The Fullness of Time

One of the questions that I used to have at the back of my mind was why did Jesus come to earth at the time that He did. I mean, as early as in the garden of Eden, God had already prophesied that one fine day, the woman's seed will crush the serpent's head. Of all the days in the history of mankind, couldn't God have chosen to send His Son during the time of Noah (when the world was corrupted except for Noah and his family)? Or during the time when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt?  Or during the time when Israel were exiled to Assyria and Babylon?  In fact, there were even 400 "silent years" between the time of Malachi the prophet and the account of Elizabeth being pregnant with John the Baptist.

Well, thanks to a sister-in-Christ, who posted this link on Facebook, I got the answer to my question :-)

Star of Bethlehem 

This website contains a fascinating scientific account of when Jesus Christ was born (and also when He died).  The magi from the east, who had been observing the sky for years, must have seen something phenomenal enough to compel them to travel all the way to Bethlehem to worship Jesus and bring him gifts of frankincence, gold and myrrh.  I, for one, have learnt astronomical terms such as "conjunction" and "retrograde" :-)

You can also watch this on YouTube at the following link:




The contents of "The Star of Bethlehem" DVD can be seen at the following links:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwHP5vPKXTg
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKCh1bP80cc
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkU0GtjX-Ds
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFitxMhTPko
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZOY6E2U_4k
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3v5BQPUwQI
Part 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePm5aQvkdPI
Part 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ley_Cs9PrkY

Paul says in Gal 4:4-5 that Jesus was born "when the fullness of the time was come", viz

 ⁴But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
 ⁵To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

What exactly does "the fullness of time" mean?  Why could it not be a decade earlier or decade later?  Or even a year earlier or a year later?  This is because God is a God of order.  Even from the beginning of time, God had already known that Adam would partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that the Israelites would not be able to keep all His commands under the Old Covenant, and that His Son would have to come to earth to be born as a man and to die on behalf of mankind, , and through His blood establish the New Covenant of grace.
 
And God, being the one who created the heavens and the earth, would choose the perfect time for that to happen.  God, being the scriptwriter, producer and director, as it were, of this monumental event in the history of mankind, would have the prerogative to orchestrate the perfect time for this.  A time like no other.  A time when the stars in the universe would bear witness to.  Hallelujah!

Twelve Days of Christmas

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 26th December 2007

Here in Singapore, there is only one Christmas public holiday - 25 December itself.

In England, 26 December is also a holiday -- Boxing Day.

Yet there was a time when Christmastide lasts 12 days.

I did a Wikipedia search about the "Twelve Days of Christmas", and this is what was returned...

The Twelve Days of Christmas and the associated evenings of those twelve days (Twelve-tide), are the festive days beginning the evening of Christmas Day (December 25) through the morning of Epiphany (January 6). The associated evenings of the twelve days begin on the evening before the specified day. Thus, the first night of Christmas is December 25–26, and Twelfth Night is January 5–6. This period is also known as Christmastide.

There is a song entitled "The Twelve Days of Christmas" where the singer sings about gifts that his "true love" gave to him on each of the twelve days. On the surface, it may seem like a fun and meaningless song. But do you know there are hidden meanings behind the lyrics?

There was a period in the history of the church where Christians could not openly profess their faith because of persecution.

This song was composed during that period, and the gifts and their hidden meanings are shown on the right.

Anyway, check out this version by Christian rock band Relient K that I found on YouTube:

The Source of Good Works

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Saturday, 23rd May 2009

Most religions, if not all, teach us to do good to our fellow men.

As Methodists, there is a very strong emphasis on "good works". Hence, there are outreach programs, funds set up for the poor and needy, evangelistic events during Easter and Christmas, and so on.
But how do we distinguish between what is "good works" which is pleasing to God, and what is "dead works" which is nothing more than filthy rags in His sight?

I like the illustration that Ps Prince gave in a sermon he preached two weeks ago entitled "Put the "Amazing" Back into Grace" in which he spoke about the River Nile.

Most people would associate the river Nile with Egypt. This is because it spans the entire nation from the south to the north and provides its people with the irrigation required for its crops. In fact, the ancient Egyptians went to the extent of worshipping the Nile and that is why God turned it into blood, to show Pharaoh that He was the true God.

However, if one were to trace the Nile southwards towards its true source, one would be surprised that it goes all the way past Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda to the mountains in Burundi, which is in Central Africa! This is not obvious to most people. What is obvious is where it ends, ie. in the Mediterranean Sea just above where Egypt is.

And so likewise it is with good works, which is what is visible to others. The source of good works is not immediately obvious to most people too, even fellow Christians.

Paul tells us in Eph 2:10 that we are God's masterpieces, created in Christ Jesus to do "good works".

But let us trace that back to the earlier two verses to see what the source of good works is...

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Verse 8 tells us that God's grace is the source of our good works!

Yes, dear brothers and sisters, without His grace being the source and motivation for us, anything and everything we do, however noble, will all be in vain. That is what is so amazing about grace. Amen?

Speaking of which, many Christians like to quote James 2:20 that "faith without works is dead".  I wonder how many of them are aware of what James cited as examples of "good works" in the 5 verses that follow that, ie verses 21 through 25

²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
 ²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

Prima facie, murdering one's own son or betraying one's own country would hardly be considered "good works".  It would have been safer for James to quote the example of say, Barnabas selling his field and giving the money to church (as recorded in Acts 4:36-37).  Unless...

... those works themselves came about because of the great faith and belief that Abraham and Rahab had in God. The former because God Himself had spoken to him time and again about how he would be the heir of the world through his seed.  The latter had heard stories of how God had delivered His people from the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea, taken care of them whilst in the desert and were now just outside the land promised to them.

When was Jesus Born?

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Thursday, 28th February 2008 under the title Skenoo

Thanks be to God, I have recently developed a deep hunger and insatiable thirst for His Word.

Some time back, I blogged about the 7 feasts as appointed times ordained by the LORD and how they all point to Jesus.

Jesus died on Passover, which is significant, because He became the Passover Lamb that took away our sin. The zodiac during that period of time is that of the constellation of Aries, the Lamb.

