly as I was in Israel in December 2003.
Are there any other proofs apart from the scriptures that tell us that Jesus was not born in December? On the night that Jesus was born, there was a cosmic phenomenon – a star was born and this star was observed by the wise men in the East (believed by many bible scholars as from Persia or present day Iran). A check with the records kept by astronomers indicates that a new star indeed was ‘born’ in the constellation of Virgo on September 11, 3BC. The American historian Dr. Ernest L. Martin published an article in 1976 and later released his research entitled “The Birth of Christ Recalculated” in 1981 revealing that the signs in the sky on the night of Jesus’ birth occurred exactly on September 11, 3BC between 06:15PM and 07:49PM Eastern Standard Time (USA) and that would have been translated as between 02:15AM and 03:49AM Jerusalem time.
It must have been an exceptionally spectacular night for the shepherds for they were woken up from their sleep with the sheer brilliance from the host of angels gathered to give glory to God for the miracle of His birth. From Luke’s account, we read that the shepherds quickly left their shepherd fields outside Bethlehem and made their way to the stable where the baby was to be found. And when they found Him, they worshipped Him.
A recent study was made by some historians and bible scholars on the number of incidents that took place on September 11 stretching from 3BC till 2001 AD and an interesting list emerged. I am including the internet URL here for you to visit and read for yourselves http://www.september11news.com/Sept11History.htm
Also interesting to note was that the same scholars went to the Hebrew calendar and, after some lengthy mathematical algorithms, concluded that September 11, 3BC happened to be Tishri 01 (the first day in the Hebrew month of Tishri) and rabbis believe that Tishri 01 was the day that God created Adam and so the calendar started from thence. It thrills me to note that Tishri 01 is also the day of the Feast of Rosh Hashanah and the Hebrew New Year. Now is that not candid that God chose the same day that the first Adam was created to be the day that our Lord, the second Adam, was born? It is no wonder that the devil really hates the September 11th in our calendars.
So, if Jesus were really born on September 11th, what about December 25th? If we were to take the normal gestation period of 38 - 40 weeks for a pregnancy and calculate backwards we would have arrived at Dec 05th (40 weeks) or Dec 19th (38 weeks). What then happened in December and how did the church finally ended up with December 25th as Christmas day?
The Feast of Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights usually starts in mid-December and this festival will go on for eight days and ends somewhere around the 20's of December. During the festival, households will light one candle per evening on their Hanukkah lamps until the eight and final day and during the evening lighting of the candles, the story was retold of how the brave Maccabees led by Antiochus IV drove out the Syro-Grecians and restored the desecrated Temple in Jerusalem more than 2000 years ago.
The message of Hanukkah is that light overcomes the darkness and indeed it was so appropriate that the angel Gabriel should be sent at such a time to announce to Mary that the Savior was to be born and that she should be the mother of the Child. Certainly the Light had come and He shone in the land but His own knew Him not (John 1: 9-11).
History revealed that December 25 was indeed a Roman holiday where citizens celebrated the “Day of the Invincible Sun.” The leaders of the early Christian church chose this same day to celebrate the birth of Christ (instead of in September), in order to give Christians a rival holiday to those worshipping the pagan gods of Greece and Rome. Today although these gods are no longer worshipped, the church continues with this tradition and celebrates Christmas on December 25th.
Frankly, it is not important that we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th or in September. What is more important is to remember the real reason why He came – to save a lost and dying world badly in need of a Savior. The Gift of Life had already been given by the Father when Jesus was born but what is paramount is that He chose to go to the cross and took our full penalty by dying in our place so that we can receive His gift of Life. Because He died, we need not be separated from the Father but we have reconciliation with Him through Christ our Lord. Have you been reconciled with the Father through the Blood of His Son Jesus Christ Who is now our Lord and Savior?
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Boxing Day - Day After Christmas
Interesting to hear that Boxing Day is remembered in Europe as the day when the churches opened up its many donation boxes and give the money collected to those who do not even have anything to go on with life. My point here is why people would have to wait until Christmas to give to charity and then the churches open up the boxes only on that day - how pathetic!
And wait, there is more! The department stores open on Boxing Day at between 6:00AM & 7:00AM for the post-Christmas yearend sale and shoppers actually queue up in the evening of Christmas Day just so that they can be in line for the opening hours and get the best deals.
So what has happened to the real meaning of Christmas? Has the world not heard that Christmas is the day set aside to officially remember the Gift of Our Savior Jesus Christ? Apparently not. And how disheartening to see how Christmas had been so commercialized to the point that most people look for good bargains and completely missed out on the true meaning of Christmas.
And wait, there is more! The department stores open on Boxing Day at between 6:00AM & 7:00AM for the post-Christmas yearend sale and shoppers actually queue up in the evening of Christmas Day just so that they can be in line for the opening hours and get the best deals.
So what has happened to the real meaning of Christmas? Has the world not heard that Christmas is the day set aside to officially remember the Gift of Our Savior Jesus Christ? Apparently not. And how disheartening to see how Christmas had been so commercialized to the point that most people look for good bargains and completely missed out on the true meaning of Christmas.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
A Blessed Christmas to all
Indeed I believe Christmas this year will be a blessed one for all. I came home last evening from our short family holiday on Penang Island and when I checked my mail I found this testimony from a friend who had emigrated from Singapore to Edmonton in Canada.He shared how he was walking on the pedestrian walk when he was hit by a car (how this happened, I have not idea) but he was not injured at all. In fact he shared how he had called upon the Name of our Lord Jesus when the incident happened and instead of being of being injured, he actually went and consoled the lady driver. I supposed the roads were very slippery as Edmonton is usually covered in thick snow and ice at this time of the year since it is among the mountains. Praise the Lord for His protection over His loved ones.
