Faith

We must admit that the true Christian is a rather strange person in the eye of the unbeliever.

I use the adjective true in regard to the Christian not only to point out the necessity for the new birth but to indicate, also, the Christian who is living according to his new birth. I speak here of a transformed life pleasing to God, for if you want to be a Christian, you must agree to a very much different life. The life of obedience to Jesus Christ means living moment by moment in the Spirit of God and it will be so different from your former life that you will often be considered strange. In fact, the life in the Spirit is such a different life that some of your former associates will probably discuss the question of whether or not you are mentally disturbed. The true Christian may seem a strange person indeed to those who make their observations only from the point of view of this present world, which is alienated from God and His gracious plan of salvation.

Consider now these glorious contradictions and you will no longer wonder why the true believer in Jesus Christ is such an amazement to this world.

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The world tells us that contentment is an unattainable ideal, that there will always be things that we need to improve — our financial status, the positions we hold at our jobs, the houses we live in, and the list goes on. In other words, no human being can be content with what he has or what state he is in at any one time.

This is especially so in materialistic societies like ours where the constant pursuit of goods and services to “better” our status in life and standards of living is what gives many impetus to work their way up the “ladder” by any means possible.

A few days ago, the network card on my computer went on the blink and I had to make a trip to the mall to pick up a new one. Don’t laugh, but I am one who seldom visits malls nowadays, much less do any shopping so I was like the proverbial frog out of the well — I was looking at all the advertisement signs that seem to jump out at me with their screaming slogans, pictures of happy people using the products and/or services.

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This morning I heard an account of an evangelism encounter that reminded me of the joy in our hearts when we carry out the Great Commission given by our Lord Jesus Christ and see and experience how God works on a person’s heart, drawing him to repentance and faith.

As Tony recounted this, I was moved as well.

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Has the Church forgotten about doing good in the name of the Lord that He might be glorified? Reading Matthew 25, it occurred to me that we have become self-serving, cocooned in our own Christian bubbles and forgetting about the need to feed the poor and care for widows.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:34-40

The following story reminded me that there is much more we can do as Christians, aye, even for our own brethren. No, I am not preaching the social gospel, but it seems to me that we have lost much of our saltiness if we have faith but are without works.

Works will not save us, but works demonstrate our faith in Christ (James 2:14-26).

A Beautiful Flower In A Broken Pot

Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out patients at the clinic.

One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. “Why, he’s hardly taller than my eight-year-old,” I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing was his face, lopsided from swelling, red and raw.

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What is going on here? We are worried about getting permission to stand up for what is right? No, I don’t think that is it. I think it’s more of “I want to know I can live out what I believe without it demanding any real faith, please don’t arrest me!”

…

Daniel was “denied the right to pray”. He did anyway. And Paul didn’t have the “right” to preach in Rome. He did anyway. And he didn’t even appeal to other Christians to “call your political leaders and demand a change”.

Let’s call this “I demand my rights” stuff what it is; worship of self. You want to say you “believe” but you want it on your own easy terms. Meanwhile, the Lord uses circumstances to show how real your faith is.

Read the entire article at The Reformed Gadfly.

Just what is the world coming to?

Father’s Day Card Banned, Just In Case We Offend Lesbians!
Thousands of primary pupils were prevented from making Father’s Day cards at school for fear of embarrassing classmates who live with single mothers and lesbians.

I wonder what’s next to go, because, gee… we sure don’t want to offend the other “special” groups too, do we?

Religious Americans: My Faith Isn’t The Only Way
America remains a deeply religious nation, but a new survey finds most Americans don’t believe their tradition is the only way to eternal life — even if the denomination’s teachings say otherwise.

A whopping 57 per cent actually indicated that other religions also lead to eternal life. I guess their churches don’t exposit [esvbible reference="John 14:6" header="off" format="link"]John 14:6[/esvbible] well…

U.S. Deporting Christian Pastors
Immigration rejects requests to stay when church leaders’ visas expire.

So, while illegal aliens get in and even enjoy the protection that the Amnesty Bill will provide, law-abiding residents are getting the boot. Gee….

