Memahami lagu “Yesus Pokok dan Kitalah Cabang-Nya”

Lagu sekolah minggu “Yesus Pokok dan Kitalah Cabang-Nya” ialah lagu yang sangat popular dan sangat Alkitabiah. Sesiapa yang menyanyikannya dan mempercayai lirik lagu ini pasti akan bersukacita apabila ia dinyanyikan bersama-sama. Lagu ini mengingatkan saya tentang Firman Allah dibawah:

“Akulah pokok anggur yang benar dan Bapa-Kulah pengusahanya. Setiap ranting pada-Ku yang tidak berbuah, dipotong-Nya dan setiap ranting yang berbuah, dibersihkan-Nya, supaya ia lebih banyak berbuah... Tinggallah di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam kamu. Sama seperti ranting tidak dapat berbuah dari dirinya sendiri, kalau ia tidak tinggal pada pokok anggur, demikian juga kamu tidak berbuah, jikalau kamu tidak tinggal di dalam Aku. Akulah pokok anggur dan kamulah ranting-rantingnya. Barangsiapa tinggal di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam dia, ia berbuah banyak, sebab di luar Aku kamu tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa” (Yohanes 15:1-2, 4-5, Terjemahan Baru).

“Buah Roh ialah: kasih, sukacita, damai sejahtera, kesabaran, kemurahan, kebaikan, kesetiaan, kelemahlembutan, pengusaan diri” (Galatia 5:22-23, TB).

Untuk berbuah, ranting mesti tinggal pada pokok anggur. Ianya mesti hidup dan bukannya kering dan mati seperti kayu bakaran. Secara rohani, ini bermaksud bahawa seseorang itu mesti dahulu menjadi pengikut Kristus. Tanpa Roh Kristus hidup dalam diri kita, hanya perbuatan keinginan tabiat manusia sahaja yang mampu kita lakukan: “perbuatan cabul, lucah, dan tidak senonoh; dalam penyembahan berhala dan penggunaan ilmu sihir. Orang bermusuhan dan berkelahi; mereka cemburu, dan mementingkan diri sendiri. Mereka berpecah dan berpihak-pihak, mereka iri hati, suka mabuk, berpesta liar, dan sebagainya” (Galatia 5:19-21, Alkitab BM). Buah Roh hanya akan terjadi apabila kehidupan Kristus, diberikan melalui Roh-Nya, mengalir dalam diri kita. Tinggallah di dalam pokok anggur, Jesus Kristus, untuk berbuah.

Untuk berbuah, kita mesti tinggal di dalam Kristus. Untuk sentisa berbuah, kita harus sentiasa dijaga dengan baik (“cultivation”). Oleh itu, Firman juga berkata bahawa Allah Bapa ialah “pengusaha” anggur. Ini bermaksud bahawa Tuhan Allah sentiasa menjaga kita, memberi cahaya penyertaan-Nya dalam diri kita, memberi baja and air untuk kita bertumbuh secara rohani dengan sihat – sesuai dengan rencana-Nya dalam hidup kita. Jika kita ingin terus berbuah, kita mesti “tinggal di dalam Kristus”. Kita harus sentiasa berdoa, membaca, memahami dan melakukan Firman Allah dan sentiasa bersama dalam persekutuan orang-orang Kristian (contohnya, di dalam gereja, persatuan pelajar Kristian dan sebagainya).

Untuk berbuah, kita mesti tinggal di dalam Kristus. Untuk sentiasa berbuah, kita harus sentiasa dijaga dengan baik. Untuk menghasilkan buah yang sentiasa baik, kita harus selalu dibersihkan (“pruning”). Process ini tidak selalunya senang untuk kita hadapi – tetapi kita perlu juga melaluinya; sebab walaupun ranting itu berbuah, ia harus “dibersihkan-Nya, supaya ia lebih banyak berbuah”. Ini melibatkan semua perkara yang menjadi terutama di dalam hidup kita selain Yesus akan dibersihkan-Nya. Kadang-kadang ia bererti kita harus mengalami penderitaan (sementara) dan memanggil kita untuk mengorbankan sesetengah perkara dalam hidup kita – supaya kita dapat tinggal di dalam Kristus senantiasa. Tujuan utama kita harus “dibersihkan” ialah supaya kita “lebih banyak berbuah”.

Ini ialah kehendak Tuhan Allah dalam hidup kita orang Kristian - “Yesus Pokok dan Kitalah Cabang-Nya” – berbuah. Sentiasa berbuah. Menghasilkan buah yang sentiasa baik. Amen.

“Inilah hasilnya jika orang dipimpin oleh Roh Allah:
Mereka saling mengasihi (love), bersukacita (joy),
hidup rukun (peace), sabar (patience),
berbudi (kindness), baik hati (goodness), setia (faithfulness),
rendah diri (gentleness), dan dapat mengawal diri (self-control)”
(Galatian 5:22-23, Alkitab BM, ESV).

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Part 3: The Bible - Its Contents (vi)

Not much of what but Who in the Bible

This is just an icon okay

God Himself became a man so that if we want to know how God work and think, what He does and will do, we can know it through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus appearance on the earth is the central event of all history. It is true that the Old Testament sets the stage for it, and the New Testament describes it. As a man, Jesus lived a perfect life. He died. He was buried. He rose again and as you read this – He is alive today! Dr. Hendrietta C. Mears writes, “He is not merely historical character but a living person – this is the most important fact of history and the most vital force in the world today. And He promises eternal life to all who come to Him. The whole Bible is built around the story of Christ and His promises of life everlasting to all. It was written only that we might believe and understand, know and love, and follow Him”.

Knowing that Christ is the main hero, character, and theme of the Bible, let us look at each book of the Bible about its own distinctive central themes.

The Bible

The Old Testament

Genesis: The start of God’s plan for His people

Exodus: God’s people are freed from slavery

Leviticus: Preparing God’s people for worship

Numbers: God’s people wander in the wilderness

Deuteronomy: God’s people called to obedience

Joshua: Success in the Promised Land

Judges: Failure in the Promised Land

Ruth: The story of a faithful daughter-in-law

1 Samuel: The emergence of Israel as a kingdom

2 Samuel: Israel’s greatest King – David

1 Kings: Solomon – the temple – the division

2 Kings: The divided kingdom, and the prophets

1 Chronicles: God’s faithfulness to His people

2 Chronicles: The fall of Israel as a nation

Ezra: The return from exile, and the new start

Nehemiah: Danger as Jerusalem is rebuilt

Esther: Esther’s courage to saves the exiled Jews

Job: Dialogues on the sufferings of a godly man

Psalms: Man’s honest respond to God

Proverbs: Wisdom for living

Ecclesiastes: The world’s philosophy exposed

Songs of Solomon: A poem of love

Isaiah: The prophet of hope

Jeremiah: The prophet of tragedy

Lamentations: Poem of sorrow

Ezekiel: The prophet of God’s glory

Daniel: The prophet of confidence in God

Hosea: The prophet of love

Joel: The prophet of the Day of the Lord

Amos: The prophet of justice

Obadiah: The prophet of doom

Jonah: The prophet of repentance

Micah: The prophet of restitution
Nahum: The prophet of retribution

Habakkuk: The prophet of doubt and faith

Zephaniah: The prophet of judgment

Haggai: The prophet of dedication

Zechariah: The prophet of restoration

Malachi: The prophet of expectation

The New Testament

Matthew: The teaching of the promised Messiah

Mark: The work of a serving Savior

Luke: The concern of a loving Savior

John: The belief in a personal Savior

Acts: The witness to a risen Savior

Romans: God’s righteousness upheld and applied

1 Corinthians: A church’s problems corrected

2 Corinthians: The ministry of the Church

Galatians: The gospel and Jewish law contrasted

Ephesians: Christ’s relationship with the Church

Philippians: The love and royalty of a Church

 Colossians: The person of Jesus exalted

1 Thessalonians: New converts encouraged

2 Thessalonians: The second coming of Christ

1 Timothy: Instructions for Church behavior

2 Timothy: The pastor of a Church encouraged

Titus: Christian self-control

Philemon: To the owner of a runaway slave

Hebrews: The greatness of Christ exalted

James: Practical instructions for a living faith

1 Peter: The suffering of the Church explained

2 Peter: The perils of the Church foretold

1 John: The reality of divine fellowship

2 John: Walking in the truth exhorted

3 John: Living in the truth practiced

Jude: Apostasy in the Church condemned

Revelation: The triumph of God over all evil

Please Note: The above themes are only guide. Each themes should not be seen the only theme of any particular book, but as a distinct emphasis of that book – and each book of the Bible should be read a whole, so that an overall view is gained of its contribution to God’s message to men.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Kenapa Tuhan banyak memberikan Peringatan di dalam Alkitab?

“Hukum TUHAN itu benar, menggembirakan hati. Perintah TUHAN itu adil, memberi orang pengertian. Berbakti kepada TUHAN itu baik, berlanjutan selama-lamanya. Ketetapan TUHAN itu adil, tidak berat sebelah. Ketetapan TUHAN lebih berharga daripada emas murni, lebih manis daripada madu. Hamba-Mu diperingatkan oleh semua itu; pahala tersedia untuk orang yang mentaatinya” (Mazmur 19:9-12).

Kehidupan kita penuh dengan bermacam-macam “peringatan”. Lampu merah mengingatkan kita untuk berhenti. Tanda amaran pada label botol ubat-ubatan mengingatkan kita supaya meletakkannya jauh dari capaian kanak-kanak. Bunyi siren kereta ambulans mengingatkan kita untuk memandu pelahan dan memberi laluan. Setiap peringatan ini adalah sesuatu perkara yang mungkin baik bagi kamu atau sebaliknya – bergantung kepada bagaimana kamu melihat situasi-situasi tersebut.

Kamu boleh melihat “peringatan” itu sebagai sesuatu yang menghalang kamu untuk bersukacita di dalam kehidupan kamu, atau kamu boleh melihat “peringatan” itu sebagai berkat daripada Tuhan Allah supaya kamu dapat menikmati kehidupan kamu sepenuhnya dan bersukacita dengan lebih lagi. Pemazmur mengatakan bahawa Firman Allah itu benar, mengembirakan hati; adil, memberikan orang pengertian; baik; tidak ternilai dan kita sebagai hamba-Nya telah “diperingatkan oleh semua itu”. “Peringatan” tidak seharusnya dikaitkan dengan perkara negatif sahaja – ialah ialah berkat dari Tuhan sendiri.

Peringatan daripada Allah (di dalam Firman-Nya) adalah bertujuan untuk melindungi kita sebagai umat-umat-Nya daripada melakukan perkara yang tidak baik yang akan memudaratkan kita sendiri. Sebagai contoh, ada peringatan Tuhan yang mengatakan bahawa kita tidak patut mengadakan hubungan seks luar nikah untuk mengelakkan hati kita daripada terluka kelak, mencegah kelahiran anak yang belum matang, atau menghidari kita daripada mendapat jangkitan yang berbahaya – dan yang paling utama sekali ialah kita berdosa kerana telah melawan perintah-Nya dan mengakibatkan Allah murka.

Selalunya kita melihat contoh “peringatan” di atas  atau mana-mana peringatan Tuhan Allah di dalam Firman-Nya sebagai sesuatu yang menghalang kebebasan kita. Apabila kita bersikap seperti itu, kita seakan-akan telah menentang sesuatu yang memang telah disediakan oleh Allah untuk melindungi kita sendiri. Peringatan-Nya adalah salah satu cara Allah untuk melindungi kita daripada melakukan perkara yang kita sendiri akan menyesal kelak. Musa berkata kepada orang Israel tentang Hukum Taurat, “Kamu akan sentiasa berjaya dan tidak pernah gagal jika kamu taat dengan setia kepada segala perintah TUHAN yang aku berikan kepada kamu hari ini” (Ulangan 28:13) – bagi kita sekarang ialah pengajaran Alkitab Perjanjian Baru, dan lebih-lebih lagi perintah Tuhan Yesus sendiri.

“Hamba-Mu diperingatkan oleh semua itu;
pahala tersedia untuk orang yang mentaatinya”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Is Your Name written in Heaven?

Everyone has a name. Names are important. All of us appreciate those who know our names and call us by our names. “Richard”. Oh, what a lovely name that is.

Just an imaginative picture okay

Question, does God know your name? The Bible, God’s very Word, tells us that God has a book of names called the Book of Life. The Bible also tells us that persons whose names are not in the Book of Life will be separated from God forever (Revelation 20:15). If our names were not written in that book, one day Jesus, the King of Heaven, will say to us, “I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws” (Matthew 7:23NLT). The good news, however, is that the Bible says we can know either our names are written in the Book of Life or not. How?

