Last month I had the privilege to minister to about 30 seniors at the Senior Adults Fellowship (KPC) Camp at Pulai Springs and the topic was “Finishing Well”.  It was an edifying experience for me to interact with the seniors as most of them were above 70 years old and walking faithfully with God in spite of their advanced age, health challenges, and other difficulties.

One of the Biblical characters we studied was Caleb -someone who finished well!  He followed the Lord during the oppression under the Egyptians.  He represented the tribe of Judah to survey the Promised Land at age 40;came back with positive reports and exhorted Israel to trust in the Lord.   I admired three attributes of his life:  CONSECRATION, COURAGE and COMMITMENT.  At age 85 he was still ready to battle for the Lord:“now give me this hill country”.

Though it was not his fault that they had to turn back and wander in the wilderness for 40 years, there was no indication that he was bitter, disillusioned or full of complaints.  Forty years is half a life time and I surmise that probably it was an emotional time for him to see all his adult family and friends dying one by one in the wilderness.  What a faithful man he was – wholeheartedly following God in spite of the long wait for the fulfillment of God’s promise.

In Numbers 14, besides the fine example of Caleb, the passage highlighted three things that God was displeased with the people of Israel:

DISBELIEF:“How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?” Number 14:11. Disbelief in God is considered as contempt against God!   Do we truly believe God’s Word, His promises and His love?  We cannot believe only at an intellectual level!  Strangely the scriptures mentioned that God cannot work when there is unbelief.  We should follow the example of the helpless father:  “Lord I believe, help my unbelief”   That was reckoned by Christ as faith.

DISOBEDIENCE:“I have forgiven them … nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and test me ten times – not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors.”  Numbers 14:21-23. Similarly, disobedience is clear rebellion.  If we confess our sins there will be forgiveness but there are grave consequences.  Many of us have seen God’s works in our lives.  We have experienced answer to prayers and some of us have seen miracles and the Grace of God! Then why are we not faithfully obeying God’s Words and commandments?  Remember obedience is what God requires and not “offerings and sacrifices”.

DISCONTENT:“How long will this wicked community grumble against me?  I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.”  Numbers 14:27.  How often do we complain and grumble about trivial things?  Or express our anger against God for poor health and illnesses, loss of jobs or financial losses.  Let’s examine our lives – have we suffered to the point of death?  Or are we ungrateful people?  I have travelled to many places in the world and I conclude that we have much to be thankful for in Singapore.  Unfortunately I know that Singaporean Christians are guilty of grumbling and complaining.  Watch out because the Lord hears our grumblings!

Therefore let us not displease the Lord but follow the spirit of Caleb in our walk and our talk: to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and as God gives us strength let us serve and glorify Him.

Exodus 20:12 says “Honour your father and mother…” but today is Mother’s Day, so we shall give our mothers the special honour.  It all started on May 8th 1914.  The United States Congress designated that day a special day to honour our mothers.  Today, many people around the world observe this day for this purpose.

The Midwest of the United States is famous for its pioneering spirit and its wild west cowboy culture.  At the same time it is also part of the “Bible Belt” where people still go to church and the Bible still has a place in their homes.  One of the more famous sculptures of the pioneering period is by Cyrus Dallin who portrayed his mother, a simple pioneer woman of great faith in God, holding a Bible close to her breast and holding a little child with the other hand with her eyes gazing in faith into the future.  When Cyrus Dallin told his mother (in front of the audience) that he had used her as the model for his masterpiece, she said: “Don’t know if it looks like I look, but I know it feels like feel.”

This sculpture is a symbol of God-fearing bible-teaching motherhood that used to typify the Godly pioneers of the wild west.  The Bible symbolizes the moral authority these mothers believe in, and the hand holding the child represents the love and care these mother give. The eyes gazing into the future reflects the confidence these mothers have in God. John Wanamaker, one of America’s most successful merchants was asked, “Mr. Wanamaker, what was your most glorious hour in life?” Without hesitation, he answered. “It was when I was a child, and my mother took my two baby hands and folded them in prayer as she pointed me to God.”