Yes, Salvation came into our midst in the form of our Lord Jesus and as we celebrate this holiday with our friends and loved ones, let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas - the sending of God's Greatest Gift to mankind, His Only Darling Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sufficient Is His Grace...
Recently I had noticed my car was not performing the way it should have - the engine was not as smooth riding as before and some of the mountings had to be replaced and it was costly to maintain. And I actually had two occasions of engine stalling whilst I was on the road. Also instead of getting the usual 10.2 km per litre, I was only getting 9.9 km and with the recent petrol price hikes you can calculate the impact this had on my monthly expenses.
And so, Alice and I walked into Kah Motor last Friday and decided to trade in my car for a Honda Jazz. Because it is only 1338cc compared to my current 1998cc, my annual road tax will be lower and COE prices are also lower now compared to five years ago. Fuel consumption is much better for this car - minimum 14 km per litre and that will work out to be about 40 percent savings on the pocket. But the amazing part is that the current car will be traded in at a price higher than what I will get if I were to scrap it. With the outstanding balance of the car loan factored in, I will be getting back a good amount.
And this is what amazes me. Every month Abba Daddy will send me enough to tie me over so that I will not be in lack. This reminds me of Psalm 23:1, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
And I want to reach that place where, like the Apostle Paul, I can say, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12)(NIV)
And so, Alice and I walked into Kah Motor last Friday and decided to trade in my car for a Honda Jazz. Because it is only 1338cc compared to my current 1998cc, my annual road tax will be lower and COE prices are also lower now compared to five years ago. Fuel consumption is much better for this car - minimum 14 km per litre and that will work out to be about 40 percent savings on the pocket. But the amazing part is that the current car will be traded in at a price higher than what I will get if I were to scrap it. With the outstanding balance of the car loan factored in, I will be getting back a good amount.
And this is what amazes me. Every month Abba Daddy will send me enough to tie me over so that I will not be in lack. This reminds me of Psalm 23:1, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
And I want to reach that place where, like the Apostle Paul, I can say, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12)(NIV)
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Forgetting the Past & Looking Unto Jesus
Pastor Lian of New Creation Church preached 2 Sundays ago on something that stuck in my mind and my spirit and is now leading me forward. She touched on how many of us clung on to our past - mistakes, bad experiences and even success stories - and have not learnt to let go of these and allow our Abba Daddy to help us go forward and enjoy even greater blessings.
Our past shapes our emotion and we like to stick to the familiar ground and it is human nature to shun the unknown - the unknown is viewed as full of uncertainty and therefore we often fail to recognize that it is precisely this that the Lord loves to have us throw ourselves on Him and for Him to carry us through and enjoy His blessings along the way.
Often you will read what Jesus had to say about our faith; Mark 10:15 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Now those are pretty strong words and it behooves us to find out what exact Jesus meant. Ever looked at how secure a child feels in the presence of his parents (notice I said parents and not siblings or grandparents or relatives); how the child becomes almost carefree because of the love from his parents. No matter how much he tests their patience, he knows his parents still love him and that is the key.
Today our Abba Daddy wants us to feel secure in His Presence and to bask in His love. When I was younger, I used to look up to my father for his advice on certain issues and Abba Daddy wants us to look to Him for more than just advice on some issues of life but to depend on Him for ALL issues and to just enjoy His Presence.
Abba Daddy has more to offer us than we realize and the sooner we learn to look to Him for our blessings (advice, answers to prayer, etc), the faster we can enjoy His bountiful blessings over our lives. I pray that this will be your resolve for 2008. Shalom.
Our past shapes our emotion and we like to stick to the familiar ground and it is human nature to shun the unknown - the unknown is viewed as full of uncertainty and therefore we often fail to recognize that it is precisely this that the Lord loves to have us throw ourselves on Him and for Him to carry us through and enjoy His blessings along the way.
Often you will read what Jesus had to say about our faith; Mark 10:15 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Now those are pretty strong words and it behooves us to find out what exact Jesus meant. Ever looked at how secure a child feels in the presence of his parents (notice I said parents and not siblings or grandparents or relatives); how the child becomes almost carefree because of the love from his parents. No matter how much he tests their patience, he knows his parents still love him and that is the key.
Today our Abba Daddy wants us to feel secure in His Presence and to bask in His love. When I was younger, I used to look up to my father for his advice on certain issues and Abba Daddy wants us to look to Him for more than just advice on some issues of life but to depend on Him for ALL issues and to just enjoy His Presence.
Abba Daddy has more to offer us than we realize and the sooner we learn to look to Him for our blessings (advice, answers to prayer, etc), the faster we can enjoy His bountiful blessings over our lives. I pray that this will be your resolve for 2008. Shalom.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Reflections on 2007 - New Business Arrangements!
I came into the business in April with a few prearranged alliances thinking that these would serve the business well as the alliances were with relatively good and reputable companies. Unfortunately it was not so and I was disappointed as one by one the projects I was looking forward to fell through because the clients could not grant the assignments to my principal as they were not in business continuity as a main line of business and my company could not enter the tender system for lack of financial status.
At my lowest point, I turned to Abba Daddy and poured out my frustrations to Him and guess what? yes, He heard my cries for help and sent me a number of new 'business partners' who had been discussing with me how we can carry forward into 2008 and beyond.
Yesterday was another classic example of a blessing from Abba. I was to meet a brother from church for a cup of coffee and a chat over his business, personal and family life and after his sharing, he asked me what my line of business was all about. When I explained what I am doing, the Spirit led him to offer his corporate services to arrange seminars and courses for me. What started as himself pouring his heart out in sharing how Abba Daddy had been faithful in delivering him out of every entanglement ended up with myself having a new business arrangement and I am trusting Abba that this will turn into fruition and be a blessing to both of us.
