Ought We To Pray

28 07 2010

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

-Ephesians 6:18–

I have been really thinking about this matter lately. It is one of significant spiritual importance … the importance of prayer in the life of a believer. As the old sunday school song used to go, “Read your bible, pray everyday, if you want to grow“, i believe that the simplicity and truth of those words will always hold true. There is no secret formula to spiritual growth, it has always been down to the basic discipline of spending time before the Lord in His Word and in prayer.

If there is one aspect that is lacking in many a believer and then would inevitably get translated to the local assembly of other believers, it is prayer. How much the believer sees the need for prayer as an individual, governs how he sees the need to pray corporately as a church. The weekly prayer meeting has always been the barometer of a church’s spiritual state. When God’s people pray, things happen. However, when they don’t pray … things just seem to happen or nothing really happens at all. How wonderful it would be to see adults, young people and children all coming together for united purpose of prayer. It would really lend weight to the uttered conviction that God will bless His church when His people pray.

The verse in Ephesian 6:18 above is a reminder that we ought to pray always (in all seasons) with all prayer. And this call to prayer is found right in Ephesians 6 where Paul spoke concerning how believers are to wage their spiritual struggle. A battle is waged in 2 positions, one .. standing, the second on our knees. What i found helpful from the VWS commentary was “all prayer”  basically means prayer in its various kinds. It could be a silent prayer we utter to the Lord, a vocal verbalized one, in a formal setting …  or even a cry unto the Lord for help. But the battle call must be accompanied by the believer realizing that his strength of resource can only come from God, and he does that by prayer.

We are also called to supplication. While ‘prayer’ is the more general form, ‘supplication’ adds to it the meaning of making earnest request or petition unto the Lord. Supplication is mentioned twice in the same verse, and the second time with a specific request to pray for the saints, meaning for one another. Here we see that the scope of prayer should extend beyond one’s personal concern (own own needs) but for the needs of other fellow believers who are also engaged in the same spiritual war. It is the spirit of Paul’s words in Philippians 2:4 where we are to “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” And so, while prayer brings the believer before the Lord, he then brings other believers before the Lord. And O how blessed it is to know that other faithful believers are praying for you. Paul’s ministry certainly wouldn’t have been as effective without that kind of support from the believers of his day and how he was thankful for it. I too know that that to be true in my life, I have had the benefit of godly parents and aunts who have spent much a time praying for me over the many years. Only the Lord will truly know how much of what and where I am today has been a result of sustained sustaining prayer by His saints.

There are many important passages to consider on this wide subject of prayer. I do hope to be able to consider them and perhaps write a little more about it as the Lord leads. Of course what we must also guard against is the attitude of talking too much about it, while failing to do enough of it. But as we are to exhort one another daily while it is called today (Heb 3:13), perhaps we really ought to encourage one another to be more faithful in the simple yet important matter of prayer.

So believer, if you’re reading this today and haven’t yet taken time to pray… perhaps this thought may find a place in your heart. If you’ve not been keeping a regular quiet time before the Lord, you can begin by resuming it today. If you haven’t prayed in a while, just close your eyes and quieten your heart before the Lord and commit yourself to Him today. He’ll listening.


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Categories : Prayer, Spiritual, Warfare

A Tale of 2 Gardens

8 04 2010

Over the recent weeks and in preparation for the Palm Sunday service in Karachi, my thoughts were led to Christ in the garden of Gethsamane in the account of Matthew 26.

There we see our Lord in distress as He wrestled within His soul with the cross casting it’s dark shadow over Him. As sweat as drops of blood hit the earthly ground, He went through anguish as no man would ever understand as he foresaw the weight of the world to be placed upon Him in the impending hours. The Father, of whom declared from heaven “This is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased” (Matt 17:5) was whom our Lord prayed to in the garden. It is sobering to realize that it was the Father Himself who was to be the one who would subject the Son to the agony of the cross. We recall the words of the prophet Isaiah when he prophesied “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin..” (Isaiah 53:10). The sacrifice had to be perfect and holy (of which our Lord was) … but it also had to be ‘pleasing’. The Lord Jesus was just that, as the Father declared. Yet we hear the words “Yet it pleased the LORD”. I believe I’ve not come to a full appreciation of the enormity of the words, nor will I ever on this side of heaven.

