A story to tell

Recently, I chanced upon a space of someone I personally know on the internet. Behind the face that always carries a smile and so compassionate towards others and an outward expression for the love of God, is a sad past that isn't so far away.

There are many ways that I could relate to that. The loss of someone close, so close. It's never easy.

God is good all the time, I know it and I will live it.

Thanks for the little encouragement. It goes a long long long way for me.

Hungry Ghost? A mere myth.

It's the time of the year again. Singapore, a modern city state, has transformed itself into yet an island with the decades-old tradition of 'public concerts on a budget', and flying ashes around the tightly spaced high-rise apartments in the heartlands. A walk around the neighbourhood and you'll notice food offerings placed along the sidewalks, red candles and smouldering joss sticks standing upright in a line at the border between the concrete pavement and the grass patch, drums filled with ashes, some with an inferno of burning joss papers. It's the hungry ghost festival, or otherwise known as zhong yuan jie. The traditional taoist believers say that it is during this period of time where the gates of hell open and the spirits are free to roam. However, that point differs from one believer to another.

It is perhaps "Asian" or rather "Chinese" to be performing these religious rites at this time of the year. The reasons are simple. They want to appease the spirits so that their families will be kept safe, and hope that these spirits can bring them a windfall by giving them the numbers for the next lottery jackpot. These are greatly practical things to hope for and pray for. Your family kept out of harm's way, and you get lots of money to satisfy all your material wants. How far can these "blessings" go? What are they worth? The answer, conversely, is simple. Your lifetime. That's all. And according to the taoist belief again, you go to hell when you pass on, and require another believer who is still alive to bring you out of it. If you love data and statistics, there are bound to be some who will not make it. Those whose families have no money to hire a priest to perform more rites for your spirit. The more you pay, the better your chances. Your entry to heaven is never guaranteed and is based on how much money you can pay the priest to chant for you.

Take a look around and you'll find groups of Singaporean Chinese not performing these rituals. They are either agnostic, they don't care, or they are of other religious faiths with vastly different set of beliefs. I am a Christian, and I do not practice these rituals even though my family does. It is by God's grace and mercy and love that I have been adopted as one of his own. My promise of salvation has been sealed by the Holy Spirit, God himself. Jesus died for me so I can be free from sin and have eternal life. And I have a relationship with God the Father, whom I can now intimately call Abba. I have a guarantee of being in heaven with God.

What have I done? I did not burn joss papers or lay out food offerings along the sidewalks. All I did was to repent from my sins and believe in God. If you are so concerned about money, is it worth it to be spending so much on something without guarantee? Why not turn to God, for this salvation he is giving is free for all, and all that he asks is for you to recognise your sins, repent from them, and believe in him, the one everlasting loving God.  

生老病死

当你读到，或听到“生老病死”这四个字的时候，心里是有怎样的感觉呢？最近我因肠胃感冒而病倒了两天。这两天让我有足够的时间去反省并思考这四个字的意义。因我曾患上了骨痛热症，以发起烧来就让我忐忑不安。心里知道若在患病，后果将会比第一次来得更加严重。

“死”只不过是人生的一部分。我们大家生来什么都没有，只有一身的罪。满满的，无可救药。信了耶稣还害怕死亡吗？口说不怕，心里倒是有点不安。老实说，“死”是件可怕的事情。我不知道我死的时候会是怎样的，也不晓得会有谁来吊丧。在葬礼上牧师会说什么呢？我活出了一个像基督的生活吗？即使我再不自在，在不安，在怕死，我在基督里得着了安慰。

因基督的死和复活我得着永生。虽然我们到了最终还是得面对死亡，但直这是人生中的一段旅程。我们都得经过生老病死的四个阶段。“死”一点也不简单。“永生”是用基督的血换来的。

生老病死。你的看法呢？

Power and Responsibility

Just a few days ago, I have added a new entry to my resume. For AIESEC in NUS, I am now the Finance Director in the Executive Board. Adding on to that are my captaincy status for the USP Badminton team and Evangelistic Events Secretary for Regenerate NUS. Collectively, they all mean that I have lots of power to do a lot of things. With my new role, I am as good as the CFO for AIESEC in NUS. The whole organisation can't really function without me, and I have the authority to make key decisions and steer the whole local committee.