In the Bible itself, we find many exemplary mothers including Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus. Without doubt, Mary, of all mothers, suffered the most severe sorrow, watching her son being crucified.  In the midst of the mocking crowd and taunting soldiers, she stood faithfully by Him to the very end. John 19:25 records that “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother…” This is a very poignantly beautiful picture of the undying devotion of a mother.

Devoted mothers make countless personal sacrifices. She risks her very life in childbirth, and continues to spend endless hours nurturing the infant into an adult. Many neat sayings honour our mothers precisely because they deserve to be honoured. An old proverb says, “Men may work from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done.” The poet says “Nobody knows the work it makes/ to keep the home together/ Nobody knows the steps it takes/ nobody knows but mother.” Another little poem says:  “Who ran to help me when I fell/ and would some pretty story tell/ or kiss the place to make it well?/ My mother.”

The influence of a mother on her children can never be overstated. Abraham Lincoln once declared, “All that I am and all that I ever will be I owe to my mother. A Christian mother is the fairest flower that grows in the garden of happiness. Of all the earthly things God gives, there’s one above all others; it is the precious priceless gift, of loving, Christian mothers.”

Therefore make time to honour your mother often by showing her kindness each and every day.

Two ideas spring from the word ‘cornerstone’. One is ‘a stone representing the nominal starting place in the construction of a monumental building, usually carved with the date and laid with appropriate ceremonies’. A second definition is ‘something that is essential, indispensable and forms the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed’. The first definition is seen in the fact that Jesus Christ, our cornerstone, constructed the church through his death and resurrection. However, Jesus is not just the founder of the church but he is also the foundation on which we, the living stones that form the church, are built. This illustrates the second definition.

In this life, all of us are builders. We build our lives and we also seek to build the lives of those around us. To build a life, we need a cornerstone too. The question is who is our cornerstone?  If we are not building our lives on Jesus then we are must be building our lives on something else.

Do we know what our cornerstone is? One way is by tracing your thoughts when the chips are down. When we go wrong, who do we turn to? Is it our own personality, our own morality, your own intellect, etc.?  In my former ministry at the Helping Hand, I observed something interesting. Many of the residents were able to follow the program faithfully while in the program. They woke up early each morning to read the Bible and pray. They would write what they learnt in a journal. Before morning chapel, they would go early and prepare themselves in silent meditation. This attitude would also be seen in their work. They served willingly and even cheerfully when given extra duties. They become shining examples of the delivering power of Christ. But yet when they finished their program, they would relapse almost immediately. Why?

It could be that the cornerstone of their faith was not Jesus Christ. Could their cornerstone have been obedience to the ministry rules? They wanted a trouble-free stay so they followed the program faithfully. But when the program ended, their cornerstone was taken away. Without that cornerstone, their freedom became shaky and immediately they fell from grace.

What or who is the cornerstone on which our faith and our church is standing on? Is it Jesus Christ?  Is it our own intellect?  Is it the programs that are offered? Is it our service to the church ministry? If it is Jesus Christ, we will endure whatever may threaten or afflict us. “…the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame” 1 Peter 2:6b.

If you are like me, there are many times, where I wish it was easy to make decisions big or small. Decision-making becomes a lot more tricky when you are conflicted by differing counsel from trusted friends and loved ones.

I was in this situation for quite a while. I cringed in agony see – sawing between grace and justice toward someone.

One night, one of my children noticed the struggle written all over my face. Then she said, “Mom, I have a passage that could help you decide. This was my quiet time today.” She went into the study room and brought her journal and read to me what she had discovered from Matthew 5:38-48. While reading her journal, she said, “ It is not my duty to condemn people.” Like a flashbulb illuminating my mind, I realized that God had spoken through my daughter. I thanked her for caring enough to share with me.

I retreated into my room and meditated on the passage. Indeed, I am not the magistrate who is to mete punishment and justice to people who wrong me. A legal offense committed, belongs to the purview of the legal system. But in my daily affairs and dealings with people, I am to exercise grace and love.

I went to bed confident about what to do and how to do it.

You are right! I gave the person another chance not because she deserved it. But because I needed to demonstrate grace and love—the same grace and love I received from God that I don’t deserve.

