One In the Spirit (1973) by David C.K. Watson, Book Review

 One In the Spirit (1973) by David C.K. Watson

Before, I had two favorite Anglicans of the past: John C. Ryle (1816-1900) and James I. Packer (1926-2020). But now I want to add another person: David C. Watson (1933-1984). While Ryle and Packer are beloved friends of the Reformation and the Puritans, Watson however was known as a champion of charismatic evangelicalism. In this book, Watson addresses the need to be united in love - "one in the Spirit, one in the Lord." It is sad to see Christians in the past and present divided over the work of the Holy Spirit when undoubtedly He intends to make us united. We need to take heed of the urgent call to unite in Spirit and truth, but not take it to the extreme of syncretism. As the Scripture says, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:2-3).

The first step, as the author begins the book, is to know the person and the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. He is the key to everything in the New Testament Church. "The fifth book of the New Testament should really be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit," writes Watson. "If God had taken the Holy Spirit out of their midst in those days, about 95% of what they doing in their churches would ceased immediately. Everyone would know the difference." But today, sadly, if God would take the Spirit out of our midst, maybe we would not know the difference. Business as usual. And that's the danger! I recalled my observations when I read this book of how we have treated the Holy Spirit unintentionally - in our theology and conduct - as subordinated either to the Bible (by most Protestants) or the Church (by most Roman Catholics). Thus, Watson urges us to have "a fresh recognition of the Third Person of the Trinity, and deep longing for the same wind of the Spirit that energized believers both in the first century and in the revivals of the Church down the years." Amen.

This book is divided into five chapters that mostly derive from 1 Corinthians 12-14 and other passages: 1) The Person of the Holy Spirit; 2) The Holy Spirit in the Individual; 3) The Holy Spirit in the Church; 4) Walking by the Spirit; and 5) The Greatest Is Love. Obviously, David Watson was generally positive about the explosion of the charismatic movement during his time. He was aware of the danger of counterfeits and always pointed out to "not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God" (1 John 4:1). In the same way, when I read this book, I tested his ideas and interpretations whether they were based on the Scripture or not. And asking, "What is God saying by His Spirit?" This is a good question - and prayer! - to ask when we read other books too, especially the one that He inspired or God-breathed Book (see 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21).

#ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #TheHolySpirit #DavidWatson #Unity #TheChurch #TheScripture #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

6 Observations from Kuching Christmas Parade 2018 (and Why You Should Come Next Year)

Trinity Methodist Church (TMC) Kuching is a missional church. I had attended TMC for about 2 years and then moved to the local Anglican Church. I was involved in the TMC Mission Ministry for one year as part of the committees. I’ve witnessed the church's genuine passion for Christ and desire for others to know Him as Lord and Saviour. TMC's Mission is “Being and Making Disciple for Christ” and the leaders led by Rev Dr. Lau Hui Ming (a very humble man) make sure that their members – the church – grasp the vision and mission in their lives. They put their money (and prayer) where their mouth is. The church grows because the church goes. So, no wonder TMC has been organizing the Kuching Christmas Parade since 2007 because it aligns with its mission statement.

This year, the theme is Good News of Great Joy. It was expected more than 7,000 participants before the event, but it turned out to be more than 10,000 Christians from almost all the main churches in Kuching on the actual day. There were children and adults, church leaders and elders, youths and students, uniformed bands, decorated cars and Christmas trees. The 4-5km parade started from MBKS Jubilees ground to Kuching waterfront and back to the Jubilees ground. Malay Mail (8^th Dec 2019) online news reported that the participating churches were the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church SCAC, Methodist Church SIAC, BEM (SIB) Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Salvation Army, Sarawak Baptist Church, Blessed Church, Sarawak Grace Assembly Kuching, Hope Church Kuching, Calvary Family Church, Good News Fellowship, City Harvest Church, and Fellowship of Evangelical Students (FES). I joined under the banner of FES, a student ministry, which consisted of students from local campuses and universities such as UiTM, UNIMAS, TCS, SIDMA/UNITAR, I-System, etc. To use Nicholas Spark’s classic romance novel, the parade was “a walk to remember.”

