R O M A N S : 11 - 36

Restoration - Voting in light of Eternity

2011-05-07T00:28:00.000+08:00

Finally, we’ve arrived at the last section in the storyline of the Bible - restoration. When Christ comes again, he will judge the living and the dead, and his perfect justice and mercy will be seen. Justice for those who continue to rebel and mercy for those who have repented and trusted in Him. This is the time that all injustice, pain, suffering in this world will be set right, once and for all. The created order will be restored to its former beauty (Revelation 21-22). As we live here in the present, our anticipation of the restoration of all things gives us the vision and perspective to live and behave rightly in the now.

How then shall we vote in light of eternity?

Vote for justice, peace and righteousness, recognizing that perfect justice, peace and righteousness will only be yours in eternity – The restored world will be one where God will alleviate every suffering caused by sin. He will “wipe away every tear… death shall be no more… neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Here on earth, we have the duty to alleviate pain, and work for justice, peace and righteousness. We should vote for the party and candidates that best exemplify these values, and are able and willing to take action to alleviate suffering. Perfect justice, peace and righteousness will however only be fully realized at the restoration of all things. That is where we place our hope. Yet, we work, and vote for justice, peace and righteousness here on earth, and long for the day when what little we have of these traits is subsumed into God’s restoration of all things.

Vote for the beauty and welfare of the nation, recognizing that perfect beauty and welfare will only be yours in eternity – The restored world is a place of great beauty and welfare. It is a place adorned with the finest of jewels (Revelation 21:18-21), where God dwells with his people (Revelation 21:3) as their temple and their light (Revelation 21:22, 23). Here on earth, God instructs us to “seek the welfare of the city in which I have sent you into exile…” (Jeremiah 29:7). However, the very best beauty and welfare, this side of Christ’s return, pales in comparison with the glory of the renewed heavens and earth. Yet we work, and by extension, vote for the beauty, and welfare of the nation and her people.

We take great effort in working and voting towards a better future, which we should. Politics, policies and parliamentary democracy can bring about much good, along the lines of what things should look like in eternity. Perfect justice, peace and righteousness, beauty and welfare will however, will only be ours when Christ comes again.

That is where we place ultimate hope – Christ the redeemer, and restorer of all things.

Happy Voting, for the glory of God!

Redemption - Voting in light of the Cross

2011-05-07T00:27:00.000+08:00

God would have been perfectly just in if he had left us in our rebellious state. Because of his perfect justice, he would have to judge, condemn and punish us. Yet, in his perfect mercy, he chose instead to redeem humanity and creation (Genesis 4 – Revelation 20). This culminated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Fully God and fully man, he was sinless, and lived the kind of sinless life that you should have lived. Yet, he died the sinners’ death on your behalf, bearing the wrath of God for you. He then rose again, demonstrating that he had conquered sin and death, and hence had broken the curse, to re-establish God’s rightful rule. He then ascended to heaven and promised that he would come again.

We now live in this ‘intermediate’ period between Christ ascending to heaven and his coming again, in the tension of the ‘now and the not yet’. God’s rule is partially here, and the power of sin broken. But, God’s rule will only be fully re-established and the presence of sin completely removed when Christ comes again.

Here, in the ‘now and the not yet’, the Christian’s duty and delight is to preach the good news (gospel) of Christ, and to live out the implications of this gospel in all of life.

How does this influence your voting?

Vote for the most conducive environment and policies to preach the gospel – 1 Tim 2:1-3, Paul tells us that we are to pray for those in authority, so that we may lead a ‘peaceful, quiet life, godly and dignified in every way’. But what is this kind of life for? So that people may ‘come to the knowledge of the truth’ (vs 4) about Jesus Christ and what he has done (vs 5-7). Does the party recognize the freedom of speech and the freedom of worship as fundamental inalienable rights of every human being, and not just a social construct that can be manipulated? Or is it at least tolerant, and does not seek to curb the worship and preaching of Christ? Vote in that direction.

Vote in a way that is consistent with the implications of the gospel – The gospel is objective truth about on objective event. However, it is also a ‘power’ (Romans 1:16) for transformation and change, as its implications are worked out in all of life. We aim to live all of life ‘in step with the truth of the gospel’ (Galatians 2:14). What does this look like? Well, Jesus came to give himself for us. Perhaps the least we can do in our voting is to vote, not just for the benefit of ourselves and our families, but for the sake of others. For the sake of our fellow citizens, for the sake of the less fortunate, for the sake of our neighbor. Wasn’t it Jesus that said to ‘Love your neighbor’ (Matthew 22:39)?

Jesus proclamation of who he was in Luke 4:16-21 gives us a picture of what this may look like. This is what Jesus came to do for others:

He came to proclaim ‘good news to the poor’ (vs. 18a) – Were you not spiritually poor and wretched, and did not Christ come to clothe you with the riches of his righteousness. Would you now not look to the poor with compassion and clothe them with your riches? Vote the party that best takes the poor seriously.
He came to proclaim ‘liberty to the captives (exiles)’ (vs. 18b) and ‘oppressed’ (vs.18d) – Were you not enslaved to the exile of your own sin and and oppressed by your enemy the devil until Christ came to set you free and bring you home to himself? Would you not now seek to help your fellow humans captive and oppressed by sins and social ills of all kinds? Vote for the party that best seeks to bring liberty to the oppressed.
He came to proclaim ‘recovery of sight to the blind’ (vs. 18c) – Were you not spiritually blind, ill and unable to comprehend the light of the gospel, until God, in his mercy opened your eyes to see? Would you not now look with compassion on the physically sick and needy and broken? Vote for the party that takes the needy in our midst seriously.

Vote, eager and hopeful, but place final hope in Christ and what he has done for you – Politics, parties, polls and parliamentary democracy have an amazing potential to do so much good, rightly handled and applied. They are means and tools that God has placed in the hands of humans to bring about good outcomes for society. They are good things. Yet, they are not ultimate things. Although they can ‘save’ and ‘satisfy’ you in many ways, your true and ultimate source of salvation and satisfaction is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Vote, pray and eagerly hope for favorable God honoring results in the polls! But, place your final hope in Christ alone, and say with Paul, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8), and, just maybe, we’ll be able to say with Peter to our fellow man, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6)

So, go ahead, be free to vote without fear and with full conviction, knowing that your destiny and ultimate hope are in the Cross!

Fall - Sinners voting for sinners in a sinful world

2011-05-07T00:26:00.000+08:00

Instead of representing God and stewarding the created order under God’s rule, humans rebelled and established their own rule (Genesis 3:6; Romans 1:21-23). Separated from God and estranged from the source of all true goodness, humans, and the created order are placed under a curse (Genesis 3:14-18, Romans 1:28-31).

Yet, humans still retain the image (or likeness) of the God that they were created in (Genesis 5:1-3). It is however, a terribly flawed image. We hence have great potential for good, and yet, also a scary potential for evil. So much beauty, mixed with so much ugliness.

How does this affect our voting?

The very best parties have the potential for so much good, and yet, so much evil – You will not find a party, this side of heaven that meet all of God’s perfect standards. Yet, you still have the duty and privilege to choose. Seek to understand what the rival parties in your constituency stand for and compare them against God’s standards. You will not find the lines falling neatly. Yet, seek wisdom, compare the parties, place your faith in God, and vote the one best aligned to these standards.

The very best candidates will be moral and talented, and yet imperfect and flawed – It is reasonable to expect a certain level of morality and capability in your candidates, but, it is probably unreasonable to expect perfection. The issues are complex, and you must be under no illusions that simple, snappy, ‘quick fix’ conclusions will do. The choice may not be between a good candidate and a bad candidate, but rather a choice of the lesser of two imperfections. You will find good and agreeable things in your candidates, coupled with bad and less than savory things. Yet, with God’s wisdom, upon balance, you must vote the one best aligned to God’s character.

Your very best choices will be flawed – The parties are under the curse of sin, the candidates are under the curse of sin, and the voter, that’s you and me, are under that very same curse. Hence, even if you and I applied the very best of ourselves to the task of discernment and weighing, our final conclusions may still be flawed. Hence, while we put forth our conclusions with courage and conviction, we do so with sober self judgment. We respect that, this side of heaven others may come to a different set of conclusions on the candidates and parties, even with the same set of data and faculties, and we respect that. Yet, this is no excuse to sit on the fence. You must vote, you must choose, it does make a difference! As John Piper says, “The ambiguities are many. The complexities are great. The possibility of political miscalculation is real. But Christ came into the world to save sinners. Therefore we do not panic at the possibility of error. It is worse to run than to risk.”

Let’s make our sinful votes for sinful candidates and sinful parties count for good, in this sinful world, by God's grace!

Creation - Voting that best reflects who God is

2011-05-07T00:24:00.000+08:00

He created humans in His image to represent him by ruling and working (‘have dominion’) the created order according to His character and purpose. (Genesis 1:26, 28; 2:15)

How does our duty to reflect the image of God affect your voting?

Let’s look at some attributes that God shares with humanity (what systematic theologians call ‘communicable attributes’). This can be one grid for you to prayerfully consider when thinking about candidates and parties to vote for:

[Here, I am indebted to Wayne Grudem’s book, ‘Christian Beliefs’]

God is truthful (Jeremiah 10:10) – All his knowledge and all his words are both true and the final standard of truth. Which party and which candidates, to the best of their abilities, present themselves and their policies and actions in as transparent and truthful a manner as possible? Vote for them!

God is good (Luke 18:19) – All that he is and does is good and worthy of approval. Which party and which candidate best expresses general goodness, and more specifically goodness to their fellow man, granted, in however imperfect a manner? Vote for them!

God is love (1 John 4:8) – God eternally gives of himself for the good of others. As best they can, which party and which candidates give of themselves, and place as their primary goal the good of others and not the accumulation or personal power and wealth and influence? Vote for them!

God is holy (Psalm 99:9) – God is completely separated from evil. Despite sinfulness in themselves, which party and which candidates seek to put in place policies, and act in a way that shuns and does not propagate evil? Vote for them!

God is righteous and just (Deuteronomy 32:4) – God always acts in accordance to what is right for he himself is the final standard of what is right. Which party and which candidates play fair, and to the best of their abilities, have ‘renounced disgraceful, underhanded way’ (2 Corinthians 4:2) and sought to be honorable and, without fear and without nepotistic favor? Vote for them!

God’s wrath (Romans 1:18) – Unlike human wrath, God’s wrath is always righteously directed towards sin and sinfulness. God hates sin. He intensely hates all sin. There is such a thing as righteous anger. Which party and which candidates display at least some level of distaste, if not hatred against sin, injustice, oppression, and inequality? Vote for them!

Voting - Your duty and privilege before God

2011-05-07T00:23:00.000+08:00

In the beginning, God created the world good and perfect. He created humans in His image to represent him by ruling and working (‘have dominion’) the created order according to His character and purpose. (Genesis 1:26, 28; 2:15)

How does this affect your voting?

Voting is your duty and privilege as a representative of God on earth

This duty and privilege to govern and steward the world was to expand to all of life. God did not intend Adam and Even just to sit around and frolic in the garden. He expected them to work the garden. God’s intention was for them to progress, to develop, to build. It’s been said, “God intended for humans to split the atom (at some point)”.

Hence, it would not be a stretch to say that humanity’s progress towards parliamentary democracy was in some way an extension of God’s mandate to ‘have dominion’, to ‘rule’ and to ‘work’. In a parliamentary democracy, not everyone gets to govern and rule as a leader. However, the power of appointing these leaders is in the hands of the people – it’s in your vote! Hence, in a parliamentary democracy, by and large, people get the type of leaders that they deserve, since they choose those very leaders! Good leader - your choice. Bad leader - also your choice.

Voting is hence both your solemn duty before God as his representative on earth, as well as your amazing privilege as a creature made in His image to reflect that image. Take your vote seriously – don’t waste it, don’t squander it, use if for His glory!

Reflection on the Gospel and the Singapore Polls

2011-05-07T00:22:00.000+08:00

I’ve been reflecting about how we as believers in the good news of Jesus Christ, and committed to living out it’s implications in all of life, should be thinking and acting during this time of elections, as we seek to remain faithful to Scripture.

Let me state upfront that who and which party you vote for, and how actively involved (or uninvolved) you are, is a matter that the Bible leaves to the conscience of the individual – it does not dictate one party, or one candidate over another.

I do however think that there are some broad guidelines that the Bible gives us to consider the issues at hand, and how we should respond. Hence, I’m planning to do a couple of post (God willing), looking at the storyline of the Bible, and how that may influence how we think about voting and participating (in other ways) in the coming elections.The broad storyline of the Bible moves from Creation, to Fall, to Redemption and Restoration.

Here’s a quick summary first:

Creation

God Created the world good and perfect, and humanity in His image to rule and steward the created order according to His character and purpose (Genesis 1-2) – we are supposed to responsibly govern the created order, His perfect Kingdom in accordance with the perfect wisdom, truth, goodness, love, holiness, righteousness, justice, mercy, and beauty of God.

Fall

Unfortunately, humans chose to use that privilege to usurp God’s authority, and rebel, plunging humanity and the created order into a state of alienation, distance and enmity with God (Genesis 3) – all the pain, suffering, injustice, selfishness, and inequality in this world has its roots in this fall. The very best of us are terribly flawed, and yet still terribly beautiful and with great potential because the image of God remains in us, though marred. That applies to the parties, the candidates, and us the voters, equally.

Redemption

While God would have been perfectly just in leaving humanity and the created order in this self-chosen rebellious state, and one that he would have to ultimately judge and condemn in accordance with his character of perfect justice, his perfect mercy meant that he did not do that but chose instead to put in place a plan to redeem humanity and the created order (Genesis 4 – Revelation 20). This plan culminated in the sending of Jesus Christ, his only son to bear the penalty of this rebellion on humanities behalf. He then rose again, proving that he had conquered this rebellion, and re-established God’s rightful rule. He then ascended to heaven and promised that he would come again. In this ‘intermediate’ period between Christ ascending to heaven and his coming again, we live in a tension of the ‘now and the not yet’, where God’s rule is partially here, yet not completely (re) established. Here and now is the time for the people of God to live out the implications of God’s redemptive work. It is a time of sober hopefulness. In some ways, God’s kingdom has been re-established, hence Jesus can say, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand”. But, the presence of sin remains, and so we await the full fulfillment of that Kingdom, and we still pray, “Let your kingdom come”. So, as much as possible, we seek to function and live, reflecting the perfect character and care of God in this time.

Restoration

When Christ comes again, he will judge the living and the dead, and his perfect justice and mercy will be seen. Justice for those who continue to rebel, and mercy for those who have repented and trusted in Him. This is the time that all injustice, pain, suffering in this world will be set right, once and for all. The created order will be restored to its former beauty. This is what we place our ultimate hope in, this is where we keep our eyes on. However, as we live in the ‘here’, the ‘there’ gives us the vision and perspective for how to live and behave ‘here’. Again, as much as possible, we seek to live and behave (and vote!) in a way that is consistent with the perfection that is to come. As much as possible, where it is within our power, should we not seek to see in our lives, and the structures of our societies and the created order, the perfection that is to come?

[Note: These views are purely my own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations that I am a part of]

Dead Sea Scrolls & The Ancient World Exhibition in Singapore

2009-09-02T00:23:00.004+08:00

We went to the "Dead Sea Scrolls & The Ancient World Exhibition" today. Truth be told, the DSS only made up a small portion of the exhibition. There were also ancient Torah scrolls on exhibit, Bibles from times past etc. I especially liked the exhibit where they profiled Erasmus, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin and Bunyan. Catch it if you're in Singapore! Ends 20 September.

Sermon on "Defining Moments in a Nation's History" (Exodus 33)

2009-08-17T20:31:00.004+08:00

Preached at Redemption Hill Church - 9 August 2009

[31 August 2009 - For what it's worth, the mp3 and pdf of the sermon has been uploaded to the Redemption Hill Church website. Here and here. Thanks.]

Exodus 32:30 – 33:6
30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." 31So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written." 33But the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. 34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them." 35Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.
1The LORD said to Moses, "Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'To your offspring I will give it.' 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people." 4When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. 5For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.'" 6Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

Exodus 33:12-23
12Moses said to the LORD, "See, you say to me, 'Bring up this people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' 13Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." 14And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15And he said to him, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?"
17And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." 18Moses said, "Please show me your glory." 19And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." 21And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."

Introduction

1. Today, we celebrate the 44th year of Singapore’s independence. Looking at the success that the nation has achieved, you may be tempted to think that it has always been this way. But Singapore’s story began in moments of pain and anguish. Given our small size, lack of resources, and absence of a hinterland, the leadership of Singapore saw it as imperative to be a part of Malaysia. Yet, it was not to be. 44 years ago, Singapore was expelled from the Federation of Malaysia over fundamental differences. So while nations declare independence with great fanfare, it was different for Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister at that time, said this on national television during the declaration of independence - “For me, it is a moment of anguish. All my life, my whole adult life, I have believed in merger and unity of the two territories…”.

2. The next day, The Sydney Morning Herald, made this comment “An independent Singapore was not regarded as viable 3 years ago. Nothing in the current situation suggests that it is more viable today”. Such was the anguish that the Prime Minister fell sick a few days after Singapore’s independence. When the British Prime Minister Harold Wilson expressed concern, Mr Lee Kuan Yew replied “Do not worry about Singapore. My colleagues and I are sane rational people even in our moments of anguish. We weigh all possible consequences before we make any move on the political chessboard… Our people have the will to fight and the stuff that makes for survival”. Singapore’s most defining moments were birthed out of moments of deep anguish.

3. In Exodus 33, we find another nation at a moment of deep anguish and pain. The year is not 1965, but 1446 B.C. The nation is ancient Israel, the people of God. The episode begins with the nation in great anguish because of their grave sin against God. It ends with God showing His glory and turning their anguish into one of the most defining moments in their history. Perhaps, you are also at a painful place in your life, and you’re wondering if there is hope. Perhaps God wants to show you today, that there really is. Let’s get into the text today and see what God is saying to us. Come with me to Genesis 32:30.

(I) Moses speaks to God and God shows him the severity of Israel’s sin (Exodus 32:30-35)

4. 30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Moses goes to talk to God in the hope that ‘perhaps’ God would forgive their sin. He says to God, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—. “If you will forgive their sin...” his sentence hangs in mid air, he doesn’t finish it. Because he realizes that there was no basis for God to forgive the sins of the Israelites. Nothing in them merited forgiveness from God. They were guilty as charged.

5. So Moses moves to offer himself as a sacrifice in the place of Israel. He said please blot me out of your book that you have written. Punish me instead of them, Moses is saying. Wipe me out instead of them. Let me take their place! But God says, an emphatic ‘No’. 33 “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. No. Each individual who had sinned had to be personally responsible. God makes this clear in verse 34, where he says in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them. He speaks about a future day of judgment, the ‘Day of the Lord’, a day of reckoning when God would punish sin decisively. In the mean time, God sends a plague, as an immediate and visible expression of judgment upon his people. We read that in verse 35. It is a foretaste of the wrath of God to come.

6. But what made the sin of the Israelites so terrible anyway? In verse 35, it says that the Lord sent the plague because they made the calf. Verse 31 says they had made for themselves “31 gods of gold”. In Exodus 19:4. God declared, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” God, the LORD was the one who had brought them out of the land of Egypt to bring them to himself. He had parted the Red Sea, quenched their thirst, and filled their tummies, all in order to bring them to Himself, to be His treasured possession. The ONE who created them, was also the ONE who redeemed them, provided for them, and the ONE who would ultimately satisfy them. He rightly deserved their worship, adoration and trust. He was their God, they were His people!

7. But when Moses was delayed in coming down, instead of continuing to trust in the goodness and care and faithfulness of God, they decided to take matters into their own hands, gave their ornaments to Aaron, and made ‘gods to go before them’. Aaron of the calf: Exodus 32:4: “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” Instead of acknowledging God, they turned their trust, affection, devotion and worship to a holy cow! Romans 1:22 “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles”. You see sin isn’t just breaking God’s commandments. At the most basic level, sin is refusing to acknowledge God and worship Him for who He is – it is IDOLATRY. It is replacing God with something else. It is spiritual adultery!

Application I: See the sinfulness of your own sin

8. When we read about idols, for those of us from an Asian upbringing we perhaps remember the idols or deities that our parents or grandparents worshiped. Since we don’t do that ourselves we think that we are free from idols. But God said in Ezekiel 14:3 that the elders of Israel had ‘set up idols in their hearts’. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Idols are not just physical objects that we physically bow down to. No. They are first and foremost, objects of affection that we bow down to, in our hearts. Martin Luther explains that, “A god (idol) is whatever we expect to provide all good, and in which we take refuge in all distress… whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in, that, I tell you, is your true god”.

9. What are those things you turn to in your moments of uncertainty, or pain, or discomfort? Where do you turn to give you a sense of fulfillment, significance and safety? Do you look at the wealth that you have amassed? Or the career that you have built? Perhaps, it is the children that you have raised? God forbid, do you look to the faithful service that you have rendered to the LORD, as a sort of payment to God to gain his favor? You know, you may say with your lips that God is your only true God, that Jesus is your only hope, and sing it loud with gusto, but still deep in your heart, treasure something else instead of God. What are the real gods you are worshipping? What have you taken into your heart that is not the LORD? Allow God to surface them today, so that we can smash them together and exalt the true God in our hearts. Do we see the sinfulness of our sin, in the light of the glory of a Holy God?

10. But, there is a surprising twist at this point in this story. Alongside the perfect justice of God, we find God saying in verse 34 that my angel shall go before you. He would still give His sinful people some semblance of his presence with them. Where does this come from? It’s His perfect love. His mercy. His desire to be with His people.

(II) God speaks to Israel, they mourn & lay down their ornaments (33:1-11)

11. As we go on, Exodus 33:1 shows God speaking to Moses saying, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. This promise goes back hundreds of years to the time of Abraham, where God had promised Abraham in Genesis 17:8 “I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God” In spite of their sin against God, God would still be bringing them into the land that he had promised. He would still drive out their enemies. In spite of the faithlessness of his people, God was faithful to his promises!

12. His faithfulness is an expression of his perfect love towards his people. But, at the same time his faithfulness also points to his faithfulness to his own perfect justice. And so, we also read, Exodus 33:3b that, even though He will give them the gifts that he has promised, He still has say “I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people” . He can’t go with them in his full glory because his holiness would consume them, it would destroy them.

13. How did the people respond? They laid down their ornaments, as a sign of mourning, a sign of humility before their God. Exodus 33:4 When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.

Application II: Humble yourself before God

14. When you see the holiness and perfect justice of God in light of your own sinfulness, you get humble before him. You mourn. You cast yourself on his mercy, and wait for Him to do what He wants with you. You begin to see that you don’t have it all together – and even if you did, it isn’t really ‘all together’ because it will unravel when God judges. Have you come to that place of mourning in light of God’s holiness? You have to. It is the first step towards spiritual rebirth, renewal and revival. It is the first step towards a deep and lasting experience of God. It is an invitation for God to do as he pleases with you. Humble yourself before your creator, your Master.

(III) Moses speaks to God (again), and God shows him His glory (33:12-23)

15. So Moses speaks to God again, on behalf of Israel. Come with me to verse 13. If I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”

16. Moses pleaded with God, not on the basis of his own righteousness, but on the basis of God’s righteousness. Moses’ prefixes his prayer with “If I have found favor in your sight”. This favor was not a favor that he had earned because of something that he had done to please God, but rather a favor that God had bestowed on Moses out of His sovereign grace. Remember that when God first called Moses, he was a fugitive on the run for murder. Remember God’s anger against Moses for constantly refusing to speak on God’s behalf and for not circumcising his son? No, Moses was a sinner like everyone else. But God, in His grace, chooses to ‘know Moses by name’ and bestow ‘favor’ upon him. In verse 19, God says ”I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (Exodus 33:19). That is why the King James Version has verse 13 as “...if I have found GRACE in Thy sight, show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee”.

17. Pleading on the basis of God’s grace, God gives Moses a surprising answer: verse 14 He said, “My presence will go with you.” Moses can hardly believe his ears. So He appeals to God again - verse 15, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” God affirms that he meant what he said. He said, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Although Moses had heard it twice, he still could not believe it. There was really no basis in the character of the people for God to do this! Moses could not grasp it fully, but He knew that the answer had to be in God’s character. So he takes a risk and prays a bold prayer. He cries “Show me your glory.” In effect, Moses was crying out “Show me who you are. Tell me what you are really like. I need to know! It is our only hope!”

18. And God replies, verse 19, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ God agrees to do this. But he has to warn Moses, verse 20 “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” Moses was still sinful and would perish in the presence of the full glory of God. But God does pass by and He does show Moses His glory. Exodus 34:6 tell us that as he passes by Moses, He declares of Himself “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the 3rd and 4th generation.” He tells Moses who He is. He is both perfect justice and perfect love.

