Decision Time is Getting Near

It was a tension-filled council meeting, the first that I had felt such strong emotions as one last night. Nevertheless, it was a healthy and robust discussion without rancour and it shows the maturity of the leaders involved to freely speak up as the occasion demands it. We discussed whether we wanted to open the church premises for Sunday services as the government had granted us the permission almost three weeks ago with our HQ giving the green light last week that any church could start opening for Sunday services with SOPs' compliance. The sticky point is that only those who had had double-dosed vaccination could enter the premises and one thing that surprised me was that no one asked whether it is biblical or theological sound to impose such vaccine "passport" for church entry.

In Abundance and in Want (Phil 4:12)

I know how to abound and I know how to live in want, so says Paul, the apostle in Phil 4:12. It would be mean that there would be times that Paul had access to funds and lived rather comfortably. But more often than not, Paul was living in humble circumstances, or by faith so to speak as he would not know where the next gift or funding would come. Amazingly, God has been faithful to His promise to me and only in the 8th year of being back in Sabah that I could see clearly the great works of God. Not that I have much abundance but it was God’s fulfilment of His promise to me that He would bless me if I returned to Sabah. I suppose it is God’s way of saying that He was not restricted to work miracles of financial blessings in Singapore but works marvelously also in Sabah, despite Sabah being rated having 5 or 6 times less per capital income than Singapore’s.

Before Sunrise

Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord until sunrise. The angel told Jacob that he must go before sunrise and before the first ray of light of the morning, the angel disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared to Jacob. Angels are sent to do a task or tasks, after which they leave the scene often without a trace. I spoke about angels sealing the servants of God in their foreheads before the blowing of the winds and the 7 trumpets in Rev 8 onwards. Probably no one on earth knows what is going on, but the angels do their work without fanfare and without publicity but the recipients of the angelic blessings are left without doubt what they have encountered, a divine sealing and protection from all the woes to come on earth.

Genesis' Creation Accounts (Gen 1-2)

Tonight I shall complete my Bible Study with my church members on the first two chapters of Genesis. When one compares the Hebrew MT and Greek LXX versions, one comes up with a number of differences. In the Hebrew, Gen 2:2 has God completing the work of creation in 7th day while in the LXX it is in 6 days, and hence the usual 6-day creation narrative. Second, on the day the Lord completed the heavens and the earth, pointing to just a day or one day (yom) in Gen . Thus, the creation account although said to be over 6 or 7 days, it is actually just one day or a day understood symbolically that God created the world at a particular time, known only to Himself and revealed to Moses of what we have in the Genesis' creation accounts.

Preaching Again this Sunday

I had a premonition an hour before my deacon called me. I felt I might have to preach this Sunday though I am not scheduled to do so. I had already prepared a sermon a week before but I preached what I preached last Sunday on the key theme for August-Nov "faith, hope and love". When I saw my deacon's name on my phone I knew what he waa going to say. Perhaps the Lord wants me to speak on something this Sunday. There are several issues playing on my mind but I might just speak on one of them.

Adult Bible Class (Genesis)

While preparing for the Bible Class held last night, I was astonished with how much work I needed to put in for the 90 mins session. Chapter 1 of Genesis presents many interpretive possibilities. Is the day literal 24 hours day or is it symbolic such as one day is like a 1,000 years which could be million of years. There are many clues in the text. The first is that it is not called “first day” but day one instead. In Hebrew it is echad (one) and not rishon (first).

Speaking as the Oracles of God

No matter how one is to preach for God is the one who tests our hearts, it is never going to be easy. Not many people like to receive instruction or even mild rebuke because most people are quite complacent and think that they are on the right side of God. No wonder Jesus says "many will come to Me on that day and say, Lord Lord have we not done this or that in Your name, have we not prophesied, have we not cast out demons and do works as if for God's glory but ultimately Jesus will say to them - "Be gone! I never knew you. You workers of iniquity."

Books I've been reading in July

I started reading Deng Xiaoping (2011), a book I read some 10 years ago but much to garner after a period of a decade in light of China's rapid progress in the world. It happened that 1st July 2021 was the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) founded in 1921. Since the late Deng Xiaoping came into power in late 1978, almost half a billion of people (500 million) have been lifted out from poverty and however one sees it, it is a remarkable achievement, unrivalled in the world. I was joking with my friend who is also interested in Chinese history that China now has more than 30,000kms of high speed train while Sabah since independence still retain its British left-over track with the train running at the same speed of the 1960s! What is the use of democracy if leaders take advantage of the system to enrich themselves and not the nation's development and that her citizens' welfare comes second?

Sense of Divine Calling

I suppose what has kept me going all these years is the sense of divine calling. Despite severe challenges within and without, with false brothers and strangers on every side, I have persevered in God's calling until today. I never give up hope. I pray for my immediate family regularly. Early this morning two of my brothers greeted me and wished me well. In fact it had been a while since we chatted, one from Sydney and the other in KK. I will remember their good will for a long time. Heartache is also aplenty. Did not Jesus say, "three will be against two in the family and son will rise against his father, and so on"? Scripture cannot be broken. Jesus did not come to bring "peace" but a sword, casting fire on earth from heaven.

Scripture on that Day

Since late afternoon yesterday, I had been waiting on the Lord for a verse or passage of Scripture at the end of my 56 years and beginning of another year today. It was about 8.30am today that it finally dawned on me after receiving a phone-call from my brother in KK and an earlier text message from another brother in Sydney. The passage comes from 2 Timothy 4:2-5 which reads: "Preach the Word in season and out of season - "welcome or unwelcome, insist on it" (New Jerusalem Bible). Refute falsehood, correct error, give encouragement - do all with patience and with care to instruct. Yes, that's my calling as a preacher - someone who reproves or rebukes others in the name of God. Who is adequate for all these?

Sunday is Surreal

I drove out early to Lingan Square about 12kms and had breakfast. I already had bread at home at 6.30am and at 8,30am I had a bowl of pan mee with meatballs. It was surreal because it was Sunday. I would never go out on a Sunday morning as I would be busy preparing for church even when I am not preaching. Now that the lockdown has gone on for 2 months, it was the first Sunday I was away from “church”. Last month when I was not preaching I was still attending “church” as a congregation member, listening to my elder preached and then led prayers.