The picture was taken from Herald Malaysia (http://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/some-10000-christians-take-part-in-kuching-christmas-parade/33776/1)

There are Six (6) Things that I observed during the parade that I want to share with you here:

#1 It Didn’t Rain. 2 hours before the parade, the weather was cloudy. When I took a picture at 4.04 pm, I thought it was going to rain and the event would be canceled. But the people who were practicing that day seemed to be ignoring the weather and proceeding with the program as if nothing bad going to happen. Either they were ignored or they had faith in God for good weather (or both), what was sure was that people were praying all day long. I was told that a group of intercessory prayer was praying for the event since morning until the end of the parade [To the point of contrast, the anti-ICERD rally at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, ends early today due to rain. Coincident?].

#2 There Was No Wind. I noticed during praise and worship and prayers when most people bowed down and prayed, I looked up and was puzzled by the strangeness of the weather. The tree leaves don’t move at all. No wind. So how come the cloudy weather suddenly becomes clear? Strange. Usually, if the weather is cloudy and there is no wind, then most probably (90%) it’s going to rain. But during the parade, there is no rain at all, only drizzle after that. Miracle.

#3 The Most Smiling Faces of the Year. Pastor Nicholas Ningkau of the Sarawak Grace Assembly Church of Kuching said to the Malay Mail reporter, “When Christians take part in the parade, it has always been peaceful as we sing Christmas songs.” Imagine about 10,000 participants filled with Christian joy of celebrating the birth of the Saviour, met with about 5,000 plus excited people who stood on the sidewalk to witness the parade (including those in the cars), there was no doubt about the joy that we experienced together. I’ve never seen the most smiling faces in Malaysia any other month of the year except on Christmas (probably I'm biased).

#4 A Cloud of Witnesses. Cloudy weather? No more. A cloud of witnesses? Yes! Everyone knows that there are lots of Christian denominations in Sarawak. So much so that even some Christians are confused. Thus, the Christmas parade is one of the biggest opportunities for us to show that although we are different – we are one. Also, the Christmas parade is the largest gathering of Christians in Kuching (on the same day, there was also a Christmas parade in Miri and Bintulu). Not only had we witnessed churches coming together as one body of Christ, but we also represented Christians from multi-ethnic and racial backgrounds. This reminds me of Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17:21, “that all of them may be one” so that “the world may believe that [the Father] has sent me.”

#5 Kids, Kids, Kids. One of the best parts of the Christmas parade is the kid's joyful heart. If you joined the parade you’ll know what I mean. If not, I hope you join next year. For the sake of these kids, join the parade! They love to see us. They enjoy joyful celebrations. They expect gifts from us. Even if some of the kids might not get any presents or candies, your smile, handshake, and hi-five are enough for them (although there were kids who solely came with one overarching purpose – to collect gifts only). If we can instill in the children’s minds that Christmas is a season of celebration, giving, and sharing, then we already teach them the most important values in life.

#6 Sarawak Is Like No Other. You heard this so much that it might sound like a cliché but it’s true. Sarawak is a place where people of various races are (almost totally) free to practice their culture, tradition, and religion without hindrance. “For Sarawakians,” said Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, “diversity is beauty and strength, and not division.” I agree! During the parade, a group of Malay Muslims wished us “Merry Christmas!” and we did not end up with a religious debate. Instead, we greeted one another in perfect harmony and peace-loving humanity. A group of Buddhist society (I assumed because they were wearing the same uniform) joined the parade and passed along biscuits for us to give to others. It wasn’t much but it shows that we are all in this together. Jason Mraz puts it beautifully: “The question is why, why are we here? To say our hello's and goodbye's and then disappear; This beautiful life, what is it for? To learn how to master peace or master war… Love is still the answer.” And Sarawak is like no other (it rhymes).

Next Year's Christmas Parade. Don’t miss it. Join.

You Will Be Blessed and Bringing Blessing to Others. This is Christmas.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

PS: I don't like big events. Crowd drains my energy, personal time empowers me. But the Christmas Parade is different. It is churches coming together. It is an open invitation. It is a Church with no walls! Worship in buildings is comfortable, but worship in the open space is freedom. Christ's birth was announced to sinners, His death was a public execution, and He rose again and was taken up to heaven... all in public. This is not a secret society or buildings religion... this is Christianity, followers of the living Christ!