Surely we must  marvel when think of the words in Romans 8:32 that “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all …”. What did it cost the Father to provide the world, you and I with the free gift of salvation? It cost Him His best … His dearest … His beloved Son. And what did it cost the Son? Not anything less than own His life. And as Christ looked towards the cross … He knew what He had left Heaven’s glory for. His Mission: to live amongst His fallen creation and die by offering His life as an all consuming sacrifice for sin. Sin that had placed it’s price on your life and mine, death and eternal separation from God.

Ultimately, the cup could not be passed, and the Lamb of God was to offer up His life as a sacrifice for a perfect sin offering unto the Lord. In His perfect obedience, our Lord prayed “nevertheless not my will, but thine be done” thus showing us the true servant heart of the Messiah, the King of glory. What manner of man, would submit His will completely to that of another? No man, but only that of a true servant.

3 times our Lord wrestled in prayer alone, “sorrowful and very heavy” Matt 26:37. And then we find a notable contrast in verse 43 where we read that the disciple’s “eyes were heavy”. All 11 of them, but most importantly Peter, the most vocal of them all could not keep watch and pray, and his failing to do so was a precursor to his denial as each regression led to a final spiral. This is a reminder to us never to trust in our own strength and a timely admonition to “.. be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” (1Peter 4:7) penned by the same apostle who learned the lesson in the hardest possible way.

After the 3rd prayer, there was no more pleading, no more wrestling over the matter but a clear direction. Our Lord arose from the ground knowing heaven’s reply and set His face steadfastly towards the cross, and immediately after, He was led into the hands of His accusers by the kiss of a familiar brother who ate bread at His table.

Looking back in that garden … here was the Son of Man in the garden of Gethsamane. But there is another garden that we must are familiar with, the garden of Eden. And when we compare the accounts, we see parallels and contrasts between the 2 Adams.

1Co 15:45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (ESV)

In the first , the disobedience of one brought death, in the other, His obedience brought life.

Romans 5:15 tells us “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”

While the actions of the first Adam brought spiritual bondage, the last Adam brought liberty. In the first, that disobedience led to banishment, through Christ’s obedience there is granted unto access. In the first, it was men choosing to do their will, but in the second it was about choosing God’s will.

In both gardens there was sorrow. However in one, sorrow would be multiplied, in the other it would soon be turned to joy.

As a result of the fall, the ground was cursed, thorns and thistles would grow forth, there would be sorrow, and sweat and toil. In Gethsamane, our Lord sweat as drops of blood, as he wrestled the immense sorrow and heaviness upon his soul. Approaching the cross, he would go on to suffer the effects of that fall when they twisted a crown thorns upon his head. Thorns that were there as a result of sin entering the world.  He was a man of sorrows and would carry it, bearing our grief and the punishment. However, the most astounding of all to me was that Christ suffered the ultimate effect of the fall as the warning in the  first Garden stated “..for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. ” (Gen 2:17). And our Lord went on to die, not for His own sins, but for yours and mine.

All this, because of His obedience to the Father’s will and His love for you and me. It is a love that is most genuine and willing. My dear friend, if you have yet to believe on the one who gave His life in exchange for yours and paid the highest price for redeeming you from sin and hell, I pray you consider the cross and what Jesus went through. The sacrificial offering for sin has been made, the free offer of salvation is extended to you, and God invites us to believe in simple faith.

Oh, what a blessed knowledge to know that when the Lord Jesus had finished praying, the matter was fully settled and He set His face toward Calvary’s cross. There was no turning back, no recoiling from obeying the will of the Father. And this all because our Lord prayed “Thy will be done”.

