Dear friends,

As we near Christmas day, we undoubtedly get excited and busy with Christmas gifts, decorations, trees, lights, holidays and parties. And we may have a reason to do so, given this year's economic recession, job losses, climate changes, natural calamities, it may be a good time to just get a breather from all these and enjoy this festive season. Yet amidst all these celebrations, perhaps let's take a moment to consider the bigger questions. Just what about Christmas are we celebrating? Why are we celebrating Christmas? Or is Christmas just another festive season where I am granted a public holiday?

Many might already know what the celebration of Christmas is for. Rightfully, its to remember the birth of Jesus. You might have heard it for many years, from an occasional television programme, book, news article or friend, stranger with a pamphlet. But perhaps we have chucked it aside as just another fantasy story. Or you might have felt, it doesn't concern me now. Or, I already know the story well enough. Or, there isn't any reason for me to respond in anyway. But is that really the case?

The world recently mourned at the death of Brittany Murphy. A young, promising actress whose life unfortunately ended at just 32 years of age. Everything seemed going well for her, movies, dramas in the pipeline yet to be released, but the lure of drugs proved too much for her. 

The opportunity to respond to the real meaning of Christmas might not always be there. By God's mercy and grace, we can tide through year after year. But what if one day our lives were to end, without an appropriate response to Jesus?

Going straight to what Christmas celebration ought to be about is of course, the birth of Jesus. The beloved, the precious, the only son of God, who came from the seat of the glorious throne in heaven, to the dirtiest of places, as a helpless infant, born in a manger in Bethlehem. We celebrate his birth as like the shepherds and magi did, two thousand years ago. And yes, this is the familiar Christmas story that we have come to know, perhaps not in its full detail, but a similar one, perhaps with dramatization of cute animals, cosy haystack, and nice flaky snow. 

But the vital question is, how are we going to respond to the birth of Jesus? Just a holiday celebration, just a get together with friends, just a party, just a 'well-deserved' break from a year's work? OR, can we spare some time to think why was Jesus born into this world?

Why was he born? He was born to die for us. For our iniquities. For our transgressions. For our sins.

If our lives were each recorded in a DVD which records all our every though, sight, action, and this DVD were to be broadcast for all others to see, we would be so ashamed and would do all we can to stop the broadcast. We are ashamed because of our shameful inner thoughts. Ashamed of what we see, lust, desire, covet. How many of us dare we say that we are of a better moral character than the recently exposed Tiger Woods?

Jesus was born to die for us, our sins, that before the righteous God, because of Jesus's blood shed for us on the cross, we are viewed sinless before God. AND because of this, the greatest hope, that of eternity in heaven, lies before us. 

This might not strike you especially if things are going well at the moment. But if one were to lie on the hospital bed in ICU, at the hospice, or that you know that you had only a year to live, you search  for such a hope with all your might.

Forgive me for the harsh tone, friends, but I would rather be exposed to criticism, rebuke, ridicule for the reason of this letter, than to hear a plead from a loved one, a cry from a loved one, pleading and crying from the depths of a place, no man would want to go, the depths of a place so dark, so lonely, so painful, so hopeless, so regretful.

This Christmas, remember, Jesus was born to die for us, that we might live eternally. This is no cheap gospel or grace. He asks for our faith in him, as the one true God. He asks for our repentance from our wrongs. He asks for our acknowledgement of him as Lord of our lives and obedience to his commands. And if we abide so, his grace, mercy, salvation and the peace, hope, joy that comes along with it will fill our lives. This is the meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior. And there is no other.

With love,
Jason

Are we too familiar with the story of Christmas? Cute animals, cozy manger with hay, cute infant, bright star, is that all to it ? Tonight, let's look at it again, with new appreciation, with a renewed understanding, to be reminded as to what it all means, God sent His son, as an infant, for us.

It is a renewed appreciation of how God became man, beginning in the lowest of cirumstances, living through the height of humiliation and ending in the most tragic of endings, all just for us.

