Let's Talk about Money

Let’s Talk About Money
Text: Luke 12:13-34
Summary
Greed, hoarding and anxiety are all aspect of not enough faith in Jesus concerning our money. The best financial investment instrument is to invest in the kingdom of God. John Wesley taught us the kingdom investment portfolio: gain all you can, save all you can and give all you can.

LK 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

    LK 12:14 Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

    LK 12:16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

    LK 12:18 "Then he said, `This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

    LK 12:20 "But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

    LK 12:21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

    LK 12:22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

    LK 12:27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

    LK 12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

1. Introduction

Recently I met up with a couple of old friends from my secondary school days. This is a sort of reunion dinner. One lesson I learnt form this experience is that never attend reunion dinners. One, your friends look so old. Second, they put on so much weight. All is very depressing. After the usual preliminary asking about each other and family, we get down to the serious matter of eating and making light conversation. With guys, I noticed there are very few topic of conversation: politics, jobs and money. You may add Da Vinci Code or football nowadays but the main conversation is about health, job and money especially money. It may be about ways of making more money, stories how much money they have lost and a curious dance of trying to find out how much money everyone has.

The maxim “No money no talk” is actually not true. Yes, when you have money, you have many friends. When you have no money, you have little friends. Even your relatives seem to disappear. But it seems true that “No money got talk” or even “No money more talk”.  Money is a good topic of conversation. So let’s talk about money.

1. Let’s Talk about Greed (v.13-15)

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?"  Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Key verse (v.15) Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Greed is a common failing of many of us. Sometimes we are not aware of being greedy at all. Others times we disguise it as being ‘kiasu’. “You know, we can’t help it because we are Malaysian/Singaporean. We are just naturally kiasu.” We talk about being kiasu as being natural. Jesus was walking along when someone wanted to enlist his help in an inheritance dispute. This person must have heard about Jesus’ wisdom. He must also be having trouble with his brother regarding the division of his inheritance. This is in spite of the clear guidelines given in Leviticus concerning inheritance. People always dispute their inheritance because they feel they did not receive enough or their just due. They think they are fighting for justice, for what is rightfully due. But the sad truth is that they may be just greedy.

Recently the patriarch of a very rich family passed away. He left behind a great fortune: ownership of a few public listed companies, properties and a huge amount of money in the bank. He left a will in which he divided his inheritance among his children. He was in ICU and was dying. Somehow his children knew about the contents of his will and employed lawyers to dispute his will even before he was dead. They want to change the will. Even when his brain died , they requested that the doctors continue to keep him on life support for 10 days while they disputed his will. It was so sad that this man is not allowed to die in peace. Finally, his heart just stopped. The children are still challenging the will and are not speaking to each other. What is even more distressing is that each of his children is well off. One is a doctor, another is a lawyer and the other three are prosperous businessmen. Greed is just not having enough. A reporter interviewed Rockefeller, one of the richest men in America at that time. “You are very rich. Do you have enough?” “No” he said, “Just a little more.” [check quote]

Jesus said, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." We need to be on our guard against greed. We want more money, always more money. There is never enough.

I find there is very few successful working partnerships among doctors. Usually they start off the partnership as good friends. Things usually go well until they start making money. Then trouble starts as each partner watch how much the other is taking home. Many doctors’ partnerships breakup because of money. Usually these partnerships last about 3 years.

Jesus said, “a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. Greed is wanting more. When we stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment, God will not ask how much do you have in your bank account. Nor will He ask how many bungalows and shop lots do you have? “a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” It consists of how much love he has given. How much have you loved?

1. Let’s Talk about Hoarding (v.16-21)

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, `This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
"But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Key verse (v.21) "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

The parable is not against working hard and saving your earnings. It is about what you do with your profits or earnings. This man is concerned about himself. “And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." It is the self-centeredness of the man that the parable is against. The man is not concerned about God and what God has done for Him and what he can do for God.

Jesus gave another parable to illustrate this point in Matthews 25: 15-30. This is what we commonly called the parable of the talents.

"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 1To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"The man with the two talents also came. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"Then the man who had received the one talent came. `Master,' he said, `I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

"His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

" `Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Jesus is emphasizing that what we do with what we are given is important. He praised the servants who worked hard to get good returns from their investment but condemned the one who hoarded what he was given. God has given us many things. To some of us, God has blessed us with good business acumen, good opportunities and trustworthy workers. He has enabled us to make money. There is nothing wrong with making money. There is nothing wrong with being rich. Abraham, Jacob, Job, Zachareus, Matthew and Solomon are very rich men of their times. They will be in the top Forbes 500 of their time. God does not condemn the rich but He is concerned about what they do with their wealth. Do they spend their wealth on themselves or for others?

Hoarding is another human characteristic. We always like to hang onto things. We will say, “Now I have some money. I shall put it in the bank. When I have enough, I shall give some away for the needy.” The problem is, we will never have enough.

(v.21) "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

1. Let’s Talk about Anxiety (v.22-30)

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them

Key verse (v.22a) Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

Jesus said not to worry about money. Money to buy food, buy clothes and shelter. Life’s basic needs are for food and shelter. Jesus said not to worry. He will take care of it. Do you believe this? Do you believe Jesus can take care of all our needs? Do you have the faith to believe that Jesus can need all your material needs? If you do, then you do not need to worry.

But we worry. We worry about the spiraling inflation and the rising cost of living. Since the government allowed petrol prices and electricity bills to increase, everything else have increased. A bowl of wanton noodles cost RM5.00 now. Even my Indian barber haircut has increased. He used to charge me RM8.00. Now he charges me RM9.00, a 12.5% increase. I wondered how he linked the increase to the increase in petrol prices. I walked to his barbershop!

We worry about saving enough for our children’s education. We are saving for our children twinning program for their undergraduate studies. A basic degree may cost RM 125,000. Medicine will cost about RM 500,000.00. How do we save enough for them?

We worry that we outlive our savings. We planned for our retirement, hoping that we go before our money go. Unfortunately EPF is not giving us good returns for our money. Investments in the stock market is not profitable and risky. Healthcare costs are rising and just when we are old and in need of medical insurance coverage, the insurance companies refused to cover us.

Jesus said not to worry. I shall take care of you. Do not worry about having enough money, trust Him. Look at the birds, look at the flowers and look at the grass. The grass of the field. This is an interesting comment. The grass is considered useless. Maybe to feed the sheep. They will grow, be cut down and burnt. I used to have a lawn at the side of my house. I find it such a bother to cut the grass that I have the area tiled. God said He will take care of the grass of the field. If God is concerned about such a small thing about the grass growing in the field, would He be not concerned about us, who are infinitely more valuable?

The root of greed and hoarding is that we worry we do not have enough money for ourselves. Jesus said not to worry. (v.22a) Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

1. Let’s Talk about Investment (v.31-34)

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Key verse (v.31) But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus said do not worry. You do not have to be greedy or to hoard your money. God have given you the best investment portfolio-membership in His Kingdom. You can sell all your possessions and give them to the poor because you have will have no worries about money in the kingdom. In the kingdom, you will need extra large and durable purses because there are so much trouble treasures there. Throw away your fifteen dollars imitation “Gucci” bags.

Jesus said to invest in the kingdom of God. That is the best investment of all. It gives good returns and absolute protection. No financial institution can give you absolute protection. Banks, finance companies, insurance companies, hedge funds and even government can be bankrupt.

No financial institution can give you a guarantee on returns on your investments. I meet a lot of people selling investment products. They think I am a doctor I have money. They will introduce financial products such as insurance linked capital preservation fund, mutual fund, properties linked funds, stocks and shares. They will show me calculation that proves that if I invest a certain amount, I will get so much more in five years. Usually they guarantee about 8% returns which they assure me is more than what EPF or bank deposit will give. How can they guarantee 8% return? Somewhere there is in small print that says investment returns is dependent on market performances. Somehow this was never emphasized. I am upset that sometimes, some gullible old lady will put their life sayings into such funds because of unscrupulous salesperson. I wish we could sue them for selling an obviously defective financial instrument by appealing to greed.

