It's Christmas Time! The bells are ringing once again... proclaiming the birth of an ancient boy in an ancient countryside in the ancient town of Bethelhem.

What Child is this... who laid to rest... on Mary's lap is sleeping?

That is the question that has rung, rings, and will ring throughout time and human history- WHAT do you make of this child?

Who do you think he is...

No one can make that decision for you... you must seek for yourself and make the choice for yourself.

All of us, at one point or another, in our lives will find ourselves being led through pain, distress, anger, friendship, marriage or career to that dirty old stinky manger... You will hear the horses neigh and smell their sweat... but all that wouldn't catch your attention at all; what would, is a baby at the center of this manger... being held by a young mother, and watched closely by a young father...

You will find some well-dressed, intelligent-looking men... on their knees... before this babe... Surrendering huge boxes of diamonds, silver and gold... To this babe.

You will hear angelic voices singing, "Glory, glory in the highest- Gloria in Excelsia Deo!" Singing- not about anyone else- but you just know, they're singing about e babe.

What's up with this? Who's this baby...? What child is this! Worthy of all this honor, respect, worship, adoration, gifts, praise, and even glory?

Friends, all of me stands at attention and anticipation for your answer... I'm zealous that you get it right- the first time. And I believe you if you look close enough... into those sweet and peaceful eyes of this child, you will know who He is. You will see the FIRE in his eyes... not a FIRE that will harm or destroy you, but a FIRE that yearns to REDEEM your life from sin (i.e. disobedience towards God) which leads to death and is death... A FIRE bright and powerful enough to consume all that is against you, to restore you to wholeness in mind body and spirit... in fact you will cover your eyes and you will bow down like the wise men and lift up your voice- like what the hosts of heaven have been doing for all eternity- to this child... And declare...

"Surely, He is the Son of God! Emmanuel- GOD WITH US!"

Receive Him into your heart- your life is seconds to change!

I always think Christians tend to be very wary of saying that "God will bless me materially". I speak of "material" not only in terms of money, possessions... but also in terms of all circumstances that happen in this course called "life"- your health, your relationships, your career, your hobbies... All these make up our "material life". But I think there is a godly reason why we should desire to prosper in this life- and not only hope for the next- and I believe there is also a need to change our approach in trying to understand the material and spiritual aspect of life.

Firstly, we must understand that there is no intrinsic value in the "material life". That means, money for the sake of possessing money is void of meaning; entertainment for the sake of fun alone is also void of meaning; relating to others simply for the sake of building an empire of connections alone is also meaningless. There is no value if the material life is divorced from the spiritual.

Which leads us to the conclusion that the material life only becomes  "worth-y" of pursuit, if it is infused with spiritual signficance. For e.g. entertainment for the sake of renewal and rejuvenation is meaning-ful; possessing money to give to the poor is meaning-ful because it is an expression of kindness- and it blesses the giver spiritually; relationships for personal growth is of course also wonderful because the value in a person is being stretched when he relates to others. Therefore, we as people must pursue the material world- judging how much spiritual value we can get out of it.

Secondly, the Christian pursues the material world differently from the non-believer. The former understand that he himself cannot infuse spiritual significance into the material life he posesses, but only Christ can. The believer sees Christ as Meaning- Christ does not only bring meaning, He is! The finance, relational, social lives of the Christian- which are all aspects of his "material life"- is only meaningful because Christ is in it. Once apart from Christ, the Christian realises he can "do nothing"- which simply means that he is not able to infuse or create meaning out of the bizzare circumstances of his life apart from Christ. Apart from the person of Christ, who is Grace, there is no "sense" to life- there is no rhythm of blessing that weaves through his life! Only surrendered to Christ, can a person live with "hope"- true biblical hope- because his life is now "redeemed", which means the sum total of his material life, is brought back to the purpose of glorifying his creator (which ultimately also satisfies him). Apart from Christ, these circumstances are meaningless events- of course the holy spirit is constantly using circumstances to bring the non-Christian and the Christian together so that the Gospel is preached.

Therefore, the Christian should pursue to be victorious in the material life- but ALL for the sake of Christ! The goal of the Christian in the material life is to translate his "faith into action"- which means to be a revealer of the glory (i.e. worth and meaning) of God  Almighty in his daily circumstances. What should the Christian do, if he is ill? Obviously, pray for healing- reveal to the world Jehovah Raphe... What should he do, if he debt-ridden? Obviously, speak to the resources of God, and see financial breakthrough- reveal to the world Jehovah Jireh... Why are the names of God given to us, unless we should ask- and receive all that is IN CHRIST?