Beginning in the Lowest of Circumstances - Before his birth - The controversy – Mary’s pregnancy

Ask yourself a question. Imagine an unwedded female teenager heavy with pregnancy. How would others view her? Probably an unwanted pregnancy. An adultress. As recorded in Mt 1:19 - Mary if charged with adultery would be stoned. But Joseph's mercy did not intend to disgrace Mary and planned to send her away secretly. But

Yes, Jesus arrival was welcomed by the chosen group, the sheperds, but most of the masses might have viewed Mary's birth as shameful.

Imagine instead of a proud pair of parents who can proudly proclaim the joyous news of their child’s birth, we have a pair of parents， the target of ridicule. Instead of an anticipated birth of a baby, we have the ridicule that he might be a child born out of an unwanted pregnancy.

Beginning in the Lowest of Circumstances - Jesus as an infant - They made their way to Bethlehem from Nazareth.

Jesus did not enjoy normal pre-birth parent preparation. eg. nice infant rooms, clothes, diapers, milk powder, a cot, a nice baby room. But rather, his parents had to come down from Nazareth in Galilee, travelling down 130 km on a camel/donkey/by foot to come down to Bethlehem totally UNPREPARED. A mother about to give birth would not tread more than 130 km (now 2-3 hrs by car, then 8-10 days) through mountaineous terrain and a desert. Think about what can happen in the desert? Extreme hot and colds.

In times when parents can proclaim their joyous news of the coming birth of their child, a father has to borne the front of humiliation that this child is not fathered by him.

In times when a mother needs the most protection, she was exposed to the harshest 最苛刻 of desert conditions .

In times when parents needs the most certainty in preparing for birth, (eg. prepared route to birth place, mid wife, post natal care), they were exposed to the most uncertainty. Where am I to get these care services/facilities?? Remeber that there is going to be a crowd in Bethlehem due to the census. and chances are, it would be difficult to get lodging.

Beginning in the Lowest of Circumstances - There was no room for them in the inn

I remembered when my wife was due, I made sure there was a comfortable ward that my wife could gave birth in, that i knew the route to the hospital, that i brought everything in the 'to bring' list, that there was the best of mid wives and doctors to facilitate their delivery.

But for Mary? She had no room in the inn.

There was no best route to delivery Jesus. Joseph and Mary had to knock from inn to inn.

No mid wives/doctors. Mary wrapped baby Jesus herself. Joseph won't probably be of much help if he was like any first time fathers.

In times when a woman in labour needs the most comfort/assurance, she faced the most loneliness. There are many complications that can happen during birth that will scared any woman. I remember i saw woman having to go into labour rooms alone, and that was so pitiful. Mary though had Joseph, didn't had any mid wife thus was even more alone. Not to imagine the darkness in the manger.

Beginning in the Lowest of Circumstances - For baby Jesus when he was finally born?

In times when an infant needed the most care, baby Jesus had only the most basic of care. A manger, not the often misrepresented cushy comfortable wood plank with hay stack, but a feeding trough for animals. Can you imagine how dirty, smelly, needless to say the bacteria?

Beginning in the Lowest of Circumstances - God became a helpless baby.

Baby Jesus was unable to protect himself. Was totally dependent on his parents. As recorded in Phillipians,2:7 He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Beginning in the Lowest of Circumstances - Jesus as a young child - Target of a ruthless assasination

Jesus with his parents had to flee to Egypt, to escape Herod. Again they had to trek miles across deserts, into a foreign land. Again into a place of uncertainty. Always on the run. No stable place to stay, to pillow over his head. The King of Kings is pursued like a criminal by his creation. The creator pursued by his creation, 

It didn't really end when Herod died. Joseph was warned in a dream to avoid Archelaus, son of Herod, who was still in pursue of Jesus. And Jesus, God who all mountains, lands, seas were created for him, by him, through him, was chased around by earthly lowly kings in his childhood.

The infanticide - It was such a tragic scene. The tears of mothers, fathers, the cries of innocent babies. Who could bear such sight and sound? Weeping for their children, and refusing any comfort. In their hearts, they might be cursing this baby who Herod tried to search. Cursing, this son of God. Thus Jesus might have been continually doubted/hated by others

Now considering the humble circumstances in which Jesus was born, this Christmas, how are we to respond to the birth of Jesus?