But, with that comes huge responsibilities as well. First and foremost, I have to be responsible as a maturing Christian man. There are bound to be many decisions that I have to make, and I pray hard that I will make the godly decision all the time. Apart from that, I have to fulfil my role as a leader in various departments well. And the bible shall be my guide.

The new semester is going to be one full of new experiences. I'm excited.

Back home.

I'm finally back at home after a long stay away in Europe. It was a good time away I guess. The 2 months away was a trying period for my faith, for I was unable to find a Christian church, let alone a good one, that I could attend. I depended largely on online sermons to keep myself fed, along with the daily bible readings. As much as the online sermons are helpful, it is also important to remember what is a church about. It is about people. If you are alone and plugged in, listening to the same message preached halfway around the world, you are not a church. The fellowship with other Christians makes a church a church. That's the reason why I was rather upset about not being able to find a church in Poland.

I spent a good bulk of my time thinking and reflecting about certain things. I had been harsh with my words a while back and I fully understand that there is no way that I could take those hurtingly cold responses back anymore. All I knew then was that I had to put an end to what we were going through, and it is rather pointless to let it drag on. Looking back, was it worth it? Perhaps. I am happier now. I'm free and I know it.

That aside, it was good to be back in church and swing right back into Sunday school with the little kids. Yes, I'm back with little kids after spending 6 weeks with Polish kids. I'm glad to be back.

Away from home

It has been just more than a week since I left home for Europe. It's a good time to be away from Singapore I guess. I needed time to be away by myself and Poland has been great so far. I've had lots of time to think about things, to meet new friends, while still being me and holding on to what I believe in.  I realise no matter where I am, some parts of me do not change. I go straight to the point and what I want to say is written all over my face. Still as tactless as before too. This is me, I'm comfortably being myself here.

On another note, I have never felt so crippled before. Spiritually crippled and alone. I can't find a church here in Poland, and although I'm mixing with awesome people, they are not Christians. I will rely on bible reading and the sermons from church.

I'll update with a bit more details soon. Really drained and tired after a day out at Auschwitz.

Succumbing to the sin of destroying the holy temple of God

Death is not trivial by any means. Through the death of Christ, we are saved. It's a great loss to my community here that a scholar has taken his own life. He's a Christian. While we mourn with the family who has lost their precious child, pray that they will stand strong. This incident has opened up a chest of questions. What the bible says about suicide? Is it godly to take your life just because you can't cope with stress? What has Christ done? Where does your hope lay? Is God so weak that he can't take away our problems? How about salvation for the one who took his life?

The following sermon by John Piper at a funeral meditation has answered most, if not all, of those questions.

The following message was preached by John Piper in 1988 at a memorial service for a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church. Identifying information has been removed.

We need firm biblical ground under our feet at a time like this. And so I want to try to take the Bible, God’s Word, and unfold five truths that I hope will give you a firm place to stand in the coming days.

1. Saints sometimes feel so bad that they want to die.
2. It is sin to fulfill that desire by taking your own life.
3. The only way sin can be forgiven is in our relationship to Jesus Christ by faith.
4. Saving faith can be so weak that the heart gives way to grievous sin.
5. Therefore let this death not be in vain: let it make us utterly committed to overcome the weakness of faith that cost him his life.

1. Saints Sometimes Feel So Bad That They Want to Die

Moses was under tremendous pressure from the people to take them back to Egypt. They were dissatisfied with his leadership. And God himself had sent fire against the people. Moses says, “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness” (Numbers 11:14–15).

Elijah had just endured the incredible strain of single-handedly opposing 400 priests of the idol Baal and the people of Israel and the king. God vindicated his faith, and he ran exuberantly for miles in front of the king’s chariot. Then he heard that the king’s wife, Jezebel, vowed to kill him. In his fear and exhaustion he went into the wilderness, sat down under a broom tree, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4).

The prophet Jonah displayed one of the most selfish attitudes of all the prophets in being irritated that God had mercy on the pagan city of Nineveh. And God rebuked him with a desert wind. “When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live’” (Jonah 4:8).

Listen to the account of a young Christian graduate student.

