The Consequence of Moral Uncertainty

When there is no standard or universal truth, people would find it convenient for them to make standards and norms for themselves. Such standards and norms are inevitably subjective and relative. People like them anyway because they give the individuals a sense of freedom and control over what they like or hate. Such a liberal stance bears a great social and moral cost, namely, there is a general feeling and opinion of moral uncertainty as nothing is absolute or universal. One of the consequences of such a situation is that people tend to pick up the values from an egoistic and materialistic perspective. For instance, the theme of "family values" was a key one in the last several presidential elections in the United States. However, most Americans have a different understanding of what family values are about. Worse even, many people can't identify or define what “family values” are because the words' meaning has become so vague and imprecise nowadays.

Morality was once based on virtue while today morality is based on value. Therefore, morality changes as values change. In the last century, marriages are generally taken as sacred or solemn unions between a man and a woman. Today, marriages are probably no more than paper certificates of a so-called official union between either the opposite or even the same sex partners! Beloved, are you having some trouble or uncertainty about morality today? Do you have a good sense of truth and eternal values? If you are confused, please go back to the Bible as God's inspired words and be guided by them (2 Timothy 3:16)

Without God's words and an eventual standard of truth and value, people would be vulnerable to their desires, lusts and temperaments. It is the main cause for school shoot-outs happened from time to time in recent years in the States. It also makes divorces and separations commonplace nowadays in most cosmopolitan cities around the world. From a biblical point of view, it is a classic consequence of pushing out God's Word from our lives and hearts.

The dire consequence of adopting the lifestyles and falling on moral issues against God's Word is the judgment and the wrath of God. Evidence is ample throughout the history of God's dealing with people. The good news is God is still a loving Father and there is always hope in the Lord Jesus! Let's be watchful for ourselves and our society and bear witness to our Father with our Saviour's guidance and promises.

For further reading, see Causes Moral Uncertainty.

On Grief and Loss

Generally speaking, there are five stages in one's grieving process such as when a loved one is lost. The first one is denial – yes, it is human nature to deny any great loss to us. Sometimes, we simply hope that the situation that brings us grief is unreal. When we begins to accept what has happened is real, our denial will turn to anger. We become angry at ourselves, our loved one and even God. Anger turns subsequently to kind of a bargaining. As we try to get something out of such bargaining, it will take us eventually to sorrow. We're just inundated and baffled with sorrow. This sorrow can and will turn to acceptance of the tragedy later on.

Christians believe that there is always a good reason for why God brings something, including grief into our life. Indeed, no person could be exempted from grief in one's life. So the question really becomes "What can we do to help our friend to overcome their sorrows and grieves?” First, you have the opportunity to help your friends from their pain by assuring that you are still their friend. This is very important. They may have lost a dear loved one, but they haven't lost you as their friend. You haven't abandoned them and hopefully you are going to be there through their grieving process. You were there to listen to their agony or to talk sensitively with them when they wanted to, so that they know that you're going to be there to help them.

Persons at grief are usually confused by their pain and shut up in an imaginary dark world. Nevertheless, as soon as they reenter the world of normal life, you could offer yourself as a bridge to facilitate their reentry into the real world. All it takes is some time and a lot of love and patience. It takes somebody who could and would spend sufficient time with the bereaved to sense their needs, to sympathize with them and comfort them. It takes a friend who will encourage them as well as to do something supportive for them.

It is a great privilege to help one's friend through a tragedy. You have all you need when you have faith in Jesus Christ and are willing to follow His example (remember how our Lord comforted Martha & Mary at Lazarus' funeral, etc…). Let's trust that healing will come from the Lord Jesus if we are willing to be His vessel of mercy. Let's be encouraged by Psalm 48:14: "For this is God, our God forever and ever: He will be our guide, even unto death."

For further reading: see Helping in a Time of Healing

Assurance of Rejoicing

To the average Christian, it is not always feasible to rejoice in all things. Indeed, things could be very disappointing and even frustrating. How can we rejoice in all things as Paul has taught us (Philippians 4:4)? Indeed, Paul further opines in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 that we should rejoice always, pray constantly and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. Those who have followed Paul's advice would find that rejoicing is a great weapon for us to fight our way through obstacles and mishaps. Proverb 17:22 resonates that a cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.

