What of 6?

6 is a prominent number throughout the Bible. Just like 7 or 12...6 is a number that appears with regularity. 6 is most synonymous with Sabbath & Man.

Why man? For the simple reason that man was created on the sixth day.

Why Sabbath? Well, God commanded it so.

And Sabbath is MEGA DEAL in the Bible. It is one of the TEN Commandments. And it carries a DEATH sentence should it be broken during OT time.

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

(Exo 20:11)

In fact, one major factor why the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus was cuz Jesus ALWAYS seemed to break the Sabbath!

Now, coming back to my earlier "Benny Hinn" story...so whats the DEAL with those Bible verses that contained "6" then?

Well, the simplest answer I can offer is this - Jesus is the FULFILLMENT of the "6". Jesus is the LORD of the Sabbath. Jesus is the ULTIMATE fulfillment of "6".

Double-portion blessing? I can't even begin to describe the kind/type/quality/quantity of blessings we have in Christ Jesus...

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

(Eph 1:3)

Ox that was sacrificed every 6th steps in order to bring the Ark to Jerusalem? Today our peace with God is ONLY possible cuz of the death/burial/resurrection of Jesus...

he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

(Col 1:22)

6 stone water jars with water turning into wine? Trust me, u can have a pot of water sitting there for the next 1000 years and it will still be water...similarly our regeneration is ONLY possible thru the work of the Holy Spirit...

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

(Tit 3:4-5)

So u want to have blessings & break-thru in ur Christian life? Seek Jesus, pursue Jesus, know Jesus, study Jesus... the more u behold Him the more u will be changed/transformed walking in the way and will of God... and it DOESN'T matter if it is 2006 or 2009 or 2012 or 1906...

Law of 6?

What have the below Scriptures have in common?

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

(Gen 1:31)

On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily."

(Exo 16:5)

I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years.

(Lev 25:21)

And when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal.

(2Sa 6:13)

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.

(Joh 2:6)

Well, if u haven't noticed there is a "6" in every verse above.

Last night, to my horror (pls forgive me) we were watching an episode of 2005/6 Benny Hinn's This Is Your Day at my cell group meeting. Benny Hinn was with this other guy on the show. I can't remember his name. Basically this guy was telling Benny he had this "nos 6" revelation direct from the LORD. And God was teaching him about the significance of the 6 in 2006.

According to him, 2006 will be a year of dominance, double-portion blessing, break-thru... for the church. And the LORD used various Bible verses to show him that "secret" (might not be the exact word used, but u get the idea.)

Then towards the END of the show, the guy broke out saying something like IF u want that kind of blessings or break-thru in 2006...u gotta pick up the phone and GIVE in quantum of 6! Like 60, or 600 for every family members!!!

Now, I have NO issue with Christians giving generously. We are commended to give liberally, sacrificially, cheerfully. To give is a blessing.

Now, I also have NO issue with Bible numerology. In fact, I love it. To me, numerology is just another supernatural "signature" of God in the Bible. It is AWESOME!

But last night I just couldn't help but "see" this verse in my head...blaring away:

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you...

(2Pe 2:3)

I wonder if anyone gave USD666? ;)

Nintendo Game & Watch for iPhone - NO MORE!

I was trying to check if GW has any new Nintendo Game & Watch games available at Apple App Store and found they are ALL GONE!

Apparently Nintendo has decided to act on these "bootleg" copies. Too bad.

But on the other hand, does it MEAN my iPhone - which has the above 3 classics - has now become a "collectible"? Hmmm.

Apollo 11 - 40th Anniversary

Wow! It has been 40 years since men first walked on the moon! Not too bad for exploring 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of this galaxy which is made out of 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of this corner of the cosmos which is made out of 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of the "whole" cosmos?

God is AWESOME!

When I look at your heavens, the
work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which
you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

(Ps 8:3-4)

"Growing" the Church

It seems to me most of the conversation these days in the churches (my church included) are about - how to GROW the numbers.

It is exciting to see churches are alive in their zeal to evangelise for the glory of God in obedience to His commandment. But problem is, most of the churches today are trying to grow their numbers for the glory of men.

Historically speaking, if we were to compare the "success stories" of the past, most of the Apostles "failed miserably" by today's standard.

Let's look at Jesus' ministry: for 3 1/2 years He "only" managed to gather a following of 120 dedicated followers DESPITE what He had accomplished! Yes, God HIMSELF only managed to attract a congregation of 120 in the Upper Room! DISMAL, isn't it?

