It is not possible to Forgive and Forget

The subject of forgiveness has been discussed and expounded for centuries.  In life we all experience pain caused by fellow beings.

During wars and genocides, atrocities were inflicted to the whole communities or on certain races.  That happened during the Second World War Auschwitz.  That happened in Cambodia during the Pol Pot regime.  That happened in Africa when one tribe exterminated another tribe.  The wounds would remain fresh in that one generation.  But after some generations, the pain is no longer personal.

I would talk about personal pain - the pain within ones lifetime.  It may be a case of grievous rape;  a case of desecrating what is more important than ones life;  a case seeing family members maimed, tortured and killed, right before ones eyes;  a case of wickedly destroying ones personal esteemed and dignity.  The pain would be there till the sufferer die.  Is forgive and forget possible??

Forgive is an act of the will.  It is possible to forgive.  In this world, there are many saintly sages who have the capacity to forgive.  We all know Nelson Mandela.  He was one.  I have the greatest respect for him.

It is not possible to forget.  The experience is embedded in our mind, our physical faculty, whether consciously or subconsciously.  When our brains deteriorate due to old age or Dementia or other illnesses, we may not remember anymore.  But that is not 'forget'. That is not remembering due to disability and illness.

Between the 2 extremes of not forgiving and perfect forgiveness, there is a range of possibilities:
a) I may forgive the wrongdoer but will not regard him as an acquaintance anymore. (I treat him as someone I do not know before.)
b) I may forgive the wrongdoer and do not want to have anything to do with him. (If he is trapped in a burning house, I will NOT try to save him.)
c) I may forgive the wrongdoer but do not want him to go to heaven with me.
d) I may forgive the wrongdoer and will love him as a friend. 
e) I may forgive the wrongdoer and I am prepared to sacrifice my own life for him one day...

So let us examine ourselves when we say we have forgiven someone.  Is it a), b)... or e)?

When Jesus Christ was dying on the cross, He asked God to "...forgive them;  for they do not know what they are doing...Luk23:34"  What forgiveness is that ???

That is Forgiveness in Agape Love.

 

Falsehood can become Truth

This article is from a Church Bulletin:

"We live in the age of relativism where people are attempting to blur the line between right and wrong.  Without 'right' and 'wrong' everything is relative.  Anything that is uncomfortable or inconvenient is 'rationalised' and explained away.  We all could be trapped in this feeling good culture - as long as something looks good and feels good, it is good! ...When we argue our point of view long enough and hard enough, it becomes 'truth' for us..."

Many people point out that this is the case with religion and spirituality. "Well if you think there is a God, and if you pray to that God, and if you believe in that God, and your a full of faith in that God, then, to you, it becomes 'true' that there is God, even though there is no such God!"  Your imagination becomes real!

But this argument cannot apply to Christianity.  This is because the Son of God, that is Jesus Christ, is real and physical.  The Apostle Thomas physically touched the resurrected Christ.  Many other people saw and heard the resurrected Christ at various times.  And many people saw the resurrected Christ leaving them physically and disappeared in a distance when He returned to Heaven.

So Jesus Christ is real.  1) He was dead.  2) He was risen.  3) And He promised to come again.

1) and 2) had taken place.  3) is going to take place.  This is the mystery of the Christian Faith.

Seek and you shall find

As I listen to this young man's testimony, it reminds me of my own journey in seeking God.  I was born in a traditional Chinese family and, while still a baby, my parents had asked the goddess Guan Yin to be my godmother.

As I grew up, I was confused about gods and deities.  I asked the true God to make Himself known to me. This man, Nabeel,  did that too.

His vision of hundreds of crosses and his dream of standing at the door reminded me of the conversion of apostle Paul.

Interesting.

God is there when you seek Him

This video seems to suggest that those who seek God will find Him - whether or not the seekers are in from another religion.

Ananias and Sapphira - Died, so that their souls might be saved

When I was a young Christian convert, the story of Ananias and Sapphira frightened me. Please read Acts 5: 1-13. Briefly, the new Christians in Acts 5 sold their belongings and shared what they had with others.  Ananias and Sapphira sold theirs, but kept some money for themselves.  The apostles confronted them and both they dropped dead for what they did.  (But this does not happen anymore.  Nowadays, when Christians sin, they don't have to drop dead.)