I know some of our enthusiastic brothers and sisters might be disappointed at the outcome of our effort to win lost souls to Christ through various kinds of evangelism. Nevertheless, it is definitely not the end of the road to fulfill our Christian destiny. We should rather learn from our experience to foster a keener sense of the purpose and destiny of our lives, to promote discipleship through Biblical education, to ensure mutual understanding and solidarity among us through honest dialogue in the face of conflict in a healthy manner—not just how to "smile and get along" but how to disagree with grace.

If we can stick ourselves to the principle of rejoicing, determination and perseverance in our pursuit, and encourage one another with the promises of our Lord, I am sure God will open another door for our pursuit when the time is ripe. In between, it is a preparation for our future destiny with a joyful heart, a ceaseless hope and a constant prayer seeking God's guidance and blessings. May God the Father and the Lord Jesus help us! Amen.

My Goodbye Message to T.P.I.B.C.

Dear Brothers and Sisters of TPIBC,

I wish to thank all of you in the Tai Po International Baptist Church for your understanding and support during my tenure as the voluntary part-time minister in your church. I must thank also the volunteers, e.g. those who are involved with the children's ministry as most of them were overstretched both in terms of their involvement and tenures.

While some of our beloved members were leaving us, the Lord brought to us new families from abroad and local members like Emily, Dinnie and Alice. Indeed, God even called back Nilda to help us out! To me, they are the signs of our Lord's care and concern towards the church rather than coincidences. What's more, light is shed recently on our awaited and needed fulltime pastor–2 candidates have come forward with promising signs.

After my personal review, it is time for me to leave your church as an interim minister. Hopefully, I could dedicate myself to my endeavor to build up a local men's support ministry. Also, my leave should contribute to a larger space and freedom for the CMC and the congregation together to gauge and consolidate the imminent and specific needs in the church's pastoral ministries. Let me borrow the Apostle Paul's words (II Thess. 2:16–17) as my goodbye blessing to you:“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” Amen.

Howard (31/1/2007)

The Baptist Choice

Tom's article last week made a salient point: Our move to SFCC is neutral. Yet, our decision and commitment are crucial for the growth and advancement of both our church and us. You might wonder why we still have to conduct 2 rounds of voting if our church has somehow decided to move elsewhere for growth and development. The simple answer is that we are not 100% sure if God wants us to move exactly to the SFCC. Thus, our leadership has resorted to a cautious approach by arranging a confirmation voting by all of our regular attendants plus possibly (if at least 80% support is obtained in the first voting) another registered members' voting to affirm our decision.

At this juncture, I wish to bring your attention to the Baptist belief of congregationalism. Baptists concluded from the Bible that authority for church governance should reside with the congregation. Also, Christ is the head of the church (see the Baptist History and Heritage Society). Related to the latter principle are two significant concepts: soul competency and the priesthood of all believers (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6, 5:10). Soul competency is the idea that God has endowed individuals with the ability to decide matters of faith for themselves. Baptists also affirm that people have free access to God through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn (Mark 15:38). The symbol of the division between people and priest in the Old Testament was removed.

Through statements of faith, the Southern Baptists assert that the individual church is an autonomous body, operating through democratic processes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Members are equally responsible in such a congregation. This is the main reason why our CMC together decided to resort to the proposed 2 rounds of voting by our regular attendants and registered members respectively. By doing so, our church does live up to the Baptist faith and practice of making important decisions through such democratic process as voting. It is also an act of honesty and respect of our identity as a Baptist church and the priesthood of our believers. Beloved, please feel free to cast your sacred vote according to what the Spirit has led you. May God help us! Amen.

Howard, Oct. 22

Our Way to Move Ahead

You might have thought about whether we should move to the SFCC since our 2nd worship there on October 1st. I would like to take this opportunity to explain to you the relevant CMC decisions made accordingly. The CMC has been scrutinizing over the question of our relocation strategy in the past few months. We all agree that our church needs to grow and develop both for the kingdom of God and our own spiritual development. The remaining question is whether the SFCC is the right location for us.

Ever since our last 2 worships there, we have received some feedback from our members. For instance, some have opined that the SFCC is spacious, well facilitated and it has a beautiful surrounding. On the other hand, there are also comments on the possible traffic inconvenience of going to SFCC by the usual bus routes from areas of around Tai Po. Things appear to be a bit at a stalemate. Nevertheless, the same or similar concerns will emerge again if our church decides to move ahead at all. It happens to be SFCC this time. It could be anywhere (the Baptist Seminary, say) in the New Territory next time should things so happen and our situation so demands.

