2006/2007

It's the last day of 2006! (or rather the first day of 2007 since I din manage to complete typing this post last year)

Actually it's just another day in the calendar, just like birthdays or other holidays.. I guess it just gives us a reason to celebrate. And it does give us a reason to reflect upon the year that has passed.

Is it a good year for me? Well.. I can say that it has been generally good. I think I have grown spiritually over the year.. I think I am a more mature person. Good things happened.. I got closer to some friends.. I definitely am more active in PUNJ. And the fellowship in PUNJ has helped me a great deal in many ways.. I felt that I was not alone in my Christian walk. I learned much more about God's word. I learned to be obedient to God.

In med school, I think I am much more settled this year compared to the last.. I am a bit more comfortable with talking to patients and presenting cases to doctors.. I am a bit more "on the ball" about medicine on the whole.. In terms of reading up, in terms of clerking patients and attending clinics. I guess I still lag behind many of my peers in terms of enthusiasm for my studies and my career. To me, it is still very much about passing tests and getting through every posting smoothly and ultimately passing my final MBBS. Truthfully, I haven't given much thought to what comes after.. I told many people that I am content just being a polyclinic doctor. But I know very well that I have to be more driven.. Not to be content with just being a polyclinic doctor.. But really to work hard towards being a good doctor, be it in general practice, be it surgery, be it obs and gynae.. So perhaps, you can pray for me about this. And to give glory to God in whatever field of medicine I end up in.. And yes including ophthalmology.. =P

And yah I do need to settle my electives soon.. Still feeling a lot of inertia. Perhaps I will fail O&G and don't have to worry about electives.. haha.. See? You do have to pray for me to work hard and be more "on the ball"!

Relationships wise.. I guess I do have to work a bit harder too.. I need to love my parents more.. show them more concern.. be a more filial son.. Sometimes, I do take them for granted and overlook the numerous sacrifices they have made to see me through med school.. I guess I would have liked to grow up in a more conducive environment.. But I can't choose such things.. I can't determine the upbringing of my parents. I can't really criticise the way they have brought me up.. Cos I turned out fine! Hahaha!! But seriously, I do need to work on my relationship with my parents, cos at times, it's really hard to love them.. So pray for me too!

In recent months, I think I may have soured a few friendships.. But hopefully there were no hard feelings.. I always thought I am quite a patient person, tolerant and easy-going.. I guess this year, God reminded me that I was not as good as I thought myself to be.. That I still have a lot to learn, to obey him, to be a better person.. Sometimes, I tend to judge other people.. I become disappointed.. I become frustrated and angry.. And I become angry with myself too.. Cos I know it is wrong to judge other people.. I am not that good myself.. Who am I to judge them? Yah, so I do need to calm down at times.. I need to be less self-righteous.. And humble myself before God..

In terms of a dating relationship.. Am I allowed to talk about it here? I guess it is something which will continue to bother me for some time.. In this area, I will just say that it has been a steep learning curve for me.. At least, I am starting to think about what a Christian relationship should be like.. And what the aim of a relationship should be.. I think what differentiates a Christian r/s from a non-Christian one is that the ultimate and underlying aim is to honour God.. I guess with that in mind, what constitutes a successful or a failed relationship becomes slightly different.. Whether or not it results in a steady relationship or marriage becomes of second importance to wanting to honour God and to serve Him regardless of the outcome of the relationship. Is that too challenging? Ha.. I do find it rather challenging..

Having witnessed the wedding of HL and LC, I really think it takes a lot for a couple to come together.. And it is no less than God's love and God's will that 2 persons of different backgrounds, personalities and habits will come to like each other, to work out their differences and finally to decide to spend the rest of their earthly lives together.

For myself, I really wonder what God's will for me is.. Sometimes, I feel that perhaps I could serve God better as a single person.. But I don't know.. I really need to trust God more in this area of my life and not allow myself to be overly distracted from other equally important (I won't say more important cos I think this is rather important too.. heh..) things in my life. But I know that whether or not I remain single or get married in future, the aim is still to serve God and to worship Him..

Well, 2006 ended on a fun note! I learned 2 things today!
1. I learned what a HIP HOP JELLY ice-cream is.. It's super cool la.. It's wobbly.. and I think the name suits it.. It's cool and hip-hop haha! But I found out that the ice-cream had already been in the market for some time.. Even my mum knows.. She calls it the she tou (tongue) ice-cream.. I guess it does look like a tongue from certain angles.. I probably will be eating the she tou/hip hop jelly quite frequently this year haha!

2. I learned how to roller blade!! In 1 hour flat.. I am a fast learner! Have been wanting to learn rollerblading for some time, but always paiseh to ask people to teach me.. Supposed to play frisbee in the morning with the PUNJers today, but too few people turned up, so we ended up cycling and blading.. Blading is fun! Heh.. Just that I still do not know how to go down slope safely and to stop safely..

I think learning to rollerblade or to cycle is a lot like life isn't it? I know this sounds cliched but while I was blading, I really felt that it reflects life in some ways.. Well, when you rollerblade, if you are overly cautious, you can't move very much forward.. You can't move very fast either.. Of course, if you are too ambitious like me.. You learn it the hard way la.. You keep falling and bruising yourself.. But that's how we learn right? We fall and get up. Fall and get up.. After a while you get used to falling.. And after a while you get used to not falling.. And you will be blading.

I guess I need to practise that in 2007.. Rollerblading.. And learning to fall in life.. Every year we will set new year resolutions like I will be a better person, that things will occur smoothly.. stuff like that. But we forget that failures are part and parcel of life! Year in, year out, we will encounter setbacks.. So this year, I want to learn how to fall.. And to learn to get up..

I want to trust God and obey Him..

So take my life,
transform, renew and change me.
That I might be a living sacrifice.

Happy 2007, Guys! =)

Suffering

I think most of us struggle in life at one point or another.. Whether you are rich or poor.. Christian or non-Christian.. I think some people have the idea that once you become a Christian, life will suddenly become a bed of roses. No more sickness, no more broken relationships, no more financial hardship.. Well, I guess it is evident that that is not the case.. Although Christians do have reason to rejoice and be encouraged even in times of suffering.

Why is there suffering? I think the simple straight forward answer is Man. Man is the cause of suffering, since the time of Adam and Eve. Because Man is imperfect and always falls into sin.. So long as imperfect Man exists, I think there will always be suffering..

The more "cheem" answer would be God.. Again, there are beliefs that God is this happy, go-lucky fella who loves everyone and everything.. And there are people who think that if God is perfect and good, there cannot be suffering. And there are thoughts that suffering is not from God, only the good stuff are from God.. Well, I am not a theologian. But God is in control of everything in the world, so suffering is also from God, and He does allow suffering to take place. It would be too simplistic a view to say that all the good things come from God, and all the bad stuff are not within His control.

Yes, God is loving and good. But he is perfect and holy. He cannot pretend that Man is good. He cannot overlook the wrongs that Man has done. So a perfect and loving God can still punish Man for his sins and allow suffering to occur just like how a good father will not spare his insolent son the rod.. Having said that, not all suffering is a punishment from God..

And of course sometimes God just allows suffering to take place. And we will not know why. Cos we are not God and have no business to question His ways.

I guess this topic sprang into mind some time back when many people around me were facing problems and difficulties.. Broken relationships, study/work stress, bereavements, illnesses, or sometimes just pure "sianness" and lack of direction in life.. I think it is hard to say which problem is worse than which, cos at that particular point when that person is going through something even as mundane as work stress, it can be particularly bad and distressing to him..

I don't really know how to encourage those who are suffering right now.. I guess for myself, it is a lot easier to grapple with these issues because I believe that God is in control.. When I was a non-Christian, I had to depend a lot on myself to deal with failures and disappointments.. I had to turn my focus to another thing and try to forget about the problem.. I could pour out my troubles to a friend who is willing to listen.. I could just pull through with sheer grit.. I could just allow time to pass and mend the wounds..

Having come to know Jesus, I feel that a lot of things can be put in perspective.. My sis is going through quite a bit at the moment, struggling with some major decisions, so I thought of some of the following:
1. Suffering is from God. As above. I guess it can be an encouragement for us who believe in Jesus Christ. Cos God who is perfect, is in control so there really isn't anything to worry about. And nothing much you can do about it anyway. I just have to trust that He being perfect, knows what He is doing.

2. Suffering has a purpose. God put suffering into Christians' lives for a purpose. One of my favourite verses in the bible Romans 5:3-4 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance; character; and character, hope." It is only through trials that our faith in God is tested. So that if we persevere in our faith and trust in Christ, and persevere in holding on to what we believe and continue to obey Him, God will mould our character and make us mature as Christians.

3. Suffering on the cross. I don't really know how to put this. But sometimes, we just need to turn to the cross and understand how Christ's death on the cross has redeemed us and made us right with God. And this really makes what we are going through insignificant. I mean God has already saved us. If we truly are Christians. that should be our greatest comfort. So what if we fail a certain posting? So what if our business failed? Of course sometimes, this is easier said than done..

