What Does It Mean To Dwell In Understanding?

Through some difficult experiences and lessons learnt, with the aid of my relationship with Carol, I begin to understand what it means to dwell in understanding.

Pastor Tan (CHC), once shared that husbands should dwell in understanding towards their wives, just as Christ towards the Church. Jesus loves the Church much more than the Church loves Him.

The same goes for us as believers and leaders (in any sphere of influence which God has placed us in, not necessary in Church, as Church is just one of the seven pillars of society) – to dwell in understanding towards other believers (of course, non-believers too).

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
- Song of Solomon 2:7 (ESV)

There is a limit to a person’s capacity to love God. This speaks of spiritual growth. God truly understands how much a person can love Him. For example, if we can’t lay down everything for Him at the moment, we can simply acknowledge it and ask Him to help us grow to that level. There’s no need to act holy and say, ‘I can!’ when we really can’t. For God searches our hearts and minds.

‘I am He who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.’
- Rev 2:23b (ESV)

This is the same for our response towards others. If a person is not able to walk out a truth in the Bible, we NEED to dwell in understanding.

My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
- Song of Solomon 2:9 (ESV)

God doesn’t encroach our personal choice. Instead, He waits patiently until we are ready to move along with Him. The same goes for us towards others. If a person is not ready/willing to respond in the right way, we need to wait. If we think that something must be done, why not divert all the attention and energy to prayer and intercession?

Wanting a person to do what the Bible says is like telling a smoker not to smoke and quote the Scriptures, ‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?’ – 1 Cor 6:19a (ESV)

Someone once said to a sister, ‘I can quote many references from the Bible to show you that you should do this…’

Sometimes, saying the right thing and demanding the right response doesn’t work. In fact, demanding for the right response isn’t the most loving way to approach an issue. It only causes a person to resist. Now, this is not about head knowledge.

Some like to quote, ‘Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him…’ .

“Bible says, ‘Speak the truth in love’, so I must speak the truth in love.”

Yet, this verse is quoted commonly out of context. Understanding the background and cultural settings of Ephesians and the purpose of apostle Paul’s letter, this verse is telling us that a wrong doctrine (false teachings) should be corrected.

When a person doesn’t respond according to the truth, it doesn’t mean that he does not understand about the truth. It is simply because he is unable to walk in the truth at that point in time. For this, the Bible has it’s say.

‘Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.’ - Gal 6:1a (ESV)

Every person has at least one area of his life which he has yet to overcome. We, too, cannot live out what the entire Bible says at this moment of our lives. We are all in the journey of sanctification.

Some may say, ‘I’ve encountered this before but I managed to walk through it. So you can do so too.’

Self-righteousness, is a sin by itself.

There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth.
- Prov 30:12 (ESV)

Bible refers our righteousness to filthy rags.

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
- Isa 64:6a (NIV)

My question is, ‘How long did it take for you to walk through it? Do you remember how difficult it was and how you struggled with it? Why is it now that you cannot identify with others?’

Even if the person took a very short period to overcome, that doesn’t mean it works the same way for the other. Each of us is created uniquely. Each has his strength in certain areas which the other does not have.

In a nutshell, we can overcome this and others can overcome that… but we may not be able to overcome the SAME thing at the moment.

How about those who respond out of their emotions?

We often say, ‘Feelings are real, but they are not necessarily true.’

The contrary is similarly important.

Feelings, though are not necessarily true, they are REAL.

We need to acknowledge and affirm someone’s feelings instead of saying, ‘Grow up’, ‘Just get over it’, ‘Don’t follow your feelings, follow the Truth – the Word of God.’

In fact, we are the ones who should really GROW UP and dwell in understanding!

We need to accept (not agree) and identify with the person’s feelings at that point in time. Even if the person responds based on his emotions, we still need to accept him and wait upon the Lord to grow and transform him so that he can overcome and respond according to the truth.

We need to allow him to have the time to grow spiritually. It’s not an instant thingy, or magic! Life transformation is a life-time process. Remember that intrinsic motivation lasts, not extrinsic one (pressures).

