Monday, November 29, 2010
The latest book I read
Below is the latest book I read. It is written by John Nasbitt who wrote the best seller Megatrends over 20 years ago.
As he rightly puts it a lot of people have an opinion of China based on their own prejudices. I have friends who think they are China experts but have not even lived or work there.
As I read and look at China's way of governing its country in a socialist way for the common interest of the community it resembles Gods' way in Leveticus more than the western Westminster model. I am not favoring the Chinese way but do read it for yourselves. Where in the Bible do you find elections and so called western democracy etc. All the leaders like Moses, Joshua, David, were appointed by God and lead the people with love for the people.
God never intended Israel to have a king as it was the Israelites who demanded that God to give them a king like the pagans. All in all the Israelites had a paramount leader an a council of advisors in the interest of the people just like the Chinese potliburo.
Western politicians promise many things in their election manifesto but the Chinese government don't talk and just deliver to the people. This is an awesome book! In one generation the CCP took 400 million people out of poverty and the whole nation out of the mud. 30 years ago China was as poor as Malawi. If this is not God's doing, then what is? There are many people praying for China and I am sure Watchman Nee in his dying days cried out to the Lord for his beloved China. Watchman Nee your suffering were not for nothing and your prayers are not in vain. We all love China from the heart in our own ways and we all want to see her become stronger and stronger.
As he rightly puts it a lot of people have an opinion of China based on their own prejudices. I have friends who think they are China experts but have not even lived or work there.
As I read and look at China's way of governing its country in a socialist way for the common interest of the community it resembles Gods' way in Leveticus more than the western Westminster model. I am not favoring the Chinese way but do read it for yourselves. Where in the Bible do you find elections and so called western democracy etc. All the leaders like Moses, Joshua, David, were appointed by God and lead the people with love for the people.
God never intended Israel to have a king as it was the Israelites who demanded that God to give them a king like the pagans. All in all the Israelites had a paramount leader an a council of advisors in the interest of the people just like the Chinese potliburo.
Western politicians promise many things in their election manifesto but the Chinese government don't talk and just deliver to the people. This is an awesome book! In one generation the CCP took 400 million people out of poverty and the whole nation out of the mud. 30 years ago China was as poor as Malawi. If this is not God's doing, then what is? There are many people praying for China and I am sure Watchman Nee in his dying days cried out to the Lord for his beloved China. Watchman Nee your suffering were not for nothing and your prayers are not in vain. We all love China from the heart in our own ways and we all want to see her become stronger and stronger.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Life goes on
I paid Ps Charles Popson a visit yesterday.
He prayed for me. He said next year is my year of divine elevation. It will be beyond my expectations.
But deep in my heart I tell the Lord please send me a life partner who loves Him. If not I will be a rich man but won't fulfill my potential to serve the Lord. I can be a rich man but lose my calling and my ministry.
Without the Lord at heart a person is all money. Every thing she measures by is money. I have a friend who is an ex-Ms Malaysia but every thought of hers in just $. Her conversation is always who is rich and who owns what. I am not poor but the measure of a man's wealth is not by what he has or what he has achieved, but what he is and has in Christ.
I have tasted your grace O Lord, so why do I want anything else? I have tasted your grace O Lord by myself. My parents to date are not Christians but I have tasted your goodness first hand and not second hand O Lord. I am a first generation Christian. I see the blessings of friends who are generational Christians like my 2 brother in laws who don't even go to church anymore but their parents remain fervent. Though I wished I had the same generational blessings, I know the Lord loves me all the same.
He prayed for me. He said next year is my year of divine elevation. It will be beyond my expectations.
But deep in my heart I tell the Lord please send me a life partner who loves Him. If not I will be a rich man but won't fulfill my potential to serve the Lord. I can be a rich man but lose my calling and my ministry.
Without the Lord at heart a person is all money. Every thing she measures by is money. I have a friend who is an ex-Ms Malaysia but every thought of hers in just $. Her conversation is always who is rich and who owns what. I am not poor but the measure of a man's wealth is not by what he has or what he has achieved, but what he is and has in Christ.
