Lessons from King Rehoboam

Lessons from King Rehoboam

This Sunday, I was privileged to hear a message from Pastor Nicky on Rehoboam “born with a silver spoon but….”

The story of King Rehoboam was an interesting one. Having the great King David as his grandfather, and the powerful and wise King Solomon as his father, Rehoboam was heir to an amazing legacy and destined for greatness in the annals of the history of Israel. However, right at the start of his reign, King Rehoboam blundered and became instead remembered as the king whose foolish decision caused the division of Israel and Judah into two separate kingdoms. How ironic given he was the son of the wisest king the world had ever seen.

But where was Rehoboam’s mistake? At Shechem all Israel had come to make him king, and they requested of him to lighten their load, for King Solomon had greatly burdened the people by his taxes, and conscription of men to build the temple and the king’s palace. At this point, Rehoboam sent the Israelites away and to return in 3 days to give him time to ponder a correct decision.

And so Rehoboam firstly asked the opinion of the wise men who had advised his father Solomon. They advised him to speak kindly to the people and they would always be his servants. However, this did not appeal to the young king who was seeking to make a name for himself. Instead, he took the poor advice of the young men who grew up with him and offended the people to the point of outright rebellion. Cocky Rehoboam boasted that his little finger was larger than his father’s waist, and that where his father used whips, he would use scorpions, implying he would be far crueler in his rule. Greatly angered, the people of Israel utterly forsook Rehoboam as king, with only Judah left under his rule.

It is important to note that in all this, there is no mention of God at all in all Rehoboam’s conduct. This shows that his heart did not seek God, and he was mainly concerned about his own honor, with no regard for what was right in God’s eyes. He did not have the wisdom to understand that pride goes before one’s downfall, and the importance of humility and discretion in his father’s proverbs. If only Rehoboam and his companions had even read and paid heed to some of King Solomon’s writings, this trouble would not have come upon the young king.

Hence the major lesson for us here is that in all important decisions, it is imperative to consider God, and also to seek godly counsel. As Rehoboam’s father himself wrote “Consider the Lord in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight”.  

Following that, Rehoboam, who still did not fully comprehend what he had done, sent Adoram who was in charge of the forced labor to negotiate with the Israelites, and they stoned him to death. In fear, the weak young king fled to Jerusalem where he raised an army of 180,000 to fight against the Israelites. At this point, God stepped in, sending his prophet Shemaiah to warn them not to fight, saying that the Lord was behind these happenings. To Rehoboam’s credit this time, he obeyed the Word of the Lord, and stopped his attack that was doomed to fail. Sometimes, when we have made a mistake, we may be tempted to overcompensate and be too desperate to recover what we have lost. In our haste and impatience, we may actually lose far, far more. Sometimes, we must realize that it is better to cut losses, consolidate, and do the best with what we have left.

Thus Rehoboam acted wisely in strengthening the cities of Judah, fortified the strongholds, and ensured sufficient supplies and weapons were in place. His rival King Jeroboam of Israel established a new system of worship for fear of the people turning back to Rehoboam, so all the true priests and worshippers of God came to Rehoboam and for three years, Judah became very strong because Rehoboam followed the ways of David and Solomon in following God. Here Rehoboam also wisely dispersed his children throughout the land and made sure they had abundance, to ensure no fighting within his large family when he had gone. Hence we see that strength and wisdom comes when God is glorified.

However, after he became strong, Rehoboam forgot the Lord, and as a result, Egypt came against Judah and subjugated it. Even at this time when Rehoboam and the princes humbled themselves before God, He spared them, and Jerusalem was not destroyed, and there was some good in Judah. Again, we see the mercy of God who accepts those who repent and turn back to Him.

All in all, looking at Rehoboam’s overall life, we see a man who started out with great promise, who through pride made a terrible mistake and lost most of his kingdom. However, when he turned back to God, God always blessed Him and His land, and in the end, his life was not a total failure in the annals of the kings. For us, the lessons are firstly, to beware of pride, but to keep ourselves humble, secondly, to beware of complacency, and wandering when we think we are strong, and finally, to always be ready to repent and turn back to God when we have turned away, confident in the grace and mercy of a faithful God! May the Lord bless us with wisdom, humility, discernment and courage in all things. In Jesus name, Amen.

To save that which was lost

To save that which was lost

Recently, I listened to a message on the popular children’s Bible Story on Zacchaeus. It is the story of a short man of very high stature, as the chief of the tax collectors. In his profession of those days, Zacchaeus was shunned by the general Jewish public as a traitor and cheater of his own people. It was common for tax collectors to collect more from the public than was required with the balance lining their increasingly rich pockets. Now Zacchaeus in his desperation to see Jesus, did the very undignified thing of climbing up the sycamore tree. Imagine a man wearing a long skirt clambering up a tree! Zacchaeus knew that his life was empty and unfulfilled despite of his vast riches, and that he was a sinner. He was looking for salvation, and searched for Jesus desperately, not caring what others would think of him.