Just as God waits patiently for us to grow and overcome some areas of our lives, we also need to look upon the grace of God and show love to others.

If God’s way of growing us is through grace training (Epistle of Titus) by the greater revelations of His love (Song of Solomon), then we also ought to learn this from Him and apply to others.

This brings to knowing Him and loving others. We cannot give what we do not have. Well, this induces me to write another entry about serving.

There is no point forcing or keep referring back to the Scriptures to demand a right response. It’s a matter of the heart, not head. If not, bible scholars will be the best pastors/leaders in the world.

We need a heart to feel and identify, not the head.

Though the average distance between the head and the heart is just 6 inches, yet for many people, it takes several years for a single knowledge/truth to travel from the head to the heart.

Jesus is our role model when it comes to empathy and identifying with others. He came to walk among sinners. He identified with them. He met them where they were.

So we are to learn from His example to meet others where they are, not where we are. If Jesus were to meet us where He is, we’re totally condemned.

It is so easy to perceive where others are and say, ‘You have much to grow.’ But true maturity is perceiving where others are and say, ‘I identify with you; I understand; I know you can’t; continue to wrestle with God; I will be praying for you, etc.’

Just as Christ loves the Church and dwell in understanding (of their weaknesses), so we also ought to love others and dwell in understanding, instead of simply looking at the truth and ignore a person’s feelings.

God wants our heart capacity to increase, not head capacity. Else we are no different from Pharisees.

May God help me.

Life As A Marathon

Many of us know that our lives are analogous to running a marathon. There are quite a number of Scriptures in the Bible which likens our lives to running a race.

What we need in running a marathon is perseverance. Without perseverance, we will not be able to finish the race. Many started well, but they either gave up too soon or suffered burn-out. Some even decided to leave the running track to go for fast food like Mac Donald (in the vicinity of East Coast). They get distracted. They prefer instant gratification like the remnants of Israel in the book of Malachi. They forget that delayed gratification has much more fulfillment, for it is accompanied with the maximum glory of God.

As we run a marathon, what we can definitely see ahead or behind us is people. This is what keeps us on track. If we are running and we don’t see anyone, that’s when we have run off the track. We have to either go back to the last spot which we remember or even go back to the starting point and start running again.

Sometimes, we stray away from God; we fall away from keeping up with Him. Fellowship groups and buddies are people whom we can look up to. What if we come to a point that we seem to be alone and we can’t perceive anyone of them to look up to? Then we should go back to the last place/moment where we felt God’s presence. Worse comes to worse, we go back to our starting point – Salvation. There cannot be anything worst than that.

No matter what happens, the only thing we need to remember is to cling unto God. Our hearts may fail us; the choices we make may result in pain and guilt, but as long as we keep going back to God, we are eligible to continue the race and finish it well.

I remember running my marathons few years back. During the race, I need water, bananas and even power gels to boost my endurance. In reality, we need the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to renew us. They are like solid food/milk and water. We need these to replenish our strength and carry on running the spiritual race. I cannot imagine how I could stay on track without these vital elements.

Every runner in the race needs to be geared up with respective sport attire, both for comfort and optimum/long-lasting performance. Likewise, we have the armour of God (Ephesians 6) which God has given us to fight this battle.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
- Eph 6:10-12 (ESV)

Indeed, this marathon which we are called to run is not easy. It would be an understatement to say that it’s not easy. In fact, it is very difficult. But God has given us all that we need to finish this race. What we need by ourselves is to persevere.

Keep going back to God no matter what has happened.

For me, I’m running with a tad weariness now. I’m waiting for some water or bananas in front. I know they are just in front. I just gonna keep running… if I’m too tired to run, I can simply walk. As long as I do not stop, I will reach the water point. Once I arrive, I will be recharged.

I’m waiting for little encouragement from God to empower me in running this race.

I want to finish the race well like apostle Paul and accomplish the task that God has given me.

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
- Acts 20:24 (NIV)

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
- 2 Tim 4:7 (ESV)

A New Song

God impressed upon my heart to start worshiping Him with a new song.