Jesus was however not born on 25 December. The reason why 25 December became adopted as His birthday was because there was a pagan festival that took place during the wintry months of December/January called Yuletide. When Christianity started to spread throughout Europe, it was out of convenience that the Roman Catholic Church simply replaced that celebration with the celebrating of Christ's birth.

So when exactly was Jesus born? There is good reason to believe that He was born in September.

Firstly, as mentioned earlier, the zodiac sign during the time that He died was Aries. By the same token, He was born of the virgin Mary, ie. when the zodiac sign was that of the constellation of Virgo, ie. sometime in August/September.

Secondly, Jesus died during the Passover, and became the Passover Lamb that died in our place. Using a similar line of reasoning, He must have been born during the Feast of Tabernacles, which takes place in September/October.

We read in John 1:14 that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". The Greek word used there is σκηνόω "skenoo" (G4637) which is translated as to abide or to tabernacle with. Similarly, the Hebrew word for Tabernacle סכה "sukkot" (H5521) is also derived from a word that means to dwell among.

While doing research on the Internet, I came across this article that shows very clearly that Jesus was indeed born in September rather than in December. To be precise, He was born on the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast lasted for 8 days (Lev 23:33-36). It is therefore of no coincidence that Joseph and Mary brought Him to the temple to be consecrated (via circumcision as recorded in Luke 2:21) on the final day of the feast.

But what really fascinates me is how the author uses the Aaronic priestly roster (as recorded in 1 Chron 24) to show when the priest Zacharias and Elizabeth conceived John the Baptist. From there, he derives when Mary conceived Jesus, and ultimately arrive at the day when Jesus was born.

By the way, there are theories being circulated that Jesus was born on Sep 11, 3BC -- that is why Satan chose that day to attack the Twin Towers -- so that people will remember that day for the wrong reason...

http://www.bytheword.com/birth

Jesus our Father?

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Monday, 8th December 2008

When I was much much younger, I was under the impression that since God was one God, the names Jehovah, Jesus, El Shaddai, Holy Spirit, etc all referred to Him.

Sometime in the mid-eighties, I remember my then Senior Pastor, Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon preaching about the Trinity, and that kind of confused me at first because God is one, yet God is also three persons. Gradually, I began to understand the mystery about the Triune God, ie God the Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

They are distinct Persons with distinct ministries. God the Father is the One who is mentioned throughout the Old Testament, and the One whom we now address as Daddy God because of what the cross has accomplished. God the Son is the One who made that all possible by becoming a man to redeem mankind. God the Holy Spirit is the One who now dwells inside of us and guides us into all truth in our everyday life.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I came across the following song in 1988 when I was in the church choir and had to sing it during Christmas...

For unto us a child is born
Unto us a Son is given
And the government will be upon His shoulders
And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God
the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace is He.


This song is based on Isa 9:6 and it was a prophesy about the Incarnation. Knowing that it referred to Jesus, the 2nd Person of the Godhead, now another thing began to confuse me as it seemed to be inconsistent with the Trinity.

I mean, why was Jesus being referred to as the Everlasting Father? I thought He was supposed to be the Son? I struggled with this for some time but decided to dismiss it off as "one of those things in the Bible that doesn't make sense, but just accept it by faith, lor".

Well, the long-awaited answer to the above question arrived yesterday, some 20 years later :-D

Ps Reuben preached on that very verse in Isaiah!!! (which is part of a current sermon series leading up to Christmas about the prophecies regarding the Messiah).
Ps Reuben explained that Jesus was called "Father" not in the context of His relationship with the other 2 in the Godhead. Rather, he is "father" in the sense that He (as the second and last Adam), is considered the ancestor to all of us in the New Covenant, just like how the first Adam is the father of all humankind! What a revelation!

But what brought tears to my eyes and a stirring within my spirit man was when Ps Reuben said that because Jesus is the "Everlasting" Father, what this implies to us in the New Covenant is that He cannot be "un-fathered" nor can we be "un-childed". I know it is bad English, but it drives home the point about the blessed assurance that we have about our salvation and position in Christ. Hallelujah!

Speaking of which, you can listen to that sermon entitled "And His Name shall be called..." at the following link:

http://www.box.net/shared/f8tkax65so

His other anointed sermons can be downloaded at the following link:

Anointed Sermons

True Repentence

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Saturday, 2nd June 2007

Mt Sinai teachings are those that make a person come under the Law, whereas Mt Zion teachings are those that reinforces the gospel of grace.

Today, I will blog about another pet Mt Sinai teaching -- that of repentence.

Under the Law (ie. Mt Sinai's teachings), repentence would refer to the action of a person beating his breast, or putting on sackcloth. Even to this very day, there are Orthodox Jews who stand next to the ruins of the walls of the temple in Jerusalem and wail (that's why it is called the Wailing Wall).

How about under Grace (ie. Mt Zion's teachings)?

The Greek word for repentence is metanoeo (Strong's G3340) which is derived from the words meta (Strong's G3326) which means "to change" and noeo (Strong's G3539) which means "the mind".

Let's say that we used to have this notion that our sicknesses or illnesses is from God in order to "keep us humble" or "to punish us because of our sin".

Then we discover that it is actually the devil who "kills, steals and destroys" our health (Jn 10:10a) and all punishment for our sin has already been meted on the body of our Lord, and by His stripes, we have been healed.

As a result of this revelation, our mental picture of God changes from one that is "out to get us" to one that is "for us and not against us".

This process of renewing of our mind to be in line with God's Word is effectively changing our mind or metanoeo. In other words, repentence!

As we progress along on our spiritual journey and learn more and more about our God, our opinion of Him changes for the better. We are undergoing repentence whenever that happens.

So am I an advocate of repentence? Most definitely! There are still parts of the old man that needs to replaced with the new man, and there are new truths about Him that remain to be undercovered each day.

The Secret to Getting the Double Anointing

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Friday, 2nd January 2009

How many of you are familiar with the passage of scripture about how Elisha asked Elijah for a double anointing?  It is a nice story in the history of Israel about how Elijah brought Elisha to various cities such as Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho and Jordan. Yet, if Jesus is not being unveiled, the mystery of the double anointing will remain just that -- a mystery.

Thanks be to God that the secret was revealed in a sermon He led me to hear when I was in one of the overflow rooms in Suntec Tower Four a month ago (Terence, the sermon title eludes me now, do you remember which one it was?).

