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ROOTSS: "Reflections Of One That Says So" | ROOTSS: "Reflections Of One That Says So" Warning: This blog contains "severely disturbing" content. Please read with care and caution. Saturday, 24th October 2009 I was away in Hongkong last week. When I got back, my mum told me that she and my dad were involved in an accident. They were on their way to Adam Road Food Centre for breakfast when this taxi tried to overtake them from the left and cut abruptly into their path. What resulted was a big dent on the front left bumper of my dad's car, just below its left headlight. The taxi driver was extremely apologetic and admitted liability, and they exchanged particulars. After breakfast, my dad drove to the workshop located just outside our estate and was told that it would cost about S$800 to get the dent repaired. Sometime that afternoon, a representative from the taxi driver's insurance company came to visit my dad and told him that he could send the car to an approved workshop to get it fixed, all expenses paid. My dad told him about the quotation he got from the nearby workshop, to which the representative replied that since the quotation was lower than the one he had obtained, perhaps the repairs should be done at the nearby workshop. And so, he offered to pay my dad S$800. Guess what? My dad told him he would just take S$400, even though the taxi driver was at fault. He said that he felt sorry for the taxi driver, who had to earn his livelihood. The rep was very touched and said, "Sir, you are a very kind and generous man". When my mom told me this, I was extremely touched. Yep, such are the qualities of my earthly dad, who reflects the qualities of our Heavenly Daddy. He had effectively turned a mishap into a hap, and sown a seed of grace and mercy into the life of this taxi driver. I believe that one fine day, a harvest will be reaped from it. As I reflected upon this, I realise also that there are circumstances in life whereby the devil will throw a lemon at us. With God's help, we can make lemonade out of them and see the truth of Rom 8:28 whereby He causes all things to work out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Amen?Posted byMalcolm LohLabels:Saturday, 24th October 2009 I wonder whether any of you have heard this theory that Jesus had an "inner circle" among His disciples -- made up of Peter, James and John. While we read about Him travelling about with His 12 disciples, there were 3 specific instances whereby He only took Peter, James and John with Him 1. At the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mk 5:37, Lk 8:51) 2. At His transfiguration (Mt 17:1, Mk 9:2, Lk 9:28) 3. In the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt 26:37, Mk 14:33) At first glance, it would appear that He exercised favouritism to these 3 disciples. Why were the other 9 not given the privilege of experiencing the above? It was only recently that I understand that it was not so much Jesus being partial to these 3. After all, He reserved some of the harshes rebuke for them. For example, Jesus said in Mt 16:23, "Get thee behind me satan" to Peter when the latter tried to discourage Him from going through the cup of suffering. Jesus said in Lk 9:55, "You know not what spirit you are" to James and John when they asked him whether they should command fire to come down from heaven to consume the Samaritans for not welcoming Him. Rather, the significance is in the meaning behind the names of these 3 disciples. Peter (G4074) ??t??? (Petros) -- which means "rock or stone" James (G2385) ????ß?? (Lakabos) -- which means "supplanter" John (G2491) ??????? (Johannes) -- which means "Yahweh's grace" These 3 incidents whereby only the 3 said disciples were "invited exclusively" to witness was God's way of telling us that the Law had to make way for Grace! This is seen most clearly at the mount of Transfiguration, where we read about how Moses and Elijah appear along with Jesus, but then disappear leaving only Jesus behind. God's voice then comes out from heaven and says, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him". That shows that the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled in Jesus. In another post, I will blog about the other 2 incidents involving just Peter, James and John, namely the raising of Jairus' daughter and the garden of Gethsamane, whereby again we see that the Law has to make way to Grace. So, did Jesus have an inner circle? Yes, He did. But it was not made up of Peter, James and John. Rather, it was made up of 2 other persons that have been with Him in the beginning -- God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.Posted byMalcolm LohLabels:Sunday, 18th October 2009 I just came back from a week-long business trip to Hongkong. According to our HR policy, heads of department can travel on business class for flights that are more than 6 hours. For flights 6 hours and lesser, we have to go by economy class. But because I went on the trip with my boss (who is the CFO), I was "upgraded" to sitting in business class with him :-) And dear friends, travelling by business class is an *entire* world of difference. The seats are so much more spacious and comfortable, the amenities are way better and the stewardesses actually address you by name. Best of all, one does not feel tired upon stepping off the plane. I took several photos while I was on the plane, so the passengers around me must be thinking I'm a sua ku (which is Hokkien for "mountain tortoise" and describes someone who is overwhelmed by what others consider to be everyday encounters because it is his own first encounter). You can check out those photos here: It was a real honour and privilege to be able to travel in style, and it was all on the account of my boss. As I reflected on this, a deeper spiritual truth dawned upon me. On our own, we do not deserve to enter into God's holy presence or any of God's blessings. But because of Jesus, we can approach His throne of grace with confidence and stand boldly before Him. We who are beneficiaries