19. How does he reconcile these two aspects of His glory for Moses? By providing a place for Moses to hide. verse 21“Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by” God hides Moses in the rock so that he could see the glory of God and yet not perish. And on this basis, Israel is forgiven. The book of Exodus ends with God’s glory filling the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34). But the story gives you a nagging feeling that it isn’t over just yet. Turn with me to Exodus 40:35. It says that “Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” Moses still could not be in the full glory of God. Something more had to come to fully reconcile God’s perfect justice with His perfect love.

20. BB Warfield once said that the "The Old Testament is like a chamber richly furnished but dimly lighted." It’s like there are pieces of furniture in this chamber, but because of the dim lighting, we can’t really see clearly what they are. We can more or less make out the silhouette of a chair or a table, but we don’t know for sure. The New Testament is like a bright light that shines into this chamber and suddenly, we see clearly what is there. And as we shine the light of the New Testament into Exodus 33, we see Jesus Christ reconciling the perfect justice and perfect love of God.

21. At the end of Chapter 32, God does not accept Moses’ offer to die in the place of Israel because Moses had his own sin to deal with. Hebrews 3:5 tells us that “Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant… but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a Son”. Jesus Christ is the true and better Moses. The sinless one, who, when he offered himself to God in the place of the people, unlike Moses, God accepted it as a worthy and perfect substitution and sacrifice for our sin.

22. 1 Corinthians 10, Paul says. “For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Paul says that the Rock that followed the Israelites represented Jesus Christ! Moses was hidden in the cleft of the Rock and was shielded from the wrath and anger of God. We are hidden in Christ and thus also shielded. That’s why Paul can say in Ephesians 1:7 “IN HIM we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace”. God has placed us into Christ, into Him, into the Rock!

23. Finally, let’s look at 2 Corinthians 4:6. Talking about how we get saved Paul says “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. When we see Jesus Christ and what he has done for us on the cross, we see the glory of God. We see God as He is really like!

Application III: See the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ

24. When Moses had an encounter with God, when he saw God’s glory, it wasn’t just a nebulous experience. There was content, there was solid doctrine involved. Martin Lloyd Jones once said, “99% of our problems as Christians arise out of our ignorance of God”. When Moses was hidden in the cleft of the rock, God declared to him, God spoke to Him, God gave Moses His Word, when he said, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty,” This is profound doctrine! God’s encounters with his people are never separate from a revelation of who He is. So don’t ever undermine the importance of knowing your Bibles, or of knowing doctrine. How do you know whether the burning in your heart is a work of the Holy Spirit, or the curry that you had for lunch? By the revelation of God in the Holy Scriptures, where God declares, as He did to Moses, “This is who I am! This is what I am like!”

25. Yet, encountering the glory of God IS an experience. A deep and profound experience. Moses encountered God “passing by”! When we gaze into the gospel, God shines a light into the darkness of our hearts to reveal His glory in Jesus Christ. Romans 5:5, says that God’s love is “poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit”. So, don’t undermine the need for a deep and personal experience with God either. The same Martin Lloyd Jones also said this, “We must not be content until we have had some manifestation of the activity of God… Here is the crucial matter. Do we individually and personally really believe that God still acts, can act and will act - in individuals, in groups of individuals, in churches, localities, perhaps even in countries? Do we believe that He is as capable of doing that today as He was in ancient times - the Old Testament, the New Testament times, the book of Acts, Protestant Reformation, Puritans, Methodist Awakening? Do we really believe that He can still do it? If He is the great Jehovah - I am that I am, I am that I shall be, unchanged, unchanging, unchangeable, the everlasting and eternal God - well, He can still do it.” So, don’t undermine true doctrine, and don’t undermine true experience either. See them drawn together in the Gospel! See the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!

Conclusion

26. How does God turn Israel’s pain and anguish into their defining moment. How does God to that for an individual, a society or a people? Tim Keller said, “[The gospel] is the solution to each problem, the key to each closed door, the power through every barrier… All our problems come from a failure to apply the gospel.” It’s through a revelation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It’s seeing God as He really is. It’s a revelation of the Gospel.

27. Perhaps you are a non-Christian, sitting in our services and searching for God (if he’s really there). Or perhaps you’re a Christian, you’ve been attending church all your life, but you’ve never had an experience of the reality of God. Or maybe some of you come with hurts, or disappointments with God and the church. Or perhaps, some others long for a deeper walk with God, a greater victory over sin.

28. Whatever needs you bring, and whatever questions you have. God brings you to the same place, and it happens more than once - an encounter with Him through the Gospel. He brings you to that place where you see the sinfulness of your sin. He brings you to that place of humility, where you cast yourself completely on His mercy. And, he shows you His glory, in the face of Jesus Christ. So come, acknowledge the sinfulness of your sin, lay down your ornaments and humble yourself, and pray that God would show you His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

Studies in Jonah - Part III

2009-08-17T20:22:00.003+08:00

Jonah in Jonah

What does Jonah do, say and experience ?
–Hears God – 1:1; 3:2
–Flees from God’s presence – 1:3, 5, 10
–Pursued by God (Wind and storm - 1:4, 7)
–Hurled into the Sea – 1:15
–Swallowed/vomited out by fish - 1:17; 2:10
–Prays from belly of fish – 2:1-9
–Goes to Ninevah and preaches judgment – 3:2-5
–Angry with God, flees again – 4:1-5
–Rebuked/taught by God (Plant, worm, wind sun – 4:6-10; Dialogue with God – 4:2-4, 8-10)

Act 1: Hearing and fleeing

Jonah hears God, but flees. 1:3,5,10 tells us that Jonah was “fleeing from God’s presence”, and 4:1-5 tells us Jonah got angry and went “east of the city”. Do you recall any other OT characters that heard God and fled?
(Genesis 3:8,24; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:9-12)

What does this tell us about Jonah and his standing with God?
–Jonah was sinning against God. Sin isn’t just about doing bad things, it is about being in rebellion against God

Act 2: Pursued, swallowed and vomited out

How does God respond to Jonah’s fleeing? (1:4,7)
–God pursues Jonah

Why does hurling Jonah into the sea calm the storm? (1:12,15)
–Jonah knew that he had sinned against God, and that the only right payment for sin was death.

Why does God send the fish? (1:17; 2:6; 2:10)
–To save Jonah from His death

Did Jonah do anything to deserve the fish?
–No, he did nothing to deserve it

Act 3: Preaching judgment

What did Jonah preach, and how did the people respond? (3:4-5)
–Judgment, and they repented. Book of Jonah should have ended here! Revival had broken out, people had been saved. God’s will had been done. Yet, God was not done with the heart of His prophet. The ‘Gospel’ had to go deeper.

How does that compare to how Jonah responded when he heard God’s word?
–Jonah, God’s prophet heard but fled. The pagans heard and responded. Irony.

Act 4: Sulking in the presence of God

Why was Jonah angry and how does God respond?(4:6-10, 4:2-4,8-10)
–Because God is merciful to Israel’s enemies. Did he somehow feel that he deserved the salvation of God?

Why did God appoint the plant ? (4:6)
–“to save Jonah from his discomfort (evil)”

How does Jonah respond when God takes away the plant and brings him discomfort?
–He sulks, thinking that in some way he deserved the plant

What was God teaching Jonah by removing the plant? (4:10)
–Jonah “did not labour for the plant”, he did not deserve being “saved from his evil”

The story ends abruptly. Jonah’s final response is not recorded. How do you think the story ends, does Jonah finally repent?
–Only he could have written the book of Jonah. Who else would be privy to the prayer in the fish. The fact that we can read the book of Jonah, in the way that it has been written probably indicates that he did repent

"We are Jonah" (adapted from Mars Hill Church website)

-In Jewish tradition, Jonah, together with the final three verses of Micah, forms part of the ritual on the Day of Atonement when Jews in repentance confess their sins to God’ (Waltke, p81) In response to the reading of the book of Jonah the people reply, ‘We are Jonah’.

-We are Jonah. Jonah receives the Word of the Lord. We have the Word of the Lord. Jonah is called to a great city. We are called to a great city. Jonah runs. We run. Jonah’s sin affects others. Our sin affects others. God uncovers Jonah’s sin. God will uncover our sin.

-Jonah knows a lot about God, but doesn’t truly believe what he knows. Often, we know about God but don’t truly believe it. Jonah’s repentance begins with confession. Our repentance begins with confession.

-God pursues Jonah for His purposes and Jonah’s good. God pursues us for His purposes and our good.

-This week we are forced to examine our own selfishness, self-righteousness, and reluctance to participate in God’s unfolding plan of salvation in this great city of Singapore and like Jonah, we must own our sin and fly to Jesus.

Studies in Jonah - Part II

2009-08-17T20:21:00.001+08:00

God in Jonah

What does God say, what does God do, what is God like ?

–God Speaks: 1:2 Arise, Go to Ninevah, 2:10 Speaks to the Fish (?), 3:1, God speaks to Jonah a 2nd time, 4:4 Speaks to Jonah, “Are you right to be angry?”
–God Appoints: 1:4 - he hurls great wind, 1:17 - appoints fish, 4:6 “a plant”, “worm”, “scorching east wing, and the sun”
–God has a “presence”: 1:3,
–God of mercy: 3:10, how God related to Jonah (Chapter 4, 1:17), teaches Jonah, 1:3
–God teaches: Chapter 4, the Vine, like a Father

What does that tell me about Him?

–God is Sovereign and Personal
–God uses nature to speak, intervening directly
–God is merciful
–God is concerned about our character (chapter 4)
–God teaches us, through experience (difficult) and word

A Bible Study in the Book of Jonah - Part I

2009-08-17T20:14:00.004+08:00

Reading the Bible for All Its Worth
-Different genres (literary styles) of Scripture viz. letters, narrative, poetry, apocalyptic, wisdom etc. need to be read on their own terms
-Each have their own set of principles and rules that will help us get to what the human author, and thus God, intended to say
-Jonah is an example of a narrative

What are narratives ?
-A narrative is a true “story” that describes God at work in His creation and among His people.
-It glorifies Him, help us to understand and appreciate Him, and provides important illustrations of important life lessons

Old Testament: Genesis, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Jonah and Haggai

New Testament: Large portions of Gospels and Acts

Principles for Narratives
1. An OT narrative usually does not directly teach a doctrine, but (usually) illustrates a doctrine/doctrines taught elsewhere – so we need to experience the text
2. What people do in narratives is not necessarily a good example for us – frequently it is a negative example
3. A narrative is not an allegory filled with hidden meaning. We should focus on the clear and plain meaning of the text.
4. Not all details are given, what appears is everything that the inspired author thought important for us to know
5. In the final analysis, God is the hero of all Biblical narratives

Jonah and his people…

-Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23-28), in Israel, 782 to 753 BC
-It was a time of political prosperity
-Jeroboam “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 14:24), but still expanded Israel farther than his father did
-Jonah thus saw firsthand the restorative compassion of God extended to wayward people

Ninevah and its people...

-Ninevah, probably the capital of the ancient Assyrian empire
-Assyria often opposed Israel and eventually took the Israelites captive in 722-721 BC (see Nahum)
-But, Jonah prophesied during a period when Assyria was not an immediate threat to Israel and when Israel enjoyed peace and prosperity because of the compassion of God

Summary of Revelation

2009-08-17T20:10:00.002+08:00

The Message of Revelation

1. The message of Revelation is that in light of Christ’s 2nd Coming (1:7, 22:7,12,20), God’s people will face perilous times because of Satan and his minions. However, God still reigns sovereign, and will keep His saints. So He exhorts them to endure. Jesus eventually returns to judge and destroy Satan, inaugurate the New Heavens and Earth, and dwell with His people forever.

2. Perilous times – Revelation begins with Jesus addressing 7 churches (3:1-4:22), warning them of perilous times, and exhorting them to endure (2:7, 10-11, 17, 25-26, 3:5, 8-10, 21). Satan and his minions are ultimately behind these perilous times. Symbolic personalities such as the Dragon (Chapter 12), the two Beasts (Chapter 13), the Great Prostitute (Chapter 17), and Babylon (Chapter 18) are used to depict them. At the same time, God takes care of His people, and so they can endure - 144,000 are sealed (Chapter 14:1-5); the 3 angels exalt God as over evil (Chapter 14:6); and God keeps the harvest of His own people (14:16), before meting judgment on the rest.

3. God’s Sovereign reign - John is caught up to the throne room of God, where John encounters God’s glory (Chapter 4). God’s judgment on Satan and evil are symbolized by the opening of the 7 seals (Chapter 6 – 8), the Harvest of the Earth (14:19), the 7 plagues (Chapter 15), the 7 bowls of wrath (Chapter 16). The fall of Babylon (Chapter 18), the marriage supper of the Lamb (Chapter 19), Jesus throwing the beast and false prophet (19:20) and Satan Himself, the “Dragon” (20:10) into the lake of fire symbolizes God’s final triumph. During the thousand years (20:2) when Satan is bound, just prior to his final doom, Jesus reigns on earth. Finally, Jesus inaugurates the New Heaven and Earth, with the New Jerusalem (21:9) descending to earth, and ultimately dwells with His people forever (21:3 – 22:5).

Possible Application

4. Many Christians find it difficult to reconcile their status as God’s children with pain and suffering in this life. Revelation teaches us that it is precisely because we are God’s children, that we will experience persecution, pain and suffering in this life – if the crucified the Lord Himself, are we to expect any better treatment. Thus, we learn to expect pain and suffering. Yet, we are not those without hope, because Revelation also paints a majestic picture of God’s reign, and ongoing and final judgment over the cause of this pain and suffering, Satan Himself. And, so, we can endure, persevere, and continue preaching the Gospel, with the certainty that Jesus will finally win.

5. Revelation also reminds us that our final hope, our final satisfaction, our final salvation is not in the here and now, but when Christ returns to destroy His enemies, and claim His bride. Only then will every tear be wiped away. The Church has become so adept and efficient and living “in this world”, that it has lost much of its power and prophetic edge. What we perhaps need to do is to recapture that eschatological vision of final judgment and victory that will radicalize us out of our respectability to do the will of God on earth. When we realize that this current world is indeed not our home, would we not be freer to spend all, give all, for the Gospel?

Where a man belongs

2009-07-07T22:50:00.003+08:00

Don't know about you, but every now and then, I need this kind of a kick in the butt!

"Have you seen the Camel Cigarette billboards—the curly-headed, bronze-faced, muscular macho with the cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth? The sign says, "Where a man belongs."

You know what I pray when I think about that sign? I pray that Bethlehem will be filled with men who, when they see that sign, say, "To hell with such lies!"— men who know that where a man belongs is on his knees beside his wife, leading in prayer.

Where a man belongs is at the bedside of his children, leading in devotion and prayer.

Where a man belongs is in the driver's seat, leading his family to the house of God.

Where a man belongs is up early and alone with God, seeking vision and direction for the family.

Men, I challenge you in the name of Jesus Christ our King, be where you belong!"

- John Piper, from "Jesus is precious as the foundation of the family"

Sermon on "Staying in the truth" (2 John 7 - 9)

2009-05-11T18:10:00.004+08:00

So, I preached my first sermon at Redemption Hill Church, on Sunday 10 May 2009. It's on "Staying in the truth - Pursuing sound doctrine" and the text was 2 John 7 - 9.

7For(A) many deceivers(B) have gone out into the world,(C) those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8Watch yourselves,(D) so that you may not lose what we[a] have worked for, but(E) may win a full reward. 9Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ,(F) does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

I made 4 points:

(i) We must have love in our hearts as we pursue sound doctrine
(ii) We must confess Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, as sound doctrine
(iii) We are watchful and careful in our pursuit of sound doctrine
(iv) Our pursuit of sound doctrine is ultimately our pursuit of our full joy in God

You can listen to it here, and read the manuscript here, for what it's worth. Once again, I'm amazed at the grace of God...

Summary of Hebrews

2009-04-27T22:51:00.002+08:00

The Message of Hebrews

1. The message of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is the final and fullest revelation of God to man (1:1-3). He is the exact representation of God (1:3); superior to angels (1:4); crowned with glory and honour, and the founder of salvation because of His death for sinners (2:9-11); greater than Moses (3:3), as the great high priest who has passed through the heavens (4:14, 7:26); separated from sinners and therefore exalted (7:26) and seated at the right hand of God as a Minister in the true tent of God (8:1-2, 10:12-13). He entered once and for all into the holy places by His own blood (9:12); is a priest in the order of Melchizedek (7:17); the guarantor of a better covenant (7:22), and mediates a better covenant enacted on better promises (8:6, 9:15, 12:24) through his blood. He sanctifies His people through the offering of Himself (10:10), suffering outside the gate (13:12). He is the founder and perfecter of our faith (12:2); is the same yesterday and today and forever (13:8). He is the great shepherd of the sheep (13:20) who equips them to do His will (13:20); and all glory belongs to Him (13:21).

2. In view of who Jesus is, the writer of the Hebrews exhorts the Hebrew Christians to pay close attention to the message (2:1) and not neglect this great salvation (2:3); draw near with confidence to the throne of grace (4:16), with full assurance of faith (10:22); leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on the maturity (6:1); look to Jesus (12:2); struggle against sin (12:4); love one another with brotherly love (13:1-2); and bear with the writer’s word of exhortation (13:22).

Possible Application

3. The tendency in Christian circles today seems to be either experience or religiosity, in our bid to know God and to live as He would have us. Hebrews teaches us that while there is a place for both experience, and religious observance, what must precede is the supremacy of Jesus Christ over both. Jesus is the final revelation of God to man, and when we look at Christ we see God. To really experience God, we are not to look into ourselves, or even to some external ill defined “warm fuzzy”, we are to gaze at the person of Jesus all that He is and all that He has done if. There we find the experience of Jesus. When it comes to religious observances, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of the Pharisees, who knew not the Scriptures or the power of God. All the Old Testament laws, prophets, sacrifices etc. point to the person of Jesus. Thus, we are to look to Him as the once and for all sacrifice who has fulfilled all the religious observances required of God. That is the basis for our own “religious observances”. That is the basis for our not neglecting this great salvation, and for not falling away from grace.

A review of "What Saint Paul Really Said" by NT Wright

2009-04-15T00:02:00.003+08:00

This is the first time I've actually read NT Wright, and I have been told that his other works clarify some of my criticisms. Nonetheless, I thought this would be useful as a quick and dirty summary for those unfamiliar with Wright. I must admit that I am still confused by some of the things he wrote.. Anyways, this review was done in a huff all the way into the wee hours of Monday! So, I am sure it is really bad... :-)

Introduction

1. Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, wrote this book, to “clear a path through to the St Paul of history”. In this book, Wright wrestles with Rudolph Bultman, W. D. Davies, Ernst Kasemann, E P Sanders, and A. N. Wilson, and their conflicting portrayals of Paul. He discusses whether Paul wrote out of a Jewish or Hellenistic context, his role in the foundation of Christianity, and the centre of his theology. Wright thus paints for us a portrait of Paul, his culture, context, influences and affiliations.

2. Wright boldly claims a redefinition of the Christian message. He cuts through history and theology, and proposes a redefinition of such foundational themes of the Bible such as ‘the Gospel’, ‘the righteousness of God’, and ‘Justification’, and in the process clashes, the likes of Augustine, Luther and Calvin.

Paul writes out of his Jewish context

3. Wright argues that Paul is a Shammaite Pharisee, one of the “strictest of the strict”, zealous for Israel’s God and for the Torah. His intention was thus that he and others kept Torah so wholeheartedly, that they would be marked out as those who would be vindicated when YHWH finally acted to save his people.

4. Encountering the risen Christ, Saul of Tarsus came to see that Israel’s destiny had now been achieved in Jesus the Messiah. God had done for Jesus of Nazareth, what Saul had thought he was going to do for Israel. Thus, although Paul came to this new perspective, he remained rooted within his previous covenantal theology. In that process, Wright makes the following clarifications:

‘The Gospel’ is not an account of how people get saved, but the proclamation of the Lordship of Christ

5. Paul is of the view that what the world needed was precisely the Jewish message of God’s covenantal promise to restore Israel, fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. Thus, Paul still maintains his (Jewish) relentless opposition to paganism, and zealous promotion of Torah observance, but with a radical change in emphasis, to see that all this fulfilled in Christ, for Israel. Simply put, Israel is redeemed in the person of Jesus, and humankind is redeemed, through Jesus, so that the image of God may be restored.

6. ‘The gospel’ is not a system of thought or techniques for making people Christians, but rather the personal announcement of the person of Jesus. Preaching the gospel, to Wright, thus means announcing Jesus as Lord of the world, and seeking to bring that Lordship to bear over every aspect of the world.

‘The righteousness of God’ should not be understood as a law-court metaphor only, but in terms of God’s covenant faithfulness

7. Following his redefinition of “Gospel”, he redefines “the righteousness of God”. Against the understanding of “the righteousness of God” as ‘imputed’ and ‘imparted’, Wright argues that God’s righteousness can only mean God’s own moral quality, expressed in His covenant faithfulness.

8. This covenant faithfulness is expressed, in God’s active power to deal with evil, to save his people, and to do so with impartiality, through delivering his people from oppression. Thus to Wright, you cannot play of God’s justice against His love. God’s justice is His love in action to right the wrongs of his suffering world by taking the weight upon Him.

‘Justification’ is not a matter of how you get saved, but how you tell who was already saved

9. A person comes into relationship with the living God when ‘the Gospel’ in terms of the Lordship of Christ is announced to them, and through this means, God works by His Spirit upon their hearts, and as a result, they come to believe the message, and they join the Christian community through baptism, and begin to share in its common life and its common way of life.

10. Thus, to Wright, ‘justification’ is redefined from how someone enters the community of God’s people, or how someone establishes a relationship with God, to rather how someone could tell that they were part of the community of the true people of God.

Evaluation and Reflections

11. Wright ably answers the charge that Paul distorts the message of Jesus, by painting an eschatological view of redemptive history, and showing the appropriate continuity between Jesus and Paul on the eschatological time-table. Although, he does present a helpful cosmic view of the continuity between God’s Covenant with Israel, and the church, which is ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus Chris, Wright seems to neglect the personal element of the gospel. The world is fallen because man, who was to have dominion over creation, disqualified himself through sin and rebellion. The world is “oppressed” because of personal sin. Following redemption through the blood of Christ, the blessings of redemption can flow through redeemed man to creation.

12. Wright’s redefinitions of ‘the Gospel’, ‘the righteousness of God’ and ‘justification’ are uncalled for. His argument that ‘the righteousness of God’ can only mean the moral quality that is in God, in no way ‘imputed’ or ‘imparted’ is weak, and flies against text as clear as 2 Corinthians 5:21, and Philippians 3:9. It is noble that he wants to preserve the righteousness of God as a moral quality of God, but does this necessitate cutting off the Biblical teachings of imputation and impartation?

13. His redefinition of ‘justification’ as a way of determining how one is already saved and not how one gets saved is confusing. For Wright, a person comes into relationship with the living God, by belief, baptism, and the sharing of the church’s common life. What then is ‘the message’ that needs to be believed for someone to be saved? If it is just that “Jesus is Lord”, how can that Lordship be expressed without the one Lorded over being crushed by the utter holiness of Christ in his sin? Surely Jesus is Lord, because he must also be Saviour? And because He is a mighty Saviour and Lord, who has dealt decisively with the sins of his people, does that not then free His people to live in grateful community, in life giving service, and in redemptive work for creation?

14. In conclusion, I have enjoyed reading Wright, and found him helpful in pointing us towards a bigger view of the Gospel. Yet, I am troubled, that he does not see his “expanded views” complementary to the more personal elements of the Gospel, but insists on redefining key salvific themes in Scripture. This dangerously maligns personal responsibility for sin, and the rightful righteous wrath of God against sin.

The Funeral - Beautiful Imperfections

2009-04-14T23:42:00.006+08:00

This is a touching video about "beautiful imperfections" made by the Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports here in Singapore, to encourage our young people to get married...

As Christians, I wonder if our tireless pursuit here on earth for the perfect everything (spouse, career, church, pet, haircut, ministry...), often disguised as "Nothing but the best is worthy of Christ!", is in reality a betrayal of our lack of trust in God and His Gospel?

When Christ returns, all imperfections will be done away with... The imperfections of this life create a yearning in us for the perfections of Christ, and the Kingdom He is bringing to earth. May we then learn to love and live as perfectly imperfect for Christ in this present age, knowing that the perfection that He will bring will make it all worth it!

"1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:1-4

Two Videos for the Good Friday/Easter Weekend

2009-04-10T12:17:00.002+08:00

A time to come back to cross, a time to come back to Jesus, Lord over all...

Jesus Wants the Rose!

That's My King! I wonder if you know Him ?