I want to know You

Jesus, You…
You are my God
You are my Saviour
I want to know You

Jesus, You…
You are my Lord
I am Your servant
I want to know You

As I was worshiping, Holy Spirit began to minister to me. A simple and beautiful song. Praise God!

I suppose this is just the chorus. May God help me with the verses.

How Vulnerable Is Our God?

Before the foundations of the earth were laid down, Jesus, the Lamb of God was already slain. God already had this in mind to reveal His wondrous love to His people.

And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
- Revelations 13:8 (ESV)

There was no plan B. Our big and sovereign God did not come out with Jesus-plan after Adam and Eve sinned. He knew it.

Some may ask, ‘Then why did He allow it, since He knew it would happen?’

Because of free will…

Without free will, there is no true love. God wants His people to love Him out of their heart, not mechanically, but relationally.

God is sovereign and big enough to give us free will, yet knowing the choice we would make. How amazing is that? I don’t have a good explanation for that. But He really is BIG, much BIGGER than we ever could imagine.

How big is our God?

Let’s take some time to look into this.

He finished His creations in six days.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEgp2_Rcc80&feature=related

A quick overview of the universe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovA_E18syUU&feature=fvsr

Journey out of the Milky Way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eV8-vijFhM

A 3-D tour of the universe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuKcTN-VwCw&feature=related

A light speed tour of our Universe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3-Wnn_yCQk&feature=related

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
- Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV)

How awesome is our God!

Some facts…

With our modern technology, we can only see as far as 14 billion light years. However, the size of the universe is deemed to be no smaller than 156 billion light years wide!

Well, what does a light-year indicate? It is the distance that light can travel in a year. Light travels at the speed of 300 thousand kilometres per second. A light-year is equal to about 9.46 trillion kilometres.

How long does light take from earth to reach the sun?

It takes less than one light-year to reach the Sun from where we are. In fact, the mean distance is simply 150 million kilometres, which is equal to 8 minutes and 19 seconds!

How far can we see with our naked eyes?

Those stars we see at night? Well, it’s a relatively short 2.9 million light years away from earth.

How many stars are there in the universe?

First of all, we have to know about galaxies. The galaxy which we are living in is called The Milky Way, which we have seen in the videos above. The sun, which is one of the many stars, belongs to the same galaxy. In the Milky Way (just one galaxy), it is estimated to have several hundred billion stars. In the universe, it is estimated to have several hundred billion galaxies!

How many stars are there in the universe then?

You gonna calculate…

It has been said that counting the stars in the Universe is like trying to count the number of sand grains on a beach on Earth.

Yet God’s thoughts concerning an individual are much more than the grains of sand.

How precious concerning me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
- Psalm 139:17-18a (NIV)

Well, the facts above still do not really define the SIZE of God. He is much BIGGER than we think He is!

Yet, this is the very same God who says…

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…
- Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV)

Even before a word is on your tongue, behold, I know it altogether.
- Psalm 139:4 (ESV)

For I formed your inward parts; I knitted you together in your mother’s womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
- Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV)

But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
- Matthew 10:30 (ESV)

This is His heart for us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5nq3Zy-pzk&feature=related

God, who is so BIG and powerful, is also PERSONAL to an individual. He listens to us and hears our cries.

In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
- Psalm 18:6 (ESV)

Because He is so personal, He made Himself to be vulnerable.

Who can ever break the heart of an Almighty God, who created the heavens and earth and all the living creatures and all that have breath of life?

You and I.

Yes… you and I… He loves us so much that He is willing to allow us to break His heart.

How unbelievable…

The Ultimate Sacrifice that He sent is to demonstrate the fullness of His love. His only desire is this… that we will obey Him and love Him wholeheartedly.

Who are we as compared to His glory?

Who are we that He would die on the Cross for our sake?

Who are we to be chosen by Him for eternal life?

Who are we to be able to have a relationship with a living God like Him?

Who are we to grumble about our lives when He has given us the best gift of salvation?