Let's look at 2 Kgs 2:9-12

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not."
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.


We see in verse 9 that Elisha asked Elisha for a double portion of his spirit. The double portion anointing had to do with his spirit


Drop down to verse 12 and note that Elisha cried out to Elijah "My father! My father!" (which in the original Hebrew is the word Abba!, Abba!)

Now we know for a fact that Elisha was not Elijah's biological or legal son. So why did Elisha refer to Elijah as his father?  Therein lies the secret of the double anointing! God was giving us New Covenant believers a glimpse of what was to come as a result of Jesus' finished work.

Scripture has to interpret Scripture, and we find in the New Testament a reference to both the words "Abba" and "spirit" in the epistles of Paul to the church in Rome and to the churches in Galatia, viz

Rom 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Gal 4:6
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

Because of what Christ has done on the cross, God now considers us His sons and daughters. Every single one of us has the spirit of sonship (which only Elisha had the privilege of having under the Old Covenant).

In fact, if we understand our position in Christ, we will be able to achieve even much more than what Elisha accomplished during his lifetime, because His was only the shadow, being on that side of the cross. We have the substance, being on this side of the cross. Hallelujah!

Hidden Message in Genesis 5

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Monday, 7th May 2007 under the title The First Murder

Today, I resume the series of meditations of "Jesus Christ in the Old Testament".

Earlier this year I went to watch my daughter play in the zonal table tennis tournament. One of the most commonly-adopted strategies that a coach would embark upon is to field his/her best player as the 2nd singles rather than the 1st singles. The other coach sometimes may get wind of this, so he would likewise play his/her best player as 2nd singles as well. This would nullify the effect of the other coach, because the best player from each team would still end up playing against each other (albeit as 2nd singles).

Now apply this same scenario to the greatest battle of all time -- between the Lord God and the evil one.

When Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God already had in mind His redemption plan for mankind, and thus told the devil in Gen 3:15 that an offspring of Eve will be raised to "crush his head".

The devil went to work straightaway to try to prevent this from happening.

We read in the very next chapter that Adam and Eve had 2 sons - Cain and Abel. The devil (knowing that an offspring of Eve would cause his downfall, but not knowing exactly which one it would be), tried to prevent this by inspiring Cain to murder his brother Abel.


Thankfully, the devil is not omniscient (all-knowing), and God outsmarted him because the lineage came through Adam and Eve's thirdborn - Seth.

This is recorded in Luke 3:36-37, as well as in Gen 5, which traces the genealogy from Adam to Noah.

I leave you with this -- the truth about Jesus that is embedded in Gen 5.

Who Did Cain or Seth Marry?

This post was first published on ROOTSS Wednesday, 20th February 2008 under the title The Line Continues

In Gen 4, we read the famous story about the very first murder -- where Cain killed his brother Abel.

If this act is seen in the light of the first prophesy where the devil was told that Eve's seed would crush his head, then we can see why the devil inspired Cain to do so -- he had thought Abel was the promised one, since God accepted his sacrifice, but rejected Cain's. This view is supported in the New Testament, where John, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, recorded in 1 Jn 3:12 " Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother..."

Thankfully, God was always at least one step ahead of the devil, because Adam and Eve produced another son, Seth (Gen 4:25), and it was through this son that the line continued.

Which brings me to a related subject that some may have questions about but have been afraid to ask (I know I did) -- and that is, who did Cain and Seth marry?

If the entire human race originated from Adam and Eve, then the only logical answer is that Cain and Seth married their own sister or niece.

We read in Gen 5:4, "After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters", and Adam's sons and daughters would have had to marry one another in order to have children.

Before one gets nauseated, do remember that God had commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. Back then, it was perfectly acceptable for a person to marry his own sister or cousin, because the effect of the fall would take time to manifest in terms of genetic abnormalities.

Hence, we find that Abraham married his half-sister Sarah, while Jacob married his cousins Leah and Rachel.

For that matter, after the flood, Noah's grandsons had to marry his granddaughters since everyone else besides his family had perished.

It was only 2,500 years later during the time of Moses that God said specifically that one could not have sexual relations with his sister (Lev 18:9). By then, the effect of the fall would have been of significance, and marrying a close relative would increase the chances of duplicating a particular gene mutation (which is the medical grounds upon which secular societies forbid incestuous relationships).

Oh by the way, the earth as we know it is about 6,000 years old, and not millions of years as some scientists would like us to believe. Creation took place in 4004 B.C. and the flood took place in 2348 B.C. These and other events in the Old Testament are shown in this Old Testament timeline.

Mt Sinai Resources

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Sunday, 29th June 2008


Just the other day, I happened to come across a bookshop located near my office called Mt Zion Book and Gifts Centre.


With apologies to them, I was wondering whether those who embrace legalism should set up a bookshop and call it Mt Sinai Bookstore.

Such a store can then carry bestselling titles like the ones you see on the right :-)

1. Get Right or Get Left
You better get your life right with God or else He will leave you behind when the rapture happens.

2. Beware - Your Sins will Find You Out
Be not deceived; God is not mocked. Whatever sin one sows, he will surely reap destruction, even to the third and fourth generations.

3. Unfinished Business
The work of the cross is not quite finished because you still have to work out your salvation with fear and trembling...

4. The Wrath of a Righteous God
There are just too many Christians who do not take God seriously. Yes, God is love but don't forget that He is also a holy, righteous and jealous God. Take Him lightly and be prepared to be consumed by His wrath, like what happened to the Israelites.

5. Salvation is NOT guaranteed
Jesus said that not everyone who called Him Lord would enter the kingdom of heaven. That goes to show that you cannot be too presumptuous and can lose your salvation if you are not careful.

6. Greater Expectations
Those who say that the Law no longer applies must have conveniently ignored what Jesus said about our righteousness having to exceed that of the pharisees and the scribes.

Who wants to sign up as a member? The first 6 to do so will get a 6% discount on these 6 books...

A PDF version on the review can be downloaded at the following link:

http://www.box.net/shared/fp422l1xt5

Contaminated Vessels

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Monday, 22nd January 2007
Recently, a good friend of mine brought up the topic of "contaminated vessels", saying that we need to be wary of such people because God’s Word cannot be spoken through them.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this should not be the case. To a greater or lesser extent, all of us are earthen vessels (or jars of clay), but God has chosen to place His treasures in us (2 Cor 4:7). Just because the messenger has imperfections, it does not change the fact that the Message itself is perfect. Throughout the Bible, we see God using "contaminated vessels" to carry out His greater purpose.