4. Suffering in hope. For those who are suffering almost everyday, facing persecution, starving, facing disasters, the bible promises the second coming of Jesus when everything will be renewed and God's people will be in God's place, a new heaven and a new earth under God's perfect rule. This is a certain hope. It is a hope in the sense that it has not arrived. But this hope is certain because God has promised it. On that day, there will be no more suffering for God's people. For those that are suffering and there seems no respite or end in sight, they can be assured of this hope..

So Christians do suffer.. We do have problems.. We do continue to fall into sin.. But we have a greater someone above who knows us and loves us.. We might not know every time why some things occur but we know that they occur according to His plans and for our own good. I don't think it is self-deceiving or self-motivating. But if we know our God, we can be assured of these things. And every time we get entrapped in a problem, we just keep going back to God in prayer and ask Him to help us and to guide us and comfort us. For me, that keeps me going in life and waking up every morning with renewed vigour.

Deezee Soon Wee

For lack of a better title to start off this post..
This will set of a series of ramblings and reflections.. Guess I just needed an avenue to talk about my life.. Some self-reflections and thinking aloud of the year that has almost passed.. For the few of you who bother to know.. Haha..

Emotionally, I guess this has been one of the better years.. I think I have been a happier person generally, though at various times (and like all other people), I lapse into periods of depression (in the layman definition of the word), uncertainty and pessimism. I thank God for this because a large part of this emotional stability can be attributed to a better knowledge of Him and coming to understand better His plans and purposes for me..

Glad to say too that I have grown and matured as a Christian this year.. Seeing things in the right perspective and setting my priorites right most of the time. Thank God for that too.. At the same time, still learning to depend on God for many many things in my life.

Perhaps part of this growth can be attributed to the acute awareness of the greater responsibilities I will be undertaking soon in the youth ministry (PUNJ). In Christian circles, we often use this word ministry.. Not quite the government sort of ministries like finance, health etc.. Ministry, if I am not wrong, means serving.. There are different ways of serving like music, leading bible studies, selling books at bookends, PA system etc..

Anyway, serving is part and parcel of being a Christian.. Not that it is a prerequisite or requirement.. But having received God's love so freely, we should show our love to fellow Christians and to God by serving in church.

When Roger approached me to join the PLT (potential leaders' training) course this year, I was quite apprehensive. I wasn't really sure whether I was ready to lead bible studies and be in charge of a group. To start with, I haven't been a very confident person all my life. In front of a crowd, I will often lose my cool and be all jittery and nervous.. At the same time, I was unable to translate my thoughts into words very efficiently.. I am also overly aware of my actions and words at times, and that prevents me from relating to people very well.. And of course, in terms of time, I am a relatively young Christian and wasn't fully confident of my bible knowledge either..

Yet at the same time, I felt that it was time to step forward to serve in PUNJ. Being in PUNJ for 2 years, I haven't done or contributed much except for being present during bible studies and helping with a few odds and ends.. Interestingly, I had prayed about serving in some capacity at the start of this year. So in a way, God has heard my prayers and given me the opportunity to serve in PUNJ.. So despite this extreme lack of confidence, I allowed myself to be led into this, only trusting in God's assessment of me and His plans for me..

But I must say attending PLT and CLOBS have been very enriching and fruitful and I have grown a lot during these few months.. Apart from being equipped with God's word and learning how to effectively lead a bible study, I am thoroughly encouraged and motivated by the people I met.. Who put so much energies and efforts into serving in church despite their busy schedules.. Who show genuine love for fellow Christians.. Who show real concern for the lives of their group members.. I was really touched and encouraged in these few months. I know that when I face tough times in future, I have no lack of role models to emulate..

I guess I will need to continue to depend on God and pray that He will help me as I make this transition from member to leader..

My most memorable marathon

These are Soon Wee's top ten tips for running your most memorable marathon.
1. Training. Adequate amount of training is the most important. Running twice a week might be sufficient.. So that you don't get too burnt out on race day..

2. It would also be nice to run a marathon in the midst of a nice relaxing posting like O&G.. so that while training for the marathon whenever you can, you don't have to think too much about settling mini-cexes and write-ups and SOPs.

3. Eat well before the race. Make sure you eat lots of junk like chicken wings, fried bee hoon, durian puffs, otak etc.. Then you can be sure that your bowels will be well worked out..

4. Sleep well. Make sure you have adequate rest. That means at least 6 hours of sleep.. That means you sleep at 12am and wake up at 545am in time to make the starting line at 6am.

5. Punctuality. Punctuality is the key if you want to get a good starting position. But nowadays it's fashionable to be late. Starting at 615am when all the rest have started running at 6am will be a good time to aim for. Then at least you wont have to jostle with hundreds of smelly bodies.

6. In case you are really running late, it will be nice to have a powerful car with lots of horsepower and acceleration to bring you to your starting line.. A Hyundai Matrix is not bad for a start.

7. A warm-up before the start of the race is mandatory.. A 500 metre sprint to the starting line to explain to the officials why you are late and to plead with them to let you start running would be the best way to warm up your muscles..

8. Be sure to skip your breakfast so that you can make your money worth by having a concoction of bananas, power gels, water and energy drinks along the way.

9. To top it off, you might as well don't clear your bowels in the morning before the race because you can make full use of the numerous "pit-stops" throughout the race. Having a 5-minute pit-stop and a nice watery diarrhoea is the best way to relax your perineal muscles and to cool down your aching calves and thighs.. You can be sure you will be all raring to go after your nice little pit-stop.

10. But at the end of it all, smile always, especially in front of cameras and cheerleaders!

Love

What does it mean to love someone? This has been a question that has bugged me over the course of these couple of months. And coincidentally or perhaps intentionally by God's grace, I have been forced to ponder over it during the Luke bible studies and more recently, the sermons on 1 John.

If you are expecting a blog post about romantic love, I am sorry to disappoint you.. Haha..

It really is so hard to love people at times. And thinking about it, sometimes we are just all wired so differently that inevitably, we step on the toes of each other sometimes unknowingly. We have our own opinions and values and we judge others based on those. At the same time, other people judge us based on their values. But in a way, it really explains how sinful we are and what a fallen world we live in.. That is probably why it is so hard to love people at times.

It probably isn't hard to love the people you want to love. Or people who do good to you or treat you well. In the earlier stages of a relationship, it probably won't be very hard for a couple to love one another no matter how irksome the other party may be.. Such is the selfish nature of man that we love only on the pretext that it will be reciprocated or that we love only those who love us.. And sometimes we don't even love those who love us..

As a Christian, I am always challenged by God's high standards of love for us.. In Luke 6:27-28, Jesus said, "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Then he said something that was most funny, "If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also." I read this when I was a non-Christian and I found it most amusing and unbelievable. How in the world do you continue to love this person who strikes you on your cheek? And continue to bless him and pray for him.. It was something that struck me about the Christian faith and it probably was one of the factors that led to my conversion.

God calls all Christians to a radical, out-of-the-world kind of love that will shock everybody. I think that is what Jesus was saying when he asks us to turn the other cheek. However, it doesn't mean that Christians are meant to be pushed around and bullied. We are not doormats to be stepped upon (in the words of YG). In a way, being bullied and giving in to everything and anything probably doesn't necessarily mean that one is being loving. Sometimes one can just not be bothered to retaliate and continue to harbour hateful thoughts. This is not Christian love at all. The radical love that God calls us to involves a peace of heart and gentleness that will be evident to all. Even in the face of persecution and hatred, we are called to be understanding, to forgive and to love our enemies.

Putting this into practice isn't easy.. After all we are sinful people, even Christians.. I am really challenged to put it into practice.. Yet sometimes, I continue to be frustrated and I fail to carry out God's commands.. And yet at times, it is not clear cut whether a particular act is loving or stumbling to other people; being gentle or being a pushover.. And I continue to examine my motives for certain acts.. My interests or other people's interests? God's interests? And I continue to learn and be disciplined by God's word.

And indeed, despite the incredibility to love everyone and everytime and the impossibility of the task entrusted to each and everyone of God's children, I know that I am not without help or hope. God's word will continue to guide me in my words and actions as long as I continue to obey him and love him. And as Christians, we need no further motivation to love other people.. Because God has already shown to us what it really means to love by sending his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Christ died not for people who love him. He died for his enemies - us, who hated him and rejected him. This is true love (however cliched this might sound).

As Christians, we are a forgiven people. We ought to love much because we have been forgiven much. May God continue to guide us and help us love the people around us, no matter how hard it is and how unwilling we are! =)

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? I think at the heart of Christianity, and the most important question before we even come to believe in him, will be this: Who is he?

One of Jesus' biggest claims is this: he is the son of God. He was sent by His Father above. If anyone made those claims today, you can be sure he will be sent to IMH in no time. So what credentials does Jesus have in saying those loaded words and claims? Why are so many people convinced that he is God, not a lunatic? Or are we deluded and deceived?

In Luke chapter 3, some of those credentials were being recorded for us.
- 3:22 The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.
- and a voice came from heaven: "You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
- 3:23-38 tracing his genealogy, Jesus was a descendent of David, of Abraham, of Adam and ultimately of God.
- 4:1-13 Jesus was the only person who resisted the temptations of Satan in the desert. He was perfect and sinless.

