A Sense of Gladness

From the Scriptures, the record of the Christmas Story has several spectacular events. From the appearance of the angel Gabriel, the heavenly host praising God in front of terrified shepherds, the miracle of conception in Elizabeth's formerly barren womb and the arrival of the Magi guided by the star.
In the Church, these events are mentioned in the carols sung, the sermons preached and the seasonal activities (be it skits, cantatas, etc) conducted.
In the world, albeit rarely, we see malls plastered with decorations depicting angels, wise men and the Babe in a manger.

These supernatural events delight our imagination, instilling a sense of gladness in the air. Christmas greetings abound at the workplace. Friends reconnect over dinner tables laden with festival foods. Families install Christmas trees in their living rooms. People flock to the malls, picking up Christmas gifts.

So what is the thing that makes the air around us shimmer with this gladness?

The answer would be obvious to Christians - Jesus Christ should be the reason.

In Matt 1:18, Matthew begins the account of the Birth with "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way...".

Luke likewise, begins the account with the appearance of angel Gabriel, informing Zechariah that their son, John the Baptist, would be used to "make ready for the Lord a people prepared." (Lk 1:16-17) John was to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. (Jn 1:23)
Then in Luke 1:28-31, the angel Gabriel calls Mary "favoured one" because she was to bear Jesus Christ.

The supernatural events merely proclaimed the advent of the Event. They point to Jesus Christ.


Being brought up in a Christian environment, perhaps it is easier for me to resist the fickle "Christmas" entertainment (which is excessive) found in the world.
However, I find myself getting lost in the peripheral things. That "sense of gladness" ends up rooted in the supernatural Biblical accounts, instead of Jesus Christ. And that is not a real gladness; it is just a sense of gladness.
It is just as fickle as the world and just as misdirected as the world.

The Christmas Story is about Jesus Christ. The sole reason for singing carols is because of Jesus Christ. The sermons preached, the stories retold, the productions on stage - all must point to Jesus Christ. All who participate in such activities must remember Who they speak of - Jesus Christ. Who condescended to us. Shared our human sorrow. Bore our sin and shame - even to death on a tree. That is where my gladness stems from. It is weighted in reverent joy and focused only on Jesus Christ.

Was Jesus Redeemed with 5 Shekels?

As preparations for Christmas are revving up in church, we decided to cover some of Michael Card's songs. Michael Card is a fantastic singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. I especially enjoy his acoustic guitar work but the main attraction has been his thoroughly Biblical lyrics. However, we encountered a bit of  a hitch when it came to "Simeon's Song", which is about the account in Luke 2:25-32. Here is an excerpt from the song:

Marry and the baby come
And in her hand five shekels
The price to redeem her baby boy

 Here is the narrative in Luke 2:25-32:

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

 ²⁹"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; ³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation  ³¹that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

The question arose - was Jesus redeemed with 5 shekels? 

So what's happening here? Did artistic creativity get the better of Michael Card? Let's find out.

Now, the 5-shekels-for-redemption is mentioned in Numbers 18:15-16 -

¹⁵ Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. ¹⁶And their redemption price (at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. [Emphasis mine]

So the Law does contain a commandment to do such a practice!

But it is a curious thing - why didn't Luke record this? After all, Luke records that Jesus was brought to be presented to the Lord at the Temple as was the Law (Luke 2:23-24) and a sacrifice was offered (Luke 2:24). This sacrifice is for the purification of Mary according to Leviticus 12.
Why omit one law and record another law? Does Luke's omission mean that Jesus was not redeemed according to the Mosaic Law? 

I am convinced that Jesus was indeed redeemed for 5 shekels for the following reasons:

Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews
Luke makes special mention of His parents' adherence to the Law (Luke 2:23) as they brought the Christ Child to the Temple at Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord. Further on in v39, it is recorded that they "had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord".
Therefore, it would be queer that they did not redeem Christ, who was their firstborn as was the requirement of the Law.

The Significance of 2 Turtledoves/Pigeons
According to Leviticus 12:8, those who could not afford a sacrificial lamb was to offer up 2 turtledoves or pigeons. From their choice of sacrifice, Joseph and Mary were definitely far from rich.
In contrast, to recount the exercise of the law of 5 shekels would not bring anything new to the table. After all, Luke recorded the faithfulness of Joseph and Mary (to the Mosaic Law) in other verses.

Therefore, I find that Luke has a clear rationale for recounting one Law and omitting the other.

And so I think Michael Card has good reason to write that Jesus was redeemed with 5 shekels.

VBS 2010 Preamble Report

Vacation Bible School is around the corner and I am the Camp Master once more. It is a joy to be able to serve the Lord in such a small way - I pray that this joy will remain over the years to come. :)

Here is the article I wrote for the church bulletin:

Vacation Bible School 2010 Preamble Report

“BE OUTSTANDING - Standing up for what is Right!”

The theme of our VBS, “BE OUTSTANDING”, is a call for the children to stand up for what is right; that is, what is right in the eyes of God. Often times, we find ourselves caught in situations where choosing what is good to God seems foolish because so many of the people around us choose otherwise.

What do we do with peer pressure? How should we respond to the truth claims of the Bible?