Take for example, the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in Matt 1. Here, we see the names of 4 women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba being mentioned among the names of men, viz:

Matthew 1: The Genealogy of Jesus
1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud,
15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Now, why did the Holy Spirit see it fit to specifically mention the names of these 4 women, yet did not mention more prominent names like that of Sarah, Rebekah and Leah? Let’s find out the background of these women:

1. Tamar

Genesis 38:6-27

6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also.

11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house. 12 After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

13 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," 14 she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked. 17 "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked. 18 He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again. 20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said. 22 So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, 'There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.' " 23 Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her."

24 About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!" 25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." 26 Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.

27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first." 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez.

In short, Tamar was a widow who lost 2 husbands. She wanted a son, so she disguised herself as a prostitute to seduce her father-in-law Judah. Through that union, Perez came forth. Now, would you say that Tamar was a "contaminated vessel"?


2. Rahab

Joshua 2:3-6

3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land." 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)

Joshua 6:17
17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.

Joshua 6:23
23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

Joshua 6:25
25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

In short, Rahab was a harlot, who lied to her own king that she did not harbour illegal immigrants (which by the way, is a crime here in Singapore punishable by caning). Would a prostitute and a liar be considered a "contaminated vessel" in today’s context?


3. Ruth

Ruth 3:1-18

1 One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? 2 Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."

5 "I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

7 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. 9 "Who are you?" he asked. "I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."

10 "The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."

14 So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor." 15 He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.

16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?" Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her 17 and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.' " 18 Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."

In short, Ruth was a Moabite Gentile and a widow. She was told by her mom-in-law Naomi to lie at the feet of a very rich man called Boaz, to indicate to him that she was single and available. In today’s context, would such behaviour cause others to label her a "contaminated vessel"?


4. Bathsheba – Uriah’s wife

2 Samuel 11:1-27

1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.

5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant." 6 So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.

9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house. 10 When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?" 11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!" 12 Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." 16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20 the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.' "

22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead." 25 David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."

26 When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

This one probably needs no introduction. Bathsheba deliberately took a bath in full view of King David. One thing led to another, and she ended up in bed with him. She got pregnant so the king arranged for her husband to be killed in the frontline of battle. "Contaminated vessel" would be your verdict, no?

Well, I am so glad that God can use contaminated vessels to bring across His incorruptible Word and to fulfill His purposes, which means there is hope for you and I! There are so many more examples: - Abraham was a coward who asked his wife to lie that she was his sister. David was both an adulterer and a murderer. Paul went around persecuting Christians, etc.

Yes indeed, there is hope for you and I. He can use us, as long as we avail ourselves for His purposes. Amen?

Feel Hungry Not Guilty

How many of us, if we miss our quiet time or attending church, feel guilty?  Well, we shouldn't.

The Word of God is similar to spiritual food.  Just like physical food -- breakfast, lunch and dinner -- is meant for physical nourishment and sustenance, so too is spiritual food -- QT, reading the bible, listening to sermons -- meant to feed our Spirit man.  In both cases, a lack of food should make us feel hungry and not guilty.

Ps Prince illustrates this in a snippet entitled "God's Word Our Food", which can be found on his Humourous Bible Illustrations DVD.



Yet, while there are similarities between physical and spiritual food, there is one major fundamental difference, which Jesus Himself points out in Jn 6. The Israelites ate manna in the desert but still ended up dying. But those of us who feed on the Bread of Life will live forever.

The If-Only What-If Dance

Ps Prince has on several occasions mentioned about believers who swing back and forth into the past or future instead of living life in the here and now.  He likens such behaviour to performing what he affectionately terms the "If-Only What-If" Indian dance.

A person is in "If-Only" mode when he reminisces about the past and regrets things that happened,  for example, "if only he had married that other girl", or "if only he had taken that course of action".  He is in "What-if" mode when he starts to worry about the future, for example  "what if the property market crashes, what if the the stocks he bought tanked".  As he swings back and forth and back and forth, it resembles an Indian dance.

What we have to realise is that we cannot change the past, and the future is in God's hands, so we should just live life to the full in the present.

Catch Ps Prince illustrate that dance in this video entitled "If-Only-Itis", which is an excerpt from his Humorous Bible Illustrations DVD.

The Abundant Life Refers to the Here and Now

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Sunday, 2nd September 2007

When I was much younger, I used to equate the eternal life in Jn 3:16 with the abundant life in Jn 10:10.

Christians were supposed to have this attitude that "this world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue". So while we were in our mortal bodies, we were expected to go through much pain and sufferings. After all, temporal hardships were nothing compared to eternal blessings.

Now I understand the context of John 10:10. The devil will not be able to kill, steal and destroy us when we are already in heaven. but while we are still here on earth. It thus follows that the abundant and victorious life is meant to be enjoyed this side of heaven as well!

The devil will try to push God either into the past or into the future, when He should actually be relevant to us right here in the present.

Which brings me to another excerpt of the DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations. This one is entitled "God, Our Very Present Help".

Let's Take Them to Our Leader's Son

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Friday, 2nd February 2007

When I was much younger, I had dreams of being in the music and entertainment industry as a Disc Jockey. Well, so much for dreams. The closest I have gotten (and will probably ever get) is as the MC at my children's birthday parties.

Wishing to be a DJ meant that I would listen intently to the lyrics of songs. One particular song that never fails to bring tears to my eyes is "Take Me to Your Leader" by Newsboys.

In a typical science fiction movie about aliens and outer space, there will be a scene when the flying saucer finally lands on Planet Earth. Invariably, out steps a creature in a spacesuit who points a laser gun thingy at the inhabitants and says, "Take me to your leader".

It was with this concept in mind that Australian Christian band Newsboys, entitled this song. The climax, as it were, comes at the end where we are asked to "take them to our Leader's Son."


The song starts off with a lady who is caught for shoplifting. She is seen by a judge, whose wife had walked out on him, so he takes it out on her by sentencing her to jail.