The CMC has consequently resolved to conduct 2 rounds of voting, the first being a pre-requisite voting for a minimum of 80% approval from our congregation (i.e. ALL WHO HAS CAST A VALID VOTE THEN) to move ahead to SFCC. Any registered member OR regular attendant of our church could and should vote with his/her choice in the first round. Regular attendants are those who have attended our church for a minimum period of 6 months with at least 2 Sunday attendances per month. The minimum 80% approval is intentionally set to make a cautious and prudent deliberation from among our congregants. With a bit of faith, we shall take the result of the first round of voting to be either an approval/disapproval from our Lord Jesus.

Should we get the minimum 80% on October 22nd, we would then make a motion to vote on our official decision to move ahead in the nearest general meeting of our registered members according to our church rules. Dear brothers and sisters, the move itself is neutral. Yet, our decision and commitment are crucial for the growth and advancement of both our church and us. Please do remember this in your prayer and be ready to vote according to what the Spirit has led you.

Tom, Oct. 15

Bulletin Article for TPIBC for October 1st

The Reward of Due Diligence and Watchfulness

Joanne's article last Sunday (Sept. 24) asked a question, “How can we hold onto God?” The answer is that we can do that through faith and obedience. Indeed, faith and obedience are the essential and basic attitude of followers of Christ in terms of our reliance upon and connection to God. Such a teaching is simple enough. Yet, its practice requires a lot of watchfulness and determination.

A couple in Christ came to me recently for pastoral counseling. They were looking for help and spiritual direction to overcome a recurrent problem in financial management. They have been believers in Christ for more than a decade hitherto. However, they have somehow missed the opportunity to develop and enter into a good spiritual discipline. As a result, they were beaten by their moods and led astray by the emotional responses when things were not going right for them. The test for our faith and obedience in Christ comes mostly during our afflictions and frustrations. Most Christians could perform well during times of prosperity and success. Nevertheless, the Bible tells us that the maturity and gifts of the Apostles Peter and Paul were perfected only after their personal trials and transformation.

It is almost a universal truth that every servant of our Lord Jesus has to go through some sort of trials and transformation before one could become a valuable instrument in the hands of our Lord. You may wonder how then Christians should prepare themselves to serve the Lord. Should we seek trials actively and purposefully? The answer is “NO”. Jeremiah 18: 4–6 teaches us that like the clay in the potter's hand, so are we in the hand of the Lord God. It is entirely up to our Lord Jesus for what we might have to go through and become at the end of the day.

Luke 12:35–36 records one of Jesus' parables teaching us to be dressed ready for service and keep our lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. This teaching tells us essentially to do what is right and watchful before the Lord God as we are His servants. Luke 12:37 goes on to comment that it will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. The master will even gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. What a surprising outcome! Beloved, how good a promise we have: we will be rewarded beyond our expectation if we are willing to follow the Lord as our master and serve him with due diligence and watchfulness.

Daily Devotional for September 22nd

Surprises and Assurance

Just 2 days ago (Sep. 20th), the wealthy and politically dominant Thai minister, Mr Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by a military coup during his attendance at the UN's General Assembly in New York. The new military leaders said Mr. Thaksin could return to Thailand but may face trial. Today, it is reported that The Pakistani president Mr. Pervez Musharraf said during his address in the same UN's General Assembly that following the attacks of September 11, the US threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the stone age" unless it joined the fight against al-Qaeda. Are these 2 pieces of news any surprise to you?

Another piece of surprising and sad news is the execution of three Christians today (Sep. 22nd) in Indonesia for leading attacks on Muslims six years ago that left at least 70 people dead and setting off fresh sectarian clashes on the Sulawesi Island. Ironically, the Muslim militants involved faced a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment only. “Justice” is really in the hands of the ruling and the powerful!

What an incredulous and absurd world we are living in! It is well known that the military has had a dramatic presence in the politics of Thailand. This is obvious from the confusing array of coups and coup attempts that have occurred since 1932 (see THAILAND: MILITARY INTERVENTION). As of today, the coup against Thaksin is something like the 18th in the array. Amazingly, people in Thailand are so used to them that the impact of the September 20th coup to their daily lives is so minimal!

The Apostle Paul's teaching about terrible times in the last days (II Tim. 3:1-5) is so vivid. He prophesied that people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,… slanderous, without self-control, … treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Beloved, what shall we do then? First, let's learn to protect ourselves by avoiding and turning away from those sinful acts and those having a form of godliness but denying its power. Secondly, let's not give up the mission to lead people to Christ while staying as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matt.10:16) in our footsteps to follow Jesus for we are citizens of the Eternal Kingdom.