Lessons include a thrilling learning journey through the events of world history, past and present, and the biblical account of the life and death of Jesus Christ. We will explore how Man, in his limited and sin-flawed capacity, has lacked the knowledge and moral compass to reliably determine what is right, resulting in the false truth claims of Evolution, the Nazi regime, the disbelief at the idea of manned flight, and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Just as the crowd today was wrong in so many things, the crowd in Jesus’ day was wrong about Him.

This year, the VBS has been specially tailored for both Christian and non-Christian children. The Christian child will be challenged to live a life pleasing to Christ, to love God rather than the praise of their peers, while the non-Christian child will be shown the reality of the Saviour and their overwhelming need for Him.

VBS 2010 will also attempt to integrate the theme into all activities, reinforcing the lessons and hopefully making them more memorable. This is something new and we hope to be able to achieve this in a meaningful and fun way through songs, games, art & craft and the finale night presentation.

Pray for the children to come, so the lost can be saved and the Christians can be edified.

Pray for the volunteers as they labour in the harvest and pray for more to step forward!

Pray for the committee members, that we will not just plan well but also pray well.

VBS 2010 Camp Master

Daniel

My Alternative Spiritual Diet

Recently, things have been too hectic with 2 things taking up all my spare time.

• My final year project at UniSIM 
• Vacation Bible School 2010 planning

There isn't much for the VBS 2010 planning but the FYP is really taking it's toil on me. Right now, I'm about done with the programming aspect of things and I'm looking forward to starting on the report section. The report is going to be 65 - 80 pages long and I'm giving myself 1.5 months to finish it up. It's going to be one wild ride but God-willing, the FYP will be completed by Nov 15.

Then I can focus on VBS 2010 and  blog regularly again.

The time-drain from my FYP has been so bad that I'm struggled to maintain my spiritual intake. Blogging was a form of spiritual sustenance, I liken it to an energy bar, because it enabled me to focus and meditate on Scripture and Biblical concepts/ideas in an especially intense manner. Now, in the absence of blogging time, I was faced a void - no more high powered spiritual energy bars, except on Sundays.

This did not sit well with me as I yearned for more of the Word.

Thank God for the iPhone... and podcasts... and long bus rides.

There are several excellent podcasts available, containing sermons and bible studies. The hour-long sermons were not too practical for my needs but thank God, RC Sproul has podcasts packaged in roughly 20-minute segments. And due to RC's methodical approach, the podcasts are meaningfully segmented - no sermons were abruptly truncated mid-point. And we all know that RC Sproul is a thoroughly biblical and talented expositor of Scripture.

In addition to RC Sproul, there's also John MacArthur's Grace To You podcasts which are also nicely segmented into manageable (for a bus ride at least!) lengths. 

Another terrific source of excellent soul food can be found in this blog here: http://teampyro.blogspot.com/
The Pyromaniacs, consisting of Phil Johnson, Dan Philips and Frank Turk, are a formidable group of biblically minded men who (frequently) post mind-boggling, soul-searching, gut-wrenching, heart-stopping posts. They are well-read. They are spiritual matured. They are discerning. They are hilarious.
Every day I tell you... almost everyday, there's a new post, ready for your spiritual consumption and I tell you, what a feast.
Oh, not only are the posts rich in spiritual content, the comments are often worth the while to browse through as it is akin to engaging in edifying debate.


So there - 2 alternatives to blogging for now...

The Wonder of Him who was fatherless

A few weeks back, Tabitha shared some insights she learned from a message during a Bible study session. The study text was our Lord's genealogy as listed in Matthew's Gospel.

An interesting detail she noted was that of all the people mentioned, Jesus Christ did not have a father. The phrase "the father of..." is repeated for every male in the lineage of our Lord but when we come to the climax, the author wrote (Matt 1:16):

"and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ."

See that?

Jacob is not listed as the father of Christ. Luke also records for us the same truth in his gospel (Luke 3:23). A little later on in Matthew's Gospel, the Scriptures makes it undoubtedly clear that our Lord was not conceived by man but by the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:20).

In similar fashion, the Apostles' Creed states:

"...Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary"

This is an precious Truth that is utterly mind-blowing. The way that God had it planned out - perfect from all angles. I mean, imagine that if Christ was born of an earthly father - How would the prophecies of old be fulfilled? What claim could be put forth for His sinlessness and ultimately, His Deity? What hope could we have in His sacrifice? Why would we believe that He has a Heavenly Father with mansions in store?

May we never ever lose our wonder of Him who was fatherless.

Dealing with Fools

Just a short one while I'm in the midst of standing-in for a colleague...

Proverbs 26:4-5 says

⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly,
   lest you be like him yourself.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
   lest he be wise in his own eyes.

At a glance, these 2 verses seem to contradict each other but upon deeper thought, they complement each other. In life we meet people who are "fools" - mockers, scoffers, scorners, etc... - and it is wise to exercise the wisdom in both verses. We should avoid speaking with a fool as he would strive to make you foolish like him. However, there are times when it is needful to put a fool in his place; to treat him as such and tell him to go fly a kite.


I have a few thoughts about this but the one thought that sticks out is from verse 5 - it's a active act as opposed to the do-not-answer passiveness of verse 4. This active rebuttal of a fool reminds me of how the Lord dealt with the Pharisees (whitewashed tomestones? Brood of vipers? Laying unbearable burdens on the people? and it goes on!) and how the New Testament writers addressed sinfulness (2 Pet 2 is a good place to start). Foolishness encompasses a HUGE range of things yes?