Summary of Ephesians

2009-04-03T21:40:00.002+08:00

The Message of Ephesians

1. The Ephesians are to “know” the hope to which God has “called” (1:18), and “walk” in a manner worthy of that “calling” (4:1). They are to “know” two things:

a. The “riches” of God’s “glorious inheritance in the saints” (1:18) which are the “spiritual blessings” (1:3) in Christ, i.e. predestination (1:5), adoption (1:6), redemption (1:7), forgiveness (1:7), and final unity (1:10). Paul uses the shorthand “salvation” (1:13) for this, and it is received “by grace through faith” (2:5, 8) not by “works” (2:9)

b. The “immeasurable greatness” of God’s “power” toward those “who believe” (1:18-19) which is the same power that God used to raise Jesus, and seat him at his right hand (1:19), that breaks down the wall of hostility between man and God, and between man and man (3:16), equips for ministry (3:7), strengthens the saints (3:17), enables the comprehension of God’s love (3:18) et al. This “power” also works to strengthen against the devil’s schemes (6:11).

2. Then, they are to “walk” with “humility and gentleness” (4:2); “patience, bearing with one another in love” (4:2)’ and “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:3). These traits are worked out within the church (4:11 - 5:21), the family (5:22 - 6:4) and between slaves and masters (6:5-9).

Possible Application

3. Right practice birthed from right belief – Paul does not begin with the imperatives, but rather with what God has done in Jesus Christ. How they “walk” must be determined by what they “know”. Even when talking about “walking”, the connection is drawn back to the “knowing” e.g. he tells husbands to “love your wives” (the “walking”), as “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (the “knowing”) (5:25). This distinguishes Christianity from other belief systems. Other systems say, “You obey and therefore you are accepted”. Christianity says, “You are accepted and therefore you obey”. In pragmatic Singapore, there is a tendency to focus on ‘getting the job done’, with the ends justifying the means. The problem with this is that without drawing the link to the Cross of Jesus Christ, we may do good works, but not proclaim Christ. We will have mere religiosity that ultimately does not commend us to God, as only Christ can. We must recover this important link.

4. The Spirit is essential to live and ministry – The Holy Spirit is prominent in Ephesians. By Him, the Ephesians are “sealed” in what Christ has done (1:13). He is the “guarantee” of their inheritance (1:14). Through Him they have access to God (2:18). He strengthens them so that Christ can dwell in their hearts (2:22, 3:15-17). He unites (3:4). He can be grieved (4:30). He is the Spirit of true worship (5:18-20). He is the one that helps them to fight the good fight of faith (6:17-18). In essence, the Holy Spirit is essential in life and ministry. His work is however described in a more qualitative, than quantitative manner. From this observation perhaps that “conservatives” can come to realize the importance of the Spirit, while the “charismatics” can learn not to emphasize outward manifestations (e.g. signs and wonders) over qualitative change in persons and churches.

Joining Redemption Hill

2009-03-28T16:22:00.006+08:00

In the short time that I've been blogging, I've written about coming to gospel-centered convictions, mulled how these convictions are best worked out in the context of a local church, ranted (sinfully) at the lack of such a church here, laid out some desirable characteristics of how such a church may look like, and shared about meeting Simon and visiting Redemption Hill (here, here and here).

After a couple of months of (difficult and emotional) thinking, praying, talking to different people, and arguing even.. in seeking after God's will.. We've decided to trust God, and take a step of faith by joining Simon (and gang) in building Redemption Hill Church. Knowing some sense of "the hope to which he has called", "the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints", and "the immeasurable greatness of his power" (Ephesians 1:18-19), with quiet confidence in Our Lord Jesus Christ, but now knowing what the future will hold, we want to follow where He leads.. Pray for us, as we humbly seek to glorify Christ with our lives! :-)

What You Delight in Matters to God - A (possible) Sermon Outline for Ezekiel 24:15 – 27

2009-03-19T20:22:00.002+08:00

Introduction

1. Losing someone precious is an extremely traumatic event. Mourning is an important part of the grieving process. Tears are needful, and we do well to allow the aggrieved to cry.

2. However, in this case Yahweh tells Ezekiel that his wife will die (verse 16), and he is not to cry but rejoice (verse 16, 17). Was Yahweh being needlessly cruel? What is going on here?

Body

1. This was a “sign-act” where the prophet “acts out” a specific message from God

· “The word of the Lord came to me” (vs. 15) i.e. a specific instance of revelation and not normative.

2. The death of Ezekiel’s wife represented the impending Judgment of God

· The phrase “delight of your eyes” for Ezekiel’s wife in verse 15 is used in verses 21 and 25 Yahweh’s “sanctuary” and the peoples’ “stronghold”. This is the temple in Jerusalem.

3. The 'temple' represented a false sense of security

· The people had sinned against the Lord and still held on to a false security. Yahweh will not have that, and will dismantle it all - from verse 21 “the pride of your (their) power”, “your (their) sons and your (their) daughters”; and verse 25 “their joy and glory”, their soul’s desire”, and again “their sons and daughters”.

· Yahweh’s good gifts had become their delight, their stronghold, their trust, instead of the giver Yahweh Himself. This is idolatry (compare, “delight of your hearts” to how Yahweh describe the Israelites as having “taken their idols into their hearts” in 14:3).

· What are the idols that you have “taken into your heart”? They need not be gross and obvious, but could be anything that we delight in apart from God, even his gifts!

4. Yahweh’s judgment leads to a reckoning of who He really is

· “..and they will know that I am the LORD.” Verse 27.

· In Ezekiel 33:21, the Lord reveals His reluctance to destroy, and appeals to His people to turn from their wickedness - 33: 11. Yet, He is certain to judge if Israel does not turn – 33:20

· The judgment of God can be punitive, or restorative depending on the path they choose.

Conclusion

1. At the heart of human sin, is idolatry “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images…” (Romans 3:22).

2. All of us are idolatrous in one form or another, thus deserving judgment.

3. Yet God, in his mercy, sent Jesus, the true temple, the His true image to pay for our sin, to receive the judgment of God in our place.

4. Thus, the judgment of God is either punitive or restorative in Christ. Punitive if we will not turn to Him in faith, restorative, if we turn to Him in faith, trust Him in His taking our punishment for our sin - take Him in as the true “delight of our hearts”. Which path will you choose?

Summary of 1 Corinthians

2009-03-19T20:20:00.001+08:00

The Message of 1 Corinthians

1. Two key issues Paul deals with in 1 Corinthians, are division in the Corinthian church (1:10, 11:18); and the defense of his apostleship (4:14-15, 9:1-3, 11:1, 15:8). Paul addresses specific areas of disharmony, and reminds them that he is their “father” (1:14-15) in the gospel. He appeals to the gospel, as the justification for change, culminating in a reminder that it is a matter of “first importance” (15:3). Specifically, in dealing with:

a. Factions along personalities (1 Corinthians 1:10-18 and 3), ultimately Christ, “whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption” was their one “source” (1:30);

b. Sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 5, 6:12-20), he urges them to “cleanse out the old leaven”, because “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (5:7) ;

c. Lawsuits among believers (6:1-11), he warns that the “unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God” (6:9), and reminds that they were “washed”, “sanctified” and “justified”, “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (6:11);

d. Marriage and divorce (1 Corinthians 7), the believing spouse should stay married so that the unbeliever may be saved (7:16), and reminds that “the present form of this world is passing away” (7:31);

e. Relating to the pagan culture, i.e. food offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8) and idolatry (10:1-22), “food will not commend us to God” (8:8); and we cannot partake in both the Lord’s table and that of demons (9:21); and

f. Propriety in worship (1 Corinthians 11, 14:26-36), including the practice of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14), confession of Christ’s Lordship, is a measure of genuineness (12:3); and the building up of the church (14:12) is the purpose.

Possible Application

2. Expect ‘messiness’ in the Church – The Corinthian church was a ‘messy’ church embroiled in a whole range of controversies. One is tempted to condemn and declare that these are in fact unregenerate pagans poorly masquerading as believers. But Paul does not do that. In fact, he begins his letter, “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…” (1:2). The church, at its best, is a collection of sinners saved by grace, being sanctified on an ongoing basis. There will thus be ‘messy’ people among us. If we search our hearts honestly enough, we too will find ‘messiness’ there, just call it sin. We shouldn’t then be too quick to condemn, but instead with gentleness and firmness correct one another, in the gospel, urging one another on towards holiness.

3. Use the gospel in discipline – We have noted that Paul goes back to the gospel and works out its implications when he corrects. Paul notes that the gospel that was “preached” was also the same gospel that they “stand”, and the gospel by which they are “being saved” (15:1-2). The gospel has a continual role in the life of the Christian and of the church. Paul presents the gospel as the real answer to the many ‘messy’ problems in the Corinthian church, and we do well to follow along the apostle’s path. Our church discipline and restoration methods must be infused richly with gospel content. Some of this content can be very firm, for example “deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh”, and we should not mistake gospel discipline with being soft. However, the purpose is always redemptive. In this example, “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (5:5).

Summary of Galatians

2009-03-12T23:46:00.002+08:00

The Message of Galatians

1. The message of Galatians is that justification (2:15-16) is through faith in Christ apart from works of the law. This comes across via Paul’s warnings against deserting the gospel; and explanations about the gospel’s origins, the purpose of the law, and the work of the Spirit. Paul begins abruptly with shock at how the gospel was being quickly deserted (1:6), and anathemas against those who preached a different gospel (1:8-9), be they man or angel. He goes on to explain the gospel’s divine origins (1:11), and its endorsement by the Apostles (2:7-9). He however implies that apostolic endorsement wasn’t necessary (1:16-17; 2:6). Perhaps to reinforce this point, he tells of how he opposed Cephas “to his face” because he was “not in step with the truth of the gospel” (2:11-14). He thus elevates the gospel above every human or even angelic authority.

2. The law was put in place to lead God’s children to faith, as a “prison” and “guardian”. A “prison” because the law revealed the sins of God’s people, thus condemning them and holding them in captivity (3:21-23). A “guardian”, because it was in place only until Christ came to justify and redeem His children (3:24, 4:2, 5). They were justified by faith and received the Spirit (3:2-3) by faith. Thus, the Galatians were to make progress in holiness not by works of the law, signified by circumcision (5:2-7, 11-15), but by standing firm in the freedom that is in Christ (5:1), “walking by the Spirit” (5:16), being “led by the Spirit” (5:18), and thus bearing the “fruit of the Spirit” (5:22).

Possible Application

3. Sanctification - Against legalism where our standing before God is judged by our performance in Christian matters, Galatians teaches that we are saved by grace, apart from the works of the law (2:15-16). Against antinomianism where the tendency is to see faith in Christ as a ‘ticket to heaven’ with no bearing on our behaviour and character, Galatians teaches us that the one who truly has faith in Christ, must have received the Spirit of righteousness (3:2-3) and live “in step with the truth of the gospel” (2:14). Thus, in my walk with God, I must be constantly repenting of my sinfulness and of my (self) righteousness i.e. any good work done apart from God’s grace. And I should be seeking to live out the implications of the gospel in my life, empowered by the Spirit. Perhaps for the church, instead of self-help therapeutic programmes, we should be teaching and leading people into a clearer understanding of the truth of the gospel and its implications on life. The gospel if truly believed should see its expression in holy living.

4. Standing for the truth - In some quarters, people are all too ready to pick a fight at the most obscure issues e.g. KJV-Onlyism, while in other quarters, fighting is anathema with peace and the preservation of so-called ‘Christian’ unity kept as the ultimate goal e.g. even to the extent of accommodating those who preach a ‘Prosperity Gospel’. Paul demonstrated in Galatians that he was prepared to fight. He called down curses on those preaching a different gospel (1:6-9), and even went as far as to oppose an Apostle (2:11-14). That he was prepared to fight, should be a lesson to the second camp, that there are indeed matters of faith worth fighting for, and that there are indeed hills that we must die on. Else we risk betraying our God, and the next generation. What he fought over should be a lesson to the first camp. Paul fought over the distortion of the gospel, and the failure to live out the implications of the gospel, not over some obscure and dumb matter that does not have a bearing on salvation. Galatians teaches that we must be prepared to fight, but that it must be over gospel matters, nothing more and nothing less.

Book Review - The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D.A. Carson

2009-03-12T23:32:00.002+08:00

Introduction

1. “The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God” was written by D A Carson, Research Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. First published in 2000, the book was adapted from a series of four lectures, first delivered in 1998 at the Dallas Theological Seminary to seminary students. It takes on an informal tone, although the language can be somewhat technical due, perhaps, to the original intended audience.

2. Carson begins by explaining why the doctrine of God’s love is ‘difficult’. He observes that the prevailing culture (post-modernity) often considers the benevolence of God outside of the Biblical framework, and abstracted from complimentary truths about God such as His sovereignty, holiness, wrath, providence, and personhood. Even within Christian circles, God’s love is often portrayed as more obvious than it really is, failing to recognize real difficulties in integrating the Biblical data on God’s love with His sovereignty, impassibility, justice and wrath.

The five strands of God’s Love

3. Addressing these concerns, Carson takes the full range of Biblical data, and posits that there are five related but distinguishable ways in which God’s love is portrayed. These are not five independent ‘loves of God’, but rather nuances or strands of the one ‘love of God’. None should be absolutised and made the controlling grid by which the others are referenced, but rather, all five must be held together in biblical proportion and balance. These are:

i. God’s intra-Trinitarian love (John 3:35; 5:20; and 14:31) which is the peculiar love of the Father for the Son, and of the Son for the Father;

ii. God’s providential love (Genesis 1-2; Matthew 6:26; and 10:29) over all that He has made;

iii. God’s yearning and salvific love (Ezekiel 33:11; John 3:16; 15:19; and 1 John 2:2) that pleads with sinners;

iv. God’s elective love (Deutronomy 4:37; 7:7-8; 10:14-15; Malachi 1:2-3; and Ephesians 5:25) that is the particular, effective, selecting love towards the elect; and

v. God’s conditional love towards His people (Exodus 20:6; Psalm 103:8-11, 13, 17-18; John 15:9-10; and Jude 21;) i.e. God’s love is sometimes said to be directed toward his own people in a provisional or conditional way – conditional, that is, on obedience.

4. Looking at this comprehensive take on the ‘love of God’, one is struck by common dangers, and controversies that have arisen out of ignorance, overemphasis or neglect of any one strand. Ignorance of the God’s intra-Trinitarian love (and the Trinity itself) could lead to accession that the Christian God is the same or similar with those of other monotheistic faiths. Overemphasizing God’s yearning and salvific love, while neglecting His elective love could lead to denial of God’s election of individuals to salvation. The reverse could lead to a denial of the validity of the free-offer of the Gospel to unbelievers. Neglecting God’s conditional love towards His people, in discipline, could lead to antinomianism, while overemphasizing it could lead to a loss of assurance.

God is Love

5. The first strand, God’s intra-Trinitarian love is how God relates within Himself, while the other four categories are how God relates to His creatures and creation. In discussing this first strand, Carson draws out useful implications, and insights resulting from this love. Firstly, there has always been other-orientation in the being of God (as Trinity). Here, one is struck by the utter uniqueness of God as compared to other (so called) deities. Christianity alone claims, that God is Trinity, and that as such love is bound up in the very nature of God. Secondly, our relationship to Jesus mirrors the relation of Jesus to his heavenly Father (John 17). Jesus mediates the Father’s love to us, i.e. receiving love, so has He loved us. Jesus in turn demonstrates His love for the Father through perfect obedience. In the same way, having received love, we are to love others, and we in turn demonstrate our love for Jesus, by our obedience. While Carson does a good job of describing the intra-Trinitarian love between Father and Son, the analysis would have been more complete if he had included a discussion on the role of the Holy Spirit as the 3rd person of the Trinity.

God’s Sovereignty and Impassibility

6. With regard to God’s love as it relates to His creatures, Carson addresses God’s sovereignty and wrath. Thorny issues such as God’s emotional life in light of His impassibility, man’s responsibility in light of God’s sovereignty, the relationship between God’s wrath and God’s love, and the extent of the atonement are discussed. On issues of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, Carson argues for compatibilism[1], as a necessary component of a “mature and orthodox view of God”. Carson uses the cross as a poignant example. If the cross, were thought of primarily in human terms, as a conspiracy by the local political authorities of the time, it implies that the cross was an accident of history, and not God’s pre-ordained plan of salvation. Vice-versa, if it were thought of purely as a function of God’s sovereignty, human transgressors are not culpable and immune to charges of transgression. Either way, without compatibilism, the cross is nullified.

7. Reflecting on the affective element in the love of God Carson addresses the issue of divine impassibility and argues that it is incorrect to espouse a form of impassibility that denies God’s emotional life. Rather, impassibility and affections can be held together by noting that God, unlike humans, is in full control of His affections, and He displays them simply because He chooses to. He sustains no ‘passion’, no emotion that makes Him vulnerable from the outside, over which He has no control, or which He has not foreseen. God’s love is thus not generated by the loveliness of the loved, but rather it is generated, in spite of the un-loveliness of the loved, purely by the will of God – He has chosen to love.

8. Carson admits that in these discussions, one has to inevitably retreat to the realm of mystery. This is a somewhat frustrating conclusion to such weighty discussions. Carson’s contribution is helpful in that he posits the mystery primarily in the being of God, rather than in the logical incoherence of concepts. Carson asserts that the deepest mystery is that God has disclosed Himself as simultaneously sovereign/transcendent and yet personal. In effect, it is not merely that the human mind cannot reconcile concepts, but rather that the human mind cannot fully fathom the being of God. Indeed, we are moved then not to resignation, but to doxology, exclaiming with Paul “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33)

God’s Wrath

9. In discussing God’s wrath, Carson notes that like love, wrath includes emotion as a necessary component. However, unlike love, wrath is not an intrinsic perfection of God but rather a function of God’s holiness against sin i.e. where there is no sin, there is no wrath. In contrast there will always be love in God. The price if diluting the wrath of God is thus to diminish God’s holiness and justice, His very character. It is here helpful to note that God is in full control of His affections, including His wrath.

10. Carson also helpfully points out that there is nothing intrinsically impossible about wrath and love being directed toward the same individual or people at the same time. In His perfections, God must be wrathful against His rebel image-bearers, for they have offended Him. God in His perfections must also be loving toward His rebel image-bearers, for that is His foundational character – God is love. Carson points out that these two themes of wrath and love “barrel along” through redemptive history until they find their climax and resolution in the cross, where wrath and mercy meet.

The Cross

11. At the cross, God’s love is displayed at its most affirming, while His wrath is displayed at its most condemning. Truly, only at the cross can justice and mercy meet, and God can be, “…just and the one who justifies…” (Romans 3:26).

12. Also, it is only at the cross, and its central place in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that the five strands of God’s love can be drawn together. Firstly, God’s intra-Trinitarian love ensures the plan of redemption. The Father loves the Son, and decrees that all will honour Him. The way to honour is the obedience of the cross. The Son loves the Father and obeys all that He commands. Secondly, God’s providential love gives clear evidence of God in natural revelation, and calls us to faith in Christ. Thirdly, God’s yearning, inviting, commanding love, supremely displayed on the cross, compels us to come to Him. Fourthly, God’s effective, elective love enables us to see the glory and power of Christ on the cross. Finally, God’s Fatherly love, conditioned upon our obedience as His children disciplines us, changes us and conforms us to the Christ of the cross.

Conclusion

13. Carson’s comprehensive survey and synthesis of the Biblical data is very helpful in giving a comprehensive, Biblically balanced view of God’s love. He deals persuasively and piously with the theological issues that arise, and discusses the very practical implications – popular evangelical clichés, such as “God’s love is unconditional”, “God loves everyone exactly the same way”, and “God hates the sin but loves the sinner” are brought under scrutiny and found wanting. Most of all, this book exalts God by emplacing the deepest of mysteries in His very being; and it exalts Christ, by demonstrating how God’s redemption purposes through the cross, draws together all five strands of God’s love.

[1] Compatibilism does not claim to show how God’s unconditioned sovereignty and human responsibility are compatible. Instead it claims that we can get far enough in the evidence to show that the two are not necessarily incompatible, and that it is reasonable to think of them as compatible. It inevitably raises important and difficult questions that cannot be easily explained.

Physical Attraction and Godly Marriage

2009-02-08T22:18:00.004+08:00

John Piper answers the question, "Is it biblical to think that physical attraction must be a component of a godly marriage?". This is really biblical, and dare i say, sweet.. excerpts:

"The word "biblical" in this question is perhaps intended to take me to a text. And of course the text that comes to mind is, when it speaks to beauty, 1 Peter 3:3: "Don't let your beauty be the outward beauty of the wearing of gold, and the braiding of hair, and the wearing of clothes."

"It doesn't say "fine clothes." It's just "clothes," so you know it's not an absolute, as though not wearing clothes is good thing. It means the jewelry, the hair, and the clothes are not the focus. And our culture needs to hear that unbelievably. Marriages need to hear it, men need to hear it. That's not the main focus of beauty. The focus should be the inner spirit."

"So women should ask, "What kind of spirit should I cultivate for my man?" as well as, "How should I eat and dress and exercise for my man?" And the man should do the same: "What kind of inner spirit makes her flourish?" because there is a kind of spirit in a man that kills a woman or frightens or bores her."

"And a man shouldn't mainly be pumping iron. Because, frankly, most women could care very little about what their husbands look like, unless they're just making fools of themselves. They want a spirit, a strength, a humility, a nobility. They want someone to pick them up and sweep them away. "

"A marriage is a relationship. When you're old, gray, wrinkled, overweight (or underweight), squinty, bent over, and hobbling along, maybe you'll be holding hands at 85 because of the inner beauty."

Read it all here.

Grow old with me, grow graciously with me, grow godly with me :-)

Sovereign Grace Ministries Online Sale

2009-02-06T00:40:00.003+08:00

I got this off Bob Kauflin's blog. The prices are really good.

From February 1–28, at the Sovereign Grace store, you’ll find these prices:

(i) Sovereign Grace books (23 of them, including Worship Matters, Worldliness, and Living the Cross Centered Life): US $7 each

(ii) All CDs produced by Sovereign Grace Music (including Together for the Gospel Live, Psalms, Come Weary Saints, Awesome God, In a Little While, and Valley of Vision): US $6 each

(iii) All books in our Pursuit of Godliness series (Why Small Groups, This Great Salvation, and others): US $4 each

During February, there will be normal free shipping in the continental US (library rate). But on all international orders we’re offering a discount of 50% on USPS First Class International shipping.

"Why are we doing this? Well, we figure that most of us have been affected by the present economic crisis. We want to do whatever we can to make it easier for people to benefit from what we produce. We want to serve churches and individuals by providing biblically informed, gospel-centered resources at a low cost. And we’d really like to give it all away, but for now, that’s not financially feasible…So we offer the February sale. Enjoy."

Make your orders here.

Random stuff

2009-02-01T19:17:00.003+08:00

Some Updates

A friend reminded me that I had not been blogging for almost a month.. in some ways, that's a good thing, coz I really have been trying to be more disciplined in how I spend my time, especially when it comes to surfing the web.. full-time work, and part-time studies (the 1 semester, condensed into 1 month Systematic Theology course, by Douglas Milne that I took at BGST was intense, but enriching..) also took up most of my January..

In addition, so much superb stuff (and some really bad stuff) is already on the blogosphere, and I'm really not sure if I can VA (value add) in anyway.. As someone (i can't remember who) once told me, "If you've got nothing good to say, just shut up.".. Heh heh..

Two things I came across

So, instead of sharing anything new, thought I'd point to two pieces of writing that challenged, and encouraged:

(i) Kingdom of God vs Kingdom of Self

This one stung:

"I would ask you again to be humbly honest with yourself as you are reading. If I sat with you and I listened to recording of the last month of your words, whose kingdom, what kingdom, would I conclude those words are spoken to serve? Would it be the kingdom of self with its self-focused demandingness, expectancy, and entitlement? Would I hear a person who is quick to criticize, quick to judge, quick to slam, and quick to condemn, because people are always violating the laws of your kingdom? Is the greatest moral offense in your life an offense that someone makes against the laws of your kingdom? When this happens do you use words as a punishment or as a weapon? Do you use words to rein this person back into loyal service of the purposes of your kingdom of one?" - Paul Tripp, "The Kingdom of Self vs Kingdom of Self"

A prayer from a sinful heart:
Lord, how I've sinned.. Change me, cleanse me.. May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing to You, my redeemer and my Lord. Amen

(ii) C J Mahaney interviews Wayne Grudem

This next one, of C J Mahaney interviewing Wayne Grudem, just struck me at how down to earth these guys are.. no airs, just 'regular' guys (though giants of the faith) seeking to live in the will of God:

"I find in those times of quietness, when I’m not praying about anything in particular but simply resting in the Lord’s presence, that he will bring to mind solutions for problems, or people I need to contact, or things I need to write, or things I should not spend time doing, or any of a number of other things. I also find that over the course of the entire Bible reading and prayer time a deeper sense of peace and rest in the Lord’s presence comes on my heart."

