Tuesday, November 19, 2024
A Reflection
There have been moments I feel like my life is at a standstill like no matter what I do nothing changes. Those moments are frustrating but this period of waiting is important. There are things God needs to set in motion, people that needed to be aligned into my life, and now that everything is set in place, the shift is coming. I asked God why it has taken so long but as I look back I realized everything happened as it was mean to. Every delay, every disappointment has led to this moment.
I have been sensing that things are happening in my life things that I may not fully understand, but everything will start making sense soon. I carried a burden, something weighing heavily on my heart, and though I feel I have been stuck in the situation for a long time, God has seen it all and ready to step in. He has seen the shame I faced, and pain I carried.
Sometimes the biggest blessings come wrapped in what seems like chaos and failures. I have been doing my best, holding on even when it is hard. Even when I felt like giving up I kept going. God sees it and He is proud of me. There is so much more strength inside me now than ever before, and I realized why I had to go through what I had. The hardest times are what shapes us into who we are meant to be. And right now I am being molded into someone who is going to rise above it all. Above all the past hurts, failures, and disappointments.
Why was God silent for so long? Just trust God they say, but it is hard to trust especially when things have been so uncertain for so long. It’s easy to doubt. To question whether I am on the right track. God say I am exactly where I should be. I have not been abandoned or forgotten. Every prayer I whispered, every hope I have held on to, it’s all been heard. The answers are coming and they are coming in a way that is going to surprise me. I will not get just what I need but more than what I have ever imagined.
But when God makes a move it may feel sudden, abrupt, but it’s been in the works for a long time. All of a sudden a business path opened for me in Shanghai, and I am sure it’s only the beginning. I am not going to see what else is coming and that is part of the plan and surely He is working behind the scenes weaving my destiny into existence. Sometimes the most unexpected moments are the one that brings the greatest changes. You might be wondering whether I am ready for this and the answer is YES. Am I ready for a bigger arena to showcase my talents and gifts in a foreign country not using my preferred language. I know even if I am scared, I have been prepared for it. Everything I have been through has led me to this point. I have gained strength, resilience and wisdom through my struggles and now it is time for me to use them. When God opens the door I will know what to do. I have to trust His preparation and guidance He has given me.
The past does not define me, but the future that is racing towards me does. Every tear I cried, every prayer I whispered, every pain I carried, every trial I faced has led me to this moment, God saw it all. He knows my weaknesses but He also knows my strength. He knows I am ready to take a big leap forward.
What is coming is meant to build me not break me. It will be challenging but through this challenge I will find my true self. I will trust in His plan for it is perfect. I know I won’t be alone and not meant to do it alone. Sometimes what looks like a storm is actually the wind that clears the path ahead. He knows what is best for me. The angels are guiding, protecting and moving things into place. I may not always see or sense them, but they are there.
What is about to come isn’t a test but a transformation as I am about to rise stronger and more empowered than before. This is not a time to shrink back in fear, but to stand firm in faith. No force on earth can stop what God has planned for me. Everything is happening as it should. There is nothing to fear when I walk in faith. The angels are already clearing the path and making a way when there seems to be no way. What is coming is bigger than I ever imagine but so is the strength that God has placed inside me.
Even when I I felt like I was walking in the valley of shadow of death, God was there. He never left my side. He is still with me, leading me forward. I shall not be weak. I am a warrior of His light and love. This is the moment I have been waiting for. The moment when all things come together. Everything I have been through has been for this time. He has been preparing the path forward and now it is my turn to step forward in faith.
Sometimes it is hard to see beyond the present moment. The future can feel uncertain, even frightening. But He is the God of all time, He sees what I cannot see and knows what I do not know. I am safe in His hands. I have to let go of my fears, let go of my doubts and trust in His divine plan. I am loved, I am protected and I am exactly where I need to be. The journey ahead may feel uncertain but everything is unfolding as it should. Everything that is happening in my life right now is preparing me for what is coming. He will open doors I never thought was possible. But I must stay strong, stay faithful and keep my eyes on Him. He has already mapped out my path and my guardian angels have been with me since the beginning and will be with me till the end, protecting me from dangers I can’t even perceive.