Although I have always been reasonably healthy, insomnia has plagued me from adolescence until now. Only those who are unable to sleep at night can appreciate the distressing toll this ailment takes on one’s life: the omnipresent sense of fatigue, the susceptibility to irritation, and the grossness of an unrefreshed mind. All through the university I struggled against a never ending torpor, mental and animal. Each night the disquiets of mind prevailed over weariness. And the more the tensions of graduate work mounted, the more I fought off the effects of insufficient sleep. One Friday afternoon, as I prepared for the spring language examinations, I emotionally exploded. Having lost sleep with such regularity, I lacked courage to face the future. My mind was like a mass of live rubber: continually expanding, it threatened to divide down the center. This would leave me powerless to cope with responsibilities in the university . . . Everything I conceived became a burden; every anticipated obligation threatened to impale me. Even so ordinary a responsibility as conversing with others overwhelmed me with consternation. Nor dare I conceal that fact that even suicide took on a certain attractiveness.

This graduate student went on to become a great professor of theology. He wrote books that are among the most penetrating and moving I have ever read. But in the end he was found dead of an overdose of sleeping pills. The coroner wrote, "I find death undetermined whether Accidental or Suicidal." But those closest to him conceded that there was an addiction to the sleeping pills and that this was connected to his mental condition and "that dependency finally proved his undoing." If this beloved professor intentionally took too many pills, it would not prove he was unregenerate.

Saints sometimes feel so bad that they want to die.

2. It Is Sin to Fulfill That Desire by Taking Your Own Life

Committing suicide is sin. For three reasons:

1. First, it is disobedience to the command of God, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). And disobedience to God’s commands is sin.
2. Second, it is presumption upon God’s sovereign prerogatives to give and take life.God alone can create a human person, and therefore personhood belongs to God. We have no right to dispose of ourselves or others as we please. The Lord has sole rights over what he has made. Murder and suicide intrude on the sacred ground where God alone is the giver and taker.
3. Third, it is failure to trust in God for the help needed to survive and cope. And the Bible says that whatever is not from faith is sin (Romans 14:23).

Therefore, we are on firm biblical ground when we say: it is sin take your own life.

3. The Only Way Sin Can Be Forgiven Is in Our Relationship to Jesus Christ by Faith

Every one of us is a sinner. It doesn’t matter how many “good” things we do or have done. We have dishonored God by the meagerness of love to God and the shallowness of our trust in God and the inconsistency of our obedience to God. If we don’t find a way for our sins to be forgiven, we will be cut off from God forever, because God is holy and cannot look with favor on sin.

Nor can he sweep sin under the rug as though the dishonoring of his holy name by our sin were of no consequence. It is of infinite consequence. And that’s why God sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world to die for sinners.

The prophet Isaiah foresaw this great sending of the suffering Messiah.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4–6)

Jesus Christ came into the world and fulfilled this great Jewish prophecy by dying on the cross and becoming a curse for those who trust in him. “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

His apostle Peter said, “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). So the issue for every one of us is: do we have a relationship of faith with Jesus Christ so that our sins are forgiven? It is the most precious gift in the world. And there is no other way for a sinner to get to God than through the shed blood of God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ—by trusting in his name.

No amount of good works can earn God’s salvation. And no amount of bad works disqualifies a person from God’s converting grace. A thief hung on a cross next to Jesus as he was dying. His life was one total waste of sin and unbelief. And in that last moment his eyes were opened and he threw himself on the mercy of the King of the universe and said, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus, with all the sovereignty of one who would not be defeated by death, said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42–43).

In the eleventh hour a lifetime of sin and unbelief can be forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ.

4. Saving Faith Can Be So Weak That the Heart Gives Way to Grievous Sin

Or to put it another way, those who are truly forgiven for their sins and accepted by God forever can give way temporarily to temptation and fall into sin.

The biblical evidence for this is:

• The seventh chapter of Romans describes how Christians struggle with the remaining corruption in our lives: Romans 7:15: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
• Philippians 3:12: “Not that I . . . am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
• 1 John 1:8: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive we ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
• In Matthew 6:12 Jesus says we should not only pray for daily bread but for daily forgiveness too: “Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.”