"For personal enjoyment: I just finished a new Vince Flynn novel, Extreme Measures. I think I have read all of his books and I enjoyed them a lot (the terrorists are the bad guys and the Americans are the good guys, and the Americans win in the end). But I liked this last one the least because it was so inconclusive at the end. I’ve also enjoyed a number of spy novels by Daniel Silva within the last year (the hero is an Israeli Mossad agent). These are “escape” novels that give my brain a change of pace."

"Arizona has such great weather that it’s possible to run outdoors in your own neighborhood year-round. And I drive to a gym about five minutes from my house and lift weights following the general outlines of a program in the book Body for Life by Bill Phillips. A good friend who is a doctor told me that as I age I will continually lose muscle mass and be prone to injuries and weight gain unless I lift weights in addition to aerobic exercises. My motivation in exercising is (1) I feel better and (2) I want to stay healthy to be able to serve the Lord effectively as long as I can in this life. "

Read the whole interview here.

A prayer of thanksgiving:
Lord, thank you for raising up men of faith that have been such a blessing to the body of Christ. In helping us to know You, Your word, and the way You desire us to live here, on earth for Your Kingdom. Grant that they would continue to have the grace, wisdom, strength and empowering to do Your will, and to know You intimately. Grant also that others would see in them something of Jesus, and be edified, encouraged, and enflamed for the Kingdom. Amen.

PS: Interestingly, I tried to follow the Body for Life programme a couple of years ago. But a combination of pure laziness, poor time management, and a nagging doubt if desiring a buff bod was really "in the will of God" made me stop. That's the problem with over-spiritualizing everything I guess.. A simple desire to "feel better", and to "stay healthy to be able to serve the Lord" should be good enough motivation to exercise.. ok, gonna go for a run tonight then..

Discovering God's Will - Sinclair Ferguson

2009-01-04T23:34:00.003+08:00

Someone gave Cindy a copy of Sinclair Ferguson's "Discovering God's Will", first published in 1982. As we are at a place that we need to make some important decisions, I began reading the book..

I wonder why it isn't more widely known.. the first Chapter really sets the tone of the book.. while most books on guidance move almost straightaway to techniques e.g. "how to interpret impressions, dreams, visions and prophecies etc" or "how to discern biblical principles from Scripture", this book begins by telling you that ultimately, its not about you, its about "God's Ultimate Purpose". Some cool quotes from the first chapter:

"God, His glory and His presence form the destiny of the Christian"

"The essence of the Christian life is that God should be glorified in us"

"There is, in fact, no more basic question for us to ask than this: Will this course of action tend to further the glory of God?"

"God will not separate the guidance He gives us in His world , or the way in which He governs circumstances, from His settled purpose of gaining glory for His Son in our lives"

"To live for the glory of God means to imitate Jesus.. to live in dependence on the Holy Spirit who has been given to us with the specific function of bringing glory to Jesus in our lives"

"The way in which God leads us is the way of following Christ in bearing the cross"

"Christlikeness then, in glory, must be preceded by Christ-likeness now, under the cross"

"Will you deny self, take up the cross, and follow Christ into his perfect will for your life?"

Simon's New Blog

2008-12-20T00:59:00.002+08:00

My friend Simon Murphy, pastor at Redemption Hill Church started a new blog.. he's got a good post on preaching the main themes of Scripture, and the transcript of the sermons he's delivered at Redemption Hill.. Check it out here

5 guys and a new blog

2008-12-20T00:52:00.003+08:00

It was just great to meet together, 5 guys (Eugene, Ollie, Simon, Edward, and your's trully) with one passion for the gospel.. I am still amazed at how the Lord connected each of us, and was so thankful at what transpired..

We've started a blog together "Towards a Gospel-centred Church", unabashedly copying the slogan from the church where I'm currently a member, but putting the emphasis where it should be.. ;-P

We plan to write and reflect on what it means to have healthy, Gospel-centred churches.. praying that it would be in some small way a resource for others..

Shalom Christian Media - Amazing Book Sale (15 - 20 Dec)

2008-12-16T22:17:00.006+08:00

Simon, Tarryn, Cindy (aka wife-dear) made a trip to the Shalom Christian Media for their book sale and bought a crazy number of books! (the place was hard to find, but it was worth the trip..)

Was told the books were cheap, but we didn't expect that they would be this cheap!

On top of that, there is a 10% discount on all books; and a special 13% discount for books with "Calvin" or "Calvinism" or Calvin's picture on it, to commemorate the dude's 500th birthday..

Here are some of the crazy prices (b4 discount):

1. According to Plan (Graeme Goldsworthy) - S$13

2. What Jesus Demands from the World (hard cover) (John Piper) - S$15.20

3. Total Church (Tim Chester) - S$12.70

4. Brothers, We are not professionals (John Piper) - $13.10

Sale last till this Saturday.. I encourage you to go down and say hi to Francis if you really want to stock up on some excellent and very sound books, or to get them for Christmas presents..

Dates: 15 – 20 Dec, 08 (about 1 week)
Time: 10am – 9pm (but on Thu until 7pm only)
Address: 8 New Industrial Rd, #03-01, S (536200)
Tel: 6383 4341

Do note:
- payment is by Cash or Cheque only
- parking at Hoe Huat Building, the red building when u turn into New Industrial Rd
- there is a small play area for your children should u wish to bring them along…
- or if u want to park lunch and eat here, sure thing, they can provide the space for it. Coffee and tea are on the house!

Redemption Hill Church, Singapore

2008-12-08T21:20:00.005+08:00

I've met Simon twice, and I think he's a great guy, with a big heart for God, the Gospel, the lost, and Tarryn, his wife :-)

They're just starting out, but here's praying that God would use them in a big way..

Hip, cool and essentially Reformed.. Check it out..

Redemption Hill Church

Tim Keller on Revival (Interview)

2008-12-08T21:08:00.004+08:00

Some thoughts from Tim Keller on ministering in a post-Christian culture, including some insightful stuff on true revival:

"The trouble with naming this is that, unfortunately, in many evangelical circles, especially charismatic ones, "revival" is always said to be the cure-all for our ills. But Lloyd-Jones was thinking of the historic revivals and of a theology of revival of Jonathan Edwards. This means we must, as in all the revivals, recover the gospel of grace."

"When revival breaks out through a recovery of the gospel, three things happen:

1. nominal church members realize they'd never been converted;
2. sleepy, lethargic Christians are energized and renewed;
3. outsider non-Christians are attracted into the beautified worship, community and lives of the converted and renewed church members."

"Today, I see a whole lot of younger ministers, especially in cities, starting churches that aren't marked by the "venerable" cultural conservatism that often went with older downtown "cathedrals," and yet are still solidly biblical and keep this same broad range and balance. This is a great trend. "

"Prayer. Meeting God in prayer. Sorry to sound so trite. Prayer and meditation brings joy. God is on His throne—everything's going to be fine in the end. The new heavens and new Earth are coming in which "everything sad is going to come untrue." Don't get too bent out of shape because your church didn't grow this year. "

"If you under-contextualize your ministry and message, no one's life will be changed because they'll be too confused about what you are saying. But if you over-contextualize your ministry and your message, no one's life will be changed because you won't really be confronting them and calling them to make deep change."

Read if all here[part1], and here[part2]

The Kiss of Deaf

2008-12-08T21:06:00.001+08:00

Now, this is just too wierd..

A young woman in southern China has partially lost her hearing after her boyfriend ruptured her eardrum during an excessively passionate kiss.

Mon, Dec 08, 2008

Reuters

BEIJING - A YOUNG woman in southern China has partially lost her hearing after her boyfriend ruptured her eardrum during an excessively passionate kiss, local media reported on Monday.
The 20-something girl from Zhuhai, in southern Guangdong province, went to hospital completely deaf in her left ear, the China Daily said, citing a report in a local newspaper.

'The kiss reduced pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear,' the paper quoted a doctor surnamed Li from the hospital as saying.
The woman's hearing would likely return to normal after about two months, Li said.
'While kissing is normally very safe, doctors advise people to proceed with caution,' the paper said.

Reaching out without selling out - White Horse Inn & Mark Driscoll

2008-12-02T23:48:00.004+08:00

Came across an interview with Mark Driscoll, by the Modern Reformation magazine. Its nearly 2 years old (interview took place Feb 2007 ), which is like 20 blog years. Nonetheless, very good, and very relevant for the church in Singapore. As usual, excerpts:

"Can you give us some background on your congregation? It's mostly a younger crowd, isn't it? Well, it started that way. I'm in Seattle, one of the least-churched cities in America. There are more dogs than evangelicals in our town. I started here as a non-Christian, I became a Christian when I was 19, got married at 21, started a Bible study at age 25 that today is over 6,000 people. I think we're the fifteenth fastest growing church in America right now. So, it started off really young, but the age has spread. It's about half single, half married, about forty percent conversion growth as far as we can tell. So, it's been pretty busy."

"Teaching and Communion every week? We've been told that this generation isn't interested in teaching and they grew up in churches of their Boomer parents where teaching was pretty light and stage productions other than Communion were key. What's different about this generation or at least these people in your church? Christianity Today did a story in September that was interesting. It was about the resurgence of Reformed theology among younger evangelicals...it was the cover story. What we are seeing is, the two hot theologies right now among the younger evangelicals are sort of a "new Reformed theology," which is basically just the older form rediscovered, and what is known as Emergent, or emerging theology, which is becoming the new left. So, we are seeing a return to Bible exposition...In our network, we've seen a hundred new churches planted in the U.S. just in the last few years, all led by basically expository Bible teachers who serve Communion every week and have a Reformed theology that includes male leadership in the church and are conservative evangelicals and it's going very well. There's a major upswing in that direction."

"So unlike the church growth emphases of the previous generation, where you kind of move people out of the churches they already belong to into larger churches, you're actually seeing (and a lot of your friends who are doing this faithful biblical exposition) non-Christians become Christians and the growth coming from actual evangelism? Absolutely. But the evangelism is Jesus-centered Bible teaching where the text is open and Jesus is the hero of every page of Scripture, which is just classic, Reformed, biblical theology. So, yeah, that is in fact what we are seeing. The people have been marketed, they have been pitched, they have been sold, they have had their felt needs assuaged. What they haven't had is anyone get up and open the Bible, tell them who God is, what he has done and call them to repentance in a very clear, forthright way that respects their intelligence."

"A lot of us grew up in churches, Mark, where we were told, "You are a member of this church now, which means that you have to find your gift-teach such and such a grade in Sunday school, be a greeter, show up for various church events... are you going to join the clean-up ministry or the tract ministry..."-and you end up spending all of your time in church-related activities so that you couldn't actually spend time out in the world in your secular calling, investing in relationships with friends. You kind of scurry out there to make a buck, then scurry back into the church to be with your people. Do you think that that is a fundamental flaw in the way a lot of traditional churches approach the outside world? Look at the way they look at their programming. Sometimes a church only considers formal ministry in the church, as opposed to informal ministry in their home. So, you know, we like to tell our people that informal ministry counts. If you're having your lost neighbors over for dinner to love them, that counts. And so, I think it's an understanding that church is not just a thing that people come to; it's also living the lifestyle created by the gospel, knowing that wherever we're at we're witnesses, we are missionaries, we do bring the gospel with us, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given opportunities. We should not overlook those in the name of formalized ministry but to see those informal opportunities as God's providential hand giving us wonderful opportunities out in the marketplace... We don't have any evangelism training, we don't have an evangelism department, we don't have altar calls, we don't do any advertising, we don't do any marketing. I tend to preach right through books of the Bible, occasionally I'll do a series. I did a twelve-week series on the cross, on penal substitutionary atonement, so the times I do something topical is usually theologically clarifying for people. And what we find is that in previous generations it was a fight between "Is Sunday to disciple the believers or to reach the lost?" My articulation is, Sunday is for the worship and the adoration and the exaltation of Jesus, and if everything is about Jesus, then it works for Christians and non-Christians. Everyone needs Jesus, and the gospel is for Christians, too. It's not just something you believe and then move on with the rest of your life. The gospel of conviction of sin and repentance and trusting in the finished work of Christ is something that every Christian practices every moment of every day, and I think it's a truncated view of the gospel if it's a few laws, or a sales pitch we give to someone, they pray the prayer, and then we've concluded our evangelistic endeavor. I think it's a very reductionistic view of the gospel."

Read it all here

Transitioning to a Contemporary Church ?

2008-11-28T21:02:00.003+08:00

Rev Dr Phil Pringle, of Christian City Church, an Australia-based church network, was in Singapore for the conference of a mega-church in Singapore. The Christian Post reported that when asked "how the Asian Church can transit from a traditional church to a contemporary one" Rev Dr Pringle replied, 'Two words..' " and proceeded to give the two word/two syllable name of a prominent mega-church pastor in Singapore.

Some snippets from the article:

"The success of the church can be seen in it being the numerically largest congregation in the nation and with more than 70 percent of its membership comprising first-time converts. Moreover, the church has attracted some high-profile figures including acclaimed local film-maker and actor...."

"The pastor, who leads his church with his personality and gift of preaching, believes that the key to church growth lies in the importance of the leadership of the pastor. A pastor, according to him, needs to be effective in communicating the vision of the church to its members, and in motivating members through his or her messages."

Arguments aside about whether we should even think about such a "transit" from "traditional to contemporary", let's ask what it takes to make church relevant to the next generation in Singapore (in Asia, wherever..).

More fundamental than the Rev Dr Pringle's "Two words" and all that it represents is a "Two syllable" word in the Bible called Gos-pel - "good news". Contrary to popular opinion this isn't the "ask Jesus into your heart", "follow this outline and say this prayer", or even "give your heart to Jesus" type sentimental message that we often hear about, that is supposed to 'tip' people into a Heaven of abundant blessings and bliss.

Rather, it is the very "power of God for salvation" (Romans 1:16), the matter of "first importance" (1 Corinthians 15:3), the message by which we are "being (note present continuous tense) saved" (1 Corinthians 15:1).

While it is not easy to define Gospel simply, a definition which is quite comprehensive, summarising the Biblical data, and seeking "to capture its substance" is given by Jeff Purswell , the Dean of Sovereign Grace Ministry's Pastors College. He says,

“The gospel is the good news of God’s saving activity in the person and work of Christ. This includes his incarnation in which he took to himself full (yet sinless) human nature; his sinless life which fulfilled the perfect law of God; his substitutionary death which paid the penalty for man’s sin and satisfied the righteous wrath of God; his resurrection demonstrating God’s satisfaction with his sacrifice; and his glorification and ascension to the right hand of the Father where he now reigns and intercedes for the church.

Such news is specific: there is a defined ‘thatness’ to the gospel which sets forth the content of both our saving faith and our proclamation. It is objective, and not to be confused with our response. It is sufficient: we can add nothing to what Christ has accomplished for us--it falls to us simply to believe this news, turning from our sins and receiving by faith all that God has done for us in Christ.”

[Shared by C J Mahaney at the T4G blog]

Believing should then lead us to live rightly, and to do good works, "in step with the truth of the Gospel" (Galatians 2:14, James 2:18).

Rather than jazzin', hippin' and rockin' it up, perhaps a more pertinent task is to make the Gospel CLEAR to the next generation.. and indeed, this will take much of our creative energies. But, it will also take much of our resilience and tenacity and conviction, as we stand and not waver, when the waves of temptation come to bid us to give less or more than what the Biblical record (and hence God Himself) has given.. "It is finished!" The livin' word ain't ever out of fashion..

[I have much repenting to do. In my years of youth leadership - I had given the youth much fun and laugher. Much passionate preaching, even exposition, in the form of "dos and don'ts" that I said came from the Bible. Much exhortation to "give your all for God's cause". Much passionate and lively dancing and singing in "worship". Much prayer for the "supernatural work of the Holy Spirit". But also, much of my own insecurities. In all this, I did not feed them well, I did not tend to them as God's sheep, for I gave them little Gospel in what I taught, in how I lived, and in what I was most passionate about.

Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner... May the light of your Gospel shine first into our hearts, and then through us to the next generation. You have given all we need for life and godliness! Amen.]

Gospel-light from the Singapore Anglicans ?

2008-11-28T20:42:00.004+08:00

A bright gospel-light seems to be shining forth from the Singapore Anglicans.. Assistant Bishop of the Diocese Rennis Ponniah, in an interview on the preparations for the Anglican Centenary Celebrations had this to say:

"It’s very clear to our Bishop, John Chew, that it should be a celebration that is centered on God; that it’s not just us sort of patting each other on the back and saying, “Wah, not bad, you have done all this”, but really to see God’s hand through the years and to keep God in the centre – hence His Glory, His Name, His Honour. "

Emphasis on evangelism:

"We didn’t want the Centenary to be just a series of public events where we are just recounting events that happened in the past; we wanted to engage the central, God-given task. So there will be evangelistic rallies, and these rallies will be in separate language streams."

On the challenge of post-modernity:

"If people say there can be no claim to absolute truth then that’s going to undermine evangelistic efforts. But we stand on God’s Word. Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; it is the saving power of God to everyone who believes, to the Jew and the Gentile”, and that propels us forward. Because no matter how people change their concepts, God reveals Himself and there is a ring of truth.

The challenge is to be clear about the Gospel. Perhaps now we are seeing that everywhere even the Bible is not clearly taught; people don’t know what the Bible is actually teaching. I think that’s where the battle is: to preach the truth that God has revealed that is true for all ages and truth that makes its appeal to the human mind provided the human mind is open to receive God’s enlightenment.

I think the challenge is there but I am not daunted by it. I think God will help the Church firstly to communicate the Gospel in clear, propositional terms. It’s a life-changing Gospel, therefore the challenge is also to live it out, because you can’t just say, “I’ve got a message to proclaim and as long as you change your presuppositions you can accept this message”. "

On Christians working together:

"So in offices then, Christians from different churches can form fellowships standing on the same centre. I’m not just thinking of everybody coming out together just like that, but if you stand on the same centre, the same fundamentals of our faith, then you can come together and host something even in the offices, recreation clubs and so on. It’s something that would be quite wonderful."

Read it in full here.

Indeed an encouraging example from our Anglican brethren. If I had the privilege of asking the dear Bishop a question though, it would be,

With the various "interpretations" and "understandings" of what it means to be Christian in Singapore, what then is the 'centre' i.e. the 'fundamentals of our faith' that we should all cling to ?

"Conflict" from Valley of Vision

2008-11-28T01:12:00.005+08:00

My QT time has been revived and enriched recently.. three things,
Firstly, tried doing QT late at night, rather than early in the morning (i'm totally useless in the mornings, and am most alert at night.. ironically, Cindy is completely opposite!)..
Secondly, I've started using my yellowing copy of "Search the Scriptures" bought during my Uni days, and
Thirdly, have been using a borrowed copy of "Valley of Vision", a collection of puritan prayers, for my devotional prayer.. i'm struck by the comprehensiveness, depth, gospel content, and raw honesty of these prayers of old.. here's one of them:

CONFLICT (page 100)

O LORD GOD

Thou art my protecting arm,

fortress, refuge, shield, buckler.

Fight for me and my foes must flee;

Uphold me and I cannot fall;

Strengthen me and I stand unmoved, unmoveable;

Equip me and I shall receive no wound;

Stand by me and Satan will depart;

Anoint my lips with a song of salvation

and I shall shout thy victory;

Give me abhorence of all evil,

as a vile monster that

defies thy law, casts off thy yoke,

defiles my nature, spreads misery.

Teach me to look to Jesus on His cross

and so to know sin's loathsomeness in thy sight.

There is no pardon but through they Son's death,

no cleansing but in His precious blood,

no atonement but his to expiate evil.

Show me the shame, the agony, the bruises of incarnate god,

that I may read boundless guilt in the boundless price;

May I discern the deadly viper in its real malignity,

tear it with holy indignation from my breast,

resolutely turn from its every snare,

refuse to hold polluting dalliance with it.

Blessed Lord Jesus, at thy cross

may I be taught the awful miseries from which I am saved,

ponder what the word 'lost' implies,

see the fires of eternal destruction;

Then may I cling more closely to thy broken self,

adhere to thee with firmer faith,

be devoted to thee with total being,

detest sin as strongly as thy love to me is strong,

And may holiness be the atmosphere in which I live.

Indeed, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" - 2 Corinthians 5:11

To Be or Not To Be - The Uneasy Relationship between Reformed Christianity and American Evangelicalism by Michael S Horton

2008-11-25T01:51:00.003+08:00

Quite a solid article.. excerpts

"It was not a coincidence that the most vigorously evangelical in doctrine were the most vigorously evangelistic in practice. Find the most missions-minded members in these denominations and you would find those most committed to the authority of Scripture, salvation by grace alone in Christ alone, the deity and humanity of Christ in one person, his substitutionary death for sinners, justification, the new birth, and Christ's second coming. "

"Today, it is taken for granted by many that those most concerned about doctrine are least interested in reaching the lost (or, as they are now called, the "unchurched"). We are frequently challenged to choose between being traditional or missional, usually with little definition offered for either. Where the earlier evangelical consensus coalesced simultaneously around getting the gospel right and getting it out, increasingly today the coalition is defined by its style ("contemporary" versus "traditional"), its politics ("compassionate conservatism" or the more recent rediscovery of revivalism's progressivist roots), and its "rock-star" leaders, than for its convictions about God, humanity, sin, salvation, the purpose of history, and the last judgment. "

"Much of contemporary evangelicalism has its roots in Finney's legacy and behind it, pietism, which for all of its benefits nevertheless already began to shift the weight of Christian witness from the triune God and his saving work in Christ to the self and its inner experience."

"Increasingly, I believe that the real vitality-the long-term progress-of the gospel in our time will not come from broad movements, including an evangelicalism defined more by the hegemony of its politics and sociology than by the unity of its faith and practice. Rather, I expect it to come from many churches, most of them relatively small and unheralded, which consistently confess-in preaching and sacrament, in catechesis and fellowship, in singing and liturgy, in outreach and diaconal care-that gospel that alone remains "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). After all, it was not to movements, parachurch agencies, and coalitions that Jesus pledged his support. Rather, he promised, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will never prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18)."

Read it all here

Lessons at BGST

2008-11-25T01:15:00.003+08:00

When I turned 30, I figured it was time to get off my behind and get some theological education under my belt.. And, although my physical girth was growing (and stretching my belt), I felt starved for the Word of God.. So, I applied, and got accepted (by God's grace) for a part-time Dip in Christian Studies with the Biblical Graduate School of Theology (BGST) .. praying that the Lord would provide the emotional, intellectual and physical resources.. and that I would grow in Gospel-centredness and Christ-likeness.. and that I would be more disciplined (pray with me when you read this yar..)

I started evening lessons last week on the Book of Ezekiel, by Dr Daniel I Block.. It has been an enriching time learning from this OT scholar, and (humble) man of God.. what struck me was that he didn't just seem to teach, he preached (and with an 'unction', a 'heaviness' as the old puritans would say).. and he was most excited when getting into the meat of the text, nor merely the background material..

Ollie @ Radical Grace

2008-11-25T01:04:00.003+08:00

In my quest for fellow travellers in Singapore along the road of Gospel-centredness, I came across a blog of someone who had just visited Capitol Hill Baptist Church, and Southern Seminary (read Al Mohler..), and who will be starting classes there in January 2009.. It was a joy to speak to Ollie at Grace Baptist Church last Sunday.. He blogs at Radical Grace.. Really excited to hear of another Singaporean excited about Gospel-centredness, and heading to Southern!

It was also a joy to speak to Elder Dr Tony Chan of Grace Baptist.. a man steeped in the Word of God, and engaged in the work of God.. He shared the church's journey, such as how it installed Elders (the only Singapore Baptist Convention church to do so) with a desire to more closely follow the Biblical pattern for polity.. I also understand from him that Grace Baptist desires to use Capitol Hill Baptist and 9Marks as a model..

ESV Study Bible - Fresh off the boat

2008-11-25T00:38:00.004+08:00

It was a good Saturday. After listening to Dr. Daniel I. Block's lecture on Acceptable Worship (expounding Genesis 4:1-8), my good friend Edward brought Cindy (aka wife) and I to Bethesda Book Centre, Toa Payoh.. and, Cindy (aka wife) decided that she would get me a pre-Christmas present in the form of the new drool-worthy ESV Study Bible in tru-tone.. it really helped that Bethesday is giving a 30% discount [got it for S$86.75 (US$ 57.40 )], and that the ESV Study Bibles arrived fresh from the US just hours before we got there!