Using rebuke as a means to combat foolishness... from the mockers to the slanderers, the mistaken to the false teachers, strangers to family.

Hmmmmmm?

Tag! You're it!

Just about every kid on the block has played the game of Tag and you know that once you have been tagged, you're "IT" until you manage to tag someone else. It's a simple game that is utterly exhausting but profoundly exhilarating! I remember playing it for hours... even in the burning of the noontide heat. Then lunch time nears, parents call out for their children to come home, ending the game.

Don't we all play "tag" in the game of Life? We love to label people...  especially those who have proven to be bad influence or made mistakes before. However, a problem arises when the label gets branded onto an individual. The label now becomes a permanent fixture and no matter how that individual repents or matures, he is still the "same old".


Just like us, the Apostle Paul has come across people of varying degrees of badness. In some of his letters, he names them (1 Cor 5:1; 2 Tim 4:10, 14; Col 4:17) and he did it out of love for the Body of Christ (1 Cor 5:7; 2 Tim 2:26). Yet, Paul was not one to brand people and leave them in their sin (2 Tim 2:26).

Let's look at the familiar account of Apostle Paul and John Mark in Acts 15:37-40. This passage is a beautiful picture of Paul's maturity and love - and example for all of us to follow.

³⁷Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. ³⁸But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, ⁴⁰but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.

In v38, the reason for the Apostle's rejection of John Mark is mentioned - John Mark had left the group (earlier in Acts 13:13) during some missionary work. This displeased the Apostle as we read that he "thought best not to" (the KJV renders it "thought not good to") take John Mark along. Clearly, this was not a trivial matter as Paul's opinion of John Mark was not even swayed by Barnabas, who was faithful (Acts 4:36, 11:23-24) to the ministry and a long-time companion during the mission trips, and the duo had to part in "sharp disagreement". This makes me wonder if John Mark had done more than just "withdrawn" from the work and in fact, the NASB translates the Greek (aphistēmi) as "deserted". It is no wonder the Apostle reacted that way!


However, in Paul's later epistles... we find commendation for John Mark. Reading through Col 4:10-11, Philem 1:24, 2 Tim 4:11 - we find that Paul regards John Mark as a fellow worker, useful to the ministry and an encouragement to himself. Quite a turnaround from the situation in Acts! John Mark must have cleaned up his act and Paul had noted it. Paul was willing to overlook the past and work with the now, going so far as to consider John Mark an encouragement to himself.

This is something all of us should learn from - a willingness to review the old and accept the new. I cannot imagine Paul (or anyone else) treating a deserter as co-labourer, useful and encouragement unless he had that willingness. Paul might have forfeited all of the good that John Mark could bring if he had done otherwise, perhaps even discouraging a reformed John Mark to the point that he truly withdraws from the ministry. In the same manner, we risk damaging or losing harmonious, fruitful and joyous relationships down the road if we do not act now.

There are 2 things (more like really board categories) that hinder us from doing so - an unforgiving heart (It's pride, really) and a lack of discernment.

Pride
If we have been hurt or offended and we wilfully prevent ourselves from viewing the new good of that person, this is an issue of forgiveness, which is about pride.

Remember the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matt 18:21-35? The message is clear: if the Lord has forgiven us of our sins and holds us righteous because of His sacrifice, how dare we withhold forgiveness? But what if the offence was grievous? Then we should be pursuing the path of reconciliation here.

Come to the Lord in prayer, be humbled and strive to be reconciled! Be willing to overlook your brother's past and begin to see him in the now.


A Lack of Discernment
The Christian Life calls for discernment against evil and we handle this well; we are on the lookout for worldly distractions, sinful pleasures and devilish lies but what about discerning what is good? We can be quick to point out a brother's fault (and we can do it properly as in Gal 6:1) but we are slow to appraise goodness.

We are not called to just discern what is evil but also to discern what is the Will of God (that which is "good, acceptable and perfect" - Rom 12:1-2) and to think about goodness (Phil 4:8).

It is sad that we can even be indifferent to goodness, especially in the case of familiar friends: familiarity breeds a certain kind of contempt - one that feigns ignorance when an old pal has gotten somewhere along the road of sanctification. There is a sense of smugness while wallowing in the mire of a "Oh, he's like just that..." attitude and we need to break out of it lest we become crippling discouragement . Indeed, we want to encourage each another (1 Thess 5:11) in every way possible, even in seemingly minute things.



Just like Paul, I want to be able to review the old and accept the new. May the Body of Christ be strengthened, edified and united in love, deed and in Him.

Remember: It is never fair to be "IT" for every game of tag
and we know that.

Watch Your Bearing

As I sat in the worship service last Sunday, I was momentarily distracted by some thoughts on post-Service-activities and, thank the Lord, I was able to pull out of that distraction. A verse came to mind: Deut 6:5 - and I reflected upon it. Doesn't it mean that my whole being is involved in loving God and consequently (and especially so), in worshipping Him?

Worship is hard work and straying thoughts are a real problem.

But I was thinking - while I ought to keep my mind focused upon the sermon (and in prayer, in self-reflection, etc), what about the rest of my being?

The whole being.