How awesome Abba Daddy is! He is still arranging and rearranging all my business relationships and aligning me for His superabundant blessings. Hallelujah!
At my lowest point, I turned to Abba Daddy and poured out my frustrations to Him and guess what? yes, He heard my cries for help and sent me a number of new 'business partners' who had been discussing with me how we can carry forward into 2008 and beyond.
Yesterday was another classic example of a blessing from Abba. I was to meet a brother from church for a cup of coffee and a chat over his business, personal and family life and after his sharing, he asked me what my line of business was all about. When I explained what I am doing, the Spirit led him to offer his corporate services to arrange seminars and courses for me. What started as himself pouring his heart out in sharing how Abba Daddy had been faithful in delivering him out of every entanglement ended up with myself having a new business arrangement and I am trusting Abba that this will turn into fruition and be a blessing to both of us.
How awesome Abba Daddy is! He is still arranging and rearranging all my business relationships and aligning me for His superabundant blessings. Hallelujah!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Reflections on 2007 - A New Platform For Sharing Abba's Blessings
Yes, you read it correctly. This year we witnessed the launch of this blog on August 30 and it is by the grace of Abba Daddy that the posts had been coming almost every day.
This blog was to replace my weekly email ministry which started on July 3rd 2001 and which I decided to end with the mail dated April 16, 2006. That issue was sharing #195 and I must admit that the Lord had used that ministry to touch many lives. I had people sending me mails telling me how the Lord had used the weekly sharing to encourage them. There was one salvation and many changed lives. At least two families were drawn to a higher level of fellowship with Abba Daddy. One couple came to me and encouraged me to continue as what I shared brought a conviction in their hearts to start going to church regularly.
You might ask why I stopped the email ministry; two main reasons really: -
1. A new regulation was passed in 2005/2006 in the Singapore Parliament outlining the penalties for SPAMs and initially I took no notice of it as I did not consider my ministry as SPAM although I sent out the mails under "bcc" but after receiving a number of return receipts from a number of companies/organizations classifying my mails as potential SPAM, I took notice and decided to avoid any inconvenience.
2. My email account was infected by a worm and up to now I am still experiencing crazy incoming emails - between 5 to 10 mails would be in my Inbox and they purport to be selling Canadian Pharmacy products - VIAGRA (definitely I don't need them).
And so I chose the route of having my own blogspot and this way I can reach a wider audience. Indeed it had! I received comments from people whom I never knew and to top it all, this blogspot won an award on September 22, 2007 for being the Top Christian blog! What an awesome encouragement!
This blog was to replace my weekly email ministry which started on July 3rd 2001 and which I decided to end with the mail dated April 16, 2006. That issue was sharing #195 and I must admit that the Lord had used that ministry to touch many lives. I had people sending me mails telling me how the Lord had used the weekly sharing to encourage them. There was one salvation and many changed lives. At least two families were drawn to a higher level of fellowship with Abba Daddy. One couple came to me and encouraged me to continue as what I shared brought a conviction in their hearts to start going to church regularly.
You might ask why I stopped the email ministry; two main reasons really: -
1. A new regulation was passed in 2005/2006 in the Singapore Parliament outlining the penalties for SPAMs and initially I took no notice of it as I did not consider my ministry as SPAM although I sent out the mails under "bcc" but after receiving a number of return receipts from a number of companies/organizations classifying my mails as potential SPAM, I took notice and decided to avoid any inconvenience.
2. My email account was infected by a worm and up to now I am still experiencing crazy incoming emails - between 5 to 10 mails would be in my Inbox and they purport to be selling Canadian Pharmacy products - VIAGRA (definitely I don't need them).
And so I chose the route of having my own blogspot and this way I can reach a wider audience. Indeed it had! I received comments from people whom I never knew and to top it all, this blogspot won an award on September 22, 2007 for being the Top Christian blog! What an awesome encouragement!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Reflections on 2007 - Blessings on my family
This year is also a Year of New Beginnings for my family. And of course, along with the new positions, the blessings also came along.
1. Alice was given more recognition in her work at school with the Learning Support Program. She was asked to take on a regional school cluster role to mentor the younger teachers on the program. Also because of the good economic performance of Singapore, she had good variable bonuses this year.
2. Adrian, our son, started his work travels this year. He joined the Foreign Service in October 2006 and after nine months on the job, he now has a junior colleague to help him. Also he was so excited that he appeared on TV twice (as a recorder behind the PM and MM recently) when the Libyan foreign dignitary visited Singapore for discussions.
3. Adeline, our daughter, graduated in July and came home in early August. She applied for a few openings in public relations and told Abba Daddy what she wanted for her 22nd birthday in October. And true enough, at 7PM on her birthday as we were going out for dinner, her mobile phone rang and she landed herself with a job.
Indeed we give praise to Abba Daddy Who is ever so true to His promises that He will watch over His own. Hallelujah!
1. Alice was given more recognition in her work at school with the Learning Support Program. She was asked to take on a regional school cluster role to mentor the younger teachers on the program. Also because of the good economic performance of Singapore, she had good variable bonuses this year.
2. Adrian, our son, started his work travels this year. He joined the Foreign Service in October 2006 and after nine months on the job, he now has a junior colleague to help him. Also he was so excited that he appeared on TV twice (as a recorder behind the PM and MM recently) when the Libyan foreign dignitary visited Singapore for discussions.
3. Adeline, our daughter, graduated in July and came home in early August. She applied for a few openings in public relations and told Abba Daddy what she wanted for her 22nd birthday in October. And true enough, at 7PM on her birthday as we were going out for dinner, her mobile phone rang and she landed herself with a job.
Indeed we give praise to Abba Daddy Who is ever so true to His promises that He will watch over His own. Hallelujah!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Reflections on 2007 - A Year of New Beginnings For New Creation Church!