In the Bible, John 3:16 declares, “For God so loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. God loves each person and He loves you. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son into the world. That Son is Jesus. For what purpose did God send His Son to earth? Jesus came to die for our sins and then rise to life so that those whose names had been written in the Book of Life before the beginning of the world, His elects – can come to Him in this way – by believing in Jesus. If you really believe in Him by grace through faith, your name was truly had been written in the Book of Life! [I believe in sovereign election (or predestination)].

If you believe, you will not perish but have eternal life. Believing in Jesus involves being convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, repenting by turning away from sin, and placing your faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. God forgives you when you place your faith in Him. Oh yes! You will have eternal life and your name is written in the Book of Life. The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Joel 2:32) and “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:13). You can call on the name of the Lord Jesus now. And when you do it by faith in Jesus alone – under the grace of God – indeed, surely, your name is in the Book of Life! Therefore, rejoice!

 THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

C.H. Spurgeon on "The Danger of Prosperity"

Charles Haddon Spurgeon
'Prince of Preachers'

Material prosperity, though it is a gift of God, His gracious providence for us, can be a threat to our relationship with God if we’re not careful with our desire for it – to have it, to earn it, to keep it and to idolize it for ourselves. It can be a great blessing; but it also can be a great curse. It can be use to enrich our relationship with God through generous distributions and wise usages; but it also can be the main hindrance of our relationship with God. I fear that the later is where most of us are incline to be and/or going to be. Below is a quote from C.H. Spurgeon (1834 – 1892), my most beloved hero of faith, about the danger of prosperity. His words are a good reminder for us, who, are living in the world where meaning, value and identity of a person is define by one’s success in accumulating material prosperity. He started his godly argument by reminding us how we were used to be when we first know God – so fired up in the things of God – but later come to a lukewarm state of spirituality after we had gain and blinded by many of the world’s good things. For such persons, he warned them:

“Did not some of you, at one time, the moment you awoke in the morning, begin communing with God? Were there not red-letter days, when, from morning light to evening shade, you were in fellowship with the Most High? You had your burdens, but you always carried them to Jesus; and you had your joys, but you always shared them with Him. You lived for Him; your heart was warm towards Him; you walked with Him in constant communion, but, now, can you really live without even thinking of Him? Can you be happy without thinking of your God? Have you a better house than you used to have, and more money, more friends, and more of this world’s good things; and now you forget your God, and go the whole livelong day without any communication between soul and Him? Ah, then, you have indeed gone down in the world, and up; you are getting poorer and poorer; God help you! If you had come to me, and told me that you had lost everything, but that you loved Jesus better, I should have sympathized with you because of your trouble, but I should have congratulated you upon your grace. But now that you have got on so well in the world that you do not love your Lord as you once did, I can only pity you because of your dreadful prosperity, and mourn over the fearful loss, which you have experienced”

[Quote from ‘Spurgeon Gold: Pure. Refined’ by Ray Comfort. 2005, by Bridge-Logos. Pg. 53-54.]

Therefore, repent! God save you from this downfall and danger of prosperity!

Either you’re rich or not – whatever,
I urge you as a fellow follower of Christ and pray
that you will always be rich in the Lord Jesus Christ [and to me also]. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Percuma! Mari Beli tanpa Wang dan Bayaran!

“Marilah, setiap orang yang haus, marilah datang untuk mendapatkan air; dan dia yang tidak mempunyai wang, mari, beli dan makan! Marilah, beli wain dan susu tanpa wang dan tanpa bayaran” (Yesaya 55:1, terjemahan saya dari English Standard Version).

Apabila Allah berfirman, “Marilah... datang... tanpa wang dan tanpa bayaran”, Dia bermaksud bahawa “Keselamatan itu adalah percuma!” Tuhan Allah tidak meletakkan harga bagi Anugerah-Nya – ianya adalah percuma! Penginjil bukannya jurujual kerana mereka (kami) tidak ada apa-apa untuk dijual. Mereka (kami) ialah hanya penyampai Berita Baik itu – Berita Baik bahawa “Kristus mati kerana dosa kita, sesuai dengan yang tertulis di dalam Alkitab” (2 Korintus 15:3) dan “kerana Allah sudah menunjukkan rahmat-Nya untuk menyelamatkan umat manusia” (Titus 2:11).

Keselamatan daripada dosa. Wang tidak boleh membelinya. Kebaikan manusia tidak boleh mendapatkannya. Darjat dan pangkat tidak ada bezanya. Hidup keagamaan dan hidup moral tidak mampu memilikinya. Ianya hanya boleh diterima seperti apa yang Allah telah firmankan; “tanpa wang dan tanpa bayaran”.

Tuhan tidak pernah tawar-menawar dengan kita. Kita tidak layak untuk berbincang atau bermesyuarat dengan-Nya. Kita hanya boleh berurusan dengan-Nya hanya melalui budi bicara-Nya sahaja. Allah yang maha berkuasa telah menentukan jalan keselamatan hanya melalui Anak-Nya, Yesus Kristus sahaja (Yohanes 3:16) dan Dia berfirman agar kita menerima-Nya dengan “tanpa wang dan tanpa bayaran” – percuma! Semua benda yang baik, antara benda yang berharga yang kita semua miliki sekarang adalah percuma, bukankah begitu? Udara yang kita hembus tidak perlu dibayar. Air sungai yang jernih dan bersih dari gunung tidak perlu dibeli. Kasih itu percuma; iman itu percuma; harapan itu percuma; nyawa kita percuma.

Dengan ini, kita tidak mempunyai alasan untuk menolak kasih kurnia-Nya, Anugerah Allah dengan berkata bahawa ianya terlalu mahal atau sangat susah untuk dimiliki. Pemberian yang sangat berharga ini, yang menentukan samada kita hidup kekal bersama Tuhan Allah atau tidak untuk selama-lamanya – adalah percuma! Ianya percuma kerana Tuhan Yesus telah menderita dan mati kerana murka Allah terhadap dosa kita (kebenaran dan keadilan) dan kemudian bangkit semula untuk membolehkan kita diselamatkan dari murka Allah yang dahsyat itu dan membebaskan kita daripada belenggu dosa apabila kita telah menerima Yesus sebagai Tuhan dan Juruselamat kita (kasih dan belas kasihan). Keselamatan itu percuma – kerana kita tidak perlu melakukan apa-apa. Keselamatan itu percuma – kerana ini ialah pemberian Allah bagi orang yang percaya. Keselamatan itu percuma – tetapi ianya tidak murah!

Oleh itu, “Marilah, setiap orang yang haus, marilah datang untuk mendapatkan air; dan dia yang tidak mempunyai wang, mari, beli dan makan! Marilah, beli wain dan susu tanpa wang dan tanpa bayaran”. Hidup kita di dunia ini sangat singkat sahaja; jangan mensia-siakannya. Saya berdoa (sekarang) agar kamu menerima pemberian ini dengan sepenuh hati dan percaya. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Home Life and Ministry

Our home life cannot be separated from our ministry. Our home life [is mostly private] and our ministry [is mostly public] – are two sides of the same coin. Apostle Paul charged Timothy in his pastorate epistle to select leaders for the church carefully. He was like saying: ‘Don’t put a man in spiritual leadership until his home life passes examination’. In his own words, “He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?” (1 Timothy 3:4-5NLT).

The home, home sweet home, is the personal proving grounds for a public ministry. Show me a messy home life man, and I will show you a man of messy ministry. Show me a godly home life man, and I will show you a man of integrity in his ministry. Many minister tried to use his public ministry as a cover up for failing in the basic responsibility God has given him at home (I don’t mean that the home must be perfect – but manageable and under control). Sooner or later, if the unbalance is not cure, he is almost certain to face incredible conflicts in the future.

It is sad when a Christian who has served for many years in a faithful and effective ministry failed in the home life. All up for soul-winner, great disciple-builder and has fed many young men into a might ministry – had lost his own private ministry at home. Telling others what Jesus Christ can do in people’s life when in fact, never allowed Him to work in their own home. This is the saddest tragedy happened within our four walls.

John Stott in his book Between Two Worlds speaks to this matter of integrity when he says,
"Communication is by symbol as well as speech.  For a man cannot only preach, he must also live.  And the life that he lives with all its little peculiarities is one of two things, either it emasculates his preaching or it gives it flesh and blood.  We cannot hide what we are.  Indeed, what we are speaks as plainly as what we say.  When these two voices blend, the impact of the message is doubled.  But when they contradict each other, even the positive witness of the one is negatived by the other.  This was the case with the man Spurgeon describes as a good preacher but a bad Christian.  He, says Spurgeon, preached so well and lived so badly that when he was in the pulpit everybody said he ought never to come out again.  And when he was out of it they all declared he ought never to enter it again.  But at this point, it is a practical problem presenting itself to us, pastors are to be models of Christian maturity"

Minister, how’s your home life?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.