That's when I realised that there is more to look out for:

1. If before people in authority (e.g. my boss) I take pains to watch my posture, I can sit (and stand) respectfully before the Lord.
2. Since I can read music notation then I can put in effort to make sure I sing correctly before the Lord.
3. As I am pretty adept at reading and speaking, I must actively participate in Responsive Reading before the Lord. 

And there's probably more...

Now a little word of caution - I must be wary of passing careless, unfounded judgement on others who do not follow my standards. This is something I'm prone to fall into.

Continuing in the Apostles' Doctrine...

After service today, I found out that there was no bible class because the teacher was unable to teach as he had to be at a funeral wake. I gathered my belongings and trooped downstairs. The rooms in church were filled with people starting their bible class. Outside in the refreshment area, it was deserted - people had gone to their classes. Down the driveway, Gracians were driving off to classes held in homes.

It reminded me of Acts 2:42 - where the early church was devoted to the apostles' teaching - and I was glad.  Extremely glad.

There are many other things that I can be thankful to the Lord but this was one thing that stood out... I am blessed to be in a church that is devoted to the study of Scripture.   

Busy-ness Busy-ness...

I bemoan my lack of activity on my blog!  It has just been that hectic recently, at work and with my part-time studies, so I've been unable to just sit down and focus on this blog.  I've got a couple of posts in the draft stages but I need to be able to sit down and work on them at length... which isn't happening as you can see.

Ah well. Got to work at it and get focused!

Auto-Tune the Pews?

In the service today... there was a lady behind me who sang loudly and well, rather out of tune. Really badly out of tune. I was taken aback for a while as my ears immediately latched onto the out-of-tune-ness. Hastily guarding myself against all that judgemental stuff a musician can throw at someone, I just carried on listening to her singing.

She sang earnestly and honestly with gusto.

That struck me because outside of the service, I've spoken to her before and she is a quiet person. In fact, she doesn't have a good command of English and she has a mild speech impediment. Now right there behind me, that lady was singing to the Lord with her pipes and giving her lungs a workout! 

And I was... "taken aback"?

There are (too many) times when pride rears it's ugly head.

Who are You In-Tune With?

I stumbled upon a quote by A.W. Tozer which is worth contemplation.

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become "unity" conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified.

A.W. Tozer

I need a sign Lord... really?

So I was reading Pyromanics and I found this little comment made by another blogger. She said:

I think I'm having a serious "duh" moment here. 

But basically, if we affirm that scripture is TOTALLY sufficient for knowing the will of God - then praying for any knd of sign to know what God's will is in a certain situation is actually wrong, isn't it?

Now... isn't THAT something to think about?  SERIOUSLY?

More on this next time...

Help Needed In The Pews... Just Beside You.

During service today, I noticed a lady struggling to find the page during Scripture reading. She didn't have good eyesight and used a magnifying glass.

I could have walked over with my Bible to help her but I didn't because I thought the walk (to the other pew) too far. Upon deeper thought, I was actually afraid of disrupting the peace, of stepping out of line, straying from the norm.
What harm would have befallen me if I had walked over? Distract somebody for a moment? Ruffle my pride?
Afraid to break man-made conventions, afraid to gain a disapproving eye, afraid to go forth and help.

Midway through the reading, the lady eventually found the page.

The opportunity to show love to another had closed.

My pride, my pride! Bah.

The next time, I will walk over. I will help. Dear Lord help me...

The Sound of Heaven...

Over a serious discussion of extra-biblical "revelations" about heavenly visits and what not... I spilled the fickle seeds of my inner-most hope to my friend....

Me

i'd like to be told that there are electric guitars in heaven though.

how about that?

Friend 

c'mon man.. how can there be distortion, decay and delay in heaven?

Ow. 

Whose Fault is It Anyway?

Here's an interesting account in the book of Numbers that set me thinking about what I think I believe in...

Numbers 22:21-22

²¹So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.  ²²But God’s anger was kindled because he went...

A bit of context here before I move on - so we read here in Numbers 22, Balak summoned Balaam to come and curse the children of Israel. Balaam decided to wait and see what God would have him to do and God told him not to go. Balak was denied but tried asking again and so Balaam went to check with God again. This time, God said go. 

Thus Balaam went...  and "God's anger was kindled".

How can that be?  Didn't God just tell Balaam to go? (Num 22: 20) 

Now, pause a moment here. This is where I immediately thought - "Did God go back on His Word?" 

What an absurd notion to even consider that! The Scriptures are clear that "God is not a man that He should lie" (Num 23:19) In fact, the very idea of holiness set forth in the Word demands a God of Truth! Why would I even think that God could have gone back on His word? Instead, the Scriptures are clear that God sees the heart (1 Sam 16:7 and more), not just the actions, therefore Balaam could have "obeyed" God for all the wrong motives. This is clear from 2 Pet 2:15.

So this is the thing I'm bothered about: If I understand the holiness of God from Scripture, why would my thoughts immediately spring to fault Him? I know that for my good friends, I would say things like "Oh, he would never do that... he's not like that!". Why not God? Hmmmm....

Adding Virtue... how?

Recently, the cell group has been going thru 2 Peter 1, a phenomenal chapter in an awesome book that has been very encouraging to me (and the cell I hope!). In fact, the first chapter is so good, I'd like to study it some more and share some of its treasures on this blog. Right now though, I'm going to explain something that was brought up in the cell group... so maybe you can treat this as a teaser/trailer of sorts. Heh.