When I read the Gospels, I had the impression that Jesus was kind and forgiving.  I understand that all men sin, even Godly men.  For example, King David of the Old Testament loved God, but he was also a murderer more than once.  What's so serious about telling a lie or not sharing some personal wealth??

I searched the internet and found that many other people were perplexed over this story in the Book of Acts too. Many were asking: why Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead, and would they go to heaven after that? (See http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/5122/what-happened-to-ananias-and-sapphira-after-death/24198#24198)

There are only 2 possible answers to this question.  If  A and S were believers, then they went to heaven.  If A and S were non-believers in the first place, then they probably did not go to heaven.

From my personal experience, I know many Christians who sincerely believe in Christ were also great sinners.  They were sincere believers, but not faithful believers.  Many were liars, did harm to others, gave in to all kinds of temptations, and brought disrepute to the church.

So am I - a sinner.  God has forgiven me.  I  thank Jesus for dying on the cross as a propitiation for my sins.

Hence I think A and S went to heaven even though they sin against God.  "They were dead and their flesh might be destroyed, but their spirits might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." (See 1 Cor 5:1-5).

Thank you Jesus for saving me, a sinner.  I believe A and S were saved too.

Story of a Human becoming a Deity

I am very impressed by this video on how a human, an exceptionally virtuous and kind human, became a deity and is now worshiped by 200 million followers.

Just like to share with you.

Christmas Day Disasters

Today is Christmas day.  Merry Christmas.

I remember the Tsunami disaster on the day after Christmas in 2004.  Over 300,000 people perished when Tsunami, emanating from an earthquake, swept across the Indian Ocean that day.

Today, I read in the news that ice storms knocked out electric power to 370,000 homes in USA, and  also to few hundred homes in Canada.  For those of us not affected by such natural disasters, we could continue our celebration of Christmas.  But for those affected and sustained loss or injuries, what was there to celebrate??

But wait !!  Isn't it Christmas?  Isn't it a time to celebrate the birth of Christ and the Love of God?  Why did God not hold back all these so that His people can celebrate His presence joyously?

But now, look at the facts again: 
1) When Christ was asked, "Are You the Son of  God?"  Jesus answered, "Yes I am." (Luk 22:70)
2) When Pilate asked Jesus, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered, "It is as you say." (Luk 23:3)
3) Pilate asked Jesus, "...It was your own people and the chief priests who handed you over to me.  What have You done?" Jesus explained, "My kingdom does not belong to this world;  if My kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities.  No, My kingdom does not belong here!" (John 18:36)

So Christ had explained why bad things happened to Him and to us, even on Christmas day and Christmas season.  -- He is the Son of God, the King, not of this earthly world but of another world we are to go to.

Without doubt, disasters will occur in this world - even on Christmas day.

Still I wish you MERRY CHRISTMAS.

God's Promise to Abraham - The Abrahamic Promise is done !

And God took Abraham outside and said "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him "So shall your descendants be." Then he (Abraham) believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:5.

You see, when you believe in God's promises, you are reckoned as righteous !!!

Now, how many stars were there when Abraham looked up the night sky?  There must be billions of stars in the Universe !

But in 2012, there were about 14 million Jews (or descendants of Abraham) in the world.  The world population of Jews peaked at 16.7 million just before World War II.  Surely this is far below the number of stars that Abraham saw in the night sky!

But its not just 14 million Jews.  I estimated that in the past 6,000 years, about 1200 million Jews had walked on Earth, although only 14 million are alive at this moment.  (The rest of the 1200 million were dead.)

When God said "count the number of stars", God simply mean figuratively "a very very large number".  Now, would you consider 1200 million as a very very large number?   I believe so.   God's promise to Abraham is fulfilled. (And we have not even included Abraham's descendants from his other wife, Hagar, yet.)

In conclusion - trust God and His promises.  If you do, you will be reckoned as righteous in His sight!  Merry Christmas.

 

God stopped the river-flow, again and again, for His people.

How many times did God parted the waters for His people?  You would remember the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 14.  But there were 3 other occasions.