Paul says it well, "my God shall supply all your needs, ACCORDING to his riches in glory (i.e. worth and meaning) IN Christ Jesus..." When you are in Christ, you become a conduit of His character and His power in this world! Not when you go to heaven- even now, here on earth... as He is, so are you! (1st John)

How then should the Christian live? He should live with the "mind of Christ", as if Christ was living and breathing here and now, on this earth, on the very ground you are on! Why? Because, "it is no longer I, but Christian that lives in me". Paul says it like this in Colossians- "Christ is all, and in all." This is what he meant! How did Christ live then, when He was here? Christ endeavored to show the world when He was alive- what God is.

If it means feeding the five thousand- solviing the prob of financial lack- he can...if it means casting out demons- a spiritual prob- he can...if it means raising the dead- a physical prob- he can...if it means calming the seas- a natural impossibility- he can!! We ought to live life as Jesus did- where we grow  in our faith to say- "Believe- and God can do it."

Many say God can never be limited- true and false. True in the sense that He IS all powerful- false in the sense that we can limit Him in this material life we live, IF we don't believe! Why did Jesus' own hometown- see so few miracles? Because they did not believe or have faith- the bible says.

Go, strive to succeed in whatever you do, with this material life- to the glory of God! What is important though is that you realise that your IDENTITY and VALUE is not defined by the results of the material life- it has ALREADY been settled at the Cross- where Jesus paid with His own bloood to call you God's child! But, because of your identity now- in Him, secured- you can go out and live a successful life in the material world!

What if I fail? That is the big question isn't it? After all, the disciples were martyred, weren't they? After all, Christ died- didn't he? How do these "material failures" (if i can term it like that) match up with Solomon's wealth, wisdom...David's peaceful reign...in short the "material successes" of the bible? Is there an incongruency?

No, there isn't an incongruency! The point is, the Christian must always remember like what is mentioned right at the start- the material counts for nothing apart from Christ! That means, the Christian is one who has yielded his material life to Christ- who becomes the One who determines the outcomes, whether failures or successes, and that he recognises that the material life only gains VALUE when it is lived for Christ! "For me to live (i.e. the material existence) is Christ..." Paul said. Therefore, the Christian can live a worry-free life- he is not anxious of failures nor desperate for successes- of course he works everything as unto the Lord, praying for his material life to be successful so that it can be an avenue to show the goodness of God to the world, but he realises that God is never limited to a certain set of performance or result, which the world deems  as "success" or "failure". He has learn to see the diffrence between "material failure" and "failure in God's eyes". He realises that as long as He is "IN CHRIST", He is a winner- not by works, but by the very fact that he is already In Christ!

What is a winner then? In God's eyes, a winner is one who is living all of his material life for God's glory! In his limited understanding, bound by time and space, the Christian should strive to bring God glory by hoping and working, by grace, towards what he deems would bring his Master the most glory in a certain circumstance. That is the least he can do. That is what Joseph did- he did everything with excellence, and was the best in everything he did! But, the Christian realises, even if he fails his own definition of 'success', he is a winner by the very fact that he had done all, in Jesus' name and for the glory of God.

Therefore, the Christian falls humbly at the end of the day- and say "not my will, but thine be done"- because he understands that the material circumstances alone "counts for nothing"! It is all a matter of perspective- and the Christian votes in favor of God's perspective, and believes that "all things would work out for good"- in God's perspective of 'good'- for him.

Were the martyrs successes or failures? Successes of course- because they fulfilled the purpose of God on this earth- and brought GLORY to Him! Was David a success? Yep- he "fulfilled the purposes of God for his generation". The material counts for nothing- except what is gained  IN CHRIST.

So now, GO- and Engage the material life, and prosper for His glory-- because "everything is possible, to him who BELIEVES." But remember, your definition of success is not always His- you can and will overcome all natural barries impeding you to your 'definition of success', but if He stops you in all your tracks, and if He closes the door that no man can open, it is only because you already are a winner, and this is part of the winning plan for your life.