In jail, she is ministered to by the chaplain. Touched by his care and concern, she wants to know what makes him so different from other people.

The song then goes on to talk about a man who is worried about his health, and resorts to taking vitamin supplements and aroma-therapy. Yet he finds no solution to his anxieties, but notices that his neighbours seem to have a sense of tranquility. One day, out of curiosity, he decides to ask his neighbour's son what his secret is.

The song ends by pointing us to what is special about the chaplain and the neighbour, and the answer is none other than our "Leader's Son", Jesus Christ!

When I hear this song, it reminds me that we are to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) and ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20) for Jesus Christ. There must be an "attractiveness" about us. While others fret and worry about their career or children's education, we display a sense of peace and serenity. While others take revenge on those who have wronged them (like Pastor KL mentioned in his sermon about avenging or "bao chou" being ingrained in Oriental cultures), we choose to forgive and extend unconditional love. This will cause our pre-believing friends and relatives to wonder why we are so different, and these then become great opportunities for us to point them to Christ.

So let's take 'em to our Leader's Son! Amen?



Isabelle is a belly dancer with a kleptomaniac's restraint
tried stealing Helena's hand basket, made a fast getaway, but McQueen she ain't
at the courtroom Joshua judges her ruthlessly on account of Ruth walking out on him
in the Big House Isabelle is a-telling all to the chaplain who's become her friend

she says: I don't know why you care I don't know what's out there
I don't know where or how just take me to your leader now take me to your leader now

Justin is adjustin' to the odor from Theodore's Evergreen Incense
but aroma therapy don't make him any younger than Oliver's All Liver Supplements
his late mate Merrilee merrily said immortality can't be bought in a jar
this just in: Justin's had enough of cure-alls,
gonna quiz the neighbor kid with the fish on his car

he says: I don't know why you care I don't know what's out there
I don't know how it's done just take me to your leader, son
I see you've got the joy I've seen you live it, boy
It's real, it's free, it's fun, so take me to your leader, son

They don't know why we care They don't know what's out there
They don't know how it's done Let's Take `Em To Our Leader's Son
They see we've got the joy They see us live it, oi
it's real, it's free, it's fun, Let's Take `Em To Our Leader's Son

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Saturday, 10th November 2007

Yesterday, I blogged about my visit to SKS Books Warehouse.

I saw a book of children's devotionals called "Faith Factor" (a spoof of "Fear Factor").

But what caught my eye was this book by John R. Cross entitled The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus (hence the title of today's post).

I was planning to get a book for a friend who is somewhat of an intellectual currently searching for answers to the meaning of life.

I turned to the backcover of the book, and this was what was written on it:


The synopsis intrigued me so much that I decided to buy 2 copies -- one for him, and the other for myself as well :-)

Anyway, the book has been made available by the publisher as a free download upon registration, which you can also obtain at the following link:


http://www.box.net/shared/3i4s0nopke

It's been called the most misunderstood book in history.

Wars have been fought in its name, scandals have been precipitated by it, politics shaped and reshaped at its word. Theologians have both defended and reviled it. Skeptics have done the same. If you are a typical member of the human race, you have often been perplexed by all the fuss surrounding the Bible. The question remains, What does it really say?

Here is a book that explains the greatest of Bible themes clearly and logically. Rather than focusing on one part and missing the whole the author chronologically binds together the entire text into one great universal drama, looking at events from the perspective of those who experienced history in the making. The results are sometimes comical, sometimes frightening but always true to the intent of the text.

When you are done reading it, you may find yourself believing the Book like you never have before. Or you may decide not to. The author's objective approach leaves that decision up to you.

Keeping in Step

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Thursday, 6th September 2007

How many of you have seen the familiar scene where a person is teaching another person to dance, and because the other person does not keep in step, the first person gets his foot stepped on.

In the same way, we also need to keep in step with the LORD, and not to go ahead of Him, or fall behind.

One of my cluster leader's favourite verse at the moment is Psalm 32:8, where the LORD says ......

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

The very next verse tells us how to we can be guided with His eye...

9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.

In order to be able to be guided by His eye, we need to keep in step with Him. We are only "eye to eye" if we keep pace with the LORD. We should not run ahead of him like the horse, or fall behind like the mule.

I tend to be like the horse, always eagerly wanting to get things done. And as a result, end up stepping on people's toes...

... or end up outside the will of God.

Which brings me to another excerpt of the DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations.  This one is entitled "The Unforced Rhythm of Grace".

Our Beautiful Lord Jesus

This post was first published on ROOTS on Wednesday, 12th September 2007

One question that was constantly at the back of my mind while growing up as a Christian was what Jesus was like before He began His ministry at the age of 30.

The 4 gospels bring out the 4 "faces" of Jesus (Eze 1:10, Rev 4:7)
- Matthew portrays Him as the King of the Jews
- Mark portrays Him as the suffering servant
- Luke portrays Him as the Son of Man
- John portrays Him as the Son of God

Because of the difference in emphasis, the gospel of Matthew only mentions Jesus' until the age of 2 and then fast forwards to the age of 30, while the gospels of Mark and John do not even mention His virgin birth at all.

Only the gospel of Luke mentions about His growing-up years, since the emphasis is of Jesus as the Son of Man.

In particular, Luke 2:40-52 offers a glimpse into the life of Jesus before He began His ministry.

Yes, Jesus was fully God. Yet He was fully man as well. As God, He was there in the very beginning as the Creator of the universe. As man, He had to empty Himself and become a vulnerable little baby. He had to go through what you and I as humans have go through, so that He could be our representative and kinsman-redeemer. The only difference was that He knew no sin.

Which brings me to another excerpt of the DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations. This one is entitled "Our Beautiful Lord Jesus".

The Holidays of God

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 27th February 2008

Last Sunday, as part of the sermon series on the Nicene Creed, Ps Reuben preached a sermon entitled "We Believe in the Coming of God's Realm and Reign to the World", which refers to eschatology or the end-times. The text for his sermon was Lev 23.  You can download the sermon at the following link:

http://www.box.net/shared/tn18ourmx0

I was extremely impressed because Ps Reuben is a relatively-young pastor and Leviticus is not an easy book to preach from. This was also the first time I had heard a Methodist pastor preach on the 7 Jewish feasts of the Lord, namely Passover, Unleaven Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles.