Micah 6:8 greatly influenced me to train as a lawyer.  Over the years, I had successfully defended cases where a conviction would have been unjust; and, in one instance, prosecuted successfully in a disciplinary inquiry.  I became a lawyer because I wanted to do justice.  Doing justice is one of the principles to live by.  In my article on “The Justice of God” published in Decision magazine more than 25 years ago, I presented the Lord God as a just God, and as his children, we are to reflect His justice.  Justice is simply “fairness.”  We know what is fair and what is not fair.  Kids know that very well as we often hear them cry, “It is not fair!”

When something said or done is not fair or unjust, we intuitively know it.  The person who perpetrates injustice deceives himself more than anyone else.  Unjust words and actions do not win affection from reasonable people.  Such ways only alienate thinking people from whatever causes the perpetrator espouses.

To love justice also requires the courage to speak against injustices.  If injustices are left unchallenged, those who perpetrate them will be even more self-deceived to think that they are doing right.  Worse, they might even think that they are serving God!  When fair-minded people refuse to speak up, injustice not only survives, it multiplies.

The second principle is to love kindness.  Loving kindness must result in acting kindly.  But one must be careful not to confuse kind deportment with weak constituency.  Kindness is not weakness.  In fact, a truly kind person is by nature a courageous person because kindness by definition is to do that which benefits others.  If speaking out against unfairness or injustice attracts troubles for him, he must nonetheless still speak out if he wants to benefit others.  He benefits others by not allowing unfair words or acts to go unchallenged because not to speak out will mean that the victims of such unjust acts will have no voice.  It also means that others who hear such things may conclude that the perpetrator is right because his act goes unchallenged.  Worse still, it may mean that an innocent person’s character is assassinated without recourse to fairness or justice.  Hence, it takes courage to be kind in the sense that others benefit from his willingness to stick his neck out for the love of justice.

And finally, the just and kind person is one who walks humbly with God.  Humility is the mother of all virtues.  The history of civilization is replete with many high and mighty that have fallen on their faces, never to recover from their self-destruction.  “Haughty eyes and a proud heart…are sin” (Prov. 21:4).  Isaiah warns that God will “put an end to the pomp of the arrogant” (Isa.13:11).  Conceit is the way of the fool as Proverbs puts it: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Prov. 12:15).  The antidote to such pride is humility as in the example of Christ who was God incarnate and yet “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant…” (Phil. 2:6).  A humble person will “do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phi. 2:3).

In the social media today, there are a small minority who constantly voice their views in very ungracious ways.  The majority of internet users remain “spectators” when we disagree but we do not proactively participate in the conversation.  If we believe in these values, we can practise these values in our daily lives by taking personal ownership and responsibilities.  We can inject some justice and kindness in the conversations by actively participating in them with humility and graciousness.  By so doing, we can make a difference and pass on values we believe in.

Of course, it is often remarked that, despite the surface emphasis on deeds, Jesus is reinterpreting the Law and expounding a higher standard of righteousness than what the Jews had assumed, and one which can only be attained through faith in Christ. Nonetheless, the “doing” aspect in Matthew 5–7 is very explicit. If righteousness through faith in Christ is an essential component of this teaching, it is not at the forefront of the Sermon on the Mount. Instead, at its conclusion, Jesus says that the one who hears his words and does them is like a builder who is building his house on a foundation of rock (7:24-25). Is this His kingdom programme? How does this reconcile with the fact that we can only enter His kingdom, not by our “righteous” deeds, but by faith (e.g. Eph 2:8-9)?

Of course, if you have been reading carefully, you would realise that Jesus is saying these things, not to those who are waiting to enter into His kingdom, but to those who are already his disciples (see Mt 5:1-2). The rest of the Gospel of Matthew makes it very clear that faith in Jesus Christ is inseparable from the forgiveness of sin. But here, in Matthew 5–7, it is a teaching that is laid out for those who claim to be the disciples of Christ. And here is the most important point: Our professed salvation (by faith) is expected to manifest itself in the form of obedience to God’s commands. Thus, our relationship to God is not just about saying we love Him and claiming His love for us; nor singing our words of praise and praying that God would bless us with good health, love, joy, peace, good grades in school, good jobs at work, good children, good parents, and so on (the list can be so amazingly long!).