(sorry so long!! HAHA. this is all ive been thinking these past days and weeks. Hope it blesses you... and you have a whole lot time to digest- because im enlisting into the army soon... hahahah... so if you wantmore posts, you just gotta wait... Praying God's FINEST on you as usual, BEN)

I don't know what brings you the greatest joy, the greatest smile, the greatest confidence, the greatest hope in life...

But I know- my Jesus does it!

He is the heart of God revealed to you, friends. He came not to condemn us- but that we through Him might be saved...

What are you facing today?

Yesterday, during cell (yay, I love my new E222 cell!), Bryan read from the chapter bout the woman with the issue of blood... And I think He brought out a poignant point- that the women metaphorically was sufferring from an unproductive life.

If you think about it- blood is your lifeline... and think about it- this women for nineteen years was losing her life, literally! She was becoming weaker and weaker everyday...

I wonder- is there a wound in any of our lives? It may be a big one or small one- it may be one that we have "sought all the doctors" in our world to heal- but yet it remains, and becomes worse with every try.

Are we taking matters into our hands? Are we seeking to resolve the wound and mend it ourselves- or hope that endurance through time would heal it? Are we like this woman who have reached the end of herself, literally?

perhaps, when we have reached the end of ourselves- then the Holy Spirit will lead us to the beginning of God. For in this women, we see the picture of brokenness- a picture of desperation- a picture of humility. Are we like this woman, or are we still full of ourselves and proud?

Because pride stands between us and the Person of Jesus- who is Grace.

The crowds didnt stop the woman- neither can it stop you. Your crowds of excuses and procrastination... "i'll touch Him another time... I'll reach out tomorrow at service..." will melt away- when you humble yourself. Humility has a way of destroying the excuses- and "busy-ness"- and leading us through the crowds to the Savior.

People say- when you preach too much about "grace", you get cocky and you become proud.

The bible says- when we don't reach out for Grace, we ARE proud- because we trust ourselves to solve our problems. The woman after she was healed, after she encountered Grace, received more than healing- for the bible records, she was gripped with fear, and was trembling!

Why?

For she suddenly was translated from sin into righteousness- from death into life- from curse into blessing... she cannot handle it- for there was a divine exchange- MORE than healing... it was an exchange of all He was, for all she had been!

Have you experienced the Power of Grace (i.e. of Jesus) that left you shaken to the core? Where you know and you know that your life can and will never be the same again?

Jesus himself invites us today- to touch the hem of His garment, and be set free from our way of life, to receive His.

God- reveal Your Son to me. In more of His personality, character and heart...So that as I look into His beautiful face, into the face of Grace, that I might be changed from glory to glory, faith to faith. All of me for all of you, Lord- therein is the repentance You seek. I turn from my-self Lord, and ask that You fill me with more of You, and let more of You be more of who I am. Thank you God for your sacrifice- I'm now standing in these wide-open spaces of Grace- the place where "all things are possible". I'm now IN The person of your son. of Christ- my hope and my life. In Jesus' Name.

"God is calling us to a renewed simplicity of focus on the person of Christ." Bob Sorge

Amen.

We all know God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (Apostle James)

Then, one should ask- where is the place and power of Grace (i.e. the Person of Jesus and His Work) in the life of the proud man or woman?

This is an important question... because without an answer or assurance- it is hard to pray for the proud with full and undeterred confidence that God will rescue them- and wouldn't it become depressing for us, who become proud at times, because where is the Hope of Grace in my life when I am proud if God opposes me?

Let's revisit, with an open heart, the story of Pharoah and the Israelites- the Pharoah, as Exodus reveals, was "hardened" in his heart by the Lord!

Consider the word- "hardened"... It means to become more self-reliant, more self-assured, more self-seeking...

We all know that the purpose of Grace (i.e. Jesus) is to open our eyes to the glory of God- so that we like Saul who later became Paul on the road to Damascus would be thrown off our "horses", be humbled, and be yielded to the Will of God and be redeemed...

So then, why does God seemingly withdraw His Grace from Pharoah- why didn't Grace burst out on the frontlines and convict Pharoah, like it convicted Saul?

We must understand, firstly, that without humility, we cannot receive Grace- it is the "humble" to which God extends His Grace... Jesus saves those who acknowledges their sin- and recognises Him as savior of their lives.