Young Men and Women, Consider the Union with Jesus

“Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ?"

(1 Corinthians 6:15, NLT)

One of the most important doctrines (teachings) relating to the inner spiritual life of the believer is that of his union with Jesus Christ – we are “parts of Christ.” Indeed it could be claimed that it is our only hope of victory over sin and of triumph in the testing circumstances of life, and of abundant and prosperity of life! Yet many Christians do not know that they have been united with Christ and that Christ is in them and them in Christ. If we realize that we “are actually parts of Christ” – union with Him – everything He accomplished by His life, death and resurrection become ours.

Several figures are used in Scripture to illustrate this wonderful and mysterious union. There is the figure of marriage: “Now you are united (or married) with the one who was raised from the dead” (Romans 7:4). This is the highest and most intimate union known to man and is a picture of Christ and His Church. Marriage “is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one” (read Ephesians 5:31-33).

There is the figure of the body and the head. “…growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (Ephesians 4:15). This picture here is of mutual dependence through sharing the same life. The smallest member of the body shares the life of the head.

Jesus also used the figure of the vine and the branches. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). The vine and the branches are one. Neither can exist independently of the other but it is the vine that supplies the nutrients and sap to the branches for fruit-bearing. The sole responsibility of the branch is to receive from the root and stem the vital, nourishing fluid. Then fruit-bearing is automatic and inevitable!

To Hudson Taylor, the great missionary, at a time when he was heavily burdened, the fact of the union of the believer with Christ as illustrated by the vine and the branches brought a transformation of experience to him. Here are his own words: “Here I feel is the secret. Not asking how I am to get the sap out of the vine into myself, but remember that Jesus is the Vine – root, stem, branches, leaves, twigs, flowers, fruit. Let us not want to get anything out of Him, but rejoice in ourselves being in Him. I have not got to make myself a branch. The Lord tells me I am a branch. I am part of Him and have just to believe and act on it.”

We are parts of Christ.

Believe and act on it!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Book Review: Let’s Quit Fighting About the Holy Spirit (1974) by Peter E. Gillquist

Let’s Quit Fighting About the Holy Spirit (1974) by Peter E. Gillquist

When I first saw this book – thin, old and brown – I thought I would just glance it thru and leave it in the bookshelf of our office’s library. But when I read first chapter I was hooked. Then half way I checked again when this book was published… 1974… really? Wow, I thought the content is so relevant and so true and so ‘today’ that it felt like it was written in the year 2017! Ecclesiastes 3:15: “What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before.”

Fighting about the work of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, are so very today. Evangelicals against Charismatics, Catholics against Protestants. I’m not talking about fighting over core doctrinal believes or major Biblical theology such as who is the Holy Spirit is, that’s important and worth the fight. First truth, then unity. No real unity without truth. Truth matter. But I’m taking about – and the author of this book – the quarrel over the work of the Holy Spirit. “It is tragic,” writes Peter Gillquist, “that Satan has used to divide us the very means God gave to unite us.” Writing against the background of the author’s personal struggle and experiences and his deep knowledge in the Scriptures, this book explained clearly and gently why misunderstandings about the gifts of the Holy Spirit exist and how they can be cleared away by love and truth. Based on 1 Corinthians 12-13 he shows his deep love for Christians on both sides of the issues. 

He also shows what exciting things God is doing with His people, and how those happenings relate to the concepts of love and oneness among all believers. I like how Peter explains this: “I cannot help but believe the last great job Jesus Christ wants to accomplish with His people is to bring them together as a functioning unit. In fact, Paul predicts something like this in Ephesians 5:27. He says Jesus will ‘present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.’ Jesus Christ will not be coming back to claim an ugly bickering bride! He wants something holy, spotless. His prayer for the church was ‘that they may all be one’ (John 17:21). This He has a job on His hands, and He is in the process right now of getting on with it. We are living in the age when the coming together of the body of Christ is the major theme. And the work has begun. And to bring about awakening and unity in the body of Christ, God pours His Spirit upon men. He has done it before. He is doing it now.” Amen!