The best place to put your money is in the kingdom of God. This investment is a fool-proof, guaranteed great inexhaustible returns and absolute protection. God Himself is your guarantor. And there is no expiratory date. I know when you buy a property; your title deed may be freehold. But when God destroy this earth to create a new heaven and earth, it’s gone. This investment in God’s kingdom is forever-eternal. It will come to term in the new heaven and earth. That’s why Jesus said, “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well”.

1. Lesson for Us

How do we invest in God’s kingdom? John Wesley, the founder of Methodism gave us a very good way of doing so.

John Wesley’s Trilateral about Money

• GAIN all you can

Wesley was one of the highest earning preachers of his time. He received his income from donations, preaching and his books. On his best year he made about the modern day equivalent of 1.4 million pounds per year. That’s a lot of money.

He taught us to make money. Making money is not wrong as long as you employ legal means. Work hard and work smart to make money.

• SAVE all you can

By saving, Wesley does not mean putting it in a bank. What he meant is that we are to be careful in how we spend money. He advocated a simple and frugal lifestyle:

• Simple food


• No expensive clothes


• No elaborate houses


• No fancy gardens

Why should Christians be thrifty? So that they can give away their money. That’s the whole idea of gaining and saving as much as you can.

• GIVE all you can

Wesley identified 4 areas in which one should give

• Give to yourself all you need for the basics


• Give to your family and employees their fair share


• Give to the ‘household of faith’


• Give to all men in need

Wesley made 1.4 million pounds per year. He lived on 2% of his income and gave away 98%. That is far, far from our giving 10%. That is kingdom giving.


The kingdom way of investment is gain all you can, save all you can and give all you can. Notice that he did not suggest that you gave everything and beggar yourself. Then you become a burden to society. What he meant is to live a simple lifestyle that you are comfortable with, providing for your family and give the rest away. That is a radical investment of our money.

Concluding Summary
Greed, hoarding and anxiety are all aspect of not enough faith in Jesus concerning our money. The best financial investment instrument is to invest in the kingdom of God. John Wesley taught us the kingdom investment portfolio: gain all you can, save all you can and give all you can.


                                                                                                                     Soli Deo Gloria

Left Behind

Text: 2 Kings 2:7-15; Acts1: 8-11

Summary
When Elijah left Elisha and when Jesus left us, they leave behind the continuation of their mission and the means of empowerment to fulfil that mission.

I. Introduction
Conn Iggulden’s Emperor series consists of four historical novel about Julius Caesar (The Gates of Rome; The Death of Kings; The Field of Swords; and The Gods of Wars). To complement this, I read Adrian Goldsworthy’s In The Name of Rome, a non fiction book about the various Roman generals who built the Roman Empire. Men like Caius Marius, Julius Caesar, Pompey and Titus (who besieged Jerusalem in 70 AD). I find the Roman strategy of building the Roman Empire fascinating. First they conquer an area either by besieging a city or defeating a local enemy ruler or chieftain. Next, they leave behind a garrison to occupy the conquered city as the army marches on. This garrison of well trained Roman soldiers was not only to keep the local population in check but also to offer them protection. The Romans were great engineers. They would improve the conquered city by building infrastructures like aqueducts to bring water from the mountains, sewers and roads. Better roads will bring commerce, trade and Roman culture. Gradually the conquered cities will be assimilated into the Roman Empire. Many of the great cities of Europe were Roman cities, built upon existing cities: London, Paris, Plague and Istanbul. This is due to the work of those who were purposely left behind by the Roman armies and their generals.

II. Biblical Texts
This evening, we shall look at two passages concerning ascension to heaven and those who were left behind. One is from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. We shall see who ascended and what happens to those who were left behind.

2 Kings 2:7-15
2KI 2:7 Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.

10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours--otherwise not."

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.

13 He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. 15 The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha." And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

Thursday 25 May was Ascension Day. Some churches celebrate Ascension Day. Ascension Day is 40 days after Easter when the disciples say Jesus ascended to heaven.

Acts 1:6-11
AC 1:6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."


Comparison of the relationship of the two passages


Elijah & Elisha
Jesus & Disciples
1
Mission
Elijah’s mission: Preaching Repentance
Jesus’ mission: preaching salvation
2
Request
Elisha’s request: for double portion of blessing
Disciples’ request: restoring the kingdom to Israel.
3
Condition imposed
If you see the me being taken up
If you wait in Jerusalem
4
Means given
Elisha received spiritual gift and Elijah’s cloak
Disciples receive the Holy Spirit
5
Mission given
Continue preaching repentance
Be His witness; Kingdom of God
6
Succession confirmed
Elisha confirmed as successor of Elijah
Disciples confirmed as Jesus’ successor on earth

Here we can appreciate the close relationship Elijah has with Elisha and Jesus with His disciples. In modern terms we would say that there is a mentoring process and there is a succession plan. In each of the narratives given in the Old Testament and New Testament, we see the completion of one’s given part of the mission and the passing on of the torch to someone else to carry on the mission.

III. The Missions of those Who Left

a. Elijah
We are introduced to Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1 when he confronted King Ahab and forecast numbers of years of drought on the land. The drought will end when he said the word. This is what the Lord commanded him. Ahab was considered the most evil king of Israel, the Northern Kingdom (1 Kings 16:30). Then Elijah has to hide because King Ahab sent his men to look for him. Elijah was a prophet. His mission was to preach repentance. His mission was to call people to repent and turn back to God. That is also the overall theme of the Old Testament.

b. Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God incarnate. God incarnate means God became man. Jesus’ mission is to be the sacrificial lamb for all the sins of mankind. He did it by taking on our sins and dying on the cross for us. Follow onto to this is that Jesus is to bring the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is already here and yet to come. The Kingdom of God basically means the rule of God in our hearts. Put God first or give God top priority in our lives.

IV. The Missions of those Who are Left Behind

a. Elisha
The mission of the prophets were to preach repentance and call the people of Israel (Northern Kingdom) and Judah (Southern Kingdom) back to the worship of one true God. The people are easily swayed or attracted to the other gods of their neighbours such as Baal and Ashtoreth. These are fertility gods of the Canaanites.

b. The Disciples
The disciples make up the Church. When Jesus ascended to heaven, His physical presence on earth is the Church. That’s why the Church is also called the Body of Christ. Jesus’ mission to the church is to be His witnesses. Starting in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the rest of the world. Being His witnesses and making disciples of Jesus Christ is closely related.

V. The Empowerment of Those Left Behind

a. The Cloak of Elijah
Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted. Elisha asked for a double portion of his (Elijah’s) spirit. Scholars generally agreed here that Elisha did not really ask for Elijah’s spirit but for his gift of prophecy. First born usually receive a double portion. What Elisha was actually asking is that Elijah confirms him as his successor and passes onto to him Elijah’s spiritual gifts. Elijah answer is revealing. It is not up to him to confirm Elisha’s confirmation as his successor or to give spiritual gifts. It is God’s prerogative. Hence he gave a condition. If you see taken from you, then you shall have what you asked. So when Elisha saw the flaming horses and chariot, he knew that God has given him what he asked for. It is also interesting that Elijah left his cloak behind. Elijah knew that the other prophets may not accept Elisha’s words so easily that he is to be their leader. Hence he left his cloak to Elisha. Elisha used his cloak to divide the Jordan River just as Elijah did and walked across the dry river bed. Even then, as the later part of the chapter shows, the other prophets still want to search the surrounding area for Elijah. God has equipped Elisha to carry on Elijah’s mission. The spiritual gift of prophecy.

b. The Holy Spirit
In Acts, Jesus told His disciples to stay in Jerusalem. When he leaves, He will send the Holy Spirit who will give them the power to be His witnesses. Thus Jesus did not leave behind his disciples powerless. He knew that there are forces that will attack his disciples. But He knew He had to leave. He left so that he can take His place at the right hand of God and to continue to intercede for us as our High Priest in heaven while here on earth; the Holy Spirit empowers us to continue His mission of bringing redemption to the rest of the world.