May we too have the same prayer.

om 8:32 “He …  spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all …”

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Categories : Meditations, Prayer, Spiritual

Getting Lean

18 11 2009

It’s an occupation hazard, you know … sitting at a desk for a good portion of the day where the non-physical activity is interspersed with meal times and occasional snacks. Slightly detrimental I’d say. It was only recently that I decided to embark on a little diet regime which i hope would keep me a little more in check and bring back some of the youthfulness to this 29 year old just before he turns 30 in about a month’s time. Seems to be working, I’ve lost a bit of weight and hope to see the ‘downtrend’ continue.

In this my first more genuine attempt to actually start on a simple diet plan to lose some much ‘not-needed’ weight, it got me thinking. Here I am depriving myself of some of the usual food fare that I’m used to tucking away. For the first time, I’m watching calorie counts and making sure i drink lots of water etc etc. Now, there’s nothing quite wrong with a getting involved in a good nutritious diet or a fitness plan to trim down. It’s important to look after this physical body God has given us. But there’s something much more important than watching what you eat and physical shape…. it’s the taking care of our spiritual diet and our spiritual condition.

Spiritual lethargy is a sad reality amongst believers of any generation. And in this generation, we have seen that there are a myriad of things that occupy our time so much as to crowd the out Lord from our lives. Just to name a few … there’s the tv and the net, RSS feeds, books and magazines, techno gadgetry, meetings and meetups , movies, cooking, children and there’s even gym and fitness programs to add to the mix. Basically, anything can become an idol in our lives if we don’t keep it in check and we slacken in our walk with the Lord. The book of 1John ends with 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” Idols are anything which take the place of God at the center our lives and replaces His influence.

And so I’d borrow from an analogy of what we can do to maintain our walk with Lord strong and vibrant …

Point 1: Watch what we eat. We all need a steady supply of consumption of God’s Word. This is where true spiritual nourishment is found. Sometimes, we may enjoy reading a book by a Christian author to the neglect of actually going to the word. But there are no substitutes for the word of God and to spiritual vigor. I’m reminded of the words in Psalm 1 “But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. ” (2:3). His preoccupation is with the word of God and he consumes and is consumed by it, the results are blessings which the Lord would not withold because he is well nourished.

Now, watching what we eat also entails being careful of what you and I should not consume. And the word of warning in 1Peter 2:11 tells us “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” and we are not to “.. make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. ” Romans 13:14.

As believers we ought to be careful of what we allow our eyes to see and mind to take in. Gal 6:7-8 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Just as in any case, there is cause and effect if you do that which can only be detrimental to you … we will reap blessings if we sow rightly.

An interesting passage on nourishment is when the apostle spoke to young Timothy.

1Tim 4:6-8 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. (7) But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness. (8)  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (9) This [is] a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation….

God desires that  we are nourished in the words of faith and good sound doctrine. It tells me that nourishment comes from God’s word and we to be put remembrance of these things.

Verse 7 leads me on to my second point. Alongside nourishment, we also need something else.

Point 2: Exercise

It’s time to pick up the pace and work off the lackadaisical attitude. Paul contrasts it with bodily exercise to tell us that  exercising ourselves toward godliness is so much more profitable. That’s because there is an eternal value tied to it. This body can and will decay one day, it is inevitable. But just as the man in Psalm 1, even in his old age he will be as a tree planted by the river and his leaves shall not wither. Speaking on the trials and afflictions in life, we are reminded “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” 2Co 4:16. How do we exercise ourselves toward godliness. It mean put yourself to the test of living a godly life. It entails the rest of the apostle Paul spoke regarding how we are to be careful to be prayerful in our walk, careful to maintain good works (Titus 3:18), exercising discernment (Heb 5:14), it’s exercising to “… live soberly righteously and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:12) . It is also in keeping our conscience clear before the Lord just as he said in Act 24:16 “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and [toward] men.”

Believer, are you facing spiritually leanness? Have you lost the joy and desire of walking with the Lord? If we are undernourished and spiritual vitality has waxed away, God calls us back to His Word. And to balance it up … don’t forget the exercise.


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Categories : Exercise, Fitness, God, Meditations, Prayer

Patient Waiting

31 12 2008

It has been a year filled with many thrills and spills, ups and downs, highs and lows… whatever combination one could tag to the year that has gone, one thing is definite …  a lot happened. To all of it, there were lessons to be learned and lesson to be relearned.