I have tasted your grace O Lord, so why do I want anything else? I have tasted your grace O Lord by myself. My parents to date are not Christians but I have tasted your goodness first hand and not second hand O Lord. I am a first generation Christian. I see the blessings of friends who are generational Christians like my 2 brother in laws who don't even go to church anymore but their parents remain fervent. Though I wished I had the same generational blessings, I know the Lord loves me all the same.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thots while on a plane (Nov 20, 2010)
As I sit here on the plane to China, I felt a relief that I had dropped out of the Masters of Theology program. I just didn’t have the time and moreover it was just too theoretical and didn’t suit my needs.
I had intended to get some theological credentials for the future when I publish books on my business journey with the Lord. At least it will have M.Theology under my name on the book cover.
This morning the Lord firmly told me I don’t need the M.Theology credentials. My business will prosper and bloom and that will be my credentials not the paper qualification. The Lord’s looks at a man’s heart (1 Samuel 16:7) but men judge a person on the outward appearance, what car he drives and what he has. Thus the only credential needed is a lot of $$$
There is a saying in Chinese that it is better to have travelled a thousand miles than to have read a thousand books. Many pastors preaching on business would never have ran a business before nor failed in business and went through the mill of building a business. Indeed I have heard many good sermons on prosperity and wealth but what is lacking in churches is a program and mentorship group on how to bridge vision and reality. Hearing a few sermons here and there won’t help.
I had intended to get some theological credentials for the future when I publish books on my business journey with the Lord. At least it will have M.Theology under my name on the book cover.
This morning the Lord firmly told me I don’t need the M.Theology credentials. My business will prosper and bloom and that will be my credentials not the paper qualification. The Lord’s looks at a man’s heart (1 Samuel 16:7) but men judge a person on the outward appearance, what car he drives and what he has. Thus the only credential needed is a lot of $$$
There is a saying in Chinese that it is better to have travelled a thousand miles than to have read a thousand books. Many pastors preaching on business would never have ran a business before nor failed in business and went through the mill of building a business. Indeed I have heard many good sermons on prosperity and wealth but what is lacking in churches is a program and mentorship group on how to bridge vision and reality. Hearing a few sermons here and there won’t help.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Preface for Refresh II: Psalms for Business Victory (mock)
I write as an entrepreneur for Christ not as an expert, but as a pilgrim. I write not as the most successful businessman around, but as one that has received the grace from God to overcome my challenges and difficulties.
In my business journey as a Christian the messages from many pastors on (1) prosperity and (2) grace, has spurred me on.
I discovered that the 21st century is not a period of prosperity that God is showering on His entrepreneurs, but rather He had always been a God who is wealthy and looking for co-workers in His kingdom.
Moreover, which parent, be it our heavenly Father or our earthly father would want their children to be poor? To be successful we must have an image of a Father (even with our earthly parents) who is loving, forgiving and full of grace (Eph 6:4). If we harbor an image of our Father as a harsh, judgmental and one that will bring brimstone and fire for failing to toe-the-line, we will never succeed in life.
When we were young, we indeed need discipline and I won’t argue that a few reminders of the 10 commandments was not needed. But as you get older and having made some mistakes in life -business, relationship, family – we really need grace messages to get us out of our mess. Having made many blunders in life, it was the constant grace messages that kept me going. It was always grace that was going to see us through. It was always God’s grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit that guides us to success, not laws or ‘being good’, though it is still important that we abide by His word.
This book:
Part 1 (12 poems)
My journey through the tough and trying times
Part 2 (12 poems)
The breakthroughs
The living God is a God of grace. We don’t have to earn our salvation. Jesus has done it all for us on the cross. The danger when we stop believing in who is our real Father (Creator), is not that we will believe in nothing. The danger is that we will believe in absolutely anything – fortune telling, mediums, feng shui, and other gods. [An orphan will go around looking for all sorts of adopted parents till he finds his true parents]. Some claim that feng shui is harmless as it is about ‘nature’. But God created nature, and He can change and direct ‘nature’ as he did for Joshua by holding the course of the sun for a while and by holding back the raging storms. If you have God in your business, your feng shui is always good without having to shift pieces of furniture or the changing the direction the main door is facing.
PS: only got 9 poems thus far for Part 2 :D.
In my business journey as a Christian the messages from many pastors on (1) prosperity and (2) grace, has spurred me on.