The shepherds and magi responded to the infant Jesus. 

Response of the Shepherds - 众 天 使 离 开 他 们 ， 升 天 去 了 。 牧 羊 的 人 彼 此 说 ： 我 们 往 伯 利 恒 去 ， 看 看 所 成 的 事 ， 就 是 主 所 指 示 我 们 的 。 他 们 急 忙 去 了 ， 就 寻 见 马 利 亚 和 约 瑟

Response of the Magi - 有 几 个 博 士 从 东 方 来 到 耶 路 撒 冷 ， 说 ： 那 生 下 来 作 犹 太 人 之 王 的 在 那 里 ？ 我 们 在 东 方 看 见 他 的 星 ， 特 来 拜 他 。

We can choose to response in three ways similarly. 

A. Firstly, we can choose to ignore the Savior

Imagine the shepherds had heard of the angels joyous announcement and just carried on their shepherding? The magi had seen the star and just ignored it as a nice sight in the sky?

For us, do we go on just celebrating Christmas just as we have always done, without pursuing what it all really means? If so, we will just be as lost as we always were. By God's grace, He seeked us, but if we choose to jgnore, then, we remain lost. REMAIN in DARKNESS. What does remaining lost mains? Remaining in darkness means? It means that we bringing our sins along with us heading for hell.

What is hell like? The below verses give a vivid description.

Matthew 5:29-30

²⁹ 若 是 你 的 右 眼 叫 你 跌 倒 ， 就 剜 出 来 丢 掉 ， 宁 可 失 去 百 体 中 的 一 体 ， 不 叫 全 身 丢 在 地 狱 里 。

³⁰ 若 是 右 手 叫 你 跌 倒 ， 就 砍 下 来 丢 掉 ， 宁 可 失 去 百 体 中 的 一 体 ， 不 叫 全 身 下 入 地 狱 。

Matthew 18:9
⁹ 倘 若 你 一 只 眼 叫 你 跌 倒 ， 就 把 他 剜 出 来 丢 掉 。 你 只 有 一 只 眼 进 入 永 生 ， 强 如 有 两 只 眼 被 丢 在 地 狱 的 火 里 。

Mark 9:43-48

⁴³ 倘 若 你 一 只 手 叫 你 跌 倒 ， 就 把 他 砍 下 来 ；

⁴⁴ 你 缺 了 肢 体 进 入 永 生 ， 强 如 有 两 只 手 落 到 地 狱 ， 入 那 不 灭 的 火 里 去 。

⁴⁵ 倘 若 你 一 只 脚 叫 你 跌 倒 ， 就 把 他 砍 下 来 ；

⁴⁶ 你 瘸 腿 进 入 永 生 ， 强 如 有 两 只 脚 被 丢 在 地 狱 里 。

⁴⁷ 倘 若 你 一 只 眼 叫 你 跌 倒 ， 就 去 掉 他 ； 你 只 有 一 只 眼 进 入 神 的 国 ， 强 如 有 两 只 眼 被 丢 在 地 狱 里 。

⁴⁸ 在 那 里 ， 虫 是 不 死 的 ， 火 是 不 灭 的 。

路 加 福 音 16:19-31 (Chinese Union Version (Simplified))

¹⁹ 有 一 个 财 主 穿 着 紫 色 袍 和 细 麻 布 衣 服 ， 天 天 奢 华 宴 乐 。

²² 财 主 也 死 了 ， 并 且 埋 葬 了 。

²³ 他 在 阴 间 受 痛 苦 ， 

²⁴ 就 喊 着 说 ： 可 怜 我 罢 ！用 指 头 尖 蘸 点 水 ， 凉 凉 我 的 舌 头 ； 因 为 我 在 这 火 焰 里 ， 极 其 痛 苦 。

²⁵ 亚 伯 拉 罕 说 ： 儿 阿 ， 你 该 回 想 你 生 前 享 过 福 ，你 倒 受 痛 苦 。

²⁶ 不 但 这 样 ， 并 且 在 你 我 之 间 ， 有 深 渊 限 定 ， 以 致 人 要 从 这 边 过 到 你 们 那 边 是 不 能 的 ； 要 从 那 边 过 到 我 们 这 边 也 是 不 能 的 。