Today being the last day of the year 2008, it’s time to pause, reflect on the year that has been and the year that could have been. Yes, there were probably some things we set out to do, but did not accomplish (maybe due to one reason or another). But instead of ruing over missed opportunities, it’s vitally important that we take good stock and reevaluate. If there is something the Lord wants us to do, let us not delay.

As for me at the close of 2008, I’m reminded to be thankful to the Lord for all that has transpired throughout the year. The new year stands before me, new challenges on the home front, the job front and also in ministry. I can only pray that I will draw nearer to Him for grace and strength for every step of the coming way. I pray for consistency in my walk with the Lord so that I will be found faithful in Him.

Recently over the past month of December, as I was preparing some thoughts on the Lord’s servant Simeon in Luke 2, i was led to think about what it means for a believer to live in expectancy of His master’s return. It was summed up in the word “waiting”.3 thoughts came to my mind on the word “wait” and i thought I’d just share it here as it may be edifying.

Firstly, the believer is called to wait upon the Lord, meaning to trust the Lord for his very sustenance and strength as Isaiah 40:31 puts it “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. “ This is the unguarded secret God has given us to true spiritual vitality. Though it’s very possible to go very far by mere human strength, we are reminded that youthful energy will sap and fail. Such efforts will fail, not merely in the end result, but ultimately in it’s sustainability. God’s word assures us that it is to those who are supplied by power from on high that will soar above…not sour, they’ll walk … not wilt. Thus, we are called to look to Him, to wait upon the Lord.

Secondly, to wait is to have the attitude of patient watching. We know not the day or the hour when our Lord Jesus Christ will come for His people, but we certainly want to be ready for it. We are exhorted in James 5:7-8 to “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (8)  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” 3 times we have the word patient or patience is used with regards to us watching. I think Paul’s trying to reinforce something to us. It’s only the evil servant says “my Lord delayeth his coming” (Matt 24:48) whilst the faithful and watching servant remembers His Lord’s words “Surely I come quickly.” and says “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev 22:20). Let us be found patiently waiting.

Finally, as we wait for the Lord we show our love for Him. Isaiah 64:4  reads “For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” Later on in the NT, as Paul quotes the Isaiah passage, we read in 1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” God has prepared, he has blessing in store for those who love him and show that devotion in their waiting for him. And so, it is those who wait for Him who love him, just as much as show that those who love Him would want to be found waiting for Him. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 ties these 2 elements of love and waiting together “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.”

Dear believer, as we usher in a new year may this be an encouragement to our hearts to be found patiently waiting for Jesus Christ’ sure and imminent return. My new year prayer for you is found below in verse 21, the last words of holy writ recorded in revelation of which i alluded to earlier). As we patiently wait for Him, we most certainly need to live by grace.

Rev 22:20  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Rev 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Here’s wishing you a very blessed 2009.

Sincerely,

Antioch Agent


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Categories : His Return, Meditations, Prayer, Spiritual, Words

Doing Battle

18 09 2008

Ephesians 6:10-18

v10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
v11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
v12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
v13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
v14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
v15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
v16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
v17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
v18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…

The Armor of God

I was digging through some of my archived material that was created for teaching on John Bunyan’s classic The Pilgrim’s Progress back in 2004. This was the lesson where Christian (the Pilgrim in the story) got ready for battle against Apollyon and needed to suit up. As I prepared for the lesson, I realized that the final and essential piece to the teaching on the armor of God was not something to be worn or put on, rather it was something the soldier had to be constantly at. It was …. “PRAYER”, right after the sword of the Spirit is mentioned.