What about Apostle Paul? Yes, he did planted many churches throughout Turkey & Greece...but IN SPITE of his PERFECT theology & teaching (not to mention workings of miracles)...most remained small, poor, confused & fearful. Why? Well, ONE THING he lacked - Paul had the WRONG church growth strategy. If ONLY he had read today's Health-n-Wealth, Purpose-Driven, Seeker-Sensitive, Ecumenical-Minded methodologies! Marketing, Paul! That's the KEY!

What about Apostle Peter? After his preaching on the day of Pentecost, the church in Jerusalem grew by 3000 overnight! (Kudos, Peter!) And the growth continued DAILY. BUT he was HATED by the government, by the authority, by the majority of his people. He was beaten, jailed & eventually died as a martyr. Well, u see, obviously Peter lacked a PR manager. If ONLY he could learn from the TOP evangelical ministers today - on HOW to dress for success, HOW to be culturally relevant & sensitive, HOW to water-down his Gospel message with the unbelieving authorities...he could have done SO MUCH more for the Kingdom of God. Such a WASTE, Peter!

Err...I hope u get the point.

Interesting note - of the 7 Churches "judged" by our risen Lord Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation only the church of Smyrna & Philadelphia achieved PERFECT score. Where one is poor & going thru tribulation, and another is of "little power" :( NOT exactly the kind of attributes we want to be known today!

Today, what most churches aspire to be - RICH, POWERFUL, RESPECTED, BIG, INFLUENTIAL & LOVED (by the world).

Btw, there is NOTHING wrong with money, power or influence - so long as these are NOT the motivations behind ur church growth movement. Today there is a lot of men-made methods in trying to grow the church. Some out of well intention (though misplaced), others out of greed.

May the church of Jesus Christ be ZEALOUS for the harvesting of souls for the GLORY of GOD!

For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

(1Co 3:4-6)

"Doing" Church

Last few days I have been thinking about "church". Especially how a church should "function", what are her "goals" & "objectives". A message I heard over the weekend made me think even more.

These are some of the questions that went thru my mind, and my short answers accroding to what I understand at this moment in time with what I know from the Bible:

1) What should the VISION of a church be?

- To glorify God

2) What should the PURPOSE of a church be?

- Worship God

- For the equipping of the saints

- For the edification of the saints

- Evangelism

3) What were the early churches PRAISED for?

- Perseverance thru persecution & sufferrings

- Sacrificial givings

- Love for the saints

4) What were the early churches WARNED against?

- False teachers

- Wolves

- Apostasy

- Worldliness

Obviouly the answers are way more "complex" than these short answers but I think they are pretty close to the heart of the questions raised.

So now my question is: How do we DO church DIFFERENTLY? Is that EVEN possible? What are the biblical mandates? What are the biblical guidelines?

听妈妈的话

Yesterday my daughter introduced me to this song - 听妈妈的话. Quite touching :)

The role of a mother is truly AWESOME in the upbringing of a child. Timothy was such a child who was raised by a God fearing mother AND grandmother as mentioned by Apostle Paul in the Bible.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

(2Ti 1:5)

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

(2Ti 3:14-15)

Praise the LORD for all the Godly mothers out there!

Solus Christus

Is Jesus the MEANS or the END?

Is Jesus INFINITELY more precious than ALL?

Soli Deo Gloria

What is the CHIEF END of man?

The CHIEF END of man is to GLORIFY God and enjoy Him forever.

The Fallen

Last night I went to see Transformers 2. As advised by my good buddy I went to see with LOW expectation. But alas, it wasn't LOW enough!

All the special effects were VERY cool & top notch. But the assult against my intellect was astounding. Unless the producer INDEED intended the movie for kids or those who refuse to grow up, the movie was a disaster! I suspect most adults will suffer a 50% drop in IQ during the course of the movie.

Beside the low IQ plot, it was horrific to see the extreme prejudice against women in the movie. Women were degraded to such a level of caricature that it could only be coming from a depraved FALLEN mind. Then there was the typical not-so-subtle assult/insult against Christianity of course....

So, CW, may be u were right - the script was indeed penned by a monkey. But if I may add - a FALLEN monkey.

Hath God Said?

The very first trick Satan used to lead mankind astray is recorded in Genesis 3:1 with these infamous words: "Hath God said...?" Many thousands of years later, Satan is STILL using the same trick to lead MANY astray.

Bible says Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation. But some professing Christians say NO.

Bible says homosexuality is a sin. But some professing Christians say NO.

Bible says women are not permitted to teach or exercise authority over men in Church. But some professing Christians say NO.

Episcopal Church in the States has been saying NO to the clear teachings of the Scripture for some years now. And last week things got worse. Last week, The Most Rev Katherine Jefferts Schori of the apostate Church declared: "The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God."

The statement is SO heretical it is beyond me why are "Christians" still attending Episcopal Church in the States. Yet Bible also warns indeed MANY will follow these false teachers.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.