Why was Jesus sent to earth? What was his mission?
Jesus stated his mission explicitly in Luke chapter 4 that he was anointed by God to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind and to release the oppressed. In the Old Testament, the prophets have talked about such a person coming to bring freedom to God's people and Jesus is saying here that he is the one that fulfils the Old Testament prophecies.

It is interesting to note that Jesus came to proclaim freedom for the poor, the prisoners, the blind and the oppressed. It is unlikely that he meant these solely literally or many of us would not have been saved. But rather, the point here, and later in other parts of Luke, is that only those people who recognised their sinfulness and their need to be saved would respond to his offer of salvation and freedom. In addition to the physical freedom from poverty, illness and oppression that he claimed to bring, the underlying mission is to bring spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin which we are all under.

Despite his preaching of this good news, Jesus himself knew that many would come to reject him and his message, even among his own people, the Jews. Many would ask for him to perform miracles and signs, and yet many would not believe.

Isn't this true for us today? In the face of such good news, we choose to continue to give ourselves excuses and reasons why we cannot believe. We continue to ask for signs and miracles and choose to disbelieve when there are none of those. We choose to believe in these acts of miracles rather than in the person of Jesus Christ. We continue to doubt and question and ask for more evidence for his existence. And yet there are people, when thrown with all the evidence and proof, will choose to reject him..

My point is simple. God sent his son Jesus down only once to offer freedom and salvation to all who choose to hear him. And fortunately for us, this was recorded in the 4 gospels by his disciples. When we want to find out who Jesus is and what he came to do, we can look no further than the 4 gospels in the bible. There is no way for us to look elsewhere for answers or to look internally for our own human wisdom and understanding to decipher this mystery. Which is in fact no mystery at all..

The best season in life

This is a sermon I typed out from about 2 weeks ago. I thought it was a pretty good sermon to share with you, especially for non-Christians, and it is one of the rare few sermons by Pastor Chris that are simple and short enough to be typed out and easier to understand for the uninitiated.

1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verses 8 to 10:
The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Pastor Chris:
"Life is about seasons. Good and bad seasons. Up and down seasons.

Here is an account of Christianity in Singapore. Story is about the Anglican bishop of Singapore called John Leonard Wilson during World War II in the 1940s. Bishop Wilson was jailed with 3000 others in Changi Prison by the Japanese. Once he was accused along with 56 others of plotting against the Japanese. So they were questioned and interrogated. He was kicked, punched, lashed and whipped 300 times until there was no more skin on his legs.

World War II ended. The prisoners were released. 2 years after the war ended, Bishop Wilson was conducting a baptism at the cathedral in town. From the corner of his eye, he saw this person come forward. He saw one of the Japanese officers who had tortured him come forward for baptism. Here are the words of Bishop Wilson,"I have seldom seen such great a change in a man."A person who was full of hatred and violence who lashed him and whipped him was now coming to him as a Christian, a convert to be baptised.

The best season in life for us is usually when something bad has ended. The best season is when something good has started. The message of Christianity is about the best season in life. Why so? Because our season of war with God has ended and our season of peace with God has begun. And how has that come about? It has come about because God has sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for us.

And this best season leads to changed people. And the truly changed people are believers in Jesus Christ. The believer in Jesus Christ has 3 main changes in his life.

Firstly, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 9: "They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.." The first change is that we have "turned". The word "turn" means conversion. It means a decisive break from idols. And we ask: what is the difference between idols and the living and true God? And many of us who grow up like me in a multireligious setting may not know the difference.

It is a bit like this. You want to go buy a television set. Which should you choose? Samsung, LG, Sony. You want to buy a car. Hyundai, Kia, Toyota. There is no difference or not much difference. It is just a price difference or quality difference. Because at the end of the day, if you really think about it, it is simply a car. It is simply a televison set. But what Paul says here is different. He says it is not the same between idols and God. Idols are dead; God is living. Idols are false; God is real. Idols are human creations; God is the creator, the creator of the universe and the creator of you and me. There is a big difference. The first change in the believer is a decisive break from idols.

One of my relatives is now in his 70s. When he was younger, he was known to be rich, a playboy. He gambled. And he went from one place to another to pray, praying in Malaysia, praying in Thailand, praying anywhere he could find powerful idols. Then by God's grace, somebody shared Jesus with him. He believed and he got converted. You know how this relative now in his 70s now spends his days? He spends his days telling his friends over coffee, over tea, over meals, lunch and dinner, telling them,"Don't waste your time. Idols don't work." It is not that he is rude. But he has experienced being under the bondage , the slavery, the prison of believing in idols. And now he knows the difference between idols and God , and knowing this God personally.

Believers in Christ are people who have done a U-turn in their lives. We are previously going in one direction. We now realised our mistake and do a U-turn. We have turned from false gods and false hopes to the true and living God.

And we must say that an idol is anyone or anything who takes our right love and loyalty away from God. So some modern day idols, some modern day unseen idols could be obsession with money, obsession with sex, obsession with power, obsession with fame. Believers in Christ have made a decisive break from that. He (Paul) now says they have turned from that and turned to what? We turn to an active service of the true and living God.

So believers in Christ are not just U-turners, but we are servants of God. We are no longer servants of dead idols. We are no longer servants of ourselves as little gods.

Last week, our church ARPC took part in a national movement and the person who came was Richard Khalil as part of the Yellow Ribbon Project. The purpose of the Yeloow Ribbon Project is to help former drug addicts and former convicts assimilate into society. Many people came up to me after the service and said that Richard Khalil who shared about his former background and now his conversion and new life is very brave. Not easy to stand in front of people and tell them about your past, your sinful past.

Every single person who comes today for baptism or transfers (church was conducting baptisms and transfers that day) is saying to you: we all have a past. The past was when we served ourselves. And now we are servants of God.

Once I was talking to a parent whose son was on drugs. And he sadly said that his son was still on drugs. And I asked him,"What do you think is keeping him on the drugs?" And he said without hesitating,"It's just his selfishness. It's all about himself."

You know we have an advertisement on our television which basically ask how much do drugs cost. And basically it says taking drugs cost your job, your friends, your family and your life. The actual price of 1 shot may be 60 dollars, 80 dollars. I am not sure, I don't know. The price of it may be 60, 80, 100 dollars per shot but the cost of it is your family, your friends, your job, your life.

And so believers in Christ are saying: we have had enough of that (serving idols and serving ourselves). We are now no longer serving ourselves, we are no longer serving idols. We are serving the living and the true God.

There is a final change in the believer. And the final change is in verse 10: "to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." Christians are not just servants of God, we are also "waiters". I do not mean waiters in a restaurant serving food but Christians and believers who patiently wait for Jesus to return. And Paul tells us 2 things about this Jesus who will return.

This son who will return was raised from the dead. Friends, let me ask you, have you met anybody last week who came back from the dead? I don't think so, right? Cos when you and I go to funerals, you expect to bury them, you expect to cremate them. They do not return from the dead. Paul tells us that Jesus is the one whom God has raised from the dead, which tells us that Jesus is the head of a new human race. He is the head of a new human race free from the power of sin, free from the power of death. This man does not die.

Second thing we need to know about Jesus is that he will rescue us from the coming wrath. Friends, how do you feel this Sunday morning? Some may be cold because of the air-conditioning. Some may be hungry because you didn't prepare in time to come here. You missed breakfast. I do not know how you feel this morning. But do you feel or think that God could be possibly angry with you? Do you realise that there is a possibility that God's wrath is upon you and me? The bible tells us that that is the case whether we feel it or not. And Jesus is the only person, it is called here, he is the only saviour who can rescue us from God's anger and God's rightful wrath.

We now live in the best season of human history. Why? We live in the best season of human history because God is offering us a rescue from our sin and from his wrath. And the rescue plan is Jesus as saviour and Lord.

People who believe in Jesus experience change in 3 ways. Firstly, a decisive break from the past idolatry. We turn from idols. Secondly, it is the present experience of serving God, no longer serving selves and serving idols. And thirdly, the 3rd change in the believer is a patient look to the future when Jesus will surely return. We are "waiters". That is why this is the best season of life necause it is the only time left for us to respond to God's offer of salvation.

May you come to believe in the Lord Jesus and experience this best season of your life for all eternity with God."

To listen or watch the sermon, go to http://www.arpc.net/sermons/index2006.htm, God for all seasons, Sep 24 2006, A Season for Retirees (wrong title I think)

Rambling on..

Tired.. that is one word which best describes my weekend.. helped organise a farewell party for 2 PUNJ friends who are leaving for overseas studies and exchange.. there was more than enough food fortunately.. and pretty good food too! there was shepherd's pie, bee hoon, fried rice, otak, chicken wings, pasta and lots more.. good fellowship with the PUNJers at HL's house.. just that the fatigue was getting a bit to me. then went home and caught the manu-reading game and regretted staying up till 2 am.. seems like i am a jinx to them.. whenever I watch manu play, they will either lose or draw.. sigh.. today's tuition was rather draining too.. had lunch with my sec 1 kid.. then had to go Popular buy a book cos had no papers to go through with him.. can't believe that he is doing O level standard biology at sec 1.. but at least he was responsive and eager to learn.

