Be Saints in Christ

Introduction

Many years ago a couple came for prayers. The wife complained about her husband’s dishonesty in their marriage. I started to counsel them and eventually found that the root cause of all these ordeals began with the love of money. The husband was a young business man who always dreams to be a millionaire. His target was to earn a million dollars in order to secure the future of a family of three. Fortunately and unfortunately, his dream came to reality in just a few years. Fortunate because he became a millionaire just at his thirties. Unfortunate because in his mind a new plan began to take place. He thought it was after all not that difficult to get a million dollars, why not get another million since he was still young. Forgetting what he had promised to his wife and daughter, he began going all out again. This time, he expanded his business overseas. I do not need to tell you the rest of the story. His wife began to worry and eventually furious as she found things were getting out of hand. At few desperate moments, she almost took her life and her daughter’s.

What has gone wrong? Is money seeking wrong? Can we dream to be rich?

Another story was told about a company manager was sent for a business trip overseas. After those daily business dealings, people are invited to join for beers and nightlife activities to entertain customers. This man being a strong Christian decided not to join the crowd but stay in the hotel to have his own quiet time. To his colleagues, he seemed to be isolated, like a dull dissocialised lone ranger. To himself, he had great struggle whether to stand alone to please the Lord he serves or to please his boss and colleagues by joining them in their worldly activities. After the business trip, he was called into his boss’ office one day. When the boss handed him an envelope, he thought this time would be the end of his career. To his surprise, he found in the envelope a promotion letter from the boss. Asking why, the boss praised him for his strong will to stand alone even in such difficult and pressurised situation.

The above two stories had similar plots where the two persons involved, had chances to get rich and popular. The first one seemed to get them but eventually almost lost his family. The second one seemed to lose his job and friendship yet eventually gained respect from the boss and others. What a life paradox we can learn from here.

Today gospel reading sounds similar with Matthew 5 – 7. We generally called Matthew 5:1-10 the beatitude of Christ. It is all about the attitude that God wants us to have towards things and issues of the world we are in. It is all about the right attitude of those who are called blessed.

1. Some observations

As recorded in the earlier part of Luke 6, when Jesus had called his disciples, great multitude of people from all over the places came to him. Jesus performed miracles of healing and deliverance and many people got healed. Jesus did not stop there but continue to challenge those who truly wanted to follow him.

The words of Jesus seem stark and inexplicable when one first reads them. "Blessed are you who are poor. Blessed are you who hunger now. Blessed are you who weep now. Blessed are you when men hate you." And, "Woe to you who are rich. Woe to you who are well fed now. Woe to you who laugh now. Woe too when all men speak well of you."

The words seem stark and inexplicable, because they seem at first to contradict common sense. Who would willingly choose the "blessed" circumstances of poverty, hunger, weeping, persecution and hatred? What’s wrong with people who are rich and well fed? Why can’t people have laughter and be well spoken of?

2. What are the lessons?

To understand Jesus’ words, we need to realize that he was not trying to show the contrasts between two sets of circumstances, but between ways people react to life in this world. The contrast is between the saints and other people, and what gives meaning to each group. We can state the two principles that Jesus communicates quite simply: The saints understand that nothing in this world can satisfy them but are happy anyway. Other people are satisfied with what this world has to offer but are always miserable.

We know, for example, that there is nothing wrong with riches. As Paul said, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Tim. 6:17-19 NIV).

That is to say Paul acknowledged there were rich people among the saints and he charged them with right attitude and manner of how shall they use their wealth for the welfare of the church and the body of Christ. So Jesus was not condemning wealth when He pronounced woe on the rich. It is a love of money which is a root of every evil, not money itself. 1 Tim. 6:10 reminds us -- For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grieves.” In desiring wealth, in fixing one's heart on money, a person opens himself up to temptation and calamity.

Conclusion

Today, as we celebrate All Saints Day, may God help us to understand what it means to be saint and the applications in our daily living. The term “saints” was first mentioned in Matthew 27:52 and only time in the 4 gospel, connecting with the resurrection of Jesus, “and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised.” (ASV). The term here is believed referring the OT saints of God.

Followed on, “saints” were mentioned 3 times in Acts chapter 9 and 1 time in Act chapter 26 and they all referred to the followers of Jesus in general. Paul used the term “saints” for more than 40 times in his letters where 9 times in Romans and Ephesians respectively. And all of them referred to the faithful including you and me as Paul said we are no more strangers and sojourners, but we are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God (cf. Eph 2:19) and one day Christ shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (cf. 2 Thess 1:10).

The term “saints” and its variations come from ἅγιος (hagios). It can be used to denote people or objects set apart by God. Whatever or whoever being set apart by God with specific purposes is called holy and respected not because of the quality of the person or the object. For instance, when the priest or prophet is set apart, it is God who did all of it and has nothing to do with the merit of the person. Similarly, when a temple, an altar or anything used for worship is being set apart, it has nothing to do with the quality of the building or object.

By saying this, we do not mean the quality of people or object being set apart is not important. For the term ἅγιος (hagios) also carries the quality of character building. In such a case, it means holiness or sanctification. For instance God said to his people, be holy (ἅγιοι) because I am holy (ἅγιος) (Lev 19:2; 1Pet 1:16).

Let us first of all know that we are all saints, separated from the world and consecrated to God. This is what we called positional holiness. Secondly, we must be holy as God is holy. This is practical or personal holiness which is a gradual process towards perfection. The third aspect of holiness is the future perfection yet to come. It will only be happened when we see Christ face to face where we would be totally sanctified.