I discovered that the 21st century is not a period of prosperity that God is showering on His entrepreneurs, but rather He had always been a God who is wealthy and looking for co-workers in His kingdom.
Moreover, which parent, be it our heavenly Father or our earthly father would want their children to be poor? To be successful we must have an image of a Father (even with our earthly parents) who is loving, forgiving and full of grace (Eph 6:4). If we harbor an image of our Father as a harsh, judgmental and one that will bring brimstone and fire for failing to toe-the-line, we will never succeed in life.
When we were young, we indeed need discipline and I won’t argue that a few reminders of the 10 commandments was not needed. But as you get older and having made some mistakes in life -business, relationship, family – we really need grace messages to get us out of our mess. Having made many blunders in life, it was the constant grace messages that kept me going. It was always grace that was going to see us through. It was always God’s grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit that guides us to success, not laws or ‘being good’, though it is still important that we abide by His word.
This book:
Part 1 (12 poems)
My journey through the tough and trying times
Part 2 (12 poems)
The breakthroughs
The living God is a God of grace. We don’t have to earn our salvation. Jesus has done it all for us on the cross. The danger when we stop believing in who is our real Father (Creator), is not that we will believe in nothing. The danger is that we will believe in absolutely anything – fortune telling, mediums, feng shui, and other gods. [An orphan will go around looking for all sorts of adopted parents till he finds his true parents]. Some claim that feng shui is harmless as it is about ‘nature’. But God created nature, and He can change and direct ‘nature’ as he did for Joshua by holding the course of the sun for a while and by holding back the raging storms. If you have God in your business, your feng shui is always good without having to shift pieces of furniture or the changing the direction the main door is facing.
PS: only got 9 poems thus far for Part 2 :D.
Wed nite Bible study
On Wednesday we had a discussion on healing, and they still talk of certain people who gave testimonies of being healed from cancer etc, and another inclination is that we must have enough faith to be healed.
I am real. More people die from cancer than being healed of it after prayers. This much I can tell you. So don't lose your faith in God's ability to heal you if you see someone die. In fact for every testimony of God healing a person from cancer maybe another 20 died from it despite prayers etc.
Firstly our faith for God to heal us is not in testimomnies though they are good to share an uplift us and more importantly to give the Lord the glory. Miracle do happen as God can heal and does heal miraculously. But our faith is not in the testimonies but in the fact that He is our Healer (Exodus 15:26). Therefore rest in Him as He won't simply say He is your healer if God is a half-past-six doctor. He is a proven healer with a good reputation. For instance if you have a knee problem, you will go to an orthopaedic surgeon with a good reputation, and not just any doctor right? God Himself says "I AM" you healer, "I am" your surgeon", so rest in His reputation as a Healer.
Yes we must have faith and trust the Lord whether we are healed or not for the secret things belong to the Lord (Duet 29:29) if the worst happen. Don't go and tell suffering patients that they do not have enough faith, or someone reduced to bones in a oncology ward that he/she must have more faith. it won't help. Ask them to rest in Jesus's faith and his ability to heal you (Mark 9:14-24). When you rest in Jesus' faith you have all the faith for miracles to happen.
God healed you 2000 years ago (1 Peter 2:24). By His stripes you were healed and it is past tense. Just receive it! Your sins won't block your healing coz Christ has died for your sins. If your sins is hindering your healing then Jesus died in vain on the cross.
I am real. More people die from cancer than being healed of it after prayers. This much I can tell you. So don't lose your faith in God's ability to heal you if you see someone die. In fact for every testimony of God healing a person from cancer maybe another 20 died from it despite prayers etc.
Firstly our faith for God to heal us is not in testimomnies though they are good to share an uplift us and more importantly to give the Lord the glory. Miracle do happen as God can heal and does heal miraculously. But our faith is not in the testimonies but in the fact that He is our Healer (Exodus 15:26). Therefore rest in Him as He won't simply say He is your healer if God is a half-past-six doctor. He is a proven healer with a good reputation. For instance if you have a knee problem, you will go to an orthopaedic surgeon with a good reputation, and not just any doctor right? God Himself says "I AM" you healer, "I am" your surgeon", so rest in His reputation as a Healer.