Imagine this. Technically one could be fully clad with the armor of God, and yet without prayer … the soldier would be truly powerless against the enemy. He would be without his true spiritual resource for strength. Prayer must be the first and final most important aspect in the spiritual warfare the saint wages. If he’s going to be ready to face the trials and temptations that are to come, the Apollyon’s, he has to “watch” and “pray” (Mark 13:33). In this all important chapter on spiritual warfare, we find that verse 18 has got similar words “praying” & “watching” (in the reverse order). We know that prayer is essential for preparation into battle, but we also read that we are to be engaged in prayer while engaged in battle. Furthermore, when we may be out of the thick of battle we are still exhorted to pray for other saints who are in the battle field. I think this helps bring home the reason why Paul reminded us that we ought to be “praying always with all prayer”

In spiritual warfare the saint should be Postured (stand v.11,13,14), be fitted with all the Pieces (the whole armor v.13-17) and persevering in Prayer (v.18).


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Categories : Prayer, Spiritual, Warfare

Public Rally

2 07 2008

With all this talk of a “one million” rally, I’m joining the fray.

Announcement !

Antioch Agent is calling for a rally, to rally in prayer for this little nation in the midst of social and political revolution turmoil. It’s a rally of 1,2 or 3, slightly more modest than the one being called for in Padang Timur this Sunday. But we can have certainty that our voices will be heard because God is in our midst and listens to His people more than the shouts of dissent of a multitude.

Venue: Your local assembly prayer meetings and behind closet and room doors.

Purpose: Let us pray for peace to reign in this country, wisdom for the rulers, common sense to prevail, that pride will not prevail, freedom for the gospel to be sounded and for men to turn to the true Lord.

Believers, let’s uphold this nation in prayer.


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Categories : malaysia, Prayer

Just Some Thoughts …

24 06 2008

As I search the morning paper, I’ve noticed that good news is hard to come by. It’s in scarcity these days. This is where the law of supply and demand doesn’t quite apply, for you can’t merely manufacture good news to meet with it’s demand. So what we have often times is a steady flow of quite the opposite. Even  these days you’ve got to think twice before accepting what people term as good news, simply because it may very well turn out to be otherwise. There’s just  this extra whiff of negativity in the air these days.

My beloved countrymen are growing increasingly discontented and angry with the slightest hint of price hikes, ready to take to the streets when a rally call is sounded, scream on blogs, set up facebook groups, lambaste the powers that be on almost every decision made. You strike up a conversation with a citizen you randomly meet on the road and you’d realize just how everyone seems to have a take on this, almost usually negative. The political situation in my homeland is tremulous and as unstable as ever, descent and revolt is encouraged, even celebrated. Honest Abe’s Gettysburg address of “government of the people, by the people, for the people” seems to be wrenched out and used as a battle cry for defiance.

But really, it’s not quite any different with the rest of the world. This little plot of real estate in South East Asia is merely a small caricature of what is being felt and experienced by the world at large. There is upheaval in the world over just about anything you can name, be it in the political sector, the petroleum problem or very simply amongst the people themselves.

I’ve addressed something similar to this before in an earlier dated blog when the people (including some Christians) were taking to the streets for the hopeful ‘clean up’ (Bersih). Once again, what is the appropriate response for us as believers to the government we’re under (be it in Malaysia, the States, Mozambique, Iraq … etc) ?

I believe it to be clear that we are to be above all beyond reproach and blameless in our dealings with the world. And when it comes to what we are to do regarding the powers that be, it’s put down very practically to 3 simple commands “Obey”, “Pay”, “Pray”. A nice ring to it too (I have brother JB Nicholson to thank for this). Do consider the following …

Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

Romans 13:6-7 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour

1Timothy 2:1-4 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; (2)  For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; (4)  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I once had a friend who was complaining bitterly about having to pay high taxes and that the government was robbing his/her of his/her money that rightly his/hers. I had to gently remind my friend that even Christ said “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s”. If there was totalitarian regime that was not anywhere near democratic, had oppressive rules, set up extreme forms of capital punishment, imposed taxes, used public funds not for the people but for lavish spending amongst themselves … it was in Christ’s day. But just as Christ the Universal ruler and King of Kings condescended and submitted Himself to these little earthly kings, we too ought to follow in His steps and that which was conveyed by the apostles. It’s a case of WWJD. It doesn’t matter even if you’re living under the worst rule, the most draconian of laws, or a law of the land which could have you crucified by an unfair trial with corrupt judges … it shouldn’t change our simple obedience to God’s word.