In short, the positional holiness is all about our faith in Christ while the personal holiness is about love towards God and others where perfect holiness is our hope eternally.

So, it is nothing wrong to be rich. It is only wrong when we think that money is everything and forget others including God himself. It does not matter whether we are rich or poor. The matter is how can we be effective saints of Christ in this world. It does not matter how people look at us. The matter is how are we reacting to people’s criticism and even persecution for Christ’s sake.

May God help us to fulfil his purpose for us in his own ways and his own terms. Amen.

All About Our Faith (Luke 18:15-30)

All About Our Faith

Introduction

A story was told of a farmer who found a hand-like fossil in his field one day. The fossil was like a human fist holding to certain thing tightly. Not knowing what to do with it, he treated it as a decoration and placed it on a table in his living room. One day his wife accidentally broke the fossil and found something sparkling had been hiding inside. With a closer look, she realized there were a handful of ruby and diamond like jewels spread on the floor. With this discovery, they tried to figure out what could have happened right at that place hundreds perhaps thousands years ago. It could perhaps a volcano was erupted and people tried to run for their life. This fossil had shown perhaps a rich man who grasped a handful of precious stones while trying to escape from the natural disaster. Unfortunately he could not make it. He was buried by the volcano lava with the jewels still in his hand. He died with what he grasps. His soul and spirit has gone leaving these precious stones behind so also his physical body. This remind us what Jesus said, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” (Luke 9:25) Today gospel passages are about Jesus welcoming children and the rich man who enquired about eternal life. It was about the contrary between being welcomed into God’s kingdom and trying to get into it.

1. Some observations

In fact most part of Luke 18 talks about prayer. Here we have 4 stories all together.

a. Vs 1-8 is the parable of a persistent widow who kept on begging the judge to deal with her enemy. Here Jesus used contrast in a parable about prayer. He told of a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. (Luke 18:2) A widow appealed to him to deal with her enemy. The judge had the authority and the responsibility, but he would not act. The widow did not give up however. Instead she kept on begging up to a point beyond the judge’s ability to stand anymore. Finally, in exasperation, the judge decided to settle the widow's case. He still didn't care. It was only because she bothered him so much and in order to get rid of such irritation, he finally acted.

b. Vs 9-14 is a parable of the prayers of a Pharisee and a tax-collector. Here Jesus speaks of the self-righteous Pharisee who prays with fake confidence. No doubt the Pharisee did pray. He came to God however only saw himself and for himself. His vision was cluttered and muddled with the show off things he did and did not do. Due to his self-satisfied and self-righteous, he saw neither God nor his own heart clearly. He prayed not to God but about himself. In the contrary, there was also a tax collector, too ashamed to even raise his eyes to heaven. This man came humbling himself before God and found forgiveness. And Jesus said, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14).

c. Vs 15-17 demonstrated in real life terms how the humble inherits the kingdom of God. Jesus said, "Let the little children come, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Luke 18:15-17). To the adults, including Jesus’ disciples, they thought children have nothing to do with the kingdom of God. But to Jesus, we must be child-like (not childish) in order to inherit God's kingdom. That‘s the simple faith we need! Follow on was a typical example of how complication in our life would jeopardise and endanger our faith in God.

d. Vs18-30 tells of a rich man enquired about how to inherit eternal life. To the children and childlike people, Jesus welcomes and receives them into his kingdom. For people like that rich man, pleaded and begged the possibility of getting in. What’s wrong? This wealthy ruler in Israel wanted to do something in order to inherit the kingdom of heaven. That was the ever biggest mistake we must get away from. The fact is no one ever can do anything to inherit God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is by invitation just as Jesus invited the children. Jesus listed the commandments that govern relationships between men (Luke 18:20), and heard the ruler claim to have "carefully observed" them from youth. Then, with a single stroke, Jesus revealed the block that kept this man from faith. And Jesus challenged him, "Sell all that you possess . . . and come follow Me" (Luke 18:22). This was no condemnation of riches, nor was it a general command to all disciples. It was a skilled surgeon's competent stroke revealing a cancer. God spoke to the man: "Sell all; follow Me." Which one is easier? Observe the laws or sell all? And the man went away! He went away sad, for he was rich. He chose his wealth over his God!

2. What are the lessons?

a. From the story of the widow who pleaded the judge, we learned to be persevering in our prayer. Sometimes we pray, and when no quick answer comes we thought that God isn't listening. We easily became discouraged and eventually stop praying, feeling that He doesn't hear or care. Or perhaps we have done something wrong to prevent an answer from God. But Jesus wants us to learn to put our trust in Him totally. We may not see immediately what He is doing and what He will do, but we can trust the Lord. Faith, then, is a central element in prayer. Faith moves us to persevere, not desperately, but with confidence in Him. For faith lets us look beyond our circumstances and fix our eyes on the Father who cares.

b. From the story about the Pharisee and tax-collector, we learned to be humble in approaching God. Self-righteousness is one of the worse sins that cut us off from God. The self-righteous trust in himself and does not believe in God’s love and forgiveness. Only faith, a faith that lets us see God, frees us to discover our real selves which need God’s love and forgiveness. The self-righteous would try to hide their sins from God and even from himself. Only the humble will fall on his knees and see with faith God’s love and forgiveness. Similarly, like little children, we must each take our place before God, looking up and see a Father's face of love. And then, in a timeless portrait of what it means to trust, we may reach out, to take the Father's offered hand and opened arms. The rich man who has been observing the laws from young still asking and wanted to know how to inherit eternal life while the little children were already resting at Jesus’ bosom. What a contrary? As the man went sadly away, Jesus remarked to His disciples that it is hard for a man with riches to enter the kingdom (Luke 18:24). Why? Because such men tend to misplace their hearts and their faith. With God set aside in one's life, a person seeks something else to have confidence in—good works, morality, respectability, even adherence to orthodoxy. Yet so many of our lives are empty today of Jesus' new life because we fail to admit that God is not our priority. That our ground of confidence has drifted, and shifted to become something other than Him. The disciples were amazed and asked who then could be saved? (Luke 18:26). The answer is never as clear as this: only those who look to God for what they themselves can never do. Salvation, impossible with men, is like all things, possible for God (Luke 18:27). Let us fix our faith in God. He alone can do the impossible.