Happy.. today's service was very good.. sermon was short and simple, nothing fanciful, but very good for pre-believers.. I might type it out or something.. but this was the first time we had english and mandarin service together cos the mandarin ministry's people were joining us.. so quite interesting.. I thought bible reading and singing worship songs in mandarin was kind of interesting.. haha maybe join mandarin ministry in future.. lol.. but the amazing thing about today's service is the amount of people coming for baptisms and cofirmations and tranfers.. so encouraging to see so many people coming to ARPC and accepting Christ in their lives..
Happy for a friend too that she had accepted Christ as her Lord and saviour.. that makes it 3 friends whom I know have come to accept Christ this year.. so amazing.. sometimes I feel it's just so difficult to talk to people about Christ and telling them that they need Christ in their lives.. but God makes it so easy.. God will always find a way to find His own children..

Baptism of repentence

In Luke 3:1-20, John the baptist came to preach a baptism of repentence for the forgiveness of sins. Not that through repentence alone, one's sins will be forgiven.. But rather how through repentence, John will prepare the people's hearts (mostly Jews) for the acceptance of Christ, and through Him salvation.

As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.' "

And John told the crowd,"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

The Jews at that time believed that salvation will be guaranteed based on ancestory alone. Just because they have Abraham as their father and the mark of circumcision, they will be forgiven of their sins and saved from God's wrath. But it is clear here that ancestory will not be a criterion for salvation. Rather they were to produce fruit in keeping with repentence. That means a change of heart and turning over a new leaf, turning back from their old ways.. True repentence requires much more than lip service. It encompasses action and active change and renewal..

I used to believe that religion is very much a culture/tradition thing.. meaning u basically follow whatever your parents are doing.. and that is very much the case for most people I believe.. whether or not they really believe in the act of burning joss sticks, hell money and offering food to ancestors is questionable.. at least for myself, even when I wasn't a Christian, these were merely rituals which I don't believe in.. and almost all the Malays here are Muslims.. so I always thought that religion is a traditional or ancestral thing. if your dad is a Taoist, you will be a Taoist.. if your Dad is Muslim, you will be a Muslim.. and I thought Christianity was so.. but later on, I realised that Christianity was one of the few religions that doesn't really follow this pattern.. I mean most people born in Christian families will still become Christians, but Christianity is probably the religion that non-Christians can convert to.. in fact when you say u have converted, most people will know that u have converted to Christianity and not something else.. but that is also why some people detest Christianity for constantly looking to convert people and boost their membership..

For me, I was at first rather perplexed as to why Christians are so eager to convert other people.. and I still believed that most people are born Christians.. I think it is only when I started attending PUNJ that I realised how wrong I was.. I was quite surprised that many of the PUNJers came from non-Christian backgrounds and have come to believe in Christ only later on in life.. that really challenged my view of religion.. and furthermore, I realised that even those born in Christian families are not born Christians.. meaning no one is born a Christian.. that everyone must make a decision to follow Christ some time in their lives.. no one is a Christian by default.

I think in Christianity, I find truth and credibility based on the fact that people really believed in what they are doing.. People have made a personal decision to follow Christ and not based on ancestory or tradition. They have studied God's word and come to believe in it. Their actions and words stem from their faith in Jesus Christ. And the fact that they are actively seeking people to be converted shows that they are convinced that Christianity is the truth and the way to salvation.

At the same time, there are always "Christians" who merely wear their crosses on their chests as a fashion accessory and continue in their old worldly ways and do not portray the right image of Christianity.. ultimately it is up to God who judges us and sees our hearts.. "Christian" or "non-Christian" is merely a tag that anyone can put on whenever he wishes.. there will always be Christians who are not Christians and non-Christians who are actually Christians.. only God will know.

So I digress a lot.. But why do we need to produce fruit in keeping with repentence? why do we convert? and why do we seek people to be converted? Because the axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Jesus will come to judge and punish. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. He will come to judge man's hearts, and those that have believed in him will be saved, and the rest will perish.. To Christians, this is good news.. to others, this may be unpalatable and you may choose to not believe in it..

How certain am I of this? Never 100%.. but so much as the bible is true and is God's word to mankind, I find it hard to simply disregard it and move on with life..

A Saviour born

Was deciding what to blog about, cos I could possibly blog about today's sermon which was quite sobering, friday's bible study or continue to blog about Luke.. Anyway decided to continue with Luke la since I have already started with it.

Luke 2 continues with a record of Jesus' birth. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Then an angel appeared to some shepherds and told them, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Luke then went on to record for us the response of these shepherds who returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Similarly, later in the chapter, a righteous man named Simeon and a prophetess named Anna also gave thanks to God and praised God for the birth of Jesus.

So what we see here, are the responses of 3 groups of people who responded positively to Jesus' birth and gave glory to God for it. Their response was amazing and reflected a lot of faith in the sense that they had not yet known how Jesus will come to save them of their sins. They had not come to know of Jesus' miracles and his death on the cross. However they simply trusted in what God had said. In the Old Testament, God had promised the Jews a Saviour that will come from the line of David, and who will deliver Israel from suffering and oppression. 400 years after the last book of the OT, the birth of Jesus was a fulfilment of what God had promised the Jews and provided great hope to the Jews.

At the same time, this salvation will not only be for the Jews, but will go out to all nations. We see a glimmer of this greater salvation in verses 28 to 32 of chapter 2: Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." So this greater salvation, through the person and work of Jesus Christ will go out to all people, including the Gentiles who were the non-Jews.

What does this mean for us? To some, the birth of Jesus probably gives us some reason to exchange presents, eat log cakes and buy christmas trees during Christmas. For some, it doesn't mean anything more than a day of reference for the counting of years.. That's where BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini or in the year of the Lord) comes in. Oh by the way, historians have recently changed the way they name their years to BCE (before common era) and CE (common era) to replace BC and AD to remove the religious affiliations..

But the birth of Christ has greater significance and importance than that. And unlike the shepherds and the Jews living at that time, we are privileged in that we know how Jesus had provided us with salvation by dying on the cross for sinners. We know that the birth of Christ heralds a new era in the history of man and ushers in God's kingdom which will come to include all who believes.

But knowing about the birth of Christ and the crucifixion of Christ means nothing. Only a response by faith in God's offer of salvation, giving thanks and accepting His gift of salvation will save you from God's wrath and grant you entry into His kingdom. For myself and many Christians, knowing this good news about the birth of our Saviour has brought great joy and comfort in our lives. I am extremely thankful that God has not forsaken his people despite our sinfulness and unworthiness and has sent His Son down to earth to save us. Sometimes, people will ask me why there is only one way of salvation. It seems almost unfair and unreasonable that Christianity is the only way. But if you look at how sinful the world is today and has been in the past, and if you put yourself in the shoes of God who looked down at His creation, it is mind-boggling to understand how God has even bothered to offer a way out for us.

Perhaps it will be appropriate to leave you with the famous John 3:16 verse:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Runner's world

Posting at SNEC (Singapore National Eye Centre) has been a pretty relaxing one so far. A much needed breather after a rather shiong paeds posting.. quite interesting at first but can be quite tiring and mundane standing in the clinics for hours, especially if there is nothing much to see or do.. getting better with the ophthalmosope, albeit most of the pupils have been dilated and it's easier to see..

Army half marathon went well, better than expected.. especially since I barely ran 5 km 2 weeks prior to the run due to a medial arch injury.. I think most people think I am crazy, taking part in all these runs. I also dunno what motivated me to go through all these runs.. I picked it up 3 years ago when I was slacking away as a clerk in army and decided that I could not get fat sitting in the office every day from 9 to 5.. And I guess running suits me cos it's cheap, in fact almost free if not for the shoes, and convenient.. and it's quite a loner sport. there's no need for a partner or team-mate, unlike in tennis or soccer.. and I guess I do enjoy the quiet and peace of running alone. it removes a lot of clutter in my mind and allows me plenty of time to think about stuff, which distracts me from the physical exertion and the distance. and yup can pray to God at the same time too.. and of course the best method to maintain fitness and burn fat, and safer than lap-banding too..

But it can get quite boring, so you have to either have a lot of creativity in thinking of new routes to run every time, or you just have to have a lot of discipline and motivation to run the same route every time. For me, it's the latter cos I am used to running long dist and I am too lazy and uncreative to think of new routes to run. And it's easier to calculate distance if I run multiples of the same 5km route..

The biggest obstacle for me is time.. especially this year, and the situation wont get any better for the next few years to come.. the long runs can come to 4 hours or so including the warming up, lacing up, cooling down, cleaning up, resting and stuff, and my short runs aren't that short as well.. so you can imagine if I train properly, how many hours a week I can spend running.. I think the challenge is really how I plan my time to juggle studies, running, church, bible studies and social outings. And to remind myself that running is not the most important thing in my life.. Just have to train enough to cross the finishing line safe and sound haha.

Next race is 42.195km in December.. God bless me. =)

Luke

Continuing in the same theme of this blog, I shall attempt to go through the book of Luke as my youth group is doing it right now.

Luke is one of 4 gospels written mainly to give an account of Jesus' ministry on earth from the time just before he was born to the day he was crucified.

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

This gospel was written by Luke, who was a medical doctor and a companion/disciple of Paul the apostle. The account was therefore most likely a second hand account of events, probably told to him by Paul. Nonetheless, the purpose for Luke writing this book is clear in the first few verses: to give an orderly account of things that have been fulfilled.