²⁷ 财 主 说 ： 我 祖 阿 ！ 既 是 这 样 ， 求 你 打 发 人 到 我 父 家 去 ；

²⁸ 因 为 我 还 有 五 个 弟 兄 ， 他 可 以 对 他 们 作 见 证 ， 免 得 他 们 也 来 到 这 痛 苦 的 地 方 。

²⁹ 亚 伯 拉 罕 说 ： 他 们 有 摩 西 和 先 知 的 话 可 以 听 从 。

What does the above verses tell us about hell?
a. That even riches cannot save you from hell if you bear your sins alone.

b. You will be in torment in hell. In agony, in thirst, in fire.

c. That once in hell, you cannot get out. 有 深 渊 限 定, 人 要 从 这 边 过 到 你 们 那 边 是 不 能 的

d. That if we hear the voices of people in hell, they will tell us not to come here! v28

e. That you will be alone in hell…

f. It is for eternity

This is the ultimate result that each one will face if he chooses to ignore the Savior. The shepherd who carries on shepherding, the magi who ignores the cross, us who carries on enjoying the world, working, studying, family...

B. Secondly. What we if we visited infant Jesus, are revived for a few days/week/months, but later forget about the Savior? What if we continue to live unrepentant lives, continue in our lives of sin?

We have to ask ourselves, are we reborn? Is our faith dead? Have we repented? Are we saved in Christ? Or are we just like the the people whom have ignored the Savior but just that we have a surface/superficial acknowledgement of our Savior? Even the devil acknowledge Jesus as the son of God! 

Are we headed for hell thinking that we are headed for heaven? Let's not be the branches thrown into the fire.

⁵ 我 是 葡 萄 树 ， 你 们 是 枝 子 。 常 在 我 里 面 的 ， 我 也 常 在 他 里 面 ， 这 人 就 多 结 果 子 ； 因 为 离 了 我 ， 你 们 就 不 能 做 甚 麽 。

⁶ 人 若 不 常 在 我 里 面 ， 就 像 枝 子 丢 在 外 面 枯 乾 ， 人 拾 起 来 ， 扔 在 火 里 烧 了 。

C. Lastly. But what about if we are like the shepherds, magi, bringing gold, precious gifts to the Savior acknowledging him in his full glory. And after that joyous night, eagerly await his growing up, to follow him? To the point where he died unto the cross still we follow where no one else does? No turning back? 

That we know we ought to be on the cross, but instead Jesus is on it for us?

That we know what ought to flow is our blood but instead its Jesus's precious blood?

That he is our Saviour! He is our Lord!

歌 林 多 後 書 5:21

²¹ 神 使 那 无 罪 的 ， 替 我 们 成 为 罪 ， 好 叫 我 们 在 他 里 面 成 为 神 的 义 。

And because we are seen as right before God, we are assured as having a place in heaven. Where the city and streets are made entirely of gold and precious stones, where there will be no tear, no mourning, no pain but joy, the joy of seeing your loved ones in Christ. 

1. To embrace our him as our Saviour for our sins (see the sinner in us).

If we do not embrace him? Lk 2:34 是 要 叫 以 色 列 中 许 多 人 跌 倒 ， 许 多 人 兴 起 ；will cause many to fall and rise. To those who reject him, its fall into the depths of hell.

2. Repent of our sins. Examine our own sins, pride, lust, unwholesome talk, gossip, laziness and refusal to study God's word

3. Tell others of what joyous day Christmas is, a saviour has come.

Think about it. If it were you, can you give up your son?

Why did he have to go through the humblest of circumstances?

Because of his love for us. He love us so much that he did not want any of us to perish in our sins. But to life in Christ.

The internet needs no introduction. It has played important roles in all aspects of our lives, be it in family, work, studies or leisure. It is a part of our lives now. We can live our lives with a potential for good or evil, to glorify or rebel against God, to benefit or to harm others. The same goes for our usage of the Internet. It has both the potential for good and evil, glorifying or rebelling, benefitting or harming. We are stewards of our lives because it is God who has given it to us in the first place, when He formed us in the depths of our mother’s womb. The bible commands us to be good stewards of our lives. Hence this warrants us to carefully examine our usage of the internet. Are we a good steward of our lives, using the internet, to the good and edification of ourselves and others? To the glorification of God?