Here's the passage, 2 Peter 1:5-7;

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (emphasis mine)

A short note on this list - this list should not be read as a step-by-step process or journey of the Christian life because in the following verses, the Apostle addresses these qualities as a whole. Rather, he seems primarily intent on portraying a complete picture of Christian qualities, while at the same time choosing qualities that move from the internal to the external.

Now the question raised was - how do you "supplement your faith with virtue"?  Or as the KJV puts it, how do you "add to your faith virtue"? 

What is "virtue" anyway? 
A quick check with wiki and dictionaries yield the definitions moral excellence or goodness. This is in line with the various translations -

1. NIV: goodness
2. NLT: moral excellence 
3. NASB: moral excellence
4. ESV: virtue
5. KJV: virtue 

Context Check
This "virtue" is whose virtue?
Based on the preceding verses (2 Peter 1:3-4), where Peter spoke about "having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire" - this "virtue" has to be the virtue that is not of the world, but of God.

Just to be doubly sure, let's check the Greek behind it. The Greek is "aretē" and Strong's Concordance has this definition: "properly manliness (valor), i.e. excellence (intrinsic or attributed) :- praise, virtue." So that's a nod for the translation of "virtue" and in addition, we know that this "virtue" can be intrinsic or attributed.

Context Check
Does Peter use "virtue" in an intrinsic or attributed sense?
I believe it is in an attributed sense for the Apostle instructs us to supplement (i.e. to add) not develop or improve or work-with-whatever-is-within-us.

Now we have a clearer picture - "virtue" has to do with moral excellence based on God and, in this context, it is attributed to the Christian.


Back to the original question - how do you "supplement your faith with virtue"?

Perhaps we can do so by working virtuous acts. However, this is unlikely for the following reasons:

1. There is no definition of working virtuous acts either in the Greek or in the word ("virtue") itself.
2. There seems to be an order in the qualities mentioned from v5 - v7; i.e. moving from the internal (faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control) to the external (steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love) of the Christian. If so, understanding "virtue" as "working virtuous acts" would be out of place in this order. 
3. In addition, to interpret "virtue" as working virtuous acts may be affirming the consequent, as seen here:
   
   A virtuous person will work virtuous acts
   Person X does virtuous acts
   Therefore, Person X is virtuous
   
   While a virtuous person would do virtuous deeds (Matt 12:35), virtuous deeds do not necessarily make a person virtuous (Matt 15:3-9). After all, I can be a hypocrite by doing good things for evil gain. Therefore, such an interpretation actually downgrades the definition of "virtue" to mere good works. 

So that's out of the window... what gives?

I found a little clue from reading James... In James 1:21-27, James begins with this line - "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (emphasis mine) - and thereafter he continues with instructions on being a doer of the Word. Receive and then the doing.

So "adding virtue" could mean to receive (i.e. accept/embrace/agree with) God's virtue? I think it is very likely a YES for the following reasons:

1. The English word allows for such a definition (Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster). 
2. As an internal act, this is in-line with the proposed order in 2 Peter 1:5-7. 
3. This understanding helps to prevent logical fallacies.

Therefore, I believe that to "supplement your faith with virtue" would mean adding increasing acceptance of God's virtue.



Such an understanding yields interesting applications. One aspect of my life that is lacking in acceptance of God's virtue, would be in the area of dealing with sin. I actually "grade" my sins. Some sins are somehow lesser to me and I don't bother about them as much. What an odd notion! Something to reflect upon...

What's an "Ebenezer"?

Thought it's good to talk about why this site is so named... and to talk about that great hymn, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, by Robert Robinson.

Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

There in the 2nd Stanza, is the word "Ebenezer" and I'll be honest here - I've sung this hymn for the longest time without understanding what that word meant. I recall purposing to go do some research and figure it out but I just never gotten down to it. Yeah, and I still sang this to my Lord and King, the Almighty God... as if I could have actually intended what I sung without understanding it. Gah.

That word is taken from the passage below:

I Sam 7:12

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, "Till now the LORD has helped us." (emphasis mine)

Right there at the bottom of the page, there's a footnote which reads "Ebenezer means stone of help". Ah-ha! 

Reading around in the chapter, we find this situation - Israel has repented and returned to the one true God and while they gathered at Mizpah, the Philistines rose up to attack them. Samuel instructed the children of Israel to cry out to the Lord for aid whilst he presented a burnt offering to the Lord, and the Lord did save them. The Philistines were soundly defeated.

And this was when Samuel "took a stone... and called it's name Ebenezer".

The account is made all the more amazing when one reads a little before I Sam 7. In chapter 4, we read that instead of crying out to the Lord, the Israelites foolishly thought that by bringing the Ark of the Covenant into battle, God would somehow be obliged to defeat the Philistines. One can even hear the haughtiness of the elders of Israel (1 Sam 4:3) affirming this superstition.
It is astounding to read of the sons of Eli, who was the High Priest, accompanying the Ark out into battle. One would expect Eli to have known better when 1 Sam 3:18 records him saying "It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him." (emphasis mine) Why didn't he stand against this superstitious act?
The Lord did not yield to their superstition and the Ark was captured while Israel suffered a crushing defeat.