This book is divided into 11 chapters:

1. The Nature of Unity
2. The Nature of Division
3. Living by the Spirit
4. Life, Not Lingo
5. The Gifts: Knowing, Trusting, Healing
6. The Gifts: Prophesy and Discernment
7. The Gifts: Tongues and Interpretation
8. Being Baptized in the Holy Spirit
9. A Place for Us
10. People Who Need People
11. I’m Encouraged

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Pray for Egypt: "Persecution is Bringing Believers Together"

This Egyptian church met in the desert after their church building was attacked and destroyed.

“What we are seeing happening in the Middle East is bringing us all together. We churches do not have the luxury of staying separate any more. We have realised that what we have in common far exceeds what separates us.”
(Egyptian church leader)

War doesn’t discriminate against denominations, a church leader in Egypt has discovered. People have died for their faith, regardless of what church they go to. The persecution is bringing believers together as they share in their suffering.

In Aleppo, 12 bishops from different denominations came together to pray. It was the first time something like that has happened in centuries. The church in the Middle East is becoming more united and looking outwards.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Source: http://www.opendoorsyouth.org/

God Who Confused and Scattered the People (Genesis 11:4-9)

“Then they said, ‘Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let’s make ourselves famous so we won’t be scattered here and there across the Earth.’ God came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built. God took one look and said, ‘One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they’ll come up with next—they’ll stop at nothing! Come, we’ll go down and garble their speech so they won’t understand each other.’ Then God scattered them from there all over the world. And they had to quit building the city. That’s how it came to be called Babel, because there God turned their language into ‘babble.’ From there God scattered them all over the world.”
(Genesis 11:4-9, The Message)

God’s first command to humanity was, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). In other words, spread out across the earth. When people spread out, it isn’t long before they start speaking different languages and creating different cultures. That seem to have been God’s plan all along – to have not only one language but many languages and cultures, of every tribes and nations, each praising God in its own way. Unity comes from diversity, awesome! John the Apostle saw the future: “I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races and languages” worship God (Revelation 7:9).

But the people in Genesis 11 had other plans. Not God’s plan. They didn’t want to fill the earth. They wanted to stay right where they were and become great – maybe even as great as God, so they thought. They began building a great tower that would reach to the heavens – challenging God’s authority by having one language and one culture… “Unite we’re strong!” dare to challenge God.

God had other plans for them. God confused their language and scattered them to all the earth. It was a punishment, certainly. But it was also a mercy, for it forced the people out of their delusion of self-sufficiency (Richard Dawkins wrote God Delusion, I’ve read it. But I think it was he who is in delusion!), and into something richer and more adventurous. Imagine the future with me when all the people from every tribe and nation “standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing:

Salvation to our God on his Throne!
Salvation to the Lamb!”
(Revelations 7:10)

Isn’t panoply is more awesome than monoculture?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Unites Us: Why Prayer Meeting is Very Important? (Acts 1:12-14)

“Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers”
(Acts 1:12-14, NIV)

Lord Jesus ascended to heaven (1:9) from the Mount of Olives, near Bethany. After the angels told the apostles that He would surely come again, they returned to Jerusalem, about 5/8 mile or about 1 kilometre (my NIV note) away. They stayed there as Jesus had commanded (1:4) and spent the days in “constant prayer” in an upper room. I noticed that Jesus’ disciples had a habit of praying together. This was part of Jesus’ legacy to them. Remember when they asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1)? Jesus examples of constant prayer had influenced His disciples all over the world. Prayer is a wonderful privilege and every true Christian should seek the Lord’s face in prayer every day.

If you count how many of the apostles left after Jesus’ ascension, you’ll find out that there is one person missing – Judas Iscariot. He wants his own agenda and political version of messiah, thus rejected Jesus as the Suffering Messiah. He also loved money rather than Jesus, fall into temptation by listening to Satan’s lies and sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. When Judas realised what he had done, he didn’t repent but went out and killed himself. Both Peter and Judas denied Jesus. But as for Peter, he quickly repented of his sins and was restored with the apostles and become their leader again. Others who were praying in the upper room were “the women” who had loved and followed Jesus faithfully. One of them was “Mary the mother of Jesus,” and with her were “his brothers” [Jesus’ step-brothers, refer to Mark 6:3 for their names]. These brothers did not believe in Jesus at first (John 7:5) but after His death and resurrection, they realized that He was truly the Son of God, the Saviour of the World.

