Timothy, This is How Christ Saves the Chief of Sinners - Paul's 3 Great Sins and 3 Praises (1 Timothy 1:12-14)

Read Paul's conversion in Acts 9

“I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus”

(1 Timothy 2:12-14, ESV)

The apostle Paul himself was living proof of the saving power of “the gospel of the glory of the blessed God” (v.11) which he preached. I imagine he burst into praise for what God had done in his life and made it all possible for him to preach the gospel “which [he] have been entrusted” (v.11). Here in verse 12, Paul gives thanks to Christ for 3 things that made him what he was:

First, he gives credit to Christ who give him “strength.” I recalls what Paul writes in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” I often heard people whining, complaining and making excuses that they don’t have this and that, and so they never did anything great for God. This is sin! If we are God’s people, He has given you everything you need according to what God’s call you to be and do. Christ will enable you, He will give you strength. Second, Paul thanked Christ for counting him faithful. The Lord “judged me faithful.” Paul was faithful, intense and zealous Pharisee who persecuted Christians. But when Christ called him, he became faithful, intense and zealous apostle of Christ. Faithfulness – this is the one virtue that is essential in God’s work. Last of all, Paul praises Christ for the privilege of being in the ministry. Christ “appointing me to his service” or ministry. He was convinced he was in the place where God had put him. Dear preachers, missionaries, pastors, teachers and all ministers, are you convince that you are where you’re appointed to be? If yes, draw your strength from Him, be faithful to the end and praise Him for calling you in the ministry.

As I read verse 13, I thought that every Christian has things of the past that he wishes had never happened, Paul included. He must have felt that his conduct was the worst of all. Just as there were 3 things for which he thanked Christ, he now mentions 3 great sins he did in the past. First, Paul says he was a “blasphemer.” Before he became Christian, Paul (in his conscious, Acts 23:1) never blasphemed against the God of Israel, he was only against the Lord Jesus Christ. But after his conversion, he understood that his blasphemed against Jesus Christ is the same as blasphemed against God. He also says he was a “persecutor” (read Acts 8-9). He was there when Stephen, the first martyr was stoned and he was the one who ‘hunted’ Christians all over Israel and beyond. If you want to see how zealous Paul was in persecuting early Christians, I recommend you to watch TV series A.D. The Bible Continues, very well acted! Lastly, the worst of all, Paul was a man of evil-harsh-violent. The word is “insolent” or “injurious” which I’m not familiar with. He was evil both in his heart and in how he treated Christians. I bet Paul was not proud of these things but he did not minimize the magnitude of his sin.

But with all of these horrible sins, Paul “received mercy because [he] had acted ignorantly in unbelief” (v.13). “Acted ignorantly” because all of it were done not intentionally against God (when I studied Book of Leviticus, there is no provision made for wilful sin against God, but for sin through ignorance, there is! See Leviticus 15:27-31). Paul, an ardent student of the Scripture, should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah but he didn’t. He was an ignorant. He said of himself “the chief of sinners” (see 1 Timothy 1:16 and Galatians 1). “But I received mercy,” he said. Not just mercy, but also “the grace of our Lord” (v.14). Not just grace but grace “overflow” or “exceeding abundant.” I like to use the word “super-abounding” – grace abounding on top of grace! That like putting superlative on top of superlative! It is said that grace is when God gives us what we don't deserve and mercy is when God doesn't give us what we do deserve. Paul experiences mercy and grace. Eugene Peterson paraphrases verse 14 wonderfully: “Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.” Hoahhh! Wow!

Are you a sinner? Worst sinner?

There is hope, come and see, Jesus is the Saviour!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Lives WITH Us and IN Us Because of the Holy Spirit

“[Jesus said] “If you love me, obey me; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, for it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, for he lives with you now and some day shall be with you… I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Comforter instead of me – and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit – he will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you”

(John 14:15-17; 25-26, The Living Bible)

A lot we can expound from passages above, but I just want to focus on the subject of the Holy Spirit here. Lord Jesus now promised His followers they would experience His presence more fully and intimately because the Father would send them the Holy Spirit. The expression “another Comforter” or “another Advocate” in some translations implies that Jesus was the first and the Spirit would be the same kind of “Comforter.” When Jesus would no longer be with the disciples physically, the Holy Spirit would be with them and in them, and He would “leads [them] into all truth.”

Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit (John 20:22) on the disciples just before His ascension, and the Spirit was poured out on all the believers at Pentecost (Acts 2) shortly after Jesus ascended to heaven. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God with and in the believers, helping them lives as He wants and building Christ’s church – that is, the gathering of all believers, not church building per se – on earth. In chapter 14, Jesus taught these truths about the Spirit: #1 He will be with us forever (John 14:16); #2 The world at large cannot and don’t want to receive Him (v.17); #3 He lives with us and in us (v.17); #4 He will become our Teacher (v.26) and; #5 He will reminds us of Jesus’ words a.k.a. God’s Word (v.26) [Also if you read Chapter 16, the Holy Spirit will convicts us of sin, shows us God’s righteousness, announce God’s judgement on evil, guide us into all truth, and brings glory to Jesus].

After Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection, all of these about the Holy Spirit came true. How about now? You see, Jesus did not leave the disciples – and us – alone. He is with us and in us. He is with us through His Spirit encouraging, assuring, convicting, guiding, enlightening and empowering. We need to depend on Him, listen to Him, and follow His lead. The question is: Are you living in the Spirit of Christ?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Freaks: 'Asif' of Pakistan, How Could I Not Have an Interest in this Prophet?

This is not 'Asif.' A Christian was beaten by police men.

Pakistan, 2001

“Asif” was carefree as he sped his motorcycle down the street of his Pakistani town. He enjoyed being noticed by the young women as he sped by. In the traditional Muslim culture of Pakistan, overt glances would have been very inappropriate, but still Asif could tell when he had been seen. He was young, and he felt powerful as he drove past, relishing the murmur of the motorcycle’s engine in his ears and the feel of the tires gripping the road. He smiled to himself and twisted the accelerator to give the bike a quick burst of speed.

            Suddenly where the beautiful sky had been he saw only dirt, and where his motorcycle had raced along beneath him, it now felt like it was flying over his head. For the next few seconds all was clouds of dust and spinning. The next thing he knew he was lying on his back with his motorcycle next to him on the ground, its engine coughing and then dying. He heard the echo of the squealing tires as the car that hit him sped away. He had never ever seen it.

            Then he noticed the splitting pain shooting up his leg. When he looked at it, he could tell from the way his foot lay off to the wrong side that it was broken. He tried to stay calm, but panic was gripping his heart and he wanted to scream.

            Before he lost his composure, though, he felt a reassuring hand upon him. A woman had come out of the crowd of passers-by and knelt beside him, laying her hand on his leg. He was calmed for the moment and surprised as she began to pray.

            Through the pain, Asif heard the name of Jesus in her prayer. Despite his immediate thankfulness that someone had stopped to help, a wave of anger came over him at the mention of that name. How can this woman pray to Jesus, a mere prophet? Doesn’t she know that I am a Muslim, a follower of Mohammed, the greatest prophet? Why isn’t she praying to Allah?

            Yet Asif was suddenly distracted from his anger by an energy he felt running through his body as she prayed. It was different from anything he had ever felt before. His anger began to fade as his leg straightened itself and the bone came back into place. Eventually he sat up and carefully examined his leg. It was completely whole.

            As he stood, he noticed that there was no more pain either. He picked up his bike and walked it home.

            Sometime later, the same woman brought him a Bible. He never saw her again after that.

            Hungry to know more about this prophet who had healed his leg, he began to read the Bible, especially the New Testament and the miracles of Jesus. Asif’s question weighted heavier: If Jesus was truly only one of many prophets, how could he perform such amazing works? As Asif lay on his bed, he wondered, Who is Jesus? I know many prophets have come to earth, but none has had the power of Jesus.

            Asif was so perplexed by how a minor prophet such as Jesus could heal him two thousand years after His death that he took his questions to the mulvi (religious leader) at his mosque.

            “Why are you talking about Jesus?” the mulvi sneered. “Do you have an interest in him?”

            “How could I not have an interest?” Asif responded incredulously. “He healed me.”

            The mulvi and others at the mosque took Asif and locked him in a room. They forced poison down his throat thinking that if he died before fully accepting Christ, he would still make it to Paradise. They left him there overnight for the poison to do its work. Asif felt sick and thought he was dying. He vomited repeatedly and threw up blood.

            However, around midnight Asif found himself still barely alive and lying in the dust, caked with his own blood and vomit. The room was dark and he didn’t have the strength to get up. He didn’t know what else to do, so he prayed. He called out to Jesus and told Him he wanted to see Him before he died.

            Before he knew what had happened, a bright light had filled the dusty room. Asif suddenly felt a little better and forced himself up to see what was causing the light. Before him stood Jesus. It was at that moment that Asif surrendered the rest of his life to the Lord, saying, “God, this life is for you; as long as I am on earth, I will work for you.”