This stands in stark contrast to the events in chapter 7, where Israel "lamented after the Lord" (1 Sam 7:2) and they cried out to the Lord to save them. These later events portray the people finally getting it right and not yielding to foolish superstition. Samuel said "Till now the LORD has helped us" (emphasis mine) and that is true - It was indeed the Lord doing what seemed good to Him.

All these Biblical facts add an incredibly rich meaning to Ebenezer.  It is a word that reminds me of God's attributes:

His Sovereignty 
God is not moved by superstitious rituals/acts. As if by my obedience, God is obligated to do some good for me. As if when I obey a commandment, God must therefore bless me. As if.

His Holiness
God demands the right heart before Him. A heart that cries out to Him in submission and is willing to yield to His Will. (Ps 51:17) A heart that loves Him and seeks to obey Him. (Jn 14:15)

His Love
God will help us in accordance to His good and perfect will. The palmist sang in Ps 46:1-3 that:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Now, over and above the daily blessings from God... there is one Help worth mentioning time and again. One Help that will always be remembered and it must be reminded to all. It is this Help that Mr Robert Robinson writes about in the 2nd half of stanza 2:

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

Indeed, God has already given us the greatest Help and that is Christ! What a joy to think upon the reality of this Gift!

 

Here I raise my Ebenezer

Hither by Thy help I'm come

Inadequacy

So I led my cell group in a short study of 2 Peter 1:1-11. It's such an amazingly written piece of Scripture (and which part of Scripture isn't?!) that packs so much encouragement for believers in such a short passage. I was so utterly amazed by my recent reading of it that... I was bursting at the seams - I wanted so badly to share this piece of incredible encouragement with everyone. So I started with the cell.

And I came away from it somewhat disappointed and with a sense of shame. Not with Scripture, for it is sufficient (Ps 19:7-11), but with myself because I have failed to handle the Word properly (2 Tim 2:15). I believe I could have done more to bring out the tremendous encouragements and truths from the passage but I fell short. Especially in the area where the Apostle writes about "these things" (2 Peter 1:5-7), I ought to have spent more time studying the various items and expanded upon them some more. There is no excuse for missing the obvious emphasis the Apostle placed on "these things" for he clearly stresses, reminds and advises his reader about them.

There are still more things that I have found lacking... but there's no need to speak of all of them now. What I must do now, is to make sure that the duty entrusted to me, to lead the cell through the first chapter of 2 Peter, does not go unfulfilled. I can only thank God that He has laid it on my heart to strive for a respectable handling of His precious Word.

Easter Service

Today is Easter... and I awoke with this hymn in mind -

"Welcome, happy morning!"
age to age shall say:
hell today is vanquished,
heaven is won today!

That's from the hymn entitled "Welcome, Happy Morning!" and I think it encapsulates the heart of the Resurrection. Praise the Lord for the hope that we have in Christ!

There was an exceptionally long service today (2.5 hours!) but it was filled with this tremendous joy commemorating the Event that happened so many years ago... and I think, isn't this another reason why it is good to gather on a Sunday for corporate worship? For an Event as infinitely monumental as the Resurrection, every Sunday should be a commemoration... and it should be approached as such. If I am convicted that I'm there to commemorate the biggest, greatest, event in the history of this world my attitude towards Sunday worship must change. What a notion!

My sister helped organise a little choir group for a special item and they sang "He Lives!" - a remarkable hymn - together with a bit of me guitar playing. It is just a small group of some 6 ladies in all but I'm thankful that the Lord uses them to proclaim His Truth in passionate, skilful and diligent ways. I'm especially grateful that my sister has found a ministry in singing for the Lord.Thank God for this.

A final little thought on today's service... there was noticeably less people at church today. Apparently some were away at other churches with friends or relatives due to baptisms and what not. While I'm not dogmatic about compulsory attendance in my-church-and-my-church-only, I'm just wondering how these excursions square with the "regular way" church is done in Singapore. By "regular way" I mean that in Singapore, we gather in designated church buildings and form communities within those walls. So by going on these excursions, they have to leave their community while they join up with another community somewhere. Therefore, due to our local context, perhaps we should be more mindful of the times we spent away from our communities? After all, the original community would have to endure a Sunday without these adventurous people and since some Christians only gather on Sundays, Sunday remains their only time for communion.

Yes, I am aware that all Christians are part of the invisible, catholic (universal) Church and yes, there is liberty to go visit any other church one wishes to visit. All I'm saying is - perhaps there should be a weightier consideration made before one goes on an excursion to another church.  For example, if you are a teacher with your bible class students there and you only get to meet them on Sundays, perhaps it is good that you should stay with your local community? Are there not people who would love to hear how you have fared through the week with God's gracious guiding hands? Moreover, it is Easter today and what better time to be with familiar faces, greeting one another with exclamations of "Alleluia, He is risen!" and sharing this joy together? I just wonder...

Beneath the Cross of Jesus

It's Good Friday today and during service, there was a beautiful hymn sung.  It's called "Beneath the Cross of Jesus", written by Elizabeth C. Clephane and the music was composed by Frederick C. Maker. This is how it goes:

Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.


Upon that cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess;
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.


I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by to know no gain or loss,
My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.