Conclusion

a. First and foremost, God is the solid subject of our faith. "Faith" is not just a subjective phenomenon: it is not something simply inside us, whose reality is measured by how "strongly" we believe. Faith must have an object. And faith is only as solid as that object; only as valid as the thing we put our confidence and trust in. If you put your faith in money, your limitation will not supersede what money can do for you. If your faith is all about worldly position and prestige, you know the end result. Let us rest our faith in God and God alone.

b. Secondly, right manner and right attitudes are essential in our prayer to God. If we do not humble ourselves, God will humble us. Let us learn to pray like the persistent widow pleaded the judge to do her a favour yet be humble. God surely hears our prayers whether our prayers are right or not. If our prayers are right, God will answer rightly. If our prayers are wrong, God will answer accordingly. For instance, if we are too proud, God will answer our prayers by humbling us. If we have no patience, God will certainly delay in answering our prayers so that we will be more patience.

In response to the theme today, I challenge you to join me in prayer. As mentioned sometimes ago, I have set every Saturday morning 6.30 to 7.30 for prayer at the church. This coming Saturday, we are going to do things a bit different. We will do prayer walk. That’s mean we will walk around the town and say prayers accordingly. You are welcome to join me. For those who think morning is a problem, I have set another time for you, that is every Wednesday 12.00 noon except the first Wednesday where we have Noontide Eucharist. If you think noon time is not convenient too, Wednesday evening 8pm should be a good one. You see, we are going to have 3 prayer time slots for your choice. If you cannot come to any of these, don’t be down hearted. You can always pray wherever you are.

c. Thirdly, we need to pray specifically. I would like you to concentrate on praying for the lost souls and unchurched people. They could be your family, your friends, your neighbours, even strangers. Pray for the Mandarin service to be launched on 14 Nov. Pray for other ministries and ministries yet to come as well. Please help by filling up a prayer request form so that we know what to pray for. Prayer is not just important. Prayer is essential.

The Spirit of Thankfulness

Luke 17:11-19

¹¹Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" ¹⁴When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" ¹⁹Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (NIV)

Introduction

Imagine one day on your way to the market a beggar came to ask you for money. Out of your compassion and kindness, you gave him $6 and left only $1 in your wallet. When the beggar saw that you have another dollar left, instead of feeling sorry for you, his covetousness ruled over, grabbing the $1 remained and ran away. What would be your first reaction towards such a ruthless and unthankful person? Furious? Angry?

Imagine that you are a rich man providing free meals with only one condition: every tenth meal received must be given out for free. Believing that there are still many people struck with hunger, your kind act would help many to survive. And the only condition set would help those who survived, in return helping others also. Unfortunately, one day you found that one of the people you have been helping turned round and exploited the meals you provide. He did not share the tenth meal received with the poor and needy. Worse still, he misused the provided meals for extortion and illegal trades, to earn more than he should have. Again what is your reaction to such an unthankful man then? Will you be angry with him? Will you still provide him with free meals or will you put him to jail until he repaid every cent he owed you?

The story in Luke 17:11-19 is about 10 lepers being healed by the Lord Jesus and only 1 returned to give thanks and praises to God. Where were the other 9 persons? Why were they so ruthless and unthankful? What are the lessons we could learn from here?

1. Some observations

On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus heard 10 lepers calling to Him from a hill some distance away. They stood far away because they were lepers and were considered unclean in those days. They were socially outcast and abandoned by their families. Perhaps they have heard about the miracles of Jesus and that’s why they cried out for mercy (Luke 17:13). In response Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests according to the Jewish customs. A person who had been healed of an infectious skin disease was told in the Law to show himself to a priest so that he might be examined and then certified well. And the declared healed person was then to required offer the prescribed offering to God (Leviticus 13:2).

Hearing what Jesus said, the 10 lepers hurried away to do just this. And the bible says, “as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14).

The story did not stop there. Unfortunately out of the 10 lepers healed, only 1 turned back, praising God in loud shouts, and thanked Jesus. Interestingly this only 1 returned was a Samaritan, a race that was considered impure by the majority Jews. The other 9 were so called children of God who should have understood what was meant to offer a thanks offering once they found themselves cleaned. Yet they did not perform their duty.

2. What are the lessons?

a. The lepers demonstrated their faith with action.

When the lepers heard that Jesus asked them to go and be examined by a priest, had not waited for the outward evidence of the disease to disappear. That showed the faith they had in Jesus. They went, confident that their need had been met, and that healing was theirs. Faith impels us to obey before we see the full evidence of God's work within us.

Many people said that seeing is believing but real faith is not by sight. Real faith is like a young child resting in his daddy’s bosom, crossing a rough river in the darkest of night. Real faith is like some chicks resting peacefully under the wings of the mother bird in the stormy blasts.

b. Real faith accompanied with real action.

