Difficulties In the Bible (1996 Edition) by R. A. Torrey, Book Review

Difficulties In the Bible (1996 Edition) by R. A. Torrey, Book Review

Reuben Archer Torrey (1856-1878) is one of the greatest evangelists of his time - probably, also of modern times. I love reading classic books by great minds such as Torrey. It seems like old Christian writers like him, C. S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, D. L. Moody, John Bunyan, etc. have greater depth and appreciation for simplicity than most popular authors today. This book, for example, although dealing with difficult issues (just read the title) never seems to be a problem for Torrey because he truly believes that, “The Bible contains nothing but the truth, and it contains more truth than all other books put together.” He didn’t write, “I know the answer to every question...” but acknowledge his own ignorance in some parts and never attempt to conceal the fact that there ARE difficulties exist in the Bible.

I’m a self-study student of the Bible. But the more I study it, the more questions I have (if you want to be a good student - value questions!). The more questions I ask, the more understanding I get. Very few times it creates doubt. Often, it increases my faith. Yes, I found difficulties in the Bible but in comparison with the many clarities I get, it reduces to non-essentials-for-salvation-and-growth for me.

How to deal with difficulties in the Bible? Torrey offers 7 bits of advice: 1) Expect difficulties. “When the infinite tries to understand the infinite, there is bound to be difficulty”; 2) Difficulties do not equal falsehood. “The whole difficulty arose, as almost all of those in the Bible arise, from man’s ignorance of some of the facts in the case”; 3) There are greater difficulties exist. “There are many more - much greater - difficulties in the doctrine that holds the Bible to be of human origin, and hence fallible, than there are in the doctrine that holds the Bible to be of divine origin, hence infallible.” For this point, Torrey gives examples of the unity of the Bible, the power to save men from sin a.k.a. changed lives, the peace, and hope and joy it brings, etc. 4) Solutions do not depend on us. “The fact that you cannot solve a difficulty does not prove it cannot be solved, and the fact that you cannot answer an objection does not prove that it cannot be answered”; 5) Difficulties are exceedingly insignificant in comparison with the many and marvelous excellencies of the Bible. This is just what I already explained; 6) Superficial reading vs. profound studying. “To the man who is reading [The Bible] through for the first or second time, there are many things that perplex and stagger”; 7) The role of careful study. “At first, they go by ones, then by twos, then by dozens, and then by scores. Is it not reasonable, then, to suppose that the difficulties that still remain will all disappear upon further study?”

Torrey also outlines 10 general classes of difficulties: imperfect manuscripts, inaccurate translations, false interpretations, wrong ideas about the Bible, the original language(s), our lack of knowledge, our ignorance of the background, our one-sidedness, our finite minds, and our dull spiritual perceptions. For each class, he explains briefly what he means. There are top 24 questions of difficulties that Torrey deals in the book, such as Is Genesis chapter one historical and scientific? Where did Cain get his wife? Does God of truth and love send us lying and evil spirits? Are there contradictions in Jesus ‘genealogies? Did Jesus go into the abode of the dead? And more.

Currently, I’m doing a podcast teaching series on The Gospel of Matthew (in Bahasa Malaysia #InjilMatius). Last week I was in Matthew chapter 12:40 where Jesus predicts that He will “be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” I was not sure about this passage and so I delayed the podcast so that I can study this verse further. At the same time, I just finished reading a book and thinking of what book next. And you know what? I chose (my will, God’s divine timing) this book. And guess which chapter I randomly read? On this topic - “Was Jesus really three days and nights in the heart of the earth?” Wow! What perfect timing! Praise be to God 😊🙏⚡ #1Book1Week #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #DifficultiesInTheBible #Torrey

FB Page: https://facebook.com/LEGASI.tv/        

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/LEGASI.tv/       

Instagram: https://instagram.com/legasi.tv/       

YouTube: http://bit.ly/LEGASItv       

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus the Master-Teacher, Gave the Scriptures to Reveal Himself to Us

“Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.’ ‘Don’t you understand yet?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart – that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you’”
(Matthew 15:15-20, NLT).