 
Several thoughts on this hymn... I like how there's a progression of ideas and I find the flow ingenious. Stanza 1 presents the cross of Christ as how many would view it. The imagery is immensely down-to-earth - who doesn't realise the need for solace from the "burden of the day"? Then as if to avoid any superficial (mis)understanding of the Cross or to prevent the stanza from becoming mere sentimentalism, Stanza 2 strikes right to the heart of the Cross - It is about Christ dying to save the sinner. A response is written there and those who sing it should be moved to confess the last line of the stanza. Again, as if to avoid mere emotional response without a heart (and action) for repentance, Stanza 3 steps in with some serious "applications". There isn't much I can say about the last Stanza except that I tremble when I sing it.

It's Good Friday today and I remember "my sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross".

Thank God for Good Friday.

Working Relationships (Part 2)

Hebrews 3:13

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Let's look at something detrimental to righting a malfunctioning relationship within the family of God - procrastination.

"Wait..."

This is possibly the most often heard piece of advice given when it comes to conflict resolution. It is like hoping that Time Heals All^TM would somehow occur in its entirety or at least, partial healing can take place... all in due time of course. Since this is popular practice/thinking, I've got some questions about this...

Is there a place for a time-out?
When should I call for a time-out?
How much time should be given?

These are important questions because procrastination seems to be a favourite resort especially when the going gets tough. In fact, the high frequency of (oft-times flippant) use hints that this is actually more than mere words of advice but betrays a prevalent mindset. Is such a mindset of procrastination biblical?

Matthew 5:23-24 has our Lord's instructions:

²³ So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

There are 2 things to note in this short excerpt.
First, it is apparent that our Lord pointedly expects the party involved in conflict to man up and settle the issue - by themselves.
Secondly, our Lord expects the same party to settle the issue quickly. I don't think that back in the day the gift would have been left on the altar for say... a week? No, it is clear that conflicts ought to be settled as fast as possible.

And we see a pattern as we look at other passages:

Matthew 18:15-17 

¹⁵ "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Here, our Saviour lays down the Biblical precedent for conflict resolution between members from the household of God. Christ gets straight to the point and His tone is commanding - just like the passage from Matt 5:23-24.


Luke 17:3-4

³Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, ⁴and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Again the words of our Saviour... and again, note the instructions given dive straight for resolution.

From these passages, I think the Bible speaks loud enough on this matter - It is clear that God wishes His children to work out the conflict kinks A.S.A.P and those who are directly involved have been tasked to bear the responsibility of personally doing the work. In fact, from this we can see that there should never be any reason for Christians on either side of a broken relationship to avoid/refuse reconciliation!

In the same manner, those on the sidelines should be ready to come forth to aid your fellow family members (Gal 6:1-2) by guiding them in the right direction and encouraging them to consistently work on the issue.

Be diligent in the matter by working on it with haste, lest a "root of bitterness" (Heb 12:15) springs up and causes others to be stumbled.



In the next part, I will look at what if a conflict just isn't getting resolved. How shall we handle that?

Our Vacation Bible School (Repost)

Here's an old article I wrote for my church bulletin back in 15 Nov 2009... 

 

OUR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

John 10:16 (NKJV)
"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."

Reminiscing of our Vacation Bible School in years past is a delightful thing. As a young helper, I recall being such a playful rascal; playing more than helping! I got through the nights with as little sleep as possible while conquering the morning sessions with catnaps in-between (sometimes during!) activities. Then when I did work, I remember trying to get the children to listen as speakers retold wondrous stories and lessons from the Bible. Of course, there were the fun times, struggling to motivate "shy" (only on stage) children to memorise their scripts so their parents can understand the skits on Finale Night.

Today, our VBS has seen some interesting changes. Now we have day camps with just one stay-over night. This year, we are doing everything in-house; all speakers, teachers and manpower are from Grace B-P Church. A puppet show replaced the traditional skit last year. In addition, we have had chocolate fondue parties, barbeques, post-VBS outings and more.
But have things really changed? I think not.

For the children still manage to exhaust the helpers' energies, the children still get to listen to the precious Word of God, and the children still perform for their parents on Finale Night. The children remain the heart of our VBS and through this multifaceted ministry we have an opportunity for Gracians to labour in service to their Saviour, a place where the lost child may be found by the Good Shepherd and an avenue to extend the saving grace of Jesus Christ to the parents. Finally, the VBS is still a part of Grace B-P Church. It belongs to us.

See the words of our Lord in John 10:16. We are the sheep who have been called by the Shepherd but there are yet many outside the fold. What shall we do? Hear the urgency in His answer - "...them also I must bring".

So come forward and help in any way you can - we still have room for more. Keep our VBS and her helpers in prayer - we need wisdom and strength for the planning and operation. Pray for the salvation of souls, both of the children and the parents. May God give us a passion to serve Him with a heart for the lost.

Daniel Tan
Camp Master
VBS Committee 2009

It is interesting to look at old (in this case, not THAT old) article and see my atrocious writing...

What does the Living God mean to me?

Over the last few days, there was a piece of Scripture that gripped my imagination and made me re-evaluate my Christian walk. It's a short passage and one that ought to be familiar with many of us. It goes like this:

I John 1:1-4

 ¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Here is the Apostle John proclaiming something that is beyond my wildest imaginations: that he witnessed the Son of God in human flesh. What a grand thing! Let the thought of that sink in for a minute or so. This was no mere vision or dream but the real deal flesh & blood - the kind that could be heard, felt and seen. It was reality. Reality.