( I think it is noteworthy to mention that the reason many of us not apply the Word to our lives or fail whenever we try to- is not because there is not enough emphasis on application or practice or discipline to do what the word says...Just ask yourself- what usually does a person who is in bondage to a sinful lifestyle say? He probably, and we too many times when we sin, say- "Oh no! Not again! I must be more disciplined... I must practise the word... I must put in the effort..." What does that say about our emphasis? We have ALREADY been emphasizing application as far as we can remember... Day 1 of Christian Discipleship- we are told application above all else is the most important...  and our prayers and devotionals and CDs ALL center around APPLICATION APPLICATION and MORE APPLICATION! And yet- where is the breakthrough in our lives... where is the victory of the Christian walk? It still eludes us despite ALL this emphasis and effort on Application and Practicising the Word- perhaps we have focused on the wrong thing. Application is a manifestation of the will. A proud, which is synonymous with sinful, will- either a will not surrendered to God's or not relying on God's power and spirit- will never lead to Application or Practice of His Word. A transformed will- transformed continually step by step by an understanding of God's infinite and unconditional grace- will inevitably produce a holy life. )

Whenever we hear His call, and we receive His Grace- we will inevitably turn to Him. But if we are proud- sinful and ignorant of His power- we cannot receive the blessing or the favor or the breakthrough that God wants to release in our lives.

So, back to our passage- the Pharoah was a proud man... and God in a sense gave him over to himself. And that led to his downfall, didn't it? He organised the chariots, pursued God's people- and got more his army destroyed!

So... this is a depressing story isn't it? What if we become proud? What if we are praying for a proud friend? Where then is the Hope of God's infinite, unconditional Grace, in the person of Jesus Christ, that is said to pursue us aggressively until it reaches us and lifts us up?

I believe even in God's opposition of Pharoah- who represents proud people- therein lies the Grace of God.

Consider Exodus 14:4- "Then I will harden Pharoah's heart, so that he will pursue them..." For what purpose?

"And I will gain honor over Pharoah and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord."

Ohh my!!! Did you catch that! What was God doing?? He was preparing to SHOW the Egyptians that He is God and they are not. He was displacing them from their high lofty self-made thrones- in order to sit on that throne- and bring about a revelation in their hearts of who He is- GOD!

And remember what we talked about the other day? What is eternal life, or salvation? It is the knowledge of God! I mean to BEHOLD AND STAND IN AWE OF GOD- that is eternal life. And that is EXACTLY what God wanted to do with Egyptians- to HUMBLE them, and to bring them into His salvation...

John piper said this- is God for us or for himself? And he answers it, God is for Himself (meaning He seeks His own glory and honor- "and I will gain honor over Pharoah...") in order that he might be for us! It is when we give God glory- that our life finds satisfaction and meaning and hope. There is no true salvation unless a life awakens to the reality of God.

Therefore God had to SHAKE the Egyptians- and "oppose" them, who are the "proud"- in order to reduce them to become the "humble", so that they can then receive the "grace" of God.

So even while they are not in the embrace of Grace- because they are proud- Grace is still as aggressive, and is still coming FOR them... and even opposes them... in order to reduce them, so that it can then save them!!

Saul was on a horse- and Grace knocks him off. Pharoah was in a chariot- and Grace knocks him off. These are the stories of the proud who were resisted and opposed by Christ himself because they refuse to surrender to God. But even in His justice and judgment- God shows redemptive Grace... if there was no judgment on Saul and Pharoah, these people would not be humbled, and would be left proud and forsaken by Grace... therefore  Grace hurts them, bruises them, opposes them... so as to triumph over the pride in their lives- and transform them, and offer them salvation!

What a glorious God we serve! If today, you find youself in the midst of consequences of pride in your life- don't think there is no redemptive Grace... maybe, maybe- they come precisely as means of God's wonderful Grace to rescue you from yourself and to restore you to standing in these wide open spaces of grace.

Let's start at John 12:20-26

"Sir we wish to see Jesus"- some Greek worshipers said.

Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

And then the word that no one really like- unless it turns something bad into good... "But" appears!

"But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain..."

You know what, Jesus' reply showed that he was concerned about something. It is unlike Jesus to refuse discourse or ministry to people- especially to those who came to visit him (remember Nicodemus?) Yet, in this passage, Jesus seems to reject the invitation of these Greeks. Why?

I think Jesus was more worried for his disciples than for the Greeks. He had to correct something in their mindset.

Why had the Greeks come? Before this passage- the whole town was in celebration upon Jesus' arrival... news had been spread that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead! Here was a man- who could defeat even death! These Greeks wanted to seek Jesus out.