The second time was when God parted the Jordan River for Joshua's people to enter the Promised Land some 40 years after the parting of the Red Sea.  This time, the people remembered what happened 40 years before.  They knew God would do it.  They were not surprised. (Joshua Chapter 3 and 4)

God parted the waters the third time for Elijah to cross Jordan River, and did it again the fourth time for Elisha to do the same (2 Kings 2).

So, do not be surprised that God will do it again in future for you and I.  In times of pain, when we beseech God to help us to cross our own 'rivers', we can be certain that God could do it.  After all He did it four times in the Bible alone.

In life, there will always be rivers to cross and mountains to conquer.  Have faith.  God is the same today and four thousand years ago.  He will still be there for us.  Merry Christmas.

...And the Word became flesh (What Happened?)

When the Son of God was incarnated and born of Virgin Mary, He took on a physical dimension.  He was flesh and blood.  He was finite in time and space like all human beings.  In the physical dimension, He was no longer all-knowing.  Many things he needed to ask in order to know.  He asked "How many loaves do you have?" Matt 15:34 "Who touched my garments?" Mark 5:30. "...of that day...no one knows...but the Father alone."  Matt 24:36.

But while in the physical dimension, Jesus Christ was still able to exercise his divinity and knew things that humans did not. He knew of Judas' betrayal before hand.  He knew Peter would deny him 3 times before the cock crowed.

God sent His Son to take on the lowly human form to die for our sins.  The wages of sin is death  - and Jesus Christ died for us.   Thanks be to Jesus Christ.

Worship in Quietness

We are now in the second week of Advent.  Soon, it will be Christmas 2013.

Yesterday I attended a wedding at The Bible Church Singapore (TBC).

I had not heard or visited this church before.  I was a bit puzzled why the church is located at a building called the Clementi Bible Centre (CBC).  So upon arrival, I walked around the building to see for myself.

Apparently, within the CBC, there are 2 churches - The Bible Church and Mt Carmel Bible Presbyterian Church.  That was interesting ! There were a few sanctuaries in CBC, some used by TBC and some by MCBPC

I sat down in the sanctuary used by The Bible Church.  The sitting capacity was around 500.  It was a cosy santuary - high roof, no pillars, air-conditioned, simple.  I was very happy with this place of worship.

My own home church is Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church.  Within AMKMC there are a few sanctuaries too.  I only attend the 'traditional' worship services which are less noisy - no noisy musical instruments are used.  I believe the 'contemporary' worship services are somewhat noisy.

So when the wedding service started at TBC, I was really surprised and amused.  The drums were pounding at 150 to 200 decibels and those who sang were shouting.  It really did not matter if you sang off-key.

It was an interesting experience.  But I now confirmed that I prefer worship services that do not use drum instruments that exceed 70 decibels.  The softer the musical instrument, the better - that I could hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit more clearly.    

Right Interpretation or Misinterpretation depends on a comma

In Luke 23:43,  Jesus said to the Second-Thief as they were crucified at the same time:  "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

Is the comma at the right place ??  Shouldn't it be "Truly I say to you today, you shall be with Me in Paradise."

So it depends on where the comma is.  Catholics interpret that after death, a person goes to purgatory, not to Paradise yet.   Mormons interpret that after death, you have to wait to be called out of the grave by a new name before reaching Paradise, not reaching Paradise immediately today. 

Others interpret that after death, you have to be go through a period of soul sleep, or some future resurrection, or some other forms of baptism, before reaching Paradise.

So it's up to you to place the comma.  Is it "comma today" or "today comma "

But why confuse yourself?

Whether Paradise or Heaven, It's fine with me.

While being crucified on the cross, Jesus told the Second-Thief that "Truly I say to you today you shall be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:43.

Now, this is the only time the word  'Paradise' was used in the New Testament. I thought we go to Heaven upon death?  How come Jesus said Paradise instead of Heaven?  What is Paradise?  How is it different from Heaven?

Actually I am relieved that I will be going to Paradise.  And honestly, it doesn't matter whether it is Paradise or Heaven.   Both are OK.

Thanks be to God.  Thank you for Your grace.

Jesus' Last Lesson - And Also The Best

There were 2 thieves crucified next to Jesus.  The crosses they were nailed on must be very close to one another - because they still could hear and talk to each other.

