Change and Be the Change

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you” (Romans 12:1-2, The Message)

If you allow God to change you, you will change the world around you. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change. Not only because you are now viewing your environment through new lenses of thoughts, emotions and hearts but also because the change within can allow you to take action in ways you wouldn’t have – or maybe even have thought about. For me that inner, within, inside out change must come from Christ. New lenses from Christ's perspectives.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP. 

Don't Waste the Bible!

“The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living” (Psalm 19:7-8NLT)

We are sometime too emotional when it comes to religious issues. We angry unintelligently, outrageous easily, and act without proper reflections. When issue like ‘burning the Bahasa Malaysia Bible’ happened, some of us react (and still reacting) unwisely. We failed to think and reflect on the implication, the hidden meaning behind the issue. As for me, one of the greatest implications that I learned is to start to appreciate the Bible at hand. If you can read, read the Bible.

There was a story. An elderly man who had never gone to school decided he wanted to learn how to read. His greatest desire was to read the Bible so that God could speak to him through His Word. But learning to read wasn’t easy. Just becoming familiar with the alphabet was hard work. For several years this dedicated Christian kept at it. Finally, he was able to read – a little at first and eventually the entire New Testament. A few days after he had finished the last book of the Bible, he stopped by to talk with a friend. With tears in his eyes, he said,

“It was worth all that effort just to be able to read John 3:16”

Don’t waste your Bible, read it. Don’t waste your sight, find it. Don’t waste your mind, think over it. Don’t waste your heart and will, obey it. Don’t waste your time, study it. Don’t waste your life, believe it. ‘The Scripture are accurate in their descriptions, unfailing in their prophecies, dependable in their promises, reliable in their histories, authorities in their claims, united in their testimony, self-evidencing in their miracles, honest in their records, suggestive in their silence, final in their teachings, divine in their origin, unique in their structure, living in their nature, heavenly in their morality, perennial in their freshness, and inexhaustible in their depth.’ And Jesus Christ is its grand subject, the Glory of God for eternity!

Questions: With all these truths lay open – would you just waste it and not reading it?

Know it in your mind.

Stow it in your heart.

Show it in your life.

Sow it in the world.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP

The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper (Free Books for Christian Workers)

John Piper writes in his preface for The Supremacy of God in Preaching;

John Piper

People are starving for the greatness of God. But most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives. The majesty of God is an unknown cure. There are far more popular prescriptions on the market, but the benefit of any other remedy is brief and shallow. Preaching that does not have the aroma of God’s greatness may entertain for a season, but it will not touch the hidden cry of the soul: “Show me thy glory!”

Years ago during the January prayer week at our church, I decided to preach on the holiness of God from Isaiah 6. I resolved on the first Sunday of the year to unfold the vision of God’s holiness found in the first four verses of that chapter:

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke” (ESV).

So I preached on the holiness of God and did my best to display the majesty and glory of such great and holy God. I gave not one word of application to the lives of the people. Application is essential in the normal course of preaching, but I felt led that day to make a test: Would the passionate portrayal of the greatness of God in and of itself meet the needs of people?

I didn’t realize that not long before this Sunday one the young families of our church discovered that their child was being sexually abused by a close relative. It was incredibly traumatic. They were there that Sunday morning and sat under that message. I wonder how many advisers to us pastors today would have said: ‘Pastor Piper, can’t you see your people are hurting? Can’t you come down out of the heavens and get practical? Don’t you realize what kind of people sit in front of you on Sunday?’ Some weeks later I learned the story. The husband took me aside one Sunday after a service. “John,” he said, “these have been the hardest months of our lives. Do you know what has gotten me through? The vision of the greatness of God’s holiness that you gave me the first week of January. It has been the rock we could stand on.”

The greatness and the glory of God are relevant. It does not matter if the surveys turn up a list of perceived needs that does not include the supreme greatness of the sovereign God of grace. That is the deepest need. Our people are starving for God.