Rather, it is the way we minister and relate to one another within the church (not looking after our own interests), and as a church ministering and relating to those who are outside (our “neighbours”), that matters in His kingdom. It is about doing good deeds, so that those who are blessed by them would praise God (Mt 5:16), and not doing so in order that others may notice how good we are (6:1-4). Our reward is not from those whom we serve, but from our Father (6:4). So in your office or home, be peacemakers. To the poor and needy, go the second mile and render lasting help to them. Bless and be kind to those who are hoping to see you suffer. These would substantiate our claim that Jesus is our Lord and King, and we are indeed the subjects of His kingdom. Apart from this, everything else is useless (Jas 2:20).

We have heard this before, “God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” Nowhere is this seen more clearly in this text, as Jesus appeared before his disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). From then on, the Holy Spirit would live in them and empower them to do the task he has assigned them – “as the father has sent me, I am sending you.” This is the life to which they were called, as we too are called today, – to extend forgiveness in his name and bring life to others. There can be no higher calling than that. With God there is no Plan B. He calls you and then empowers you through the Holy Spirit to fulfill your calling. As we have studied, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us the moment we receive Christ as Saviour, never to go away again. When we move through fear to embrace our calling, God’s Spirit empowers us to participate in God’s mission.

It’s not about you. It’s never about you. It’s about the Holy Spirit working in and through you. So when Hope PC, after prayerful deliberation, calls you to serve in ministry, remember that it’s not about you. It’s about the Holy Spirit working in and through you as you humbly submit to his leading and guidance. We should walk in faith and not think of what we cannot do but what God can do through us.

This is the way it is. God is omnipotent and sovereign over all things. That means he can accomplish his purpose for his creation without us. But in his grace and love for us, he has called us to bring life to others. However, he leaves that choice to us. God is just like a millionaire who goes out into the streets, picks up orphans and brings them into his home and family to clean them up. After that, he invests his personal resources in training and developing the orphans, that is, us. After we have been trained and developed, he uses more of his resources to open up markets and fields to enable us to use the talents and gifts he has developed in us. That is the power of his amazing grace at work in our lives. It’s not about us; it’s about God working in us. The message of Resurrection Sunday is “Arise”. Jesus Christ did arise from the dead about two centuries ago. He gave the Holy Spirit to his disciples so that they too might arise and bring his message of forgiveness far and wide without fear. That is what they rose up to do. The Holy Spirit is also given to each one of us who declares Christ as Lord and Saviour. This Easter, may each one of us arise to fulfill all that God has called us to do here in Hope PC.

I remember an extraordinary woman whose story I read years ago. Many have heard of Wang Ming Dao, unofficial architect of the house church movement in China during the middle part of the 20th Century from the 50s onwards. Despite oppression and persecution, the house churches in China grew, led by men such as him and others. His wife was Deborah Wang or Auntie Wang as friends called her. When Wang Ming Dao was sentenced to prison for so-called “anti-revolutionary activities”, his wife also followed him into prison. For twenty years, she was in a Northern Chinese prison where winters were extremely cold. Despite insufficient food and winter clothes, seeing her husband only three times in that twenty years, she never complained and never lost her Christian faith. After their release, their home continued to be used by their Christian friends. Even after her husband died, her spiritual strength never diminished and she said, “I will not be lonely; I was not lonely before.”  What a remarkable woman!  She too rejoiced because she had been found worthy of disgrace for Jesus.

You may not have to suffer for your Christian faith like the apostles or Deborah Wang, but you can be sure that the world will always examine Christians hyper-critically. You may not be jailed or beaten but you can be sure that you will also be ridiculed and disliked as you faithfully live for Christ. That’s normal since sticks and stones are only thrown at tree bearing fruit. That is what God warned us of in 2 Tim3:12 where Paul writes, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus WILL be persecuted.”  So when you live out your faith by refusing to cheat on your homework or stand up against the school bullies or refuse to victimise the weaker ones as some of your school mates do, you will make some people unhappy. When you refuse to pilfer the company goods like your colleagues do, lie for your boss or work on Sundays, you will upset your boss or colleagues. When you do these things, you can be sure that people will not be happy and they will look for ways to make your life difficult. Be encouraged, the lesson we learn from Easter, which we will celebrate next week, is that we have a risen Savior. His commendation is far more important than any hostility or adversity that we have to bear here. This life on earth is not all there is. We have a far better one awaiting us in Heaven. It is there where, if we have walked in obedience and lived our lives for our Lord, we will hear his commendation, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come now and share your master’s happiness.”