Now, imagine this with me: imagine the different kind of people gathered in the upper room (Close your eyes first, and imagine). Let me just select few of them here – Peter was very impulsive and acted cowardly, but after this he became bold and courageous; James was selfish, conceited, vengeful and fiery, but after that he became committed apostle for Christ and courageous even to the point of death; John was like his brother, James, very judgmental and power-craze but after that he became bold, loving and compassionate; Thomas was so doubtful and inquisitive but then he became courageous and faithful to the end; Simon was a Zealot, which means he was very patriotic and loyal to the nation but he became a changed man, passionate and sacrificial in his service for Christ; Judas (or Jude) and James, the brothers of Jesus, were very sceptical of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God soon became leaders of Jerusalem church and both authored the Epistle of James and Epistle of Jude; among “the women” was Mary Magdalene, who has been identified as a sinful women (perhaps a prostitute) and was possessed from seven demons, now became a faithful follower of Jesus and being listed as having a leadership role among the women.

All of them “joined together constantly in prayer” (1:14). This is very encouraging to me – and I hope to you too. Their Lord and Master is one, Jesus; their common faith and love is one, Jesus; their uniting power is one, Jesus. Even though we come from difference sets of background, gender, race, ideology and status like Jesus’ disciples – in Christ – we are one. Praying together (or prayer meeting we called it today), have the power to unite us together. As we pray, we wait for God to act among us. Oh yes!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus on Divorce: Glued Together, No One can Separate It (Mark 10:1-9)

“Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ ‘What did Moses command you?’ he replied. They said, ‘Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.’ ‘It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,’ Jesus replied. ‘But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate’”
(Mark 10:1-9, NIV).

The subject of divorce was a hot issue in Jesus’ day as it is today. According to the Old Testament, a man could divorce his wife if she “displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her” (Deuteronomy 24:1). But by the time Jesus came there were two conflicting views about divorce among the Jews, all because of two ways to interpret the word “indecent” in Deuteronomy 24:1. Mostly the Pharisees said that indecency referred only to sexual unfaithfulness, meaning, a man could divorce his wife only if she became sexually involved with another man. A second view interpreted it as anything that displeased the husband. For example, a man could divorce his wife if she displeased her husband by burning his toast!

The Pharisees, wanted to find some reason to accuse Jesus and get rid of Him, asked Him what was His interpretation of divorce. They were probably hoping that Jesus held the more ‘open’ view of divorce; that way they could discredit Him among the religious community for His liberal interpretation of Scripture. But Jesus doesn’t sided with any one of the two views, Jesus said that in God’s view of marriage, divorce is not mention. When Jesus quoted Genesis 2:24, he implied that in God’s original blueprint for marriage in the Garden of Eden, husband and wife were to be glued (“become one flesh”) into one, inseparable unit. That’s it! Divorce wasn’t even in the vocabulary. “What God has joined together, let no one separate.”

So, why did God allow Moses to include a divorce certificate in the Old Testament law? Jesus answered: “It was because your hearts were hard.” When sin entered the human race as described in Genesis 3, men became basically selfish, unloving and reluctant to forgive in all of relationships – including marriage. The life of “one flesh” God intended husband and wife to enjoy often end up with two self-centred individuals. Instead of caring for each other selflessly, individuals care for themselves first. So for the man who was too hard-hearted to forgive his wife, for example, for being unfaithful, God allowed divorce. Because once sin entered the picture, nothing will be the same. But we must remember that God’s number one plan for marriage is that they commit themselves to each other with selfless love and forgiveness.