And I must do a bit of advertising for Bethesda Book Centre. These guys are amazing, Stanley (ex-Manager) and Pauline (Manager) know the books very well.. Although the Centre is a ministry of a Brethren church, they carry a selection of broadly Reformed books.. Banner of Truth, IVP, Matthias Media, Crossway.. etc... and they didn't just know the books they had, they knew what these books were about! Try engaging Uncle Stanley in a good discourse on the Millenium ;-)

And they take pains to ensure that the books they had were good books.. Was told that even if it was a best-seller, if the content wasn't good (to put it mildly) they would not carry it.. so no Joel Osteen and Joseph Prince taking up valuable space.. just Owen, Spurgeon, Piper, MLJ, Sproul etc. And, simple comparison, their books are cheaper than elsewhere.. so.. if you're looking for some weighty books in Singapore, check them out.. they are the real deal..

In God We Do Not Trust by Mark Driscoll

2008-11-10T22:53:00.001+08:00

In my years of pastoral ministry I have worked very hard to not be political. I believe that my job as a pastor is to preach and teach the Bible well so that my people make their decisions, including their voting decisions, out of their faith convictions.

This election season which has dominated the cultural conversation for many months has been particularly insightful regarding the incessant gospel thirst that abides deep in the heart of the men and women who bear God’s image. Without endorsing or maligning either political party or their respective presidential candidates, I am hopeful that a few insights from the recent election season are of help, particularly to younger evangelicals.

First, people are longing for a savior who will atone for their sins. In this election, people thirst for a savior who will atone for their economic sins of buying things they did not need with money they did not have. The result is a mountain of credit debt they cannot pay and a desperate yearning that somehow a new president will save them from economic hell.

Second, people are longing for a king who will keep them safe from terror in his kingdom. In the Old Testament the concept of a peaceable kingdom is marked by the word shalom. In shalom there is not only the absence of sin, war, strife, and suffering but also the presence of love, peace, harmony, and health. And, this thirst for shalom is so parched that every election people cannot help but naively believe that if their candidate simply wins shalom is sure to come despite sin and the curse.

The bottom line is obvious to those with gospel eyes. People are longing for Jesus, and tragically left voting for mere presidential candidates. For those whose candidate wins today there will be some months of groundless euphoric faith in that candidate and the atoning salvation that their kingdom will bring. But, in time, their supporters will see that no matter who wins the presidency, they are mere mortals prone to sin, folly, and self-interest just like all the other sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. To help extend naïve false hope as long as possible, a great enemy will be named and demonized as the one who is hindering all of the progress to atone for our sins and usher in our kingdom. If the Democrats win it will be the rich, and if the Republicans win it will be the terrorists. This diversionary trick is as old as Eve who blamed her sin on Satan rather than repenting. The lie is that it’s always someone else’s fault and we’re always the victim of sinners and never the sinner.

Speaking of repentance, sadly, no matter who wins there will be no call to personal repentance of our own personal sins which contributes to cultural suffering and decline such as our pride, gluttony, covetousness, greed, indebtedness, self-righteousness, perversion, and laziness. And, in four years we’ll do it all again and pretend that this time things will be different. Four years after that, we’ll do it yet again. And, we’ll continue driving around this cul de sac until Jesus returns, sets up his throne, and puts an end to folly once and for all.

In the meantime, I would encourage all preachers to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and repentance of personal sin. He alone can truly atone for our sins. He alone can deliver us from a real hell. He alone is our sinless and great King. And, he alone has a Shalom kingdom to offer.
Lastly, for those preachers who have gotten sidetracked for the cause of a false king and a false kingdom by making too much of the election and too little of Jesus, today is a good day to practice repentance in preparation to preach it on Sunday. Just give it some time. The thirst will remain that only Jesus can quench. So, we’ve still got work to do….until we see King Jesus and voting is done once and for all.

Commentary: Neither Christ Nor Antichrist by Tan Soo-Inn

2008-11-10T22:46:00.002+08:00

Scully (to Skinner): "With all due respect, sir, I think you overestimate your position in the chain of command." ("The Blessing Way", X-Files Season 3)

I have friends who think that the Democratic Party is a tool of the devil. They are terribly disturbed that Barrack Obama has been elected and see him as a strong candidate for the Antichrist. Many others see him in Messianic terms.They are overjoyed that he has prevailed and see him as ushering in a bright new era for the United States. My word to both groups --- get real. Obama is neither Christ nor Antichrist.

This is a historic moment in American politics and because in so many ways what happens in America affects the rest of us, it is also a historic moment for the world. The hunger for change was so overwhelming that it carried a black first term senator with a name like Barrack Hussein Obama into the White House. Not quite walking on water but close. With minimal hyperbole, Thomas Friedman calls the election of Barrack Obama as the moment the American Civil war finally concluded. Those of us in Malaysia can only look on with envy and wonder when we will ever move beyond the politics of race.

And Obama has made all the right promises. His rhetoric of hope has galvanised a nation. If he can deliver on only a fraction of the things he promised, America and the world will be a better place. I am hopeful but notholding my breath. I have learned long ago, from life, and from the Scriptures, that all human leaders have clay feet and are destined to disappoint us.

1 and 2 Kings contain a record of the various kings that ruled Judah and Israel. Some were better than others. None of them could come close to the reign of King David. He was the benchmark of human leadership and he was marked by spectacular failures. God can use human leaders to bring about substantial change for good. I think of the Lincolns and the Churchills and the Sun Yat-Suns and the enormous good they did in their life times. It is very possible that Obama will be used by God to bring his nation to another level in her development. But I will not be dismayed if he doesn't. I am not cynical, just realistic. All human leaders are flawed.

Malaysians will remember the hopes that came with the election results ofMarch 8th 2008. There was so much hope that Anwar would quickly usher in a new era in Malaysian politics. But he has not delivered on a number of key promises. And there are signs that some components of the opposition coalition are reverting to old ways of thinking. We need to be realistic as to what we can expect from human leaders.

I am glad March 8th happened. In many ways Malaysia has changed for the better. March 8 slowed down the march of racism and corruption that had crippled the nation for so long. But I am not surprised that Anwar and the coalition he leads could not deliver on all they had promised. Sooner or later we all learn that we must not overestimate our capacity to influence history. (Remember the promises that Abdullah Badawi made when he was running for election?)

So those who think that Barrack Obama is the Antichrist shouldn't be too worried. There is just so much he can do. And those who think that Obama is the Messiah should lower their expectations a notch or two or ten. He wasnot born in a manger. (And neither was he born on Krypton and sent to save planet earth.)

All leaders running for public office must give some indication to how they can deliver. Obama has come across as honest and realistic while giving his vision of change. The level of euphoria greeting his election however, tells me that deep in the human heart, there is hunger for a Messiah. In ourdarkest moments we know we cannot save ourselves. But Christians should never forget that our ultimate salvation will not come form politics.

That doesn't mean that Christians should withdraw from the political process. As Jordan Hylden reminds us in a recent article:

[... Christians are called to act like Christians in the many places in the world that are not the church --- in our jobs, schools, communities, and governments. Involvement in secular institutions is no substitute for thegospel, of course. But it would be a small gospel indeed that could have no effect on the way they are run. As William Wilberforce showed, such involvement can make a real difference in the word and can itself be a witness to the gospel. ( "Aliens and Citizens," Christianity Today, November,2008, 37).

I am delighted that many of my friends are actively involved in the political process and see their involvement as an expression of their discipleship. I am just concerned that we do not get so carried away with the euphoria of the hour that we begin to equate our battles in the political sphere as the only or the main way to bring about permanent change in society --- and getunduly elated or unduly worried by the political fortunes of our chosen candidates/parties.

Our ultimate hope is still in a God who is on His throne, a God who decides which ruler rises and which ruler falls. While we work for kingdom values in all spheres of life our ultimate hope is in the King Himself, a Messiah who came and is coming again.

[For the Mighty One is holy,and he has done great things for me.He shows mercy from generation to generationto all who fear him.His mighty arm has done tremendous things!He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.He has brought down princes from their thronesand exalted the humble.He has filled the hungry with good thingsand sent the rich away with empty hands(Luke 1:49-53 NLT)]

President-elect Obama

2008-11-10T22:32:00.002+08:00

At the risk of being stoned by some of my evangelical brethren in the US, I'll go out on a limb to say that I'm quite excited that Obama won the US Presidential elections.. and no, that does not mean I condone abortions, nor gay-marriage.. but I do condone the fact that we are all made in the image of God, white, black, brown and yellow.. and what that truth, that doctrine is recognised, it is a very good thing..

Much has been written on Obama's win, but these two commentaries, i think, give a wise perspective on the issue.. one is from a yellow man, I have the priviledge of calling a friend.. the other is a white man that i admire from afar.. will be putting them up in my next two blogs..

A Malaysian Pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church

2008-09-16T23:57:00.004+08:00

Rev Wong Fong Yang is the Senior Pastor at City Discipleship Presbyterian Church in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He also happens to be a family friend :-)

Rev Wong is currently in New York, and will be spending 6 weeks at Redeemer Presbyterian's Church Planting Centre. You can read some of his reflections on being there here.

"Tim Keller is able to make the truth of the gospel clear and real. His expository preaching consistently shows how all Biblical themes climax in Christ and his work of salvation. His teaching on the gospel of grace is a death blow to legalism, moralism and relativism. If gospel is clearly preached, the church will not produce self-righteous, judgmental, self-centered Christians."

"Redeemer Presbyterian Church is certainly impacting Manhattan and other major cities of the world. My 6 weeks here with Redeemer Church Planting Center will certainly be and has already been a life and ministry transforming experience for me."

Entrusted with the Gospel: Living the Vision of Second Timothy, April 21 - 23, 2009, Chicago, USA

2008-09-14T01:38:00.007+08:00

My wife and I are working through 2 Timothy with a younger couple. At the same time, I'm trying to commit the whole book to memory together with my good friend and brother in Christ, Edward. Man, the last couple of verses seem the toughest!

2 Timothy became one of my favourite books of the Bible, after I first heard it expounded at a UCCF Leaders' Retreat in the UK. The year was 1998.. and it was a defining time in my understanding of the importance of sound doctrine and handling the Word of God properly..

It is thus really exciting to hear that The Gospel Coalition's next Conference in April next year will mainly involve working through 2 Timothy during the plenaries. The line-up is stellar.. Sighs, if only Chicago weren't half way around the world from where I come from :-) Anyways, check out these promo videos.. funny how there is already a didactic element in these.. he he..

Jerry Bridges in Singapore

2008-09-01T23:25:00.005+08:00

Dr Jerry Bridges, senior staff on the Navigators USA collegiate ministry and author of the 20th century classic The Pursuit of Holiness is in Singapore for a couple of weeks. I went to hear him speak at the Navigators organised conference on Saturday, 30 August. The conference consisted of two messages based on two of his books, namely The Pursuit of Holiness and The Discipline of Grace. His messages were biblical, simple, clear and applicable, and left me with a new desire for a Gospel-centred exertion towards holiness.

The Christian online paper, the Christian Post, reported on this.

(1) Bible Specialist Vindicates Grace Doctrine at Holiness Lecture

Here's an excerpt:

"Some people believe that God’s approval does not have to be earned, he said, speaking on what constitutes a Biblically accurate definition of grace, but nothing could be further from the truth.

“God’s approval does have to be earned,” said the renowned author and teacher, correcting a prevalent misunderstanding on the part of many believers in the world presently. He was quick to restate, however, his belief that God has imputed both forgiveness of sins, through the passive obedience of Jesus Christ His Son, and His righteousness, through the active obedience of Christ to undeserving sinners who rather deserved His curse, but apart of and through that and the enabling power of God's Holy Spirit, there was an approval to be gained for the believers through their obedience to God’s moral commands in His Word."

Read the rest of it here; and

(2) Holiness Preacher Declares One Sin that 'Nails All of Us'

Here's an excerpt:

"Nobody can declare himself guiltless of such corrupt talk. As soon as we think of someone, we are inclined to find some negative thing to think or say about that person, he indicated.

Christians today regard such sins as murder, adultery and theft as somehow more sinful than those like lying, anger, unforgiveness, jealousy, and corrupt talk, but there is no such dual classification in the eyes of God, he noted.To God, sin is still sin, whether big or small. Cursed is the one who does not fulfill all the requirements of the law of God, as it says in the Epistle of Apostle Paul to the Galatians.In history, there has been and will only be one person who has never committed any sin: Jesus Christ, the sinless lamb of God."

Read the rest of it here.

His next open-to-the-public speaking engagement will be at St. John's St Margaret's Church, Friday, 12 September, 7:30pm with a message based on his latest book, Respectable Sins.

What an honour to listen to this senior saint of God - he's 79, has to be helped up to the stage, and has a slight hearing disability, but oh what a model to follow! May we be found preaching Christ till our very last breath..

PASSION 268 & The Local Church

2008-08-05T00:20:00.002+08:00

Just read what Louie Giglio wrote about the next chapter of Passion:

"Passion is taking a pretty big turn as we continue to say “yes” to Him. At the heart of the shift is an unmistakable calling Shelley and I have sensed in our lives over the past eighteen months…a calling to not only serve The Church around the world, but to give our lives to building up a church where we live. So, in coming months, by the grace of God, we will be planting a local expression of the Kingdom of God in our rapidly growing and diverse city that we hope will serve as a base for our influence throughout the world."

"Our intention is to continue to lead Passion Conferences, love university students, guide sixstepsrecords and have a global reach. It’s just that we’ll have a local community with the same DNA as the Passion Movement…a place we pray will touch Atlanta and the world."

And I'm going to put it side by side with Carl Trueman:

"But the church is surely not a mission field; rather, it is the place where Christians are fed and watered and grow to maturity. Put bluntly, you don't get fed at conferences and through reading books in order to go to church to evangelize the couple next to you in the pew. To the extent that the Reformed revival does not make this connection, or leaves it optional, to that extent it is not really Reformed or biblical."

And Mark Dever:

“We believe the local church is the focal point of God's plan for displaying his glory to the nations.” 9 Marks Ministry

And our Lord Himself:

"I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18

More on Carson in Singapore - with Links

2008-08-02T09:53:00.005+08:00

Doing a quick google, and realised that Don Carson's talk in Singapore, has been documented in several different blogs. Thought I'd do a bit of aggregation here [too lazy to type out my own notes.. and some of these are really good].. Remember, all those blogs don't necessary express the views of this blogger.. ;-).

Here goes:

1. 29 July (Tuesday) Rage, Rage, Against the Church (Revelation 12:1-13:1)
In apocalyptic language, John tells us what we learn elsewhere in the New Testament: the Christian's most fundamental enemies are not other people, but the powers of darkness. How then shall we cope and triumph?

UNCONFUSING - Detailed Notes Night 1

2. 30 July (Wednesday) Antichrist and False Prophet(Revelation 13:1-18)
Some Christians around the world face brutal opposition and outright persecution; other Christians around the world are in danger of being seduced by false teaching and transient glitter. The dangers are different, yet they are one. How are we to respond?

UNCONFUSING - Detailed Notes Night 2

3. 31 July (Thursday)Trajectories(Revelation 14)
There is a perennial danger of thinking that Christian life and thought pertain primarily to this world. But the whole of the New Testament is against this reductionism: there is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be shunned. These opposed trajectories mean that everything in this life has far more significance than we sometimes think.

UNCONFUSING - Detailed Notes Night 3

4. 1 Aug (Friday) Lecture on Postmodernity - Can the truth be nailed ?

UNCONFUSING - Thoughts and Reflections
THE BOOK OF SHADOWS - Thoughts and Reflections
Understand that the MP3 will be available to download in time to come

6. Miscellaneous random impressions, some wacky, some wonderful and some both

The man is brilliant, and a Godly example for many of us. However, I must constantly remind myself that men of God like these, are still very much fallible, sinful human beings, like the rest of us. He is to be respected, honoured, even emulated, but never idolised. Only God can take that centre place in our lives. Soli Deo Gloria!

BTW, for a collection of free Carson resources from the Web, you can go here. You'll find that Carson has preached this Revelation material elsewhere[but nothing beats the live prophetic unction.. ;-)]. You can also download his other Revelation sermons etc.

Random Musings - Living Word with Carson and Revelations

2008-07-31T00:18:00.005+08:00

The last two nights with Don Carson, and Revelations 12 and 13 have been a very special time for me and my wife.. We could hardly contain our excitement as we feverishly copied notes, as we saw the Word of God open up to us in such a wonderful way.. there were also convicting moments for me, Night 1, when Prof Carson expounded Revelations 12:11 "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.." and talked about the Cross, and the Gospel.. How we can only stand accepted by God because of the Cross-Work of Christ.. I put my pen and my notes aside, put my face into the palm of my hands, and allowed my heart to be gripped afresh by what Christ did on the Cross... saved, justified, at such cost! It is finished, Satan is defeated! He has no case against me! my sins, all forgiven! The tears flowed freely... Oh how that must be now extend to "testimony", unashamedly witnessing about my Saviour Jesus Christ! and how that must change my perspective of life and death.. heaven is my home, where my Treasure is.. Came across a blog of a young, restless and reformed Singaporean [..they are here among us.. ;-P] who blogged about Night 1.. must thank her, saves me the time of typing out my notes.. (and her's are better anyway).. hehe.. ;-)

The strangest thing happened Wednesday morning, before Night 2.. this is my charismatic side coming out [haven't seen that side of me for some time now..].. My wife was really affected by Night 1's message, and I was rejoicing in my heart over it.. then I get an SMS telling me that during her morning QT, she had such a burden to tell others about the conference, especially because Night 2's topic [Antichrist and the False Prophet, Revelations 13], was so needful for many to hear.. I did a quick take in my head.. some of the thoughts were [in no particular order..]:

1. Is this of the Lord ? Donno le.. must think further..
2. Is it Biblical ? Well, the Lord does give impressions, dreams etc.. and no reason to believe He has stopped
3. Does this honour God, the Word of God and the Gospel ? Well, yes, we know Carson to be a Gospel-centred, careful, and engaging exegete, who would bring the Word of God across clearly and faithfully
4. Was there a need? As I thought about the direction my church was heading.. Definitely..
5. Should I support her in this, although I personally did not feel the burden ? Well, we did become "one flesh" when we said "I do"..

So, we enthusiastically mass SMS-ed people (not sure how many.. 50?.. expensive man!) felt a bit silly at times.. like hey, "we feel this leading and just want to tell you about it".. most did not reply.. some graciously declined.. one or two said they'd try to make it.. i'm guessing many were simply not interested.. her mum, and my father came in the end.. in fact they came at the expense of cancelling other appointments.. :-) to be honest, we don't really know how much impact what we did had.. was it foolishness perhaps ? whatever it is, time and eternity will tell.. I only hope that we did it because our blood-bought hearts were grateful for all that He has done for us on the Cross, and not because we thought that by doing it, we somehow earn some special favour from God.. :-) I'm more sure of her heart before God.. Its mine I'm worried about.. ;-) Only the blood! Lord, keep our eyes, always only on the Cross!

One more night to go.. Revelations 14..

Don Carson - Before the End: The Conquering Lamb, the Suffering Church & the Clash of Powers

2008-07-28T23:33:00.004+08:00

Will be heading down to the St Andrew's Cathedral tomorrow night, where Don Carson will be giving expositions from the Book of Revelations. Really looking forward to it, and glad to hear that the Diocese of Singapore (Anglican) is expecting a turn-up of more than 1,000 people. But besides the large numbers (sadly, the turn-up would pale in comparison to a Benny Hinn rally.. sigh, sigh and what can I say but sigh again..), what I am trully excited about is the opening of the Word of God in faithful exposition, where God's voice can be clearly heard by His people. "How we long to hear Your voice Lord!" Trully, the Bible is the Living Word!
Check it out.. here are the details again..

Prof Donald A. Carson

29 – 31 July 2008

St Andrew’s Cathedral, Singapore

Morning Seminars

(S$40)

Preaching: Growing in Skill to Unpack the Whole Counsel of God.

(For Christian workers and & lay preachers who want to learn to preach with a biblical world view that is subsumed under the ‘whole of Scriptures’.)

Dates: 29-31 July 2008

(Tuesday to Thursday)

Time: 9.00 am to 12.00 noon

Venue: St Andrew’s Cathedral

(Next to City Hall MRT)

Public Evening Sessions

(Collection to be taken)

Before the End: The Conquering Lamb, the Suffering Church & the Clash of Powers

(Studies from the book of Revelation 12, 13 and 14)

Dates: 29-31 July 2008

(Tuesday to Thursday)

Time: 7.45 – 9.45 pm

Venue: St Andrew’s Cathedral

(Next to City Hall MRT)

Bob Kauflin - Let Your Kingdom Come

2008-07-26T22:20:00.005+08:00

When I visited Wellsprings Church in San Leandro during my trip to the US, they gave me a Sovereign Grace Music sampler, with some really good, catchy, passionate and yet theologically rich songs.. One of the songs, that I can't seem to shake is "Let Your Kingdom Come" by Bob Kauflin. Bob Kauflin uploaded it for free here, and also shared a bit about his writing this song here:

Let Your Kingdom Come
Words and music by Bob Kauflin
As recorded on Valley of Vision

Your glorious cause, O God, engages our hearts
May Jesus Christ be known wherever we are
We ask not for ourselves, but for Your renown
The cross has saved us so we pray
Your kingdom come

Let Your kingdom come
Let Your will be done
So that everyone might know Your Name
Let Your song be heard everywhere on earth
Till Your sovereign work on earth is done
Let Your kingdom come

Give us Your strength, O God, and courage to speak
Perform Your wondrous deeds through those who are weak
Lord use us as You want, whatever the test
By grace we’ll preach Your gospel
Till our dying breath
© 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).

Ray Ortlund on being Truly Reformed (again)

2008-07-26T22:10:00.003+08:00

Ray Ortlund posted a comment to comments made on his post Truly Reformed. This is one of the most profound comments I've read, and one that is worth sharing:

"Thanks for your thoughtful comment. And maybe you're right. But I think we can side with the Galatian legalists at a functional level even as we side with Paul at a theoretical level. My sinful heart is capable of abandoning the gospel in one nanosecond. It happens whenever I use my allegiance to the doctrine of justification by faith alone for emotional purposes of self-justification. And that masterpiece of iniquity is the essence of the Galatian problem -- self-justification. But because I'm using Reformed doctrine, maybe even expounding Galatians, I am blind to myself. But the problem shows itself in the form of emotional aloofness from other true Christians. Relationships reveal what we really believe, as opposed to what we think we believe."

Acts 29 - Should you be a church planter ? (20 questions)

2008-07-26T21:48:00.007+08:00

Adrian Warnock has an interesting post about a recent church planting conference in London. Scott Thomas, the US Director of the Acts 29 church planting network, shared 20 questions that a potential church planter should ask himself.

Its a checklist with many tough, but wise and needful questions..

Looking through the list, I find myself disqualified on many accounts..
:-)

Give me a buzz, though, if any of you out there qualify, and are looking to plant a church in Singapore with the following characteristics (or working towards..) :

1. Gospel-centered,
2. Expository preaching,
3. Reformed/Calvinistic,
4. Baptistic,
5. Charismatic/Continuationist,
6. Missional, and
7. Ministries of Mercy.

I could make the coffee and tea.. ;-P

Young, Restless, Reformed and the Local Church

2008-07-20T20:22:00.009+08:00

“… the danger is always there whereby people become attached to the man rather than to the message or to the church. We are commanded to love the body of Christ; and our leaders are useful only to the extent that they are instrumental to that end… ” Carl Trueman

“We believe the local church is the focal point of God's plan for displaying his glory to the nations.” 9 Marks Ministry

One of the dangers that Carl Trueman pointed out in the Young, Restless and Reformed (YRR) movement, was its lack of anchor in the local church [see my previous post]. This, I think is an important point to note. In the individualistic, consumer culture that we have bought into, modern day Christians think that we are free to have a “me and my Jesus” religion, a hodge-podge concatenated faith put together from the buffet that is popular Christian merchandising.

The Church
But, reading Scripture, we get a very different picture, the church, as the community of God's people, is key in Christian discipleship. Jesus died for His church [Ephesians 5:25], which is His Body[1 Cor 12:12-27], His Bride[Ephesians 5:32], and God's family [1 Timothy 5:1-2], what Christ Himself will build on earth[Matthew 16:18].

He has given His church authority on earth to carry out spiritual warfare [2 Cor 10:3-4], proclaim the Gospel, and exercise church discipline [Matthew 16:19, 18:17-18]. He appoints leaders over His flock in the church [Ephesians 4:11-12], and has given it the "means of grace" for His people. All this for the purpose of bringing His people to maturity and final conformity to the image of Christ. In His wisdom, He has appointed the local church as the main context, in which we grow in Christlikeness.