(2Pe 2:1-2)

"So DID GOD SAY salvation is for u as an individual? Hmmm?" hissed the possessed serpent from the pulpit...

Thank God Bible ALSO says the days of the devil are numbered... ;)

Denying Christ

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

(Mat 10:32-34)

When I read about the persecution of the 1st century Christians, or for the matter, the persecution of modern day Christians, it humbles me. So many of us (Christians) are living in such comfort, peace & safety that the very idea of "denying Christ in the face of death" sounded alien...distant...tales from a yonder land in yonder years among tribes of savages...

Yet so many of us do not realise in the midst of our peaceful daily living, THERE ARE plenty of opportunities for us to DENY Christ also.

It saddens me to see Joel Osteen (the person implied in the above video) continually wasting opportunities in front of national TV to proclaim the gospel truthfully. Easy for us to "shoot" at Mr Osteen from a safe distance, but probably he "deserved" such rebukes.

But what about u and me? A regular Joe? Are we too guilty of denying Christ by not proclaiming the gospel faithfully in the face of "friendly" confrontations much less hostile ones? Do we fear men more than God? Do we seek men's approval rather than God's? Do we hide behind "excuses" not willing to "hurt the feelings" of others?

I am guilty of such acts. Out of laziness...out of fear...out of indifference....

Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him [Jesus], but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

(Joh 12:42-43)

Happy 500th, Monsieur Calvin!

I still got a couple more chapters to go before finishing up this book. The Reformed world will be celebrating John Calvin's 500th birthday TOMORROW.

Hard to imagine...a French theologian who lived 500 years ago has now become my "teacher" in the things of God...whose views of God and His sovereignty have now become the joy of my faith...whose doctrine on soteriology has now become the foundation of my belief.

Now if only he got the Eschatology right... ;)

O well, praise the Lord for John Calvin!

Who are the Guests?

The parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:14-24) - A man gave a great banquet but the invited guests all made excuses and didn't come. In the end, the master sent his servants to bring in the poor, the cripple, the blind, the lame & compelled others to come to the banquet instead.

This parable is usually used to tell the story of the rejection of the Kingdom of God by the Jewish leaders and how the "unworthy" & the "unexpected" ended up inheriting the Kingdom instead.

My cousin was sharing with me how one of his church friends used this parable to illustrate the doctrine of Free Will - the invitation was open to all but some refused & some accepted - it's a free choice thingy.

Funny thing is, when I reread the parable I was "shocked" to see the doctrine of Predestination/Election happening here in this parable! :) Here are the main elements:

1) Invitation.

This is kinda like an evangelistic meeting - the call of salvation is open to all - but men in their natural fallen state have ZERO desire for the things of God (John 3:20). Unregenerate men are DEAD in sin (Ephesian 2:1). In fact, they are HOSTILE to God & CANNOT submit to the will of God (Rom 8:7).

Therefore, NO unregenerate men can/will response positively to the call of salvation.

2) The Poor, Cripple, Blind & Lame.

Isn't it interesting the master named the specific "types" of people he wanted the servants to "bring in"? Does it smell "election"? And notice there was NO invitation? Just "bring in"?

Btw, I am sure this group of people didn't come to the banquet "kicking & screaming" as if they had been "forced" to join. I can ONLY imagine the cry of utmost gratitude for they knew they were 100% unworthy. They were "saved" 100% by GRACE.

3) The People.

The 3rd group of people listed in the parable are the people who were "compelled" to come in. The servant went the extra mile to do something extra - to "compel" - an ingredient missing in the first "open invitation" group.

Smells like Titus 3:5 - by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit - perhaps?

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(2Th 2:13-14)

Who are the Fools?

It must be amusing if not hilarious. The fact that humans - in the 21st century (!) - are still lingering onto myths & legends called Religions that were invented by primitive cavemen to explain a hostile & unknown environment. It is simply unbelieveable. How naive, stupid & blind these... these... religious fools are!

Why can't they evolve out of it?! Have they no wisdom to see thru something SO plain (or vain)?!

Well, if u are one of those above, I guess u never ask yourself:

- Why u kept on dumping money away on 4D/6D/Lotto despite the impossible odd? O, u mean 1/1,000,000,000,000,000,000 is a worthwhile hope?

- Why u believe life is a cosmic accident when u have neither the knowledge nor the evidence to support ur belief? O, u mean u simply trust that so-and-so professor from that so-and-so college who had the right sounding title?

I could probably list a few hundred other questions...but I guess u will probably be too blind & foolish to understand them anyway :)

Well, Bible says the Gospel is FOOLISHNESS to the world. Indeed it is.