Now, I’m not married yet. Soon. But as I read this text in Mark 10 long time ago, I have to consider and equip myself for marriage. This is what I learned: The only kind of glue (to be “one flesh” means to literally glue two objects into one) that holds a marriage together is the glue of commitment. Commitment means that you give yourself to your partner in marriage as a permanent gift; and the two of you give yourselves to God as one. This kind of glue bonds people together so that they can endure all the pressing, pulling and stretching that life can inflict on them. Commitment to one another is above the romantic feelings; it is a committed-choice to stick with one another no matter what happen. If I may respectfully paraphrase Jesus’ words this way: “What God has glued together, man won’t want to separate by divorce.” Amen.

If you try to separate two objects that are glued together,

It’s hard to do, and it ‘hurt’ because each will never be the same again.
That’s the effect of divorce

(P.s: I know it’s hurt, my parents divorced few years ago)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus is Not Against Denominations But For Oneness in Him (Mark 9:38-42)

“’Teacher,’ said John, ‘we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.’ ‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said. ‘For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:38-42, NIV).

I’m not sure which ‘John’ was talking to our Lord Jesus here. I assumed the young apostle John. I think John was really shook up. He saw someone else minister to people in Jesus’ name then he tried to shut him down because “he was not one of us” or “he wasn’t in our group” (The Message). ‘Hey, you can’t do that,’ I imagine John might have said today. ‘You’re not an ordained minister. Besides, you didn’t exorcise the demon our way; you don’t dress like we do and you didn’t sing gospel songs like we do.’ What I hear Jesus might saying in His reply is: ‘It’s okay John. Just because he’s not in your denomination doesn’t mean he isn’t one of My disciples. The important thing isn’t that he be in our group but that he minister in My name.’ Really, Jesus said: “Do not stop him.”

There are a lot of people around today who think as John thought. We know the Bible says that all believers are one in Christ, but we are pretty suspicious of anybody who doesn’t believe in Jesus exactly the way we were taught (Just like a young Richard). Here, Jesus pointed out two reasons why John and other disciples should not stop anyone to use His name: 1) No one doing miracles in His name will turn against Him (v.39); and 2) Anyone who isn’t against Him and His disciples are supporters not saboteurs (v.40).

Steven, Gibreson and Oliver are all Christians. Each confess Jesus to be the Lord and Saviour of his life and all three are filled with the Holy Spirit. Steven’s church (Catholic) has an altar and crucifix; the congregation sings anthems for worship; the bishops serve wine for communion and baptize by sprinkling. Gibreson’s church (Anglican) has a foyer and choir loft; the congregation sings hymns in worship; the ministers serve grape juice for communion and baptize by having water pour on head or fully immersed in water. Oliver’s church (BEM/SIB) meets in a simple-decorated room, the believers sing contemporary songs, and the elders serve apple cider for communion and baptise in a river by immersion. When these three guys attended Christian Fellowship as students, they could do one of two things: 1) Avoid each other suspiciously and seek fellowship with their own ‘kind’ only or; 2) Set their denominational distinctive aside and focus on their oneness in Christ. Jesus’ Word in Mark 9:38-42 leads me to believe that He preferred the latter.

It’s important for Jesus’ followers around the world to appreciate one another differences - their church traditions and methods – to link hands and hearts as one in Christ. As long as someone claims a relationship with the Father through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and committed to the truth of God’s Word, there are common ground upon which to build a relationship. We must not boast to have exclusive right to certain teaching and ministry methods. We are not to let modes of worship or denominational distinctive separate us as family in Christ. Let us enjoy and appreciate the variety of people who follow Jesus – our brothers and sisters in faith. Let us not cause anyone “to stumble” but together we must encourage one another. Amen.

*Of course, Jesus doesn't encourage denomination either.
For denominational is human invention. 

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus brings Unity in Diversity (The Gospel of Peace)

“Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelves disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples” (Luke 8:1-3, NLT).

People have often wondered why Jesus never called any women in the way he called the twelve disciples. Knowing the character of the disciples as we do, Jesus invitation to “follow me” wasn’t given based on some kind of impressive resume. In the culture of the day, established business people and leaders would be prohibited from the travelling lifestyle the disciples had. Peter, James, John, and the rest needed a specific challenge; the women, however, simply responded to Jesus’ character and words – they followed. Women were at the cross, while the disciples hid. They were also at the tomb early while the eleven grieved, and so they were the first to discover the joyful of Jesus’ resurrection.