Jesus “went into a house (probably in Capernaum) to get away from the crowd” (Mark 7:17, bracket mine) and to spend time with his disciples. Often Peter would act as spokesman for the disciples, and he always seemed to speak honestly (sometime too rashly).  In above passage, Peter was simply saying, “Hey, I still don’t get it.” In a couple of years Peter would be confronted directly with this very issue of clean and unclean food (read Acts 10:9-15), where he would learn that nothing should be a barrier to proclaiming the Gospel to non-Jews, which are Gentiles like us. Here Peter was simply expressing the confusion that all the disciples were experiencing.

Jesus knew the crowd didn’t understand but seemed very disappointed that his disciples had also failed to comprehend. Jesus’ question “Don’t you understand yet?” shows that discipleship is a process of growth. We must understand this, for ourselves and others. Although the disciples knew much about Jesus, they still had more to learn. Then Jesus explained that what comes out of a person – evil thoughts and deeds – are what defile that person, not what goes in the mouth (Of course, gluttony is a sin!). Moral defilement has nothing to do with food, but with sin in the heart. Jesus wasn’t simply teaching theology or showing he could out-argue the Pharisees. He wanted the disciples to understand this important truth. The more time they spent with Jesus, the more they would understand and put into practice. They get to see how Jesus lived and asked questions. What great privileges!

Think about this: The disciples may not have heard everything or they may have been overly concerned about offending the religious leaders. Whatever the reason, they didn’t understand Jesus’ words about clean and unclean foods and defilement. Although we don’t have Jesus sitting physically with us and explaining his teachings, we have God’s written Word – and a wide range of Bible study resources. God gave his Word to reveal himself and his plan to us, to tell us how to believe and how to live. What an amazing gift! (If you want read about the argument of the defilement issue, read Jesus wants Us to Live from the Inside Out. Click title).

Ask God’s Holy Spirit that he would illuminate the Scriptures for you as you study his Word.

Don’t you understand yet? Ask Him.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus commended Mary for having Good Priorities (Bible Study is the One Supreme Necessity)

Let’s consider the lives of Mary and Martha of Bethany. Mary is a great biblical example of a person whose desire was to be taught by Jesus: Every time she appears in the Bible, she’s kneeling before Lord Jesus. In John (chapter) 11, she’s at Jesus’ feet in sorrow. In John 12, she’s at Jesus’ feet in adoration. In Luke 10, she’s at Jesus’ feet to learn truth. Mary, the worshiper, wants her soul fed by Jesus – her sister, Martha, the worker, wants to feed Jesus.

Mary and Martha had welcomed Jesus into their home. With good intentions, Martha took steps to prepare a meal for the honoured guest. Mary is now introduced into the story: “And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word” (Luke 10:39). Martha was in the kitchen cooking food, and Mary was in the living room, learning from Jesus. Martha, annoyed that Mary wasn’t helping with the work, interrupted the Lord, saying, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40). She was giving a command to Jesus – that’s dangerous.

Jesus, in His divine wisdom, analysed the situation and told Martha she was filled with unnecessary anxiety that had harmfully affected her priorities. The things she worried about really weren’t important. “One thing is needed,” Jesus told Martha, “and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42).

Jesus commended Mary for having good priorities, namely, learning the Word of God. Bible expositor G. Campbell Morgan calls this “the one supreme necessity.” Mary’s experience was that of being taught by the incarnate Christ. Each of us can experience the blessing of being taught by the risen Christ – by the power of his Holy Spirit, through the study of God’s amazing Word. Come, God’s people, let us study the Bible, apply it, teach it and live the Word together.

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and

Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory,

Both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

2 Peter 3:18

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

All the Best in Your Exam!