The Rampage Of Female Sex Predators Continues — Woman Has Sex With Student, 15, Plus 7 Friends
A female special education teacher and sponsor of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club at a middle school in Alabama has been charged with having sex with at least eight high school students between the ages of 15 and 19.

Well, then, another day and another woman joins the (in)famous list of female sex offenders at WorldNetDaily.

It is my privilege to be one of the authors at a new blog Contending. Defending. with some of the most God-fearing and faithful men in the Christian blogosphere — The Pilgrim, Bill Phillips, Coram Deo, The Desert Pastor, and Four Pointer.

About Defending. Contending. (DefCon):

The Christian faith is under attack from within. This blog is dedicated to defending truth and contending for the Faith from the wolves that have secreted themselves within the flock. This blog also exists to lift up Jesus Christ because when He is lifted up all men will be drawn unto Him.

This site is comprised of a community of Believers from around the world who contribute to this blog and it’s all done Soli Deo Gloria!

I’ll still be at WordnVerse, but will occasionally contribute new material at DefCon.

Do pay us a visit some time!

A local blogger recently posted an article calling Christians hypocrites because while many of us here in Asia choose not to consume food offered to idols, we have no qualms about consuming halal food, i.e. food that is slaughtered according to Islamic rites.

Now, for those who are unfamiliar with the Asian context, especially in Singapore and Malaysia, let me first lay out the premise for you.

In Singapore, most food sold in supermarkets are labeled halal (except for pork and some other food items for obvious reasons) to cater to a bigger number of consumers inclusive of Muslims. Barring any comment on whether it is right or wrong, or whether I agree or disagree with the practice, one must acknowledge that it makes economic sense for businesses to do so.

Back to the blog post in question: in response, I asked if he has any understanding of what Christianity is, my premise being that I think he has misunderstood the faith and, hopefully, present the Gospel if he should question what Christianity is.

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Recently in India, as many as 50 people in Kottayam district went blind after staring at the sun for a prolonged period of time looking for an image of the “Virgin Mary”.

Believing in false signs and wonders can be dangerous and even detrimental to one’s health as evidenced in the story. Yet throughout generations, man has been looking for divine signs and wonders to prove the existence of God and/or bolster their faith.

Many of us Christians shake our heads at that, but what we don’t realize is that in the Visible Church itself, many are looking for the same things.

I am not talking about the Roman Catholic obsession with miracles and apparitions of Mary (I don’t consider the Roman Church part of the Visible Church anyhow), but the obsession with signs such as tongues, healing, and other ‘miracles’ in some Christian circles.

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This thought surfaced today: it amuses me that when asked if we are good people, we Christians never hesitate to answer ‘yes’ most of the time.

Mostly, we pride ourselves for living the ‘good’ Christian life — giving to the poor, volunteering our time on weekends to entertain the old at hospices, giving free lessons to children from poor families, volunteering at church, and the list goes on.

That’s great and all, but I’ve got this piece of rather disturbing news for you: None of us is good or deserves to be called good because of what we are doing or have done.

Yes, that is what the Bible tells us. Even our Lord Jesus Christ said very clearly that none is good except God alone.

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”

Mark 10:17-18

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Have you ever considered why we back-slide now and then and fall away sometimes, or just don’t have the motivation to read the Bible, pray and sing praises to God?

While it’s a fact that we all go through dry spells, why then do some of us slip away so much that there’s an actual term for the condition, i.e. ‘backsliding’.

I got to thinking about this issue, because it’s not a unique problem to most Christians, including myself. I backslid down the slippery slope for years from my late teens after I left college and enlisted in the Army, and have just recently started to once again reach for the peak.

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I have been silent because I have been suffering from a really painful toothache that I suspect is caused by the last wisdom tooth on the lower-right row of teeth.

Painkillers have been my best friend, and sleep has not come easily at all. In fact, I haven’t had a meal nor any sleep till last night when the ache finally became more of an irritating throb.

I’m feeling much much better this morning and, with praise to God, the dentist (who is a friend of my wife) has been kind enough to move my appointment to first-thing Monday morning from the initial mid-afternoon session. Hopefully the treatment will see the tooth extracted and the problem fixed from then on.