Who are we that we forget that His grace is sufficient for us?

Who are we that He had to suffer disappointments, rejections, criticisms, persecutions, betrayal, pain and even death?

Job questioned God in his distress and God answered by asking him more than 70 questions.
- Job 38-40

Today, do we need to post ourselves with those 70 over questions?

God, who is so BIG and WONDERFUL, yet is also as vulnerable as to our heart’s responses.

Each time when we disobey Him, it breaks His heart.
Each time when our heart is broken, His, too, is broken.

Jesus wept.
- John 11:35 (ESV)

Hosanna (by Hillsong United)

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

May God help me…

Source
How Far Can We See?
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/seuforum/howfar/see.html
How Big Is Our Universe?
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/5-8/features/F_How_Big_is_Our_Universe.html
Universe Measured
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_040524.html
Light-Year
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_year
How Many Stars In The Universe?
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM75BS1VED_index_0.html
Sun
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun
Naked-eye Gamma Ray Burst
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/21mar_nakedeye.htm

What Does It Mean To Have More Anointing?

More often than not, we ask for more anointing of the Holy Spirit so that we can be empowered to do the works of God.

In fact, everything of the Holy Spirit has been given to us. What more are we asking for?

When we believe that Jesus is Christ, we have received the Holy Spirit.

And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
- John 20:22 (ESV)

When the manifestation of the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we receive power.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
- Acts 1:8 (ESV)

Jesus said that we will do greater works than what He has done.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
- John 14:12 (ESV)

The reason why we can is because He has given us all that we need.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore…”
- Matthew 28:18-19 (ESV)

Power is not asking for more anointing, nor by praying more. Power is about yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit. To the degree that we yield, to the degree the power of the Holy Spirit can be manifested in and through us.

We will experience tough times, challenges, valleys, etc. God puts us through (though He is not necessary the cause) this process so that we may learn how to yield more and more to Him.

Maturity is not calling Jesus ‘My Saviour’, but ‘My Lord’. We don’t make Jesus Lord of our life. When He died on the Cross and resurrected, He is already Lord! Thus, we should make ourselves His servants.

Lordship of Christ is about giving up our rights and keep yielding to Him so that His power is made perfect in us.

God often puts us through a time of preparation before He commissions us to live out the call of our life. The time of preparation is for us to learn how to yield to Him. The more we yield, the more we see His power.

There are a few who know their personal life calling but they haven’t been able to start living out because they have not passed the test; they are still in the period of preparation. Only God’s kind of furnace can burn, shape and prepare us for commissioning. It doesn’t work when we try to figure it out by ourselves. The only necessitated task is to yield.

Often times, we do not know our exact life calling. We may not even realise that we could already be in it. Nevertheless, the time of preparation is still needed. God will reveal when we are ready to be commissioned.

The fullness of the Holy Spirit is already in us. It is a gift from God. We simply received it. But the power of the Holy Spirit depends on our willingness to yield.

Instead of asking for more of the Holy Spirit, we need to ask, ‘How much does the Holy Spirit have of us?

May God help me.

Is Church More Holy?

Some people think that we should serve more in Church than focusing on the corporate world…

I totally disagree.

Is Church more holy? I don’t think so. When God first created the world, everything was deemed to be good. Yes, some may say that Adam fell and the world became sinful. But Jesus’ blood had restored it. How good the world can become depends on how we perceive it and how we live it.

There isn’t such thingy as secular and spiritual. There should not even be a line being drawn. To God, everything is spiritual and He wants His kingdom to be established on earth, not just the Church!

In fact, there is a list of areas of influence, such as…

Art
Business
Church
Distribution (such as media)
Education
Family
Government
Health
Many more…

Church is simply one of the areas of influence. If everyone is called to serve in the Church, who is going out to reach the world? If everyone is going out for missions, who is going to do the funding?

It all depends on our mindset.