VI. Lessons for Us

Steven Spielberg’s movie, “E.T” wonderfully illustrate our point about left behind. E.T. stands for extraterrestrial or aliens. The story is about an alien exploration team while on earth was surprised while in their attempts to collect plant samples and accidentally left one of them behind. Fortunately, the extra-terrestrial soon finds a friend and emotional companion in fatherless 10-year-old Elliot, who discovered him looking for food in his family's garden shed. E.T. slowly gets acquainted with Elliot's brother Michael, his sister Gertie (a very young Drew Barrymore) as well as with Earth customs. The rest of the movie is about how these children and the alien outwit attempts by the US government and the local sheriff department to capture the alien. But before long, E.T. gets seriously sick, and because of his special connection to Elliot, the young boy suffers, too. The mothership finally came back for the E.T. after the alien made the first galactic phone call, “E.T. call home”. This movie illustrates what it’s like to be left behind, what is “being in the world but not of the world” and how by his/her presence impacted the lives of the children.

We have all been left behind. It is not a mistake. It is part of God’s plan. Jesus had to leave us when He has completed His part of the mission. But He did not leave us powerless. He sent the Holy Spirit to help us fulfil His mission.

a. Our Mission
Be His witnesses in the world. What is more important is not to lose the focus of Jesus Christ as the centre of our lives and ministries. Until and less we are focused on Christ, we will not be effective witnesses of Him but instead poor imitations of our Saviour.

b. Our Mean
Allowing the Holy Spirit to empower us. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Truth and Freedom. The Holy Spirit does not compel us to allow Him to work. We have to allow Him to work. So if we are to receive power and become Christ’s witnesses, we have to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Recently I was on a 10 days silent retreat. Being on a silent retreat is challenging as those of you who have been on such a retreat will tell you. Being on such a retreat will force you to separate from the world and to focus on God. Unfortunately you will also have to face yourself. During this retreat, I came to the realization that we cannot be holy by our own effort. All our efforts will always be tainted by our natural self. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we make any progress.

Conclusion Summary
When Elijah left Elisha and when Jesus left us, they leave behind the continuation of their mission and the means of empowerment to fulfil that mission.

Soli Deo Gloria

What does Easter means to you?

Text: 1 Cor.15:17-19 (NIV)
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

Summary

Easter means ‘Jesus is alive!’ Because He is alive, this proves our faith is real and offer forgiveness of sin, those who have died believing are saved from their sins and we have a purpose and power for living the Christian life.


Introduction
What does Easter mean to you?

Public holiday? Unlike Christmas, there is no mad shopping for presents.
Easter eggs?
Easter bunny?
Chocolate Easter bunny.
Christian ‘Cheng Ming”?
The empty tomb?

The Good Friday service in Dampara Baptist Church, Chittagong, Bangladesh, was packed. Little children sat on the floor in the aisles and across the front of the church. Rows of people stood in the back, craning their necks to see the crucifixion scene as depicted in the "Jesus Film."
Weeping and gasps of unbelief could be heard in the shocked hush as Jesus was crucified. As the Bengalis watched, they were feeling the agony of Jesus' pain and the disappointment of the disciples.
In that emotional moment, one young boy in the crowded church suddenly cried out, "Do not be afraid. He gets up again! I saw it before."
A small boy's encouraging cry gave new hope to the viewers of the film. "He is risen!" is the cry that gives new hope to all[1].

Director Mel Gibson, explaining why The Passion of the Christ ends with a scene of the empty tomb[2] said, "Without the resurrection, our faith is dead. The story's not complete without it."

For me, Easter is the empty tomb. The empty tomb means that Jesus is alive. God has raised him from the dead. Jesus did not raise himself from the dead. God did. God raised Jesus from the dead. After the events of Good Friday where Jesus was unjustly condemned, tortured and crucified, Jesus died on the cross that Friday afternoon. He really did die. He had not fainted, he was not substituted and Judas did not take his place. Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to the cross and he died on the cross. All this was part of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind. When Jesus died on the cross, he died for our sins. He died in our place for our sins. Jesus, the Son of God who is God died as sin, separated from God the Father. An innocent man died for the sins of all mankind. How can this be? Can one man die for the sins of all men? Yes, if this man is also God. And as we all know, God is sinless. The events did not end with Good Friday. It was on Easter morning when the tomb was discovered empty. It was Easter morning when the disciples met the risen Jesus. He is not a ghost. He is alive. Jesus is alive. Jesus was resurrected.
That is the meaning of Easter for me; Jesus is alive, Jesus’ resurrection. The apostle Paul writing in 1 Cor. 15 talked about this. He gave us three points about the meaning of the resurrection. In this letter to the Corinthians church, Paul giving an answer to those who denied the resurrection of Jesus had even taken place.

I. Easter changes the meaning of faith
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

Jesus being raised from the dead proved to us that all that he has said is true. How many of you have met someone who has died for three days and come back to life again?

If someone tells you that he is going to die but will come back to life is three days, would you believe him? You must think him mad, delusional or wonder what drugs he is high on. But if he is not mad, delusion or on drugs and his character is so perfect that you almost believe everything he said except maybe the dying part. But if he did die, and come back to you alive. Would you believe all the other things that he said? You would, won’t you?
If he died and does not become alive as he said he would, then he is a liar and not to be trusted. But if he died and then come alive, then what he said has to be true.

If what he said is true; that he is the Son of God who took away the sins of mankind by his dying on the cross, then your faith in him is not futile. It is real. Your sins have been forgiven you. You are now blameless before God.

A man once asked his friend, “What must I do to be saved?” His friend answered you are too late.” He asked again and got the same reply, “You are too late.” He asked again the third time and again he got the same reply. Finally he asked again, “What must I do to be saved?” His friend replied, “You are too late. There is nothing you can do. Jesus has done it all for you.”

Jesus died on the cross for us. After doing that and completing the task, God raised him from the dead.


II. Easter changes the meaning of death

17 (And if Christ has not been raised ) 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost

What Paul meant here is that if there is no resurrection, then those who believed in Christ and died is still in their sins and thus are lost. They will still have to face God’s judgment. But if there is a resurrection, then those who have died in Christ are not lost. They will have been saved from their sins.

There is an afterlife. Death does not mean the end of everything.
Death is not like someone switching off the computer and there is nothingness.
Death is not a waiting room, where you wait to be reincarnated into another creature. Hey, there’s a cockroach here. Wait, don’t squash it! It may be your great grand uncle.

One of the most haunting movies I have watched is “What Dreams may Come” staring Robin Williams. It was about a doctor who stopped at a roadside accident to help and was killed by a runway trunk. He found himself dead and in a wonderful place full of flowers, trees and mountains. Meanwhile, on earth his children were drowned. His wife could not take the pain and committed suicide. On hearing this, he decided to go to hell to save his wife (the Roman Catholic believes that all suicides has committed an unpardonable sin and goes straight to hell. Our belief is that all sins except the sin against the Holy Spirit can be pardoned). After being shown the horrors of hell, he saved his wife. He discovered that ‘Hell is what we made of it’. It is not God who cannot forgive the suicides but that the suicides cannot forgive themselves. While this is a movie, it assumes that heaven and hell are a state of mind and we are responsible for our actions in this life. Heaven and hell is not a state of mind. Heaven and hell are real places. Paradise, a part of heaven is a real place.

Death is paradise where you will be with Jesus until he comes again. Remember the thief on the cross? Jesus said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise”. Those who died in Christ will be in paradise. We will meet our loved ones again. They will be there with Jesus waiting for us to join him. They are not reincarnated away somewhere.

Three years ago, my mother went to be with the Lord before Easter. There are a lot of things I wanted to say to her but never have the chance to say it. I know I will see her again and have the opportunity to say what I have to say. Again I want to appeal to those whose loved ones do not know Christ yet to continue praying for their salvation. When they are called, let them be called ‘in Christ’. There is no second chance.