I even presume that the reason Philip told Andrew before telling Jesus- was that he was too excited about the many visits Jesus was receiving... People from everywhere wanted to see Him... they had formed an opinion about Him... He was a miracle worker, for one, and he could be the Messiah.

Both Andrew and Philip must have thought that this was it- that Jesus had come to this earth to perform these signs and wonders... and here and now- they were involved in witnessing the greatest crescendo of human history. This was the climax. Jesus was going to be crowned... because He served miracles.

Then Jesus replied- "I am not glorified yet- but the hour is coming..." This should come as a shock to them. Because they were thinking- this is the glorification... isn't it?

Then Jesus said something even more shocking- "unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone...but if it dies, it produces much grain." You mean the glorification has something to do with death? What kind of glorification is that?

In essence, Jesus was trying to say- in my opinion- that all that I have done, the resurrections, the healings, the mulitplication are not the climatic moment of my time here. They happen- to create in you a thirst for the kind of life in which these things are foretastes of. When you receive my life, there is healing for your body- even if you are not "healed" in this life, you will have resurrection like dear Lazarus. When you receive my life, you live in the dimension where all your needs can be supplied by me- that's mulitplication. So all these miracles are foretastes- or a taste of- the LIFE that I have come to give you.

That is why Jesus goes on to say, "He who loves his life (the corrupted, the unredeemed, the sinful life of a man) will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world (do not cherish it, disown it) will keep it (preserve, redeem it) for eternal life (yup, that's MY kind of life- according to Jesus)."

Jesus is saying, don't be excited dudes! That all these Greeks are coming to Me... because they hear of signs and wonders... they've the missed the point- don't miss the point too, guys! I came to give you more than signs and wonders- I came to give NEW LIFE. I came for one climatic act of love- the Cross. It is on the Cross that I will "draw all peoples to myself". When you don't understand My cross, Jesus is saying, you pursue the signs and wonders- but if you understand it, you will pursue Me.

And hold on for a moment- your pursuit doesn't start with you... it starts with Me. V.32- "I...will draw all peoples to myself." You feel like you are pursuing me- when you look at my Cross- but guess what? It is my beauty and my worth that draws you to Me! Don't boast in your longing for me- boast in My longing for you.

I am the pursuer!

That, my friends, is Grace. Grace means I wasn't prepared, nor was I ready, nor was I pursuing  Him- but Grace, in the person of Jesus, was already pursuing Me through the Cross!

And you know what? Have you heard an unbeliever friend said this before- "Oh, I actually would love to have someone watching over me... I just can't accept this" ?

Do you know even that line is motivated by a longing for God... a longing for the Christ...a longing to be set free by His sacrifice... a longing that exist because Grace is already knocking at the person's door?

This is eternal life- that we know Christ, and the One who has sent Him... what is salvation? It is allowing yourself to be caught up in the arms of this pursuer called Grace- and then wrapping all you have and are around Him.

Don't ignore the pursuit of Grace on your life.

The title in my bible for Luke 19 is, "Jesus comes to Zacchaeus' House"- it's a poignant title. Who comes to whom?

And the ending is just as poignant- Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he is a Son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and save what is lost." Who comes to whom?

In the end, if we call ourselves believers in this Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are ultimately saved by Grace. Not a concept, not an idea, not a principle- but a Person. The Person of Jesus Christ. We didn't come to Him... Remember Jesus' words to His disciples who asked him, "Who then can be saved"?

And Jesus' reply? "With men... it is impossible (unattainable, unaccomplishable, bound to failure)... but with God (who has revealed himself through Jesus, as the person of Grace), ALL THINGS are (have become) possible!"

You don't go looking for salvation- it comes for you. Jesus comes for you. By the way- He is already at the door... go read Revelations...

Behold (wait a moment, glimpse this, this will blow your MIND).... I (Jesus, the son of man, the personification of Grace, Salvation himself- literally because He is the fullness of God who is Jehovah, the redeemer) stand at the door (of your heart) and knock (hear the beating already?)... If anyone (anyone!! I don't care what mess you have made in your life, I don't care what your past is- I already know it, I don't care where you are right now- and what dire states your lifestyle has led you to! Anyone is included in this invitation!) opens the door, and let me in- I will (not might, not I'll think about it, not "you got to go through a few steps" and "do some stuff right first"!! This is certain!) come in and dine with him (not for a moment, but for eternity to come... not judge him by the way... dine- fellowship, commune, enjoy time together and each other... DINE!)