of the New Covenant of grace have privileges that extend beyond just travelling in style. We can live life in style. Prosperity is ours. Health and wholeness are ours. Shalom peace that transcends understanding is ours. All on the account of Jesus and His finished work. Hallelujah!Posted byMalcolm LohLabels:Saturday, 17th October 2009 In response to the economic downturn, the English-speaking umbrella of the Methodist Church in Singapore (which is known as Trinity Annual Conference or "TRAC") has organised a series of career fairs entitled ("Helping Our PEople") to equip, prepare and overcome the economic crisis. Two such fairs have already been held earlier this year. The first was at Faith Methodist (next to Commonwealth MRT to reach out to those in the west. The second was at Pentecost Methodist (in Pasir Ris) to reach out to those in the east. The third, catering to those in central Singapore, was held in my church today. The guest-of-honour was SM Goh Chok Tong and the following article appeared in Channel NewsAsia: SM Goh praises religious groups for inclusive approach in offering social aid Channel NewsAsia - Sunday, October 18 SINGAPORE: Singapores Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Saturday commended religious organisations in the country for the inclusive approach they have undertaken in rolling out social welfare programmes. Mr Goh said the strategy underpins the unity and harmony of Singapores multiracial, multireligious society. On Saturday, job seekers from all races and religions were at the Paya Lebar Methodist church grounds to attend the Helping Our People Fair (HOPE). Jobs fairs such as HOPE are not usually organised by a religious group and held within a place of worship. It was the third in a series of job fairs organised by a group of churches in Singapore. The Paya Lebar Methodist Church partnered the Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church, Toa Payoh Methodist Church and Trinity Methodist Church to organise the fullday fair. HOPE is just one example of the "many helping hands" approach community groups in the country have undertaken to help Singaporeans during this period of economic downturn. SM Goh cited other examples such as the AlIman Mosques Community Kitchen project, which equips the longterm unemployed with cooking and catering skills; as well as the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, which has been serving free vegetarian meals at its premises for some 20 years. Said the Senior Minister: "It is good that our religious bodies deliver such services beyond their followers and without imposing their religious beliefs on their beneficiaries. This way, they help to strengthen the sinews and spirit of our multiracial and multireligious society." The organiser of HOPE pointed out that the job fair is meant to fulfil a social need that is, helping all Singaporeans find jobs regardless of their religious believes. This stems from the understanding that religious groups in Singapore operate within the larger multiethnic community. President of the Trinity Annual Conference of the Methodist Church, Reverend Dr Wee Boon Hup said: "As a church, we realised that our members themselves are going through difficult times, and as we reach out to them we realised that everybody else in Singapore, many others are also affected by the crisis... so we open up the whole fair to enable people to find practical ways to find help." Job seekers who thronged the Saturday job fair clearly welcomed the move. Said Kwan Siew Kong, a job seeker who attended the fair: Its very encouraging because its very inclusive to have this type of event and open up to all races and religions. In a sense religious bodies do not exist just to get believers, but also at the same time to help society and help the people in the community." With a turnaround in the economy, lay offs in Singapore have eased in the second quarter of the year. The unemployment rate now stands at 3.3 per cent, and job seekers are beginning to have a more optimistic outlook. "In Singapore therere a lot of opportunities, especially for fresh graduates," said 23yearold engineering graduate Sajeesh Krishnan. "I think in todays economy, Singapores situation is better compared to others and the jobs situation is also getting day to day a little bit good." So far, the Community Development Councils and the Employment and Employability institute of Singapore have helped some 23,500 people find jobs in the first eight months of the year. CNA/yb Posted byMalcolm LohLabels:Friday, 16th October 2009 One of the songs currently heard frequently on the airwaves is a tune entitled "Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship. The lyrics are not exactly edifying -- the singer proudly claims to be a bad influence that causes wholesome girls to go astray, viz I know your type You're daddy's little girl Just take a bite Let me shake up your world 'Cause just one night couldn't be so wrong I'm gonna make you lose control She was so shy Till I drove her wild I make them good girls go bad I make them good girls go bad You were hanging in the corner With your five best friends You heard that I was trouble But you couldn't resist I make them good girls go bad I make them good girls go Good girls go bad I suppose one can claim that this sung tongue-in-cheek and not to take the words too seriously. But if we were to apply the reverse, there is a truth therein which we can take very seriously --- and that is that He makes us bad guys go good. We who are born of Adam have inherited the sinful nature. The Bible tells us that "All of us are like sheep that have gone astray (Isa 53:6)" and that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23)". But because of Jesus and His precious shed blood on the cross, we are now considered to be righteous before God (Rom 5:19) Indeed, He makes us bad guys go good. Amen?Posted byMalcolm LohLabels:Sunday, 11th October 2009 Today, it was Ps Reuben's turn to preach again in my own home church. So needless to say, my wife and I did not go to the Rock. He