The First-Thief mocked Jesus and said "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" The Second-Thief retorted "Don't you fear God?  You received the same sentence ...We are getting what we deserve for what we did;  but he (Jesus) has done no wrong.  And he said to Jesus, 'Jesus, remember me when you come in Your kingdom!'"

Jesus said to the Second-Thief  "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

Now, let us examine this Lesson.  Jesus' closest disciples/apostles fled or stayed away when He was nailed to the cross.  (The disciples became fearless witnesses only after the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them on Pentecost.)  The Second-Thief must had his doubts about Jesus too.  But unlike the First-Thief, he used kind words even though he had his doubts. His kind words came from his sincere heart.

The Second-Thief did not know Jesus as well as the 11 closest disciples/apostles.  Most likely, he did not know the Scriptures. He did not follow Jesus for 3 years and was not baptized.  But he had a sincere heart!

So you see, like the Second-Thief, a non-christian may be saved through Jesus.  In his dying moment, a non-christian may encounter Jesus and recognise Him.  When he ask "Remember me, Jesus, in Your kingdom." Jesus would admit him to Paradise.  OR, after his last breath, a non-christian soul may recognize Jesus. If he says "Remember me, Jesus, in Your kingdom!", Jesus may admit him to Paradise too.

Jesus' Last Lesson while He was on the cross was the best, the most magnanimous, the most comforting.  Who says non-christians cannot go to Heaven? God can admit non-christians, anytime, through Jesus Christ.  My interpretation.

We have Hope. 1 Cor 13:13.    Merry Christmas.

God Shows How To Avoid Natural Disasters (Rare)

The story of Jonah is short, simple and easy to read.  But it has many lessons. This is one...

Nineveh was a city of wicked people, and Jonah disliked the whole city.  God asked Jonah to be His messenger to tell the people of Nineveh to repent, otherwise God will destroy the city as punishment.  Jonah wanted the city to be punished, so he refused to go and to warn the people of Nineveh.

By and by, Jonah had no choice but to bring God's warning to the people of Nineveh.  A surprising thing happened.  It was rare, but it happened...  THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH, THE WHOLE CITY, REPENTED!

The story goes:
"When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes.  And he issued a proclamation and it said, In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing.  Do not let them eat or drink water.  But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth;  and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent, and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish?"

When God saw their deeds that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them.  And He did not do it."  Jonah 3: 5-10.

See ! God can turn back natural calamities if the WHOLE CITY heed His warning and repent !

But if only a handful repent, do you think God will stop a deadly Typhoon? (Hint: Read Gen 18 & 19)

God and Typhoon Haiyan - in Nov 2013

Last week Typhoon Haiyan devastated the city of Tacloban and other cities in Philippines.  Probably 4,000 people were dead, 10 million displaced.  Churches were destroyed and the poor, mainly Catholics, local communities suffered untold miseries.

But God is still there.  He just allowed nature to exercise its fury and destruction.  God did not stop His believers from natures harm.

Yes, God ALWAYS allow natural disasters to lash His people nowadays.

But in the past, God did intervene to help His people.  He even split the 'Red Sea' to allow His people to cross when they were pursued by the Egyptians.  Didn't God told Abraham that He would spare the city of Sodom from natural disaster if He could find 10 men who were righteous? Gen 18:16-33.  Could there be less than 10 godly men in the city of Tacloban last week?  And hence God allowed the Typhoon to whip the land?

In reality, in this Dispensation of Grace, Jesus already taught that our "Heavenly Father causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."    Matt 5:45. 

We don't know why.  We don't need to know how  -- how all the pain inflicted, 'work together for good'.  We may ask Apostle Paul, who wrote this in Romans 8:28, when we meet him.  But in the meantime, we simply need faith - that God is God. 

Praise the Lord.

Vanities - When the objective is to satisfy one's own desire...

There are people whose ambitions are to climb the highest mountains, or to walk to the north and south poles, or to swim across the Pacific ocean, or just to run the Marathon.

There are people who want to the wisest human being, or to be a champion philantropist, or to be the best politician, or to be the greatest explorer, or to be god himself.

The Preacher in the Book of Ecclesiastes says "Vanities of vanities!  All is vanity."  What does he mean? Is vanities good or bad, noble or ignoble?