You know how it’s funny that the breakdown of one of the key components of your organs for food intake can so throw your life into disarray and leave you very much weakened.

I got to thinking that in a way the toothache is like a lack of faith. Without the function of that tooth because of its sorry state, I could not ingest food and therefore be nourished. Without faith, it is impossible to be nourished by our spiritual food, the Word of God.

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The advertising adage that sex sells is taken to new extremes today — if you can’t think of some refreshing concept for a product or service, just slap on a nude female form (cover it in some cloth or put it in silhouette so that it passes the censors though) and there’ll be many who will notice it.

Job done.

Our senses are bombarded with sexual images all the time throughout the course of a day that you need to be blind in order to totally ignore them because they are just so in-your-face.

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I have never watched the news report on the murder of the three men who worked at a Bible publishing house in Turkey till today.

What I saw outraged me, but at the same time I was soberly reminded of the proper Christian response when I saw how the wives of two of the murdered men said they have forgiven the perpetrators.

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Luke 6:27-28

Realizing that I am to forgive those who do wrong against me is one thing, while it still remains to be seen if I’d be able to do exactly that if a similar incident should happen to me one day.

It also does put things into perspective, doesn’t it?

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I have come across many Christians, though strong in their faith and their obedience to the LORD, are not keen on reading or watching the daily news with regards to events happening in the world today.

It’s important to be joyful and fill one’s heart with the fullness of the LORD and fellowship and prayer and even to go out to the streets to evangelize, but do you know also that we are the Watchmen? And without knowledge of what is happening in the world, especially in the Middle East, we cannot be effective watchmen!

Do you know what Iran is doing? Can you put down in point form what Condoleeza Rice is proposing in the Middle East with regards to our beloved Israel and the “Palestinians”? On which day did Israel become a nation again?

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I saw the following video on Daniel’s blog and, after watching it, immediately agreed that it’s so true that most of us nowadays do not really speak with conviction when it comes to defending our faith.

Yea, you might see some people you know or have come across in the video. Perhaps you will even see yourself in it.

So why are we so afraid to speak our mind?

I can think of two good reasons:

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Have you ever wondered what rewards we shall all receive if we are the faithful who overcome the evils and the trials and tribulations of the Last Days?

I was reading Revelation (again!) just last night, and it’s funny that this thought has never come into my meditations on Revelation before.

Before we continue, I must first state that this came to me at this moment when I am facing a little crisis where I am struggling a little in my walk with God, so I have absolutely no doubt that this is God speaking to me and telling me about His promises to me and all of us when we overcome.

And I must also share with you this little bit of information before I move on to the rest of the post — that during the past few days whenever I flip open the Bible it will, without fail, open to a passage about sin and faith whether it’s in the Old or New Testament.

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I just came across this story of A.J. Jacobs, an agnostic, who did the crazy thing of trying to follow all of the rules set out in the Bible in a single year.

Did you know that there are, apparently, more than 700 rules ranging from the familiar “Love thy neighbor as thyself” to the more obscure part about not trimming one’s beard?

Jacobs’ experience will be published in a book titled The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, which will be in bookstores Oct 9, 2007.

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One of the most difficult things I encounter trying to live the life of a true follower of Christ Jesus is in following the teaching in 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Notice that the teaching is to give thanks for everything, not just the good, but everything including the bad!

Yes, that means the worst afflictions, the worst possible setbacks you might face in your career and relationships like losing your job or a loved one.

And it’s even giving thanks for the worst possible scenarios that you pray God to lift off your shoulders or turn around! Say, for example, you pray that you won’t be retrenched from your job during an economic downturn, but you still are asked to go.

Yet the question remains — how do I give thanks for something bad happening to me?

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Many times I doubt if God has hearkened me to go into ministry and to be unto the lost and His flock a minister, because I know myself well. Yet since I was a young Christian, I have had this gnawing feeling inside me that I was called to work in ministry.

You see, I do not possess the hardiness that a ministry shall demand, for I am weak with the comforts of this world. And there are yet so many financial obligations that need be fulfilled and repaid, else litigation come upon me.