My Top 20 Book on Missions and Evangelism Lists

Learning to lead people to faith in Christ is not merely a matter of mastering methods and techniques. There is no such thing as “15 Ways to Bring People to Christ” or “5 Steps to Evangelism.” That can be a mere intellectual exercise with no personal involvement. Effective evangelism must be motivated by love and devotion to Christ as Jesus himself “came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10). I know sincere Christians who are saturated with theology and methodology of evangelism in their heads but in person, they are lack of practice. Head knowledge is not enough, faith must be accompanied by actions (James 2:26).

But then again, knowledge of how-to and why-do evangelism is very much important for us as Christians because even if the faith and truth will never change, our cultures are changing very fast. Therefore, for us to be effective, stay relevant today, and learn from people of the past we need to be informed. We need to read books on missions and evangelism. We must pray, read the Word, and study books to equip ourselves. Charles G. Finney once writes, “It is the great business of every Christian to save souls. People complain that they do not know how to take hold of this matter. Why, the reason is plain enough; they have never studied it. They have never taken the proper pains to qualify themselves for the work. If you do not make it a matter of study, how you may successfully act in building up the kingdom of Christ, you are acting a very wicked and absurd part as a Christian.”

Books on missions and evangelism matter. Both old and new books. Here are my top 20 book lists I recommend you to read [If you want to borrow one of the books listed below, you can comment or e-mail or inbox my Facebook account. If you’re near, I’ll pass it to you].

1)    Effective Evangelism by J. Oswald Sanders

2)    What of Those Who Have Never Heard? by J. Oswald Sanders

3)    The Challenge of Missions by Oswald J. Smith

4)    The Passion for Souls by Osward J. Smith

5)    The Salvation of God by Oswald J. Smith

6)    Literature Evangelism by George Verwer

7)    Reinventing Evangelism: New Strategies for Presenting Christ in Today’s World by Donald C. Posterski

8)    Christian Mission in the Modern World by John Stott

9)    Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan

10) Vision & Continuity in Our Time by Fellowship of Evangelical Students (FES) Singapore

11) Hell’s Best Kept Secret by Ray Comfort

12) How Can I Lead a Friend To Christ by Michael Green

13) What on Earth are You Doing? by Michael Griffiths

14) His Guide to Evangelism by Paul E. and others

15) Conspiracy of Kindness: A Unique Approach to Sharing the Love of Jesus by Steve Sjogren

16) Longhouses Open Doors: God's Glory in Borneo by Ray Cunningham

17) Out of the Saltshaker & into the World: Evangelism as a Way of Life by Rebecca Manley Pippert

18) Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (Especially chapter 9 on missions) by John Piper

19) The Soul Winner by Charles H. Spurgeon

20) Learning Evangelism from Jesus by Jerram Barrs

Well, after reading you must GO!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Dear Students, Remember this: "Small Choices, Big Results"

It’s easy to trick yourself into believing that small impulsive actions don’t have any long-term consequences. By impulsive I mean, as the Oxford dictionary defines, ‘likely to act suddenly and without thinking; without careful thought’. But over time, the small things add up. I often said to my student-friends, “Spending those few extra minutes reviewing class notes before an exam OR texting and updating social network statuses can make the difference between achieving and not achieving success in study.”

Delaying gratification (reward) doesn’t mean punishing yourself. Instead, it means choosing a later, bigger reward over a more immediate, smaller one. Focusing on the bigger reward – glorifying God in your study – helps you put things in perspective. I have a suggestion, when you feel an impulse coming on, stop yourself, think, and make a measured decision:

§  Stop. Realize that you are about to act impulsively, without careful thought.

§  Think. What will I gain in the short term by acting on this impulse? And what will I lose in the long term by acting on this impulse?

§  Decide. Given the short term and long term consequences, is it worth it?