O, btw, u have NO EXCUSE not to know God. U know that?

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

(Rom 1:19-22)

Why Zacchaeus?

Ahhh, the famous story of Zacchaeus - the Chief Tax Collector who climbed a Sycamore tree in order to see the approaching Jesus.

Of the questions we touched on tonight in my care-group, one of them is: WHY did Jesus call (save) Zacchaeus?

To me, Zacchaeus is an excellent example for the doctrine of Election. Simply put, God chose Zacchaeus for salvation SOLELY out of His own will, for His own purpose, for His own pleasure, and for His own glory (Eph 1:3-6, 11; Romans 9:11).

It was a 100% God thingy. There was NOTHING on Zacchaeus' part that influenced or affected God's decision. It was God's absolute sovereignty at work.

IF God chose Zacchaeus cuz of his "good heart" or "good intention" or "good curiosity" or "potential good deeds coming forth"...then Zacchaeus' salvation was, at the least, partially influenced by his OWN self, or POTENTIAL good deeds. This to me would be absolute heresy.

Bible teaches we are saved by Grace thru Faith. And that NOT of ourselves. And NOT of works. SO THAT NO ONE COULD BOAST!

Can u imagine "proud" Zacchaeus now boasting in heaven: "That day when Jesus was passing by Jericho...in my heart...deep deep down my heart...despite all the sins and corruption on the surface...somewhere deep deep deep down...I still had some good left in me...and though that some good flared for just a second but it was good enough to attrack Jesus' attention...and thus He called me...and I responded by choosing Him...Waaa, lucky me, man."

I think not.

And just like the accounts of creation...just like the mighty storm that had to cease...just like dead Lazarus who had to come forth...when the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, CALLED - heaven & earth will have NO OPTIONS but to kneel & obey. And so did Zacchaeus.

"Lost Years" of Jesus?

For the second time in my life someone told me Jesus spent His "lost years" in India/Tibet.

I wish I could guffaw as HARD as possible...but since I was in a public area, and with rice in my mouth, I decided that would not be a saintly thing to do.

"See, I was right." I told my my atheist friend after swallowing my rice properly.

U see, a couple of weeks ago, my friend sms me asking: "A fren asked - WHERE was Jesus during His teenage years." Immediately I sms back asking: "Is ur friend telling u Jesus spent His years in India?"

Apparently he was having some religious discussion with a "religious" friend of his - who is supposedly well read, well versed in all things religious...and more importantly, well versed with the Bible too ;)

So I advised my friend over lunch: "Trust me. People like him who claimed to have read the Bible NEVER actually did. Granted, may be a chapter here or there, or having read some commentaries, or having heard some here-say. That's IT!"

On the way home, I started to think to myself - WHAT IF one day I bump into someone like that? What would I say to him? Especially if that someone is a close friend or relative.

The more I think thru, the more AWWWWWED I am on the awesomeness, mind blowing matrix of interwinding, interweaving "checks & balances" from Genesis to Revelation on the Person of Jesus. The Bible is simply OUT OF THIS WORLD!

The Bible - a book that detailed the beginning, life story, mission, purpose, calling of Jesus NOT JUST from the 4 Gospels...but from ALLLLLLLLLLL the way back to Genesis and extending ALLLLLLLLL the way forth to Revelation in the MOST minute, comprehensible details - across a time span of thousands of years written by 40 authors across a vast geographical regions under diverse dynasties and circumstances - and YET, with a cohesive SINGULAR storyline, all seemingly from a SINGULAR source by a SINGULAR author.

The Bible IS a DIVINE book from heaven. A book that has been scrutinised, challenged, studied like NO OTHER book or literature in the human history in its accuracy or authenticity...

How FOOLISH can unregenerate men get? Well, as FOOLISH as believing Jesus was discipled by a Yogi, apparently. LOL!

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.

(1Ti 4:7)

Cheers Teresa!

Time sure flies. Here's cousin Teresa graduating from High School...



Teresa is truly multi-talented. And I bet uncle & auntie's dream of becoming 星爸 & 星妈 isn't too far behind ;)

Cheers, Teresa!

To Tell Or Not To Tell?

What happen when a friend "excommunicates" u for telling him/her TOO MUCH Jesus?

Well, that happened to me recently. On one hand I felt quite sad - a little bit for the friendship sake, but mostly for the sake of his/her eternal destiny.

Should Christians continue to be passionately praying/sharing the Gospel for/with their love ones? Or should we be indifferent and allow them the "free will" to choose their own paths?

Well, I will choose the passionately praying/sharing option...with God's help, wisdom, courage & strength.

I was much comforted with the above Pastor Piper's video.

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

(Joh 15:18-19)