There is a purpose in every twist and turn in my life. Sometimes it feel like the challenges is too much, like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. But I am not carrying this burden alone.
His powerful presence will challenge me, yes, but will also uplift me. I will come out more stronger, focused and more aligned with the purpose God had set for my life.
This is my time and God is with me. There were moments I doubted, moments where I questioned if I was on the right path. Every step I have taken, every decision I made has led me to this point for a reason. There was nothing that happened in my life that wasn’t part of His divine plan. The mistakes, the heartbreaks, the detours all served a purpose. This change in my life is to transform me. I need to step into the fullness of who He created me to be. My business and ministry will be global.
There is a reason why I felt something stirring in my spirit beginning of the year. I felt 2024 is the year of answered prayers. That gentle nudge, That quiet whisper. Telling me something is about to happen. It’s not my imagination but God speaking to my heart. He has been preparing me for this moment and now it is time for me to step forward in faith. His powerful presence that is coming into my life in a renewed way requires me to be strong, be brave and to trust in Him like never before.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Defection (reflecting on Ps Hui Min's sermon)
Today’s sermon at Every Nation Church, KD was a timely one, to remind us of the rock solid promises we have in Christ Jesus, and that God is with us every step of the way even when things go terribly wrong as they often do.
As the worship leader sang;
“I’'ve carried a burden
For too long on my own
I wasn't created
To bear it alone”
Life can be cruel and many of us have worn the battle scars in our hearts from what was, and the hurts in our soul for too long. It need not be as the singer reminded
“And my heart found a surgeon
My soul found a friend
So I'll run to the Father
Again and again
And again and again”
God can mend our broken hearts, heal our emotions and inspire our discouraged souls. So come to Him as there is no reason not to…
“I'm done with the hiding
No reason to wait” as the song renders….
Defection
The sermon was the last on a series on “Overcoming Dysfunctions in a Church” namely Defection. In 1st Corinthians, apostle Paul had to address serious doctrinal defections in the church at Corinth. Paul founded the church in Corinth before moving on to Ephesus, and he soon began receiving reports of conflict at the church in Corinth. The people were facing all kinds of problems, so Paul wrote this letter to offer guidance, teaching, correction and encouragement.
Some deviations Ps Hui Min reminded that accepting Christ isn’t an instant lottery ticket windfall. With many preaching the prosperity gospel, many think that having Jesus is an instant road to riches. I can tell you that this is nothing further from the truth.
Ancient Greece abound with many famous philosophers like Socrates, Plato & Aristotle to name a few. The Ancient Greek philosophers and even commoners debated a wide range of topics like justice, virtue, knowledge, and truth.. It was their favourite pastime. In Christianity, God’s doctrine becomes the philosophies by which we live. But in some religions like Buddhism, the philosophies of men has become doctrine, likewise here at the church in Corinth. Greek philosophy didn’t believe in an afterlife. They could not completely grasp the hope in the resurrection of Christ. It is not only a substitutional death, but a co-death and resurrection with Christ Jesus. In heaven, we will have new and perfect bodies -- bodies that will never age or become weak or die, because they will be like Christ's glorious body after His resurrection.
The Good News
Paul preached that our faith in the gospel is hinged on Jesus’ DEATH->BURIAL->RESURRECTION. Yes Jesus did many miracles, but the gospel of salvation or the Good News is what was preached to the Corinthians two (2) millennia ago and that is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and resurrected on the third day. It's the same Good News being preached to us today. Without this, Jesus was just a kind-hearted, ordinary man who performed miracles and did good deeds and that is all. He would be no Saviour!
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
Evidence of His Resurrection
Jesus appeared to Peter (Cephas) and His remaining disciples. Jesus appeared to more than 500 of his followers at the same time after his resurrection.
..that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (1 Corinthians 15:5-8).
His resurrection was also foretold in Isaiah 53 and Psalms 16. In fact Jesus even foretold His own death and resurrection in Matthew 16.
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and rsuffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes,and be killed, and on the third day be raised (Matthew 16:21).