When Pastor Prince shared that word from the Lord that the Year 2007 will be a "Year of New Beginnings", most of us thought the word was for individual church members; not so much for the church body. On the contrary, it meant so much for New Creation as a church, more than any other year.
In April, Pastor Prince's sermons were broadcast in USA over Daystar Channel weekly at 7PM on Thursdays and because of the length of his messages, it would take one month to complete his usual 80-90 minutes sermon (each week's broadcast was for 22 minutes) and with effect from May 15 (Pastor's birthday), the broadcast went daily and at a new time-slot of 2PM. Because of its popularity, a new channel was added in November - ABC Family (secular channel) - and aired at 5AM daily.
Pastor's book "Destined to Reign" was launched in July/August and is now one of the best sellers in more than 2000 Christian bookstores in USA. Also in Singapore Times the Bookstore carries this title and is among the top sellers.
In September, the church made the announcement that it is joining CapitalLand to build a new Cultural and Civic hub at OneNorth, Bouna Vista which is expected to be completed by end 2011 and the church will move in in 2012 to hold its services (expected to be 4 services by then) at the new 5000-seater auditorium. New Creation Church will be the anchor tenant for the auditorium. The church is expected to raise SGD180 million to meet its share of the cost of the hub and as at Dec 09 (last Sunday) a total of close to SGD3 million had been raised. All glory to Abba Daddy!!
Also on Sept 9th, the church attendance on a Sunday stood at 16,646 - a new high. The average church attendance on any given Sunday is hovering at 16,000 and we expect this to be surpassed any time soon.
Lives have been transformed and members are experiencing greater blessings in quality of life as well as material blessings... Indeed this is a Year of New Beginnings for the church! Praise Abba Daddy for His grace!
In April, Pastor Prince's sermons were broadcast in USA over Daystar Channel weekly at 7PM on Thursdays and because of the length of his messages, it would take one month to complete his usual 80-90 minutes sermon (each week's broadcast was for 22 minutes) and with effect from May 15 (Pastor's birthday), the broadcast went daily and at a new time-slot of 2PM. Because of its popularity, a new channel was added in November - ABC Family (secular channel) - and aired at 5AM daily.
Pastor's book "Destined to Reign" was launched in July/August and is now one of the best sellers in more than 2000 Christian bookstores in USA. Also in Singapore Times the Bookstore carries this title and is among the top sellers.
In September, the church made the announcement that it is joining CapitalLand to build a new Cultural and Civic hub at OneNorth, Bouna Vista which is expected to be completed by end 2011 and the church will move in in 2012 to hold its services (expected to be 4 services by then) at the new 5000-seater auditorium. New Creation Church will be the anchor tenant for the auditorium. The church is expected to raise SGD180 million to meet its share of the cost of the hub and as at Dec 09 (last Sunday) a total of close to SGD3 million had been raised. All glory to Abba Daddy!!
Also on Sept 9th, the church attendance on a Sunday stood at 16,646 - a new high. The average church attendance on any given Sunday is hovering at 16,000 and we expect this to be surpassed any time soon.
Lives have been transformed and members are experiencing greater blessings in quality of life as well as material blessings... Indeed this is a Year of New Beginnings for the church! Praise Abba Daddy for His grace!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Reflections on 2007 - Blessings on My Business
It was interesting that Pastor Prince of New Creation Church shared with the whole congregation on January 7, 2007 what the Lord told him about this year - that it would be a year of "New Beginnings".
When Alice and I heard that, we looked at each other and claimed that for my new business venture - it was already decided then that I would step away from Deutsche Bank after March 31 and start out on my own with my current business venture. So taking that word from the Lord as my confirmation, I threw in my resignation letter on February 16 (the day after my variable bonus was credited into my account - my parents taught me well that when people want to give you money, never say 'no') and when my boss asked me why I did not wait any longer and tried to persuade me to stay until summer (July), my response was a flat 'no' as I needed to have a clean break and start on my marketing/discussions with my potential clients.
And so 2007 was indeed a Year of New Beginnings for Alice and I. For Alice it was a year of seeing me waiting at times anxiously for work and not knowing what to do with my free hours and for me it was a time of discovering myself afresh and working on my business relationships and building my bases. A lot had gone in over the past 8 months and I would say that the new year will be a blessed year with fulfilled blessings for me. I am already seeing two new alliances building up and a third or possibly fourth on the way and I am also believing Abba Daddy that these alliances will bring me fresh blessings that are over and above what I can imagine and that I will be more than a conqueror through our Lord Jesus Christ who strengthens me.
When Alice and I heard that, we looked at each other and claimed that for my new business venture - it was already decided then that I would step away from Deutsche Bank after March 31 and start out on my own with my current business venture. So taking that word from the Lord as my confirmation, I threw in my resignation letter on February 16 (the day after my variable bonus was credited into my account - my parents taught me well that when people want to give you money, never say 'no') and when my boss asked me why I did not wait any longer and tried to persuade me to stay until summer (July), my response was a flat 'no' as I needed to have a clean break and start on my marketing/discussions with my potential clients.
And so 2007 was indeed a Year of New Beginnings for Alice and I. For Alice it was a year of seeing me waiting at times anxiously for work and not knowing what to do with my free hours and for me it was a time of discovering myself afresh and working on my business relationships and building my bases. A lot had gone in over the past 8 months and I would say that the new year will be a blessed year with fulfilled blessings for me. I am already seeing two new alliances building up and a third or possibly fourth on the way and I am also believing Abba Daddy that these alliances will bring me fresh blessings that are over and above what I can imagine and that I will be more than a conqueror through our Lord Jesus Christ who strengthens me.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The world is getting more complicated...