And then to his shock and great delight, Jesus stopped and looked up at him, and offered to stay at Zacchaeus’ house. When Jesus said “I must stay at your house today”, the word “must” was a very strong word used, the same as when Jesus said “I must do my Father’s will”. When He walked the earth as a man, Jesus specially looked out for sinners as He said “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” While the crowd praised God whenever Jesus healed the sick or cast out demons, they were perplexed when He associated Himself with prostitutes and tax collectors. They did not understand that the whole purpose Jesus came was to seek and save that which was lost. They were right that Zacchaeus was a sinner, but they should have realized that they too were also sinners, and also in need of God’s grace.

Generally, in the gospels, it seems that Jesus had harsh words for the rich. He gave the example of the man who built bigger barns to store his wealth, thinking he would enjoy many more years but lost his life before he could enjoy any of it.  Also when the rich young ruler asked to follow Him, Jesus found his heart out by asking him to sell everything he had. Then the Lord further said that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Yet, in the case of Zacchaeus, a rich man, he found salvation.

His change of heart was immediately seen as he exclaimed “I give half my goods to the poor, and I will pay back fourfold any man I have cheated”. The fruit of his salvation was Zacchaeus’ new found generosity that he gave with a willing heart.

We should also note that Jesus did not ask Zacchaeus to leave his profession. There are times of course when a man may have to leave his job to uphold his faith, but in this case, it was not wrong for Zacchaeus resolved to be an honest tax collector. When the tax collectors came to John the Baptist, he did not ask them to leave their jobs but to not collect more than they should.

In conclusion, some things we can learn from this story is:-

(i)  Do not look down on others as worst sinners but learn to see others with the eyes of Jesus

(ii) Be desperate in seeking out Jesus

(iii) Those with wealth should use their wealth to bless others

(iv) Be honest in whatever job we have been given

(v) Jesus came to seek and save sinners like us who were list

To eat or not to eat

To eat or not to eat

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to listen to a message from Elder Steven based on 1 Corinthians 8. In the Corinthian church, one important issue had come up regarding the eating of food sacrificed to idols. Now it was common practice in those days for food to be offered to idols and then eaten by the worshipper. What the worshipper could not finish could be sold in the market, and quite often such worshippers would invite friends to come and eat together of this food. In a Malaysian Chinese context, this is a very similar situation, where many Christians have parents or relatives or friends who worship idols or ancestors and sacrifice food to them.

Now in reality, Paul explains that an idol is nothing at all in all the world, and food is food, neither making a person better or worse in a spiritual sense. However, to some, whose consciences are weak, to partake of food sacrificed to idols is to become part of the worship of the idol, and they should not take. Hence, if a more mature Christian takes freely in front of them, it may mislead them or cause them to sin and because of that in such circumstances, Paul says not to eat, not because eating is wrong, but because eating will damage the conscience of the other brother or sister. The principle is that whatever we do should be in consideration of others, especially in the family of God.

In the day of the Pharisees, those who considered themselves religious would distance themselves from the common people, and completely abhor the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the beggars. However, when Jesus came, He reached out to all, even the very lowest of society. Whether to the Samaritan woman or to Nicodemus, Jesus met them at their level and brought God’s truth to them. In a famous phrase, Jesus exclaimed “It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners”. Those who know they need God are near to salvation, but those who think they are alright on their own are ever so far away. Elder Steven spoke of an incident where one was failed for plagiarism in a Bible School. Immediately, many of the other students avoided the offender, looking down on him. Only a few continued to stand by and accept the fallen student. This was a Bible School, yet there was no grace, but condemnation by her students.

In John 1, it is written that the law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Only truth without grace leaves no room for the sinner. Only grace without truth, gives rise to a license to sin. Grace and truth saves the sinner and sets him on the path of truth, to do what is right. Once we accept Christ, we are free, but at the same time we are slaves to righteousness. In following the Holy Spirit, who will lead us to love God and to love others, we will inherently always do what is righteous.

Coming back to the issue of eating or not eating, the important thing is to realize is that whatever we do should be done for the glory of the Lord. If eating causes a brother to sin, we should not eat, likewise wearing certain clothes, doing certain practices, drinking liquor for instance.

Elder Steven shared how he once attended a reunion and was offered alcohol. Now to him, there is nothing wrong with alcohol within control, but not getting drunk. However, a Baptist pastor who was there with him advised him to abstain as there could be younger brothers in their midst. For their sake, Elder Steven abstained, and he believed it was the right thing to do in that instance.