Unless we have a deranged mind, we all have objectives in the things we do.  We want to achieve some meaningful things. We do not just hang around on the beach all day, catch some fish and birds for food and let the days and years go by.

Many of us will want to do something which we believe to be meaningful.  Many of these things are just be fulfill our self-esteem/ego needs, our personal or self-actualization needs, boost our dignity in our own eyes and in the eyes of others.  Like the desire to climb the highest mountain, it may or may not benefit others.

But all is vanity.

My own conclusion is that 'vanities' to satisfy one's own ego or to satisfy one's own purpose, even if a billion people's lives have been improved as a result, is still 'futile'.  Only 'vanities' that are not to fulfill the personal ego needs and self-actualization needs, are noble.

The Preacher of the Book of Ecclesiastes has this conclusion: "The conclusion when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  Because God will bring every act to judgement, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."  Eccl 12:14.

We better be close to God, then.   

 

Why the prophesies of prophets were mostly ignored.

These few weeks I have been reading the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel again. These prophets were all commissioned by God to warn the Israelites to turn away from their sinful ways.

At that time, around 700 BC to 500 BC, Israel was split into 2.  The northern state was called Israel, and the southern state called Judah.  Some prophets were working in the northern and some in the southern state.

As I look back, I understand why the Israelites did not listen to the prophets.  A lot is due to timing issue.  Let's say, someone comes and warns us "Patchoe, the sea level will rise due to global warming and melting ice.  Your country will be submerged in 10 feet of water in 1000 years time.

Now, will I bother with this bad news. No! Who cares what happens in 1000 years' time?  Most of us care about what happen in our generation, or the next 2 generations only !!!  Who cares what would happen to our nation 50 generations down the road??

Now, the prophets, like Isaiah, generally could not provide specific timing on when their prophesies would take place.  Like people of today, their Israelite audiences were optimistic people (today, we call optimism "positive thinking" or "avoid negative thoughts"). 

Today, when we read about the prophesies of the major prophets, we know that they had mostly been fulfilled.  Christ had come, born of a virgin birth, died and was buried, rose again and left earth to be seated at the right hand of God the Father.

But one prophesy had not been fulfilled - Christ will come again to bring His believers to dwell with Him.  But when?  We are not bothered - because it did not happen in the last 2000 years will not happen tomorrow or during our lifetime.  Or would it??

Isaiah's Vision - Is 6:1-13

I love to read the book of Isaiah.  His vision was so dramatic, his commissioning to be a prophet so direct, and his prophecy on the virgin birth of Immanuel was so specific and real.

To understand Isaiah's vision, I googled "Isaiah Vision" and read a few bible study notes on-line.  Now I understand the difference between seraphim and cherubim.  Why the seraphim have 3 pairs of wings when they only need 1 pair to fly.

Why I praise God, I normally do it in a whisper which only I can hear.  But not the seraphim. When they praised God "Holy, Holy, Holy... the whole earth is full of His glory.", it was so loud that the foundations of the temple trembled and shook. The loudness signifies their conviction.

When Isaiah was cleansed, he understood God's intent and without hesitation volunteered "Here I am send me!"  Isaiah had accepted a futile job because God already told him that He was sending him to speak to people whose "ears dull, eyes dim, listening but do not perceive, looking but do not understand..."

Isaiah prophesied that "a virgin will ...bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." But this prophesy did not take place during his generation.  It happened 700 years after that.  No wonder the people of Isaiah's generation did not bother listening to him.

But Christ had come.  The prophesy was fulfilled.  We know better than the people of Isaiah's time.  So why do some of us still hardened our hearts and ignored the work of God?

Please read the Book of Isaiah chapter 6 again.

Apostle Paul - The Great Letter Writer

We can tell that Apostle Paul was a prolific writer.  All his letters included in the New Testament are very readable, ranging for the Book of Romans to the Book of 2Timothy.  His style of writing and the choice of words were polished and precise.  Paul's epistles never failed to impress me.

2Timothy is a very personal letter to his disciple Timothy.  The tone is that of someone who was going to die, and trying to pass on his final words.  It strikes me that he had persevered and suffered for a long time, and was looking forward to meet Jesus.