That's the invitation of Grace for you and I today.

Are we still trying to work for grace... Zacchaeus was trying hard- he climbed up a tree, tried to hide the fact that he was short when he had sooo many other stuff to actually hide anyway, so that Jesus would not notice his defect- his "short stature" as the bible puts it! But hear what Jesus says...

"make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

Jesus says, errr... what are you trying to do? Impress me? Hm... ok, that's enough (that's quite funny of you)... we can't waste anymore time... you won't be able to impress me ,if I gave you eternity anyway!!! So just scrape that idea, come down, and receive me....Let's go dinner- I'm hungry!

I can imagine Zacchaeus goes, "What?" With a really shocked and awed look.

Yep, that's what Grace- the person of Jesus- will make you and I feel, when we try to impress Him... because the finished work of the Cross- with the OPEN ARMS OF JESUS ON IT IS EVER READY, WHEN WE ARE NEVER READY!

Guess what? Many a time, we try living like Zacchaeus after Jesus comes to His house... after that guy received GRACE... And we try living like him... giving to the poor (by the way that means ministering encouragement, comfort and warmth- emotionally, spiritually, practically- to everyone needy) and valuing people more than material possession... BUT WE FAIL TERRIBLY!

Dear friends, let us not try to live like that- let us RECEIVE JESUS and we WILL (for sure, guaranteed) LIVE like that... Because that IS the character of Christ- you don't work for it, you receive it and understand it's effect on your life.

Next time, don't say, "Oh, it's all in a day's work..." Let's start saying, "It's all in the Grace's work!"

WOW!

Haha... Just needed to say that... Just came back from a run- I ran 12:23 for 2.4 km! hahaha... Praise God, and did 3 chin ups... hahaha... God is reallyyyy amazinggg...

And thank the Lord for being with me for the 1st week of A's...

I agree with what wong said- this just doesn't feel like A's! As in... I'm not THAT stressed! HAHA.... I mean if A's to me were a life or death thing- maybe I would be... But I refuse to allow it to become that! HAHA. God is in control- and A's is not! HAHA.

Just wanted to encourage people out there who might find the season you are in dry, strenuous, or just tough... God is with you!! He is Grace!!

"What do you mean by that... benedict?" You might ask.

He is the Answer to your every pain, every trouble, every distress, every anxiety, every discomfort, every vulnerability, every weakness, every addiction... And He is the UNDESERVED ANSWER!

Meaning- we don't actually deserve Jesus... but He came to us anyway... ! You know, sometimes we think grace is just for the forgiveness of sins- but nothing can be further from the truth!!!

He is the LIFE of God... if you have seen Jesus, you have seen LIFE- because there is no true life other than the righteous life that is from God... and Jesus comess to pour HIMSELF into US- to breathe the LIFE of God into our dry bones...

And you need the LIFE of God just to exist- both physically and spiritually! And do you think you deserve that?? Definitely not- even if you were perfect like Adam was before the Fall, whatever you receive from God is still BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH! If not God wouldn't say, "the righteous (those who are pure) live by faith!"

Adam's dominion over his environment, his authority, his mandate, his power... were derived from the LIFE of GOD- given BY GRACE!

And how can we think that we can ever reach a "perfect" state where we are "worthy" enough to say that "I deserve this life", if in the first place... if God didn't think you into existence, we would not even be! We will simply be a negative- an absence!

Our presence- all that we have in this life and the next is BY GRACE!

So today, this GRACE is available to you today... especially when you come to that realisation that apart from Him, you can do nothing. Remember in one of Paul's letters- "For God opposes the PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE to the HUMBLE." Therefore, let's not think we can bear the whole world on our shoulders ourselves... but let us humble ourselves before the Almighty, before INFINITY Himself, and ask in confidence- because of Jesus' finished work on the Cross- for GRACE to superbound in our lives... so that we can be refreshed, recharged, rejuvenated, renewed!

Don't try in your own strength to be in the centre of God's will- receive the GRACE and you WILL BE in the Centre of God's perfect will! In that WILL is EVERYTHING GOOD for You!

I'm pretty excited for all the close Christian frens I've met these past 2 yrs... Especially those that have been broken, moulded, re-molded, and shaped, and reshaped... haha... you guys are really looking like our Master! And I believe, with all my heart, that you guys are the post 21st century team...to take this city for Christ!