In his church, there are some who see buffets as sinful. The Elder sees it as nothing wrong yet will not mention it in the presence of these brothers and sisters out of respect for them. If anything will cause a brother or sister to stumble, it is best to abstain. Amazingly, there was even a brother who came up to Elder Steven during a fundraising and told him upfront that he would not contribute a single sen because he looked very prosperous, as he had a big belly. In this instance, even a person’s size could stumble a fellow believer, what more our actions. In a similar instance, there is nothing inherently wrong with a pastor driving a BMW, but if a poor church member may think, my offering is being used to help pastor sustain this lifestyle, then it is better for the pastor to drive a normal, average car. The principle is always to be sensitive not to stumble others.

The apostle Paul later wrote how he became all things to all men, so that by God’s grace, some might be saved. To a Jew he became a Jew, to a Greek he became a Greek. Always, always, his priority was to honor Christ in everything he did.

In conclusion, that too should be our aim in life – to be full of grace and truth, considerate of others in love in whatever we do.

God bless,

Jason

 

Unconditional love from a broken heart

Unconditional love from a broken heart

Recently, I was privileged to hear a sermon by Reverend Lim Kar Yong who spoke on the Minor Prophet Hosea Chapters 1-3. Studying further into these chapters, we find a wonderful picture of a loving God loving an unfaithful people even when it breaks His heart.

Now Hosea served God across the reigns of four kings of Judah and King Jeroboam the son of Joash of Israel. In those days just as before, the Israelites began to follow the detestable practices of the Canaanites that were driven out before them. They worshiped the pagan god of fertility Baal, they built high places that were abominable to God and even sacrificed their children in the fire. They would still worship God but also other gods for they wanted the best of everything. All that they did was akin to spiritual prostitution, breaking the covenant they had with the Lord God who had been so faithful to them.

It is against this backdrop that God commanded Hosea to take a prostitute as a wife to himself who would be symbolic of the nation of Israel. And so Hosea took Gomer. And as Gomer bore Hosea three children, the name of each child became a message from God. The firstborn was named Jezreel, a beautiful place that became associated with great violence because of the killing of Queen Jezebel and the royal family. And his son was named Jezreel to prophetically declare that the kingdom of the house of Israel would cease and this became true with the coming of the Assyrians who took the people away into captivity.

Hosea’s second child, a daughter, was called Lo-Ruhamah which means “no mercy” and her sister later was called Lo-Ammi which means “not my people”. Their names painted for us a sad picture of God forsaking His people Israel because of their prostitution and adultery saying “I will no longer have mercy on you. You will no longer be my people, and I will no longer be your god.”

Still, in spite of this, at the end of the chapter, there is a prophecy that the Israelites would number like the sand of the sea, and, “in the place where it was said to them, you are not my people, they will be called the sons of the living God”. And in a direct reference to the Messiah, there was the prophecy of the children of Israel and Judah coming out in glory under one Head, which can only be Jesus Christ. Basically, the promise is that God will once again bring them back and accept them in latter days

In Hosea 2, the illustration continues of a harlot behaving shamefully chasing her lovers to give the picture of Israel shamefully chasing after other gods. There is also the powerful mention of the hedge of thorns that stops her from pursuing her sinful ways. And as she is left all alone, she realizes that she should go back to her first husband. Just as God raises up obstacles and troubles to turn Israel back to Him before they are utterly destroyed, so too God sometimes creates obstacles or difficulties for us so that we will return to the correct paths.

Even in calling the shameful wife back to repentance, we see the heart of the husband that speaks to her tenderly and gives her blessings and hope in spite of all the betrayal she has done. This is exactly the situation with God and His people whom He will later call and receive back in loving kindness. At the end of this chapter, there is also a prophetic reference to God also including us, the Gentiles in His great plan of salvation:- “I will say to them which were not my people, Thou are my people, and they shall say “Thou art my God”.

Finally, in Hosea 3, we see a touching scene where Hosea goes and buys back Gomer for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer of barley which is a sizeable sum. We do not know how Gomer became a slave but the act of Hosea buying her back gives us the picture of a faithful and forgiving husband redeeming a adulterous and unfaithful wife.

Throughout these imagery and examples, we see a loving God hurt and betrayed by a people He chose for His own who had turned away and chased false gods. Yet in spite of all they had done, God still loved them, and provided a way out for them to return again to Him and be with them forever.

Hence, in all this, we see the depths of God’s undeserved mercy and kindness upon us who are unworthy and wretched, having turned away from God in our sin. For us, our false gods may be work, interests, hobbies, anything at all that takes the place of our passion for God. The apostle John declared “We love because He first loved us”. As we begin to understand and feel the love He has for us, we too will begin to learn to really love others.

Thank You Lord for Your loving kindness and mercies that are truly new every morning. Help us always remain in Your love and be loyal and faithful to You as our Savior and Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Your Ministry

Your Ministry: Pastor Leong Chik Kee

Pastor Leong’s entire sermon was based on two key statements which form the foundation of our ministry for the Lord.

(A) God is more interested in our character formation than our ministry for Him.

(B) Ministry must be a natural outflow of our intimate walk with God.