2Timothy is a short letter.  It is so meaning and nice to read.  Read it.  You can feel Paul speaking to you.

Ask God boldly, persistently. He will answer!

Many Bible teachers argue that God does not change His mind. Just search the internet and there are many articles on this topic.

 I read Luke 11:5-13 and interprets it as a layman, not a bible scholar. This parable convinces me that I can ask for the impossible. If I ask persistently, God will "open the door and answer my prayer".

In this parable, a neighbour came in the middle of the night to ask for some loaves of bread. He persisted boldly, shamelessly. How could anyone deny the request?

 I have always prayed for the salvation of my family members. But 2 of them had already passed away without accepting the saving grace of Jesus Christ while they were alive. I will continue to ask God for the salvation of their souls in their afterlife. You may think praying for the salvation of someone who had already died is not biblical. But think about it, why can't the salvation of God be extended beyond the tenure of life on earth?

Anyway, I have no choice but to ask and pray. "Ask and it shall be given to you." Luke 11:9. Amen.

In the end, 3 things remain -- Faith, Hope, Love

Today I went to the columbarium to pay my respect to my mum who passed away in June 2013. I did it the traditional Chinese way. I brought some food, some drink and laid them on the table and invited her soul to appreciate.

In the same columbarium were the memorial tablets of my ancestors,and my eldest sister who had passed away. There were rows and rows of other memorial tablets too. The thought of all these souls who had left the physical world recently or long time ago, but now separated from God really made me very sad. I prayed for them - that they would all be in Heaven, in the presence of God the loving Father. I prayed that they were not languishing or suffering in Hell, or wandering in fear in the ethereal dimensions.

In 1 Corinthians 13:13, the Bible say: But now abide Faith Hope Love... I had always been puzzled why when I am with God, I still need Hope. I now understand why: Let say I am dead and am now in Heaven. And I look around and find some of my relatives not there. I will always Hope, even in Heaven, that God will change His mind and admit these other relatives/souls into Heaven. I will forever Hope that God will allow all souls to be saved. Even if every soul, except one, was admitted into Heaven, I will still continue to Hope for that single soul to be admitted.

In that sense, till eternity, I will always have something to Hope for. Pray for God's benevolence and mercy.

The Anguish, A Martyr ?

For those who are not familiar with KH's trial, this is a short summary:  KH was the founder of a megachurch named CHC.  CHC has over 30,000 members. KH is now investigated by the authority for using church fund, to the tune of tens of million dollars for unintended purposes.  The verdict is not out yet.  He could be innocent, he could be guilty.

 

This is an excerpt of what he preached last Sunday.

 

 

 

Yes, KH was a distraught man.  The pressure of being investigated as a criminal must had been anguishing.  Perhaps he drew a comparison with the suffering of Job and the prophets in the old Testament, or comparing his suffering to that of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

 

This snippet of his full sermon was interesting.   OH ! What emotion !

Our Relentless Pursuit of Security and Comfort

This writer wrote what we are all guilty of.  If you have time, read this... http://www.irishcatholic.ie/20130711/news/an-addiction-to-comfort-S35181.html

We live in affluent Singapore.  We understand Maslow's hierarchy of needs.  We ensure that we must fulfill the lower needs such as safety, food and physical comfort.  We work hard to fulfill the higher ego and self actualisation needs.

But that was really not what Christ's apostles seek.  Nor was this what our forefather missionaries seek.  Modern day missionaries too have no qualms over foresaking safety, food and security, just to spread the love of God in dangerous places.

Though most of us who are NOT Christ's missionaries working in some faraway land, we must be mindful NOT to make Security and Comfort our gods.  We should not be too materialistic or too self-centred in our lives.  Be holy, share God's love, be happy to having less.

This is just my reflection.  

Dancing with Thanks

Dancing with Thanks.  Touching !!

The Difficult Golden Years

Article from the Sunday Times, July 14, 2013.
There were 467 suicides in Singapore in 2012.  Not a small number.  Out of these, the elderly above 60 years old accounted for 122 cases.  The 50 to 59 years old accounted for 95 cases.

The older the wiser.  Seems that the wisest group in our population also has the highest propensity to suicide.  For the elderly, there could only be 2 painful reasons - firstly the lack of money, and secondly, poor health.