I found his sermon to be very edifying and ministering because he was rightly dividing the Word -- by explaining how these 7 feasts are types and foreshadows that find fulfillment in the New Testament. In his sermon, he referred to 1 Cor 5:7 where Paul says that Christ is our Passover Lamb.

He also referred to 1 Cor 15:20 where Paul says that Christ by His resurrection, is the firstfruit of all who had died. Sure, Jairus' daughter and Lazarus were raised from the dead, but it was only prolonging their life on earth; they eventually died again. Jesus was the first one who was resurrected from the dead, never to see death again! And we who are Christians will follow suit to inherit eternal life.

So where does eschatology fit into this, one may ask? While the 1st 4 feasts have already been fulfilled by Jesus' first coming, the last 3 feasts will be fulfilled in the end-times by His second coming.

I had been meaning to blog about these 7 feasts in a future post, but since it has been preached upon, it would be more meaningful to listen to that sermon. This (as well as other anointed sermons of his) have been compiled here.

Yesterday, it so happened that my dad showed me a booklet by RBC Ministries entitled "The Holidays of God", which also talks about these 7 "holy" days. These booklets in PDF format can be read online at the following links:

The Holidays of God - The Spring Feasts
The Holidays of God - The Fall Feasts

Thank you Lord for sending Ps Reuben to PLMC! May You continue to bless and prosper his ministry here.

Meditation is Like Chewing the Cud

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 20th June 2007

Yesterday, I blogged about the key to the prosperous and successful life is constant meditation on God's Word.

Today, I will elaborate a little more about this.

God has created animals in such a way that man can draw lessons from them.

Take for example the ant. In Prov 6:6, the lazy man is asked to look to it and learn from its industrious nature.

Another example is the deer. In Ps 42:1, the Psalmist drew inspiration from the way it panted for the water, and likened it to his own soul's longing for the Living God.

Likewise, we can learn how to constantly meditate upon God's Word from the way a cow eats grass.

God has created cows with 4-chambered stomachs. The grass that the cow ingests goes into the 1st chamber when first swallowed, is regurgitated back out into its mouth and it chews on it again. It then goes into the 2nd chamber and the process is repeated.

In other words, the same bits of grass is chewed upon by the cow throughout the day!


Similar for us with God's Word. A single verse like "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" can be meditated upon throughout the day during those "idle" times waiting for the bus, train, etc.

The first time around we meditate on the verse, God may cause the word "is" to jump out. The Lord IS my shepherd, not WAS or WILL BE. That means He is there for me right here and now.
The next time we meditate on this verse, perhaps the word "shepherd" will stand out. The picture of a shepherd depicts protection from harm and evil.

Yet the next time, the words "not want" is being emphasised. Here we get comfort that all our needs are met.

Because God's Word is living and active (Heb 4:12) and is like a diamond with many facets, different aspects of the same verse can and will speak to us, depending on our circumstances.

Let's look to the cow and meditate on God's Word, the way it chews its cud!

Let Go and Let God

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 25th July 2007

When I was in the army doing my National Service, one of the terms that was commonly used was SBC or "simply bo chap". (SBC was the acronym for Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, what is now known as MediaCorp).

"bo chap" is Hokkien for "don't care" or "can't be bothered" and is used to describe a soldier who could not care less about things happening around him.

But the irony is that this is the way a Christian is supposed to live -- carefree and without worries. The Scripture says "do not be anxious about anything" and "cast all your cares upon Him".

Yes, everything in our life may not be appear to be smooth sailing. The boss may be on our backs. There are dozens of deadlines to be met. Our kids are struggling with their studies. Yet, the way we are to respond is not like the world responds, because they do not have Christ. We as believers have to learn to let go and let God.

I would like to share the following except of a DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations.  This one is entitled "Letting Go", and unveils the secret to overcoming all our fears, worries anxieties, cares, concerns, bitterness and resentments.



So let us learn to let go, and let God. Amen?

Mysterious Ways or Higher Ways?

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 1st August 2007

How many of you have heard of the saying, "The Lord works in mysterious ways".  Well, you will not be able to find it in the Bible; it is from a hymn by William Cowper entitled, "God Moves in Mysterious Ways".

What's wrong with this quotation, you may ask? Well, if we believe in a God that works in mysterious ways, then we tend to think that He has "something bad up his sleeve" and have to be constantly on our guard at all times, never knowing what God will do next. It is like we are living in a novel by John Grisham, with many twists and turns.

Is it any wonder then that some people have the notion of a god that sets traps for humans, and when they fall into it, claps his hands and laughs with delight.

Consider the following words of a song made popular in 1980 by Swedish group ABBA called "The Winner Takes It All"

The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear

But doesn't the Bible says that "God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours?" Doesn't this imply that God is "mysterious"?


Let us look at the context of these verses in Isaiah 55:8-12

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

When you read the entire passage, does it encourage you or discourage you?

The thoughts and ways of natural men are evil. But God's thoughts and ways are above that.

What are some of the thoughts and ways of men? When someone harms us, we think of a way of getting even.

Some of us may even have "lower" thoughts and ways, like scheming on how to destroy that person completely.

What are higher thoughts and ways then? To forgive and think of practical ways of showing love.
And that is exactly what is meant by the thoughts and ways of our Lord God being higher than ours. Already back then in the Garden of Eden, He already had a plan to redeem mankind.

I would like to share the another excerpt of a DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations.  This one is entitled "God's Mysterious Ways?"



The Lord's ways are definitely 'higher' than ours, but they are certainly not 'mysterious'. Amen?

Melodious Scripture

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Thursday, 4th October 2007

2 days ago, I blogged about the accuracy of Scriptures being preserved down through the ages because of the digital characteristic of the Hebrew language, where each Hebrew letter is associated with a number.

Yesterday, I blogged about how Jesus placed His signature "Aleph-Tav" right there in the very beginning of the Torah.

These revelations were uncovered in a video by Dr Larry Ollison entitled The Hebrew Language.

Well, each Hebrew letter is also associated with a musical note, so Scriptures such as the Psalms can actually be "translated" into a musical piece!

The following is an extract from that sermon where he talks about how David was asked to sooth King Saul by playing the harp (made up of 22 strings, which corresponds to the 22 letters of the Aleph-Beth). Listen also to Psalm 23 in musical form :-)



[Afternote: A friend emailed me a link called Music From God, where you can listen to others parts of Scripture in musical form.]