The testament of His resurrection can be seen in the transformed lives of His disciples and followers. Till today there are many risking death to spread the good news in places where the Bible is forbidden, places like North Korea, the Arab world and China.
What if Christ not been raised?
If Jesus was not raised from the dead, then our faith is futile. We might as well live like there is not tomorrow and continue living a sinful and lawless life. There would be no eternal life that every heart yearns for.
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:14-19).
But Jesus has been raised so we too have been baptised into His death and His resurrection. Therefore we have a great hope!
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).
Don’t let people mislead you or bad company corrupt you. The world is full of temptations and it is good to be in the company of fellow church members or a cell group to be accountable to them as no one is beyond reproach.
If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”[ 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame (v 32-34).
Because Jesus has conquered death, we can take solace when love ones inevitably pass away. They are merely going home, not leaving home. They are returning to the Lord (if they are in the Lord), where “He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." Rev 21:3-4.
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (v 55-56)
Then What?
Knowing that our names are written in the Book of Life, what we now do matters! We are called to fulfil the Great Commission. Let’s populate heaven and plunder hell. Be prayerful and Christianity is a relationship with God. Ps Hui min reminds us to stand firm in our faith and to labour in love as we serve the Lord with our lives, and our resources.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
5Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.(v 57-58).
The resurrection is a foundation of our faith. It’s the hidden force that drives me on despite the setbacks and scars in my heart. Knowing what I am living for, not only forms the cornerstone of my existence, but also be the values that encompass the secret of my own happiness, and that which defines my destiny. O’ Lord I want to draw near to you as You resurrect my life, career, finances and relationship.
Ps Hui Min said “our hope goes beyond the grave”. There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow (OS Marden). Eternity in the presence of the my Creator! No more tears, no more pain.
Amen!
Sunday, November 03, 2024
Restore (reflecting on Ps.Peter Sze’s sermon on 3 November 2024)
Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes. (Isaiah 54:2)
ENLARGEMENT
God is continuing to enlarge us, as a church and individually. I look back from what I have today vs a year or two ago, I am grateful for the gradual enlargement; from within and without.
God began restoring me during MCO in 2020 from zero. I was dead broke. End of 2022, I was asked to develop health courses for UTMSpace. It took me 1.5 years to write 3 teaching modules;
(1). Disease Specific Nutrition
(2). Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cell Therapy
(3). Understanding Nutrition & Supplements
God gave me the opportunity to expand "me" and I courageously took it, as every page I wrote I would have had read 10 pages of information to crystalize out course manuals/books and PowerPoint slides. No nights out as just read, read, read, write, write, write. As a result, my knowledge expanded, especially on Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Therapy. Reading makes a man broad, but writing makes him precise. In a short space of time I have absorbed and consolidated my knowledge on the subject by writing out what I had absorbed into a course manual.
Today on a Sunday afternoon while writing this article, a large reputable stem cell lab approved by NPRA texted me for education collaboration. Coming Wednesday I will be going to Shanghai to do similar collaborations. I am not a professor or a bench top scientist. Instead God has turned me into one of the best medical marketeers and health educators around.
RESTORATION
As Ps Peter puts it as your tent enlarges, some cords may have loosen and some tears may have emerged. God will not only expand us but restore us and transform us back to the state that He had intended to be. He intended us to have successful careers and good marriages/relationships.
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets (Acts 3:19-21).
When Jesus died on the cross, He restored all that mankind had lost, and that’s a relationship with our Creator. The process of restoration had already begun ‘positionally’, though with the unfolding of time it will manifest in reality as we walk closely with Him.
1. Restoration of our relationship with God
For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son (Romans 5:10, NLT).
As we have restored our friendship with God, we can come boldly to the throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16), and not have fear, guilt or condemnation. Indeed we are sons of God and co-heir with Christ. A relationship with God is a pre-requisite to have restoration in other areas.
2. Relationship with others
Social skills are important to help us navigate through society and especially if we are in the market place. I am also still developing my social skills, etiquette and how I should interact with others.