If we are having a kingdom perspective for climbing up a corporate ladder where God has placed us specifically in, there is nothing wrong with that. The higher we climb, the greater sphere of influence we have for God’s kingdom. I’ve seen great servants of God in the corporate world impacting and influencing lives for Jesus.

If we think that climbing up a corporate ladder is a worldly perspective, the same can also happen to Churches. Isn’t it analogous to the world if the members in the Church focus on climbing up the spiritual ladder with a worldly perspective to gain higher authority and greater acknowledgment?

Well, again, it all depends on our mindset.

Church is a place that serves to cultivate and build spiritual strengths and discipleship so that people can go into all the world and make disciples, not go into all the Churches in the world and make disciples! Church is to renew and empower those who are called to serve God’s kingdom outside Church so that they can go out and minister to the world effectively.

If we receive a call from God to be in business, then we should strive to be the best businessman so that our sphere of influence can be made as large as possible. I know of someone who is the boss of a training company. He sets up a system so that he can effectively evangelise to his employees who are non-Christians through his regular coaching. That is marketplace ministry!

If God’s calling for us is to be in education, then we should focus on it, rather than striving to serve in higher capacity in Church. What happens next? We find ourselves unable to balance our time and finally, we experience burn-out. Well, God has never intended it to happen. We can only blame ourselves. I know of a cellgroup leader who stepped down from leadership because God has called him to focus on being a trainer in business. That’s his calling! That’s his ministry! That’s his missions field!

If we think that we should only focus on climbing up the ‘biblical or spiritual ladder’ in Church, we have missed the point of what kingdom perspective is all about.

Church is not more holy. It is simply one of the areas of God’s influence to the world.

Unity In Christ-Followers

Few days ago, I was just saddened by Churches who are ignorantly building their own ministry, instead of the Kingdom of God. In my heart, I was praying and asking God, ‘Why don’t they come together to fulfil Your Great Commission?’

Just yesterday, Joseph Chean, the base director of YWAM Singapore, shared something that made my heart really tender. In fact, I was feeling that way throughout the day. Mind you, I’m not an emotional person. I was simply,  radically elated when I heard it. Yes, God is moving powerfully!

He went to attend a conference in Hong Kong, which was held by Call2All – A worldwide movement calling the church to a renewed, focused collaborative effort to fulfill the Great Commission.

Call2All is about all nations, all spheres of society and every unreached person everywhere in the world. It is a strategy-centered, action-oriented movement focusing on where the Church is NOT, rather than where it is. It’s purpose is not to replace existing ministry but to network, train and focus the body of Christ to fulfill the Great Commission.

My mind was totally blown away when I heard this. This is what I have been anticipating for. Unity in Churches.

For example, Wycliffe is gifted in translating Bible into different languages so that even the unreached groups will be able to read the Bible in their own language. Thus, Call2All draws resources and strength from Wycliffe to advance the Great Commission. When all Churches and missions organisations collaborate to serve for the same kingdom purpose, it’s a matter of time when the Great Commission can be fully accomplished on earth.

Call2All gathers Churches and missions organisations all around the world to partner with one another to reach every country and people group on earth. They strategise in such a way that each will reach out to different parts of the world, so that places that are covered DO NOT need repetitive works!

For information, there are still over 6200 unreached people groups in the world. This figure is really huge.

Anyhow, Call2All has planned to fulfil the Great Commission on earth by 2020!

* Number of people to reach with the gospel by 2020 which is 1.73 billion

* Hundreds of pledges to engage unreached people groups

* Over a 100,000 new houses of prayer

* Hundreds of new oral bible teams that will work in the most remote parts of the world

* 1.8 million new church plants

(Source: call2all.org)

Isn’t that amazing? Praise God!

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
- John 17:20-23 (ESV)

Jesus’ last prayer before He was arrested is for the unity of believers. For when there is unity, there is unstoppable power.

I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that this was what happened when God’s people wanted to build the Tower of Babel.

And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”
- Genesis 11:6 (ESV)

Nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them!

That’s the power of unity!

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
- Habakkuk 2:14

Thank You, Lord! Let Your name be glorified from the east to the west. Amen!