Let’s say you are studying for an exam when a friend asks with a tempting invitation to play with you your favourite computer games. Before you say yes, stop and ask yourself what you are about to do. This gives you a moment to think. What are the short term consequences (or logical effects of our actions) of playing addictive computer games? You’re sure to have fun, and this is the normal way for you and your friend to ‘release tension.’ Maybe playing games is just the study break you need (I smiled. When we are really tempted to do something, it’s amazing how many good excuses we can think up!). I know, I know, people don’t like to think logically nowadays, but you students should!

Before you put those notes and books aside, however, ask yourself about the long term consequences. Since you won’t have as much time to study, your grade this semester may suffer. If your grade suffers, you might not get 3.0 and above pointer result that you have been dreaming of. You might have to repeat a subject or two next semester. And that doesn’t glorifying God in your life at all. The reality is that there just isn’t room in your life today for ‘junk’ activities and outing. Not now. Looking at the long term consequences of your actions helps you to pick the path that is best for you. Stop and think, then decide wisely.

Of course, controlling your impulses doesn’t mean eliminating fun from your life. Instead of playing addictive computer games or watching a movie or hang out with friends the night before exam, a half-hour study break might give you a chance to relax while still being productive. Use long term thinking – stop, think, decide – to tackle one of your impulses. Sometime, most of our life problems can be avoided by simply doing these three steps: STOP or pause, THINK short term and long term, and DECIDE by asking “Is it worth it?” PRAY also for wisdom from God. Logic and faith doesn’t have to be enemies, they are mutual friends. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Every Journey Begins with a First Step

Do you want more time but don’t know where to begin to achieve your God-given dream in life? Make an effort to rise earlier! Or if you’re like me – late riser, early morning sleeper – make an effort to intentionally set aside extra time before you sleep! This one step can add one or two hours to your productive day and years to your life. Take on something you have been meaning to do – writing, reading, inventing, creating, etc. – and do it in your spare time. Would you like to be an expert on some subject? Everyday study or practise for a half hour and you can become an authority person on the subject. If not, at least you’ll become better and more ready for God to use. That’s all it takes. It’s so simple. It escapes the majority of people who keep chanting, ‘Someday I would like to…’; ‘One day I must… but I never seem to have the time.’

Just because you never started the work, practise, play or study that really interests you is no reason why you can’t start right now. Time doesn’t count us out. We only imagine it right now. It’s never too late to begin. Time is impersonal. It is the same every moment. It imposes no limitations upon us. Our only limitations are self-imposed. All you have to do is to caught God’s vision for your life and begin the journey with a first step. What God have spoken to you lately in the Scripture by the Holy Spirit and through godly people that you trust the most? What keep running through your mind and moving your heart passionately? What is your talent, your joyful labour, your heart desire that can bless others if you do it? Do it! Every journey begins with a first step.

Admittedly, it is difficult in this frenzied modern world to avoid being caught up in a sense of urgency and hurry. We can often stuck in the pressure by throwing our minds and hearts into neutral and coasting here and there to the land of nowhere day by day. Don’t do it! Do this: take on something you have been meaning to do – that God-given dream in your life – and study or practise it in your intentional-set-aside time. Trust God, be diligent. Rely on Him, work hard. By God’s grace and acting faith. Are you ready for a new journey in your life? Begins with a first step. God be with you.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Martin Luther's Discovery of the "Righteousness of God"

My favourite speech (quote) from Martin Luther

In the passage below, originally written in 1545, the year before his death, Luther reflects on his early life, and particularly a major theological difficulty which he experienced as a young man. What was “Good News” about the proclamation of the righteousness of God? For Luther, this could only mean the condemnation of sinners, himself included. Luther here relates how, after wrestling with the meaning of Romans 1:17, he finally came to understand the “righteousness of God (iustitia Dei)” in a different way, thus opening the door of his theological reformation. He writes,

“Meanwhile in that year [1519], I had returned to interpreting the Psalter again, confident that I was better equipped after I had expounded in the schools the letters of St. Paul to the Romans and the Galatians, and the letter to the Hebrews. I had certainly been overcome with a great desire to understand St. Paul in his letter to the Romans, but what had hindered me thus far was not any ‘coldness of the blood’ so much as that on phrase in the first chapter: ‘The righteousness of God is revealed in it.’ For I had hated the phrase ‘the righteousness of God’ which, according to the use and custom of all the doctors (I think what he means are the theologians), I had been taught to understand philosophically, in the sense of the formal or active righteousness (as they termed it), by which God is righteous, and punishes unrighteous sinners.