Well, if anyone thinks that he/she had everything figured out, let him/her think again! Since last week the UN had been holding its meeting on Climate Control on Bali and most of the 'experts' had been at each other arguing over how much each country should be 'forced' to cut back on CO2 emissions etc.
Interesting that the two giants - China and India - are still labeled as developing nations and therefore not mandatory for them to comply - huh? what is that? they are among the biggest culprits in carbon emission and not having to comply by 2025? I find it strange - almost like saying double standards.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:20-23 (New International Version),
v20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
v21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
v22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time,
v23 not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
The current situation that the world is in right now had already been foretold thousands of years ago and everyone should have seen it coming. But hang on a minute; will the situation improve in the future? Going by what Paul wrote, the answer would be a flat 'no' but then again, acting as responsible stewards on this earth, we definitely need to be more disciplined and put our act together to improve.
Now if you had studied the world climatic condition lately, it has just gone nuts; dry places have gone dryer and wet places wetter. Yes, I know this is absurd but unfortunately true. if only the dry places get their fair share of water from the places where there is simply too much water, that would have helped.
So what am I saying? Notice what Paul wrote in v21 that the creation itself WILL be liberated from this bondage simply through you and I (Believers) acting together in praying and proclaiming the finished work of Christ. I do believe that the whole climatic situation can be drastically turned around when Believers act together and intercede for our 'world in labor pangs'.
Imagine what the world would be like if all the Believers are no longer around! the situation would get worse. And this is precisely what will happen after the Rapture when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comes back to bring us all home to Heaven with the loud command and in the twinkling of the eye, we would be raised up into Heaven immediately. When the salt of the earth is taken away, the preservation process will cease and we are called the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).
Interesting that the two giants - China and India - are still labeled as developing nations and therefore not mandatory for them to comply - huh? what is that? they are among the biggest culprits in carbon emission and not having to comply by 2025? I find it strange - almost like saying double standards.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:20-23 (New International Version),
v20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
v21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
v22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time,
v23 not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
The current situation that the world is in right now had already been foretold thousands of years ago and everyone should have seen it coming. But hang on a minute; will the situation improve in the future? Going by what Paul wrote, the answer would be a flat 'no' but then again, acting as responsible stewards on this earth, we definitely need to be more disciplined and put our act together to improve.
Now if you had studied the world climatic condition lately, it has just gone nuts; dry places have gone dryer and wet places wetter. Yes, I know this is absurd but unfortunately true. if only the dry places get their fair share of water from the places where there is simply too much water, that would have helped.
So what am I saying? Notice what Paul wrote in v21 that the creation itself WILL be liberated from this bondage simply through you and I (Believers) acting together in praying and proclaiming the finished work of Christ. I do believe that the whole climatic situation can be drastically turned around when Believers act together and intercede for our 'world in labor pangs'.
Imagine what the world would be like if all the Believers are no longer around! the situation would get worse. And this is precisely what will happen after the Rapture when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comes back to bring us all home to Heaven with the loud command and in the twinkling of the eye, we would be raised up into Heaven immediately. When the salt of the earth is taken away, the preservation process will cease and we are called the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Is it true that Iran had given up its nuclear program in 2003?
I was just talking to a business associate who is an American and he commented that the intelligence report on Iran's nuclear program had changed the landscape for the US Presidential election in 2008. No longer are people concerned about security issues and those candidates who had advocated a strong military stance against Iran and continued presence in Iraq had seen their popularity ratings drop.
But is it really true that Iran had given up its nuclear program? or is the report intentionally planted to draw votes away from the hawkish camp to those that are dovish in nature? I am not convinced that Iran had given up its ambitious program four years ago and kept silent about it. If they had, then why were they so reluctant to allow the UN nuclear inspectors to go in and verify their status? that would have been the easiest method to prove to the whole world that they are clean.
You might say that I am skewed towards Israel on this. I find it strange that Israel is still making plans to strike Iran and take out the nuclear facilities. I am sure the Israeli secret service would have done its homework and advised its government to relax if Iran is no longer a threat but unfortunately it is not so.
And I am still reading articles after articles on Israel Today newspaper stating the war preparations and now I am beginning to question the credibility of the US reports. Well, that is US politics for us... time will reveal who is right.
Quote from Israel Today newspaper
Headline News
Monday, December 10, 2007 by Staff Writer
'Conflict with Iran unavoidable'
Incoming Israeli ambassador to Britain, Ron Proser, told Britain's Sunday Telegraph that a military confrontation with Iran will be unavoidable if the Islamic Republic does not start cooperating with the international community over its nuclear program, and stop its hostile rhetoric toward Israel.
Proser, who previously served as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's top advisor on Iran, said Tehran could enrich enough uranium to build an atomic bomb by as early as 2009.
What's more, warned the Israeli, Iran will very soon reach a point where it is no longer dependent on outside sources to maintain and operate its nuclear facilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday made his first public response to the recently published US National Intelligence Estimate suggesting that Iran had abandoned its efforts to attain nuclear military power, insisting that Israel would work together with the International Atomic Energy Agency to prove that Iran remains determined to build an atomic bomb.
Mr. Olmert told his cabinet that what is clear is that Iran continues to bolster its long-range missile arsenal and to increase its ability to enrich uranium, two warning signs that should call into question any assessment that says the Islamic Republic is no longer pursuing nuclear arms.
Unquote
But is it really true that Iran had given up its nuclear program? or is the report intentionally planted to draw votes away from the hawkish camp to those that are dovish in nature? I am not convinced that Iran had given up its ambitious program four years ago and kept silent about it. If they had, then why were they so reluctant to allow the UN nuclear inspectors to go in and verify their status? that would have been the easiest method to prove to the whole world that they are clean.
You might say that I am skewed towards Israel on this. I find it strange that Israel is still making plans to strike Iran and take out the nuclear facilities. I am sure the Israeli secret service would have done its homework and advised its government to relax if Iran is no longer a threat but unfortunately it is not so.