The Local Church
Now, its true that those verses up there don't just talk about the local church, but the church universal. However, the place where we plug into the church universal cannot but be the local church. Take the three means of grace that the Reformers associated with the church, (i) Word, (ii) Sacraments - Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and (iii) Church Discipline. Now, you could arguably get (i) in a parachurch organisation, and some would even venture as far as to celebrate the Lord's Supper (which they shouldn't), but what parachurch organisation would baptize, or exercise church discipline ? Now, none of these contribute to your salvation, but they are commands of the Lord, and designed for your sanctification. So, like it or not, we need to plug into a local church - hence Trueman is right, YRR would be less than Biblical, and less than Reformed if the local church were not affected.. end of story (?)

Touched by the YRR or Reformation Theology
Well, yes, but working that out in the life of an individual affected by YRR, or awakened by the truths of Reformed/Calvinistic theology is a far more complicated process. I can't help but feel for the guy in the Adventist church.. after all, didn't Paul himself have a great desire to see his own people saved ? [Romans 10:1-4] Leaving a local church is no small matter, and not to be taken lightly.. after all, it isn't just some organisation or club that you can enter or leave at whim.. it is family.. perhaps in the case of a "fringe group" like the Adventist (?) , the choice is clearer.. but, what happens if you find yourself in a fairly evangelical, but not necessarily Reformed/Calvinistic church [think Willow Creek, Rick Warren, evangelical Methodist..] ?

Working it Out
Well, it seems to me that there are 4 options for someone who isn't in a Reformed / Calvinistic church, awakening to Reformation truths - 1. Reform the church from within; 2. Leave the church to join another; 3. Form a new church or denomination; and 4. Give up the YRR / Reformed / Calvinistic vision altogether, and be content with your lot in life. Now, 4. would be unhealthy if you believe in truth, but 1. to 3. do present dilemmas of their own. Let's reflect:

1. Reform the Church from Within
The NT’s call to unity within the body is unmistakable [John 10:16, John 17:21]. We are called to unity. And we are called to the work of collectively working for the purity of the church [no matter how pure your current church is, anyway]. We don’t just attend the church, we are the church. One of the great metaphors of the church is family, and you don’t just leave family, or scream, "Heretic!" at Dad or Mum or Bro or Sis lightly. If we are in a position of leadership, or any other position to affect positive change in our churches and denomination, I think we should stay. One thinks of how in the 1960s in Singapore, when most of the mainline churches had became flat-out liberal, evangelical young people awakened by Inter-Varsity, prayed, served and waited patiently for that generation of Elders to die[literally], before taking back those churches for the Gospel. Now, we are blessed with no more liberal churches in the mainline denominations here. Although I'm more Free Church than Anglican Ecumenical, standing on Scripture, I think our default position should be to stay and work for the purity of the church..
Yet, let's be realistic, how many of us actually have the capacity, tenacity and ability to influence change, without compromising our own faith and sanity ? Perhaps, even this is a special calling.

2. Leave the Church to join Another
Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology (page 880 and following) gives 3 possible reasons for leaving a church
(i) Doctrinal – when the doctrines of the church have deviated to the point of the church becoming a false church;
(ii) Conscience – when you are not able to preach or teach according to your conscience informed by Scripture; and
(iii) Practical – when, for practical reasons, you would do more harm than good by staying e.g. your ministry is constantly frustrated by others, staying would disrupt the evangelistic efforts of the church etc.
But, Grudem is wise to state that these are guidelines, and to advise that special care be taken in thinking through the reasons for leaving.

Now, well and good if you live within the vicinity of a church pastored by one of the good ol' T4G or Gospel Coalition guys, and the likes. By all means, move, join them and flourish in Calvinistic fervour. But.. what if you don't ? What if what you've got is the best bet at this point ? Not openly heretical, pastor isn't gay, preaching still comes from the Bible, Gospel is still preached.. but, perhaps Arminian, or Seeker-sensitive, or legalistic, or just not Gospel-centered? What if the "reformed" folk in town, also happen to be the KJV-only folk? Or what if you're baptistic and continuationist in your convictions, and the next best thing is a cessationist presbyterian set-up, or a pastor that speaks in tongues and drives a BMW ? At the end of the day, perhaps our current church is the best there is at present ?

3. Form a New Church or Denomination
Now, I am not kidding with this point - it may be the only option. But planting a church is no laughing matter. In fact, I am told that most church plants actually fail. Some really good questions to ask may be, (i) Are you called to do this ?, (ii) Do you have the resources ?, (iii) Do you have the training - seminary etc. ?; (iv) Do you have the people to form a sizeable fellowship ?; and perhaps, most importantly, Carl Trueman's question (v) How much is about genuine mission, and how much is about self-promotion and self-perpetuation? For the majority of us, this wouldn't really be a realistic option...

Conclusion
Now wouldn't it be great if the YRR and this new awakening to reformation truths were to burst forth in the reformation and renewal of whole churches and denominations, and the planting of new churches that were distinctly God-glorifying, and Gospel-centered? It seems to me then that for this to happen, the demographic that needs to be impacted the most by YRR and the like, are Christian leaders - pastors and elders in our churches, and lecturers and students in our Bible schools and seminaries. Aren't these the ones responsible for steering the direction of our churches for the future? And until that happens, perhaps, dare I say, the YRR would just be yet another passing fad.. sniff.. :-(

So, what can us normal people do then ? Well, I guess, some of us would have to make some tough choices about our church situation.. And, in that process, we could continue to let the truths of the Reformation change our lives and behaviour, we could continue to share, we could continue to pray and serve and love, we could continue to be rested in the Jesus who said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18, and we could continue to hope...

Ajith Fernando at Go Forth

2008-07-19T22:51:00.017+08:00

Rev Dr Ajith Fernando spoke on Thursday, 17 July, at the Go Forth Missions Conference, evening rally here Singapore. His topic, "Response to Asian Societal Challenge". He expounded 5 challenges facing the cause of the Gospel in Asia.

Opening with 1 Cor 16:8-9, he noted that Paul was writing from Ephesus, which was in Asia, and spoke about "a wide door for effective work" that had opened to Paul for the Gospel. At the same time, there were many adversaries opposing the work. Asia found itself in a similar situation at present. Fernando expounded 5 challenges[he admitted that these were not exhaustive] facing Asia vis-a-vis Gospel Ministry.

1. Indigenisation

Christianity by and far is still considered a foreign western and incompatible with Asian ways. On the one hand, although Asia was becoming increasingly nationalistic, on the other hand, due to the influence of education and media et al, Asia was also becoming increasingly Western. Thus, you had a mixture of Easter-minded Asians and Western-minded Asians. Taking his text from 1 Cor 9: 22, where Paul says, "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some", Fernando thus observed that we needed to look for Eastern ways that were appropriate to communicate the Gospel. On the other hand, a Western approach was also needed for those who were Western-minded, for "what is indigenous to someone, may be foreign to another". Western-minded Asians may thus not be the best people to reach out to their Eastern-minded neighbours, but could play a supporting role in enabling their Eastern-minded brothers and sisters to reach out [as did/do the foreign missionaries], while focusing, themselves on reaching out to others who were Western-minded.

2. Reaching Intellectuals

The religions of Asia are intellectual in nature, but as a whole the church thus far had not been very successful in drawing in Asian intellectuals - business people were coming to the Lord, but not the intellectuals. A strategy was thus needed to reach intellectuals in Asia. Taking his text from Acts 14 and Acts 17, Fernando observed that the first evangelists such as Peter, Stephen and Paul were a combination of miracle workers [Acts 14] and intellectual apologists [Acts 17]. As the need arose, they either "impressed by demonstrations of the Spirit's power", or "reasoned with the intellectuals of the day" - we need that same combination today. We have to ask the question, "How are we to engage the intellectuals in Asia ?", "How does the Gospel face post-modernism?" etc. We need Asian C S Lewiss and Tolkiens who speak and write about the Christian worldview without Christian jargon.

3. Keeping the Missionary Fire Burning

Fernando observed a waning in the missionary fervour of the Asian church, and saw a pressing need to re-energize the Asian church for the cause of the Gospel. Henry Martyn once said, "The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.". Sadly, fulfillment and success in the Asian church is still measured in earthly, material terms. Thus we keep our very best brains at home. Not discounting the fact that God can use anyone, nonetheless, the church needed to send its best and brightest into the mission field, who could think and strategise for the cause of the Gospel, as did the church in Antioch days of old.

4. Persecution

Referring to 2 Tim 3:12, "..all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted", Fernando observed that persecution was coming from 2 fronts, (i)Pluralism and (ii)Fundamentalism. He told Asian accounts of perseverance with Gospel ministry in face of beatings, and even death, and moved on to address, what could keep Christians going in the midst of persecution. He suggested that it would be a vision of the Sovereignty of God. Going to Acts 4, he observed that the first response of the early church to persecution was to ponder the Sovereignty of God [Acts 4:24 and following]. But, they did not stop there. After they had pondered the Sovereignty of God and caught a vision of it, they cried out in effect, "Help us to evangelise more!"[Acts 4:29]. Fernando then exhorted, "If God is Sovereign, the only thing you have to fear is disobedience".

5. Lostness

Taking his text from Romans 9:1-3 and Romans 10:1, on Paul's hearfelt desire to see the Israelites saved, he concluded that, "Missions is about people's need to encounter their Creator". Sadly, some who claim to be evangelical are arrogant. And yet, the Gospel and arrogance are on separate poles altogether. "How can we be arrogant if it is all of grace ?", Fernando asked. Going to 2 Cor 4:5, "For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.", he stressed the need to preach the absolute gospel as servants.

An Aside

After the talk, I had an opportunity to speak to Dr Fernando briefly. I mentioned that some in the West had observed the fragmentation of the evangelical church - instead of keeping the Gospel at the centre, some were emphasising the peripherals instead. I asked if he thought this analysis was correct, and if it applied to Asia. He said "Yes" to both, and mentioned that it was something that he was "very worried about". That was why he spoke about the need to re-energize the Asian church for the cause of the Gospel.

On evangelism and ministries of mercy, he felt that the church needed to do both, keeping the two in balance. He noted the difficulty of doing this, and lamented that evangelicals who wanted to hold on to the Gospel, had a tendency to neglect ministries of mercy and vice-versa. But, there was indeed a need to do both. I enquired after his wisdom on how we could do this. He replied that we should stay Biblical, and stay away from fads.

Ray Ortlund on being Truly Reformed

2008-07-19T17:40:00.004+08:00

I came across a link at Between Two Worlds to Ray Ortlund's post on being Truly Reformed. It really is worth a read:

"I believe in the sovereignty of God, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Solas of the Reformation, I believe that grace precedes faith in regeneration. Theologically, I am Reformed. Sociologically, I am simply a Christian – or at least I want to be. The tricky thing about our hearts is that they can turn even a good thing into an engine of oppression. It happens when our theological distinctives make us aloof from other Christians. That’s when, functionally, we relocate ourselves outside the gospel and inside Galatianism.

"The Judaizers in Galatia did not see their distinctive – the rite of circumcision – as problematic. They could claim biblical authority for it in Genesis 17 and the Abrahamic covenant. But their distinctive functioned as an addition to the all-sufficiency of Jesus himself. Today the flash point is not circumcision. It can be Reformed theology. But no matter how well argued our position is biblically, if it functions in our hearts as an addition to Jesus, it ends up as a form of legalistic divisiveness."

"What unifies the church is the gospel. What defines the gospel is the Bible. What interprets the Bible correctly is a hermeneutic centered on Jesus Christ crucified, the all-sufficient Savior of sinners, who gives himself away on terms of radical grace to all alike. What proves that that gospel hermeneutic has captured our hearts is that we are not looking down on other believers but lifting them up, not seeing ourselves as better but grateful for their contribution to the cause, not standing aloof but embracing them freely, not wishing they would become like us but serving them in love (Galatians 5:13)."

The conclusion:

"My Reformed friend, can you move among other Christian groups and really enjoy them? Do you admire them? Even if you disagree with them in some ways, do you learn from them? What is the emotional tilt of your heart – toward them or away from them? If your Reformed theology has morphed functionally into Galatian sociology, the remedy is not to abandon your Reformed theology. The remedy is to take your Reformed theology to a deeper level. Let it reduce you to Jesus only. Let it humble you. Let this gracious doctrine make you a fun person to be around. The proof that we are Reformed will be all the wonderful Christians we discover around us who are not Reformed. Amazing people. Heroic people. Blood-bought people. People with whom we are eternally one – in Christ alone."

Another call to be a kinder Calvinist, another call to be so secure in Christ alone, that joy and peace bubble over, so that we know we don't always need to win an argument, or to beat another person down, so that we can push ourselves up in a false sense of idolatrous superiority and self-security. God help us all - sinners saved by grace.

Trueman and the New Calvinists

2008-07-11T00:14:00.003+08:00

My good friend Edward [who unfortunately blogs mainly in Chinese, and, even then, has not done so for some time.. ;-)] sent me a link to Carl Trueman’s cautiously optimistic review of Colin Hansen’s Young, Restless and Reformed writings. While generally positive towards the resurgence of reformed theology among the younger crowd, Trueman helpfully cautions by raising two concerns:

1. The personality driven nature of the movement

“..The name of John Piper looms large in the narrative, but there are others: R C Sproul, the T4G guys, Joshua Harris, Mark Driscoll etc. Without such dynamic figureheads and the organizations around them, it is doubtful that the movement would have made the impact on young people which it has done…”

“..the danger is always there whereby people become attached to the man rather than to the message or to the church..”

2. The lack of an anchor of the movement in the local church

“I find myself disturbed by the account of the man who loves Piper, and company, has embraced the doctrines of grace with zeal, but who continues to attend at Adventist church, apparently on the grounds that that is where he can be a kind of missionary for Calvinism. But the church is surely not a mission field; rather, it is the place where Christians are fed and watered and grow to maturity. Put bluntly, you don't get fed at conferences and through reading books in order to go to church to evangelize the couple next to you in the pew. To the extent that the Reformed revival does not make this connection, or leaves it optional, to that extent it is not really Reformed or biblical.”

Trueman then goes on to ask two pointed questions, which I think have great value for reflection :

1. How much is this movement about genuine belief and how much is social belonging?

2. How much is about genuine mission, and how much is about self-promotion and self-perpetuation?

These are needful cautions from someone within the fold.. hope to blog some reflections on them in the comings days/months/years… meanwhile, if anyone has any thoughts on this, do leave a post :-)

Gospel Coalition Website - Revamped

2008-07-10T01:24:00.003+08:00

The Gospel Coalition Website has been revamped, with a whole lot of new and useful material.

1. The new Themelios Journal, is a thoughtful journal for pastors and theological students - in this issue, Carl Trueman writes about reading the Medieval mystics, and a mega-church pastor shares how he and his church are rediscovering the gospel

2. The Resources section is now stocked with a good range of MP3s from some great Gospel-centred guys - think Carson, Keller, Piper, Harris, Dever, Driscoll, and some lesser known, but equally cool guys

3. The TGC Network section will soon allow people to align themselves with the Coalition’s Statement of Faith and Theological Vision of Ministry - this will be a useful networking tool, maybe we'll find some interesting people from our region signing up? Perhaps some Singapore pastors and theologians?

4. The Conference line-up for 2009 is drool-worthy.. And what makes me happiest is that it is anchored as an exposition of 2 Timothy by various parties [of course there are some other talks and workshops]

Truly, an amazing resource for pastors, preachers, and the interested lay person.. God is good.

Turning 30 with 3 thoughts

2008-07-04T23:59:00.005+08:00

I turned 30 sometime this week, which was kind of a strange transition. No longer young, neither am I really that old (or so I say.. hehe). Anyways, a couple of fairly related questions have been doing their rounds in my head these couple of days - (i) where have your years gone? (ii) what have you done with your life so far?, (iii) is the best really yet to come? and of course (iv) will I ever lose this gut?

Well, its in brood mode that I came across 3 rather different pieces of information that have formed 3 thoughts in my mind as I contemplate the big 3 - 0:

3 thoughts for the the big 3 - 0

Firstly, I watched The Bucket List on my flight to San Francisco. Its a story of two very different characters (played by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson) who meet in hospital, both diagnosed with a terminal illness, and with only have a few months to live - "...recalling an assignment from his college philosophy class, Carter (Freeman) begins to write a "bucket list" of things he'd like to experience before he "kicks said bucket". Staring at mortality, their deadlines looming, wealthy Edward (Nicholson) makes some additions of his own and proposes that the two begin fulfilling their checklist, a journey that takes them around the world.." - CT Movies Review. From this, Life is fleeting, and not to be wasted

Secondly, with great anticipation fulfilled, I managed to get a copy of Tim Keller's Reason for God at Barnes & Nobel in San Jose [still not sure why its not yet available in Singapore]. In the introduction, Keller shares the testimony of Kelly, an atheist who came to faith in Christ - "..I realized that my achievements were ultimately unsatisfying, the approval of man is fleeting, that a carpe diem life lived solely for adventure is just a form of narcissism and idoltry.." - pg [xxii, xxiii]. From this, A wasted live is one lived purely for self

Thridly, have been reading (slowly) D A Carson's "A Call to Spiritual Reformation" in my devotions. On 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, Carson wrote something that brought focus, "In our pragmatic, materialistic society, where each of us seeks comfort and "fulfillment" and respect, it is hard to follow a despised, crucified Messiah - unless we fix our eyes on the end. If we do not aim for the new heaven and the new earth, many of our values and decisions in this world will be myopic, unworthy, tarnished, fundamentally wrong-headed. To put the matter bluntly: can biblical spirituality long survive where Christians are not oriented to the world to come?" - pg 50. From this, A life worth living, is one oriented towards the new heavens and the new earth

A Christian Bucket List ?

I kinda like the idea of a "bucket list" and was asking myself what it should look like for a Christ follower. We'll probably have different answers on the specifics, but I think Paul's prayer framework in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, should also give us a "bucket framework". In view of the end, Paul wrote, "..we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

So, whatever it may be, the items on the list should be (i) birthed with a view of the end, (ii) prompted by our faith, (iii) fulfilled by His power, (iv) glorifying to God, (v) sanctifying to the believer, and (vi) carried out according to God's grace.

Lord, give me strength and give me grace still, to expect great things from You, and to attempt great things for You!

Project Timothy - Upcoming Events

2008-06-30T16:28:00.002+08:00

Project Timothy Bible Conference - 11th to 12th July 2008Law and Grace in the Christian Life: Complementary or Contradictory?

Speaker: Andrew Reid, lecturer at Ridley Theological College, Melbourne
Venue: Metropolitan YMCA

The New Testament teaches us that Christians are not under law but grace, yet we are told that not the least stroke of a pen will disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. How are we to reconcile these two seemingly conflicting statements? How about the Old Testament commands? Do they still apply to us today? Come and explore these issues with us at the Project Timothy Bible Conference!

Expository Preaching Workshop - 20th Oct 2008

The Expository Preaching Workshop aims to encourage preachers to keep trusting in God's Word to do its work and be faithful in their own ministry, to equip preachers with fundamental skills for Bible handling and preaching and to build up a network of like-minded preachers.

The topic will be ‘Preaching Job’ this year.

Speaker: Christopher Ash, Director of Cornhill Training Course, UK.

Evening Expositions - on 21st and 22nd Oct 2008

The Evening Expositions are talks typically held over 2 evenings, with the aim of challenging and building up Christians through expository preaching

The theme for this year is ‘Out of the storm’ expositions from the book of Job'
Speaker: Christopher Ash, who is the director of Cornhill Training Course, UK

For more information, check out the Project Timothy Website

Wellsprings Church Service

2008-06-25T02:38:00.008+08:00

I don't think I'd make it as a live-blogger (but that's ok), meant to blog about my visit to Wellspring Church last week, but wasn't able to.. Anyways, this blog post comes one week late, and finds me back in Singapore :-)

The Service

We got there slightly before the service and introduced ourselves to several people. Thanks to technology, some of them, including Tim Kurtz, the Associate Pastor, had seen my posting on Gospel Prism and knew that we'd be visiting.. he he

Service began with Pastor Kurtz, sharing very openly about the bad news he had received that week - his dad had been diagnosed with cancer. (let's be praying for Pastor Kurtz and family..) He moved to share how the Word of God in Psalm 112:4 had brought comfort and hope, "Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.". It must not have been easy, but Pastor Kurtz then went on to call the congregation to worship by reading Psalm 111, and extolling the greatness of God.

Worship was simple set of three songs, Vineyard (All who are thirsty), Matt Redman (Once Again) and an old hymn (Before the Throne) with an SGM updated melody. It was a simple, God/Jesus/Cross focused time, and I was struck at how the worship leader(s) made it a point not to draw attention to themselves but to point the congregation towards God.

The sermon was an exposition of Luke 5:12-16, "Jesus and the Lepers" given by Eugene Noh, a young korean american presbyterian preacher (now that was a mouthful.. he he). He spoke about how Jesus' healing of the leper foreshadowed the Gospel, and expounded on the incarnation as "God getting his hands dirty", our progressive sanctification, and the role of the church etc. I liked the content, and delivery. It was gospel-focused, and authentic - real. (I leaned over to my wife after the sermon, and said, "He preaches like Tim Keller.") Most of all, it left an impression in my heart of my unworthiness before God, and yet His amazing mercy towards me. (Prayed with my wife after the service, and must admit I was choking for words..)

After the sermon, Pastor Kurtz did something that I found rather unique. I guess I'd call it a pastoral round-up. He highlighted key points from the sermon for the congregation, and pointed back to the Cross again with the Words from Before the Throne, "When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see Him there Who made an end to all my sin."

Impression(s)

The reason I had wanted to visit Wellspring was to see a Gospel-centred church "in action". Some of us over here in South East Asia have become affected by what's been going on over in the US with things like T4G and the Gospel Coalition, mainly by listening in over the internet. (quietly praying that God would blow a fresh wind in our direction..) I wanted to meet some real people that were "doing the stuff"..

What did I take away ? Well, I'm not sure if it was deliberate, but I found the songs, sermons, even the visitor's gift pack [contained (i) Article on "9 ways to know the Gospel of Christ is true",
(ii) copy of John Piper's "The Passion of Jesus Christ", (iii) an explanation of Wellsprings's mission statement, "All things for the sake of the Gospel to God's Glory for Our Joy", (iv) An SGM music sampler), and (v) a booklet on SGM)] were decidedly gospel-centred. Speaking to Pastor Kurtz, I realised that the ministry materials they used were not restricted to just SGM material (which is exceedingly good..), but there was also a heavy dose of John Piper, Tim Keller etc.

Also, was struck at how regular church members were not only able to articulate the Gospel-centred worldview, but were also passionate (and joyful..) about it.. I remember hearing one of John Piper's Romans sermons where he mentions his first visit to an SGM church (or conference??) - he described how joyful and thankful this group of people were.. I think I tasted a bit of that..

Conclusion

I am thankful for God's providence in providing the technology that allowed us to connect.. I am thankful that our programme over in the US could accomodate our visit.. I am thankful for the people we were able to meet and connect with.. I am thankful that we can share such Gospel fellowship over oceans and cultures.. and I am thankful for God's work in this community of faith - may their tribe increase..

A Week in California

2008-06-22T14:15:00.004+08:00

Just got back from a cool road-trip with the family. It has been an awesome week in California! We did so much.

We were put up at a friend's house, which was luxurious, complete with swimming pool and all. Then, there was Kevin and Emily's Wedding at the River of Life Christian Church. I now have a new American brother in-law, and, brother-in-Christ. Sunday, we had corporate worship at ROLCC, where the preacher reminded us that (1)He owns all things, and that (2)He gives all things (especially his Son, to die for our sins).

Then Monday, we began what would be a 1700 miles roadtrip. 2 days in Yosemite, where we were in awe at God's handiwork with the waterfalls, rivers, and rock formation. Another 2 in Los Angeles, where we went to Disneyland and toured the Hollywood strip. Then a drive along the coast to Big Sur where we spent a night in a really charming B&B. And another day of driving along the coast back to San Jose, where we stopped several times to take in the view of the ocean and the mountains, another waterfall, and again we were in awe of God's magnificent handiwork. So many blog post ideas from these couple of days, and I have been so blessed..

I was made to ponder how creation reflects the Gospel in some ways (more on that later), reminded of the faithfulness of God at Space Mountain, Disneyland (that will take some explaining..), became freshly aware of God's providence in my life, joyful in the fellowship of a new brother-in-law and brother in Christ who is a passionate evangelist, strangely warmed at the stories of the triumphs of the Gospel in the lives of the many that Kevin has shared the Gospel with... new hope arises in my heart for what can be in the future!

Most of all, I am reminded afresh of the theme of this blog, that all these great blessings come from Jesus, through Jesus and are ultimately for Jesus..

Will be visiting Wellsprings Church for service tomorrow and heading to the Napa Valley after. Just found out on the website that the men (and probably Pastor Shin) will be away for the Men's retreat this weekend.. Anyhow, I'm really looking forward to participating in corporate worship with a bunch of Reformed and Charismatic people tomorrow.. And, it will be our 1st wedding anniversary.. Cindy is such an amazing blessing.. God has been so good, in spite of my sin..