To be good stewards our of lives and in the usage of the internet for good purposes, we need to be spiritually mature. Are we spiritually mature in our thoughts/conduct, in our treatment and witness to others, in our reverence to God?

Being Spiritually Mature in our Thoughts and Conduct

We have to be spiritually mature in the conduct of ourselves. The internet is certainly useful in our course of work. Examples are email, application which enable us to work from home, video conferencing and internet phone calls which save a lot on overseas bills. Our leisure lives now involve web site surfing, online games, instant messenging tools to chat with multitudes of friends and more recently, social networking sites like Friendster and Facebook. However, we ought to be wary of laziness, foolishness and selfishness manifesting itself in our lives unknowingly introduced by the internet. They degrade our level of spiritual maturity.

Being Spiritually Mature in our Thoughts and Conduct - Laziness

When we get online, there are tons of things for us to do, to be attracted, to take notice of, or just to be informed (eg. Facebook notifications). The “to do” list grows enormously huge with the internet. Yes we might be enthusiastic with the things we can do online, but often, we forget about things in real life that we ought to do. Throwing the trash, washing the dishes, cleaning an area of the house, buying groceries, doing homework (or Sunday school homework!), etc. It adds to the procrastination of many seemingly mundane but important things. Things which if not done, will slowly accumulate into an avalanche of trouble. What’s worse is that this does not bring about good testimony with people around us. Our relationships with our colleagues, parents, wives, children sour because of laziness. Colleagues complain that we do not contribute in work. We wrong our parents, wives and children when we are lazy in supporting them in showing them the utmost love to them as commanded by God.

Proverbs tell us that laziness ends in slave labour and hunger [Pr 12:24, 19:15]. Jesus rebuked the lazy with the parable of the servant who does not put the money entrusted to him to work, but just hides it in the ground and does no work with it. We incur the disfavour and wrath of God in our laziness. We forget the more important things that have to be done as compared to ‘levelling up’, sending virtual gifts or updating ‘statuses’.

Being Spiritually Mature in our Thoughts and Conduct - Foolishness

We are well aware of gaming addictions and we think that we will never become game addicts. Well doesn’t it seem straight forward that we cannot play games for consecutive straight hours, without food and rest? However, gaming addictions are rampant all over because we do not have God’s wisdom with us when all that we fill our minds are just Pet Society, Mafia wars or Farmsville. It is a very simple formula. When we do not have God’s wisdom, we are in foolishness. And being fools, we fall too easily into the abyss of gaming addiction.

Foolishness causes our actions in life to be without wisdom. We choose not to study, not to do our best, not to help friends, not to listen advice from parents/teachers/spiritual elders. We hate wisdom, hate knowledge, choose to skip classes, to slack, to harm friends. We can no longer think in God’s wisdom, to understand His Word, to apply His Word in our lives. We are fools. We hate wisdom, we hate knowledge, we hate it when someone forces us to study, to be more involved in church. We bring grief to our parents. Everything we do seems right in our eyes. We do not see ourselves as being hotheaded, reckless, spurning discipline or wandering eyes. But yet, this is how the bible in proverbs describes the fool. We do not grow in spiritual maturity, but in fact take several steps back in to reckless foolishness.

Being Spiritually Mature in our Thoughts and Conduct - Selfishness

How many times have you wanted to level up, waited for money to be replenished, waited for gifts to be given or generated, build up skill points? We have to be wary that we do not indulge in a “I, me, myself” only attitude and think that the world revolves around us. I want to level up. I want to build up my empire/house/farm/café, I want to be the strongest character or avatar. Jesus taught us that as disciples, we first ought to deny ourselves. The ‘self’ attitude that dangerously creeps in online games hinders us from deny ourselves, deny our wants, our interests, our loves for the service and will of God. How then can we ever proceed to carry our cross daily?