Devotional for September 19th

The Cost of Evangelism

The Vatican released a statement on September 16th to explain the position of the Pope concerning Islam as a result of the controversy stirred up by the Pope's address at the University of Regensburg, Germany on September 12th. It stated that the Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. Understandably, the said statement was aimed at pacifying the recent outrageous reaction of the Muslim world towards the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, the wave of Muslim protests around the world especially in the hard-line Muslim areas is still surging.

The center of the controversy appears to be the Pope's quote of the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus' statement before an educated Persian, namely, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". The theme of the Pope's address (see LECTURE OF THE HOLY FATHER) was, according to the Vatican, rather that of “Acting unreasonably contradicts God's Nature”. The Pope quoted again Manuel II's remark, namely, "Not to act reasonably, not to act with logos, is contrary to the nature of God" in the conclusion of his concerned address.

The hostility and protests are certainly unfortunate events. It is also a sad thing regarding the use of violence in connection with religion. As a reflection, these events prompt me to ponder over our relationship with the other religions and the cost of our Lord's Great Commission. In Luke 12:51, Jesus said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” What an amazing remark it is – especially when we think of Jesus' earlier teaching (Luke 6:27) that we should love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. The apparent conflict between love and division could be resolved through John 15:18-20 when Jesus pointed out that, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.”

It is so true that preaching the gospel requires a proper understanding of our neighbours and the cultures around us. It often attracts some form of confrontation between us as Jesus' embassadors and the world because behind somebody's conversion is spiritual warfare! Beloved, let's remind one another of the Lord's instruction (Matt.10:16) for us to be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves when we are sent into the lost world.

Devotional for September 14th

Our Hope and Destiny

Beloved, have you thought about what heaven is like as our future destiny? In your attempts to preach the gospel to others, similar questions might prompt up such as: “If the people in heaven have no lust and desire, are they living like monks? If there are no money, no hunger, no material needs, what then will be their satisfaction?” Do you have an answer for them?

For a genuine seeker of ETERNITY, we should praise them for their sincerity in their quest for human beings’ ultimate destiny. Obviously, there are NO simple answers to the above questions. However, we could take the chance to reflect on the promises in the Bible and to share our honest belief and hope with them. Most of such questions have two foci, namely,
(1) What is "heaven" in the Christian sense? and
(2) How is the life in the heavens like?

The biblical answers for (1) are available in Isaiah 65:17 which points out that the Lord will create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. Isaiah 66:22 assures that the new heavens and the new earth shall remain before God. II Peter (3:13) states that righteousness will dwell in the new heavens and the new earth. Hence, the Righteousness of God will replace the unrighteousness and depravity (including the transient good things) of the current cosmos we are in. In fact, chapters 21 & 22 of Revelation describe the new heavens and earth as an absolute purity. They are also free from the wrath and curse of God.

As for (2), I Corinthian (2:7,9) says, “But we (i.e. Paul & his coworkers) impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification.… But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him'.” The important clue in these verses is that it is beyond our imagination and physical senses concerning the actual livelihood or events which will take place in the new heavens and earth.

Thus, we have a good reason to believe that our eternal destiny is really good and promising. It is guaranteed by God's grace given through our faith. It is the true gift of God not because of our works; lest any man should boast and might find a reason to argue that one may become dull of such eternal destiny.

Devotional for September 13th

A Choice for the Narrow Gate

Have you ever seen somebody spitting in the public? If you are a regular mainland traveler, I would bet you must have seen such “disturbing” acts as spitting in the open or yelling aloud in restaurants. Honestly, I feel a bit disgraced as a Chinese in front of such uncivilized acts because they are either unhygienic or causing a nuisance. Nevertheless, people's reaction to unseen but potentially hazardous acts is very much different.

One of my good old friends in Canada asked me recently: Is man-to-woman marriage a moral standard based on biblical story? How about one to two, two to two etc.... If God had created two men and two women in the first place, do we have a two-to-two situation? He also pointed out that the church has been against the homosexuality strongly via different means while some scientists had suggested it was a genetic problem. Beloved, have you been challenged by a similar question before. Sadly enough, the advocates for homosexuality and homosexual marriages often turn a blind eye to the ever increasing divorce rate in our modern society, the increase in the incidences of sexually transmitted diseases especially the risk of AIDS spreading around the world. They also neglect the important findings by sincere researchers that it is too early to conclude that homosexual inclination is genetically determined. The traditional family system and values of the west are facing a threat of disintegration much as the Chinese Confucian values were facing during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

The western world today is not only that the fear of God and faith in the Lord Jesus are no longer their norm, their peoples have a tendency to do away with all the traditional norms. Instead, the individual person and individualistic freedom is at the center of such post-modern cultures where the INDIVIDUAL often takes precedence over the collective society. There are definitely social and anthropological reasons behind such a tendency. Amazingly, the Bible (e.g. Jude 17-19) has foretold long ago that in the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. They are the men who divide the Christians; who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit – what a striking similarity with our existing situations!