The main point of the message is that even though church ministry is important and good, our number one priority must always be our relationship with God. The danger is that we become so busy in our various activities and ministries in church that we substitute it for intimacy with God.

FGA encourages a one man one ministry focus, although in some cases, one leader may have two main ministries.

In Jesus’ ministry, He always took time to be alone and have communion with God. The whole source of power for His ministry were these moments of being with God. This brings to mind, Jesus’ words to some who said “Didn’t we do this and that in Your name.”. He said, “I never knew you.” Do we take time to know Jesus?

If we make spending time with God our priority, our ministry will be a natural outflow of our walk with God. Our ministry is no longer confined to church, but a lifelong ministry, where there is no retirement! Wherever we go, we will bring Christ’s love and kindness. Whenever the opportunity arises, we will do good! This is the aim we must go for!

Another reminder Pastor Leong gave was to consider our heart in any church ministry we are in. God looks at the heart, and He cherishes a servant’s heart. Therefore we must make sure pride does not cloud our eyes. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, just such a thing had happened, when Euodia and Syntyche, two leaders in the church had become embittered with each other and caused disunity. We must remember to in humility, consider others better than ourselves and do nothing out of selfish ambition and vain conceit.

God bless,

Jason

Worship and Fellowship

Dr Rosy Leong: Worship and Fellowship

We are called to be worshippers, it’s a lifestyle.

In the Old Testament, only Levites could enter the presence of God, but after Pentecost, we are all high priests.

⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Revelation 1:6

⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

Let us give him thanksgiving, worship and praise for that is all we are able to give Him. Thanksgiving relates to the goodness of God!

Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, Psalm 50:14

Thanksgiving helps us focus on the Lord.

Worship is the highest priority and helps us focus on the Lord.

   ⁷ Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
       ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
    ⁸ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
       bring an offering and come into his courts.
    ⁹ Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
       tremble before him, all the earth. Psalm 96:7-9

In the inner court, we come into the holy of holies, and we must love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind. The first and greatest commandment.

The tabernacle is a pattern, a road map, a model, the path of life for worship. Beauty and strength is found in His sanctuary.

²³Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24

The Holy Spirit brings us to worship God.

¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— John 14:16

The Holy Spirit is a person! True worship occurs when we connect with the Spirit of God, spirit to Spirit!

¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect^[a] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Chronicles 3:17-18

Where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty. Do not be like Lazarus who came out of the tomb still bound by the burial linen. Only after he took off the burial clothes could he be free.

We must also worship in truth, based on the Word of God! If we have too much Word alone, we dry up. If we have too much Spirit alone, we blow up. If we have Word and Spirit together we grow up!

In the Holy place, the golden lampstand signifies the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

  ²The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD Isaiah 11:2

The table and showbread signifies the living Word. The Altar of Incense signifies prayers and worship, and in the Holy of Holies, this is where God meets the High priest.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we must live a life of thanksgiving, praise and true Worship! We are anointed to worship, anointed to speak. Our tongues can release blessing or curses, God or the devil, good or evil, life or death, healing or hurt

   ³Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips Psalm 141:3

There is powerful dynamics in the speaking of tongues.

¹⁸I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 1 Corinthians 14:18

⁴He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 1 Corinthians 14:4

¹⁸"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4:18-19

The Spirit of God was upon Jesus!

¹⁴May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all 2 Corinthians 13:14

We must seek communion with the Holy Spirit!

True fellowship is koinonia:-

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, Acts 2:42,46

³We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:3,7

²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

Waves of Destiny

Waves of Destiny

“ Who knoweth whether thou art come into the kingdom for such a time as this?” These powerful words rang in the ears of Queen Esther, uttered forcefully by her beloved guardian and cousin, Mordecai the Jew. Taken from Esther 4:14, this eternal challenge formed the basis for our sermon on Sunday given by sister Poh Gaik.

The story of Esther is largely based on destiny, and in an exciting narrative shows how a series of “coincidences” overturned an alarming threat of extinction for the entire Jewish people into a great victory for them. In an unprecedented turn of events, the royal Queen Vashti was deposed for an act of disobedience to the mighty King of Persia. A search was called in all the land to find a new beauty who would be queen, and to the surprise of everyone, a poor, orphan Jewish girl was chosen, and she quickly rose to become queen of the most powerful empire in all the earth. Coincidentally, a wicked man called Haman also rose to power at that time and he, offended by a certain stubborn Jew who refused to bow to him, launched an evil plan to exterminate the entire race of God’s people.