May the Lord’s grace empower and bless us to witness and live for Him as so many others before us have done for our Lord and Master Jesus.

Rev Luke Thurai

What kind of offering does God want us to bring to Him?

Psalms 51:16-17 say, “You do not delight in sacrifice…you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” In Hebrews 10:5-7, Jesus said, “Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God.” The greatest commandment tells us to love God with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength. Finally, Romans 12:1-2 reminds us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice which is our spiritual act of worship.”

From these verses alone, we can see that God wants your heart. God is saying, “I don’t need your talents, your gifts, all the things that you can do for me. They are good and great. I want you first. I want to have an intimate relationship with you.” One person in the Bible who demonstrates a heart for God is David whom the Psalmist describes as a man “after God’s heart.” ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ (Acts 13:22) God wants your heart first. He wants you. He wants every Hoper to offer his life first to God because a heart that pursues God desires to honour God in everything he does.  Translated into everyday situation, He is saying, “Before you play your instruments, before you dip your hands into the offering bag, before you commit yourself to the Sunday School, before you serve, come to me as you are.”

Darlene Zschech in her book, Extravagant Worship, says, “You can offer yourself to Him in worship. You can let that explosion of faith force you to praise His name and offer your attention to bless Him…When I exalt the Lord, God is increased and the ‘me’ in my life is decreased! I know I need more of God and less of me. I need more of His wisdom and less of my great ideas. I need more of his presence and less of my talent…”

Come to the altar as you are, warts and all. Offer yourself—your heart, soul, mind and strength to Him!

I met a beautiful person in June at a dinner for charity. Her name is Oh Siew May and she inspires me. We were at the same table and with a smile and some effort, she reached out to introduce herself to me. I immediately realized that she was a special person.

Siew May was born in 1971 with cerebral palsy. Her family was extremely poor but she managed to attend the Spastic Children’s Association School and eventually completed her equivalent of Form 5 at St. Hilda’s Secondary School. She worked at several jobs including running her own push-cart business in a shopping mall. For several years, she was selected the best employee of the Cold Storage when she was employed there.

Currently she works as a clerk in a renovations company because she wants, in her own words, to “stay independent and not be a burden to anyone.” Perhaps the best expression of her physical independence (crutches, notwithstanding!) is her recent success in scaling the heights of Mount Kinabalu! She adds, “I want to be a contributor to this society and my country too.”

And contribute she certainly does! Her 90-page book Scaling Walls is an inspiration to many. She donates a percentage of the proceeds from the book to the Spastic Children’s Association. She wants her book to connect people—to help readers who are touched by her life story to be in touch with their own feelings and with the needs of others. She reminds me of the power of simple faith in God and in fervent prayers. She is a living example of what it means to be positive in order to overcome huge obstacles in life.

“I have come to realize,” she writes, “that fear is what has been crippling me, and not cerebral palsy…We are not different unless we think we are. I know there will be many things I may not be able to do, but I will still try, because if I never try I will never know the outcome…I will also face problems and failures, but I need to stay strong and focus on what I want for life. It will not do me any good if I sit and dwell on the negative.”

Siew May’s life and experience recalls for me the reality of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”  Writing about one of her teachers, she remarks, “All I needed was someone who believed in me.  And I was blessed because there was someone.”  And about her pastor, she writes, “Through his unconditional love and giving, I saw God’s grace and love, and felt light in my life.”

Oh Siew May may be physically and orally challenged, but she does not sit around in self-pity.  She is full of initiative and proactively takes one challenge after another in her stride.  Though she walks with a painful gait, it does not stop her from climbing Mount Kinabalu. Though she speaks with a pronounced slur, it does not stop her from initiating a conversation with me, a total stranger. Though she writes with great difficulty, it does not stop her from writing her book. She always stretches to reach her potential.

What is keeping you from reaching yours?

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