As an individual, one is free to choose one's choice and values. However, the reasonable choice should be made in terms of the development, welfare and sustainability of the human society at large. As Christians, we must remember the Apostle Peter's warning (II Pet. 3:10) that the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. For this reason, we must exercise our spiritual freedom to bear witness to our Lord and to be a salt and light to the world even though it is the narrow gate that the world would despise.

Bulletin Article for TPIBC on September 17th

Peace and Courage

Joanne's article last Sunday (Sep. 10th) mentioned Tse Pau Pau, a sister whose life was dictated by a great sense of fear before she was delivered by Christ Jesus. We, most probably, have gone through a similar struggle and bondage (be it fear or emptiness) before our conversion. Being saved is a wonderful experience. On the other hand, being Christian is a life long experience and blessings. Nevertheless, our Lord has not promised his followers a through road of success and prosperity in the world. What the Lord Jesus has promised (Jn.14:27) is His Peace. He also reminds his followers not to let their hearts be troubled and do not be afraid because Christians are Jesus’ messengers sent into the world (Jn.17:18). For this reason, Jesus had prayed for all those believe in Him before he returned to the Father. His prayer (Jn.17:15-17) is not that the Father will take the believers out of the world but that God the Father will protect them from the evil one because Christians are not of the world and are sanctified by the truth – the Word of God.

As a matter of fact, proclamation of the gospel is not an easy task for behind someone's choice to accept or reject the Salvation of Jesus Christ is spiritual warfare! It is obvious warfare when we try to preach the gospel to the Muslim or anti-Christian countries. It is also warfare even when the gospel is preached in Christian countries! Do you agree? Let's think about the 9-11 attack and tragedy 5 years ago. It is a sign of the conflict between the western Christian nations and the Muslim Middle East. Furthermore, it is the result of mutual distrust and hatred between the two camps. More unfortunately, the road to a real peace and solution to eliminate terrorism through the application of armed forces and retribution appears to be endless! Indeed, such a retributive reaction and treatment of the problem does not conform to the Christian principles of love and hope.

The modern advocacy of the liberalistic freedom and rights has resulted in pluralistic and highly individualistic societies in the west. The fear of God and faith in the Lord Jesus are no longer their norm or foothold. The authority of the Bible is replaced by their ever changing constitutions. The Christian love and hope are being overwhelmed by the quests for worldly achievements and competitions. Today, few people in the west talk about leadership through service and humility. Rather, people are craving after leadership by leading and success. It is against such a backdrop that the gospel is making its way through to save the lost souls. Dear brothers and sisters, let's encourage one another with the Lord's promise of His Peace and do not be discouraged in our Christian pursuit for we are Jesus’ messengers sent into the world having a divine protection from God. Amen.

Devotional for September 6th

A Heart for The Seasons

In my devotional Master of Our Freewill dated August 25th, 2006, I quoted Luke 12:34 saying, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Beloved, where is your treasure today? Is your heart with it? As Christians, we are taught and encouraged to look to our heavenly treasures. As human beings, we are under a constant reminder of the power and influence of money. Such a situation often draws us into a dilemma in our decision making.

I once heard a story about a Christian brother's confession during his escape from Vietnam. It goes back to the time when Vietnam was divided. The said brother was a rich man living in the South. He enjoyed his living and business before the South was annexed by the North. As South Vietnam was tumbling, he had to desert his business and join a massive exodus to flee out of Vietnam. During his escape to the nearby countries, he could still travel in a Mercedes Benz with his family! He figured out a clever idea to hide his treasure by forcing all his bank notes into an empty tyre. Unfortunately, the vehicle broke down in the middle of an isolated area. His family had to spend the cold night there. Without suitable firewood or other materials to light a fire, he finally had to burn up his treasured bank notes for his family's sustenance! Tears immediately rushed down from his eyes. His heart was aching with a strong sense of distress and repentance – he was so sad that he had not used the money wisely to support his church and God's kingdom while he was free to do that. Things were too late then because he was running for his survival in a country filled with hatred.