[Quote from John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching. Baker Books 1990. Page 9-11]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

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I'm offering the 1990
publications. This pic is
the revised  edition,
which I don't have.

Special Month FREE Book Offer
for Pastors & Church leaders,
and Christian workers ONLY

I’m giving away ONLY 7 copies of The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper. You are welcome to get a copy for yourself. I believe and pray that this book will help to ignite your passion to preach Christ-centered message in your ministry and life. Do these 2 things:

1.     Comment below “Rich, give me one copy___(Your name). I want to get passionate to preach a biblical standard preaching that is God-centered to my people.” 

2.     And E-mail me at Motivates4life@hotmail.com or send message to my Facebook your real name, phone no. and your postal address. Thank you.

Teen Pregnancy: Sex… and a bit on Virginity

Introduction: Cases out of Control

This year alone I have received news from extended family and friends that some of their daughters are having pregnancies underage. In my own village, there are at least two cases that end up with early ‘premature’ marriage. In Malaysia alone, the teenage girls are getting pregnant with a major hospital recording at least one case every day. If that is not heartbroken enough, The Star (Sept 22, 2010) reported that the Health Ministry recorded 18,652 births by girls below the age of 19 last year compared with 5,962 in the second half of 2010.  According to Dr Mohamad Farouk Abdullah, senior consultant and head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, about 14% of the 12,000 babies delivered annually at the hospital were by teenage mothers with many of them unwed.

Teenage pregnancies are becoming a disturbing trend in Malaysia. “Many cases have gone unreported,” said Datuk Michael Chong, MCA Public Services and Complaints Department, “They become lost and some even ran away from home. Others threw away their newborn babies.” In most cases, the girls became pregnant because they were in relationship and end up with ‘experimental’ sex rather than because of force rape. Both couple normally, if the boyfriend didn’t runaway, will end up with ‘premature’ marriage – unplanned wedding, unblessed by their parents, ashamed by their immediate family, ciaos relationship and other more long-term disastrous outcomes follow (Thus, we should help them as able as we could).

This is not right, something have to change. Our attitude about sex need to change, our mindset about purity need to be heightened and our teaching and practice on Christian chastity need to be radical! Sex has become a recreational activity. Feel boring, sex. Need to unstress, sex. Party and have fun, sex. It seems to me that Malaysian’s friendly hand shake has been replaced with ‘whole body’ shake – and this is just a ‘test’ of getting to know one another. Date end with bed. Do now think later. Pregnant now, married later… only if it’s too late to abort the baby.

God’s Gifts: Sex and Virginity

Please don’t misunderstand me; sex in itself is not evil and dirty, it is beautiful as it was portrayed in the book of The Song of Solomon. In fact, it is God’s gift to humanity. “Men and women are sexual creatures” writes David Cook, “but that does not mean that it is necessary to express that sexuality in a genital way in order to be a man or woman. Jesus never engaged in sexual intercourse, but he was a real man and fully human. We are far more than our genitals.” God’s gift of sex is set in context of the committed relationship of marriage. Therefore, any bodily sex outside marriage is prohibiting in the Scripture. It is called fornication, immorality – SIN! [I have written an article on this issue of sex before marriage. Click the title to read: Sex: Save it for the Best!”]

Before I conclude this unorganized, scattered article, I would like to share a bit about virginity. During my father and mother’s generation, they told me, the high view of the integrity of and respect for the other person was founded not only on love but also on virginity. Today, the concept of virginity is often laughed at. To be a virgin can be scoffed and ridiculed, yet our virginity is a gift from God too. If sex is God’s gift for you to enjoy mutual love intimacy with one another in the context of marriage; virginity is your gift to your partner in the context of respect and integrity. If you’re still virgin, you’re special indeed.

Conclusion

There are many more things to write but I don’t want to bore you. I want to write about how you can stay pure while you are now in a relationship. I tempted to write on how you can experience God’s forgiveness if you already breakdown the sacred boundary, I would one day wish to write about the enjoyment of having sex after marriage… but I have no (some are not yet) credentials to write all of these. Therefore, I restrain myself to do so.