            Sometime before dawn, Asif managed to escape and made his way home.

            When he tried to tell his parents of his experience the next morning, they were not impressed. “You are a Muslim,” his parents told him. “If you accept Jesus, you must leave this house.”

            So Asif had no choice. He took his Bible and left. He went to a larger city where he met a pastor at a Christian bookstore. The pastor disciple Asif and later baptized him. From the first moments of his newfound faith, Asif felt a strong desire to share who Jesus was and what He had done for him with those around him, regardless of their religious backgrounds. Because of this, his troubles with the police and city leaders began almost immediately.

            “A landlord [city leader] came to me and said, ‘Where are you going? And why are you preaching this “gospel”? These are Muslim people. Why are they accepting Jesus?’”

            Seeing that Asif was undeterred, this landlord and some other Muslims took him and beat him with heavy sugarcane stalks. They stomped on his leg and broke it again. As they pounded his body, they shouted, “You dog! You low-class scum! Why did you come here and make our people Christians?” They ordered Asif to leave the city immediately.

            Despite their further threats, he refused.

            As they were beating him, he prayed for them, “Please, God, change their minds and their hearts.” Then he cried out to God to help him and give him strength.

            Many weeks later, after Asif had recovered from his injuries, the landlords and the police closed down a meeting where Asif was sharing about Jesus again. Asif was taken to the police station, where he was severely beaten.

            When Asif was asked how he could endure this and not be discouraged, he quoted Philippians 1:29 (NAS), “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”

            Asif continues to evangelize whenever and wherever he has the opportunity.

[Taken from Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries (2002) by dc Talk. Title mine]

The cost of serving Jesus Christ is your life.

What are you doing with your life now? For Christ and His Kingdom? or for self?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

         

The evidence of Jesus’ Resurrection #6: The change in the Apostle Paul

Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus (from the movie, The Bible) 

One of the most telling examples of a person who saw Christ and whose life was transformed was the apostle Paul. He had been educated with the finest Jewish education, and he had a reputation as a well-trained and respected religious leader. Because of his position and his initial belief that Jesus and his disciples’ claims were false, he hated the new sect of Christian believers. In fact, he was present at the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen (see Acts 6 and 7). Before his conversion, Paul was called Saul.

After a personal encounter with the Resurrected Christ who spoke to him (Acts 9), Paul realized that he had been fighting against the very One who had validated his universal authority through the Resurrection. The day that he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul’s focus in life changed 180 degrees from the persecution of the budding Christian faith to becoming its foremost proponent and evangelist to the corners of the Roman Empire. Now Paul was fully convinced that the Resurrection was a true fact of history.

Paul’s reputation as a persecutor of the Church was so widespread that initially the Christians were afraid to accept him into their group. Eventually, Paul was imprisoned in Rome and martyred because he would not back down from proclaiming the message of the Crucified and Resurrected Christ. Paul was so convinced that the Resurrection of Jesus from the death unto life that he claimed the entire Christian faith rested on this one central truth of the Resurrection and its implications for all believers:

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead… And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep [died] in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits [the first to be raised to life forever] of those who have fallen asleep [died]” (1 Corinthians 15:14-15, 17-20).

The Church rapidly grew from a small band of disciples to a worldwide movement. Thousands of early believers – even Paul himself – were martyred for their faith in the first few centuries of Christianity. (Even today, Christians are persecuted for their faith). Know that they were not killing people because of their faith but being killed for their faith in Christ. The Resurrection of Jesus is truly one of the most attested events in history.

The evidence of Jesus’ Resurrection #6:
The change in the Apostle Paul

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Pray for Persecuted Church: Gaza and the West Bank

[The Voice of the Martyrs prayer calendar] Gaza and the West Bank have been a point of contention between Israel and the Arab world since Israel’s founding as a state in 1948. Currently, the radical terrorist group Hamas rules the Gaza Strip while the democratically elected Fatah governs the West Bank. Israel maintains control over all access to the two territories. 8 of the 20 people groups in Gaza and the West Bank are unreached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Category	Hostile Nation
Religion	Muslim 87.7%, Jewish 8.5%, Christian 1.6%
Ideology	Islam
Head of State	President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Mahmoud Abbas

More than 4,000 Arab evangelical Christians worship in Gaza and the West Bank, with about 400 to 500 believers in Gaza. Political turmoil in the Palestinian territories has created an environment that enables militant Islamic groups to persecute Christians. In 2011, local authorities in the West Bank threatened a Christian group involved in outreach activities in a Bethlehem suburb, and the team’s building and vehicles were vandalized.