And I am still reading articles after articles on Israel Today newspaper stating the war preparations and now I am beginning to question the credibility of the US reports. Well, that is US politics for us... time will reveal who is right.
Quote from Israel Today newspaper
Headline News
Monday, December 10, 2007 by Staff Writer
'Conflict with Iran unavoidable'
Incoming Israeli ambassador to Britain, Ron Proser, told Britain's Sunday Telegraph that a military confrontation with Iran will be unavoidable if the Islamic Republic does not start cooperating with the international community over its nuclear program, and stop its hostile rhetoric toward Israel.
Proser, who previously served as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's top advisor on Iran, said Tehran could enrich enough uranium to build an atomic bomb by as early as 2009.
What's more, warned the Israeli, Iran will very soon reach a point where it is no longer dependent on outside sources to maintain and operate its nuclear facilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday made his first public response to the recently published US National Intelligence Estimate suggesting that Iran had abandoned its efforts to attain nuclear military power, insisting that Israel would work together with the International Atomic Energy Agency to prove that Iran remains determined to build an atomic bomb.
Mr. Olmert told his cabinet that what is clear is that Iran continues to bolster its long-range missile arsenal and to increase its ability to enrich uranium, two warning signs that should call into question any assessment that says the Islamic Republic is no longer pursuing nuclear arms.
Unquote
Monday, December 10, 2007
A Lesson On Faith
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a discussion with three others on how we were supposed to deliver a certain workshop together. This discussion almost did not get off the ground for me last week as there were some doubts on the part of the others as to my 'loyalty' to this team.
I was called in on Friday afternoon to discuss with the owner, issues on my intentions for helping a competitor on delivery of another workshop that is similar but never conflicting and after my assurance that I was doing all these purely from a commercial viewpoint was the air cleared and I was invited back on the training. All along I had maintained that the two training programs are never in conflict but complementary to each other as the standards differ vastly. And so I will be involved in both going forward and the rest is left to be seen how the general industry will accept either one.
I am sharing all these because it really looked bleak at one stage and i brought the challenge to Abba Daddy and left it to Him to resolve. Now I can say that He more than answered; He defended my actions and I am trusting that He will open the windows of blessing for me (no, I should emphasize that it is the 'doors' of His Treasure House).
I was called in on Friday afternoon to discuss with the owner, issues on my intentions for helping a competitor on delivery of another workshop that is similar but never conflicting and after my assurance that I was doing all these purely from a commercial viewpoint was the air cleared and I was invited back on the training. All along I had maintained that the two training programs are never in conflict but complementary to each other as the standards differ vastly. And so I will be involved in both going forward and the rest is left to be seen how the general industry will accept either one.
I am sharing all these because it really looked bleak at one stage and i brought the challenge to Abba Daddy and left it to Him to resolve. Now I can say that He more than answered; He defended my actions and I am trusting that He will open the windows of blessing for me (no, I should emphasize that it is the 'doors' of His Treasure House).
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Get Your Washing Done Even While Traveling
Each time my wife travels with me, she would bring along a small packet of washing powder to do some quick cleaning should be need certain items washed while we stayed in that location. However, recently with all the tight airport controls, this had become a bit harder but praise the Lord, His Blood continues to wash us perfectly!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
I Saw This Car In Phuket..
I saw this nice car at Laguna Phuket and I told my wife that I am claiming this car model for my car one day...but hang on, I already have Him in my life!
Friday, December 7, 2007
We Were Thirsty
Over the past three days my wife and I were at Phuket and dropped into a Seven-Eleven store to buy ourselves a drink. We saw this bottle on the shelf and it quickly reminded us of what the Lord had come to give us.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Know For A Certainty That We Are The Beloved Of Abba Daddy - 2
You must be wondering why I repeated the title for this post. This morning I received in my email a comment from "Jim" telling me that what I wrote about the Apostle John was not substantiated with scriptures and thereby inaccurate.
I am sorry if I have cause Jim any inconvenience. If we would all turn to the Bible and look at the 5 instances where the phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved" we would get a better appreciation of where I am coming from - John 13:22/ John 19:26 / John 20:2 / John 21:7 / John 21:20.
Jewish customs tell us that the youngest member of the family gets to sit on the right side of the father during the Pesak meal (Passover Feast) and it is their custom that the youngest would prompt the father to re-tell the Passover account during the meal - part of their oral tradition and is still being practise in Jewish homes. Now the Apostle John is the youngest member of His team (some bible scholars think he was a teenager when he followed Jesus) and therefore gets to sit next to Jesus at the table and it is customary for the Jews in Jesus' time to sit reclining when they eat (resting on their left elbow and leaning back on the chest of the person on his left) and so when you look at John 13:22, we get a hint that it was John who was that "disciple whom Jesus loved".
When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He commissioned the disciple whom he loved to take care of His mother after He had departed from them. Who would you think is this disciple? It is not recorded any more after this verse but if we look at some of the archeological records from Capernaum, we might get a hint. When we visited Israel 5-1/2 years and again 4 years ago, right at the entrance to the ancient city of Capernaum hung a plaque stating that this town was the town of Jesus (meaning that He made it His hometown after He was rejected from Nazareth) and among some of the artefacts was a stone with the carvings "Family of Zebedee". Well, James and john were the sons of Zebedee who once wanted Jesus to command fire from Heaven to reign down on a Samaritan village who did not welcome them into their village (Luke 9:54) and so they must have great influence (and means) in Capernaum to be able to have such expensive carvings left at strategic places.
Also note that the account of Jesus "assigning" the responsibility of caring for His earthly mother to the "disciple whom Jesus loved" is ONLY found in the Gospel of John. Why? because none of the other disciples were there as He hung on the cross except the one who wrote about it - the Apostle John. The rest of the disciples deserted Him as He had foretold during the Passover meal the night before.