I, however, have a vast amount of confidence that I do have credential to call you, my beloved readers in line of many cases of sex misused (for example, teen pregnancies outside marriage), with the authority of the Scripture, to make or remake a vow to stay pure from sexual immorality. “It is God’s will that you should be holy; that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). The true nature of love (especially in 1 Corinthians 13) is more than having sex. Love say no to sex before marriage, and all yes to it when “two become one flesh” (Mark 10:8, also Genesis 2:24). This is for your own good, enjoyment of sex to the highest purpose. God’s commandments concerning sexuality always serve your best interests. Adele Ahlberg Calhoun points it out:

“[God’s commandments] are life-giving commands, not life-thwarting regulations. God calls adultery and sexual promiscuity bad because these behaviors are destructive to your life. These behaviors do not serve wholesome, healthy relationships, and they don’t bring true freedom.”

We are the temple of God on earth.

The Holy Spirit inhabits our bodies.

And Christ lives in us.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

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Are you seeking for God’s forgiveness now?

Forgiveness is not based on the magnitude of the sin, but on the magnitude of the forgiver’s love: Lord Jesus Christ. Ronald A. Beers writes, “Nothing you’ve done is so bad that God’s complete and unconditional love can’t forgive it. The Bible does, however, mention one unforgivable sin: harboring an attitude of defiant hostility toward God that prevents you from accepting his forgiveness. Only those who don’t want his forgiveness are out of its reach. No matter how seriously you’ve messed up, it will never be enough for God to turn his back on you and deny forgiveness when you ask him for it.”

God in the Scripture says, “Come now, let’s settle this’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.’” (Isaiah 1:18).

This is God’s forgiveness – would you come to Him?

Lord Jesus said, “Come…”

The Driving Power of the Gospel

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, long dead hero of mine, once writes,

Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon
(19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892)
was a British Particular
Baptist preacher

“God [has] appointed a day in which He will judge the world, and we sigh and cry until it shall end the reign of wickedness, and give rest to the oppressed. Brethren, we must preach the coming of the Lord, and preach it somewhat more than we have done, because it is the driving power of the gospel. Too many have kept back these truths, and thus the bone has been taken out of the arm of the gospel. Its point has been broken; its edge has been blunted. The doctrine of judgment to come is the power by which men are to be aroused. There is another life; the Lord will come a second time; judgment will arrive; the wrath of God will be revealed. Where this is not preached, I am bold to say the gospel is not preached. It is absolutely necessary to the preaching of the gospel of Christ that men be warned as to what will happen if they continue in their sins. Ho, ho, sir surgeon, you are too delicate to tell the man that he is ill! You hope to heal the sick without their knowing it. You therefore flatter them, and what happened? They laugh at you; they dance upon their own graves. At last they die! You delicacy is cruelty; your flatteries are poisons; you are murderer. Shall we keep men in fool’s paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in Hell? Are we to become helpers of their damnation by smooth speeches? In the name of God, we will not.”
[Quote from Spurgeon Gold by Ray Comfort. Copyright © 2005 by Bridge-Logos.]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Grow Up in Christ

“When I speak of a person growing in grace, I mean simply this – that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, and his spiritual mindedness more marked.” (Bishop J. C. Ryle)

Spiritual growth is like physical growth. Just like baby soon grow up; you start small and grow one day at a time. As you grow, however, you need nourishments. Physically you need breastmilk or infant formula then eventually move up to solid food etc. Spiritually you need ‘nourishment’ by challenging your mind to study God’s Word, ask questions about it, and seek answers through prayer, the counsel of other believers, and life’s experiences. Look at each day as a building block. Embrace each day as the opportunity to learn and grow. When you commit to building a life of godly character one day at a time, you will find yourself growing more and more spiritually mature. Not to perfection, but toward maturity in Christ.