The three women – Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna –were written in the Christian history. Mary Magdalene had been afflicted with multiple demons, which Jesus expelled. This explanation captures the basis for this Mary’s connection with Jesus. She filled the void evil left behind with devotion to the One who set her free. Joanna, on the other hand, was a woman with social influence and an important husband, which shows that Jesus drew followers from every strata of society. Susanna, who is not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture, may have been a person widely known during Jesus’ time.

These three and other women would probably not have been allowed to carry out public duties like preaching and baptizing, but the Scripture notes that they used their personal means to support the efforts of Jesus’ travelling band. They partnered in ministry with their money (Btw, this shows that Jesus and his disciples were not wealthy and materially rich. Thus, I sometime wonder, what is the basis of today’s prosperity gospel teaching in the light of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry?). Yet these women also bore witness to Jesus’ power in their lives. Their presence made practical the “preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God.” Citizenship in Jesus’ Kingdom was open to women too. No discrimination. Jesus wasn’t simply speaking about an ideal Kingdom that might be achieved at some future date. He was modelling the diversity, unity and love of people whose connection to one another through Jesus Christ overcame any other barrier. Here the writer was describing an early form of community that would later be called the church (ekklesia), the ones called out by God for his purposes.

Think about this: As Jesus invested in the lives of others, he ignored many of the social barriers that kept people separate such as gender, race, nationality, social class, language, personality, etc. This breaking down of walls is still a hallmarks of the Kingdom of God. Remember – Peter, John, James and Andrew were fisherman; John and James were called “Son of Thunder” due to their vengeful and fiery attitudes; Philip and Bartholomew were ‘good-boys’ very well versed in the Hebrew Scriptures; Matthew an ex-tax collector; Thomas the doubter; James of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus and Judas Iscariot were probably members of the revolutionary group called the Zealots; Saul of Tarsus or Paul was a Pharisees; maybe Nicodemus remained a Pharisees; and on and on. Jesus brought all of them together. You and me together. Us and them together. Jesus brings the Gospel of peace.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Confessions of a Racist Christian

Few years ago I was riding a taxi from Kuala Lumpur to Petaling Jaya. While in the car, when a traffic light changed to red, the driver was forced to stop immediately. It was a shocked to me. Three gangster-like Indians men were crossing the street and were stunned by the driver’s quick braking. They shouted at my Malay taxi driver outside the window. They banged on the taxi’s hood. They kicked the wheels. Not so hard, but they kicked it anyway.

At that moment, the Malay taxi driver blamed the Indians for crossing to soon. The Indians were pissed off and said something not nice. Both parties says racist statements. Me? Inside I was afraid. Angry too. Shamed. And I thought racist thoughts. Everyone were racist that day, the only difference was – I didn’t say it, I thought of it. I’m a racist too. It all happened in a few minutes. I asked myself, where did those thoughts come from? Life. My life. Growing up in Malaysia (the reality is) I was surrounded by racism. My generation is the most racist generation in the history of Malaysia.

I have a friend who refused to eat at Mamak stall because the owners were Indian. Some even dislike going to Chinese shops because the Chinese, they said, are very stingy with food ingredients. The Malays act superior than other races. The indigenous people group was said to be the most proud and stubborn people. Racist. When I was a kid, I don’t know much. Now I know better – I grew up with racism. I carry my emotional baggage with me, and it is terrifyingly easy for me to walk from the light back into the shadow. I need help, God-size help to rescue me from my build-in racism.

Jesus come into my life. He is my God, Lord and Saviour. I come to him first before I confess to you here, Jesus help me from my racism. He saved me from becoming a full-time racist believer. I’m in the process of his discipleship. Not perfect but daily renewed by his grace. In the Scripture, for example John 4:3-9, Jesus interacted with the Samaritan woman (in his culture, the Jews despite Samaritans). Jesus, a rabbi, talked to a woman (in his culture, a rabbi would never ever speak to a Samaritan woman or any other woman in fact, in public). Jesus had a conversation with a sexually loose woman (in his culture, the saints have nothing to do with the sinners). Jesus break the barrier of racism, prejudice and discrimination. Throughout the Scripture Jesus’ attitude and teachings, mind and Spirit helps me to break my walls of racism in me with other races. In Jesus, I’m able to find reconciliation, forgiveness, love and tolerance with one another. In Jesus, I have victory over racism! He is still working in me.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Malaysia Day: A Unity of Love is Possible