Saving faith can be so weak at times that the heart gives way to grievous sin.

But this does not mean that the saving relationship with Christ goes in and out of existence with each of our sins. When a believer yields to temptation, his faith in Christ is weak and the enticements of sin and the power of Satan get the upper hand. But there is a great difference between Satan getting a temporary upper hand and Satan being the Lord of life. There is a great difference between yielding with resistance to an evil that I hate to do, and doing that evil as part of the usual pattern of my life.

The evidence of the Master’s hand is the warp and woof of the fabric, not the snags in our thread.

In the years of your friend’s unbelief he was like a captive in a concentration camp far behind the lines of Satan’s territory. Like all of us at one time or another, he had given himself over to the side of the enemy by refusing to trust in Christ. The result was a kind of numbness toward spiritual things.

Then one day, it appears that Jesus set himself to penetrate the lines of Satan’s territory, break through the fences of the concentration camp, and shock him out of his stupor of unbelief.

But as they were leaving the concentration camp, the sirens went off, the ensuing combat was fierce. The sword was knocked out of his hand and the shield slipped on his arm. And the deceptive dart of temptation sank so deep into his heart that he fell in the combat.

And where was Jesus? We believe he caught him when he fell and carried him home.

And if we say to Jesus, “You should have protected him while he was escaping,” I think he would say, “My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. You can no more grasp my wartime strategies than a child can read the graphs of the Chief of Staff. And remember, if I hadn’t broken through the prison of his unbelief, you would have never seen him again.”

5. Therefore Let This Death Not Be in Vain: Let It Make Us Utterly Committed to Overcome the Enemy That Brought Him to the Grave

• Give his death worth and meaning by letting it make you hate sin and Satan and unbelief.
• Let it make you blood-earnest about spiritual things.
• Let it strip you of unbelief.
• Let it be his last loud cry against the dangers of the powers of darkness.

What could honor him more than to let his death be a covenant between you and him, sealed with his own blood,

• that you, from this day forth, will fight with all your might the enemy that brought him to his grave;
• that you will wear the whole armor of God; and
• that you will take the sword of the Spirit, the Bible, and practice with that sword so regularly, so diligently, so earnestly that you become valiant for the Savior who did not leave him blind, broke the prison walls of his unbelief . . . and caught him when he fell.

©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Used by Permission.

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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. ©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org 

Oh Jonah!

The bible is an amazing book. I'm being very careful to say that it's simply amazing, because it isn't simple at all. Jonah is a great example. Plenty of irony, morbid humour, and a very deep lesson that we can learn.

The first time I read Jonah, I thought it was simply about this man called Jonah who ran away from God after being instructed by God to go to Nineveh. Then he was swallowed by this massive fish, and he prayed and the fish spat him out. It seems like he has repented through his prayer to God. But, after the Nineveh-ians were shown mercy by God, he became very angry at God. And his anger did not subside! In my mind, not knowing the significance of this prophetic book, I brushed it aside thinking that I understood the whole of this 'simple' passage that talks about God's mercy.

Recently, I turned back to Jonah, and asked Paul to read Jonah with me because we are done with Colossians. It was such an amazement when I realise that the minor prophetic books are just shorter in length and are by no means less important. Every book in the bible is there for a good reason. Nineveh was involved in a war later on, and even at a later time judged and destroyed.

As much as I would like to mock at Jonah for being such a fool, I have to admit and recognise that I'm as big a fool. There have been times when I think I deserve salvation because of what I have done, looked on other religions with contempt and don't tell people who worship idols about Jesus because they don't deserve it, thought that I know who God is when there is no way I could fully comprehend, and many other instances.

The take home message after studying Jonah is this:
Weijie, God is gracious. You have received salvation not because of what you have done, but because Christ died on the cross and you are raised with Him. Jonah is a classic example of ways in which Christians can stumble in their faith. Pray not like Jonah, recognise your sins like David in Psalm 51, turn to God and repent. Bear in mind, too, that God is in complete control.

The bible has revealed to me a much deeper lesson than a mere superficial story about a man named Jonah, as I have once perceived. To those who read this, I hope it can be an encouragement for you to read the bible and discover God's greatness.