The world has seen great men and women of faith like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Jon Edwards, Charley Finney, Billy Graham... And my heroes in the faith who are still alive- Psr Kong Hee (HAHA), Judah Smith, Brian Houston, A.R.Bernard and Phil Pringle...

But I tell you, this century would not be over before they see God raise up each and everyone of these do great and mighty exploits in His name...most of us think the charismatic movement is wonderful and incredible... I think it's time for a NEW movement to arise... A movement that "no eyes has seen, no ears has heard and no mind has comprehended" will be raised up... What would this movement be?

Definitely a relational movement- people-centred- and definitely a movement where new theology will be written and outmoded and unbiblical theology will be identified... New theology that will become a blueprint for evangelism for the here and now, in this age... and most importantly, a Church that will learn to accept its call- to "partner with Grace" in truly engaging and saving the lost.

It has been easy for us to take for granted that people would believe our gospel and receive it... when we ourselves do not receive daily revelations, even moment-by-moment revelations of this message...and are not being changed and challenged by this message...and until we do, the world will not see the Church as the hope of God on this earth.

God I'm hurt, I'm weary... I don't understand- how can God be Life and yet Broken for men at the same time... I can't be confident when I'm hurting can I? God deliver me from my self- from the envy, strife and all that strives with who I really am in You. God I want to experience Your life in ALL of its fullness- God, I'm hungry... I really am... Show me Your way God! This world is not easy, in fact- I just don't see a positive me in it anymore... how can I be positive, when people have no sense of good anymore... they simply act how they want to act everyday... this is ridiculous... really Lord... touch me God, I need you.

"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

We live in exciting times. Where God is reigniting His church with a message of truth and of grace- a message of "no compromise" in believing that He is the "way, truth and life", and a messgae that Christ is the "unmerited favor" of God. He is breaking down legalism and dismantling arguments for lawlessness either. He is not for both. He is the God of truth, and of grace. You have him- you have both grace and truth, you cannot have one without the other. Like waves after waves of renewal from Heaven, God is raising up a Church that knows its Gospel, having a reasoned faith, and sending them out to display the relevance of the Gospel, as the Gospel always has been, to a broken world.

Like I was telling nessa yesterday, to be holy, to be the church...is to be "called out". Just as much as we love the idea of sacred unity within the Church, we must be ready to be forsaken, rejected and even persecuted for the relevation God has given us, for our lives and our society. No true sacred unity is achieved without the cost of discipleship. What is the cost? It is to get up from our fishing nets and boats and follow the Master when He comes calling. It is to forsake the glory of yesterday's encounters and experiences and methods to receive the new encounters, experiences and methods. It is never to say, "the old is better".

Back to the verse in malachi. Basically, if you understand the verse literally, it means that God in the end times (which by the way I believe is now) would do a special work in restoring families. He wants to bridge any and all "generational gap"- by this I don't only mean, gap caused by preference or culture, but a gap caused also by deeper sources like lies, abuse, indifference, ignorance etc. i think that's why people like nessa is so passionate about raising Godly families one day... It is God's plan for this hour.

Metaphorically, I believe it is speaking about spiritual fathers and sons. Who are your spiritual fathers? I am not just talking about your church leader, or the Christian leader you are under. A spiritual father is a godly christian that others imitate. So when you imitiate a godly Christian, you are in fact his spiritual son or daughter. When you influence someone in godliness, he is your spiritual son or daughter. You and he are in a "spiritual family".

Do you know that spiritual modelling does not only happen between Christians...? You might be an example of godliness to a non-Christian- though the latter does not understand what godliness is, he is attracted nonetheless to the reflection of God in your life. Why would God say that in the last days, that He will bring a revival of "spiritual modelling"?

One- spiritual modelling reveals God. Two- The Church in the post-modern world is perceived as irrelevant by too many in our generation...society is meant to model after the Church in its morality, meaning and motives. However, society has marginalised the church, and the church has isolated itself- because both do not realise how important modelling is, and that the call to be the Church is actually a call to model Christ to the world. But God is going to bridge the "gaps" caused by insensitivity and apathy on the part of the church, and the "gaps" caused by offenses that the world has done to the Church...these strains on the relationship between the Church and the world will be taken away in this hour so that the world would understand the relevance of the Church and have its hardened heart broken, and that the Church would have compassion and model Christ correctly.