III. Easter changes the meaning of life

(And if Christ has not been raised ) 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then everything he said is a lie. Then why should we live a moral life? Why should we be good? Or as the apostle Paul said, “If the dead has not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”” (1 Cor. 15:32b). Why bother with being good if there is no afterlife? If there is no accountability after death, why should we behave ourselves” If there are no consequences, we can do anything we like: rob, kill, murder, rape, destroy, burn, enjoy ourselves to the detriment of others.

But Christ has been raised. Jesus is alive.

Because Jesus is alive, there is meaning and purpose for our lives. There is purpose and calling because we know God has called us to be involved in his plan of redemption for this creation. There are no little people in His Kingdom. We are all called to be his instruments for his purpose.
Because Jesus is alive, we have power: the power of the resurrection.

Rick Warren, the author of the Purpose driven Church and the Purpose driven Life, wrote in a Christianity Today newsletter, “The number one complaint I hear from people today is this: "My life is out of control." I hear it a thousand times:
· I feel powerless to change the situation…
· I feel powerless to break a bad habit…
· I feel powerless to save a relationship…
· I feel powerless to get out of debt…
· I feel powerless to manage my schedule.

What you need is a power greater than yourself. You were never meant to live this life on your own power. God want to have a relationship with you. And here's the good news. Ephesians 1:19-20 says: "How incredibly great is his power to help those who believe him, the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead."

The same power that enabled Jesus to rise from death will help you rise above your problems. The same power God used at the Resurrection 2,000 years ago can be used in your life right now. You don't know what the future holds. I don't either. I don't know what's going to happen next year, next month, and next week. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, and neither do you. But it doesn't matter, because even though it's out of my control, it's not out of God's. He will give me the power to face it. Philippians 4:13 says: "I'm ready for anything through the strength of Christ, who lives in me."

"I want to help out," God says. Some of you came crawling in here—you've had a tough week. God wants to say to you this: "Don't give up."

No problem is too big for God. No situation is hopeless if you'll turn it over to him. "I am ready for anything through the power of positive thinking"? No, it doesn't say that. "I am ready for anything because I psyched myself up"? No. "I am ready for anything through the strength of Christ, who lives in me."”

So there is purpose and power in our lives because of the resurrected Christ.

Conclusion

One of my patients, a 7 years old Chinese boy was born deaf from birth. There was something wrong with his nerves so he cannot hear. In such cases, a hearing aid will not help. Recently, he had a cochlear implant. It cost RM 30,000 for a cochlear implant device. We have to help the parents raise the money. After the operation was done and I reviewed the child in my clinic two weeks later. “Listen”, he said. I listen but cannot hear anything out of the ordinary- a baby howling outside my clinic. “Listen,” he said again. I listen again but I could not hear any special sounds. “Listen to the creak of your chair,” he said with a smile on his face, “You are putting on too much weight!” Cheeky fellow. One event has changed his life. The cochlear implant enables him to hear. He can hear now and life is never the same for him.

What does Easter mean to me?
Jesus is alive! Because He is alive, this proves our faith is real and offers forgiveness of sin, those who have died believing are saved from sins and we have a purpose and power for living the Christian life.

What does Easter mean to you?
Soli Deo Gloria

[1] William D. Barrick, Christian Reader, Vol. 35, no. 2.
[2] Outreach Magazine (Jan/Feb 2004)

Raising Ebenezer

Marking the places where God has helped you

Summary
Ebenezer, ‘stone of help’, mark the places where God have helped you. These are milestones in our spiritual life. It points to where we have been so that we can have confidence in where we shall be going.

Introduction
Robert Robinson had a rough beginning. His father died when he was young and his mother, unable to control him sent him to London to learn to be a barber, Instead he learned to drink and became a gangster. One night when he was about 17, he and his friends visited a fortune teller while drunk. They made fun of the fortune teller as she tried to tell their fortune. Something about the encounter disturbed Robert so he attended later that evening an evangelistic meeting by George Whitefield. Whitefield preached from Matthew 3:7. His words haunted Robert until he gave his heart to Jesus on December 10, 1755, nearly three years later. Here is a man who have turned from a sinful life and entered the ministry at 23 years old. He wrote the hymn, ‘Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ in 1758 to remember the time when the Holy Spirit entered into his life and made all things new.

Come, Thou fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of God’s unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer,
[Here I raise to Thee an altar]
Hilter by Thy help I come.
And I hope by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand’ring from the fold of God.
He to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

In an attempt to modernize the hymn, the phrase, ‘Here I raise my Ebenezer’ was replaced by ‘Here I raise to Thee an altar’. If you don’t believe me look at your hymn books. The reason being, nobody knows what Ebenezer is. Last year a couple in this church asked me what Ebenezer is. I told them that it is the short form for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. The idea is to compare Robert’s previous life to the arrogant, self centered king. I was wrong and I apologize for giving wrong information. Ebenezer means stone of help. It is found in 1 Samuel 7:12, today’s text.

1SA 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."

The stone is a symbol of remembrance for a time when God had helped them. Stones or pillars are often used in ancient times to commemorate important events. Jacob set up some stones to remember Yahweh theophany in Bethel (Gen.28:18, 22).

Summary of Context of 1 Samuel 7:12
To understand why Samuel set up the stone, we have to look at what happened before.
In 1 Samuel 4, the first battle between the Philistine and the Israelite resulted in 4,000 casualties. The elders sent to Shiloh for the Ark of the Covenant because they thought the ark will help them win battles (4:1-4). However, driven by fear of the ark, the Philistines fought even more fiercely and killed about 30,000 infantry and captured the ark. (4:5-11). The victorious Philistines first brought the captured ark to display in their temple to Dagon only to have their god fall over twice (5:1-5). In Canaan mythology, Dagon is the father of Baal. Yahweh also caused the people to break out in tumors and the cities infested with rats. The Philistines then decide to send the ark to Gad and Ekron. Again the Lord afflicted the people with tumors and rats. After seven months, the Philistines cannot stand it anymore. The Philistines then put the ark on a cart drawn by two cows and set them loose. The cows pulled the cart to Israelite territory, proving that it is Yahweh judgment on the Philistines. The ark was finally placed in Kirath-jearim. Throughout this time, the Philistines continued to harass the weaker Israelites.
Israel mourned while the ark was in Kirath-jearim, and Samuel admonished the people to do away with foreign gods. The people should served Yahweh alone (7:2-4). Samuel assembled the people for a water rite and fast at Mizpah where they confessed their sins (7:5-6). Frightened by a Philistine attack, the people persuaded Samuel to pray for them. Yahweh answered Samuel’s prayer by throwing the Philistines into confusion by loud thunder and the Israeli were able to route them. After the people have completed the Philistines’ defeat, Samuel set up a stone called Ebenezer to commemorate Yahweh’s help (7:13-14). Throughout Samuel’s life, the Israelite was able to overcome the Philistines and make peace with the Amorites (7:13-14). Samuel was judge over Israel and his yearly circuit took him to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. His home base was Ramah (7:15-17).

There are three lessons we can learn from this episode.

1. God will help you when you are faithful to Him
The Israelites has the following problems
· They have turned away from God and worship Baal and Ashtoreth.
· They have bad leaders- priest like Eli’s sons, Hopni and Phinehas.
· They depend on their own strength and their own reasoning- fight the Philistines with their army and using the ark like a magic talisman.
Things changes when they heel the advice of Samuel (1 Samuel 7: 3-6)
3 And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.
1SA 7:5 Then Samuel said, "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the LORD for you." 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah.
· The Lord fought the Philistine on their behalf.
· God uses natural phenomenon: thunder
· The Israelites only have to do the mopping up.