Luke's gospel focusses a lot on the fulfilment of prophecies in the old testament. And this is evident right in the opening chapter when Luke describes the birth of John the baptist. The last book of the OT, Malachi written 400 years before the birth of Jesus gave this account: "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

In Luke, it is written:
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Clearly, John the baptist has been sent to prepare the way for Jesus to come, to prepare the people for Jesus' coming. And this has been prophesied 400 years before the birth of John and Jesus, which has now been come to be fulfilled..

The rest of Luke 1 and 2 records in some detail the birth of two important people, namely John the baptist and Jesus the saviour. In these 2 births, we continue to see how God is working through events to show his mercy and grace.. even through the most unlikely of circumstances.. and how God has always been faithful in his promises, and that He alone, in His own timing, will bring things to happen according to his will.

I don't know about you, but I am often filled with awe when I read the gospels.. I am just amazed at how God can bring things to fulfilment centuries after his prophets had given those prophecies. I am comforted by the fact that this god is really in control, he is real and he is sovereign.. of course, it didn't used to be the case.. I remember the first few studies at "just looking".. I was really skeptical of what was being written in John the gospel. Feelings of incredulity mixed with a bit of bewilderment.. but at the same time, I am also amazed that normal human beings believed in them.. and these people seemed pretty convicted that this is the truth. and that their belief was grounded in rationality and truth.

In Luke, we see one of the most orderly accounts of what happened during Jesus' ministry. And Luke even took the effort to record down specific historical facts that could be verified and proven. And in his writing, we see the works of an educated man.. And he also stated that he had carefully investigated everything from the beginning..

The main focus of the gospels is the preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ, that his coming has indeed brought hope and salvation to a sinful world. If by some chance, you haven't read any of the gospels before, Luke will be a good book to read. and God's word is free, in more than one sense of the word.. cos u can easily read it online at biblegateway.com. I have decided to blog about my Luke bible studies in my next few posts, so u can follow it here if u want to, and hopefully I blog often enough..

Ophthalmo posting at SNEC on Monday!

Kings

A post! Haha..

Really struggling to find time to blog these days.. and when I finally decided to blog, I am so tired that I can’t think of anything worth blogging..

I think I don’t strive very well under stress.. especially stressful when you are doing things for the first time.. one was organizing games for the BB/GB boys and girls.. second was doing the paeds debate.. well I guess the most stressful part for me was the week leading up to these two things, cos its like something is impending, but it has not yet arrived and you are not sure how it will turn out.. the two events went fine.. anyway when you are involved in it, things happen quickly and they are over in minutes.. and I guess the least stressful part is the aftermath.. haha duh.. Actually all my worries and stress were unfounded.. I know it at the back of my head. Yet I still feel stressed. At the end of the day, as long as you do fairly okay, people will still say that you did a fantastic job, especially in Christian settings where people are so accommodating and encouraging.. I think even if it was a disaster, people will still say you did a great job haha.. Anyway, it was a good experience for me preparing and participating in those two events. And valuable lessons learnt. Especially for the debate, I don’t think it was a waste of time. So yup thank God for them!

Maybe share something from today’s sermon which I think has valuable lessons for Christians and non-Christians alike. My church is currently doing a series on 1 Samuel. And today it was from 1 Samuel chapter 8. In short, the passage is about the Israelites at that time asking Samuel (a judge or God’s mouthpiece or spokesperson) to appoint a king over them, just like all other nations had. God’s response was that the Israelites had rejected Him as king and chosen to look for a human king. They had forgotten how He had brought them out of Egypt and had turned to other gods and forsaken Him. God then warned them how they will be enslaved under the reign of the human king and how he will demand their possessions, children, servants and flocks. Yet the Israelites were adamant in their demand for a human king. And God will grant their wish.

I think in many ways, we are just like the Israelites at that time. Sin has not changed in its nature through these couple of thousand of years. Man’s sin is still manifested in the same way in his rebellion against God and rejection of his rule.

For us Christians, we have full knowledge about God. We know that through believing in Jesus, we are saved and that our lives should be offered up totally to him, to serve him and honour him. We are to rejoice in knowing him and serving him. Yet many times, knowing about him rarely equates to knowing him. Even though we already have a great God that is almighty and governs over all areas of our lives, we continue to serve our tiny gods within everyone of us, be it relationships, money, career, entertainment or material things. We continue to ask God for a “king” in our lives. How nice it will be if you give me that wonderful job in that MNC? How nice it will be if I can get a raise next month? How nice it will be if I get together with so and so? And live happily ever after. So are we shifting our trust in God which He expects from all of us, to a misplaced trust in things of this world?

When I was a non-Christian, I really long for the things of this world. To do well in school, to get a good job, move up the social strata, earn my millions, marry a good wife, have nice kids, retire in some rustic countryside and die peacefully. To a certain extent, these “wants” are still there consciously or subconsciously. But if you think about it, it is a really futile existence building your lives around these things. Many of these things don’t last and many times, these things are not within our control. Not many people are born with good brains. Not many people have the luck to make it big in the business world. Relationships have always been fraught with problems. Of course, some have been able to achieve some of these things through sheer grit and hard work. But at the end of the day, is it worth spending your whole life chasing after these things? I don’t know. As sinful people, some of us will still claim that it is worthwhile aiming for these things in life. Especially if you don’t believe in a god. If this life is all there is, the be all and end all, then the only things that can keep us going will be all the things mentioned above. But if you believe in a god, God is saying here that He does not want us to be enslaved by all these things. To spend our entire lives chasing after things that are temporary and to the point of being their slaves, being slaves to work, being slaves to money and being slaves of this world. Instead what God offers is a life to serve him, to live under His reign, and be free from the shackles of this world. Freedom instead of slavery. Eternal life instead of death.

Perhaps what we all need are not the little kings we all yearn, but what we do need is God the king. What we do need is a new heart to serve God and God alone. What we do need is to repent of our sinful ways and to turn to God for forgiveness.

PLT Retreat

Just returned from the PLT* retreat held at NACLI. And I have to say that it was a very fruitful and edifying 2 days or so spent there. And it was a wonderful 2 to 3 months learning how to understand God's word, how to package it into a study and how to convey the message to group members.. As I mentioned earlier, only God knows how He wants to use me to serve the church and really, whether as a leader or not in future, the lessons learnt from PLT will never be forgotten.

We covered the book of Exodus at the retreat. I have never really liked reading the old testament.. always found it long and laborious.. sleep-inducing.. and I always have difficulties relating the events that occurred during the Israelites' time to my own life or even to the present world.. But perhaps because of the depth in which we covered Exodus and due to the efforts spent preparing for the studies, it suddenly daunted on me how amazing God's word is, even in the old testament.. It is amazing and comforting at the same time, to know that this is the same God that brought the Israelites out of Egypt that has given us the hope of salvation today. And that God has always been faithful to His promises, down to the smallest details.. And it is wonderful to know that all His promises have been fulfilled in the work and person of Jesus Christ.

Anyway for those less acquainted with the bible, Exodus is a book from the bible. Perhaps you can better strike a chord with the cartoon Prince of Egypt, where Moses was chosen as the leader to bring God's people out of slavery in the land of Egypt.

I had a good time interacting with the people at PLT.. Despite being the youngest person there, both physically and spiritually, I had no problems communicating with the people there.. and like last year's church camp, I find that such camps really allow people to get to know one another better.. And really, I can see how the gospel unites people from different backgrounds, ages, occupations and stages in life.. This truly is the fellowship or partnership in the gospel that the book of Philippians is talking about. You can really see the enthusiasm in how they want to know God and serve Him.. Their humility in wanting to learn from God's word and from one another.. Their love in encouraging one another even when the bible studies might not be particularly well-led, and in taking the effort to know one another better..

In fact, in our 2 days there, we didn't even have a television.. and I thought I wouldn't survive a day without the world cup haha.. and the food wasn't fantastic either.. there was nothing much to do there.. no outdoor activities either.. But with our bibles, with our spirits of wanting to learn from God's word and some games like Rummy and Taboo, we more than made up for what we lacked.. and I might even go further to say that perhaps, this gives us an inkling of what heaven is like.. that God's people are under God's rule, being spiritually satiated by His word and thriving on His word, and having perfect fellowship with one another..

Wee Seng summed up the retreat with a study of the book of Titus in the new testament. There is really no other way in which the gospel can be passed down. And there is no other way people can be spared from God's wrath. Through Jesus, the gospel came to the 12 apostles, through the apostles, anointed leaders, and through generations of leaders, us today.. And how can the gospel and the good news of salvation be passed to other people and future generations? through the leaders today.. And the baton we are passing on is not a leadership post or position, but it is the gospel, no more and no less.. that the gospel must be passed on in truth and sound doctrine, so that people might live godly lives as we wait for the blessed hope!


*Potential Leaders' Training

Religion

I know some of you have been checking my blog regularly.. just couldn't find time to sit down and type a post properly.. blame the world cup haha..