As mentioned above, according to the OT laws, whoever is cleansed from leprosy was required to be examined by a priest. The declared clean person then offers a prescribed offering as thanksgiving to the Lord. The 9 lepers had knowledge about this requirement as they were Jews and yet they did not fulfil it. On the other hand, this Samaritan leper acted accordingly. His faith is accompanied with action in thanksgiving. He took his head knowledge down 18 inches into his heart and made it into action. As James said, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)

Conclusion

Though all 10 lepers were cured physically, only 1 cured also spiritually. It is my prayer that all of us are like the one thankful leper who gave thanks to God for his healing.

Do you still remember the imagined story of you being robbed by a beggar? When we are angry with the beggar who robbed the $1 remained, we need to ponder for ourselves. Sometime we acted like the beggar ourselves. God has given us 6 days to work and many a times we wanted to rob the remainder 7^th day.

Again, do you still remember the imagined story of you being the rich man who supplied free meal to the poor and needy with only one condition: that was to give freely to others the tenth meal received? When we feel angry with whoever exploited your good deeds, we need to be mindful of ourselves also. We sometimes do forget to offer one tenth of our income for the house of the Lord. May God help us to be grateful and thankful.

One of the greatest gifts we received from God is salvation in Christ. We were once like the lepers spiritually unclean and humiliated with sins and guilt. This spiritual uncleanness kept us far from God’s presence until one day He met us in Christ. In Christ we are now cleansed thoroughly, washed in His blood and eternally pure in God’s sight. Our spiritual cleanliness is examined by the Holy Spirit as Paul testified: The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. (Rom 8:16)

Also, as the author of Hebrews said, “The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. (Heb 10:15-18)

Since we have received this spiritual healing and cleansing, let us share this extraordinary joy with others. As a gesture of thankfulness, let us offer our time, our talents, our money for God’s ministry.

This year we set the month of November as mission month. In the mission month we will emphasise mission and evangelistic outreach. We also set aside a weekend to train our people for mission and evangelism. Let’s begin with praying for this project, praying for church leaders, praying for all members of St Mark, that we shall work hand in hand and side by side. May God stir our spirits and hearts so that we will be strong and courageous to go and tell all nations that Jesus is Lord. We have plenty of room for new comers, friends and relatives.

Let us dream for the Lord that one day we will see the church be filled with people from all directions and experience a mini scenario as described in Revelation 7:9-10 -- After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Amen.

The Little Faith We Need (Luke 17:5-10)

Introduction

We have people born in Christian families and people converted from other religions. I once was a staunch follower of Chinese folk religion, a kind of mixture of Buddhism and Taoism. By God’s grace and his choice, I became a Christian in 1977.Through the reading of God’s Words and listening to sermons, soon I realised one of the greatest differences between Christianity and all other religions is the saving grace of Christ offered. In all other religions, believers have to work hard and even do sacrifices in hoping to please and gain favour from the deities they worship.

I remember watching a documentary about a follower of certain religion was ordered to stand up day and night and not allowed to sit on chairs not to say to lie on beds. He explained his action was to please the deity so that he might be blessed with good luck etc. Whether sleeping, eating or even doing his big business, that poor man had to be in straight up position. In order for him to stand straight, he had many swing like ropes and hooks everywhere for him to hold on to. He would tie himself straight up when he need a “deep sleep” for instance.

Another story was told by a convert from certain religion. He was a religious guru. Every time they celebrate birthdays of their deities, together with many others, he would have many spears like bars pierce through his tongue, his nose, his chin and many hooks hooked on to his back with ropes attached pulling those status and shrines from a temple to another. In his testimony he said that during that time, people see him as a hero but nobody knows how much he suffered especially the aftermath pain and hurt which usually took many months for him to recover. When he finally turned to Christ, he became a new person, fully free from all those bondages and unnecessary sufferings.

I can tell you many more stories of how people lost their health, their money, their families and even their lives just because they tried to please their deities they served. For those who are in Christ, we experience the opposite. Jesus offers us life abundantly. (cf. John 10:10) Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). When we are in Christ, we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free. (cf. John 8:32) Also, as Paul said, “therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor 5:17) We are all saved by the grace of God, not by our merits. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph 2:8-9) God did not demand anything from us in order for us to be saved. Salvation comes through faith and faith alone, for the death of Jesus purchased our forgiveness and new life granted. This doesn’t mean that Christians should therefore abandon doing good works. Christians do many good works but good works are not done in order to gain salvation and should not be treated as duties performed to gain favour from God. When a person has new life from God, that life will be expressed. Just as a living infant cries and moves, so a person with new life from Christ will express that life—in works. It is not that works bring life, but that those who are alive in Christ will work. These works are good works of mercy and kindness towards others. These are works that bring glory and honour to God, not to bring harm and sufferings to ourselves or to others.

1. Some observations

In the first few verses of Luke 17, Jesus rebuked those who cause others to stumble. Jesus’ words were severe. He said, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” (NKJV) However, if the person repents, we must forgive him. Jesus was very specific. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him" (Luke 17:3). Even if he offended us 7 times and repent, we still have to forgive him. "If he sin against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." We understand that 7 is a complete number. It does not mean that we do not need to forgive that person if he offended us the eighth time.

When the disciples heard this, they were furious and cried out, “Lord, increase our faith!” Apparently they were furious because they did not have enough faith to forgive such persons who constantly offending them. Marvellously Jesus did not answer them directly. Instead of promising needed faith, He seems to dismiss their concern. He said, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you" (Luke 17:6).