Being Spiritually Mature in our Treatment and Witness to Others

We forget to ask a friend if he/she needs help with homework, or has understood what the teacher has just taught, or volunteered to do house chores for mum, or prepare children worship service leading. We become full of ourselves once we dwell too long in make believe simulated environments as every decision, action or result affects only me and no one self. I do not have to learn, or initiate care to others.

Jesus gave us all a new commandment. That we love one another as Jesus had loved us. And by this will all men know that we are His disciples. Indeed we have neglected the loving of others in prayer and action, and much often because of more time being spent online. We have forgotten to love others. Loving others often requires us to take active role, but we often delegate it to a passive role, and with increasing distractions, we forget it entirely.

Jesus mentioned that by our testimony of loving others, people will know that we are His disciples. How will others know then that we are disciples of Christ? When others see our profiles and see game logs all over, or horoscopes analysis, or displaying of a video that goes against biblical principles, what kind of an impression will that give?

In Facebook, our profiles are visible and seen by many more people than we actually think. We claim to want be salt and light for the world, for our friends, for what ever environment we are in. But are we causing a big stain because of our Facebook activities?

Being Spiritually Mature in our Reverence to God

Have we compromised our service to God due to online distractions? Have we created online idols? Have indulged in sins of violence and sexual immorality online?

Have We Compromised our Service to God? Distraction by Online Idols

Have we compromised time for Him, in church ministries, in our devotional time, in our reading of spiritual books or trying to share the good news of salvation because we want beat our friends at typing maniac?

Have we forgotten the call of God in our lives? The call to be disciples, the call to love one another, the call to make disciples, the call to be salt and light of the world? When our minds are filled things of the world, it is only natural that we leave little left for God. The time, effort and energy spent online causes us to forget or be numb to the call of God.

Have we compromised our quality of service to God? While serving Him in church ministries, we might have our minds on whether someone has defeated us in Mafia wars or if we can better spend our time leveling up. We are distracted when we serve God. We are distracted when we ought to love people. We are distracted by online idols. God commands us to love Him with all our minds, all our hearts, not a distracted one. God commands us to worship Him in truth and spirit, not a spirit that drifts off to a virtual world.

Violence and Sexual Immorality

The themes of violence and sexual immorality are rampant amongst online games. Very often, the two are present in the same game. Games like Grand Theft Auto have a very strong violence and sexual theme. We see GTA advertisements even on bus stops which very clearly portray an attractive female holding a weapon. The game portrays a lead male character, often a wronged person who revenges through joining a gang. Along the way, he steals all kinds of vehicles, commits all kinds of hideous crimes with it and involves in sexual relations with prostitutes.

Appropriate Usage of the Internet

With all these dangers lurking in the Internet, should the solution just be a simple banning of usage for Christians?

For Getting Work Done

The internet has certainly aided communication. We communicate via emails to achieve tremendous of work done. The internet in short, has aided us tremendously, in getting work done, including works of ministry. We collaborate by being able to send and share excel sheets (church financial statements), word documents (meeting minutes, preparation of sermons), powerpoint slides (teaching aids, presentation shows) over the internet. Google docs is a good example.

For Leisure

One of today’s avenues of leisure is certainly sitting in a cosy chair and surfing the internet for sites, logging into Facebook to see friends’ statuses, logging into Pet Society to do up your house or chatting up a far away friend over MSN Messenger.

How to Curb Wrong Usage?

With the benefits of getting work done and leisure, how do we determine appropriate methods and durations of usage of the Internet?

How to Curb Wrong Usage? - Self Examination

I think it can be linked to the previous points introduced. If you feel your conscience rebuking you on laziness, you are forgetting to do the things that really matter, foolishness, you are not being able to discern between actions of wisdom, selfishness, you remember just about yourself and not forgetting the more important needs of others, then you really need to self examine. You should always be on the alert and be reminded that we are but stewards of our lives and time. God is really our master and we are accountable to how we spent our time and what we spent it on. We must know that God is in control through us being in control of ourselves. With self-control being the last fruit of the spirit, it probably aids us in remembering it.