entitled his sermon "Cross-Purposes" (hence the title of today's blog entry) and the passage in question was Mk 8:27-33. Before preaching, he touched on what it means to "deny oneself, take up one's cross and to follow Jesus" and crossed-referenced that to what Paul said in Gal 2:20 which talks about how we are crucified with Christ. In his sermon proper, he mentioned that in the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit was limited to just kings and prophets and only for a moment in time. However, in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit now indwells the believer upon us being born again and remains in us forever. He also challenged us to expect to see signs and wonders accompanying the preaching of the gospel, and that resonated very deeply in my heart. My church just turned 77 in July this year, and I am very much looking forward to seeing her embark on her next stage and season of growth. I remeber how her membership grew from about 600 back in the early 1980s to about 2,400 in 2005, but has remained at that number for the past 4 years. There is no reason why she cannot grow beyond 3,000 when PLMC becomes a "signs and wonders" centre :-) Like I have mentioned before, God is no respecter of persons (or even churches), but He is a respecter of faith. NewCre is able to experience exponential growth because her pastors never fail to unveil Jesus in their sermons. PLMC can also do likewise if her pastors also keep true to the gospel and keep Jesus central in their messages. Amen? You can listen to Ps Reuben's "Cross-Purposes" sermon at the following link: Posted byMalcolm LohLabels:Saturday, 10th October 2009 On 27 Sep 09 (otherwise known as F1 Sunday), my wife and I were in our own home church listening to Ps Reuben Ng preaching about "Strengthening Yourself in the Lord". As such, we had to rely on listening to the CD version of Ps Joseph Prince's sermon for that week (I have subscribed to Ps Prince's CD sermons, which typically arrived in my letter box 5 days after the sermon is preached). That week, the service was held at the Indoor Stadium (because of F1), and the sermon title is "". Ps Prince referred to Acts 3:21, where Peter was addressing the crowd and used the term "apokatastatsis" (Strong's G600), which means restoration to the state before the fall. He then cross-referenced this back to Ex 22, whereby we see God's principle of restoration. Where man is concerned, repairing a broken table or chair will never put that table or chair back to its original state. But when God restores, He more than does so. On our part, we have to lay claim to the things that are rightly ours (as a result of Jesus' finished work) and tell the devil, "This is mine" as recorded in Ex 22:7. This sermon resonates very deeply in my heart because of what I have gone through over the past 2 to 3 years as a result of embracing the grace gospel. For the sake of the newcomers to my blog (and at the risk of sounding like a broken record to the older ones), this message on restoration is God's way of confirming to me that He will more than restore what the devil has taken away, and the manifestation of that is going to be completed very, very soon. When Rev Peter Koh, the senior pastor of my church discovered that I had embraced grace teachings (which is what he considers to be heresies), he made to as cell leader and treasurer in August 2007. In December 2007, . Then, several fellow church members who I have known since Sunday School and choir days started to shun me and a handful of them even removed me as their Facebook friends. Rev Barnabas Chong, the ex-youth pastor of my church, who was transferred out in August 2007, has taken that one step further, specifically me from seeing his Facebook profile :-) All these have been the . And if being taken to task within the four walls of the church was not enough, in June 2008, I had to go to the police station in conjunction with a vandalism case because Rev Koh to the investigation officer. My brother-in-law was so disgusted that a shepherd would . In August 2008, I even contemplated leaving the church of my forefathers to put all these behind me and to start afresh with my family in NewCre. After all, my brother-in-law and his entire family had already settled in there. But my daughter was not keen to uproot and move, having made lots of friends in church, and my son also wanted to stay put to go along with his elder sis. I was in a dilemma because it meant that my wife and kids could not go to church together as a family unit. When my dad heard about my situation, he told me that it was foolish to give up a just because of a pastor who had only been posted into my church in January 2006. Furthermore, Methodist pastoral appointments are itinerant in nature and it would only a matter of time that he would be posted out. He asked me to be patient and wait for God's timing. I thus decided to rather than give up my membership. Yes, looking back, it has not been a smooth journey at all. But I thank God that He has seen me through all these unpleasant events. While I have lost good friendships that were built with members from my previous cell 3L2 and cluster 3L, God has caused me to build even better friendships with other grace believers out there. While I have lost the status and influence of being a cell leader and treasurer in my own home church, God has raised my status and influence in other arenas that go beyond my own home church. I can put my hand on my heart and say that indeed, God causes all things to work out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28), and I look forward to the day when my wife, kids and I can once again be able to go to the same church as a family :-)Posted byMalcolm LohLabels:Subscribe to:Warning! ojama-shimasu!, ie. I'm going to disturb you!Recommended DownloadsDestined to Reign Ps Prince autographed my copy :-DAccolades Best Christian Blog of the Year 2007 Best Christian Blog of the Week (4 Feb 2007)Redeemed Me, the BOTUGBMW Behold My Wagon! 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