Jesus' next words explain His reaction. He asked them about a servant—literally, a bond slave. Doesn't his master have him work and do the tasks assigned? Don't both master and slave expect the servant to put his master's needs before his own? (Luke 17:8) And, when the servant has done what he has been commanded, does he deserve any special commendation? Obviously not. A servant's role is to obey his master. Obedience is nothing extraordinary for a slave. And so Jesus applied the analogy. He said, "So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty' " (Luke 17:10).

What did Jesus mean? Jesus had given His disciples a command. When a person sins, he is to be rebuked and forgiven. This is not optional. This is the way every disciple is to live with others. This is a matter of obedience to the Lord! In other words, Jesus said, "Faith is fine for moving mulberry trees, but faith has nothing to do with this!" When it comes to living by Jesus' commands, the issue is not one of faith but of obedience! We don't need extra faith to obey! What we need to do is to remember that Jesus is Lord, and we who are Jesus' servants are called to do as He commands!

This incident revealed the disciple's confusion about the function of faith in the life of a follower of Jesus. It is a confusion that many believers share today. While this incident does not give direct teaching about the nature of faith, Jesus does settle one thing. We can never draw back from doing God's revealed will because we feel we have inadequate faith. As servants of Jesus Christ, we are to obey when He speaks.

2. What are the lessons?

a. Here we learned one of the many aspects of faith. It is about faith in trusting every single word of God and obeys accordingly. As mentioned above, we do not need more faith to forgive our offenders. What we need is obedience to God’s words. Jesus himself set an extreme example of obeying God by dying on the cross for the remission of the sins of the world. Paul described Jesus who humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (cf. Phil 2:8)

b. Another aspect of faith could be found in the NT reading from 2 Tim 1:5 – These are the words of Paul to Timothy his spiritual son, “when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.” (NKJV) Here we see that faith was being passed on from one generation to another. Lois did not hold on to her faith and be satisfied herself. Knowing that the faith in Christ was so precious, she passed it on to her daughter Eunice and eventually to Timothy.

This good news of Christ’s salvation is too great to retain by an individual. We see many other examples in the bible where people who came to know Christ’s saving grace, they just could not keep silence without telling others. For instance in Matt 9:29-31, Jesus healed two blind men and warned them not to let others know, yet they spread the news about Him in all that country. Another example found in John 4:39 The Samaritan woman who experienced Christ testified him and eventually many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him.

c. Again in 2 Tim 1:7, we learn that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (NKJV) By saying that Paul meant to remind Timothy not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, who has saved them and called them with a holy calling. (cf. 2 Tim 1:8-9) In other words, the faith granted to us by God’s grace is for us to bear witness for Him boldly without fear.

In the history of the early church, many disciples boldly testified for Christ not with prices to pay. Many of them were persecuted, imprisoned and gone through much hardship. And some even martyred for the gospel sake.

Conclusion

In my conclusion, I think the above 3 points about faith are enough for us to ponder over for the week and beyond. We learn to obey Christ’s command in every single detail not to gain eternal life but as a sign of our faith in Him. That faith makes us different inside, and love for God, not fear of Him. That faith motivates holiness.

We also learned to pass on our faith to our younger generations. In baptism, the parents and sponsors are challenge to express their trust and commitment to the promises of God, and their intention to bring up their children in the faith and practice of the Church. They are requested to set good example in prayers and services in the life and faith of the Christian community.

It is our prayer that our next generation and generations to come shall able to claim as Joshua did in thousands years ago: But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Josh 24:15 NKJV)

The blessing we received should not be retained within ourselves. We want to reach out to as many people as we can. In order to be effective in reaching out, I would like you to digest the words of our Lord in Matthew 28:19-20 -- “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”(NKJV)

Let us set aside some times to pray for St Marks and for each other at least once a week. Besides the time slot for your own, you are welcome to join me at the Dawn Prayer at 6.30am every Saturday morning.

May God revive His church.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)

Introduction

Some of you might have received a popular circulated internet article called “Count your blessings”. It reads: “If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 70% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the millions who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world. If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare, even in [Australia]. If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because although the majority can, most do not. If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer healing touch. If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed that over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all. Have a good day, and count your blessings.”

What can we say then? Obviously we all are some of the richest people in the world!

Throughout the bible, God constantly reminds us to be generous and charitable to the poor, the widows and orphans. In the OT, God is always being described as the God of the widow and fatherless. For instance Deut 10:18 -- He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. Psalm 68: 5 -- A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

The people of God is also warned to do good to the alien, the fatherless and the widow, for instance, by leaving some sheafs for them when they gather their harvests. Deut 14:29 - so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deut 24:19 - When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

In the NT, we are reminded to be generous in giving. Rom 12:13 - Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 2 Cor 9:6 - Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

The Gospel reading today is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. It describes the contrasting lifestyles of the two both in this world and in the next.

1. Some observations

¹⁹"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

a. These 2 versus show the contrast lifestyle of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man (not named) was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. He lived luxuriously every day, not once in a while. We are not told how he gained such wealth and should not think that his richness came from dishonest business practices or by exploiting the poor. The beggar by the name of Lazarus, on the other hand, lived in poverty struck by hunger and physical diseases even dogs came and licked his sores. It seems the rich man did not border Lazarus who begged for food at his gate.

b. The second contrast lies in

²²"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

Both the rich man and Lazarus died, but when Lazarus died, the angels carried him to Abraham’s side while the rich man was buried in hell. In hell, the rich man was tormented while Lazarus was rested peacefully in Abraham’s bosom. The rich man was in severe agony, burning by hell fire, pleaded to have Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue. Yet this simplest request was not granted due to the eternal separation in between him and Lazarus. c. The third contrast was about their eternal destinations.