How to Curb Wrong Usage? - Meditate on God’s Word Day and Night

However, due to our sinful nature and fallen reasoning, our self examination is often neglected and faulty if we indeed try to self examine. We have to meditate on God’s Word day and night. Not let it depart from us. A cup can only contain so much. If we fill it with filth, there is no place for God’s Word. If we fill it with God’s Word, naturally there is lesser place for filth. David sinned and committed adultery not when he was busy fighting God’s enemies, tending sheep or planning for battle. He had his cup filled with doing the things of God then. He sinned when he was free, had nothing much to do, and allowed the things of the world to fill his mind. Solomon did not sin when he was busy planning and constructing the temple of God. He sinned when he was free, not dwelling into the laws of God, where it specifically mentions in Deut 17:14-20 that a King should not multiply horses, wives, golds and lastly, to keep a copy of the law beside him that he should not depart from it.

How to Curb Wrong Usage? Beware of being too Free

David and Solomon had favor in God’s eyes when their cups were filled with the Word and ministry of God. They incurred the wrath of God when their cups were filled with filth. And many times, the filling of filth starts with us being too free. So let us pray that we really can have wisdom in our usage of our time, especially during the holidays.

How to Curb Wrong Usage? Be Watchmen of One Another

Because we cannot always trust on our own ability to self examine, to fill our cups with God’s word and ministry and to have wisdom in our free time, we need the watching over us by friends in Christ. The titanic would not have sinked have there been another lighthouse or ship watching over it. The claims by itself being the unsinkable ship sunk with the physical ship the moment it struck the ice berg. David would have gone on sinning have Nathan the prophet not rebuked him earlier.

As watchmen of one another, we should rebuke others in wrong and be humble enough to be rebuked when we are in wrong. 2 Tim 4:2 “Correct, rebuke and encourage”. Heb 12:5 “Do not make light of the Lord’s disciple, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.” We are well aware of other’s online activities especially through our home page. If you see a friend who is engaging in something not appropriate, correct him, encourage him. If he still persists, rebuke him. Similar we ourselves, should accept the rebuke of a brother which is according to God’s truth, and be sensitive to it as God’s rebuke might come from a loving brother.

Using the Internet to build Spiritual Maturity

The Internet has great resources to build us up in word, faith and conviction. In word, gty.org is a great site that has sermons by John Macarthur in audio, video readily downloadable for free. You can read pdf versions of books he has written or request for hardcopies of it. You can shop around for books in the site and order them with free shipment to your house.

Biblegateway.com is a great site that provides bible commentaries, concordance or search for verses with a specific theme or keyword. Such really helps to find out the biblical principle concerning a particular word, theme or concept.

Biographies of missionaries, both past and present are readily available via search engines. Let’s not forget the sermons available online at edenbp.org.

The resources online certainly helps us to meditate on God’s Word day and night. We can listen, read online, or download the audio sermons and listen to it at almost anytime we want. How fortunate are we at this age, but yet we our knowledge and conviction of our faith seemingly pale in comparison to our forefathers who do not have Internet, but the plain good old paper and pen.

We can often also encourage others via online methods like email, Facebook groups or blogs. Blogging about sermon notes, the reader re-caps not only what was said during service, but also has insights to how the writer intends to apply what was heard. Through email and Facebook groups, links that help build spiritual maturity can often be shared. For eg. how did the 12 apostles die. Unforunately, we are very much lacking in this area.

We do not encourage or share very much on God’s truth online, where this can actually be a very good avenue of shining for God. Posting edifying videos, sites, statuses, emails certainly helps to keep God’s truth, drip by drip into our minds as we log on.

Conclusion

To end it all, we have to ask ourselves if being online helps moulds us to becoming spiritually mature youths. Towards ourselves, does it cause us to be lazy, foolish and selfish? Do we forget about the more important needs of others and always think about ourselves? Do we compromise in our service to God in time and quality? Have we forgotten the call of God? Have we set up online idols or secretly indulge in violence and sexual immorality online? Or perhaps we can use it appropriately, for work and leisure. And more importantly, for the building up of our spiritual maturity. This we can achieve, by filling ourselves constantly with God’s Truth with the help of resources online and being watchmen for one another.

