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As I was driving to the school library to pick up some books, I snapped a photo of what I thought was one rainbow, but it turned out to be a double rainbow after I relooked at it later. It reminded me of God’s covenant with Noah.
When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. (Gen. 9.16)
Recently, there were pictures and a video of a local megachurch pastor praying over bottles of oil and blessing them, with the purpose of distributing, selling them to his church members. This is not the first time this occurred; a quick search shows a similar video in November last year.
One of my church youth committee members asked, “Legit’ or not?” Is this real, and is the oil really blessed, anointed with power from God?
This reminds me of one of the issues that Martin Luther had against the RC church prior to the Protestant Reformation. Bottles of holy water believed to be blessed by the Pope were being sold to commoners in villages, as a result of an abuse of the local clergy/church and no access to God’s word and biblical truths/teachings.
Acts 8.9-24 records an incident regarding Simon the sorcerer who practiced magic arts and was called “the Great Power of God”. After he believed and was baptized, he observed the apostles laying hands and blessing others with the Holy Spirit, and offered money to have the same authority.
But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! … Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.
Acts 8:20, 22 NASB
Peter reminded that we cannot obtain God’s power through material gain, and that we all need the forgiveness of our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ, as the basis of salvation.
Since Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, God has left us with 2 spiritual resources, namely the Holy Spirit and the Bible, God’s word. We can have direct access to God through repentance and faith, and as the early Reformers affirmed, there should only be 5 solas (from Latin, sola, lit. “alone”):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_solae
Praise God for His Word and Spirit, and that we do not need and should not pursue anything less than God Himself. Physical, human objects have no power in and of themselves, and we should be wise and discerning not to be tempted or stumbled to focus on such “idols” or superstitions, that might end up replacing God as the center of our lives.
#askpastortime
Blessed Lunar New Year to all! For Chinese communities around the world, this holiday marks the start of spring, and a significant time of celebration and family reunions. Much of the food and practices associated with this holiday is tied to the concept of abundance. For example, the eating together of a fish whole, with the word “fish” sounding like the word for abundance, hence the proverb 年年有余 (nian nian you yu), meaning “may your years overflow with surplus.”
The Bible teaches us about blessings and abundance as well. The Abrahamic covenant begins, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (Gen. 12:2) Jesus also gave us this promise, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Jn. 10:10, NAS “abundantly”) Sometime in recent decades, however, the idea of blessings and abundance have begun to leave a bad taste in our mouths, or has become a sensitive or taboo topic, due by and large to the rise of the prosperity gospel, which emphasizes physical health and material wealth that can be made available to believers as long as they have enough faith and contribute significantly to God’s kingdom through giving and service. Granted the abuses and excesses that have ensued into huge scandals even here in Singapore, it is no wonder that we do not talk or teach about this subject more often. We begin to swing in a kneejerk fashion to the other extreme, we need to be humble, “poor in spirit,” live simply and don’t flaunt, boast of or pursue wealth and prosperity. The fact is, the Bible does talk about abundance and blessings, and we need God’s wisdom on how to approach the subject and apply God’s word into our daily lives. Solomon and several characters in the Bible were blessed with material wealth, and many used their wealth for godly pursuits and activities. We can indeed bless others and God’s work with what He blesses us with, and be assured that God will bless us in return (although not always in the form of material wealth). “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Lk. 6:38)
God’s word also teaches us that our lives do not consist only in the abundance of our possessions (Lk. 12:15). Abundance is also mentioned in relation to fruitfulness in our lives. What kind of fruit are we called to bear as disciples of Christ? Two examples are being moulded in our character into Christlikeness (fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22-23) and winning lost souls for Christ (firstfruits of salvation, 2 Thes. 2:13). The same passage that Paul shares about giving cheerfully ends this way, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8)
May this year be a year of blessings and abundance for you and your family as you seek and serve the Lord faithfully and fruitfully!
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph. 3:20-21)
Chinese communities all around the world will be celebrating the Lunar New Year in the days ahead. Shops are closed, businesses wind down, in Singapore, especially on the 1st 2 days, most outside areas would appear like a ghost town. I have had several foreign friends sharing their surprise to not be able to find places to eat, save for fast food and restaurants. Our youth and young adults are both having reunion-type gatherings in the month of February, as would most Chinese families as well. Perhaps you might want to consider inviting your non-Chinese friends, colleagues or even foreigners or expatriates in our midst, even in our church to your family gatherings.
The Bible talks about showing love to the foreigners in our midst. Lev. 19:33-34 says, “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” Likewise, Deut. 10:18-19 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”
How can we, as blessed children of God, as a Christian community blessed by the Lord, be in turn a blessing to those around us?
Firstly, we can treat others with respect. Jesus teaches us in Matt. 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Set an example for others, including our children, that everyone is created in the image of God, and deserves dignity and honour, regardless of their race or religion.
Secondly, we can find ways to be kind and generous. I read of a 68-year-old senior citizen, Mr Rimy Lau, who was offered a seat by 3 foreign workers from India on the MRT train recently, and he declined, saying “You don’t always have to give up your seat. You come here to build our homes, so you can sit also, you know?” One of the trio, Mr Saravanan Samidurai, 28, took a selfie with the Singaporean man, and their story went viral. The article ended, “They became ‘neighbours’ on the train by chance but became ‘friends by choice’.” Mr Saravanan also shared, “Mr Lau – a Chinese Singaporean man speaking to me on my first few days here – made me feel like an equal.” They were recently both honoured by the Singapore Kindness Movement.
Lastly, we can pray and give thanks for the foreigners in our midst. In 2015, close to 30% of Singapore’s population are non-resident. Let’s continue to pray for wisdom and fairness in government manpower policies towards foreign workers, especially in the construction and domestic helper sectors, and also for churches, social service agencies and community organisations to reach out, meet needs and be blessings to the nations, right at our doorstep.
(article extracts from Christian Today and Washington Post)
Ten-year-old Michael Keating was taken by his parents to welcome Pope Francis when he arrived in Philadelphia on September 26. According to the Washington Post, the family – all devout Catholics – had not originally planned to bring Michael because of the difficulty in getting him around. At the last minute, though, they decided to go as a whole family.
They stood on the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport, among thousands of others. Something must have caused them to stand out, though, because as the Pope was driven away, suddenly the car stopped. Francis got out, walked over to the Keatings, and offered Michael a blessing, kissing his head. Michael’s mother, Kristin, said it was “life-changing for our family”
Pope Francis was already in his car, headed away from the Philadelphia airport, when he saw Michael Keating.
The whole family, from Elverson, Pa., was on the tarmac to watch Michael’s father, Chuck Keating, lead the Bishop Shanahan high school band as it was playing for the pope.
The car stopped.
The pope emerged, walked up to Michael in his wheelchair, and blessed the boy, who has severe disabilities.
Michael’s mother Kristin Keating said she could not understand Francis’s words, which were not in English. But she understood the emotion: “Love.”
Skillful Shepherds 