2. Recognize God’s help when it appears(1 Samuel 7:11)
While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. 11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car

Often we look for miraculous help from God. We expect God to do great signs and wonders and are often disappointed when He did not oblige us. God often works in way that we do not understand. And we must be aware that God often work quietly and uses the natural order of things, the weather, other people, circumstances and society. God is unpredictable. Sometimes he helps by giving us things. Sometimes He helps by taking away things.

I remember reading somewhere about someone listening and visiting Dr, Martin Luther King, “Many years ago, I went to hear Doctor Martin Luther King , Sr. King said his mother had told him to always thank God for what was left. And that was something to think about: if you've got enough breath left to complain, you have something left. I thought that was very impressive, and I really made a mental note of it. Some years later I went back to Atlanta to Ebenezer Church, and by this time Dr. King had lost A. D. and M. L., his two sons, and his beloved wife had been shot to death right before his eyes at the organ in that very sanctuary. Guess what the old man was saying? ‘Thank God for what's left.' There's always enough left in life to make it worth living.”

God helps us in many different ways. Sometimes He helps us in ways that we do not expect. But the fact we must remember is that God never fails to help anyone who calls to Him.

3. Mark the place where God has helped you (1 Samuel 7:12)
1SA 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."

We must always make it a point to remember how God has helped us. In the Old Testament, they use stone pillars as symbols of remembrance. They gave name to these stones – Ebenezer-‘stone of help’, because ‘thus far has the Lord helped us”. This will be recorded and taught to their children. In their version of the Sunday school (maybe Sabbath school), they will teach the children about the events that happen at Ebenezer. And any Israelite that walk pass the stones will take a moment to remember Ebenezer.

So how as Christians are we to mark the places where God helped us?
a. Celebrations
Celebrations are an important way to remember God’s help. Easter and Christmas are important dates on the church calendar because it reminds us about the help God gave to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Christmas is when God become man. Easter is when God died on the cross for the sins of man.
We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. We also need to celebrate important events of God’s blessings and help. When I was a medical student in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), I started a Christian fellowship in the varsity. At that time, there were very few non-bumiputras and there was no Christian groups. On 24 March 2006, the fellowship which currently has more than 200 members will be celebrating their 30th year anniversary. They have invited me to attend the dinner function as their fellowship’s founder. In such celebrations, we remember God’s help and goodness to all the students that was part of the fellowship. Our mission statement for the fellowship was ‘to produce leaders for churches in Malaysia and beyond.’ God has helped the fellowship tremendously. I know that many of the former students are now leading the churches in many parts of Malaysia and some in other countries.

b. Remembrance
We used to build monuments to commemorate certain events. If you travel around London, you will see many statures and monuments. In Rome, you can see the Arc of Constantine, a Roman Triumphal Arch right next to the Coliseum where Emperor Constantine 1 rode in triumph into Rome. I am not advocating we build a stature of our pastor. I am very impressed with our 50th anniversary books because it document the history of the church. They are thinking of making the manse, a 125 years old building, a heritage building. These are ways we remember God’s help.
We also remember important days in our lives and maybe make it a special day of thanksgiving or prayers. For me the important days are
· Day of my giving my life to Christ
· Day I became a doctor
· Day of my wedding
· Day my first daughter was born
· Day my second daughter was born
These are important days in my life and it happened because of God’s help. These are days of remembrance, days of thanksgiving and praise.

c. Journal
Our memories are very poor and often play tricks with our mind. A personal journal will be a good way to record the events of God’s help in our lives. We can look back and see how God has been helping us all along. Journal writing is a good spiritual discipline we can use to deeper our spiritual life.
A new form of journaling is blogging on the Internet. It is an online journal that you can add to whenever you like. You can keep your blog entries to yourself. Or you can allow selected people to read your blog or you can open to anyone. It is up to you.

d. Scrapbook
A scrapbook where you paste your photos, train tickets or newspaper cuttings are also useful guide to memory.

e. Share your testimonies.
Testimonies are an important part of remembering the help of God especially in a community of faith. Sharing what God has done in your life has three benefits
· You share what God has done for you and encourage your listener in that what He has done for you, He will also do for others.
· You affirm God’s goodness because when you proclaim it to others, it becomes more real to you.
· You give glory to God when you talk about His goodness.
Continue to give testimonies in front of others, write your testimonies in newsletter and magazine (Sinews, Asia Beacon) or share with one another in your fellowship and cell groups.

Conclusion
There is an old legend about three men and their sacks[1]. Each man had two sacks, one tied in front of his neck and the other tied on his back. When the first man was asked what was in his sacks, he said, "In the sack on my back are all the good things friends and family have done. That way they're hidden from view. In the front sack are all the bad things that have happened to me. Every now and then I stop, open the front sack, take the things out, examine them, and think about them." Because he stopped so much to concentrate on all the bad stuff, he really didn't make much progress in life.

The second man was asked about his sacks. He replied, "In the front sack are all the good things I've done. I like to see them, so quite often I take them out to show them off to people. The sack in the back? I keep all my mistakes in there and carry them all the time. Sure they're heavy. They slow me down, but you know, for some reason I can't put them down."

When the third man was asked about his sacks, he answered, "The sack in front is great. There I keep all the positive thoughts I have about people, all the blessings I've experienced, all the great things other people have done for me. The weight isn't a problem. The sack is like sails of a ship. It keeps me going forward.
"The sack on my back is empty. There's nothing in it. I cut a big hole in its bottom. In there I put all the bad things that I can think about myself or hear about others. They go in one end and out the other, so I'm not carrying around any extra weight at all."

What are you carrying in your sacks?
Are you carrying the remembrance of God’s help in your life?
Are you marking the places where God has helped you?
Are you allowing negatives events in your life drag you down?

Carrying remembrance of God’s help in your life can help you to grow faster in your spiritual life. These stones serve as reminder of the faithfulness of God. Our growing in depth in our spiritual life depends on our remembrance of the faithfulness of God. Why do you think Samuel named the stone Ebenezer and place it on the ground? It is for the edification of the Israelites. Ebenezer, stone of help, mark the places where God have helped them. These are milestones in our spiritual life. It points to where we have been so that we can have confidence in where we shall be going.

Soli Deo Gloria

Love in Truth and Action: How Should We Love?

Text: 1 John 3:16-18

Summary

We love by opening our eyes to the needs of the world around, by opening our hands (giving-action) and getting them dirty in helping others (action-action) and by opening our hearts to love as Jesus loves (faith-action).

Text (NIV)

1JN 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Introduction

Not long before his death, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to the congregation at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church: “If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize; that isn't important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards; that's not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody”.[1]

At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.[2]

I would consider Martin Luther King, Jr to be one of the great leaders in American history. It is men like him who influenced the American public to discover that there is a great need to look after the poor and the exploited. Thus the civil rights movement was formed which led to reforms in the United States. I love his ‘I have a dream’ sermon. We know that the motivation behind Martin Luther King, Jr’s mission and sacrifice is love. Love is not a feeling. Love is not valentine day. Love is action. Love is doing something for someone.

John, ‘the beloved disciple’ understood love very well. He was with Jesus in the whole 3 years of His ministry. He travelled with Jesus all around the Sea of Galilee and in Jerusalem. He has seen first hand how Jesus loved. Jesus loved us unto His death and beyond. So here in 1 Jn 16-18, John teaches us how to love.


1. Open your eyes (1 Jn 3:16,17)
v.17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

To love, we have first to open our eyes to the needs of the world around. With modern technology, news comes to us very fast. Sometimes too fast and too much information. We get information and sensory overload. On our living room television screens, we are able to see real time footage of disasters with broken bodies, damaged homes and damaged community. We get overwhelmed by these images. Tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes and wars and the list of human suffering goes on and on. We begin to suffer from compassion fatigue. We wonder what we can do to help the suffering. Is there anything we can do will make a difference given the magnitude of the problem?

In the fifth century, a monk named Telemachus wanted to live his life in pursuit of God, so he lived alone in the desert praying, fasting, and meditating. One day as he prayed, he realized his life was based on a selfish love of God, not selfless. If he were to serve God, he must serve men. He decided to return to the city where there was sin and need.