²⁵"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

The worse scar the rich man had was the memory of his luxurious and sinful lifestyle that cost him his eternal fellowship with God. In between Abraham and the rich man is a great chasm fixed. No one can cross to the other side. One is eternal blessing in Abraham’s bosom. The other is eternal damnation in the fire of hell.

d. The contrast between faith and reason

²⁷"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, ²⁸for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' ²⁹"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' ³⁰" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' ³¹"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

The rich man realised his eternal destination was horrible and wish that his 5 still alive brothers will not come to the same place. He pleaded Abraham to send Lazarus to warn them. Marvellously Abraham replied him by saying that they have Moses and the Prophets. To Abraham, only if the people listen and believed in the Law and Prophets, they will be saved. That is all about faith. But to the rich man, he tried to reason out by saying “a person rose from the death might be able to convince them not to sin.” What an ambiguous reasoning and rational attempt. The answer from Abraham was clear: “If they don’t believe in the Law and the Prophets, nothing will help, not even a miracle such as a man rose from the dead.” Only a little simple faith is needed for our salvation through Christ.

2. What are the lessons?

a. Blessing is not counted by in terms of what you possessed but by how your possessions could be a blessing to others. The rich man here was described as a person dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. Purple fine linen was very costly in those days as the purple dye was obtained from a kind of shell-fish, a little drop from each. Woollen garments dyed with it were worn by kings and nobles. This kind of purple robe formed the outer, and the linen the inner garment. Accordingly, fine linen was produced from flax, which grew on the banks of the Nile. It was dazzlingly white, and worth twice its weight in gold. No hinge for us to conclude that his richness came in by fraud business practices or by oppressing others. But here we see how a man who might have a great deal of the wealth, pomp, and pleasure of this world, yet perish for ever under God's wrath and curse. The sin of this rich man was his providing for himself only. He had no concern of people surrounding him. Probably he did not border the prompting of the Spirit of God urging him to do good to others.

2. There is no grey area in between eternal death and blessing. The rich man was buried and sent to hell while Lazarus was taken by the angel to the bosom of Abraham. In between them there was a gap which no one could cross from one side to the other. The separation was clear cut. There is no place for in between.

The rich man was sent to hell not because of his richness but because of his lack of God’s grace. The evidence was clear: he did not experience the grace of God so much so that he had no grace to show to Lazarus. On the other hand, Lazarus was taken to the bosom of Abraham not because he was poor but God sent his angel to pick him up. It was not the merits of Lazarus that made God show his mercy. It was the nature of God to show his grace.

3. Faith in Christ supersedes all worldly evidences. The rich man pleaded Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers not to follow his footsteps which were evil in God’s eyes. Abraham replied that if they don’t believe in Moses, even someone rose from the dead would not be able to convince them to repent. Obviously, unbelief is due, not to a lack of evidence, but to a faithless heart. The greatest miracle will have no effect on those who are determined not to believe. The seat of scepticism is in the moral nature.

Conclusion

It is not a sin to be rich or seeking wealth in the right manner. It is sinful only if we are self-centred and care for nobody else. Similarly to be poor does not make us righteous before God. Righteousness before God is based on our dependency upon Him. At the grave, money, fame and our whole self, rich or poor, strong or weak, all but become helpless and worthless while only the grace of God counts. As Matthew 5:3 says – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Be on guard on how you use your richness and possessions. Everything comes from God and so we need to learn how to make the best out from our possessions for God’s glory and honour. Remember, you are the top 8% of the richest people of the world. Please stress out your arm to help and welcome people who are in need of food, shelter, clean water and medicines. Let me end with these words from Paul in 2 Cor 9:7-9: Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 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. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Amen.

Jesus Saves

(Luke 15:1-10)

Introduction

When I was a boy, one day we found our younger brother missing. Everyone including the neighbours was worry and tried searching for him. Hours later we found him hiding under grandma’s bed sleeping. We woke him up and asked him what’d happened. He confessed that he has stolen a bit of grandma’s alcohol and drunkard for few hours. Though that was a bit jokily, it was still a happy ending.

But life is not always easy. On another day years later we found this same younger brother missing not for few hours but did not come home overnight. That was the time while I was in my first year of theological training. During one of the morning classes, my sister called me and wanted me to go searching for our brother. I ranged his office and his colleagues said he did not turn up for work. I ranged some of his close friends and they had no ideas where he was. I went to the local police station to ask for help and was told that I need to make a report only 24 hours after we first found him missing. However the police advised me to go to the hospital for a search thinking that he might have met an accident and was admitted to hospital.

I went to the hospital and did a search. Finally one of the hospital staffs led me to the mortuary wanted me to recognise whether that young man who died in an accident a day before was my brother. The mortuary was just tens of meters away from the front desk. But my steps were heavy; my heart was beating madly in between. That was one the worse experiences in my life to see my beloved brother lying dead coldly. This time again, we found him but not alive. What a tragedy!

Today gospel passage has two “finding” stories. One is about finding a lost sheep while the other a lost coin. Of course there is a third story of the lost son from verse 11 onwards. All these stories emphasise the urgency of finding something or someone and the happiness of the one who found them.