Luke 24:12 tells us that Peter went to the tomb and saw the burial clothes of Jesus laying by themselves while John mentioned Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved were at the tomb (John20:2). Now if you are writing your own diary and giving a personal account of what happened, would you not used a term that you are familiar with to describe yourself? As I mentioned earlier, John being a teenager outran the older Peter all the way to the tomb which is not surprising.
As I wrote in my earlier post, this phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved" can only be found in the Gospel of John. John using this phrase to describe himself is not surprising. If we know how much Jesus loves us, we would also use such phrases to describe His intimacy with us. If you see the description of myself in my Profile, I addressed myself as the 'Beloved Child of Jesus Christ and of our Heavenly Abba Father'.
I am sorry if I have cause Jim any inconvenience. If we would all turn to the Bible and look at the 5 instances where the phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved" we would get a better appreciation of where I am coming from - John 13:22/ John 19:26 / John 20:2 / John 21:7 / John 21:20.
Jewish customs tell us that the youngest member of the family gets to sit on the right side of the father during the Pesak meal (Passover Feast) and it is their custom that the youngest would prompt the father to re-tell the Passover account during the meal - part of their oral tradition and is still being practise in Jewish homes. Now the Apostle John is the youngest member of His team (some bible scholars think he was a teenager when he followed Jesus) and therefore gets to sit next to Jesus at the table and it is customary for the Jews in Jesus' time to sit reclining when they eat (resting on their left elbow and leaning back on the chest of the person on his left) and so when you look at John 13:22, we get a hint that it was John who was that "disciple whom Jesus loved".
When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He commissioned the disciple whom he loved to take care of His mother after He had departed from them. Who would you think is this disciple? It is not recorded any more after this verse but if we look at some of the archeological records from Capernaum, we might get a hint. When we visited Israel 5-1/2 years and again 4 years ago, right at the entrance to the ancient city of Capernaum hung a plaque stating that this town was the town of Jesus (meaning that He made it His hometown after He was rejected from Nazareth) and among some of the artefacts was a stone with the carvings "Family of Zebedee". Well, James and john were the sons of Zebedee who once wanted Jesus to command fire from Heaven to reign down on a Samaritan village who did not welcome them into their village (Luke 9:54) and so they must have great influence (and means) in Capernaum to be able to have such expensive carvings left at strategic places.
Also note that the account of Jesus "assigning" the responsibility of caring for His earthly mother to the "disciple whom Jesus loved" is ONLY found in the Gospel of John. Why? because none of the other disciples were there as He hung on the cross except the one who wrote about it - the Apostle John. The rest of the disciples deserted Him as He had foretold during the Passover meal the night before.
Luke 24:12 tells us that Peter went to the tomb and saw the burial clothes of Jesus laying by themselves while John mentioned Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved were at the tomb (John20:2). Now if you are writing your own diary and giving a personal account of what happened, would you not used a term that you are familiar with to describe yourself? As I mentioned earlier, John being a teenager outran the older Peter all the way to the tomb which is not surprising.
As I wrote in my earlier post, this phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved" can only be found in the Gospel of John. John using this phrase to describe himself is not surprising. If we know how much Jesus loves us, we would also use such phrases to describe His intimacy with us. If you see the description of myself in my Profile, I addressed myself as the 'Beloved Child of Jesus Christ and of our Heavenly Abba Father'.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Train A Child In The Way He Should Go...
In Proverbs 22:6, King Solomon wrote, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn (depart) from it." How true I find this advice.
I recalled how when I was young my own parents taught me certain values in life and till today I can still remember them well and in turn I have passed some of these (plus others that I picked up along the way) on to my own children. And just the other day I was watching the 7PM Korean soap "Precious Family" and was being reminded how precious the early lessons were to the youngest daughter in this family. She broke up with her boyfriend whom she very much wanted to marry but because of family restrictions, she could not.
And at one point, out of her frustration, she arranged to meet up with her ex-boyfriend and they rented a hotel room so that they could talk and try to comfort each other. And it was there and then that she said she was very tempted to throw her virtues out the window so as to have one last fling before they go their separate ways. At precisely that moment, her conscience caught her and she retracted. She reminded herself that she was the youngest daughter of the vice-principal of the middle school in her district and being of a certain pedigree, she cannot let her family reputation go down the drain.
And that reminded me of how we should train our own children. No, I am not saying that we should nag at our children to guard our good reputation but rather we should show them Christ and His love for them and to encourage them as beloved children of Abba Daddy. Once they know their true identity, they will not want to go the way of the world but will learn to appropriate the love that Daddy God had showered on them and will bear His image.
Well, the Apostle John recognized that and he was so filled with the love of Abba Daddy that he changed from a hot-tempered, foul-mouthed fisherman to become the Apostle of Love and wrote the Gospel of john and his three letters to the churches to encourage them and there was a bonus issue - he got to meet with the Risen Christ in a vision and penned what he saw in the Book of Revelations.
I recalled how when I was young my own parents taught me certain values in life and till today I can still remember them well and in turn I have passed some of these (plus others that I picked up along the way) on to my own children. And just the other day I was watching the 7PM Korean soap "Precious Family" and was being reminded how precious the early lessons were to the youngest daughter in this family. She broke up with her boyfriend whom she very much wanted to marry but because of family restrictions, she could not.
And at one point, out of her frustration, she arranged to meet up with her ex-boyfriend and they rented a hotel room so that they could talk and try to comfort each other. And it was there and then that she said she was very tempted to throw her virtues out the window so as to have one last fling before they go their separate ways. At precisely that moment, her conscience caught her and she retracted. She reminded herself that she was the youngest daughter of the vice-principal of the middle school in her district and being of a certain pedigree, she cannot let her family reputation go down the drain.