I'm off to California

2008-06-12T01:10:00.007+08:00

In a couple of hours, I'll be on a flight to San Francisco. Will be in the Bay Area for 2 weeks or so to attend the wedding of my wife's dear elder sister.. and then we'll be travelling a bit.. hopefully get to spend our first wedding anniversary (time flies!) at Napa Valley..

Hope visit to one of two Gospel-centred churches in the area.. either the newest addition to the Sovereign Grace family, i.e. Wellspring Church, pastored by Pastor Sam Shin or the Sunset Church, pastored by Pastor Jeff Louie[who is on the Gospel Coalition council] when I'm in the area.. Quite excited! Hope the timings work out..

Sam Shin has an interesting blog on Gospel-centred living called Gospel Prism.. I've read a couple of postings, and I'm challenged by what I've read.. Check out Preach the Gospel to Yourself, and Encourage, Do not force, the Gospel

The Gospel really is so easy to lose.. it is so easy to veer into licentiousness, or liberalism.. so hard to stay on the straight and narrow.. perhaps, that is why we must endeavour to keep the cross always before our eyes.. keep my heart tender always Lord to what you have done on the cross to accomplish my salvation.. may i never loose the awe and wonder and gratitude..

Off to bed now.. See you in California

Interview with John Piper - New World Alive, UK

2008-06-08T02:54:00.006+08:00

Adrian Warnock interviews John Piper on the sidelines of the New Word Alive.

Part 1: Why John Piper is involved in New Word Alive

Part 2: The 'secret' to John Piper's preaching

Part 3: John Piper's prayer life

Part 4: Preaching and preachers, his call to pastoral ministry, work-life-balance, his most 'significant' work etc.

Interview with Don Carson - New World Alive, UK

2008-06-08T02:52:00.001+08:00

Adrian Warnock interviews Don Carson at New Word Alive. Gives some great insights into who he is. [And there's some cool music in the background]

Part 1: How Carson got involved in full time Christian Ministry

Part 2: Raising up new leaders and preachers in the Church

PASSION 268 - KL & JAKARTA

2008-06-08T01:25:00.014+08:00

Many in Singapore would be familiar with the Passion Movement through the songs that they have brought to our churches. "How Great is Our God", "Indescribable","Blessed be the Name of the Lord", "Famous One" etc. have become mainstay in many churches of different persuasions here.

What is perhaps lesser known is that Passion is behind a firey brand of God-centred, God-honoring, Christ-exalting and Man-humbling Christianity that is spreading among young, late teens to twenty-somethings in the US. Men like John Piper are mainstay speakers at Passion Conferences. Colin Hansen talks about them in Young, Restless and Reformed.

"Finding in Christ all we need, and spending our lives to make Him famous in this generation... that's what The Passion Movement is all about and what has attracted hundreds of thousands of university aged young people to Passion gatherings over the past eleven years."

- Louie Giglio, Passion

These guys have Isaiah 26:8 burned into their hearts "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your Truth,we wait eagerly for You,for Your name and Your renown are the desire of our souls."
Starting this year, Passion has gone global. Unfortunately, they won't be making it to Singapore, but they will be swinging by very nearby - Kuala Lumpur, 3 August and Jakarta, 5 August. More details on their Worldtour Website. This is good stuff. Might not agree with everything, and I am overaged [their target group is 18 - 25].. but good stuff nonetheless.. Here's one of their newest anthems.. God of this City..

Desiring God - Love

2008-06-05T22:58:00.005+08:00

I must admit that it is not always easy to read Piper :-) Often, I've had to read and re-read portions of what he's written to make sure I really get what he's getting at.. Don't get me wrong, I really like what he has to say.. but just takes some time to understand what he's saying sometimes.. ;-) anyone out there have the same experience ?

Anyways, here's a summary of Desiring God, Chapter 4 - Love: The Labour of Christian Hedonism..
[I've come to realise that my summaries are pretty long, and thus aren't really summary, so my new goal in life is try as best i can to keep these summaries short.. 1 or 2 paras...]

The thesis that, "God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him" i.e. that if we are to glorify God, we must seek our own highest pleasure (i.e. pleasure in Him) hedonistically, applies also to our horizontal human relationships.
That is to say that the pursuit of pleasure is proper and mandatory for every kind of human love that pleases God.
If you abandon the pursuit of full and lasting pleasure, you cannot really love people, or please God. Thus, (i) loving people selflessly, and (ii) pursuing your own highest pleasure, are one and the same goal.
How do they fit together ? By placing the locus of our joy not in our own private, limited joy, but in the joy of others.

An illustration that comes to mind is eating steak with my wife - we both love a nice juicy steak. Now, say I manage to slice a bite-sized piece of this perfectly marbled, tenderly seasoned, medium rare charcoal-grilled steak that is just oozing with the goodness of juicy beefy heaven. It would bring me great pleasure to put that piece of meat in my mouth, sink my teeth into it, gently chew, and allow all that juicy goodness to fill my senses with that not-yet experience in the now! But, knowing how much my wife would enjoy that same piece of steak, it brings me greater pleasure in letting her enjoy that juicy morsel. I enjoy having her enjoy the beef, more than I enjoy enjoying the beef myself.

There is so much more in this chapter that is worth reading and re-reading - the place of feelings and emotions, the relation of deeds and rewards, the place of weeping(suffering) in joy.. and I'm doing a great injustice to this chapter.. so do read it for yourself..

PS: Btw, something somewhat related, albeit a bit dated.. Piper's son Abraham has this great post about loving his wife, which he uses as an illustration (and exhortation) to "Be a Kinder Calvinist".. great post.. yup, loads to learn, loads to live..

Doctrine is for marriage

2008-05-03T12:04:00.004+08:00

Lig Duncan preached a sermon on "Sound Doctrine: Essential to Faithful Pastoral Ministry" at TG408, where he looks not only at the importance of doctrine to pastoral ministry but also to life. Tim Challies gives a helpful overview here.

A particularly moving application was his "Doctrine is for marriage", where he looked at Ephesians 5:25 - "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her", and gave an impassioned plea to rejoice in the atoning work of Christ, and to let that work inform a husband's love for his wife.

"..you give glory to Christ who paid for all your sins through the shedding of his own blood and you contributed nothing to it.. but here's the next thing.. you look up at your Lord Jesus, and you learn how you're supposed to love your wife.. love your wife in light of the doctrine of the atonement.. the atonement informs your love for your wife.. you say to me, "But she has broken my heart".. did not the church break her Lord’s heart? ..and he loved her unto death.. you love her like Christ loved the church in his giving up of Himself for her in his atoning death.. that's how you love her.."

Desiring God - Worship (Part II)

2008-04-23T23:26:00.004+08:00

What are the feelings and affections that make the outward act of worship authentic ? Turning to the Psalms, we see an array of different and intertwined affections that can grip the heart,

Stunned silence at seeing the majestic holiness of God - "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)
Awe, reverence and wonder at the sheer magnitude of God - "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him" (Psalm 33:8)
Holy dread of God's righteous power - "I will bow down toward Your holy temple in the fear of you" (Psalm 5:7)
Brokenness, contrition and grief for our ungodliness - "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17)
Longing of the soul for God - "As a dear pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirst for God, for the living God" (Psalm 42:1-2)
God comes and lifts the load of sin and fills our hearts with gladness and gratitude - "You have turned our mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thants to You forever!" (Psalm 30:11-12)
Our joy arises both from the backward glance in gratitute, and the forward glance in hope - "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God" (Psalm 42:5-6)

John Piper sees three stages of movement toward the ideal experience of worship. In reverse order:

There is a final stage in which we feel an unencumbered joy in the manifold perfection of God - the joy of gratitude, wonder, hope and admiration;
In a prior stage that we often taste, we do not feel fullness but rather longing and desire; and
The lowest stage of worship - where all genuine worship starts, and where it often returns for a dark season - is the barrenness of soul that scarcely feels any longing, and yet is still granted the grace of repentant sorrow for having so little love.

Desiring God - Worship (Part I)

2008-04-20T16:14:00.006+08:00

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
- Hebrews 11:6

“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” - Psalm 37:4

Desiring God, Chapter 3 - Worship: The Feast of a Christian Hedonist - This was the Chapter in Desiring God that made so much of what was happening in my head and heart click some ten years ago.. Words like these blew my mind (and heart) away,

"True worship always combines heart and head, emotion and thought, affection and reflection, doxology and theology. The only affections that honour God are those rooted in the rock of biblical truth, that come from a true apprehension of His glory.

Therefore, we must passionately oppose all attempts to drive a wedge between deep thought and deep feeling – profound reflection does not dry up, but rather encourages fervent affection." - John Piper (slight paraphrasing mine)

Here is Part I of my summary..

Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of His worth.
The mirror that catches the rays of His radiance and reflects them back in worship is the joyful heart.
Worship must be vital and real in the heart, and rest on a true perception of God – there must be spirit and there must be truth. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship.
When we look away from ourselves, to Him, only then do the manifold emotions of our heart erupt in worship.
Thus, in worship there must be a radical orientation on God, not ourselves.
We must seek Him hedonistically, the way the thirsty dear seeks the stream – precisely for the joy of knowing Him - “Delight yourself in the Lord”!
For in the end, the awakened heart [see Conversion and The Gospel in 6 Minutes] longs not for any of God’s good gifts, but for God Himself. To see Him and know Him and be in His presence is the soul’s final feast. Happiness in God is the end of all our seeking.
Thus, the enemy of worship is not that our desire for pleasure is too strong, but too weak! We have accustomed ourselves to such meager, short-lived pleasures (money, sex, power, domestic comforts etc.) that our capacity for joy has shriveled, and so our worship has shriveled.

“We must see and feel the incomparable excellency of the Son of God. Incomparable because in Him meet infinite glory and lowest humility, infinite majesty and transcendent meekness, deepest reverence toward God and equality with God, infinite worthiness of good and greatest patience to suffer evil, supreme dominion and exceeding obedience, divine self-sufficiency and child-like trust” - John Piper (quoting Jonathan Edwards)

“If God contains the fullness of all good things in Himself like an inexhaustible fountain, nothing beyond Him is to be sought by those who strike after the highest good and all the elements of happiness” - John Calvin

The Gospel in 6 Minutes [in Malay]

2008-04-20T10:14:00.003+08:00

A piece of translation work that I attempted, but with much help! Apa Itu Injil (Berita Baik) ? which is a translation of "The Gospel in 6 Minutes" aka John Piper sharing the Gospel briefly and applying it to his own struggle with prostrate cancer.. pure Gospel for every situation we ever face, even the reality of death.. boy does my soul need that.. hope it would be a blessing to your's as well..

Together for the Gospel 2008 - Free Audio Downloads

2008-04-18T04:16:00.002+08:00

Audio from Together for the Gospel 2008 is available for free on Sovereign Grace Ministries' Website:

Sound Doctrine: Essential to Faithful Pastoral Ministry(Ligon Duncan)
Bearing the Image: Identity, the Work of Christ, and the Church(Thabiti Anyabwile)
The Sinner Neither Able nor Willing: The Doctrine of Absolute Inability(John MacArthur)
Improving the Gospel: Exercises in Unbiblical Theology(Mark Dever)
The Curse Motif of the Atonement(R.C. Sproul)
Why Do They Hate It So? The Doctrine of Substitution(Albert Mohler)
How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice(John Piper)
Sustaining a Pastor’s Soul(C.J. Mahaney)

D A Carson is coming to town (again..) July 2008

2008-04-10T00:59:00.008+08:00

Man, oh man.. Just found out that the Diocese of Singapore is bringing Prof Donald A. Carson to Singapore in July 2008. Thank God for the Anglicans! Details on their website: http://www.anglican.org.sg/livingword.html

Prof Donald A. Carson

29 – 31 July 2008

St Andrew’s Cathedral, Singapore

Morning Seminars

(S$40)

Preaching: Growing in Skill to Unpack the Whole Counsel of God.

(For Christian workers and & lay preachers who want to learn to preach with a biblical world view that is subsumed under the ‘whole of Scriptures’.)

Dates: 29-31 July 2008

(Tuesday to Thursday)

Time: 9.00 am to 12.00 noon

Venue: St Andrew’s Cathedral

(Next to City Hall MRT)

Public Evening Sessions

(Collection to be taken)

Before the End: The Conquering Lamb, the Suffering Church & the Clash of Powers

(Studies from the book of Revelation 12, 13 and 14)

Dates: 29-31 July 2008

(Tuesday to Thursday)

Time: 7.45 – 9.45 pm

Venue: St Andrew’s Cathedral

(Next to City Hall MRT)

TULIP Room at Hotel Nikko, KL

2008-04-09T22:49:00.003+08:00

Just for fun.. took this picture during a recent working trip to KL.. it's a conference room at the Hotel Nikko.. maybe someone can start a Calvinistic, Gospel-centred, missional service there or something.. ;-)

Desiring God - Conversion

2008-04-08T08:16:00.007+08:00

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Matthew 13:44

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." Matthew 13:45-46

As some would have guessed, I'm trying to work through John Piper's Desiring God, and post summaries on my blog - its something my own soul needs at this point, and if it proves useful in some small way to you, praise God :-) For what it is worth, here is my summary of Chapter 2: Conversion - The Creation of a Christian Hedonist

No one is a Christian who does not embrace Jesus gladly as his most valued treasure, and then pursue the fullness of that joy in Christ that honours Him
Conversion is repentance (turning from sin and unbelief) and faith (trusting in Christ alone for salvation) - saving faith in Christ always involves a profound change of heart, not mere agreement with the truth of a doctrine
Repentance and faith are our work, but we will not repent and believe (due to the depth of our sinfulness) unless God does His work to overcome our dark and rebellious hearts - this divine work is called regeneration and is nothing less than the creation of a new taste for the glory of God and the beauty of Christ
Thus, to be saved (in the full sense of the word - regeneration and justification), we must (i) believe in Jesus, and (ii) receive Him, and (iii) turn from our sin, and (iv) obey Him, and (v) humble ourselves like little children, and (vi) love Him supremely
The way to keep this from becoming salvation by works is to see the awesome reality of saving faith, that the faith that pleases God is the assurance that when we turn to Him, we will find the all-satisfying Treasure, which is Himself
Thus, the pursuit of joy in God is not optional to the Christian. Saving faith is the confidence that if you sell all you have and forsake all sinful pleasures, the hidden treasure of holy joy in Jesus will satisfy your deepest desires. It is the heartfelt conviction not only that Christ is reliable, but also that he is desirable. In conversion, we find the hidden treasure of the Kingdom of God - God Himself!

A thief and the beauty of Jesus

2008-03-21T08:55:00.004+08:00

We have four accounts of Jesus dying on the cross in the four gospels in Holy Scripture. Zoom in on the two thieves crucified at Jesus's side, and i think most of us would be most familiar with Luke's account - Luke 23:32 - 43. Two thieves - one mocked Jesus (23:39), one praised Jesus (23:42), and the one who praised got to heaven that day (23:43). We are then exhorted, "Be like the 2nd thief, not the first, and you too can go to heaven!".

Problem is, if you look at Matthew and Mark's account, here's what you have: "..the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way" (Matthew 27:44) and "Those who were crucified with him also reviled him" (Mark 15:32b). John's account places them, one on each side of Jesus (John 19: 18), but makes no commentary.

So, what we have is not one mocking thief, and one praising thief, but two mocking thieves. What we have is not an unrighteous thief, and a righteous thief, but two unrighteous thieves, guilty and being crucified justly for their sins. Two thieves who started out mocking the Lord Jesus. Yet one, saw the darkness that was in himself, the light that was in Jesus, and turned to Him, flew to Him to be saved.

There was repentence, "we are receiving the due reward for our deeds" (Luke 23:41). There was Jesus, there dying for him, "this man has done nothing wrong"(vs41b). There was faith, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). And, there was salvation, "..today, you will be with me in Paradise".

But it all began with eyes opened to see his own sin, and to see the beauty of Jesus; a heart of stone changed to a heart of flesh, from a mocker to a praiser, from a sinner to a saint, from hell to heaven. It all comes from God, and goes back to God. No credit can we claim. We can never exhort ourselves and others to be "righteous thieves", no, we must acknowledge that we are all mockers ["..ashamed I hear my mocking voice, call out among the scoffers.."], we are undeserving sinners ["..it was my sin that held him there.."]. We are undeserving recepients of his sheer grace for us ["..why should i gain from his reward, i cannot give an answer.."], and we rejoice in the pure, unmerited salvation of God ["..this i know with all my heart, his wounds have paid my ransom.."] .

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
(2 Corinthians 4:6)

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

2008-03-19T23:54:00.004+08:00

A familiar hymn to set the heart's focus for Good Friday..

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
by Isaac Watts

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Desiring God - The Happiness of God

2008-03-14T01:44:00.008+08:00

Here's a quick summary of Desiring God "Chapter 1 - The Happiness of God: Foundation of Christian Hedonism".

Christian Hedonism is built on the truth that God is uppermost in His own affections i.e. God values Himself infinitely, or in other words - The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy Himself forever.

The logic flows this way:

God is Sovereign (Isaiah 46:9-10) and none of His purposes can be frustrated
- He must thus be the happiest of all beings
God’s own glory (that is the beauty of His infinite greatness and worth) is uppermost in His affections.
God delights in the glory that is in Himself (the Trinity – the Father begot and loved the Son, the perfect reflection of His own glory, from all eternity) and the glory reflected in His works (Creation and Redemption – the overflow of the joy that He has in Himself).
God would be unrighteous (just as we would) if He valued anything more that what is supremely valuable - Himself. He would deny the infinite worth of His own glory, and would imply that there is something more valuable outside Himself.
Therefore, when He does all things “for the praise of His glory”, He preserves for us and offers to us the only thing that can satisfy our longings.
The climax of His happiness is the delight He takes in the echoes of His excellence in the praises of His saints. Our praise is the consummation of our own joy in God. Therefore, God’s pursuit of praise from us and our pursuit of pleasure in Him are the same pursuit.

Desiring God - Basic Convictions

2008-03-12T19:52:00.011+08:00

I remember reading the first edition of John Piper's Desiring God in final year uni.. 1999 I could have sworn I felt a physical burning in my chest when what was happening in my head and in my heart came together.. Christian Hedonism.. man what a term.. first book I ever read by a guy called Piper.. somehow drowning rats came to mind.. 8 years later, I am rereading the book, in its 2nd edition.. rediscovering it afresh..

The five convictions of Christian Hedonism are:

The longing to be happy is a universal human experience, and it is good,
not sinful
We should never try to deny or resist our longing to be happy, as though it were a bad impulse. Instead, we should seek to intensify this longing and nourish it with whatever will provide the deepest and most enduring satisfaction
The deepest and most enduring happiness is found only in God. Not from
God, but in God
The happiness we find in God reaches its consummation when it is shared
with others in the manifold ways of love
To the extent that we try to abandon the pursuit of our own pleasure, we
fail to honour God and love people. Or, to put it positively: The pursuit of
pleasure is a necessary part of all worship and virtue, that is: The chief end
of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.

from Desiring God - page 28

Doesn't that sound like Paul when he said "whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. " - Philippians 3:7-8 ?

Something else on hope..

2008-03-10T00:19:00.003+08:00

Didn't mean a 2nd blog in the same night, but came across something related which I knew I had to put up..

John Piper has written something brief called, "What is so important about Christian hope?" which I quote,

"I would sum it up like this: The most important verse in the Bible for me, probably, is Romans 8:32:

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Now that last part is hope producing! But it's grounded in the rock-solid statement that "God didn't spare his own son."

So the essence of what we look to in the Bible to build our hope is, What has Christ done for me in my sinful condition that enables me to know that I will not come in to judgment and condemnation and that all things are working together for my good? And the answer is that Christ died for me, rose again for me, and therefore all the promises of God are yes in him."

I need to ponder and linger on this so much more.. read or listen to the rest, straight from the man himself.. night folks!

Gospel fidelity in a sea of change

2008-03-09T22:29:00.009+08:00

As some of you know, I was born in Malaysia, and spent much of my childhood in Penang (my mum's 'kampong') before divine Providence led me to Singapore at the age of 15. Years on, I married the sweetest Singapore gal any guy could ask for (so I'm biased..), taken up citizenship, sunk roots here, and made it home - the joys and sorrows of this city are my joys and my sorrows. I love Singapore - it is my country, it is my land.

Yet, I must admit, that news from my land of birth still has a special place in my heart - the plight of the people, the hopes and the dreams. That is why it has been with great interest that I hear of the 'political tsunami' that has hit Malaysia after the recent polls. In an unprecedented turn of events, historical, some call it, for the first time ever in the nations 50 year history, fed up with the status quo, voters have opted to vote the opposition into power in the states of Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor. It has been touted as 'the dawn of a new day' and a 'signal for change'. To be sure, whether this is good or bad for Malaysia (and the region), time will only tell - DAP is untested, and the fundamentalist PAS taking control of two more states in Malaysia.. who knows ? Yet, it does instil a sense of hope for a brighter future...

Bringing this back to what I am on about (the Gospel and the Church and stuff like that..).. When I look at the state of the church in Singapore, my heart is often tempted to despair. Sure, we have much fanfare and variety, but it seems to me that we have moved so far away from the truth of the Gospel and gone on and on with our own thing... Man, you could make it through a whole year of sermons and hear about Jesus on faintly.. As D A Carson puts it "the tendency to assume the gospel, whatever that is, while devoting creative energy and passion to other issues—marriage, happiness, prosperity, evangelism, the poor, wrestling with Islam, wrestling with the pressures of secularization, bioethics, dangers on the left, dangers on the right—the list is endless.." and warns "If the gospel is merely assumed, while relatively peripheral issues ignite our passion, we will train a new generation to downplay the gospel and focus zeal on the periphery. It is easy to sound prophetic from the margins; what is urgently needed is to be prophetic from the center." [The Gospel of Jesus Christ]. Will the real Gospel churches please stand up ?

Yet rumours of a storm brewing from faraway lands, brings hope for change, and perhaps a new dawn - God willing. As you've read here and there in my blogs, I like Tim Keller and Mark Driscoll [and some would take issue with that :-) oh well.. if i wanted popularity i'd choose some other topic to blog about]. I see hope in what they are on about over there in New York and Seattle.

On the one hand, they are orthodox and unflinching in their understanding of the Gospel,

"One way to put the Gospel in a nutshell is this: You are more wicked than ever dared believe and yet, you are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than you ever dared hope." - Tim Keller

"You have been told that God is a loving, gracious, merciful, kind, compassionate, wonderful, and good sky fairy who runs a day care in the sky and has a bucket of suckers for everyone because we're all good people. That is a lie... God looks down and says 'I hate you, you are my enemy, and I will crush you,' and we say that is deserved, right and just, and then God says 'Because of Jesus I will love you and forgive you.' This is a miracle." - Mark Driscoll

And on the other hand, they are bringing it to people that wouldn't otherwise care for it..

Newsweek on Keller -

"9 o'clock on a Sunday morning. It's fair to say that many, if not most, of the inhabitants of —mostly single, professional, well educated and young—are sleeping it off somewhere."

"There's an exception. On a sun-splashed corner near Central Park a
churchlike building is filled to the rafters with Christian worshipers."

"Keller started Redeemer 17 years ago in a small rented church on
Manhattan's Upper East Side. Now he preaches five times on Sundays, shuttling between three different rented venues and reaching more than 5,000 people each week (5,000 also download his sermon online). A recent sermon is taken from the Book of Job, and its message is unrelentingly grim. There's no pat "I'm OK, you're OK" theology here."

Townhall on Driscoll -

"About half of Mars Hill’s congregation is young and single in the least churched region of the country, which means the future is fertile for this church of almost 9,000 members and non-members."

"“I’ve given my whole life to this place,” Driscoll has said of the church he founded 11 years ago with his wife, Grace, and eight others. “God willing, I will die as pastor of this church.”"

But ultimately, our hope and comfort do not come from the works of man, or even the works of God in the world. They come from the the Word of our Lord Himself, who said [and that settles it for me] "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18

Let the tide come in...

The Hermeneutics Quiz - Are you listening ?

2008-02-29T16:29:00.004+08:00

Scott McKnight put up a rather interesting quiz on CT. Take it, and you will find yourself in one of three categories - Conservative, Moderate or Progressive vis-a-vis Bible Interpretation.

I got a cool 49.. which puts me barely in the Conservative category.. then again, I did have trouble reading the plain meaning of some of his questions..