This elderly group probably had lived through the second world war.  They were hardy people.  Yet, they were driven to give up their life in dispair!

As a society, those who can should lend a helping hand to this vulnerable people.  Do something within our means.

The Book of Daniel

The story of Daniel was amazing.  This is a very special book.  The book acknowledges that there were magicians and conjurers and Chaldeans that claimed to be able to interpret dreams.

When King Nebu(chadnezzar) had his dream, the chaldeans thought "No problem, we can interpret his dream."

BUT THERE IS A TRICKY CATCH. King Nebu was not going to tell them what he dreamt.  His instruction was "Tell me what I dreamt, and then interpret the dream!"

Oh Boy!  Without true divine assistance, there is no way to tell someone what he had dreamt !!

Daniel did  it.  Daniel Chapter 1 and 2 - what an amazing story !! 

 

Dream Dream Dream

The Bible recognises that God do communicate in dreams.

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream when Joseph was considering what to do with Mary.  It seems the angel appeared to Joseph again and again. (Matt 1: 20, Matt 2:12-13).

In the Book of Daniel,  dreams and interpretation of dreams were mentioned.

I read that in islamic nations, where the spreading of gospel is not allowed, God could speak to certain people in their dreams.  

I hope God will communicate with me in my dreams too.  But, no, He has not yet communicated to me with such clarity. 

Most of the time, I still have to use my own common sense, and an interpretation of His teachings in the Bible, to decide His answers to my prayers.

The 15 books we called "Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha"

Some of my Christian friends do not know these books exist.  I now give you an introduction.

Some Bibles include these other 15 books, besides the 39 old testament books and 27 new testament books. They are:
Tobit, Judith, Esther Greek Text,
Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch,
Letter of Jerermiah, Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna,
Bel and the Dragon, 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees,
1 Esdras, 2 Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh.

These books are called "deuterocanonicals" by catholics to indicate that their canonical status as Scripture was settled later than that of the proto-canonical books.  Protestants usually refer these books as Apocrypha.

These books formed part of the Septuagint Text (in Greek) and were interspersed among the other books of the old Testament.

Apparently it was only in the 4th century that the canonicity of Bible (books) arose, a situation which is reflected in Jerome's placing these books in a separated section in his Vulgate translation of the Old Testament.

In 1546 at the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic Church officially declared these books to be sacred and canonical, and to be accepted "with equal devotion and reverence."

At the time of Reformation Martin Luther did not regard these books as Scripture, but as "useful and good for reading." In his German translation of the Bible, Martin Luther followed the practice of Jerome in placing these books at the end of the Old Testament.

Among Christians who do not accept these books as Scripture, there is however widespread agreement as to their importance in providing much valuable information on Jewish history, life, thought, worship and religious practice during the centuries immediately prior to the time of Christ.

(extracted from the GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS/APOCRYPHA)

The terrible experience of Taoist Funeral Rituals

I am a Christian.

When my mother passed away, my father indicated his wish to adopt Taoist funeral rites.  As a son, it is my filial response not to oppose the wishes of my parents.

And hence I went through 5 days of Taoist rituals.  It was truly a journey fraud with convoluted logic, unbelievable imagination, and extreme superstition about the unseen world.

Firstly it appears that Taoist belief assumes all deceased go to Hell.  There were chantings and symbolic gestures to "open the path of passage", invitation of ancestral spirits to welcome a new in-coming soul entering their nether world, appeasing vagrant spirits who would otherwise disturb and bully the in-coming soul, and various offerings to reduce the degree of punishments for wrongdoings committed during the earthly life.

On the night before the cremation, Taoist priests were engaged to "Da Chai".  It was 4 hours of activities to breach through the gates of Hell, to invite the ancestral spirits to return to receive the gifts of  (burnt) incense and burnt paper house, car, treasure troves, etc.  The burning itself caused a huge bonfire on an empty field nearby.

As a Christian, my response was to pray that God Jehovah, the God who opened the Red Sea, who appeared to Abraham and Moses, and who had spoken to His prophets, would take care of mother's soul.  And that His mercy and lovingkindness will see her to Heaven to enjoy His presence forever.  Amen

Below is a picture of some paper items burnt for the departed: