Tun Dr. Mahathir's Life of Reading #November 2021

There are so many things to disagree with Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on politics but the man is a legend. In my opinion, his political stands are questionable yet his passion for the people* is admirable (I think he would be better off if he were to remain as Minister of Education in the previous government instead of being Prime Minister all over again). Set aside politics, which is a very discouraging subject nowadays, one thing that Tun Mahathir influences me the most is his love for reading. "I read books every day," he said during an interview with Reader's Digest for April 2020 cover magazine. He continues: "Reading is acquiring knowledge, and knowledge contributes toward your ability to tackle problems and your relationships with other people." He also said that reading gives him the substance to talk with some degree of authority.

At the age of 96, Tun Mahathir's mental sharpness can put many young people in their 30s to shame (Don't be one of them!). The term for this is 'super-agers' which refers to people in their 80s and above who have cognitive or physical function equal to that of people decades younger. One of the key factors is their lifestyle choices such as having a good habit of reading - and enjoying it. There are at least Five (5) Mental Benefits for seniors who enjoy reading books: 1) Enhancing memory; 2) Sharpening decision-making skills; 3) Delaying onset of Alzheimer’s and Dementia; 4) Reducing stress and anxiety; and 5) Help to sleep better. Well, you don't have to wait for your senior years to cultivate the habit of reading books and reap the benefits, you can start now. Actually, you MUST start now. The earlier the better. "Any time that I am free I read," remarks Tun Mahathir, "I cannot imagine doing nothing." Legend! 

#ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #WhyReadingMatters #TunDrMahathir #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my summary-review of these books for #1Book1Week November 2020, click titles below:

1.  The Greatest Fight: Spurgeon’s Urgent Message for Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists (2018) by Charles H. Spurgeon
2. I Believe In The Holy Spirit (1965) by Maynard James
3. The Corinthian Agenda (1982, 2004) by Michael Green
4. Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations (2016) by Dan Ariely                            

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Timothy, Tell the Children to Take Care of Their Parents (1 Timothy 5:3-8)

 “Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worst than an unbeliever.”

(1 Timothy 5:3-8, ESV)

The bottom line of 1 Timothy 5:3-16 as I understand it is this: God’s people, namely the church, is to help to supply not just spiritual needs but also material needs of other vulnerable Christians (for example here, the “widows”) if there are no other believing family members to do so. But if there are, then, they ought to provide the needs by all means. What Paul writes here concerning care for widows can be applied to any Christians in real need. But one thing we must keep in mind, however, the church is not a welfare agency. The church is not to put social work before the gospel of the grace of God. Beware of the damnable social gospel nowadays! The church is to take responsibility to care for those who are really in need only when there are no other Christian family members to do so (I’m repeating myself here to emphasize the point!). “Let the church not be burdened,” reminds Paul later, “so that it may care for those who are truly widows” (v.16). The qualifications of widows to be supported are listed in verses 9 and 10. Spiritually, they are the godly widows who set their “hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day” NOT those who are “self-indulgent” or “live only for pleasure” (NLT), that is, the ungodly.

First moral responsibility is placed upon Christian relatives (“children or grandchildren” or any family members) at least because of these five reasons: 1) To show one’s “godliness”, 2) To repay or “to make some return” to one’s parents or grandparents. To “honor” is to show “respect” (the fifth commandment in Exodus 20:12), 3) To please God. “This is pleasing in the sight of God”; 4) To affirm one’s faith because if not he or she “has denied the faith and is worst than an unbeliever”, and, 5) To unburdened the church (v.16). It is sad that sometimes even Christians who have been loved and cared for by their parents or grandparents, practically turn their backs on them in their hour of need. The dramas on Malaysian TV series and films on Netflix about how the children argue with one another on who will take care of their elderly parents or the decision to send their parents to old folks' homes are the reflections of what really happened in our culture today. How come one mother can take care of ten children all by herself but her children can’t take care of their only mother? Such children - or probably YOU - need to hear these words all over again: “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worst than an unbeliever.” Strong words, yes, but the truth is always is!

To read previous short articles on 1 Timothy, CLICK HERE 

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The Greatest Fight: Spurgeon’s Urgent Message for Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists (2018) by Charles H. Spurgeon, Audiobook Review

 The Greatest Fight: Spurgeon’s Urgent Message for Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists 
(1891, Revised Edition 2018) by Charles H. Spurgeon, Audiobook

I’ve listened to this audiobook for the third time already! (that shows how good it is). Every time I hear it again, I learned something new. There is something peculiar about Christian classic books written by old, faithful, and powerful preachers like Charles H. Spurgeon that draw me to them over and over again. Perhaps it is due to (most, not all) shallow popular Christian writings in this present day. Or perhaps it is due to Bible-saturated, thoughtful, and meaty writings of the past. Or maybe both (obviously, I’m biased). One observation that I see in the writings of such men and women of God of the past that are considered timeless is this: they believe by faith that the Scriptures, namely the Bible, is the very Word of God. The assumption is that if God said it in the Scriptures, then it is so. Spurgeon once remarks: “If your creed and Scripture do not agree, cut your creed to pieces, but make it agree with this book.”

And hear this: “Men talk of ‘the mistakes of Scripture.’ I thank God that I have never met with any. Mistakes of translation there may be, for translators are men. But mistakes of the original word there never can be, for the God who spoke it is infallible, and so is every word He speaks, and in that confidence, we find delightful rest.” Spurgeon was not uninformed with the Biblical and textual criticism issues during his lifetime (in fact, he engaged with it directly in the famous Downgrade Controversy). But Spurgeon - and few others - stand firm in the promise of God that He will keep and preserve His words forever (Psalm 12:6-7). Because of this Spirit-originated conviction, I can hear his confident and urgent plea for the pastors, teachers, evangelists, and Christians, in general, to continue to fight the greatest fight in the world in the pages of this powerful book… Errr… or in my case, in the audiobook to be exact.

This short book is originally known as The Greatest Fight In the World and was first published in 1891. Aneko Press revised and updated it in 2018 by replacing the terminology from the 1800s with language that modern readers would understand “while keeping the heart of the message unchanged.” They also replaced the old references from Scripture by using the Jubilee Bible. I love to hear the soothing voice of the narrator, Saethon Williams, with the not-so-thick Englishmen accent (Spurgeon was a British preacher). In 1891, one year before Charles H. Spurgeon's death (1834-1892), he delivered his final annual address to his fellow pastors and Pastors’ College students offers them practical advice on how to approach the fight of faith. He does so under four (4) main headings:

Chapter 1: Our Fight. “My topics have to do with our lifework - with the crusade against error and sin in which we are engaged. I hope every person here wears the red cross on his or her heart as a badge and promises to act boldly for Christ and His cross and to never be satisfied until Christ’s enemies are defeated and Christ Himself is satisfied. Our fathers used to speak of ‘the cause of God and truth,’ and it is for this that we bear arms, the few against the many, the feeble against the mighty. Oh, to be found good soldiers of Jesus Christ!.” This first chapter set the tone for the old Spurgeon to challenge his readers to fight the good fight of faith by the power and grace of God. Truly, the battle is the Lord’s, rather than ours, he reminds us.

Chapter 2: Our Armory. In my opinion, this is the most important chapter in the book (although Spurgeon said chapter 4 is). It is worth the time to consume it and reflect upon the wisdom of this wounded but victorious man of God on his theology and practice of the Scriptures. “The first is our armory – our weapon, which is the inspired Word.”

Chapter 3: Our Army. “The second is our army, the church of the living God, called out by Himself, which we must lead under our Lord’s command.”

Chapter 4: Our Strength. “The third is our strength, by which we wear the armor and use the sword. The Holy Spirit is our power to be and to do, to suffer and to serve, to grow and to fight, to wrestle and to overcome. Our third theme is of main importance, and though we place it last, we rank it first.”

You don’t have to be a pastor or a teacher or an evangelist - or even an unashamed Calvinist like him - to appreciate this book. If you’re a Christ-follower, I highly recommend that you read or listen to it. Spurgeon speaks with authority because he relies on our common authority, namely, the Scriptures. In his own words: “Go forth, oh, soldiers of Jesus Christ, with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).” Amen!