Telemachus headed for Rome. He arrived at a time when the Roman general, Stillcho, had won a great victory over the Goths. Since Rome was officially Christian, triumph brought people pouring into the churches.

But one pagan practice still lingered in Christian Rome—the gladiator games. While Christians were not thrown to the lions, prisoners of war were cast into the arena to fight and kill each other. Spectators roared with blood lust as the gladiators battled.

Telemachus arrived on the day of the games. Following the noise, he made his way to the arena where 80,000 people had gathered to celebrate. The fights began and Telemachus stood aghast. Men for whom Christ had died were about to kill each other to amuse a supposedly Christian populace.

He jumped into the arena and stood between the two gladiators, imploring them to stop. The crowd was furious at the delay of their "entertainment," and after several shouts and threats, it stoned the monk to death. The rest of the contests were cancelled that day. Three days later, Honorius (the Roman Emperor) declared Telemachus a martyr and ended the gladiatorial contests.

Historian Edward Gibbon observed the following about Telemachus: "His death was more useful to mankind than his life."[3]

Open your eyes and seek the needs of the world. Then do whatever you can. God does not expect us to do more than we can. How do we eat any elephant? A piece at a time. So we are to help people in whatever ways that we can. If you have money and you see someone in financial needs, give him or her some of yours. No interest. No loan. Just a love-offering. I wonder how many of us have actually given money with no strings attached. Without expectation of seeing the money again, of receiving the undying gratitude or feeling ‘good’ ourselves? Love is giving-action.

2. Open your hands (1 Jn 3:16,18)
v. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
v. 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

John also teaches that love is action-love. Action-love means opening our hands and getting them dirty. Love is not just words only. ‘I love you, brother and I shall pray for you’. I do not know how many of us really pray for the person. I may be wrong but I think that is a pious way of saying, “I would like to help you but I won’t or I can’t.”
“I love you as a sister but I’ll get back to you on this.” Unfortunately, this is another way of saying, “I can’t help you. I will not call you back and hope you will forget this conversation.” Love is opening you cheque book and writing out a cheque. Love is going to the person’s house and help out with your hands. Love is getting personally involved. This love is action-action.

The movie, Armageddon tells the story of a last ditch effort to stop a massive asteroid from colliding with Earth. The only hope is to split the asteroid so both halves veer away from the planet. An unlikely crew of military experts and oil drillers land a space shuttle on the asteroid, drill into its center, and drop a nuclear bomb in the hole. To save the rest of the crew, Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) chooses to stay behind on the asteroid to make sure the bomb detonates. Just before the ship leaves, he takes a final moment to speak to his beloved daughter, Grace, back at the command center in Houston. With tears in her eyes, she tells him, "Everything good I have inside of me I have from you. I love you so much. I am so proud of you. And I'm so scared." "There won't be anything to be scared of soon," he assures her. After the talk with his daughter, Harry heads out onto the asteroid to save the planet. Fighting the shifting rocks and unstable ground, Harry struggles to hold the detonator as the shuttle launches into space. When the shuttle is finally away Harry whispers, "We win, Gracie," and then he pushes the button. For a brief, powerful moment, images flash across the screen of Harry's great love for his daughter “from when she was a little girl laughing with him on a swing, up until she's radiant and dressed in white on her wedding day.” A split second later, the asteroid erupts, fractures in two, and careens clear of Earth as the crowds below cheer.[4]

Not all of us will be called to sacrifice our lives for others. But we are called to act for others out of love. Jesus chose the cross out of love to free us from danger and from fear. Jesus looked into the future and saw us, the Bride of Christ, radiant on that day we would meet him and, as it says in Hebrews, for the joy set before him he endured the cross.

3. Open your mind (1 Jn 3:16, 18)
v. 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
v. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

What is this truth that is the basis of our love? The basis of our love is in v.16. Jesus died for us. This is faith-action love.

Katie Funk Wiebe wrote, “As I contemplate the cross, I grasp that its wonder is not in its appearance, but in the Superglue of love that took Christ to the cross and held him there”.[5]

Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection empowers us to love. Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology of Regent College in Vancouver, in his latest book, Living The Resurrection (2005, Navpress) reflects on three aspect of the Risen Christ in everyday life:
Resurrection Wonder as the central focus of our life in Christ.
Resurrection Meals as the invitation to spiritual formation in our most common daily experiences.
Resurrection Friends as the intimate fellowship in whose midst the risen Jesus makes His joyful home.
It is this power of the resurrection that empowers us to have faith-action love. If we love by giving-action and action-action alone, we shall run dry and burn out. It is the faith-action that sustains us and keep us loving in the long run.


Closing remarks

To love others is not easy. We love by opening our eyes to the needs of the world around, by opening our hands (giving-action) and getting them dirty in helping others (action-action) and by opening our hearts to love as Jesus loves (faith-action).

C. S. Lewis said, "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements...It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable ...The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love ... is Hell."

Soli Deo Gloria

[1] William Willimon, Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry, (Abingdon Press, 2002), p. 53
[2] http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
[3] Nancy Hardin in “On Target,” William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark
[4] Armageddon (Touchstone, 1998); directed by Michael Bay, written by Robert Pool and Jonathan Hensleigh
[5] Katie Funk Wiebe in The Christian Leader (Feb. 1995). Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 4.

Paul, the Purpose Driven Apostle

The Purpose Driven Apostle
Dr Alex Tang


Who is Paul, the Purpose Driven Apostle?
Paul was born in Tarsus in southeast Asia Minor. He was born Saul. The exact dates of his birth was uncertain, probably between 6 BC and A.D.10, probably on A.D.5 (based on the terms ‘young man’ Acts 7:58 and ‘old man’ Phm 9. He was born in an observant Jewish family belonging to the tribe of Benjamin (Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5); his parents gave him a Jewish name- the name of the most illustrious member of the tribe of Benjamin in the history of Israel, King Saul.

Tarsus is a Roman city with Greek culture. For Paul to become a Roman citizen, his father must have some influence. The Romans do not give away their citizenship easily. How Roman citizenship come into the family, we do not know. One archaeological scholar suggested that a firm of tentmakers could have proved very useful to the Roman army in these parts and received the citizenship for the services rendered.

Tarsus is also a university city surpassing Athens and Alexandria. Is Paul a Jewish Theologian or Greek Philosopher? Paul must have learned to speak and read Greek when he was a child. His Greek was too fluent, too eloquent (though he made occasional grammatical mistakes) to convince that he picked up the language after he became a Christian. This meant that he was exposed to the Greek philosophy and has knowledge of their culture, philosophies and worldview.

Paul is trained to in Greco-Roman rhetoric. To understand Paul, we have to understand rhetoric. The purpose of rhetoric is to persuade. Education in the ancient world was primarily rhetoric- how to recognise the way in which someone is trying to persuade you (i.e. how to listen wisely) and how to form a speech in order to persuade someone else (i.e. how to read and write effectively). We learn early on in our cultures the ploys of the advertising industry, for example, how to read television commercials. Unfortunately, we tend to read Paul as two years old watches a television commercial.

Paul was also educated under Rabban Gamaliel I in Jerusalem. Gamaliel was the first to receive the title Rabban and was regarded as the greatest teacher of the Law. This has no doubt given him an excellent knowledge of the Scripture and of the oral Torah which supplemented, interpreted, and applied the written Torah of the Old Testament. Tradition has it that when he heard about the Christians in Tarsus; he hurried back to Jerusalem. This implied that he has completed his training and was back home in Tarsus. Aside form being a tentmaker, he may be a Rabbi of the local synagogue. Like his father before him (Acts 23:6), Paul was with the Pharisees (Phil.3:5), which he calls “the strictest sect of our religion” (Acts 26:5).