I quote:

"
Conservative - The strength of this view is its emphasis on the authority, ongoing and normative authority, of all of Scripture. It tends to operate with the line many of us learned in Sunday school: "If the Bible says it, that settles it." Such persons let the Bible challenge them with full force. Literal readings lead to rather literal applications. Most of the time.
The problem, of course, is that very few people are completely consistent here. At times one suspects something other than strict interpretation is going on when the conservative is willing to appeal to history to suspend the commandment to observe a Saturday Sabbath, but does not to appeal to history on other issues (e.g., capital punishment or homosexuality).

Moderate - The moderate hermeneutic might be seen as the voice of reason and open-mindedness. Moderates generally score between 53 to 65. Many are conservative on some issues and progressive on others. It intrigues that conservatives tend to be progressive on the same issues, while progressives tend to be conservative on the same issues. Nonetheless, moderates have a flexible hermeneutic that gives them the freedom to pick and choose on which issues they will be progressive or conservative. For that reason, moderates are more open to the charge of inconsistency. What impresses me most about moderates are the struggles they endure to render judgments on hermeneutical issues.

Progressive - The progressive is not always progressive. Those who score 66 or more can be seen as leaning toward the progressive side, but the difference between at 66 and 92 is dramatic. Still, the progressive tends to see the Bible as historically shaped and culturally conditioned, and yet most still consider it the Word of God for today. Following a progressive hermeneutic, for the Word to speak in our day, one must interpret what the Bible said in its day and discern its pattern for revelation in order to apply it to our world. The strength, as with the moderate but even more so, is the challenge to examine what the Bible said in its day, and this means the progressives tend to be historians. But the problems for the progressives are predictable: Will the Bible's so-called "plain meaning" be given its due and authoritative force to challenge our world? Or will the Bible be swallowed by a quest to find modern analogies that sometimes minimize what the text clearly says? "

check it out, see which you are :-) and unclog those ears to hear God..

Another Gospel Friend

2008-02-28T01:45:00.002+08:00

Dave Chang, the prolific young, restless, reformed and Malaysian blogger, and his wife Grace, paid a visit to Singapore last weekend. And he brought interesting developments from across the Causeway - strategic linkages, and the beginnings of a Gospel-centred revolution in South East Asia perhaps ? As the Lord builds :-)

[By the way, if you read this, and identify, post something yar.. we'd like to hear from you!]

It was the first time we had met them personally, but a bunch of us had a glorious time talking about the wonder of how God captured each of our hearts with the Gospel - All God.. Nothing but our sin we bring..

If you've never read Dave's blog - check it out - The Confessions of A Hedonese

Tim Keller - The Reason for God

2008-02-17T21:58:00.004+08:00

Tim Keller is a chap that I began to listen to a couple of months ago, and it has been mind-blowing. No wonder John Piper said of him, that ".. he opened up the gospel to him (Piper) in a way that he had not seen before..". For a good intro to Keller, and some very useful evangelistic resources, check out the website for Keller's new book, "The Reason for God", and the related messages.

I've listened to most of them, and they are awesome, especially "The Prodigal Sons" and "Suffering: If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world?" particularly insightful in explaining the gospel. It made me wonder if I'd ever really understood the gospel, if I really was a Christian... Check it out..

Prosperity Folly

2008-02-16T21:09:00.005+08:00

I am increasingly convinced that the so called "Prosperity Gospel" is one of the chief heresies of our generation. It is an enemy of the true Gospel! [What is more worrying, is the subtle influence it has on churches that are not explicitly prosperity churches.. ]

Here's a silly video to get you thinking..

"Genuine replicas of Paul and Silas' Prison Chains in 24k Gold Plating", anyone ? By the way, there is a biblical basis for mockery as a teaching tool, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes." - Proverbs 26:5. But it must of course be applied wisely ;-)

And here are John Piper's strong words explaining why this heresy is such a disease..

There is no point mincing words, it is evil.

But, our response needs to be in love - many caught up in it are truly blinded.

We need to humbly pray that this disease be purged from our midst in Singapore, and that the captives be set free to see and savour the supremacy of Christ in all things, for the true satisfaction of their souls.

We need to find our true satisfaction in Christ and demonstrate to our prosperity friends, that God is indeed better than all.. that truly nothing compares to Him.. If He can open the eyes of a dreadful sinner like myself to His beauty, He can open the eyes of anyone..

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." - Psalm 73: 25-26

Giving, Praying, Fasting with Pleasure

2008-01-21T23:47:00.000+08:00

Soon after Jesus tells the disciples that "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:20, He warns them, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven" - Matthew 6:1. A hint here that the righteousness He was talking about was not the type they were used to. He then goes on to illustrate this by expounding three chief acts of Jewish piety - giving, praying and fasting.

The diagnosis is the same for all three (Matthew 6:2, 5 and 16), if you do them for other people to see and praise, you will surely not receive your Father's (God's) reward. True piety does not lie in the action itself, but in the intention and the emotion behind the pious action. If the intention is to garner man's praises and the emotion is delight in these praises, or just feeling good about yourself, then forget it, you aren't really giving, praying or fasting - you're a sham, a hypocrite.

What then is true piety? The prescription is the same - "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." - Matthew 6:3-4; "But when you pray,go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you" - Matthew 6:6; and "But when you fast,anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." - Matthew 6:17-18. Do it in secret, only for the Father (God) to see.

Now surely, this can't be taken literally for it is impossible for the left hand to not know what the right hand is doing, and surely it does not mean we can never pray in public. Neither can oil always conceal the fact that you are fasting. No, Jesus is after something much deeper than mere action - He is after the heart.

The heart's intent must be the pleasure of God. But the pleasure of God, not just in terms of us pleasing God, but the pleasure if God as us taking pleasure in God. That is why He later talks about God in terms of our treasure (Matthew 6:19), our love and our devotion (Matthew 6:24).

So there it is, true giving, praying and fasting takes place only when these pious acts are done with pleasure in God. But how do we take pleasure in God? How do we take delight in a beautiful sunrise, if not by gazing at how beautiful it is? Later in Matthew, Jesus describes God's Kingdom as something so precious, so desirable that when one sees it, one is willing to sell all that one has just to possess it (Matthew 13:44-45) - now that's pleasure!

But where is He seen as most beautiful ? Strangely, He is seen as most beautiful, where He appears as ugliest - at the Cross. There, His body was broken and His blood poured out for our sins - not just our lack of piety, but our total absence of piety. As we gaze, our hearts are broken by His sacrifice, but our hearts are also strengthened by the pure unconditional love and mercy that He gives. And as our hearts are bathed in pure love, we receive the pleasure of God that is the true treasure of our very existence and the true heart of piety - giving, praying and fasting with delight!

For how can I not give, when He has given His all for me - and it is all I need; how can I not pray, when He has opened the way to God at such cost - and oh what sweet communion. And oh, how can I not fast, when He satisfies so much more than the finest wines or the choicest meats, or the sweetest of honey - why spoil the taste with lesser things?

Gospel Fathers - The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson

2008-01-08T00:17:00.000+08:00

For years I had known of D A Carson as an excellent scholar with a keen mind and a matching passion for the Church. Yet, it was not till recently that I came to know of the profound influence that D A Carson's father had had on him.

At a Desiring God 2006 National Conference, during the panel discussion, D A Carson shared about his father. He spoke of his father (Tom Carson) as a church planter in Quebec, French Canada at a time where Protestants were persecuted [pastors were being jailed for up to 8 years for sharing the gospel and Protestants were getting beaten up just for being Protestants!], and the growth of the church was painfully slow. D A remembers his father in much tears for his people... when the turn came in 1972, and the church began to grow, Tom felt like he had already been "put on the shelf", left behind. Yet, when he died, the church in Quebec saw him as the "grand old man because he had been faithful through the lean years". D A Carson used this to urge faithfulness and thankfulness to God, no matter what the circumstance. He said "God works on a different scale" - it brought me to tears.

I was delighted to find out later that D A had written a book about his father Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson. You can read more of what some reliable men who've read the manuscript, have said about the book at Between Two Worlds and Desiring God, but let me highlight one quote:

"This book is a rare and precious gift from one of evangelicalism's greatest scholars. It is rare, because given our modern fascination with megachurches and celebrity pastors, we tend to overlook the simple, faithful pastor. It is precious for ordinary pastors like me, because Tom Carson's life is a biblical and inspiring model for pastoral ministry—ministry that is centered on the gospel, marked by integrity, and faithful to the end." - C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

And here's something from the book itself:

"He [Tom Carson] was not a far-sighted visionary, but he looked forward to eternity. He was not a gifted administrator, but there is no text that says “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you are good administrators.” His journals have many, many entries bathed in tears of contrition, but his children and grandchildren remember his laughter. Only rarely did he break through his pattern of reserve and speak deeply and intimately with his children, but he modeled Christian virtues to them. He much preferred to avoid controversy than to stir things up, but his own commitments to historic confessionalism were unyielding, and in ethics he was a man of principle. His own ecclesiastical circles were rather small and narrow, but his reading was correspondingly large and expansive. He was not very good at putting people down, except on his prayer lists."

I got married about six months ago. Looking ahead, I found myself reflecting on what it means to be a Gospel-centred husband and father. Text like these came to mind:

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her," - Ephesians 5:25

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" - Ephesians 6:4

"..if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church" - 1 Timothy 3:5

Yet, if I took these texts and just tried to do them with brute force, that would be legalism. And would ultimately frustate me, and exasperate my wife and (future) kids. Then, I discovered that Ephesians 5:25 and 6:4, only make gospel-sense, when we read the preceeding Ephesians 5:1-2, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Christ atoning work on the Cross for me gives me not only the example, but the power to love and lead my wife and kids in a God-centred, God-honouring way.

Tom Carson pastored a church of roughly 20 persons for most of his pastorate, but his son has touched thousands upon thousands upon thousands with the preaching, teaching and proclamation of the glorious gospel - what a legacy, what a gospel legacy! We may never do great things for God in this life, but we may, by His grace, leave a worthwhile legacy of the gospel in any way He so chooses - Soli Deo Gloria.

Sola Scriptura at McDonald's®

2007-12-30T23:14:00.000+08:00

The slide

One of the concerns I have in observing the contemporary church (or at least the microcosm of it in Singapore), is that we are unwittingly slipping away from the foundational Reformation doctrine of Sola Scriptura (or the Sufficiency of scripture). What is it anyway? Wayne Grudem, helpfully defines it like this:

“The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God he intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying Him perfectly.”[1]

[Malay translation:

"Kecukupan Kitab Suci bererti bahawa Kitab Suci telah mengandungi kesemua firman Allah kepada umatnya di dalam setiap peringkat sejarah penebusan, dan sekarang mengandungi segala firman Allah yang diperlukan untuk penyelamatan, untuk mempercayai-Nya sepenuhnya, dan untuk mematuhi-Nya sepenuhnya."]

In other words Scripture (the Bible) alone is enough to lead us to salvation, and is enough to teach us how to live the way God wants us to live - it should be the place where we search for God’s voice to us. Some may take issue and remind us that the work of the Holy Spirit is needed. Sure, but it’s that same Spirit that inspired the Scriptures and gave it to us, and told us to go there to hear God right? [I’m a tongue-speaking charismatic by the way]

Sola Scriptura is there in our Statements of Faith, but when the rubber meets the road, and if we are honest with ourselves, oftentimes, we go to places other than the Bible to lead and direct us. Consider some of the following:

When we want to know how to raise our children God’s way, do we search the Scriptures to see what God says about raising children or do we quickly sign up for some course purportedly “based on biblical principles”?

When we want to know how to manage the church, do we first go to what the Scriptures tell us about the qualifications of Elders and Deacons etc., or do we consult some modern management (Christian or otherwise) guru or book?

When we plan some evangelistic campaign (drama, movie, home-based etc.), do we ask the question, “Is it Biblical?” or rather, “Will it work?”?

When we want to seek the will of God (e.g. for marriage, career, ministry etc.), do we go first to Scripture, or do we instead prefer some mystical voice from the “Spirit”?

And, if we do go to Scripture, do we go to it properly interpreted, or do we go for some mystical reading that is oftentimes out of the Bible’s context but curiously exactly what we want to hear?

And, again, if we do go to Scripture, do we go to whole chunks, and ask what the Bible teaches in entirety, or just to our favourite proof texts?

My heart is often heavy when I survey this sliding – it has dire consequences for the church of this and the next generation. Something that has been said about the gospel, I think, can also be said about this foundational doctrine, “The first generation believed and proclaimed it; the next generation assumed it, but did not make it central; and the third generation denied (or will deny) it”.

[Malay translation:

"Generasi pertama mempercayainya dan mengkhabarkannya; generasi kemudiannya menganggapkannya, tetapi tidak mengutamakannya; dan generasi ketiga pula menafikannya (atau akan menafikannya)"]

And as we slide away from the truth of God (the Bible), we inevitably slide away from God Himself.

The glimmer

But today, I saw a glimmer of hope at McDonald’s® . A bunch of young guys (late teens, early twenties), and myself (very late twenties, hitting thirty) were hanging out at Mac's® after church. We had nothing to do, so I suggested we do a quick Bible study on 3 John (shortest book in the Bible), cold (i.e. no preparation, no commentaries). So there we were 6 guys, 3 Bible versions, a large coke and an ice cream cone reading the 15 verses of 3 John closely. We made some observations (repeated words, characters involved, flow of the letter etc.), interpreted these in light of what we knew of other parts of Scripture, and tried to apply what we learned to what we were facing in life. Talk about taking risks, this was like “extreme Sola Scriptura”.

Later that evening, I was a bit worried that we got things wrong, so I consulted a commentary. Lo and behold, we got things (mostly) right, and the stuff that we got a bit off, were not central doctrinal issues [e.g. we didn’t catch that “hospitality in those times meant more than providing an occasional dinner or offering a room for the night, but also meant financial assistance and support” . Must be sure to tell the guys next time.]

Now, I am not advocating this as your usual modus operandi for small group time. The book was short, the guys were smart, and this was a spur of the moment thing – preparation is key and commentaries are important in giving us the background and literary details that we may not be familiar with. There are many good tools that we do need to really dig deep into the Bible.

But what this illustrated for me was that the Word of God is really enough. From those short 15 verses, and the hour or so we had together, we learnt

that intimate Godly relationships were built on the truth of God and thought about how that applied to marriage (mine), BGR (some of theirs), and friendships;
that playing our small part in supporting missionaries and pastors who have given their lives for the gospel made us fellow workers for the gospel;
about bad attitudes we should avoid and how we are to deal with people like that; and
about emulating the good example of Godly people.

That would be 4 whole seminars to sign up for...

One guy said that this experience made him marvel afresh that the Bible was indeed God’s word. Another wanted to do this more regularly. I felt happy, and decided to blog about it :-)

The conclusion

My brothers and sisters in Christ, there will be much in Christian merchandising [some good, some not so good] that will vie for your attention and time, but let us strive to build our life and faith on the solid foundation of the Word of God – it is enough. Consider what it has to say about itself:

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:14 – 17

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!” Psalm 119:1

Sola Scriptura, Sola Deo Gloria - Scripture Alone, Glory to God Alone - Kitab Suci Sahaja, Kemuliaan Kepada Allah Sahaja

______________________________________________
Footnotes:
[1] page 127, Chapter 8, Systematic Theology - An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine

Sin is a big deal to God

2007-12-27T22:17:00.000+08:00

Reading through the Book of Romans, one is struck by how prominent 'sin' is in Paul's presentation of the gospel message.. From Romans 1:16 all the way to 3:20, Paul lingers long and deep on sin..

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." - Romans 1:18. He tells us that God isn't cool with sin, but is really, really angry at sin and sinners, is judging and will judge it fully one day.

"Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." - Romans 1:23. He tells us that sin isn't just about doing bad things, but that its about exchanging God, the only one that we should worship, and that truly satisfies, for other things (idols, sex, lies..)

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands' no one seeks God." - Romans 3:10 - 11. He tells is that no one can claim to be without sin and that no one is spared from its consequences.

Sin is a big deal to God! But honestly, you wouldn't really be able to tell from the lovey-dovey sentimental sort of gospel presentations you see in our churches nowadays..

Some would accuse me of painting too harsh a picture of God.. but hey, its precisely because of this really bad news, that the good news of the gospel makes sense at all.. why would God need to send Jesus if sin isn't that big a deal to Him? A bit of a overkill to crush His Son don't you think ?

You know, I suspect that one of the reasons why some of us still feel so insecure about God's love for us [while others are lulled into a false sense of sentimental security] is because we've never really come to terms with the fact that, apart from Jesus Christ, we really are filthy rotten, hell-bound sinners in the hands of an angry, angry God.. sure we say we are sinners, pray the Sinner's Prayer.. blah blah blah.. but deep inside, we still think we are pretty decent people.. and decent people don't need a Saviour.. but wait a minute, didn't Jesus say, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." - Mark 2:17 ?

Pastor Mark Driscoll, in his sermon, Jesus took our Wrath puts it this way,

"You have been told that God is a loving, gracious, merciful, kind, compassionate, wonderful, and good sky fairy who runs a day care in the sky and has a bucket of suckers for everyone because we're all good people. That is a lie... God looks down and says 'I hate you, you are my enemy, and I will crush you,' and we say that is deserved, right and just, and then God says 'Because of Jesus I will love you and forgive you.' This is a miracle."

[Malay Translation:

“Ada orang yang kata bahawa Allah itu maha penyayang, ramah tamah, berbelas kasihan, baik hati, hebat dan bagaikan pari-pari yang mengendalikan pusat asuhan di langit dan menpunyai puting susu untuk semua orang di dunia kerana kami semuanya orang baik. Itu bohong.. Sebenarnya, Allah memandang kearah kami dan berkata, ‘Saya benci kamu, kamu musuh saya, dan saya akan menghancurkan kamu,’ dan kami menjawab itu padan muka kami, patut dan adil. Allah pula berkata, ‘Kerana pengorbanan Yesus, Saya akan mengasihimu dan mengampunimu.’ Ini merupakan mukjizat.”]

Do we really want to be overwhelmed by the greatness of the love and grace of God? Do we really want a true heart for the lost? Then, we need to come to terms with our own sinfulness, and what God really thinks about it apart from Christ! Then, we see God punishing Christ instead of us.. look at the cross and you see the sacrificial, self-giving love of God.. We come empty handed, in humility.. understanding that we contribute nothing to our salvation, nothing apart from the sin that we bring.. and marvel.. we marvel..

The Gospel - An Overview

2007-12-22T01:20:00.000+08:00

The reason I started this blog, was to write about my reflections on a gospel-centred life. It occurred to me that to do that, I’d have to begin with a definition of the gospel itself. Now, I’d thought that would be simple enough, but I’ve discovered, that there are raging debates (some I’m familiar with, and others I’m not) even on how exactly to define the gospel. Now, debate could dishearten us, but then again, isn’t there always debate on things that truly matter? I’m certain I can’t add much to the debate, but I do need a definition of the gospel if I’m going to write about gospel-centredness. ;-P So what I’ll try to do is put together some material on the gospel - nothing original here, more a concatenation of different sources.

The Meaning of the Word Gospel

We begin with the word itself. Semantically, J. Hampton Keathley III, notes that,

“In the Greek New Testament, gospel is the translation of the Greek noun euangelion (occurring 76 times) “good news,” and the verb euangelizo (occurring 54 times), meaning “to bring or announce good news.” Both words are derived from the noun angelos, “messenger.” In classical Greek, an euangelos was one who brought a message of victory or other political or personal news that caused joy. In addition, euangelizomai (the middle voice form of the verb) meant “to speak as a messenger of gladness, to proclaim good news.” Further, the noun euangelion became a technical term for the message of victory, though it was also used for a political or private message that brought joy.”[1]

Simply put, the gospel is “good news that has the connotation of joy or victory.” So, where do we see the ‘good news’ of the gospel? There are two main ways that we see the ‘good news’ of the gospel that correspond to two ways in which the Bible is read – the “Cosmic” gospel, and the “Personal” gospel.

1. The “Cosmic” Gospel

We arrive at the “Cosmic” gospel by reading “along” the whole Bible i.e. “we discern the single basic plot-line of the Bible as God’s story of redemption (e.g., Luke 24:44) as well as the themes of the Bible (e.g., covenant, kingship, temple) that run through every stage of history and every part of the canon (the Bible), climaxing in Jesus Christ”.[2] Here the history of the world (and the gospel) can be viewed in four stages[3]:

(i) Creation
God’s original Creation shows us the His Kingdom as it is meant to be

(ii) Fall
Man and Woman reject God and His Kingdom, placing Creation under a curse

(iii) Redemption
Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God redeems His fallen creation, and did all that is necessary to restore His Kingdom

(iv) Restoration
God’s creation and Kingdom will be fully restored when Jesus comes again to bring final judgment and restoration.

This brings out the purpose of salvation which is, a redeemed people and a restored creation. So, here, we have the corporate nature of the gospel where, “God providentially brings about his eternal good purposes to redeem a people for himself and restore his fallen creation” [4]

2. The “Personal” Gospel

While it is important to understand the “Cosmic” nature of God’s purposes on earth, it is equally (if not more) important to understand what this means specifically to you and me as fallen human beings.

We arrive at the “Personal” gospel by reading “across” the whole Bible i.e. “we collect the Bible’s declarations, summons, promises, and truth-claims into categories of thought (e.g., theology, Christology, eschatology) and arrive at a coherent understanding of what it teaches summarily (e.g., Luke 24:46-47).”[5] This brings out four essential elements of the gospel[6]:

(i) God
God is both our sovereign Creator and our righteous Judge

(ii) Sin
Man was created by God, in God’s image, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But man sinned against God by disobeying His holy law. Man therefore separated himself from God’s holy and satisfying presence, and incurred His wrathful displeasure.

(iii) Christ
Jesus Christ’s death was the substitute payment for the penalty that we deserved for our sin. His death is God’s only provision for the forgiveness of man’s sin and the appeasement of God’s wrath against him.

(iv) Faith
We are called to respond to this good news in repentance and belief – turning away from our sin and self-sufficiency toward God, and trusting in the shed blood of Jesus Christ as the substitute penalty that we deserved to pay for our sin.

This angle brings out the means of salvation, namely the substitutionary work of Christ and our responsibility to embrace it by faith. So, here, we have an individual, “personal” angle to the gospel where, “Jesus Christ acted as our representative and substitute, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”[7]

Putting it Together at the Cross

It has been said that those who focus too much on the “Personal gospel” come away with a myopic, individualistic faith that is only ever about “me and my personal salvation”. To those, the “Cosmic” gospel confronts us with a God who is so much bigger and so much more awesome – He is restoring the entire universe back to what it was meant to be! On the other hand, those who expound a “Cosmic gospel” may in turn neglect the need to confront the individual with his personal sinfulness, treason and rebellion against the God of the universe. As a result, the sinner is not called to repent and believe, but rather to just “join the community of God” to “save the world” – he/she might be out there “saving the world” without being personally saved!

Thus, the “Cosmic gospel” and the “Personal gospel” must come together to give a holistic and full picture of God’s ‘good news’ to humanity. Where then do we see this “coming together”? We see it at the Cross of Jesus Christ, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” - Colossians 1:19 – 23

At the Cross Jesus died to reconcile both His creation and His people, by becoming a substitute payment for the penalty that we deserved for our sin. Since Man’s sin brought a curse on creation, Man’s redemption brings with it the restoration of creation - this is the gospel, the ‘good news’ to me, to you and to all of creation.

_______________________________________________

Footnotes:
[1] ‘What is the Gospel?’ - www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=275
[2] The Gospel Coalition, Theological Vision for Ministry 2 (a) – www.thegospelcoalition.org/vision.php

[3] Adapted from “God’s Big Picture” by Vaughan Roberts

[4] The Gospel Coalition, Confessional Statement 1 – www.thegospelcoalition.org/confessionalstatement.php

[5] The Gospel Coalition, Theological Vision for Ministry 2 (b)

[6] A Biblical Understanding of the Good News, ‘Teacher Notes for Mark 3’ – www.marks.9marks.org/Mark3

[7] The Gospel Coalition, Confessional Statement 7

Gospel Friends

2007-12-22T00:27:00.000+08:00

10 years ago, due to a false fire alarm that sent us scrambling out of our rooms on our first day at Linstead Hall (Prince’s Gardens, South Kensington, London), I met Edward Sim, who would one day become my best friend. We are two extremely different characters, but the thing that has ‘knitted our hearts’ together over the years has been Jesus Christ, and (now) a passion for the Gospel.

Then, in October of this year (2007), after D A Carson’s momentous (well, I thought it was great anyway …) conference here in Singapore a simple google® of “D A Carson Singapore”, a couple of email correspondences, and a simple meal, brought us into contact with a new friend, also passionate for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His name is Vitali.

I’d like to recommend their blogs to you – read them, I think you’ll be enriched. :-)

1. Edward Sim - “Valley of Vision” (valleyofvision.wordpress.com)

2. Vitali - “3 Ways to Live” (yahwehhagah.blogspot.com)