[Note: I get the audiobook - and many other wonderful books - from Aneko Press YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/Anekopress. Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE it! Also, if you prefer to read the ebook, you read it for free from their website.]

#ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #1Book1Week #CharlesSpurgeon #TheGreatestFightInTheWorld #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

 To read my other book reviews and articles related to Spurgeon, CLICK HERE 

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I Believe In The Holy Spirit (1965) by Maynard James, Book Review

 I Believe In The Holy Spirit (1965) by Maynard James

A good and sound Biblical book on the Holy Spirit is very hard to find. There are chapters on the subject in my systematic theology textbooks but it is either too technical or too Western-minded to appreciate the personality and work of the Holy Spirit in all phases of human life. And most of the popular modern-day books on the subject are very shallow and too self-centered (and sometimes heretics!) for me to take their words seriously. I agree with Norman P. Grubb in his foreword when he writes: "The range and aptness of [Maynard James'] Biblical references, the breadth and scope of his quotations from theological authors through the centuries, and the pungency of his facts and illustrations collected from all kinds of courses, grip my attention." Yes, it sure did grip my attention too! I opened my Bible as much as I turned the pages of this book as I read it.

In my observation, there is a good steady development in the interest of honoring the most neglected person in the Trinity, namely, the Holy Spirit today - even this year. For example, in October 2021, The Reformed Seminary of Latin America have organized a 6-day virtual conference The Person & Ministry of the Holy Spirit (I've watched most of the sermons on YouTube). Also, there was a 2-day Holy Spirit: Mantles conference held on January 2021 organized by Project ETV by well-known Charismatic preachers. Again, since last year, a popular pastor, Philip Mantofa, has made "Holy Spirit, My Best Friend" tagline known in both Indonesian and Malaysian churches through his book, song, and sermon series. For all of this exposure to bring awareness to God the Spirit (although we must acknowledge there are weird and false teachings out there), we should be deeply thankful. But overall, to the church worldwide, the reality of the person of the Holy Spirit remains neglected down the centuries until today. This is, as the author would call it, "The sin of neglect." I'm guilty of this sin too.

"It has been pointed out that the Holy Spirit is directly mentioned not less than 86 times in the Old Testament and at least 261 times in the New Testament," explained Maynard. "Some Christians would be quite surprised if told that 25 different names or titles are given to the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures." Here are just ten names: The Spirit of Holiness (Romans 1:4), The Eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14), The Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9), The Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2), The Spirit of Truth (John 14:1, 17), The Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29), The Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8:15), The Promise of the Father (Acts 1:4), The Comforter (John 14:26), and The Spirit of Glory (1 Peter 4:14). Needless to say, the Holy Spirit is a prominent character in the Scriptures and just because He is called the Third Person of the Trinity, it doesn't mean that He is the third in terms of importance. The Holy Spirit is coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son. Maynard has done a good job explaining in each chapter the matchless operations of the Holy Spirit in the creation, the written Word, the incarnate Word, and the human experience. He also discusses the sanctifying power, the gracious regeneration miracle, the three baptisms*, the emblems or symbols, and the gifts of the Spirit. I find that anecdotes that he used to illustrate his points are very helpful and not as annoying as some books that always make themselves the heroes of the story!

I can sense that the author was trying his best to be as balanced in his judgment and theology as possible. But a book on this subject - often gets the critical treatments by the Reformed, often misrepresented by the Charismatic, often treated mystically by the Catholic - will always arouse internal debate among the well-meaning Christians. For sure, I have some disagreements with the author who (but not mentioned directly) comes from the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement background and is thus biased especially in his assessments involving the gifts of the Spirit and his understanding of Spirit baptism(s). I believe in both but differ from some of his interpretations. Let's say, I have my own biases. Other than that, I'm very pleased and edified by the book. Surely, both of us would agree with Charles H. Spurgeon: “Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind. We are useless.” Amen!

#ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #TheHolySpirit #TheTrinity #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my other #1Book1Week book reviews, CLICK HERE

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.