Of course I have a desire to settle down but somethings we have no control over. If the devil cannot hurt you, he will attack the feelings of someone you love or confuse that person. Yes it hurts, but I have to learn to let go without attachment to outcomes. She may return once she has healed and grown, or the Lord will give me someone else as long as I am faithful. When the devil sows doubt in her mind, she needs space to decipher what are the true meaning of these feelings. Meanwhile, I have grown to be understanding and compassionate with no anger.
Sometimes it is hard to understand why certain things happen. I believe every tear, every heart break is to prepare me for a love that is on its way. A love that is more meaningful, more fulfilling and transformative than I can ever imagine. God sees the pain I carry, the resilience I have shown and the strength I had to muster again and again. I have grown into a person who can hold more love, more compassionate and with more understanding.
3. Restoration of our health
But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord (Jeremiah 30:17)
I am 55 this year, and I have never been fitter since I was 18. Honestly God has restored my health, that I lost while stressing myself building my early career. I had a whole day comprehensive health tests in China in March this year. My results when I was in my 30s and 40s were not as good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CJY8z2Z5pc
As my knowledge on nutrition and healthy living improves I am applying them to myself with great results. I have to live what I teach and preach in my books and lectures. I had intravenous stem cell therapy twice this year and once via a nebulizer. I will soon go for gene therapy for cancer prevention and plasmapheresis for blood purification.
The hospital in China had very advanced equipment and my results were all good. The professor even said I will still be sexually able when age 80.
I am now living and sharing with others God’s divine health via my lectures, talks and books. God has truly renewed my body, my skin and my youthfulness. It is not just the outward appearance but the positive energy that I emanate to others.
4. Restoring my soul
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake (Psalms 23:2-3).
Every day I muster the courage to do what is ahead of me. Many do not see my inner fears and struggles. Some sales targets didn’t come to expectations, while the relationship break up drained me emotionally. No one understands my sufferings besides God. He refreshes my soul every day and tells me its ok and just move on as He is actively working out everything for me behind the scenes.
5. Restore my lost and wasted years
In my early working years I worked hard to build myself. But then I teamed up with someone and that was a nightmare. For a dozen years I was bleeding to sustain my business because of his mismanagement. A person who was supposed to be my mentor.
Meanwhile a lot of people have built successful careers while I was fruitless.
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—Joel 2:25
There can be decades when nothing happens, but there are months when decades happen. I can see that God is now restoring what I loss in the 12 fruitless years that the locusts had eaten. God is accelerating to not only catch up with others that has gone ahead of me career wise, but maybe soon even ahead of them.
How is God going to do that you may ask?
When I first started selling my health books it was just via local stores like Popular and in the pharmacies. Now God had expanded it to other countries via a direct selling company with over 100,000 active members in Asia. And soon I will be based in China, and will be selling my books there. Some groups in China that we collaborate with has over 200,000 members in their 15 aesthetic hospitals.
God will multiply my fruitfulness through logistic chains and business networks that others took decades to build.
Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true (John 4:37).
There is no serendipity. Everything is orchestrated by God. In the grand fabric of the universe, God has woven into the tapestry of my existence, that now my destiny and my journey are aligning.
God led me to develop the Regenerative Medicine module for the UTMSpace course but I didn’t know what else He had in mind. Only after I had written the module did God opened up an opportunity to have a stem cell clinic in Malaysia to give me more credibility (practical aspect not just theory), Now God is about to springboard it to other centres overseas. Next week I will be going to Shanghai for preliminaries to set up a Regenerative med/stem cell/gene therapy clinic is Shanghai. God is still aligning many things for me which He will slowly unfold in time.
6. Restoration of my Ministry
When I was down I could hardly mutter the word God. I had ambivalent feelings. Why did God whom I profess wants to bless me and prosper me, allowed all that can go wrong go wrong? I of course stopped worshipping God, stopped going to church and definitely didn’t write anymore. I even stopped writing on health matters for a decade until recently.
Now God is completing the puzzle and I understand why. He wanted me to go though all those tough times to know it by experience, to refine me and prepare me to be an end-time financial pillar for His kingdom.
My earlier Christian writings were all theological, all theory and harsh. Now my writings are graceful and experiential.
The Shunammite Woman
14 “What can be done for her?” Elisha asked.
Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”
15 Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16 “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.”
“No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!”
17 But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her ( 2Kings 4:14-17)
In 2 Kings chapter 4, there is a very kind Shunammite woman who was very hospitable to Elisha every time he is in town. She will always prepare a room for him.
She had a hidden pain, a hidden need. We too all have, I know I do. She was childless. Elisha told her she will have a son and surely she did give birth to a son the next year. The truth is God can restore your deep and hidden needs. This resonates with me as I too want to have a family one day.
MORE THAN RESTORED
Elisha told the Shunammite woman about an ensuing famine and to move to the land of the Philistines but when she came back her land was confiscated. So she went to appeal to the king.
Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.” 2 The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land (2 Kings 8:1-3).
But through God’s intervention, the king not only restored her land to her but also the profit from the years she was absent from the land.
The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” 5 Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land.
Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 The king asked the woman about it, and she told him.
Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.” 2 kings 8:4-13.
I had lost everything before. But God is restoring me as I write. I had lost all my pride and joy. But now God is restoring my glory. He will never let your glory fade and die. Whatever your situation, expect God for a great restoration, a great miracle. This sermon by Ps Peter on RESTORE to me aren’t mere words or wishful thinking. It is very real to me. I am living it!
Whatever God started in you is always good, and He will finish it and see it come to pass. He is not man, that he shall lie. I know my road ahead will be challenging. But He has moulded me into someone who can feel His intuition and leading. Everyone’s journey is different just as mine is different from yours. We all have different assignments and I needed more time than others to “grow” and be able to handle His destiny for me. I am now someone less fearful and have a larger capacity to do His work, to love and to positively impact others. Amen!
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Counting my gains as garbage (adapted from Ps Susan Hoover’s sermon 27/10/24 on Philippians 3.
As I sat in a group of high net worth people along with a HNW banker for dinner this week, I can’t but compare my relative poverty to their achievements and wealth. Yes God is restoring and elevating me gradually but there is something that I desire in my heart for them to possess, something more precious than all the world’s rubies and diamonds, earthly treasures and kingly riches. Life is not complete without Jesus. When we have Jesus, we already have the best. Nothing can compare to Him!
Yes God does give us material things on earth to enjoy, but the measure of a man’s wealth is not in his achievements, the accolades and wealth, but in his character and how he has invested in eternity.
ETERNITY
The Lord Jesus said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Christianity is about eternity. It is not a religion. We are on earth to prepare for eternity! If we don’t have the one most precious thing in our life which is Jesus, it’s all VANITY as King Solomon said.
As Paul wrote,
The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. (Philippians 3:7-8).The Message version
Paul was an esteemed Jew and a Pharisee of Pharisees and persecuting Christians before his conversion. He said all his achievements are rubbish, dog dung or garbage (NIV) compared to knowing Jesus. Through faith in Christ and not works, we have the righteousness of God imputed to us.
I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith (Philippians 3:8-9, NIV).
NO CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH
3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence (Philippians 3:3-4).
God allowed many worldly things I had stripped away from me. Perhaps to get me to refocus on Him instead of wordily things. It is to grow me and strengthen me. Without developing my character, wealth will destroy me as the world is full of temptations. Whatever could go wrong, went wrong. Therefore I have no confidence in the flesh. I repented and now let the Lord guide me through the intuition of the spirit. God had to strip me of worldly things to make room for Him. As Ps Susan said, knowing Jesus is a journey not a one-off event at an altar call. Many things crowded out my time for Him. I had to spend more time to discover the depth and width of His inexhaustible blessings, riches, love and revelation of what I had in Him. We have to spend time together to develop relationships and likewise with the Lord.
The Bible says, Spirit of truth, which is the Holy Spirit will testify about Jesus (John 15:26). A quote from John Piper: “The Holy Spirit does not do his work apart from the gospel because his work is to open our eyes to see Christ displayed in the gospel…” Ultimately, only those who recognize Christ can discover all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and know the secret treasures of God.