1. Some observations

When I read these parables, I realised the lost “things” were first an animal, the second a thing and the third a human being.

a. In the parable of the lost sheep we see that out of a hundred sheep, the owner lost one. Some might think that one out of a hundred was not a big deal. But it was about empathetic feeling over the lost of an animal just like feeling for your rabbit, your puppy or your kitten while they are in trouble. This man could feel the pain of the sheep which was missing. He left the rest and tried to look for this lost one. The story was one with a happy ending. He found the lost sheep and then happy celebrated with his friend. One thing about a sheep: it baas. That would help the owner to find it following its sound track.

b. In the parable of a lost coin the owner too, like the one who found his lost sheep, celebrated with his friends after he found it. That showed how precious the coin was to the owner. It might not be of much value in terms of market value but certainly precious to him. We also realised that a coin could not make noise like a sheep does. When a coin is out from your sight, most likely it is somewhere hiding. It could be under a bed or a cupboard. The owner was desperate to find it. He lightened a lamp for the search and finally got it.

c. In the parable of the lost son, we are told that this son was desperately wanted to have his share of the heritage from his father. Once he’s got what he wanted, he left for his dream life in the city where he lost everything and was stricken with hunger. In his hunger, he had no choice but to work in a pig farm for living. You can imagine how shameful it could be for a Jew working in a pig farm. Jesus described this man longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. At that very devastating moment, his sense came back and eventually made a 180 degree turning. He decided to say sorry to his father and wanted to start all over again. The happy ending was that the father accepted him and celebrated with his friends a huge feast. What a happy ending too.

2. What are the lessons?

These three parables indicate the salvation planning of the Trinitarian God.

a. In the parable of the lost sheep, the Good Shepherd our Lord Jesus Christ went forth to search for the lost sheep. Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10). He said, “I am the gate for the sheep.….whoever enters through me will be saved….I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10). Not only that, Jesus is the only way, only truth and only life. No one goes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6). Only in the bosom of Jesus the Good Shepherd, we will be comforted. Psalm 23 describes how beautiful it can be when we lie in the bosom of the Good Shepherd. In the midst of thirst and hunger, He makes us lie down in green pastures, and leads us beside quiet waters. Sometimes we are in situation as though we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, yet we fear no evil, because the Lord is with us; His rod and His staff comfort us. Most of all, the Lord has prepared an eternal resting place for us. His death on the cross released us from the curse of death which separates us from the presence of God.

b. Secondly, in the parable of the lost coin, the owner lighted a lamp in searching of it. The lamp in this case indicates the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us deep in our conscience. Whether we hide ourselves under the bed or cupboard, the Holy Spirit is able to find us. The Psalmist said in Psalm 139:7-8, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” Jonah was supposed to be a missionary to Nineveh. He tried to escape from the Lord’s calling by sailing away. Yet God sent a big fish to consume him and he repented. Ananias and his wife Sapphira tried to hide their possession by lying to the Apostle Peter. The Holy Spirit convicted them and both were stricken to death. We have nowhere to hide from the Holy Spirit.

c. Thirdly, the Parable of the lost son (or the prodigal son) indicates the embrace love of the Heavenly Father. We noted that the father was waiting and waiting for the son to return. This is exactly the nature of a loving father. Went the son returned from his devastated life, the father ordered to have the best robe on him and a ring on his finger and so on. That shows the unconditional love of the father. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).

Conclusion

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is searching for us sinners to repent and be saved. The lost sheep perhaps was accidently fell from a cliff while looking for greener field. The lost coin perhaps just slipped out from the wallet of the owner. The lost son perhaps was too passionate and lustful on the worldly possessions. Whatever it is, they finally returned to the one who loved them.

Repent and return is therefore the keyword of salvation in Christ Jesus. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).

In closing, I would like to read from 1 John 3:4-10

“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”

I would encourage all of you to ponder over this call from God for you to repent and renounce all evils. Being a pastor, I have helped many people to be set free from all sorts of bondages including alcoholic, drug abused, gambling addiction, ungodly sexual behaviours, demonic obsessions etc.

If you or your friends are in need of special prayer, please do not hesitate to make arrangement with me. Jesus saves all sinners and the Holy Spirit is powerful. May God set you free.

Count the Cost in Following Christ

Luke 14:25-33

²⁵Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ²⁹For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, ³⁰saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

³¹"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³²If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Introduction

Many years ago I led a family to Christ in a mission campaign.

This poor family had few children attending school far away from their village.

Every morning the local authority will send a school bus to pick them and other children to school for free.

When the authority found that this family embraced Christian faith, they began to change their own rules by charging them bus fares.

Eventually the family was threatened to pay bus fares or to give up Christianity!

When I heard that the parents decided to hold on to the Christian faith and gave up education because they have no money to pay bus fares, I just could not control my tears.

In the same village, many Christians faced similar situations.

They were bullied and persecuted in one way or another.

However those hardships did not stop them from coming to the Lord.

Neither those difficulties stop us preaching the gospel to them.

In order to help these new Christians, we bought a van and sent a Church worker to bring them to school and even gave them free tuitions.

Further on we built a wooden church for them.

The story did not stop there.

Months later, the wooden church was being torn down by anti-Christian mobs.

These mobs came from other villages belong to the faith of the majority.

After much prayer, we decided to bring this issue to the higher authority through Christian organisations.

Thank God after some months, a local court summoned these mobs to recompense the church double the building cost.

Eventually we rebuilt the church with bricks instead of a wooden one like the former.

These things happened in the villages of the native people, the aborigines in Malaysian Peninsular.

I can tell you stories after stories about how much cost some people had to pay in order to follow Christ.

1. Message Today

In today’s gospel reading, we see the challenges ahead of those who wish to follow Christ.

These challenges given by Christ were not exclusively few but much to do with the principles lie behind.

a. Firstly, Jesus said you must leave your family in order to follow him.