Beloved, does the above story remind you of any thing? It really enlivens the parable in Matthew 25:14-29 about the burden of servants to make profits on behalf of their master. Isaiah 55:6 urges us to seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let's learn from the aforesaid story and prepare ourselves against possible crises in our lives. The Apostle Paul's reminder (I Thess. 5:1-2) is germane – But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Bulletin Article for TPIBC on September 3rd

Our Transition Reviewed

In my earlier article (12 Feb.,06), I talked about our transition. Specifically, I pointed out then that you should be seeing me much less frequently than before. At the same time, I am open and ready for whatever consultation or assistance as may be required by our congregation since I am still an interim minister of our church. Time really flies, another 6 months have past ever since and my service has been reviewed by our CMC members recently as my service agreement is renewed on a 6-month basis.

There is some fine tuning in my modes of service with our church. They are only minor adjustments. For instance, I shall attend Sunday services more often – not less than 3 Sundays per month. Joanne will continue to serve us in her interim role as our minister. We shall cooperate to serve our congregation and the needs of our church. As you might have noticed, there is some sort of division of responsibilities between us. Joanne will be the best person of contact regarding the needs of our sisters while I shall be looking after the needs of our brothers. Obviously, there is no harm if any brother wishes to talk to Joanne direct or any sister to me. We will be most happy to help out.

I would like to thank our CMC for giving me a bit more of the flexibility to try out my endeavors as an independent evangelist. You could learn more of them by clicking onto my blog. A web link to My Articles is also provided therein. It is a collection of my articles basically written for our church's purposes. For example, I shall be supplementing my sermons with the articles so written. I am trying to post up daily devotionals on a weekly basis (3–6 devotionals per week) there. Hopefully, it will provide a meeting point for our brothers who are facing an increasing demand to work in China or other parts of the world. Let's remain in touch with one another through facilities such as emails or web writings. Let me also emphasize that any body among us is welcome to surf and comment on my articles as a way of communication and exchange.

Joanne and I shall be visiting newcomers to our church in order to promote their connection with us. If your home is available to ministers like us, please do not hesitate to invite us to visit you. A good understanding and communication among our members is essential in keeping us connected and concerned. May God the Father and Jesus our Lord help and guide us along while we are seeking His view and blessings for our congregation.

Devotional for September 1st

The Wisdom of Investment

There are a lot of investments in the world. Some of them would generate substantial and even phenomenal returns. For instance, Warren Buffett (a very famous American investor) has amassed an enormous fortune from astute investments, particularly through his company Berkshire Hathaway. Starting from $100 in 1956, he established Buffett Associates Limited as his first investment partnership. From such a humble beginning, Buffet eventually becomes the 2nd richest man of the world in 2006 according to the Forbes' list.

On the other hand, failures in investment are generally more numerous than successes. For instance, there were 3071 local bankruptcy cases in 1999, 4606 cases in 2000 and 9151 cases in 2001 in Hong Kong. Such a trend still exists and 2500 bankruptcies have been filed in the first quarter of 2006. All these figures reveal an undeniable fact ─ investing is a risky business!

What does the Bible teach us about “investment”? Matthew 25:14-29 unambiguously talks about the burden of servants to make profits on behalf of their master. As a result, the one who received one talent was condemned because of his inaction and his fear of taking risk! Thus, we have to be very cautious in terms of spiritual investments if we do consider our Saviour to be our Lord. In another parable of the dishonest steward (Luke 16: 1-9), the master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. The Lord Jesus went on to tell us to make friends for ourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive us into the eternal habitations.

Beloved, have you thought about the question of investment seriously? What is your lesson or illumination from reading the aforesaid parables? The billionaires are certainly to be envied in this world. Nonetheless, have you ever envy the Apostles in the spiritual realm with a view to the new heaven and earth to come as promised in the Bible? Let's use our freedom and gifts today in investing for our eternal future. Indeed, it is our responsibility to invest wisely and properly for the Kingdom of God. More importantly, our Lord's promises and assurance of our eternal destinies are too great a reward to be ignored! Let's therefore encourage and stimulate one another with the example of the poor widow in Luke 21:2 who put in two copper coins into the temple treasury.

Daily Devotional for August 25th

Master of Our Freewill

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced in mid June 2006 that he would transition out of his Microsoft CEO role beginning in July 2008 to further his career in philanthropy with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill and Melinda Gates have already contributed not less than 16 billion US dollars to the foundation comprising three major program areas—Global Development, Global Health, and U.S. Programs.