Nothing can stop us now to our glorious destiny that God has predestined, as we now have the full armour of God (Ephesians 6:13). “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them (the world),” and, “… in order that you may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ.” (Matthew 13:11). Indeed to those who do not believe, He is a stone that causes them to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. Unwillingness on the part of the people to receive Jesus' message of the kingdom was the reason that He taught in parables.
PRAY FOR THEM
There will always be people still critical of us, and of our faith in Christ. Pray for them, as they do not have the revelation of the righteousness and salvation in Christ. Pray that their spiritual eyes open. Pray for those who hurt us, left us, wronged us; as no one deserves a Christless eternity.
The danger when you don’t believe in your Creator is not that you will believe in nothing. The danger is that you will believe in absolutely anything. An orphan in search of his or her biological parents is gullible to any prankster posing as a parent (ie any religion).
Today is 27 October 2024 AD. AD means AFTER DEATH. After death of who? It’s not after the death of Buddha or Mohamad. It’s the death of Jesus. Human history is split into 2 halves. BC means before Christ. So Jesus did leave heaven to be here with us in the flesh on earth. Its recorded by many historians. No one can deny that Jesus was on earth 2024 years ago.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). No one can deny Jesus was on earth. So this statement either makes Jesus the biggest liar in history or it’s the truth. There is no in between! The Muslims will say that Jesus is only a prophet which is an “in between”. But clearly Jesus was on earth and those were His actual words. It is like Pastor Peter telling his son; “I am your biological father”. Its either the truth or the biggest lie. There is no in between. He either is or isn’t. Likewise, Jesus is the only way to eternity or He is biggest liar.
The only way to eternity is through Jesus. Lao Zi the ancient philosopher who is believed to be the founder of Taosim wrote the Dao De Zing (道德经) which I have read the English version. The Dao which means “way” in Chinese refers to Jesus.
Lao Zi
According to Taoism, the Tao is the “way of the universe “and is the first cause or cosmic force behind nature’s order. It implies an impersonal force rather than a personal Creator.
A careful look at the “Tao Te Jing” or “Book of the Way” in English, believed to be written by Lao Zi, has this confession: “I do not know His name. Name Him ‘ Tao’ possibly. For the lack of a better word, I call Him the Almighty”1 Lao Zi clearly refers the Tao as a person. Although Lao Zi is regarded as the founder of Taoism, he really had nothing to do with many of its religious doctrines and practices. He has even been misrepresented as being the Tao himself. But clearly he acted only as the messenger of the Tao1.
What is this Tao? The book states that the Tao is the “very progenitor of all things in the world”2. In the opening chapter, Lao Zi wrote that the “Tao can be told but is not the ordinary Tao. The name [of the Tao] can also be given, but that is not the ordinary name as well1.” Thus the Tao is not an ordinary Tao way or wisdom.
Does the Tao foreshadow Christ? In chapter 4, verse 4 Lao Zi writes that the Tao looks like Someone’s Son. He said, “I do not know whose son He is, He was before any king [born into the world] 1. ” “I am the Way (Tao), the truth and the life”3 is similarly found in another classical book.
The Tao has two faces, yin and yang, which oppose each other, but yet are one. The book On I-Ching reads, “In the I-Ching, there is Grand Terminus, which produced the two elementary Forms. One is Yin, and one is Yang. ” In I-Ching, Yin means the Earth, dark; and Yang means the Heaven, bright. Genesis 1:2 reads, “And God saw the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. ”
3. John 14:6
Confucius 孔丘told his disciples in his analects (which I have read the English version) that he is not the saviour of the world. He told them that he is not worthy to even carry the sandals of the coming saviour. He says if the saviour was to come it will be from the west. They didn’t go west enough and brought in Buddhism from India. If you look at the map of the world you will notice that further west of India is Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
Mencius another Chinese philosopher who was around 500 BC, around the time of Prophet Daniel predicted accurately the coming of Jesus 500 years ahead.
KNOWING CHRIST
Let’s all know Christ (Philippians 3:10) in an ever renewed and deeper way. Press on to what more Jesus has prepared for us. His riches are inexhaustible. The word KNOW is gnōseōs, is to know Jesus personally and not just head knowledge.
Remember that the greatest investment you can make in your life is on something that will outlast it. And that is eternity!