During the time of Jesus’ ministry, the disciples did not feel the tension or smell anything about persecution.

But Jesus forewarned them the time would come where there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.

They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (Luke 12:52-53).

The leaving from families became not a voluntary action but many a times were helpless decisions to be made.

I knew of a Chinese brother who was imprisoned for at least 3 times because of his faith in Christ.

During one of his imprisonments, the police broke his knees.

The church members took him home and prayed for him.

He was miraculously healed 3 months later.

When I met him in a trip in China, he told me that he had been away from home for years only to escape more persecution from the police.

He had to run from one place to another and did not see his family for years.

Many such stories are taking place in the remote areas of China and other countries where Christianity is seem to be a threat to the authorities or people of other faiths.

b. Secondly, Jesus said that you must love him more than anyone or anything else.

We should not misunderstand that Jesus wants us to be hateful to our dear ones.

Here is a way of expressing the contrast of different standard of love.

The love we love Christ should supersede everything and comparatively so much so that your love towards others including your dear ones is much out bitten.

Loving Christ does not mean the abandonment of affection with people.

Instead, it is a paradox while a person embraces the love of Christ while abandoning the love of all others, he or she would embrace much more love than before.

Here is the example of the Apostle Paul.

He loved Christ so much and considered all things as rubbish. (Phil 3:8)

At the end, Paul gained more friendship than ever.

Look at the friendship between Paul and Philemon and Onesimus.

Onesimus was once useless to both Philemon and Paul.

But then he became useful. (Philemon 11).

It is believed that Onesimus was a ran away slave to Philemon.

He transgressed against Philemon and fled to the site of Paul’s imprisonment to escape punishment for a theft he had committed.

He then heard the Gospel from Paul and converted to Christ.

Paul urged Philemon to reconcile with Onesimus.

That showed the strong bond of love within the Christian faith.

The Chinese brother I met more about 15 years ago has been faithful preaching the gospel to hundreds of people.

Together with other faithful workers of the Lord, they formed another huge family of Christ in gospel action.

This is the paradox: you gave up and therefore you embraced.

c. Thirdly, carry your cross and follow Christ.

Two issues were emphasised here.

One is to carry a cross.

That denotes a cost to be counted.

Secondly is to carry your own cross.

No one should let down his own cross nor should anyone carry someone else crosses.

Each person has his own cross to carry.

A story was told about a man who complained about his cross and wanted to have a change.

With permission he chose a lighter and shorter cross for himself.

In his heavenward route there comes a gap where he needs to use his cross as a bridge to cross over.

The real test comes by as he realised that cross he chose was too short and could not reach the other end of the gap.

In his furious, there comes the angel bringing the right cross for him.

This original cross finally enabled him to cross over.

This is an analogy about carrying our own cross, not others’.

2. What are the lessons?

How can we Australian Christians to be disciples of Christ?

What does it mean to us to hate our family in order to follow Christ?

We are not in the first century of Christendom where believers were persecuted by the Jews and Romans.

Neither are we like the Christian brothers and sisters in many third world countries facing different degrees and levels of persecutions.

Somehow the message is clear.

Whether we like it or not, we are in an era where the Christian faith is fading away due to secularism.

Sometimes we loved our cultures so much and we dare not to “hate” them.

Sometimes we are so protective to our social and political behaviours and we wish not to stand up and make our voices heard.

Bills against Christian ethics and biblical teachings have been passing by the authorities, one by one and bit by bit.

The rising of humanism overshadowed the authority of God’s word.

As Paul described, “…the secret power of lawlessness is already at work…” (2 Thess 2:7).

People are getting use to all these lawlessness and don’t feel the urgency.

That is to say we are comfortably enjoy our lives and wish not to be disturbed and so therefore would not disturb others.

The end result of such attitudes is only one - dropped dead.

Let us count the cost and follow Christ.

Do not think that you are able to continue to survive in your comfort zones.

If you do not shake the world, the world is going to shake you.

Christchurch NZ had severe earthquake early morning yesterday.

Thank God there was no serious casualty.

But let us think in terms of the spiritual earthquake in our minds, our families, our societies and the nations.

To stop spiritual earthquake taking place, we need to practice spiritual paradox: shake before you are shaken.

Shake the people around you before you are shaken by them.

Many years ago, when I challenge the church leaders to consider reaching out to some native people groups, the answer from one of the leaders was, “Don’t disturb them!”

He was trying to say, “let them continue to be in their spiritual poverty as well as physical poverty!”

Of course I did not stop there.

Eventually we managed to bring hundreds of people to Christ through our mission campaign.

Conclusion

Cane toads are not welcome in Australia.

I heard documentary of how people kill them by wrapping them in plastic bags and put them into a freezer.

These toads in freezer will not feel pain but lose conscious and died eventually.

Similarly if we put a frog in a pot of water and start boiling it, the frog will not struggle as the water becoming warmer eventually boiled.

Satan has been doing the same tricks to humankinds.

The more we submerge into our so called comfort zones, guess what?

We would be cook unconsciously.

As today is my first Sunday as a rector of St Marks, I would like to challenge you to forget what you are comfortable with and walk with me and straining toward what is ahead, and press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.

These are familiar words of Paul from Phil 3:13-14.

After much prayer, I intend to reach out to the Chinese working class immigrants in the near future.

This will involve a lot of human and financial resources.

Therefore I covet your prayers and supports in one way or another.

I know you have your own cross to carry.

But if you think you want to walk the way of the cross together with me, you are welcome.

May God grant you strength and courage for his glory and honour.

Amen.