Thought I should talk a bit about this concept of religion. If u go to dictionary.com, it will give you a few definitions, of which I find these three more understandable and more commonly perceived.
1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
2. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
3. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

You know, before I came to accept christianity, I have always held on to the second definition, that religions, including christianity, are nothing but sets of beliefs and values based on teachings of a spiritual leader. So Islam is based on teachings of Prophet Mohamed, Christianity Jesus, Buddhism Buddha... To me, these were just teachings from man.. Sets of beliefs and values that would make your life complete, more meaningful and make you a better person.. And to me, if these were created by man, like you and me, I find religion futile and unnecessary. After all, who do I need to teach me how to live my life? Really, even without religion, there are people who are honest, kind, gentle, humble, generous and amicable..

In that aspect, Christianity was never meant to be a religion. It was never meant to be a set of beliefs or a way of life.. It was never meant to teach you how to live a better life or how to be nice to everyone.. so that puts to nought any talk that "Christianity is not a religion for me", "I have no need for religion at this point in my life" and "I will think about religion next time, right now I will concentrate on my career and finding a partner".. because all the above statements assume that Christianity is merely a set of beliefs created by a man. If it is just a set of man-made ideas, I fully agree with you that you can put them aside and get on with the more important areas of life..

I reread my own posts many times.. and I think I do sound arrogant and overly defensive at times. but I need to put some ideas across strongly to make my point.. and really, what do I have to boast about? that I became a Christian? that was entirely by God. that I am morally superior to you? never.. cos I am as sinful as each and everyone of you reading this post. So I hope you wont be put off by my "arrogance" here..

Ok what about the third definition? I think unknowingly, all of us hold on to our own gods and religions.. right now, many of us are worshipping the gods who earn more in a week than what I will earn in a year just by kicking a ball around.. you get the idea. there are so many other religions we subscribe to. studies, work, career, girlfriend, boyfriend, finding a girlfriend/boyfriend, health, fitness, food.. but actually all the above can be summed up in the worship of one thing - self. If you think carefully about it, all of those things are just self-worship. living for oneself, and pursuing things and relationships to satisfy yourself.. After all "It's my life!" isn't it? I live it the way I want it to be.. as long as I am happy..

Just before I became Christian (how many "before I became Christian"s do I exactly have? a lot haha..), I thought I found the perfect religion I wanted, a relationship. As much as I thought I was doing things to make her happy and stuff, at the heart of everything I did, it was really just a worship of myself, to make myself feel happy.. and there were indeed a lot of "emotional highs" during those few months of courtship/worship.. so much so that when it all ended, I was left with a void in my life.. I read my private blog post I posted during the "aftermath", and it read something like moving on in my life, concentrating on my studies and my career.. and isn't it something we all do in our lives? moving on from one aim to another aim in life.. from worshipping one god to another god.. fortunately, I came to believe in one true god..

To us Christians, Christianity is a religion only based on the first definition. The belief, worship and reverence of one true God, the creator of the universe.

And it is for this reason that I am so zealous in talking about religion on my blog.. And Paul puts it best:
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. ... They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped created things rather than the Creator.."

Indeed, I am not saying things like career, cars, family, money and relationships are bad things.. Neither did God say that these things are bad because they are created by Him. But really, how long do these things last? Are we deceived by this world to put all our lives and energies in these things that are transient and temporary? In that sense, are we exchanging and giving up the truth of God for a lie?

Family Photos at Malacca

Not Bad Wat..

"Not bad wat.." "Not bad mah.." "Not bad leh.."
I realise many of us like to use the phrase "not bad". I guess it shows some kind of humility. At least it is slightly better than saying, "Lousy la.. I only got 80." So in actual fact, when one says something is not bad, he is saying it is good. But being humble people, we would rather tell others we are not bad and let others tell us that we are good.

Anyway that was a little out of point.. From a normal human point of view, I think a lot of things can be not bad. In fact, a lot of things can be good. And there are lots of good people around too. People who donate generously to charities. People who are truly humble, down-to-earth. People who have no hatred, no malice, no ill-intent. People who do not gossip and spread rumours. People who help others altruistically. But people who satisfy all of these are few and rare. For the mortals like you and me, we would just like to think of ourselves as " well, not too bad la.."

Sometimes, it does make me ponder.. As I look at the people around me, Christians and non-Christians alike, I think these people are not too bad. After all, they are not going around killing people or stealing or cheating. They are sincere people. They love their families and friends. They study and work hard. They are filial. Granted the few vulgarities and the few gossips and rumours and the occasional stare or comment at the babe that walked by, I don't think these were done with much malice or ill-intent..

And then there are the true angels out there. People who really have a kind heart. People who are selfless and self-sacrificial.

So how can such people be punished if God is really a fair God? I don't really know the answer.. Sometimes it bothers me that I am saved but the, in my opinion, nicer and better people around me aren't.. I guess it gives me more reason and encouragement to live a life that is worthy of being saved.

But really, is what we humans define as good really good? What is the cut-off point for gaining entry into heaven? We have this tendency to set our own standards and rules. Perhaps it comforts us to think that we are not too bad people. Perhaps it comforts us to think that what we do is enough and satisfactory. So long as we do not harm other people. So long as we do not break the law.

But if indeed there is a God, then who are we to set the rules? or question the rules set by Him? Maybe by our human reasoning, it seems unfair that everyone is under His judgment.. But He sets the rules and He sets the standards for us.. And the standards are the same for each and everyone of us. In contrast our standards are arbitrary and vary among individuals. To be made right before Him, we must be perfect and spotlessly clean. And the only way to do that, and I know I am sounding like a broken record now, is through faith in Jesus Christ.

It might be comforting to us now that we are treating people sincerely and not doing things that are harming others (though sometimes we harm others unknowingly). But what good is there if this is a just a false sense of comfort and security? What if what we define as good is not good enough in God's eyes?

"All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. ... This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares." -- Romans

Absolut Joy

Recently, I have had plenty to be joyful about.. henceforth the change in the blog title.
Indeed sometimes I lament so much about my struggles and shortcomings when in fact there is so much to be thankful about. Thank God for the timely reminder in the sermon 2 weeks ago which reminds me to be thankful regardless of the circumstances and to continue to put my trust in him..

I think as Christians, there are always times when we are doubtful.. doubtful of His existence.. doubtful of His will.. I often question whether He is around.. whether He is real.. Sometimes I cannot understand why certain things happen that way.. And from time to time, these doubts will come back and new doubts will develop. And these doubts don't make anyone any less a Christian. In fact, it is during these times of doubts that you begin to dig deep and learn to draw on God's strength and learn to depend on Him.

And it was also in those times of immense stress and hopelessness and doubts that I found God.. During those few months, I was at times helpless, at times disappointed, at times bitter about how things had turned out.. But it was only during those times that I started to ponder over spiritual issues and the meaning of life. It seems that it takes some form of failure and disappointment to make a proud person turn to God for help. And indeed I see that happening around me.

I am really thankful for the two friends that have recently started going to church and beginning to know Christ.. Regardless of the circumstances in which they came to believe, I do hope they continue to put their trust in God and continue to mature in their faith.. Really, it is very encouraging to hear from them how they are beginning to turn to Christ.. it just shows the greatness of God's love, His generosity and His sovereign will.. and really, to anyone willing to receive this gift, He freely pours out His love and mercy.. He will never shut the door on anyone.. not even the most hardened criminal or stubborn soul.

I am glad I took up the opportunity to go for the leaders' course.. Although I can't say for sure that I will be able to lead a bible study in the near future, I think the course has greatly benefitted me in terms of understanding God's word and applying it in my life. Preparing for a bible study requires a lot of time and energy and it really forces you to read God's word properly and thoroughly cos how the bible study is led does not solely impact on the leader alone but also affects the group members' understanding of the bible. And yup, the bible is meant to be taught and learnt.. when I tried to read the bible on my own last time, I could barely understand what it is trying to say, let alone reading it in context or applying it correctly in my life. However, like what my course leader said, the leader of the bible discussion normally benefits the most and understands it fully.. I can't agree more cos leading the bible study has allowed me to understand God's word better.. At the same time, I can better appreciate the pains and efforts put in by my leaders in preparing for the bible studies.. Christian ministry is really hard work, hard work which is often unappreciated and unrewarding.. I can only ask God to guide me as I ponder over in what capacity I can serve the Church in future, in firm assurance that my reward is in heaven..

I rejoice for the relationships I have had with people these past few months.. relationships maintained, forged, and rekindled.. especially the ones that were renewed, I am really thankful to God. Sometimes, I thought as a result of my selfishness, some relationships were on the verge of breaking down.. but thankfully, in Christ, there is no record of wrongs, no conceit, no pride; only forgiveness, magnanimity and humility! also thankful for some new friendships forged or deepened.. these have been a great source of strength and encouragement for me.. especially my new one-to-one bible study leader-cum-buddy-cum-confidante Keeevin, he has been thoroughly encouraging and supportive.. I always go away from my one-to-ones feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. A big thank you to you if you are reading this! =)

To all who have received God's grace, rejoice!

Psalms 150

Praise the LORD.