What does that mean to me? What does that mean to you?

I find the highest possible form of assurance in this proclamation. It is profoundly assuring because the reality of Christ is reason to believe in the promise of eternal life. (1 Jn 1:2) It is profoundly assuring to know that because of Christ, we now have a restored fellowship with our Creator. (1 Jn 1:3) Then John goes on to say that these things will be the reason that we have complete joy!

Don't we Christians rejoice again and again over these precious truths? Indeed we should and we must!

So are you joyful about this?

Now there are 2 things I would like to mention.

The first is that of the Christian's testimony, our testimony. John himself has set an example, as we read in verse 2, because he has taken the step to testify about the living God. He testifies by writing down the things he has known to be true.
So I wonder how I have been a testimony for Christ, actively sharing Him to my peers around me. If you had answered "I AM JOYFUL!" (as I did) above then this question should weight heavily on your heart.  Why is your greatest joy a hidden treasure from the world?

The second is about the act of reading what has been written. When John says that he is writing "these things" so that our joy may be complete, I must ask what are "these things"? In the context, I would say "these things" has reference to the verses preceding verse 4. Now, supposing I never read those verses - would I have have known these things? Let's expand this; supposing I never read my bible, would I have a clear understanding of how to glorify God through my life? Get my drift?
Scripture has been written down for us so that we can read it and yet we struggle with that task. If the Psalmist waxed lyrical with inspired words about the complete sufficiency of Scripture (Ps 19:7-11), then why am I not bothering? If even the Apostle Peter can call Scripture a "more sure Word"over his own eyewitness (2 Pe 1:16-19), then why am I not reading it? Shouldn't you pay more attention to His Word?


Amidst profound joy to God for His Son Jesus Christ, we ought to be responding in obedience to share the Gospel.

Amidst profound joy to God for restoring us to fellowship with Him, we ought to seek to KNOW our God through His Word.

I need this.

Alright, we need this. 

Working Relationships (Part 1)

I’m going to begin writing about a matter that is close to my heart. It’s about conflicts in relationships and it’s going to be in maybe 3 parts. So here goes:

Everyone gets their share of conflicts in life… Conflicts are an inevitable part of life. I only need to open the Bible and I find plenty of examples of conflicts and instructions on conflict management. I’m even told by the Lord that conflict will come my way. (John 15:19) So we expect conflict to be part of the Christian life and we ought to be prepared to support one another when it hits.

And I believe that many Christians are aware of this. We are ready to stand by our suffering brethren, ready to bear their loads and bear it long we shall!

What about that other category of conflicts? You know… the one that seems to hurt a wee bit more than the usual World-Against-I type? The brother-against-brother type. Fellow members of the household of God at loggerheads with each other. How about that category? Yes, we have instruction concerning this.

Pretty clear stuff too ya?

Except this kind of conflict seems different. Feels different.

I think it’s like that because such conflicts are unexpected. After all, the world doesn’t listen to the authoritative Word of God so we can’t expect respite from them. But for Christians, are we not expected to be bound by the Word?

If the Word says, “love one another”, shouldn’t we strive towards it? If you are at loggerheads with a Christian brother and you know that you are causing him grief, how is he going to “[offer his] gift at the altar”? (Matt 5:23-24) If we are His children, how can we have “His love perfected in us”? (I Jn 4:12) Are we not guilty of “vain repetitions” if we do not forgive others their trespasses? (Matt 6:7-14) And we know that God judges the heart – If you claim to forgive but your actions do not follow, how are you one of the “doers of the Word”? (Jas 1:22)

I could go on and on but I don’t have to because the Bible does go on and on.

Sounds real serious no?

So the call is clear – we are to love one another and if there are divisions, then we must work towards reconciliation. I don’t think there is a need to spell out the specifics/applications because I think the words of our Saviour sum it all up in Matt 7:12 – “…whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them…”.

Eh. But I’m okay if the offensive-but-still-loved brother treats me the same way I’m treating him. I’m into giving the cold shoulder & complete indifference manoeuvre even if he’s beside me and I’m 101% fine if he returns the behaviour.

Ah… unfortunately, Christ says “others” not “offensive-but-still-loved brethren”. He means “others” as in your acquaintance/friend/best friend/BFF/pet/family… and no, you will not like it if your BFF treated you that way, neither would you like it any better if your pet dog treated you like that.

Oh, but one may cry out… “But you have to give some time for the fireworks to fizzle out right?” After all, Time Heals All^TM really does work, right?

Part 2 coming right up!

Uno

And so it starts…


Blogging was the last thing on my mind… I remember trying to blog some 8 years back and I don’t think I even started on a post. Signing up must have been tiring back then. Heh. So obviously, I have some kind of intention behind starting one, right? So here are the reasons for starting this endeavour.

1. I think it’s good to have additional Christian presence in the Blogosphere.
2. I hope to be able to edify other Christians in this effort.
3. I wish to have a never-ending journal that I can view anywhere and everywhere.
4. I need to exercise my writing skills, seriously.

So yeah, it’s kinda obvious that this blog will be intended for a Christian audience… therefore, be expectant about the content that is to come!


And now to figure out how to work this blogger thing…


Cheerio!
DanT