Pray for faithful Arab Christians in Gaza and West Bank

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Pray for Persecuted Church: Brunei

[The Voice of the Martyrs prayer calendar] Brunei’s economy is based almost entirely on oil and natural gas, and its great national wealth gives it a strong measure of global influence relative to its size. The same family has led the country for more than six centuries. Out of 26 people groups, the eight largest are unreached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Category	Restricted Nation
Religion	Muslim 65.3%, Christian 11.4%
Ideology	Islam
Head of State	Sultan/Prime Minister Sir Hassanal Bolkiah

There are few believers in this small country. Islam is the official religion. While religious freedom is guaranteed under Brunei’s constitution, Christians face a variety of restrictions, including confiscation of religious materials intended for distribution and sale, and prohibitions on religious teaching in private, non-Islamic schools. Evangelism and conversion to Christianity is prohibited, Bible importation is forbidden and the government regularly ignores requests to build or expand churches. Even religious symbols on imported magazines are censored. There are only three registered churches in the country, all built during the colonial era. No new churches have been permitted, so believers must meet secretly. The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) has smuggled Bibles into the country for three years and effectively met the need for Bibles for every Christian in the nation in 2011.

Pray: Pray for wisdom as VOM monitors and provides for the needs of believers.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

An Interview with Myself: On the Avengers and the Scripture

This is an interview with myself.

Why you love to watch movie?

Why you love to eat? Why you love to dance? Why you love to read? All of these are natural for human being. You enjoy food, you love to move with the tune, you love stories. Movie is my source of leisure and entertainment. Movie captured my imaginations and filled me with inspirations. I’m talking about good movies, of course.

How do you differentiate between good and bad movies?

Good movies cause you to think, not just being entertained. This is very important because the thrill of participation with the characters is what makes the movie worth to watch. Worth for my investment, RM13! For me, good movies ought to have moral values without neglecting the reality of bad influences. For action-movies like The Avengers, which is why you interview me right, we must not expecting the movie to be realistic and logic or hoping that the heroes must be perfect and good all the time… come on, movie is a movie, okay?

[In my mind, I asked and answered too many questions to myself which are not quiet appropriate for public to read. Therefore, I skipped most of it.]

So, now, tell me, what you have learned from the movie The Avengers?

Oh, many things. By the way, before I watched The Avengers (again), I watched Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man 1, 2 & 3, Hulk, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and  Thor: The Dark World. To get the big picture of the movie, I need to do some ‘revision.’ [Smiled]

In summary, The Avengers taught me more than just cliché lessons that you get from self-help or motivational books. The Avengers – this might sound unusual to you – helps me to recaps what some of the Scripture’s values that I have learned as I read and study it. I mean, by watching The Avengers and other Marvel movies, it help me to see how some Biblical values can be seen in each heroes and situations.

For examples, Hulk taught me how to be angry. Almost all references in the Scriptures about angry are negative because by nature angry is a sin. But there is such thing as righteous-angry where anger is not directed to persons but to the injustice, unrighteousness and merciless. Jesus, do you remember, overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves because He was righteously-angry with what He saw in the temple (Read Matthew 21:12-13). When an alien spaceship coming toward him, Captain America said something like this, “You need help to be angry?” “No,” Bruce Banner replied, “This is what you don’t know about me… I’m always angry…” And then he turned into the green beast and smashes the ship! Meaning, he had his anger under control and ‘expressing’ it toward the real enemies. 

Captain America taught me about leadership. He is mentally and physically fit. He is a fighter and strategist. He is probably one of the least members with special power but nevertheless – he is the Avenger’s Captain. He is a patriotic who value teamwork and do whatever it take to achieve the missions. He is the man who believes in God.  I remember one scene after Captain and Iron man caught Loki, Thor with raged came from nowhere took Loki out of the plane. As Iron man followed them from behind with an attack plan – that is “Attack!” – Captain was left behind. Black Widow reminds him, “Are you going after them too? They are Asgardians… they are literally, gods.” The Captain buckled up a parachute and said, “No ma’am,” he’s about to jump, “There is only one God!” He jumped and continues, “And He’s not dressing like one of those.”