Athenagoras of Athens on the Christian God

In this defense of the Christian faith against pagan criticisms, written in Greek around the year 177 and addressed to the Roman emperors Marcus Aurelius Antonius and Lucius Aurelius Commodus, Athenagoras sets outs the main features of the gospel in a lucid and reasoned manner. The early Christians were accused of atheism on account of their refusal to worship the emperor. In this extract, in which Athenagoras explains what Christians believe about God, important anticipations of later thinking of the Trinity can be detected. The work is known by various names, including Apologia, Legatio and Supplicatio pro Christianis. In excerpted of his writing he wrote,

“So we are not atheists, in that we acknowledge one God, who is uncreated, eternal, invisible, impassible, incomprehensible, and without limit. He is apprehended only by the intellect and the mind, and is surrounded by light, beauty, spirit, and indescribable power. The universe was created and ordered, and is presently sustained, through his Logos (that is, Jesus Christ)… For we acknowledge also a “Son of God.” Nobody should think it ridiculous that God should have a Son. Although the pagan poets, in their frictions, represent the gods as being no better than human beings, we do not think in the same way as they do concerning either God the Father or God the Son. For the Son of God is the Logos of the Father, both in thought and in reality. It was through his action, and after his pattern, that all things were made, in that the Father and the Son are one…

[The Son] is the first creation of the Father – not meaning that he was brought into existence, in that, from the beginning, God, who is the eternal mind (nous), had the Logos within himself, being eternally of the character of the Logos (logikos). Rather, it is meant that he came forth to be the pattern and motivating power of all physical things… We affirm that the Holy Spirit, who was active in the prophets, is an effluence of God, who flows from him and returns to him, like a beam of the sun.”

[Source: Apologia, X, 1-4; in Athenagoras: Legatio and De Resurrectionem ed. W. R. Schoedel (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), pp. 20-2.]

“I [Jesus Christ] and my Father are one” (John 10:30)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Sebab #1: Yesus Mati... Untuk Menghampuskan Permusuhan Antara Kaum dan Bangsa (1/10)

Kenapa Yesus perlu menderita dan mati?

Saya percaya bahawa ini ialah satu soalan yang sangat penting sekali pada abad ke-21.

Di sini ada sepuluh jawapan daripada Firman Allah.

Sebab #1: Untuk Menghampuskan Permusuhan Antara Kaum dan Bangsa

Kecurigaan, prejudis, dan sikap permusuhan di antara orang Yahudi dan orang bukan Yahudi pada zaman Alkitab adalah sama seriusnya dengan sikap perkauman dan perbezaan diantara kaum, bangsa dan negara pada masa sekarang. Oleh itu, Yesus mati di kayu salib agar setiap kaum dan bangsa dapat berdamai melalui-Nya: Yesus Kristus “telah membawa kedamaian... dengan kematian-Nya di kayu salib Kristus telah merobohkan tembok permusuhan... Dia boleh menjadikan mereka satu umat yang baru, yang hidup bersatu dengan Dia... Kristus mendatangkan kedamaian... Kristus telah melenyapkan permusuhan... dan memimpin mereka kembali kepada Allah” (Efesus 2:14-16, BM).

Adalah sangat mustahil untuk menyatukan semua kaum dan bangsa dengan berkata bahawa semua agama di dunia adalah sama dan boleh disatukan. Tuhan telah mengutus Anak-Nya ke dunia sebagai satu-satunya jalan bagi setiap orang berdosa boleh diampuni dan mendamaikan permusuhan diantara kaum dan bangsa. Hanya melalui perdamaian ini sahaja barulah setiap kaum mampu mengasihi dan melayani satu sama lain dengan penuh sukacita.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

*Dipetik dari risalah kecil '10 Reasons Jesus Came to Die' oleh John Piper (Wheaton: Good News Publishers)