Yes we must have faith and trust the Lord whether we are healed or not for the secret things belong to the Lord (Duet 29:29) if the worst happen. Don't go and tell suffering patients that they do not have enough faith, or someone reduced to bones in a oncology ward that he/she must have more faith. it won't help. Ask them to rest in Jesus's faith and his ability to heal you (Mark 9:14-24). When you rest in Jesus' faith you have all the faith for miracles to happen.
God healed you 2000 years ago (1 Peter 2:24). By His stripes you were healed and it is past tense. Just receive it! Your sins won't block your healing coz Christ has died for your sins. If your sins is hindering your healing then Jesus died in vain on the cross.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Young in God's eyes
The oldest in my church is a nice, pleasant and witty 84 y.old lady and she says she is old but seems fulfilled. Yes, the rebellious generation in the desert all died around 70, if strong then 80 (Psalms 90:10) but God promised we will live a long blessed life (Gen 6:3 says our days are 120 years) in the OT, what more the NT. In God's eye she is middle-age. At age 60 a person is only a teenager :-). Nearing age 90 Sarah still had admirers (Gen 20:2) and gave birth to Isaac at 90.
At age 120 Moses climbed Mt Nebo from the plains of Moab (Deut 34:1). He didn’t have any reported arthritic problems. He died there age 120 and his eyes were not weak and his strength was not gone (Duet 34:7). This is to say he had no reported cataracts, glaucoma or muscular weakness.
Caleb at 85 was as vigorous in battle and as strong the day Moses sent him out to be a spy (Joshua 14:10-11) "......So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then". Thereafter he still had to go to battle (Judges 1:19) to get the hill that Joshua blessed him with.
At age 120 Moses climbed Mt Nebo from the plains of Moab (Deut 34:1). He didn’t have any reported arthritic problems. He died there age 120 and his eyes were not weak and his strength was not gone (Duet 34:7). This is to say he had no reported cataracts, glaucoma or muscular weakness.
Caleb at 85 was as vigorous in battle and as strong the day Moses sent him out to be a spy (Joshua 14:10-11) "......So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then". Thereafter he still had to go to battle (Judges 1:19) to get the hill that Joshua blessed him with.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Wealth of the nations
You are the light of the world, O Lord
The bright and morning star
In You is my victory
It is You who tored down the gates of bronze
And the walls of iron.
The wealth of the nations, abundance of the seas ,
Of the hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places,
Laid up for me as I praise You O Lord .
Through all days and nights Your gates are open
All the nations will call me blessed.
You are my Cornerstone, O Lord
The Hidden Treasure of my desire,
You are my Pearl of Great Price .
Oh yes I adore you Rose of Sharon,
The lily of my…………... valley .
November 13, 2010
The bright and morning star
In You is my victory
It is You who tored down the gates of bronze
And the walls of iron.
The wealth of the nations, abundance of the seas ,
Of the hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places,
Laid up for me as I praise You O Lord .
Through all days and nights Your gates are open
All the nations will call me blessed.
You are my Cornerstone, O Lord
The Hidden Treasure of my desire,
You are my Pearl of Great Price .
Oh yes I adore you Rose of Sharon,
The lily of my…………... valley .
November 13, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Abundance of the seas
Isaiah 60:5 “…the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come”. NIV
The KJV translate the wealth as "abundance". The Chinese bible translates "wealth" as 丰盛的货物 or abundant "goods"
As we look for new products to give us breakthrough in our business, the above verse crept out. We had linked up with the biggest fishing company in Japan and a caviar producer in South America for our China business.
This is surely the Lord's leading as God is leading me to food stuff rather than my original biz of food supplements. I have never seen a company selling supplements to be worth billions but I have seen many companies related to food worth billions.
to you the riches of the nations will come”. NIV
The KJV translate the wealth as "abundance". The Chinese bible translates "wealth" as 丰盛的货物 or abundant "goods"
As we look for new products to give us breakthrough in our business, the above verse crept out. We had linked up with the biggest fishing company in Japan and a caviar producer in South America for our China business.
This is surely the Lord's leading as God is leading me to food stuff rather than my original biz of food supplements. I have never seen a company selling supplements to be worth billions but I have seen many companies related to food worth billions.