I think it’s appropriate for me to quote this verse, “…let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.” (Hebrews 6:1NLT). Eugene H. Peterson paraphrased it like this: “So come on, let's leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ.”(The Message) Yes, start small and grow one day at a time. Yes, become more mature in Christ. Yes, grow up in Christ.

THINK BIG Don’t just grow up physically, grow up also (especially) spiritually.
Read, study and teach God’s Word.

START SMALL You start small and grow one day at a time.

GO DEEP. Become mature in your understanding – Grow up in Christ.

Week 8: Awake - It's time to grow up!!!

14 years ago, I was somewhere between my home and my classroom. I was still asking my mom for money. Need to buy this and that. I remembered saying this to my father, "Pa, I need money to buy textbooks, pencil case, and my bag is tearing apart... need a new one." That green short school pants... yes, that one... I remember the embarrassments where I have to wear those short and tight pants while all my friends using the up-date version of green long pants. Cool! My father was a construction worker. - working 12 hours per day, yet little that I bother the sacrifice of my parent. What I want is trend and styles not their ‘lecture’ on how their sweat and hours of working that I want to hear. My parent can't afford to buy toys or every need that I and my brother want to have, but they will try very hard to fulfill it. We don't care, we don't have mercy and we don't understand... we were kids.

As we are grown up, somehow we care and we understand now what our parent going through just to provide what we needs. But you see, some still in the old mind sets. Age increased but maturity retarded. It's time to grow up. Yes, it's time to grow up. Paul said, 'I have to feed you milk, not solid food, because you were not ready for it.' (2 Corinthians 3:2) How shame it would be for us when someone always takes that spoon and 'feed' us everyday.

Physically, its okay for disable people those with special needs or someone who are sick and children whom still too young to work for anything. But what could be the excuses for those who are fully and almost perfect physically to always... I mean always waiting for someone to 'feed' them. I see a healthy young men sitting begging on the street. I talked to average families (they called themselves poor, yet really poor people don't have shelter and wear quite well-dressed) making excuses (some are true, most are not) that the Government didn't help them. Especially Bumiputra, with all the resources we have and advantages we earn- we keep waiting for Government to 'feed' us. It's time to grow up. Work, take action and do as much as we can to not TOO depending on others.

Mentally, we need to grow. One of the great dangers of life is believing that you have arrived. If that happens to you, you're done growing. My friend when to my room and chuckle at me and said, 'Richard, don't need la to read all this books. You already work apa.' (* Malay-English) That's the kind of thinking when people stop learning after achieving some goal. Isn't that true? Have you met someone when they achieved certain position or status they stop learning and thus, what they said is forever the same. John C. Maxwell said, "I read daily to grow in my personal life. I listen daily to broaden my perspective. I think daily to apply what I learn." Buy those books! Buy those audio books! (Or you can download for free from iTune) Read the Scriptures! In all time, maintain an attitude of teach-ability.

Finally, this is important. Spiritually, we need to keep on growing. Again Paul said in Hebrew 5:14, 'Solid food is for the mature, who through practice are able to distinguish between good and evil.' How shame it would be after 10, 20, 30 years after receiving Christ never shown any indication of growth in spiritually… still the same. I was in this state before where almost nothing changes in my spiritual growth. My knowledge about the Word of God is never improved, my prayer life is zero, and my pursuit to Christ-likeness is never cross my mind even a second. This kind of people waiting for their pastor to 'feed' them- every Sunday 'holy' but the rest of the day back to normal life and go back to church again 'to recharge' and over and over again… 10, 20, 30 years. But I want remind you and myself to not believe in everything we read and hear without checking it first. Test it! To 'distinguish between good and evil', John McArthur said could only given to those who knew Jesus as Savior. The person who has come to Christ for spiritual completion is then trained by the Word to discern truth from error and holy behavior from unholy. It's time to grow up.

Together you and I; physically, mentally and spiritually- it's time to grow up!