Although I lived an irreproachable life as a monk, I felt that I was a sinner with an uneasy conscience before God; nor was I able to believe that I had pleased him with my satisfaction. I did not love (in fact, I hated) that righteous God who punished sinners, if not with silent blasphemy, then certainly with great murmuring. I was angry with God, saying ‘As if it were not enough that miserable sinners should be eternally damned through original sin, with all kinds of misfortunes laid upon them by the Old Testament law, and yet God adds sorrow upon sorrow through the gospel, and even brings wrath and righteousness to bear through it!’ Thus I drove myself mad, with a desperate disturbed conscience, persistently pounding upon Paul in this passage, thirsting most ardently to know what he meant.

At last, God being merciful, as I meditated day and night on he connection of the words ‘the righteousness of God is revealed in it, as it is written: the righteous shall live by faith,’ I began to understand that ‘righteousness of God’ as that by which the righteous lives by the gift of God, namely by faith, and this sentence, ‘the righteousness of God is revealed,’ to refer to a passive righteousness, by which the merciful God justified us by faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous lives by faith.’ This immediately made me feel as though I had been born again, and as though I had entered through open gates into paradise itself. From that moment, the whole face of Scripture appeared to me in a different light. Afterwards, I ran through the Scriptures, as from memory, and found the same analogy in other phrases such as the ‘work of God’ (that which God works with us), the ‘power of God’ (by which makes us strong), the ‘wisdom of God’ (by which he makes us wise), the ‘strength of God’, the ‘salvation of God’ and the ‘glory of God.’

And now, where I had once hated the phrase ‘the righteousness of God,’ so much I began to love and extol it as the sweetest of words, so that this passage in Paul became the very gate of paradise to me. Afterwards, I read Augustine, On the Spirit and the Letter, where I found that he too, beyond my expectation, interpreted ‘the righteousness of God’ in the same way – as that which God bestows upon us, when he justifies us. And although this is expressed somewhat imperfectly, and he does not explain everything about imputation clearly, it was nevertheless pleasing to find that he taught that the ‘righteousness of God’ is that, by which we are justified.”

[Source: Preface to the Latin Works (1545); D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe, vol. 54 (Weimar: Bohlau, 1938), 185.12-186.21]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

What Campus Students can Contribute towards the Life of the Church?

Picture taken from: http://www.aletheiachurch.com/

What are some areas where students can contribute towards the life of the church? Consider the following:

1) Teaching the Sunday school class or helping the Youth Fellowship (YF). The challenge here is especially great for men. In many Sunday schools or YF, there is a shortage of male teachers. It is probably because of this that churches often find it difficult to retain boys once they have finished their secondary school education.

2) Helping to counsel young people. In a way, this is related to the above. Having just undergone the struggles of adolescence themselves, students can better empathize with younger friends now going through theirs.

3) Literature work. Students can either write articles for the church newsletter, recommend books that they have found helpful or load their books for others. It may even be possible to run a book table by making appropriate arrangements with a bookshop. The reading of good books leaves a lasting impact on young lives.

4) In the course of campus life, students gain experience in doing the Lord’s work, for example, leading Bible study groups, learning to share one’s faith, planning a term’s programme, and so on. These experiences can be shared with others in the church.

5) Students’ secular studies can also be put to good practice. Those doing accountancy can help to streamline church accounts and specialists in education can help to upgrade Sunday school teaching.