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

Holy Bible or Holey Bible? Part 2

Some updates
Hey everyone, I am a bit hyper now cos I just came back from a jog.. I am elated because I got a mail from someone which made my day! u know, nothing beats knowing that one (in fact two) of your good friends or loved ones is open to the gospel or is being saved.. what can I say? God works according to His purposes and I can only thank God for them.. And I am relieved cos I led 2 bible studies in 3 days unscathed.. I thank God for them too.. I dunno how I survived last week with 2 bible studies to prepare and so many things to do.. but I did! now to take a breather, continue blogging and going back to reading up on neurology.

Da Vinci's Code
I think most of you would have expected me to write something about this. But actually the fact is there are already so many books and articles out there on it, I really got nothing new to add.. haha.. perhaps I shall just summarise some of the more important points from various articles..

Actually I havent watched the movie but I read the book like one year ago so I roughly still know the story.. I think it is an interesting story no doubt.. as a young Christian then, I think I am forced to consider whether some of the things said in the book are true.. it forced me to deal with the facts and not just blindly believe. but I will be lying if I say that my faith wasn't shaken a tiny bit..

that is where Dan Brown is so successful in doing.. he skilfully tries to mix what he claims as "facts" and "real events" with fictional characters and events.. and successfully created a bestselling novel and blockbuster movie. by doing so, he is absolved of any blame of misreporting facts.. at the same time, blurring our perception of truth vs fiction.. in the process, readers are challenged to question whether there can be any absolute truths and tempted to believe that there are none.. he is really good at doing that.. and in the process, tens of millions of dollars richer.. to him, he has achieved his purpose, whether or not his supposed facts in his novel are really facts or not.

Dan Brown defines things his own way. his truths and facts seem to be his own truths and facts.. he claims that he is a Christian trying to decipher life's big mysteries (whatever that means), on his own path to enlightenment, and most incredibly, a student of many religions.. I rest my case. I admit, I hold my own prejudices and biases as I type this.. but I don't think u would expect a non-Christian to be typing this right?

and indeed, I suggest to you, everyone of us here hold our own prejudices as we watch the movie or read the book. as a non-Christian, with little knowledge of the bible and how it came about, you will walk out of the theatre thinking Christianity consists of a spectrum of beliefs ranging from Jesus is God to Jesus is a married man and that a group of people long ago ganged up to edit documents and make Jesus seem to be God when he wasn't. to you, this alternative "fact" is enough to discredit Christianity. case closed. "I knew it.." "I told you so.." but I didn't expect you to be more objective or less biased than this.. after all Dan Brown is such a skilful writer..

still, some of u might be interested in what the "opposition" might have to say. you have a choice!

Da Vinci Code VS Opposition
DVC: The bible is a product of man.. Not of God. the bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it.. History has never had a definitive version of the book.

O: DB got it right, the bible did not fall magically from the clouds. It was written by man. BUT it is God-breathed. It is inspired by God. It was not created from nothing. It is based on historical facts and real-life accounts of people who touched, talked and interacted with Jesus.

DVC: Constantine commissioned and financed a new bible which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made him god-like. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up and burnt.

O: Constantine was the Roman Emperor from AD 313 to AD 337. He was not a Christian cos he prayed to various gods and accepted many religions in his empire. Thus, he had no reason to commission or finance this "new bible" which made Jesus out to be a god. The earlier gospels were neither gospels, nor were they earlier.. These books were excluded from the bible on the basis that they were not written by first- or second-hand witnesses of Jesus. They were also written 100 to 200 years after Jesus' death.

The gospels that were accepted in today's bible were written by Jesus' disciples or his disciples' close mates or disciples. All these writers lived during the time of Jesus. And all these gospels were written before AD 100. That's like historians writing about Hitler now.

There was no "new bible". As early as 10 to 20 years after Jesus' death, there were already gospels or creeds circulating around and which were already accepted as being authoritative and true. And by AD150, there were reportedly collections of books that were regarded as authoritative. But in AD325, due to the challenge of heresy and fraud, the church leadership decided to clearly define a list of books which have become the New Testament of today. But these books had been circulating for at least 2 centuries..

The accepted books did not embellish Jesus' god-like traits or downplay his human traits. In fact, the bible says that Jesus is fully man and fully God at the same time. Jesus breathed and ate and was tempted in the desert like a human being in the gospels. And he was crucified to death on the cross. The rejected "gospels" were never suppressed. They were available and read by people but were simply not recognized as having the same worth or authority as the accepted gospels. DB also got it completely wrong when he says that the outlawed "gospels" talked about Jesus' human traits. Cos the opposite is true. These false gospels claimed to have some superior revelation from God, were not based on eyewitness accounts, and rejected the belief that Jesus came in the flesh. In other words, these false gospels rejected Jesus' humanhood.

DVC: Jesus’ establishment as the Son of God was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea. Jesus’ divinity was the result of a vote. A relatively close vote. Until that point in history, Jesus was viewed by his followers as a mortal prophet, … a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.

O: Jesus’ divinity was accepted by the twelve disciples soon after his resurrection, way before AD 300. The issue at Nicaea was how the divine Son (Jesus) and Father (heavenly God) were interrelated and whether they share the same substance. No one at the council was contending that Jesus was a mere mortal or just a prophet. The dispute was over whether Christ had a divine substance like the Father's or whether he shared the same divine substance with the Father.

DVC: There were thousands of documents recording that Jesus was a mortal man.These are the Nag Hammadi documents, named after the place they were discovered in Egypt in 1945.

O: There are not thousands of them. Only 45 fragments, parts of documents.
It is agreed by almost all scholars that most of the documents were written in the second or third centuries. Unlikely to be part of the original real documents of the NT, written mainly before 100 AD.

DVC: Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus.

O: This one is a smoke bomb dropped from no where. Don't know where it came from too.. Maybe it came from the gospel of Dan Brown or something.. but good try la.. very sensational.. and makes for good debate.. but none of the gospels, no matter false or true, mentioned that Jesus was married..

Conclusion
Well, actually most of the articles are giving DB too much respect by even bothering to criticise his novel. Cos it is just a fictional story with too many half-truths and absolute lies. You don't use fiction to confirm or disprove anything.. If you would like to think that the bible is false, why not read the bible or attend a sermon? challenge your Christian friends' beliefs or something..

Oh and I have no qualms about reading the book or watching the movie. And no, most churches do not forbid their members from catching the movie. My personal opinion is that: all the more Christians should watch it cos we are not afraid of facing up to challenges to our faith. Only by considering that something might be false can someone come to accept that it is true. And if anything, Christianity is a religion which can be readily defended by evidence and logic.

Lonely, I am so lonely..

Hey it's not what u think it is.. not lonely in that sense. I think I have learnt to put my trust in God. God made us for relationships yes.. but I think relationships are not exclusive to boy-girl relationships or marriages.. friendships, parent-child relationships and sibling-sibling relationships are all equally valuable. and of course, above all, my relationship with God.

but sometimes, I do feel lonely.. sometimes I feel that I am the only one holding on to the faith among the people around me. my parents, my family, my close friends.. sometimes, I doubt about the truth of what I believe and why I believe. sometimes, I feel it is easier to just follow the crowd and throw away all these beliefs.. maybe Christ didnt exist.. maybe, it is like what the Da Vinci's Code says.. that the bible is all made-up and fake.. if it is fake, then what use is my faith and my holding on to these beliefs? why am I going to church? why am I preparing bible studies? why am I reading the bible? why am I spreading the gospel on my blog? why am I praying for my friends and family members to be saved?

really, it is so much easier to just conform to the values of the world. work hard. make lots of money. marry a pretty wife. rear cute children. enjoy life.

sometimes I feel misunderstood. I can almost imagine the things people are saying behind my back. I can even hear them vividly sometimes. I can imagine what they are thinking when they read my blog. I can feel the awkwardness. I can sense the things going through their minds. " oh dear, one day he is going to ask me to go to church.." "he is going to ask me to go to the service again.." maybe I am just imagining things..

maybe this world is all that there is.. sometimes, I wish I had not heard the gospel at all. sometimes I wonder what I will be doing now if I had not gone to church 2 years ago.. probably reading my medical textbooks or something. going out with friends rather than spending 5 hours at church..

Yet, despite all these recurring thoughts these 2 years, I have not given up on the gospel.. somehow, something inside me tells me that this is true. Christ is real. despite all the doubts, I still held on to the beliefs. my doubts also spurred me to question and explore.. and I still arrived at the same answer. Christ is real. sin is real. salvation is real. God 's grace is real.

indeed, often I asked myself why I had converted.. is it because of that "frivolous reason"? is it because I was convicted of my sin? is it beacuse of the bible studies? is it because of peer pressure from the church people? or is it because of the love I had experienced in the Church? I don't know.. but looking back at how I came to the church, the circumstances in which I came to believe and how I grew in my knowledge of the gospel and how I grew in my Christian walk, it seems there can only be one person making sure all these happened.. it seems that He had purposefully made all those things happen so that I could believe and be saved. it seems that He had put certain people in these 2 years of my life to teach me, to encourage me and to guide me in my Christian walk.. it seems that He had painstakingly planned and choreographed each and every step that I took to reach where I am now. it is God.. it must be..

and what more can I ask for? really.. in Christ, I can no longer demand anything else.. and indeed, if something as difficult as saving a sinner like me has been done, what more the little things like studies, work, financial security and relationships..

and despite all the doubts and difficulites I had coming to terms with my faith, I find it difficult to believe that this world is all that there is.. I still find myself asking where did I come from? and for what purpose am I here for? and to where will I return or go when I die? it seems a futile existence if Christ and God were not real.. am I just here to work hard, earn lots of money, marry a good wife, have good kids and enjoy life? then what happens if I don't earn lots of money? if I can't find a wife? if I suffer from cancer and die a painful death? is there meaning in all these then? if not, do I go around looking for some other meaning or is there already a purpose that my maker had long established for me? and still, I find great comfort in knowing that God has made me for a purpose and that I am going to a specific destination when I die and that I will be saved from my sins.

in all these I have nothing to complain or whine about.. as I told someone, it is not: God is all I have, but rather it should be: I already have God, what more shall I need?

Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Absolute relativism

This is going to be my shortest post..
Relativism is absolutely true. this statement contradicts itself. if relativism is true, then there are no absolutes. so the more appropriate statement would be that relativism might be true. considering if relativism is true, then what happens if I think relativism is false? by the nature of relativism, u can't say that what I say is wrong cos relativism says that everyone is right. but if what I say is correct, then relativism is false. so how in the world can relativism be true?

I am not talking about cultural and social norms and preferences here. such things are relative by nature. I like pink, u like blue. there is no truth in what colour to like. so of cos relativism must stand here. same goes for how u want your steak and eggs done..

but relativism is an idea that is fundamentally flawed especially when it comes to God and religion. some people say that all religions are true and all will lead to the same destination.. that is really ignorance at its best.. simply because Christianity says that the only way to know God is through Jesus and Jesus is God, Buddhism says there is no one God and everyone can reach godlikeness or nirvana on their own while Islam says that Jesus is merely a prophet and not God.. so how can these different paths lead to the same destination when they totally contradict each other? how can we be subject to different "systems" when we live on the same earth and breathe the same air?

same goes for the idea that we are perceiving different aspects of the same reality..
if my reality is that your reality is false, then both cannot be true. if both are not true, then one of us (or both) is in error. if one or both of us is in error, then relativism is not true.

ok it's a bit mind boggling.. so take your time to figure that out.

心连心，向前进。

u got to read this post in unicode.

pap's election slogan this year is 心连心，向前进。
well some online forums were suggesting this: 金连金，向钱进。　haha..

anyway, I am not going to discuss about politics here lest my blog gets shut down or something. but as I went through the weekend's sermon and bible study, one theme was rather glaring. and it was that of sin. and I suggest to you this: sin连sin, 向泉进。　泉是指黄泉的泉。

this topic of sin is rather hard to broach.. I mean deep down we are all proud people, and we do not want people to tell us that we are bad people.. so even when some churches evangelise to non-christians, theirs is a message of comfort, solace and meaning in life. come embrace christianity, God loves you and will give you life. God will comfort you in your sorrows. Christianity will provide you the meaning you are looking for in your life. if you want to know how to live the perfect life, Christianity is the answer.

but if I tell you that the true message of Christianity is that you need Jesus because you have sinned, many of you will be rather turned off.. i think the message of the true meaning of life and the love and comfort Jesus can provide is probably more palatable and easy to swallow. but I don't think that is the point. if I were to be faithful and true to God's word, then the message of sin must be told first before the message of love.

the rationale is simple. there is a problem. there is a consequence of this problem. and there is a solution. without a problem, there is no consequence and obviously, what solution is there to talk about?

The bible says, "As it is written: there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. all have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." the problem of mankind is this: all man have sinned by rejecting God and refusing to obey his commands. the consequence: "the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalms 1)

the consequence of sin is death. therefore, as much as we can prolong our lives in this day, all of us will one day die. and this death is a result of the sin we all have.

I don't know about you, but I have never failed to realise how bad or sinful a person I am, even before I became a Christian. perhaps that makes it easier for me to believe in the bible. and in fact, one of the reasons why I was first convinced of the message is that what the bible says about sin really applies to me. and it makes a whole lot of sense to me. and that is a crucial first step, to acknowledge that all of us here, no matter how hard we try to be good people, have sinned and have fallen short of God's standards.

I am not sure if I can explain this well but I shall try. we are all born with a conscience, murderers, rapists, liars, cheaters all included. we are able to decipher what is right and what is wrong. and quite amazingly, this idea of right and wrong is generally consistent even across ethnicity and geography. let's say the same act of B sticking out his leg and causing A to trip. A will not so much as cast a frown on B if it was not intentional. but if A knows that B had a bone to pick with him and had purposely done so, A will confront B and start a quarrel with him. so although it is the same act, we can somehow say that the latter act is wrong and the former is not. and that applies for many things. things like murder. things like stealing. have you ever wondered why it seems so natural for us to think that murder and stealing are wrong? where did we get this idea from? is it taught to us? so at 4 years old before you received any education, do you sincerely believe that killing someone is the right thing to do? so it seems that all of us share this natural law inside us which tells us what is right and what is wrong. and CS Lewis who wrote Chronicles of Narnia had this to say to skeptics: "whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real right or wrong, you will find him going back on this a moment later. he may break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him he will be complaining 'it's not fair' even before you can say jack robinson."

my next point, or actually it's CS lewis' point, is that none of us are keeping to this law within us. so if u have been a perfect person all your life, and have never done anything wrong, I think whatever I have said and am going to say now and in future does not apply to you. and this is where I will refute the claim that Christians are conceited and arrogant snobs. because one definition of a true Christian is a person who accepts that he has sinned and fallen short of God's standards and has come to believe in God and accepted God's gift of salvation. in short, he is one who feels that he needs to be saved.

for myself, while I was still exploring the faith, this verse from romans 7 was very true to me. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. for what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing.. so I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. for in my inner being I delight in god's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. what a wretched man I am!"

sometimes, we read the newspapers and delight in condemning the murderers and the sexually depraved people.. why is he so cruel? why did he had to resort to killing her? why did the father rape his daughters? this doctor had a wife and a nice family, why did he have to take upskirt photos of women? why did Hitler and Pol Pot have to resort to massacring millions of people to attain their political ambitions? it seems so stupid of them, so inexplicable to us.. but the bible has always been right in its assessment of mankind.. all have sinned. what about you? no, I am a good person. I donated $5 to charity that day. I helped an old lady cross the road. what wrong have I done? but really, what the murderers, the rapists and the robbers did were just a manifestation of what is deep within everyone. he hated his wife who had slept with another man. so he killed her. the murder was just a outward manifestation of the hatred in him. when I hate another person, the difference between me and the murderer is that this hatred was not that deep. what this person did to me was not as serious as what the wife did to the man. and if really there is one day when that hatred is so deep, the only thing stopping me from killing my enemy is just the law and the dire consequences. but the heart of mine and the heart of the murderer are the same. sin is in 心. it comes from within us. when we hate someone, when we feel conceited and proud, when we look at someone lustfully, when we put our own interests above others, we have already sinned even though outwardly, we can pretend to be the most angelic creatures on earth.

and God looks right through our heart and sees all our evil thoughts. and the only rightful result of our sin is death. we can never escape that.

so what hope is there for us? by our own human efforts, we can never achieve God's standards. God is holy and his standards are high. he wants us spotless and clean. we can help a thousand people in our lives. we can meditate at home all day. we can become vegetarians. we can even give up all our possessions. but nothing is ever going to change the fact that we are sinful people. and nothing is ever going to blot over our sins. given the wrong circumstances, we are always going to fall into sin. there is absolutely no hope for us except Jesus Christ. I know, I know.. u will say: how can you guys claim that Jesus Christ is the only way? yes, I also wished there were other ways and other alternatives. but the bible says this is the only way. if the bible is true, then this is the only way. if it is false, either there is no way and everyone is condemned or there is some other way/s.

but why is there even a way for us explained in the bible? since we have done wrong, we deserve punishment.. by right, God doesn't have to provide us with a solution. but by left, because of his mercy, he has provided us a solution in the way of Jesus Christ. that he has come to die on the cross. Jesus was absolutely clean and spotless in God's eyes. he did not sin like us because he is god. by being perfect and yet accepting God's punishment on our behalf, he is the perfect sacrifice for all our sins.. and we are saved from God's anger because of him. and this only if we believe in Jesus Christ and believing that what he had done really happened and his act is sufficient to wipe away all our sins. the result of believing in him is eternal life. physically we will still die, but spiritually we will be raised up after our death and live happily ever after, literally.

it doesnt make sense at first. absurd. but if u think about it properly, how can imperfect man make peace with God? but only on God's terms and God's solution can we be saved. by sending a perfect person to die for imperfect man.. and after 2 years as a Christian, it seems a perfect solution. God's gift of salvation (being saved) is free and unconditional. oh I need to do steps 1 to 10 to become a Christian. I need to go to church. I must donate this amount of money to the church. I must be born in a Christian family. Nope! all God wants is for you to recognise that you are a sinful person, confess to him that u have sinned and tell him that you truly believe that Jesus Christ has died on the cross for your sins and you are willing to accept this gift of salvation from him..

my sincere prayer for all of you reading this blog: that all of u will be saved and we will see each other in heaven in future.. =)