Bill Gates has been number one on the Forbes list of The World's Richest People from 1995-2006 with 50 billion US dollars of assets. I am sure he is both a well-known entrepreneur and a much talked about celebrity of humanitarian efforts. What you might not have known is that there are also reports that he is also a man with the usual struggles as you and I have. Would you believe that people such as Bill Gates still has struggles over values and meaning of life? It is genuine even though it sounds surprising.

Do you still remember the parable of the foolish rich man in Luke 12:15-21. Before telling the parable, Jesus warned his listeners to beware of all covetousness for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. He then gave a self-explanatory story of a rich man bothering over where to store his bountiful crops. The rich man decided he would build larger barns so as to store up all his grain and goods for his own future use and enjoyment. Nevertheless, he was not aware that God would reclaim his soul that very night. Jesus then posted a question to the rich man, “The things you have prepared, whose will they be?'

This simple story of value disorientation is so true that Bill Gates is not the only rich man struggling for an eternal answer in our Age. You might have heard of Thomas Kwok's (郭炳江) testimony of how he was led to the Lord Jesus by an immense feeling of emptiness, sadness and uncertainty around late 1994. It is so true that (Luke 12:34) where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. In terms of freewill, the actual deployment of one's riches is the true sign of his freewill and values. There is a similar oriental philosophy that true richness is measured by how much one spends not how much one has. In this sense, Mother Teresa is truly rich even by earthly standards.

Beloved, we all know that Christians are not exempt from the need and temptation of money. An honest test of our values and volition is the way and manner with which we spend our money or riches. Let's be reminded by the foregoing parable that we should opt to lay up our treasures in heaven while we are still free and masters of our freewill.

Daily Devotional for August 24th

Trials and Freewill

A friend of mine is facing a tough decision ahead – he needs a drastic treatment to release himself from a persistent and overwhelming financial burden. He is a free man and definitely nobody can rob him of his freewill. However, mature adults as we are know pretty well the dilemma facing such significant and vital decisions in life. What matter are usually not the facts but our emotion and perception.

It is a human nature to seek security and safety as well as to avoid uncertainty. However, it is more often than not that we tend to over protect ourselves with such inclination. As a result, we might end up entangled and become estranged with unjustifiable details and worries in our decision making process. Hence, we loss our orientation in the forest (of reality) while paying too much attention to minute details of a particular spot in it. Is this amazing to you? Let me testify with my and others' experiences known to me, we are biased towards over protection and disorientation unless we have been trained and coping with similar challenges before. Otherwise, it is only through God's grace and guidance that we could make right the first time when we are faced with a threatening and impending challenge.

The Apostle James is well aware of our weaknesses with his teaching (James 1:2-4) telling us to count it all joy when we meet various trials. He further states that for we know that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that we may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Brothers and sisters, do you agree with James? Proverb 15:33 tells us the fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor. It goes further (16:2-3) to state that all the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit. Thus, our plans will be established by committing our work to the LORD. An important illumination from the foregoing teachings leads us to understand that trials, humility, trust and commitment in the Lord are essential to set us free from our fleshy and sinful bondages.

Dear brothers and sisters, let's encourage one another to commit ourselves during the trials of life to the promises and teaching of God the Father if you were facing an imminent challenge. Let's also experience how true it is that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!

Daily Devotional for August 22nd

Restoration of Our Freewill

I mentioned yesterday that our world is filled with so much illusions and false teachings working to hinder and disable our free choice in Jesus Christ. It practically means our freewill could be impaired. Yes, it is possible to impair and even deprive somebody of his/her freewill! It involves profound philosophical concept and ideas. Nevertheless, freewill is basically independent and free volition on a pragmatic ground. In other words, freewill is the power to make conscious choices and deliberate decisions in a free and independent manner.

Nowadays, some people question the existence of “freewill” because they claimed that there is scientific evidence showing that people make decisions before the area of the brain responsible for rational thought even gets activated. It is definitely an issue too complicated to be thoroughly discussed in this article. However, we may refer to some of our daily experiences to get an insight of the issue. Parents know well how conflicting or uncontrollable our children and youngsters are. Their behavior is not only rebellious but often unpredictable. For instance, most young children would be excited and happy to go to parties and most of them would make honest promises for behaving well. Nevertheless, clashes and quarrels among youngsters are almost inevitable subsequently. This is a typical illustration for our (youngsters’ at least) inability to fulfill or live up to our freewill and its promises.