1. Paul has a purpose because he has a passion for God.
a. Paul was brought up in the Jewish Pharisee tradition to love God.
“I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers”Gal.1:14 (NIV)
Being a Pharisee has very bad connotation for us nowadays. That’s because of the frequent criticism of the legalism of the Pharisees. But the Pharisee has a well developed systemic theology of Yahweh. Their action is often in obedience to what has been revealed in the Torah. And this is based on love for God. Sometimes, when we have so much passion for someone, we then to go to extremes. To give your girlfriend a dozen red roses is acceptable but 9,999 as reported in the Star newspaper? Paul’s zealousness comes from a love of God.

b. Paul was very zealous in preserving the purity of his religion.
“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” Acts 9:1-2 (NIV)
The reason why Paul hurried to Jerusalem when he heard about the followers of Jesus or ‘the way’ is that of his zealousness for God. He was in Tarsus. But he rushed back to Jerusalem. Why? Because he considers this ‘sect’ of Jesus followers to be a threat to his belief in God. Paul believed that unless he acts, the claims of Jesus’ followers will be a threat to Judaism. He is very passionate about his God.

Have you seen older brothers or sisters being protective of their younger brothers or sisters? Or of friends or family members being protective of your reputation. I once was speaking to the parents of one of my patients. The child was brought in at about 2 pm. It was 4pm and the fever has not settled. The father was frustrated and was angry that my treatment did not make his child well. Suddenly, to my surprise, the parents of my patient in the next bed rose to my defence. They scolded that father, “What do you expect about 2 hours? Doctor is a good doctor”. I did not expect that.


c. Paul found the fulfilment of his religion in Jesus Christ.
“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” Phil 3:8-11 (NIV)

Paul was not a convert. He is already a believer of God and the Messiah. Paul’s Damascus experience was a reorientation of his worldview 180 degrees! He found that Jesus is the messiah he has been waiting all his life. Jesus is the fulfilment of his greatest hope. Paul with all his great learning in Greek and Hebrew studies has his spiritual eyes opened when he met the living Christ in his Damascus experience. The God whom he loved has done what he said He will do. He has sent the Messiah, the chosen one. How not to have passion for God?


2. Paul has a purpose because he has a passion to serve God.
a. God has chosen him
‘But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” Acts 9:15 (NIV)

Frederick the Great of Russia was gloomed to be an emperor since he was born. He was taught the right way to act, the right way to talk, the right way to rule and the right way to live. He has a purpose because he knew that he was chosen to be emperor one day. And he has a passion for his country. Therefore he knew that the moment he became king, he will modernised his beloved country, Russia. So he spent his life preparing for the time when he would become emperor so that he can implement what his purpose is. Paul knew that he was special, a chosen one of God. God is the one who chosen him. Imagine the power and reassurance that you have been specially chosen. It becomes a purpose for your life. Nowadays we speak of destiny. People are chosen to fulfil their destiny. Fulfilling their destiny becomes a purpose for their lives.

b. Paul has chosen to serve God, God’s way
“But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles” Gal.1:15,16a (NIV)

Aside from the sense of being chosen by God, I believe that Paul has a purpose in life and that is to serve God. But Paul is unique in the sense that he choose to serve God on God’s term and in God’s way. Paul could have wanted to be a Rabban in a Jewish theological seminary. Or he could be a famous rabbi of a famous synagogue. Paul has this unique gift of doing what Henry Blackaby has been teaching us in his book, Experiencing God: see where God is going and join Him in the project. Paul sees that he is to be the apostle to the Gentiles. So his purpose is to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul’s missionary efforts have some important points which shows that there is a purpose in what he did:
(1)He taught from where the people are. To the Jews, he taught the Jewish way. To the Greeks and other Greek speaking people, he taught as a Greek philosopher.
(2)He chooses areas within Roman territory. Pax Romana is safe, have a nice network of roads and literal in Latin and Greek. He, being a Roman citizen also gives him additional advantages.
(3)He chooses cities that are centres of trade and commerce- Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica.
(4)He chooses his fellow team members from different regions. At one time, Paul’s entourage consists of 9 men: Sopater (Berea, Macedonia), Aristarchus and Secundus (Thessalonica), Luke (Philippi), Gaius (Derbe, Galatia), Timothy (Lystra, Galatia), Tychicus and Trophimus (Ephesus, Asia) and Titus (Achaia).


3. Paul has a purpose because he has a passion to bring people into the kingdom of God.
a. People are lost without God
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Rom.3:23 (NIV)
If there is a great motivation for Paul and for his purpose in life, it’s that people who do not know Jesus Christ and his work of salvation on the cross are doomed. They are going straight to hell. That has been the purpose of the many great missionaries of the past like William Carey and Hudson Taylor. There is only one way to salvation. All other roads lead to damnation. So people must to told. That’s why these missionaries sacrifice so much to bring the message of salvation to the East.

b. People are the glory of God
“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.”1 Thes. 2:19,20a (NIV)

Paul knows what is valuable and lasting in life. It’s not your money, or your house, your lands or your car. All these things don’t last. It was disappear soon. What last forever are people. That is why Paul said people are his glory and joy. People last forever. Knowing this, it is surprising how much time and effort we invest in things and how little time and effort we spend in building up people. Paul’s purpose is his passion to save the lost. That’s because he knows that people have eternal value. So he spent his time making friends, teaching and mentoring the many people that God brought into his life. Even as a prisoner in his last days in Rome, he managed to convert the household of Caesar.

c. Paul loves the people
“For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you”. 2 Cor.2:4 (NIV)

Here Paul reveals his heart. His purpose to save the people is not only because without God they are lost and that human lives have eternal value. It is also because he loves them. Paul’s purpose driven life has no value if he does not love the people. Without love, his purpose becomes a duty. Paul’s life story does not sound like he is acting out of duty. He was stoned, starved, sick, shipwrecked, given a lashing and travelled long tiring miles. Duty would not have carried him so far. But love would. Paul really loves the people.

My Response
a. Does God have a purpose for your life?
‘The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:4-5

b. Do you discern where God is working and so join Him there?
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt28:18-20 (NIV)

Soli Deo Gloria

Once Saved, Always Saved

Once Saved, Always Saved
Text: Romans 10:9,10


Summary

Whoever once truly believes that Jesus is raised from the dead, and confesses that Jesus is Lord, will go to heaven when he or she dies. Such a person will go to heaven when he or she dies no matter what work (or lack of work) may accompany such faith.


Introduction

The Presbyterians trace their heritage to John Calvin, one of the most important leaders of the Reformation. He improved on the theology of Martin Luther. The distinctiveness of the Presbyterian or Reformed theology can be summarized as TULIP.

• Total depravity of man. Man is completely incapable of reaching out towards God. Man is totally at enmity with God (cf. Romans 3:10-23)


• Unconditional election by the grace of God. There is absolutely no condition in any person for which God would save him. As a matter of fact, long before man was created, God chose or predestined some to everlasting life. He did it out of his own mere good pleasure (cf. Ephesians 1:4,5)


• Limited atonement. God in his infinite mercy, in order to accomplish the planned redemption, sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, to die as a substitute for the sins of a large but specific number of people (cf. Romans 8:29,30).


• Irresistible grace of God. This is the effectual work of the Holy Spirit moving upon a particular person whom He has called, applying the work of redemption (cf. John 3:5,6)


• Perseverance of the saints. This is that gracious work of sanctification whereby he enables a saved person to persevere to the end. (cf. Romans 8:30,38,39 and Philippians 1:6)

The perseverance of the saints. Once saved, always saved.

A. Once Saved

Romans 10:9,10
9 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.
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,
and
it is with your mouth that you confess
and are saved.


Paraphrased, the passage means whoever once truly believes that Jesus is raised from the dead, and confesses that Jesus is Lord, will go to heaven when he or she dies. Such a person will go to heaven when he or she dies no matter what work (or lack of work) may accompany such faith.

There are two component to be saved, signifying the internal (the heart) and the external (the mouth).