6) Students can share items about campus life and witness during the church’s prayer meeting. In this way, others will be encouraged to see them as the church’s “missionaries” on campus. Those who study in campuses away from their home towns can keep their church leaders informed of their activities through occasional letters or better through – social networks.

Reminder: The above list is not exhaustive but time is an important constraint. Students will have to strike a balance among various commitments to church work, campus witness, studies and family life. Situation will vary. In churches where there is a lack of capable personnel, students obviously will find themselves tied down with church work. But those who want to take on leadership positions in student work must first carefully think through their priorities. For a period of time at least, students may not be able to do as much for their churches as they wish. Hopefully, their church leaders will be understanding and can be encouraged to see the exceptional possibilities that exist on the campus. The students are their churches’ missionary representatives there. As in FES Malaysia, we encouraged students to embrace their missionary identity in campus! Amen.

Think Big. Start Small. Go Deep.

Don't Misled by False Teachers, Search the Scriptures

"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves" (Matthew 7:18)

Every Christian leader who fails to point people primarily to the Lord Himself is to that extent a false teacher. Some, claiming the Word of God for their authority, point people to some substitute. Many lift isolated passages from their entire biblical context and give them inaccurate meanings. Others simply know nothing of the depths of Jesus Christ. Much of their teaching is a form of religious humanism.

Be careful however, certainly, don’t let your pride mislead you to set yourself up against your teachers. But in this day too many of the Lord’s people are being misled by shallow, carnal or heretical leaders. So what you should do so that you will not be misled by false teachers? The Lord reminds us to constantly search the Scriptures by giving us the example of the Bereans “for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). We must not blindly received and believed the message that people told us even when they claim to speak in the name of God, but we must examine everything by the Word of God to see if what they said is the truth or false. Submit everything to the Word. Heed the direction and correction found there – for the Lord have spoken.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

12 Advice to Pastors

Picture taken from:
http://blogs.reuters.com/taxbreak/files/2012/10/pulpit-REUTERS-John-Adkisson.jpg

"To aspire to leadership is an honourable ambition"
(1 Timothy 3:1, NEB)

J. Oswald Sanders have 12 advice to pastors:

1. Treasure people who will pray for you every day. 
2. Keep up your spiritual reading. 
3. Trust the sovereignty of God in your life. 
4. Be an early riser and a time miser. Use little gaps to best advantage. 
5. Always have a little more than you can comfortably cope with. 
6. Be willing to step out and do something for which you feel inadequate. 
7. Never lose the desire to grow. On retirement, the Lord has something better. 
8. Watch you attitude toward failure. 
9. Accept the disciplines of God. Suffering tempers us all. 
10. Don’t let finance play a big part in your decisions. 
11. As a pastor, limit your counseling and major on the Word of God and prayer. Keep up your study of the Word. Don’t neglect the Old Testament. 
12. Minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. The secret of the fullness of the Holy Spirit is a yielded life.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

A Timorese Student Explore the Art of Reading

I rewrite this article from a Timorese student name Natalia Reali because it is very good written. I have asked for permission from Jovem Bravo Magazine (First Edition I/XI/2012, page 13), a Timor Leste English-Tetun magazine, to post this article in my blog.

Now, I know that when we get to this certain age in our teens, most of us tend to think that reading is boring, or is just homework, but I hope to prove you wrong. I am already a teenager and I love reading! Reading for me is a way to broaden your vocabulary, to learn new things and even to be able to travel without needing to leave your room! Some books can captivate you on the very first page. They sometimes include characters that are going through the exact same thing as you. Books can make you feel all the emotions the characters are going through, they can invite you in to live the fairytale along with them.

Books can allow you to travel the world at every page, they can make you smell things, feel things, hear things and see them. I personally find reading a book way more effective then watching a movie. A book is more personal and it allows you to leave some things to the imagination. Books are also great for other things, books for one inspired and still inspire me to do great things, like I am sure I want to become a published author one day. Books can teach you lessons, give you ideas and tell stories at the same time!

Nowadays getting a book is so easy! There are public libraries in Dili such as ‘Xanana Gusmão Reading Room’ or ‘Camões Institute’ at UNTL, where you can borrow a book for a few weeks. You can also download books for free from the internet and read them in any computer. It is easy to access them online, so we have the freedom to do so, and already be able to have a book in a few minutes. There are also already a few public places in Dili where you can get free internet (like the ‘Lecidere Garden’).

There is a really good website where you can find over 36,000 books for free (www.gutenberg.org/). This website is named in the memory of Johannes Gutenberg, a famous German inventor who made the first book that wasn’t handwritten. He was born in 1398 and died at around 1446 (approximately 70 years old). This was a very famous discovery because before that, only the rich were able to afford books, because they were handwritten and cost a fortune. The first book he made using his invention was the Bible (known as the Gutenberg Bible).

Now I challenge you to immerse yourself in a fantastic world of reading and discover how much fun you can get from home with a book in your hands!

I, Richard, challenge you too!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Learn Spiritual-Reality from the Ant and the Grasshopper Story (Retold)

Remembering, retelling and contextualized an old story by Aesop, a Greek story teller, with new insights in my mind: It was hot weather in Malaysia. A grasshopper was hoping around, enjoying the heat and singing with joy. The grasshopper didn’t feel he had a care in the world, and he was enjoying the moment.

An ant passed by the grasshopper carrying a large piece of nut he was attempting to take back to his storeroom. The ant was wondering if he could seek help from his friend the grasshopper. Before the ant could ask for help, the grasshopper suggested,

“Why don’t you come and play with me?

You are working way too hard for this fine day.”

The ant replied, “I’m gathering food for the rainy reason. It would be best if you started to think about what you are going to do for nourishment during the rainy days.”

“Oh, that’s unnecessary. Raining won’t be that long. It will be fine soon,” the grasshopper responded, “and there is always time for things like that. Besides, look around, there’s plenty of food to go around.”

The ant left, disappointed in his friend, but continued to work. When the rainy season happened, the grasshopper realized that the place where he stayed was about to be flooded – no more food and he had nothing stored for himself. “I should have listened to my friend, the ant,” he thought, “Now I will go hungry.”

……………………..

There are many lessons we can learn from this story. Here I have two important lessons that I want to share with you:

First, we must learned what God have revealed (and continue to reveals) about Himself and about how to live our lives as His followers from His written Word – the Bible. The grasshopper didn’t listen and didn’t store food for unexpected long rainy season. When we need to know something – what’s right and wrong; true and false; truth and lie – it is often too late to learn. The right concepts of who God is – His characters and attributes – and our believing faith and abiding trust in Him should be learned from His Word continuously by head and heart before the ‘rainy season’ that may come in the form of troubles, sufferings, persecutions, trials, doubts and discouragements comes into our lives. Well-build faith can stand any weather of life.

Second, we ought not to just learn and apply God’s Word in our own lives but we must urgently win souls for Christ. The ant do told the grasshopper about the coming rainy reason, but he wasn’t trying hard enough. Surely he was well fed from the corn, grain and nuts he had stored during the fine weather, but he was unable to convince his friend to gather food to survive the long rain, even though it was for the grasshopper’s own good. As Christ followers, we must be on mission to tell others about Christ urgently. Missionary, not maintainer, is our way of life. Yes, we need to be saved ourselves, but after we are saved then we need to tell others about the Good News we have in Christ. Convince the lost souls of their sins against God and their needs for the Saviour. Pray that they may repent. Influence them with love displayed by your sincere words and living example under the Lordship of Christ. If we love God, we love people too.

The loving Father, the most awesome Saviour

And the gentle Spirit be with you. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.