Let us not fail to heed what Paul exhorted Timothy in the passage above. This world, this country, it’s rulers, need our prayers and it’s time for believers to not follow suit and be counted amongst earth dwellers who may have little to live for but this world. For us, it’s not time to storm the parliament, to ask for repeal or impose the will of the people. It’s time to storm the gates of heaven, it’s time to appeal to a higher authority (the very Highest), it’s time to seek His will and submit to it.

Just some thoughts.


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Categories : Country, Politics, Prayer, Spiritual

Remind me..

5 06 2008

Oh Lord help remind me …

Though the ground may quake & storm winds blow,

to hide myself in Thee, my Rock of Ages

Oh Lord help remind me …

When men lose their hope in mankind and government,

that one is my master, my gracious Ruler

Oh Lord help remind me …

When everything from pride to price seems to be soaring,

To mount up with wings of eagles and rise above it

Oh Lord help remind me …

When the world can’t look beyond it’s bleak circumstances,

to fix my eyes on Jesus and watch for His return


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Categories : Life, Meditations, Prayer

Joyful News !

28 05 2008

Joyous news indeed! Latest is that my friend Andrew who was diagnosed with metastatic esophageal cancer has seen a complete remission after rounds of chemotherapy. His P.E.T. scans look good. I wrote about him in a previous posting here. You can read his journal at the CaringBridge site. This is really really wonderful news and another reason to thank the Lord. I can’t imagine how delighted he is together with his fiancee, family and friends after all they’ve been through the past couple of months. We can still keep praying that the cancer will never make a come back and that it stays gone.

Andrew, (if you’re reading this) may you go on in strength and zeal for the Lord knowing His grace is sufficient for you. Something tells me that you’re not quite going to live a normal ‘normal’ life again after all you’ve been through. 🙂

Your ex-debating teammate, Adrian.

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”


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Categories : Prayer, Rejoice

A Chosen People

8 05 2008

Below is an excerpt from the latest May 2008 Berean Call newsletter written by Dave Hunt that I found interesting pertaining to the people of God, Israel. I believe many of us have talked about God’s dealings with the children of Israel in our conversations with our friends as we shared the gospel. It constantly gets brought up when we explain about Jesus coming out of the line of Judah and the connected prophecies related to the Jewish Messiah. It is indeed one of the great proofs of the uniqueness of the God of the bible.

* BTW, heard today that brother Dave Hunt has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is currently undergoing treatment for it. Do pray for the man who has been a faithful servant of the Lord and been bold to stand up against many false teaching that are prevalent both from within the church and without. He is already very advanced in age, (80+ i believe) but still very sharp for his age as you can see just below.*

[quote]

QUESTION: If you had time to give only one argument against atheism and evolution, what would it be?

RESPONSE: There are numerous scientific proofs refuting these pretentions. DNA contains written instructions for life, encoded in a language, which could come only from an infinite intelligence, and which had to be in place before the first cell came into being. Yet in spite of such facts, Francis Collins, who headed the Human Genome Project for ten years and should therefore be the ultimate expert on DNA, remains an evolutionist even after becoming a Christian. Scientific proofs, no matter how conclusive, seem insufficient.

Instead, I would use what God himself offers as the proof of His existence and the infallibility of His Word. What is that? His prophetic declarations concerning future events: “I am the LORD:…new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them….I am God…and there is none like me, declaring…from ancient times the things that are not yet done…” (Isaiah 42:8,9; 46:9,10, etc.).

There are hundreds of prophecies about Israel–even more than for the Messiah. God offers these as the major proof of His existence. For example, Joel 3:2 declares that in the last days God will “gather all nations” to Jerusalem to punish them for
1) their hatred and persecution of His people Israel; and 2) for dividing His land. Israel was conquered many times by various nations but never divided until the United Nations did it. UN Resolution 181 is called “the partition of the land.” It divided Israel, giving 87 percent to the Arabs (for oil) and 13 percent to the Jews, although the League of Nations’ 1922 Declaration of Principles had said that all of “Palestine” belonged to the Jews.