Very close to Sep 11, is sep 14, exactly one year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The US govt back then refused to save the bank with a long traditional, and it thus had to collapse due to its sheer amount of loses caused by the devaluation of its toxic assets (the mortgage backed securities).

After that, a tsunamic of financial institutions collapse followed. The govt stepped it and poured almost a trillion dollars into the financial system in a desperate bid to avoid a financial system meltdown. Yes, a trillion dollars. Probably enough to bring an entire 3rd world country to have skyscrapers in it.

After that, a string of regulatory reforms were enacted, and fast forwarding, it seems that the dust has settled and the financial system is strong again, picking up, traders are back at their game again. The question is, will things turn topsy turvy again? Yes it will.

The root of the problem wasn’t solved. Its not some toxic product, or about whether its capitalism or communism, but the greed of man, the severe greed of man, is ever present. They might not offer mortgage backed securities any more, but the so called ‘financial innovation’ will once again come in the form of disguised ‘vanilla’ products that might seem to offer simple fixed returns, but man’s greed will soon let it loose again, derivatives will start to creep around the corner, and we are in the process of creating another bubble again.

No amount of financial reform will resolve this problem. The bible says that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve the Lord at the same time and also serve money. Not that we cannot possess money, its important and a very important tool for expansion of the church, benefitting brethens in need, and a tool for our livelihood.

Its the priority that we rank them. God first? Money first? Which is our Lord? Or is God ever in the picture? The bible has mentioned that blessings come upon the man who meditates upon His Word day and night. Regarding blessings from money? Erm…Or rather, regretful consequences from greed?

The priority is important. With God first, we will consider how we should gain our money. Through proper, moral, God favouring means. And also, the intent, when we earning this money.

God’s abundant grace is ever present, and might possibly be in the form of money, although its just one out of the millions of ways his grace can flow to us. What’s important is that God asks us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness first. In short, its to seek Him first, His ministry, His Word, to Benefit his children first. And after that, if He’s willing, the rest will follow through.

So, countdown to the next financial collapse? Can probably look out for a few signs, some so called ‘super goody’ financial product appears again, might probably be from real estate given the frenzy now in singapore. Look out for speculation on prices for ALMOST EVERYTHING, commodities, wines, art pieces, i dunno…erm…names? Basically speculating on anything.

Till now, the eager bankers would probably not worry about when the next collapse will come…

ohh…Caleb is now at Sembawang. But he is coping well there and mummy and papa still visit him at night, so its ok. We will fetch you back on thurs nite ok? So its not too long that you will be away from us. One week 4 out of 3 nights you are with us =).

Other than that, the sep 11 anniversary just past a few days ago. As we watch new footages of the planes crashing into the towers, renewed memories of those terrifying scenes kept flashing through our minds. In a fallen world, with the depraved minds of man, in the name of false ideological gods, all immorality is put aside. Now which religion would condone such an evil act? The very taking away of numerous lives?

Let us have a sound mind, that we know the truth and goodness of a loving God, whose wrath on sin did not fall on those who have repented and believed in Christ, but on Christ himself, on the cross, and those who have rejected him. With a sound mind, we read, understand the Word of God, the bible, and there is no way you can get a hinge of a meaning that you ought to self-sacrifice and destroy another religion with violence and oppression.

Caleb with Samuel and pr. lingli’s aunt

Pr. LIngli’s aunt close up

Oops, he ain’t getting very used to the flash.

Caleb with Pr. Lingli who has a big smile

Caleb having a weird look with teacher Grace

Caleb having a ‘small eyes’ look with teacher Grace

Close up with Pr. Lingli’s aunt

Oops…intruder alert

We will first go to Bank Negara of Indonesia to remit money for the maid, then we will go for lunch at Beppu?? (mummy is hitting me)

And then we will go to the Arts Museum to see the Dead Sea scrolls where the rest of the church members will join us.

Then after that, we will go to Mummy’s friend’s baby who is celebrating his one year old b-day.

Ok, what a boring post this is, well to test Windows Live Writer 2009. Get your free copy now. It comes with many other useful applications like a photo gallery. Well of coz, google still rules.

http://windowslivewriter.spaces.live.com/

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