Adults are not much better. Taking the example of making New Year resolutions, an American statistics shows that in the longer term, 80% of resolution-makers become resolution-breakers. If you would make a log of what you’ve been decided or resolved to achieve or do and follow them up diligently, I am sure you would agree with me that we are more often side-tracked or off-tracked than not. One of the main reasons behind such discrepancies is the impairment of our freewill. The question becomes then what shall we do to restore our freewill?

The Apostle Paul states that (II Cor. 3:17) the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. In order to regain freedom and hence freewill, we must trust and be abide by the Lord Jesus. The reason is obvious, no one can be living and free before God our Father without a regenerated soul. From a biblical point of view, we may attribute the impairment of our freewill to sin. Indeed, we were once dead but are alive, were lost but are found as God’s children. In order to keep and cherish such a miraculous regeneration and the faculty of freewill, let’s be reminded of the importance of keeping our heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life (Pro. 4:23).

Daily Devotional for August 21st

A Matter of Choice

Besides God, another important factor determining our life destiny is our freewill since we decide with our freewill to believe or not. The Apostle Paul points out in II Thess. 2:13 that from the beginning God chose us to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. The work of the Spirit is definitely initiated by and of God while our belief in the truth is essentially a personal response and choice by the individual believer. Paul also reminds us (Heb.11:6) the importance of faith for without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Bearing in mind that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1).

I am sure most of us (if not all) must have some kind of “crossroad” experience where we are stranded at a junction of choices because we hesitate and could not make up our mind on which way to choose. The underlying reasons are various. Some may find it difficult to make a choice because they could not see through the available pathways regarding their destinations. Others may simply find that making a choice is too risky for them. Hence, they'd rather somebody make the choice for them.

As you might know, I had been serving as a civil servant before I embarked on my current career as an independent evangelist. The main reason for leaving my former job is basically that I am a job seeker in our Lord's Kingdom. As Christians, we would certainly long for a commendation by the Lord Jesus regarding our earthly works. The Apostle Paul has made a very vivid comment [I Cor. 3:12 – 14]: "If any man builds on this foundation (i.e. Jesus Christ) using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward."

A Christian brother has once asked me, "Howard, are you so sure you are making the right choice?" My heartfelt answer is: "I am not sure if my choice is the best but I believe in our Lord and His choice which is the best." I think you would agree with me that our present status as a chosen people is really a grace of our Lord who, with His wisdom and foreknowledge, had chosen us right from the beginning of our lives at least.

Let us treasure our status as the Lord's chosen people through our choice of His will and plan for our lives. This is especially important when our world is filled with so much illusions and false teachings working to hinder and disable our free choice in Jesus Christ.

Daily Devotional for August 17th

On Our Destiny

As a child of God, have you ever thought about your personal destiny? After all, can we know our destiny? The answer is both yes and no. “Yes”, the Bible is crystal clear about a faithful believer's destiny ─ eternal life and blessings in Heaven. Alternatively, any disbeliever in Jesus Christ as our Saviour will be doomed to the eternal punishment in Hell. “No”, the Bible is basically silent about the average believer's earthly destiny. The life and mission of the Lord Jesus is an obvious exception as is proclaimed in Hebrew (10:7) that“Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God, as it is written of me in the roll of the book.” (see also Luke 24:25-27)

When we refer to Bible characters such as Abraham, Moses, David, Ruth, Esther… and the Apostles, we may feel a strong sense of pre-destination in their destinies. In fact, I do believe that God has a plan for every one of us in Christ (see Eph. 2:10). Yes, we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. This reminds us that God prepared us long ago with a purpose, i.e. to do good works according to His will. Besides God, another important factor determining our life destiny is our freewill. The irony is that we were sinners under the bondage of sin until Christ has made us free (Gal. 5:1). The greatest freedom in Christ is exemplified by his sacrifice on the cross. The Apostle Paul therefore urges us not to use liberty for an occasion to the flesh after we are set free in Christ (Gal. 5:13). We should rather serve one another by love.

Brothers and Sisters, I certainly could not give you a clear answer on your earthly destinies. However, it is both a mystery and goodwill of God our Father and Jesus our Lord that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28). Hence, we may safely assure one another that our destiny in the Lord is linked to love and our freewill to serve God and the people around us. What is better out there than the promise of a blessed eternal life for the faithful believer? So, let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works (Heb.10:23 – 24).