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I came across this video quite by accident, and it is simply amazing because it is just so inspirational.

I would strongly urge you to watch all 20 minutes of it, and see for yourself how a whole tribe believed unto salvation! It truly is awe-inspiring the belief and faith that God had put into the hearts of these people whom we will by our industrialized and “enlightened” societies call primitive and uneducated.

Watching it really reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:19-25.

These people asked no sign from God, and saw none, but by hearing they believed. For months, twice a day, Mondays to Fridays, these people latched onto every word that the missionaries told of the Old Testament and the Gospel, yearning and thirsting for more!

How many people in our “enlightened” world today do you think will be as receptive? If this is not in any way inspirational, I know not what else might be.

Hallelujah, praise be to Yahweh! AMEN!

Shalom Aleichem.

Perhaps I have been confusing myself with the unnecessary.

Perhaps I was looking for more than what Yahweh has already prescribed through Christ Jesus as sufficient to justify salvation.

And in the process, added weight to my heart where it should have been light, and full of praise and worship unto Yahweh.

Why should I trouble much when Yeshua had already given us the commandments that we should all live by and observe as His followers?

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Six years ago on this date, September 11, more than 3,000 people lost their lives in a matter of minutes as two commercial jet airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.

I still remember it very clearly.

Just as those who experienced first-hand seeing J.F.K. shot remember vividly what they were doing at the time of his death, I remember this event so clearly like it only happened minutes ago.

My wife and I had just finished up some shopping we needed to get done at Ikea, and have just reached home. As I switched the television set on to CNN, these horrific pictures greeted us.

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I have to admit: I have never ever fasted. Not once, not even for a short duration of time.

However, I have been giving it some thought. Not fasting itself per se, but the act of fasting.

Just the other day in the study, my wife popped her head past her monitor, looked at me and asked, “Dear, why do Christians fast?”

(We have 2 PCs in the house, both set up opposite the other back-to-back)

Honestly, I was stumped and couldn’t give her an answer simply because I have never done it, nor really explored this aspect of faith and prayer. In the end, I had to ashamedly fire up Google for a few good articles on why Christians fast.

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Often we pray to God and set forth our requests for His help in many things, but when God answers them, have you ever considered that it will take continued faith and trust in God to see your prayers fulfilled?

Many pray and fast for some aspect of their lives to be changed, but when God does start changing those aspects of their lives, they falter.

Simply because they start doubting thereafter when they face trials and opposition, with little faith that God shall see them through.

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I was re-reading the Book of Matthew on the train yesterday evening on the way home from work, and in the Gospel of Matthew, I read of this account:

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Matthew 8:5-13

As I reflected on the account, I realized just how many lessons we can take away from this little incident!
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Ed’s post on his blog about how jaded he is having to juggle so many things and also taking on the burdens and tasks of others because he can be a softie (like me) inspired this post.

In my previous post about surrendering to God’s will when we pray, I talked about how I am learning to really let God’s will drive my life instead of going it alone like Rambo.

Since then I’ve been trying my hardest to follow up on what I said I was going to do in terms of surrendering my life to God’s will, and here I will share a few things that I’ve been doing and that which I find really helpful.

Morning Prayer

Pray, keep praying and more importantly, make prayer the first thing or one of the first things you do before you begin your day. In that prayer, give praise to God for everything, and surrender the day to God.

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In the Gospel of Matthew, our Lord Jesus Christ said:

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

Matthew 5:13

Have you ever wondered what it means to be the “salt of the earth”?

In examining what being the “salt of the earth” means, we need to first examine what the primary uses of salt are during the time of our Lord’s earth ministry as well as what salt was used for through the ages.

I can think of three at this point in time.

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I have never been a fan of country music, but this song by Carrie Underwood is especially endearing for me because of my journey to trust in God and submit to His will in all things. I love how the song talks about someone who simply surrenders to God’s will and lets Jesus take the wheel.

The second song ties in really well with the first, reminding us that when we do surrender our lives to His will, it is His arms of love that envelope us and hold us. Yes, we’ll be warm and safe there in our Lord’s arms, Amen!

Have a good week ahead, everyone.

God bless you and Shalom.