Mordecai the Jew immediately turned to his precious child, Esther for help, but she was at first horrified at the thought of approaching the king unbeckoned, something no one ever did. He persuaded her further and drew attention to the possibility that it was destiny that brought her there, and she agreed soberly to do her best to help, but called for a fast by all the Jews to invoke divine power and favor. On the third day, Esther risked her life in approaching the king unbidded, but he showed favor to her, sparing her life, and even offering her up to half his kingdom. Wisely and patiently, she invited the king and Haman to a special banquet where she would present her request. That same night, the king himself coincidentally could not sleep, and called for the book of the Chronicles, the record of his reign to be brought in and read to him. Here, he discovered that Mordecai the Jew had uncovered a plot to kill him, yet was never rewarded for saving the life of the king. Coincidentally again, Haman happened to be there the next day, and the king asked him what should be done for a man who pleased the king. Haman, arrogantly thinking it was himself, suggested a lavish parade for the man in the city, and to his horror, Mordecai received that very glory. Shortly after, at the banquet, Queen Esther revealed to the king the evil plan of Haman to exterminate all the Jews, including herself, and the king’s rage could not be contained. Haman was hanged, and a new order was decreed which gave the Jews the upper hand, and they vanquished their enemies with ease.

Throughout the book of Esther, there is not a single mention of God or prayer, yet God’s hand is so clearly and marvelously at work behind the scenes at all times. A great man once said, there are no coincidences, only God’s appointments.

Some lessons on Esther

-         Each one of us is placed exactly where we are because of God’s will (Like Esther, let us be willing and ready to do his will with all that we have)

-         God is in control at all times (We must trust God always, in any circumstance)

-         God has strategic vessels (like Esther) in position to carry out His plans, but cannot carry it out without vital links (like Mordecai) (Keep in prayer and readiness to join God in His work at any time)

-         God’s promises are always fulfilled (Mordecai was confident the Jews would not be exterminated, even if Queen Esther did not rise up)

-         It is important to wait for God’s timing. Esther waited for the opportune time to present her request to the king

-         Arrogance and boastfulness help one along towards his destruction (Haman)

 God bless,

Jason

Washing the Master’s Feet

Washing the Master’s Feet

This Sunday at CDC, we were privileged to have our own Pastor Richard give the message on “Washing the Master’s Feet”, on the famous passage of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus.

Six days before the Passover, in the house of Simon the Leper, a feast had been given in Jesus’ honor. Martha was serving, and Jesus, Lazarus and His disciples were reclining at the table. And then Mary came to the Lord. In her hands, she held a pint of pure nard, a very expensive perfume, and poured it lavishly on Jesus feet until the house was filled with fragrance. And she wiped his feet with her own beautiful, long hair….

It was an unprecedented act, unthinkable of any woman in those days. But Mary did not care. She loved Jesus and worshipped Him the best way she knew how. She did not care what the other men thought, not even what her own sister and brother would think. She only thought of Jesus, and expressed all her love for Him.

Pastor Richard at this point shared with us three lessons that we can learn about worship from Mary. Firstly, Mary bowed low before Jesus. She came to Him knowing He was Lord and worthy of all reverence and glory. Secondly, Mary was bold. She was willing to suffer ridicule and shame because of her love for Jesus. Thirdly, Mary was extravagant and generous. No worship of the Lord can be too extravagant or generous. When we worship the Lord, we must not hold back, but give all that our heart stirs us.

Pastor Richard said that there are three kinds of givers. The first giver is like a flint. One must strike it hard just to get a few sparks and chips. The second giver is like a sponge. One must squeeze it hard to get out any water. The final giver is like a honeycomb, overflowing with honey. We were challenged to be like the honeycomb, giving freely and generously to the Lord, whether in offerings, service or worship.

Judas had a far different spirit. He said “Why this waste of perfume?” To Judas, Jesus was not worth it. He had not grasped that Jesus was Lord, King of Kings and no sacrifice could be lavish for Him. Jesus was worth EVERYTHING to Mary. Who is Jesus to us, really? Is Jesus really worth it? Is Jesus really worth it? Would we be able to give of ourselves without counting the cost for Him? Judas’ calculating mind immediately estimated that the perfume cost a year’s wages. Could we give up even 10 months salary to the Lord?

Pastor Richard shared that “Kenosis” means to empty, and many times, he had his fellow servants at Kenosis emptied themselves for the Lord’s work, and each time, the Lord showed Himself faithful. They saw miracle after miracle.

Jesus said “She has done a beautiful thing for me”. In closing, we were exhorted to examine ourselves, to see if were doing anything that Jesus could call beautiful. Jesus is worth all our sacrifice. Jesus is worth all our extravagance. Jesus is worth all that we can give and more. God bless, Jason 

Walls of Jericho

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have Pastor Richard give the message on the famous story of the Fall of Jericho from the book of Joshua Chapter 6. Starting off the message, Pastor Richard brought us to the place where it happened, trying to capture the emotions of the people as they marched round Jericho again and again for days, and in silence. The people of Jericho must have laughed at them, thinking these people odd or insane. One wonders whether any stones were thrown, whether any arrows shot. Perhaps, the people were just too curious to see what this strange ceremony would lead up to. It was never done before and it would never be done again, but the result of that famous march is of course one of the greatest miracles the world has ever seen. 12-15 feet high walls crashing down altogether, pandemonium as the Israelites rushed into a shocked city. Just like the Titanic sunk, the great walls of Jericho collapsed.