Resolution 181 also designated Jerusalem as an international territory never to be under the sovereignty of the Jews, fulfilling Christ’s declaration that it would “be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Lk 21:24). In Judgment Day, we thoroughly document the fact that the UN, EU, American presidents, and the Vatican are all joined in the attempt to force Israel to submit to international rule over Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 23:7-8 declares that the big news in the last days will no longer be Israel’s deliverance from Egypt under Moses but the Lord’s gathering back into their land His people Israel from “the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them….”

Zechariah 14:2 declares that in the last days all the nations surrounding Israel will be allied against her. In fact, throughout history the surrounding nations have never been united together in anything but have fought one another. In our day, however, the impossible has happened: just as God foretold, all are united against Israel by Islam.

These prophecies are too clear to be denied–and there are hundreds more. The evolution-creation argument will never be settled scientifically. Although it is helpful to give the numerous scientific reasons for rejecting evolution, we need to use the irrefutable proof God has given us. Many Bible prophecies are so simple, so clear, and their fulfillment so undeniable, that we need to rely primarily upon this superweapon our Lord has provided–not only in combating false science but in winning the lost through the gospel. Remember that Paul continually declared that the gospel was “according to the scriptures” (Rom 1:1-5; 1 Cor 15:3, etc.).

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With the ever increasing popularity of amillenialism and a reconstructionist view that tells us that the church today is the true Israel and that the Jews are now out of God’s plan, you will find that such employment of using prophecy in defense of the faith would not gain much acceptance amongst today’s evangelicals. To me, a denial of the fact that Israel is still a part of God’s program is problematic to say the least. There are prophecies specifically for the Jewish nation that do not pertain to the church at all. We only need to look at prophecy being fulfilled in our day as we see Israel being the center of world affairs. The unresolvable conflict over the Jerusalem still continues today as we see the Middle East crisis continually in crisis just as had been prophecied of old:

Zechariah 12:2-3 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah [and] against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”

I take this to be one of the only reasonable reasons why the conflict will never be resolved by the UN or any other intermediary party. It’s simply because God has declared Jerusalem to be a ‘cup of trembling’ and ‘burdensome stone’ for ‘all people’. Opposed to what some are saying, God has not forgotten His people whom He graciously called out for Himself. A much discussed portion on the word of God on this matter is found in Romans 11. I know of some who will disagree on my interpretation of it, but i believe the bible speaks for itself.

Rom 11:20-26 “… because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: … And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again … For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Is it not startling to see that especially these days, the apostle Paul’s warning has gone unheeded as we see many who are highminded and wise in their own eyes saying that Israel is no longer in the picture? Exactly the scenario we have in the passage above. Now, the passage also clearly tells us that God is able to graft them in again in the future. That we came into the good of God’s grand design of salvation because of their rejection is not a cause for us to assume that it’s now all about us and nothing any longer about them. No, not one promise of the Lord will fail to His people, both to Israel and His blood bought church.

The day is yet future when God will judge and destroy all ‘nations’ that come against Jerusalem. And the Jews will also then realize that they had mistakenly rejected their Messiah and mourn.

Zechariah 12:9-10 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (10) And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look on me whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for an only son , and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

So, we should continue to pray for the Jews that they would turn to believe the only gospel by which man can be saved. The gospel will never change and any Jew cannot be saved apart from the same way you and I are saved. However, it is a sad reality that ‘blindness in part’ has come upon them and their minds are veiled to the saving reality of their Messiah who did actually present Himself to them 2000 years ago. Him they rejected and sent to the cross and are now blind to the fact.

I think Dave has made a strong point there, Israel is an amazing piece of fulfilled prophecy that proves that God is indeed God. Just about everything has been done to annihilate them from the face of the earth, but He has miraculously preserved them (in their dispersion). He is the one who knows the end from the beginning and we need only trust and see that in the end “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) There are no failed promises with God. With the Lord, a promise made is a promise kept.


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Categories : Atheism, Gospel, Israel, Prayer, Prophecy


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