1. Believe in your heart that Jesus has raised from the dead.

Internal is believing in your heart that Jesus has raised from the dead. It is to believe that something supernatural has occurred. That this Jesus of Nazarene, who was born in Bethlehem about 2000 years ago, has died and came back to life again. Paul asked, ”Can you believe this?” You with your scientific minds. You with your determination that you must see and touch something before you want to believe. Earlier in the book of Romans, Paul has been talking about justification by faith. That Jesus, by his death on the cross and by his blood has paid the price for us. We are justified and regarded as righteous by God because of what Jesus has done. Yet, when Paul comes to the point about salvation, he said one of two things you need to believe is that Jesus has raised from the dead. Look at the day of Pentecost. Peter preached, his theme is on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and three thousands believed and were saved. Paul warned the church in Corinth that 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 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. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. (1 Cor.15:14-17)

1. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

The second component is to confess that Jesus is Lord. This is the external deed. Confess, the Greek homologeo (confess) has the same root meaning of agreeing with or speaking of the same truth. It means we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Lord of our lives. It means that we trust in Jesus enough to call Him Lord. It also means the Holy Spirit is working in our lives.
no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor.12:3b).

To receive salvation, we need only to believe that Jesus has raised from the dead and confess that He is Lord. You do not need to know any theology. Salvation is a free gift of God. This is why it is so hard for some people to accept. It is so easy. And it is free. We have been brought up in a culture where we are told that is no such thing as a free lunch. Everything comes with a hidden price tag. Well, there is such a thing that is free. Jesus has brought us free salvation. And don’t let anyone tell you different. Don’t let someone tell you that you can only be saved if you have lived a holy life or you must be water baptized in a particular church or in a particular manner or you have had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul said believe in the resurrection of Jesus and confess that he is Lord then you are saved.



B. Always Saved

There are three component to the perseverance of salvation:

1. God’s purpose

The Bible teaches that God will saves those He chose. Paul declares in answer to the question:
(Rom 8:35) 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Answer:
(Rom 8:29,30) 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

(Rom 8:38,39) 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus said (John 10:27-30)
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."

1. Jesus’ intercession

The author of Hebrews wrote (Heb 7:25)
25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Jesus in John 17 prayed, among other things that the Father would keep those who believe and that they might enjoy the blessings of eternal fellowship with him.

1. God’s ability to keep

Paul wrote:
(Phil.1:6)
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

(2 Tim 1:12)
12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

Once saved, always saved. It is a great doctrine for us to believe in and hang onto. Whoever once truly believes that Jesus is raised from the dead, and confesses that Jesus is Lord, will go to heaven when he or she dies. Such a person will go to heaven when he or she dies no matter what work (or lack of work) may accompany such faith.

Let me clarify here the difference between salvation and sanctification. When we are saved, three things happened.

• We are imputed righteous in God’ sight.


• We become adopted sons and daughters of God, meaning we become a ‘new creation’.


• We receive the Holy Spirit.

Sanctification/regeneration/spiritual growth and bearing of spiritual fruits/spiritual formation occurs after salvation and is a totally separate event. Many pain and crisis can be avoided if we recognize this fact. Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ in every aspect of our lives.
Lessons for us:

How can believing ‘once saved, always saved’ affect the way we live our lives. Let me give you three examples:

1. Basis for joy and security.

Without the assurance of salvation, our Christian lives will be a roller coaster of fear and insecurity.
We have to be contantly to be on the alert that we do not sin against God. Imagine the insecurity. If we die at the moment we are far from God, we lose our salvation and go to hell. That means we must be constantly trying to be good, trying to work for our salvation. We know how easily we back backslide. How weak our fresh are. How often we know what is the right thing to do and yet we do not do it. How often we struggle with pride, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, anger, greed, avarice and lack of faith. So how to have joy and security in the Lord. Our Christian life will be a life of fear.

Emperor Constantine refused to be baptized until he is close to death. He feared that if he receives his salvation early and was baptized, if he sinned, he would lose his salvation. So he waited until the last minute to be safe.
The Roman Catholics has the belief of purgatory. It is a place where the dead goes to have a second chance to work for their salvation. The reason is that there is no assurance of salvation. They believed that they could lose their salvation. Hence it is necessary to be given a second chance.

1. Basis for fellowship with God.

‘Once saved, always saved’ is the foundation for our fellowship with God. It gives us the freedom to love God, to relate to Him and to worship Him. There is no fear that we would unintentionally anger Him and thus lose our salvation. Our fellowship is not based on performance but on love.
Take for example, a relationship between a husband and wife. If they take their marriage vows seriously and commit to remain together, their relationship will be different from one in which the wife said if you do not do what I want, I would leave you. In the latter, the relationship is based on the husband’s performance. If the husband do not live up to her expectation, she will pack her bags and leave.
With the assurance of salvation, we can move on in our relationship with God.

1. Basis for rewards on the Day of Judgement.

Whoever once truly believes that Jesus is raised from the dead, and confesses that Jesus is Lord, will go to heaven when he or she dies. Such a person will go to heaven when he or she dies no matter what work (or lack of work) may accompany such faith.

When I mention this statement, I can hear alarms bells ringing in the mind of our leaders. Alex, you must not say that. Then our people will not be motivated to be good. To be matured in Christ. To serve in church ministries. They have their ticket to heaven. They are going to sit back and relax.

Well, let me tell you something. Yes, you have your ticket to heaven. That means you have eternal life. That means that you will not spend eternity roasting in hell. But what are you going to do in heaven. And what you do now after you are saved to the time when you reach heaven has eternal significance.

The Bible taught that there is a Day of Judgement. Christ himself will judge. All men will be judged; none will be absent. Even the angels will be passed under judgment. Every aspect of life will come into account, including the ‘secrets of men’, ‘the purposes of the heart’, and ‘every careless word’. The judgment will not be confined to unbelievers. Christians too will face a judgment. There can be no avoiding this coming judgment; it is as certain as death.

Christians will be judged by their Lord in respect of their stewardship of the talents, gifts, opportunities and responsibilities granted to them during the course of their lives. The reference to this judgment in 1 Pet. 1:17 is particularly significant in conveying its character. The divine judgment of the people of God will be a fatherly judgment. It will not be such as to place in peril the Christian’s standing within the family of God; it will have all of a father’s understanding and compassion; and yet it is not therefore to be lightly or carelessly regarded. Christ will exercise this fatherly judgment at his coming. There will be rewards.
27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. (Matt. 16:27)
35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. (Luke 6:35)
Paul talked about a ‘reward’ in 1 Corinthians, a ‘prize’ in Philippians and a ‘crown’ in 2 Timothy. James talked about ‘crown of life’ and Peter by the ‘crown of glory’.
Jesus said,REV 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Rev.22:12)

Somehow, we take this concept of rewards lightly, as if it is beneath our dignity to motivate our behavior because of rewards. The Bible did not elaborate what this reward, prize or crown is. Paul took it seriously, willing to give all now rather than to live in a ‘rewardless’ heaven.

If rewards do not motivate you, what about punishment? For we have to give an account to Jesus on the Day of Judgement. Some scholars believe that no rewards for eternity is punishment enough. Others believe that God will punish us in other ways.

Many of us are motivated to invest for the future, either in education, in our children and in building a financial portfolio. We are advised to invest for our retirement. It is time to think of investing for eternity. The currency for investment for eternity is not ringgits or the euros or the USD but service for the kingdom of God.



Closing remarks.
C.H.Spurgeon, the great preacher of the nineteenth century, once told this story. He said he was sitting in church and listening to a rather boring sermon. His mind begins to wander. “Why is it that I am a Christian?”, Spurgeon asked himself. “I am a Christian because I heard and believed the gospel,” he thought. He continued, “But why do I believe?”. He answered, “I believe because..” Then like a flash God opened the floodgates of heaven and Spurgeon concluded. “I saw God was at the bottom of it all’.

Once saved, always saved. This is the foundation of our Christian life. God is at the bottom of it all. God is the One who calls us. He is the One who saves us. He is also the One who keeps us saved.

Soli Deo Gloria