The people needed faith to be obedient to Joshua, but miracles were not new to them. They had seen so many in the desert, they truly believed that anything was possible for God and we too need to believe that anything is possible for God! It does not matter how high our walls of imprisonment, how treacherous and huge our mountains.

However, we should well realize that before Joshua’s great victory, he first had a very powerful encounter, an encounter with the Lord. The man with a drawn sword in his hand, the commander of the Lord’s army, spoke to Joshua from the Lord Himself. Many scholars are sure that the commander of the Lord is actually the pre-existing Christ Himself for indeed Jesus Christ is the commander of the Lord’s army.

The main point of the whole message was to focus on this key word – Encounter. It is the basis, the foundation, from which we can have any true lasting victory in our lives. Joshua encountered God, he listened, he obeyed, and he was victorious. It is the same for us, we need to encounter God, to listen to Him, to obey Him, and then be victorious in Him.

If we don’t meet God, how can we listen to Him? If we don’t listen to Him, how can we obey? But how many of us truly set our hearts on meeting God, often and always? Much has been said about the great importance of the personal Quiet Time, and indeed, that cannot be emphasized enough. Christianity is not about a set of rules. Following rules in our own strength can get us nowhere. The most important thing is our heart, our desire to know what is God’s will. The Bible teaches us to live, but we can only truly understand what the Bible means if we know God and spend time with Him. We need to read, to listen, to pray, to seek God. As Paul says, God is not far from us. We only need to reach out and find Him.

All around us, there are many walls of Jericho in our lives - Walls of greed, walls of sorrow, walls of pride, walls of immorality, walls of racism. There are so many walls of sin, walls that reflect our shame and our failures.

Again, the key is the Encounter. As we continue meeting God, continuing to seek His face day after day, we will see these walls come down one by one, as the commander of the Lord’s army goes before us, to make straight paths for us. The Lord told the Israelites, “You need only be still. The Lord will fight for you”. And He swamped the Egyptian army into the Red Sea.

In closing, Pastor Richard led us in singing “Be still”, and indeed, may be learn to be still, to seek God, and encounter the joy and blessing of knowing our Savior. In Jesus name, Amen.

Walking on the Supernatural

Walking on the Supernatural

This Sunday, we were privileged to worship with Calvary Church, Damansara Perdana, and hear the message by the very distinguished Senior Pastor of King’s Cathedral, Hawaii, Pastor James Marocco.

The text of the morning was based on Matthew 14:22-31 which describes the amazing episode of Jesus walking on water, and Peter actually joined him, in walking on the Supernatural. Pastor Marocco shared with us 5 very powerful points that he learned from this wonderful passage, and how it could very well change our lives and allow God to truly help us walk on the supernatural, by faith, and not by sight.

After Jesus had performed the great miracle of feeding the crowd of 5000, He immediately dismissed them and after sending his disciples ahead, went up to a mountainside by himself to pray. And then in the fourth watch of the night, the Lord went out to them, walking on water…..

All the disciples saw Jesus walking on water, they saw Jesus walking on the Supernatural! The first point of the message is vision. To walk on the Supernatural, we must first have a vision of what the Lord is doing! We need to look up to heaven and ask Jesus to open our eyes and show us what He is doing here, right in Malaysia! Pastor Marocco shared how he and his small family trembled as God called them to a small island in Hawaii, to serve in a small church. They barely had enough to live on, and the church offerings were so little, but they persevered in their calling, and today, miraculously, they have become the largest church in Hawaii, having satellites in every island and even in the United States.

Secondly, while all the disciples had the vision, only Peter had the passion. He had the desire to want to be like Jesus. He realized that since Jesus was his master, he too could walk on water, just like Jesus did! We need to have passion to join Jesus in His work. Pastor Marocco shared how once he was called by God to plant a church on the island of Honolulu. At that time, he already had his hands full with churches in several of the islands, and he was reluctant to go there. There were already growing churches there. Then, one day, the Lord revealed to him “It’s not that I need you there; I’m giving you a chance to be part of my revival that will happen there!” Greatly humbled, Pastor Marocco obeyed and he went to scout out land for a church, even though he really did not have any financial resources left at all. Strangely, he came to a shopping complex with a large retail supermarket with a KFC beside it. Then, he asked God, “Lord, if you want me here, then let your church be in this very building. Amazingly, a few months later, one of his people who had been scouting property in Honolulu told him “Pastor, strangely, a large food chain store is going out of business…” Shortly, King’s Cathedral Oahu was born….

Thirdly, Peter heard the Lord say to him, “Come.” We need to learn to listen, to be alert for the voice of God, to hear what God may be saying to us.

Fourthly, Peter took action. After hearing, he obeyed and went to the Lord, walking on the water! Pastor Marocco shared how one time, when the church needed funds for expansion, the Lord challenged him to pledge three months of his salary. At that time, he had no savings, and there was not enough to feed his family. He struggled, but after getting support from his wife, obeyed. Amazingly, for the first 2 months, some ladies bought groceries for his family every week, and in the third month, he received some money which was only due 1 year later. In the course of his life, Pastor Marocco even experienced being able to give 1 Million Dollars to God’s work. He has never been in need, for God indeed is no man’s debtor!

Finally, we learn an important lesson in what Peter did not do – We need to keep our eyes on Jesus. To fail to keep our eyes on Jesus can be fatal to a Christian leader. The moment we focus on ourselves and our pride, we put ourselves in grave danger, and we an fall into deep, treacherous waters of the sea of the world. Pastor Marocco was especially touched by Jesus’ words, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Throughout his life, the Lord challenged him so many times do things that seemed insane, to give when he had nothing left, to trust in God for his most basic necessities, and the Lord provided for him every time and involved him in God’s supernatural work. The expansion and rise of King’s Cathedral is indeed a miracle of God beyond the imagination of any human mind.

May the Lord truly help us have His vision, His passion, Hear His Voice, and Obey Him and always keep our eyes on Him. In Jesus name, Amen

God bless,

Jason

True Friendship

True Friendship

This Sunday at CDC, we had the privilege of our own Chairman and Elder Quah Poh Keat give the sermon on 1^st Samuel 18, based on the wonderful friendship between David and Jonathan. It was a wonderful subject which teaches us about the qualities of friendship:-

-         Our Lord Jesus shows us

-         We can show Jesus

-         We can show to others

(1) The first basis of a truly wonderful friendship – trust in God

The first and most important basis of a truly wonderful friendship is a common love, belief, trust and hope in God. Both Jonathan and David loved God and trusted in Him no matter what the circumstances. It was Jonathan who uttered the famous words “Nothing can hinder God from saving, whether by many or by few” before proceeding to rout an entire Philistine outpost with only his trusted armor bearer at his side. Likewise, David, with only five small stones defeated the giant Goliath, with those immortal words “You come against me with spear and sword and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of all the armies of Israel whom you have defied.” Both David and Jonathan trusted God as the God of whom nothing is impossible, and this common faith bonded them together to be one in spirit.

As we continue to put our hope in trust in our Father in Heaven, we will grow closer in friendship with our Lord Jesus, and also grow in our fellowship with our fellow believers who love God like we do.

(2) The generosity of a friend

Jonathan was completely generous with David. He let David have his most precious things - his armor, bow and sword.

Our Lord Jesus is completely generous with us, giving us all good things, even His life for our sake. We too, need to learn to be a friend to Jesus, giving generously of our time, money and resources to the work of God, and be a great blessing to others.  

(3) Friends stand up for each other.

Jonathan stood up for David against his own father, Saul.

Jesus stands up for us as our great High Priest in Heaven. He is our defender, our advocate, who speaks on our behalf to save our lives from those who condemn us. We too need to acknowledge Jesus before men, and stand up for Him. Likewise, we must also learn to stand up for each other, defending our friends when they are in need.

(4) Friends take risks for each other

Jonathan took great risk in seeking out David in the desert. Any one of David’s men could have mistakenly killed him, and there were also the Philistines and wild animals. Jonathan also took great risk in standing up for David. His father Saul even tried to kill him in his madness. 

Jesus risked and endured rejection, suffering and ultimately death for our sake, because He considered us our friends. We need to learn to take risks for Jesus too, if we really consider Him our friend. Similarly, we need to take risks to help others, even rejection and persecution as we seek to bring Christ to our friends who do not know Him.

(5) True friends are not afraid of their friends becoming better than them, they want the best for their friends

Jonathan knew that David would be king, and that he would only be second place to David. However, he did not mind at all, but wanted the best for David. He was truly a great and humble friend.

Our Lord Jesus, despite being the great Son of God, lowered Himself to be mere man and slave for our sake, that we might be saved. We need to place Jesus as first in our lives. He must become greater, we must become less. In the same way, we need to look to our friends interests, hoping the best for them and helping them, even if it means surpassing us. There’s no room for “kiasuism” in the kingdom of God.

(6) True friends give encouragement in a time of need

David was down and out, hunted as a fugitive in the desert, far from God’s temple and his family. Jonathan sought David out and encouraged him….. David really needed a confirmation that God was still with him, and Jonathan gave that. He was exactly as his name means – gift of God.

Our Lord Jesus encouraged and commissioned Peter, even though he was in despair for denying the Lord three times. Our Lord stood beside Paul and encouraged him in his hour of need. He continues to encourage us today, in spite of our weakness and sin, spurring us on to the right path. We need to remember to bless and thank the Lord for all He does, and also be an encouragement to our friends, always looking out to strengthen and encourage someone who may need it.

(7) Friends stay loyal to the end.

Although Jonathan disagreed with his father, King Saul, he was still loyal to him and fought by his side to the very end. He was loyal to David till the end, and David too was loyal to Jonathan, even beyond his death, for David showed great kindness to Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, even inviting him to eat at the king’s table.

Finally, our Lord Jesus is always faithful and loyal to us. He never turns away anyone who comes to Him. We too need to remain completely loyal to Jesus, and stick by our faith till the very end. Likewise, we also need to be loyal to our friends, and be committed to them always.

God bless,

Jason

Treasures in Heaven

Treasures in Heaven (based on Sermon notes by Kua Soo Li)

As CDC continued its series on the sermon of the Mount, we now came to the passage on treasures in heaven in a sermon given by Mr.Daniel Ho. 

Matthew 6:19-24

 19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
 24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Money, fame, possessions - this is what the whole world goes after. Voltaire once said “When it comes to money, everybody is of the same religion”. Our greed and desire for more drives the economy of the world. Yet, no matter how much we accumulate, we would never be satisfied. “Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of its filling a vacuum, it makes one.” - Ben Franklin

It was certainly the case in Jesus’ day, and still the same today, and will be in the future, until the old order of things passes away. The Pharisees had even interpreted their own law in certain ways that would get them out of monetary obligations. Tax collectors took advantage of their own people for dishonest gain and even among the Jews, they exacted usury on their own fellow brothers. In the book of James, we are duly warned “The love of money is the root of all evil.”

Yet, our Lord Jesus exhorts us to adopt a different viewpoint altogether regarding wealth and earthly possessions. The literal translation for vs.19 is “Do not treasure up treasures on earth…” It is an attitude of the heart towards money and worldly things. While it is not wrong to have many things, it is sinful to have our heart set always towards having more and more money and things for our own selfishness and pride. Pastor Rick Warren in the Purpose Driven Life tells us of a group of businessmen in his church highly skilled in making money, who put their talent to use in raising funds to extend the kingdom. He calls them “Kingdom builders”, and he himself, with the large proceeds stemming from the proceeds of his book, practices this, giving 90% of his wealth to God’s work.

Jesus said that our eyes are the lamp of our body. If our eyes are focused on wealth, our whole life will be spent thinking of ways to acquire wealth. If our eyes are focused on God, our life will instead be spent thinking about serving Him and obeying His will. Our Lord exhorts us not to be focused on the temporal things in this world that will pass away but on the holy things of heaven that will last forever. Paul shares with us in 2 Corinthians 4:18 how we should fix our eyes not on what is seen, which is temporary, but what is unseen, which is eternal. Finally, we need to ask ourselves what drives us, money or God?

We may be poor, but still money may still be our master. The problem is not just a matter of accumulating material things but the extent of our dependence and love for these things. Another aspect of “bad eyes” is that of covetousness, the desire to have the things belonging to others that we do not have. As the saying goes, “the grass is always greener on the other side”. Again, if we focus our eyes away from others and on God, we will learn that godliness with contentment is great gain. Each one should accept what God has given him in life, and in humility, seek to please God as best they can. Then, we would indeed be laying up treasures in heaven, where rust and moth cannot destroy, but true treasure that will last for eternity - the greatest treasure of course will be eternal life and joy in the presence of our wonderful living God and Savior.

God bless,

Jason

Touching the Untouchable

Touching the Untouchable – Dr. Living Lee

At CDC this Sunday, we had the privilege of listening to the very lively Dr.Living Lee who preached on Mark 1:40-45 on the message: Touching the untouchable.

40A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

In those days, leprosy was a long, slow death sentence, and anyone who contracted the disease knew there was nothing more to life except misery, loneliness and brokenness. Lepers would be cut off completely from their family and friends, unable to touch or even come near a loved one. They would be unable to worship at the temple, unable to work, unable to do anything but beg and eke out a miserable existence. “Unclean, unclean”, they had to shout out, there was no hope, until now… The leper heard that Jesus could heal, and in complete desperation sought out the Lord’s healing.

It was a soft, desperate and broken cry, but the Lord heard him. The Lord Jesus will hear us too, if we come to Him in faith and brokenness. He said “whoever comes to me I will never turn away”.

 41Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

Let us know that the Lord is compassionate. Jesus touched the man, showing the compassion He had for him and his suffering. Let us also learn to be like Jesus and compassionate for others.

 43Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44"See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

In those days, the priests were like the medical authority on leprosy, and they were able to inspect and determine if a leper was well. Jesus did not disregard their authority, but asked the man to go to them to confirm his healing. Today, when the Lord has performed a healing, it is not lack of faith to verify the healing with the doctors.  

45Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Jesus never sought out popularity or the favor of large crowds. Instead, He often took time to be alone with God. We too must serve God for His glory, not for popularity or the favor of others, for we are but servants, obedient to the Master’s will.

God bless,

Jason