In a future post, I will blog about how 2 persons started their journey feeling absolutely downcast. Something happened to them along the way, causing them to be so transformed and filled with excitement that they retraced their steps, went back from where they came and became bold witnesses for the LORD.

The Real Bible Code

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 3rd October 2007

Yesterday, I blogged about the Hebrew language being the only digital language. This allowed the scribes to copy the original texts that were written by Moses, Joshua, David, etc with great accuracy and precision, and without any error or omission because they could verify this via "row subtotals" and "column subtotals".

With this background, let us look at Genesis 1:1. The scribes had to copy the passage in its entirety, even though there was a word in there that did not seem to make any sense, and even appeared superfluous to them.

Hebrew reads from right to left. Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew is "ba'reshiyth bara elohiym eth ha'shamayim neth ha'erets".

Note that the word eth appears in this verse, but is not translated!

This word is made up of the letters "aleph" and "tav", which are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

It was a mystery to the scribes when they copied it down through the ages, but that mystery was uncovered by the apostle John!

Jn 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." What was the Word? Aleph-Tav!

Jesus Himself declared in Rev 1:8, Rev 21:6 and Rev 22:13 that He was the Alpha and Omega. The book of Revelations was written in Greek because that was the language of commerce during the apostolic age. But Jesus spoke Hebrew, so what He was in fact telling John was that He was the Aleph and the Tav.

In other words, Jesus had put His own signature, right there in the beginning, in the first verse of the first chapter of the first book.

The above revelation was obtained from a sermon by Dr. Larry Ollison entitled "The Hebrew Language". The following is an extract from that sermon where he talks about the signature of Jesus appearing in Gen 1:1.



Which brings me to the title of today's post. Several years ago, Michael Drosnin wrote a book called The Bible Code, in which he claimed that the Bible contained hidden codes about various people and incidents in history.

Well, the true Bible Code is that the person of Jesus is hidden in the Old Testament Scriptures, and as Christians, it is in our interest to uncover and unveil Him, because the more we know about Him, the more we know our own position, since we are co-heirs with Him. It is in our interest to know more and more about Christ, because as He is, so are we in this world.

Right there in Gen 1:1, His signature is found. In Gen 3:15, God the Father prophesied that Jesus would be the seed of Eve that would crush Satan's head. In Num 21, the snake in the desert that cured the Israelites was a picture of Jesus being lifted up so that all who believed in Him may have eternal life(Jn 3:14-15). And there are many, many more nuggets of truth in the Old Testament Scriptures (Noah's Ark being a type of Christ, Jesus in the genealogy of Noah, Joseph being a type of Christ, Boaz being a shadow of Christ, etc, etc)

When we start to realise that the Old Testament contains numerous hidden treasures of our Lord Jesus, the Bible becomes like that mystery novel that we just cannot put down! Our hunger and thirst for the Word of God intensifies, as the Holy Spirit progressively unveils and uncovers Jesus, yea even in seemingly "dry" books like Leviticus, Numbers and Lamentations! Paul says that ALL Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for equipping us -- and ALL means ALL -- including genealogies, numbers, names, etc. There are no insignificant details in the Bible.

Tomorrow, I will blog about how the LORD embedded into Scriptures music as a means of worship unto Him.

How Accurate Are the Scriptures?

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Tuesday, 2nd October 2007

When I first started work as an auditor back in 1991, one of the areas of work that we as first-year assistants were assigned to carry out was what was then known as Section J, which was the fixed assets of the company we were auditing.

The J lead schedule (or summary page) looks similiar to what you see on the right.

The rows would show the various types of fixed assets (eg. furniture, motor vehicles) while the columns would show their movement during the year (eg. amount brought down from last year, additions and disposals during the year).

During that era, we did not use electronic workpapers yet, which means to say that the J lead schedule was an A3-sized landscape piece of paper, and every single figure had to be manually written onto it.

To ensure that the figures were accurately transcribed, we had to cast (add downwards) and cross-cast (add across) using a calculator. If we arrived at the same grand total, this would give us a reasonable assurance that the individual figures were also accurate.

Of course now with Microsoft Excel, this task is much more simplified, and the casting and cross-casting formulae can be incorporated into the spreadsheet.

Which brings me back to today's subject matter.

The original Scriptures (what we now call the Old Testament) were written in the Hebrew language. In those days, there was no photocopying machine. So if one wanted to make a copy of a particular manuscript, he had to do so page by page, letter by letter.

Each letter of the Hebrew language has a number associated with it. For example, the first letter "aleph" equals one, the second letter "beth" equals two, and so on.

Hence, each and every row and column on a particular page of a manuscript could have a subtotal, similar to the fixed asset lead schedule mentioned above.

After a scribe had painstaking copied a particular page of a manuscript, he will cast and cross-cast to check if he arrived at the sub-totals as indicated on the page he copied from. If any of the sub-totals were wrong, it would mean that he made a mistake somewhere, and would have to throw that away and start all over again (correction fluid was not available in those days).

Those of you out there in my era would be familiar with cassette tapes. Cassette tapes are "analog", hence a recording made of a song, for example, would not retain the quality and clarity of the original. Nowadays, we are in the digital age of CDs and DVDs. These are considered "digital", so copies made retain the quality and fidelity of the original.

God, in His wisdom, had created Hebrew to be a "digital" language, so that the copies that were handwritten by those scribes retained the precision and accuracy of the very first original that was written by Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, etc.

The above revelation was obtained from a sermon by Dr. Larry Ollison entitled "The Hebrew Language". The following is an extract from that sermon where he talks specifically about the digital characteristics of Hebrew.



In closing, let me share with you another very interesting fact. When Moses was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Pentateuch, he included in the very first verse of the first chapter of Genesis the Hebrew characters "aleph" and "tav" (which are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet). Because of the digital nature of the language (where sub-totals had to tally downwards and across to ensure precision and accuracy), the scribes could not drop these two characters from the copies that they handwrote, even though these 2 letters appeared superfluous to them.

Tomorrow, I will blog about the significance of those 2 characters, so stay tuned :-)

Snakes and Ladders

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Tuesday, 12th June 2007

One of the games that many of us would have played as a child is Snakes and Ladders.

In this game, there are usually 100 squares with numerous snakes and ladders spread out all over the board.

The objective is to reach square number 100 in the shortest time possible, based on the throw of a die.

One hopes to land on the foot of a ladder, so as to climb it and advance several squares towards the destination.

At the same time, one hopes to avoid landing on the head of a snake, because this would mean sliding down its body to a spot several squares away from the ultimate destination.

Let's say we were to compare our life's journey to the game of snakes and ladders.

Whenever we exercise faith or obey the LORD, it is like arriving at the foot of a ladder in order to advance many steps in our spiritual journey.

On the other hand, whenever we blow it or foul up, it is as though we have stepped on a snake and slidded down, even as far back as to square one.

As believers however, the truth of the matter is that our game of snakes and ladders is radically different because ALL the snakes have all been removed, leaving only the ladders behind!

The result of the finished work of Jesus is that He has removed those snakes, so to speak.

In other words, whenever we exercise faith in God's Word, He credits it to us as righteousness. On the other hand, whenever we make mistakes, God does not count them against us.

We see 2 very clear examples in the Scriptures.

The first example is Abraham. We read in Gen 12 and again in Gen 20 about how he tried to pass off his wife Sarah as his sister on 2 separate occasions, because he was afraid that he would be killed by Pharaoh in the 1st instance, and by King Abimelech of the Philistines in the 2nd.

We read in Gen 16 how he decided to produce a son via Hagar, instead of trusting that God would bless him with a son via Sarah.

We read in Gen 17 about how he fell over laughing in unbelief, when God told him he would be a father at the age of 100.

In spite of all the above, the Holy Spirit saw fit to record in Rom 4 and Heb 11 only Abraham's acts of faith, which God reckoned to him as righteousness.

The snakes were removed, leaving only the ladders!

Another example is Elijah. In 1 Kings 19, we read about how Elijah feared for his life and fled from Queen Jezebel, instead of trusting God to protect him. Yet the Holy Spirit saw fit to record in Jas 5, referring to him as an example of a righteous man whose prayer availed much.

The snake was removed, leaving only the ladder!

Dearly beloved. Let us be encouraged that God does not remember our sins and lawless acts anymore (Heb 10:17). In our game of snakes and ladders, only the ladders remain. The snakes have all been removed. Amen?

Spiritual Hypocrisy

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Tuesday, 10th April 2007


We are familiar with the term "hypocrite", which basically is used to describe a person who behaves as he is not. Jesus referred to the Pharisees of His time as hypocrites because they were always putting on a show and behaving as persons whom they were not.

Well, I have heard that term being used presently as well, to describe believers who behave like angels when they are in the church service, and then become like devils once they go to the carpark and get behind the wheel of their cars.

A cell member of mine shared with me about an ex-colleague of his who would go to mass each week for a time of confession, only to go back into the world to sin the other six days of the week.

But have you heard of the term "spiritual hypocrisy"? This is used to describe those who believe and thus behave as they are not, even though the Scriptures tell them that they are otherwise.

For example, the Scriptures tell us that by Jesus' stripes, we have already been healed (1 Pet 2:24). If, instead of confessing and believing this, we instead go around moaning and groaning about this pain and that ache, then we are behaving like spiritual hypocrites.

Another example. The Scriptures tell us that we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21). If we instead continue to picture ourselves as unworthy sinners (like in the ritual for Holy Communion -- which I have now made a conscious choice to only recite parts which are Scriptural), then we are again behaving like spiritual hypocrites.

Yet another example. The Scriptures tell us that in 2 Cor 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich". The Scriptures also tells us that God prospered the patriachs materially (Gen 13:2, Gen 26:12-14, Gen 30:43). Christ became totally impoverished on the cross, so that as part of the divine exchange, we can be rich. Our material resources can then be used for His kingdom work. There is no need to make any apologies for embracing the "prosperity gospel".

So let's stop all this spiritual hypocrisy and start speaking and behaving like what the Scriptures say that we as followers of Christ are. Amen?

And now, let the weak say I am strong
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us

The Answer to Filthy Rags is the Robe of Righteousness

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Monday, 9th April 2007

I have been listening to sermons by Pastor Joseph Prince on the topic of Righteousness recently, and would like to share the following insights.

Recently, we read in the newspapers about how some of the world's richest billionaires have given huge sums of money to charity.

In the eyes of the world, this would be considered a very noble deed... even a righteous deed.

For that matter, a man may perform many noble and righteous deeds in his lifetime. However, all these righteous deeds would be in vain if He is without Christ.

In fact, we read in Isa 64:6 that all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags in the eyes of God.

The word "filthy" is translated from the original Hebrew word ed (Strong's H05708), which means "an appointed time for women"...
... or more crudely "menstruation".

"Filthy rags" would therefore refer to cloth soaked with menstrual discharge. Back in Biblical times, sanitary pads were not yet invented then.

In other words, even what we consider to be the most righteous or pious acts that men have ever carried out are nothing but used sanitary pads in the eyes of God.

There was only one righteous deed carried out by a particular man that was pleasing and acceptable to God. That deed took place 2,000 years ago at Calvary, which we commemorate each Good Friday.

Thank God for Good Friday!



Speaking of menstruation, this subject is also mentioned in the New Testament.
In Matt 9:20, we read about a woman who was "diseased with an issue of blood".

This phrase is translated from the Greek word haimorrheo (Strong's G131), which actually means to menstruate.

This woman was menstruating non-stop for twelve consecutive years. She touched the hem of Jesus' robe and was healed instantly.

There are no insignificant details in the Bible.

Just as the answer to that woman's menstrual situation was found by touching the robe of Jesus, the answer to our deeds being no longer considered to be menstrual pads in the eyes of God is for us to be robed in the righteousness of Christ (Isa 61:10).

Because of the divine exchange, we are now the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). Because we are in Christ, God no longer sees us (and our deeds) in and of ourselves, but God sees us being clothed with the robes of righteousness. We are a new creation; the old has pass and the new has come.

Our deeds will no longer be considered filthy rags because we are the righteousness of God in Christ. And our prayers will also avail much, because we are the righteousness of God.

I shall talk about a related topic tomorrow -- spiritual hypocrisy.