And that reminded me of how we should train our own children. No, I am not saying that we should nag at our children to guard our good reputation but rather we should show them Christ and His love for them and to encourage them as beloved children of Abba Daddy. Once they know their true identity, they will not want to go the way of the world but will learn to appropriate the love that Daddy God had showered on them and will bear His image.
Well, the Apostle John recognized that and he was so filled with the love of Abba Daddy that he changed from a hot-tempered, foul-mouthed fisherman to become the Apostle of Love and wrote the Gospel of john and his three letters to the churches to encourage them and there was a bonus issue - he got to meet with the Risen Christ in a vision and penned what he saw in the Book of Revelations.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Know For A Certainty That We Are The Beloved Of Abba Daddy
Ever wondered why the Apostle John used the phrase, 'the disciple whom Jesus loved'? Initially when I was much younger in age as well as a Christian, I used to think that the Apostle was being prideful until recently when Pastor Prince shed some light on this phrase.
The Apostle John was the only disciple who ever used that phrase to describe himself; none of the other apostles used the term. Also it should be noted that the apostle used that term to describe himself, no one gave him that term. Was John conceated then?
Well, John was one of the three disciples Jesus had handpicked as His inner circle of disciples - Peter, James and John. Peter is the Greek word for 'rock' or Law while James correlates to Jacob or 'surplanter' and of course John in Hebrew is Johanan or 'grace'. And so even the three names tell a very interesting message that our Lord wants to illustrate - The Law had been replaced (surplanted) by grace.
The Apostle grasped that rather quickly and decided that he will internallize Abba's love for him and keep reminding himself that he was 'the disciple that Jesus loves'. What an awesome revelation and what awesome results and blessings came his way just because of his confession of faith. And as he did that, even the storms of life could not deter him.
The Apostle John was the only disciple who ever used that phrase to describe himself; none of the other apostles used the term. Also it should be noted that the apostle used that term to describe himself, no one gave him that term. Was John conceated then?
Well, John was one of the three disciples Jesus had handpicked as His inner circle of disciples - Peter, James and John. Peter is the Greek word for 'rock' or Law while James correlates to Jacob or 'surplanter' and of course John in Hebrew is Johanan or 'grace'. And so even the three names tell a very interesting message that our Lord wants to illustrate - The Law had been replaced (surplanted) by grace.
The Apostle grasped that rather quickly and decided that he will internallize Abba's love for him and keep reminding himself that he was 'the disciple that Jesus loves'. What an awesome revelation and what awesome results and blessings came his way just because of his confession of faith. And as he did that, even the storms of life could not deter him.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
My Confidence IS In The Lord
My experience this week affirmed in my spirit the need to continue to put my confidence not in men but firmly in the Lord. Events had taken place so quickly this week that I could not even sit down and ponder over the developments.
In my post of last Thursday Nov 22 entitled, "Give Me Wisdom Please, Lord" I wrote that I had a call from a friend in Canada who wanted me to help him teach a whole week's worth of courses under his new license and also on that same day a few of us practitioners met up to discuss how we can form an alliance and teach another set of certification courses. Well, after agreeing to help my Canadian friend in his courses, I was confronted on Wednesday evening by the second licensee why I agreed to do what I promised without checking first with him and that I was making things difficult for him.
In the first instance, I never entertained this idea that I work exclusively for any one, other than under a permanent working arrangement as a salaried worker. And then I heard more horror stories last evening - two others had been talking behind my back and spreading doubts about my 'crossing of battle-lines'. Initially I was very annoyed with what had happened but then, praise the Lord, the Spirit arrested my spirit and comforted me. Why was I looking towards men for their approval for what i can or cannot do? after all they do not hold my future - Abba Daddy does and He will have the final say! all else will fade away, even my accusers.
I guess when that happened to me, I felt like the prophet Daniel whose enemies were trying to frame him and overthrow him. Of course their plans fell through and Daniel was delivered from his tormentors. I too believe that my situation will turn around and that the Lord will avenge me and restore me with more blessings than before all these took place. i believe that the more they tried to suppress me, the higher I was blob back up and float away out of their grasp. Yes, that day will be soon - Abba Daddy thank you for the blessings which my Lord Jesus Christ died to give these blessings to me.
In my post of last Thursday Nov 22 entitled, "Give Me Wisdom Please, Lord" I wrote that I had a call from a friend in Canada who wanted me to help him teach a whole week's worth of courses under his new license and also on that same day a few of us practitioners met up to discuss how we can form an alliance and teach another set of certification courses. Well, after agreeing to help my Canadian friend in his courses, I was confronted on Wednesday evening by the second licensee why I agreed to do what I promised without checking first with him and that I was making things difficult for him.
In the first instance, I never entertained this idea that I work exclusively for any one, other than under a permanent working arrangement as a salaried worker. And then I heard more horror stories last evening - two others had been talking behind my back and spreading doubts about my 'crossing of battle-lines'. Initially I was very annoyed with what had happened but then, praise the Lord, the Spirit arrested my spirit and comforted me. Why was I looking towards men for their approval for what i can or cannot do? after all they do not hold my future - Abba Daddy does and He will have the final say! all else will fade away, even my accusers.
I guess when that happened to me, I felt like the prophet Daniel whose enemies were trying to frame him and overthrow him. Of course their plans fell through and Daniel was delivered from his tormentors. I too believe that my situation will turn around and that the Lord will avenge me and restore me with more blessings than before all these took place. i believe that the more they tried to suppress me, the higher I was blob back up and float away out of their grasp. Yes, that day will be soon - Abba Daddy thank you for the blessings which my Lord Jesus Christ died to give these blessings to me.
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