Iron man taught me that people can change. He was a playboy, but now in love with one woman, Pepper. He was a billionaire who sells war machines, but now becomes a generous entrepreneur that helps to make the world a better place. He was a selfish genius, but now he fights for justice and even sacrifices himself to save many. He diverts a nuclear missile from blowing the New York City into the black hole all by himself. He, literally, saved the world. “If we can’t protect the earth,” Tony Stark said to Loki, “you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.” Minus the language and attitude, do you hear his selflessness?

Thor taught me to be humble. He was arrogant, I know, but he now has become a matured and responsible man. When he was on earth – even though it is not relevant – he didn’t take pride of his Asgardian’s title and position. He is the prince of Asgard, heir of the kingdom throne, and god of thunder yet he remains humble, human-like in his character. He slowly learns to become human.

I haven’t told you about Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Maria Hill, Agent Phil, etc… maybe next time bro.

Finally, do you have anything else to say?

Yes. Religious people often told me to “Stop watching worldly movies”, “Don’t watching this and that movie, it’s no good”, “You’re influencing our youth to worldliness.” I appreciate their concerns but I sense their hypocrisy. Even though they didn’t watch movies in cinema, they themselves watch movies on television, gossips in Twitter, watch videos on YouTube, and always read nonsense news on Facebook. I only take advice from those who have integrity and sincere.

Okay, I fully understand that watching too much movies or addicted to it will affect and pollute our mind but in everything we do – whatever it is – balance, priority and discernment are require. Those who make so much fuss with me watching The Avengers and told me to read the Scriptures more, I have two questions for you: 1) Do you know  Spiderman and Superman, Batman and Iron man, Thor and Hulk, Captain America and Wolverine? Maybe the answer is “No.” Then, since you don’t watch movie and love to read the Scripture, do you know Cain and Abel, Miriam and Aaron, Korah and Dathan, Ruth and Naomi, Abigail and Rahab, Ahab and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Esther and Mordecai, Amos and Obadiah, Nadab and Abihu, ect.? [Pause]

The Avengers and everything in this world are just faded mirror reflections of what is really real – Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. Of course, if The Avengers have taken our hearts and minds over the Scripture, we have issues with God. Therefore, Repent.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

John Stott on Social Responsibility

Never take Relationship for Granted, Express Affection Every Day

“[Each] man must love his wife as he loves himself,

and the wife must respect her husband” (Ephesians 5:33, NLT)

Dr. Nathaniel Branden is a California psychologist whose advice about marriage has appeared in several national magazines. When couples come to him asking, “Are there specific ways in which couples who remain happily in love behave differently from couples who don’t?” Branden says, “Yes!” He points out that couples who stay in love never take their relationship for granted, but they express their affection for each other every day in various ways. In his article on Reader’s Digest entitled ‘Advice That Could Save Your Marriage’, he writes (summaries):

·        They frequently say “I love you”

·        They are physically affectionate, holding hands, hugging, cuddling

·        They express their love sexually

·        They verbalize their appreciation and admiration

·        They share their thoughts and feelings, learning to self-disclose what’s on their minds and hearts to each other, confiding in each other

·        They express their love materially, giving little gifts to each other

·        They create time alone together

“Marriage are made in heaven,
but we are responsible for the maintenance work”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Saved by Smoking the Word

“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10, NIV)

Jacob Koshy grew up in Singapore with one driving ambition: to be a success in life, to gain all the money and possessions he could. That led him into the world of drugs and gambling, and eventually he became the lord of an international smuggling network. In 1980, he was arrested and placed in the government drug rehabilitation prison in Singapore.

He was frustrated beyond endurance. All his goals, purposes, dreams, and ambitions were locked up with him in a tiny cell, and his heart was full of a cold emptiness. He was a smoker, and cigarettes weren’t allowed in the center. Instead, he smuggled in tobacco and rolled it in the pages of a Gideon Bible. One day he fell asleep while smoking. He awoke to find that the cigarette had burned out, and all that remained was a scrap of charred paper. He unrolled it and read what was written: “Saul, Saul, Why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9)

Jacob asked for another Bible and read the entire story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. He suddenly realized that if God could help someone like Saul, God could help him, too.

There in the cell he knelt and prayed, asking Christ to come into his life and change him. He began crying and couldn’t stop. The tears of a wasted life washed away his pain, and God redeemed him. He started sharing his story with the other prisoners, and as soon as he was released he became involved in a church. He met a Christian woman, married, and is now a missionary in the Far East where he tells people far and wide, “Who would have believed that I could find the truth by smoking the Word of God?”*

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

*quote from Jacob Koshy, “From Smoking the Word to Speaking the Word” in Gideon Testimonies from International Extension Countries (Nashville: The Gideons International, 1994), 59-60.