It So Happens

Couple of short months now I have picked up birding. Taking pictures of birds is quite challenging and rather time consuming. As you mingle with the birding community you get to know people, make new friends and learn from them. Being a pastor all these years, I have learned to turn whatever it is I am doing into a ministry. The harvest field is always on my mind. One thing I am experiencing now in the birding circle is this thing called ... CHANCE. You'll never know but there are moments when IT SO HAPPENS that something extraordinary in the birding scene happens. Out of nowhere this birdie just appears! These are moments that got my adrenaline going. You want to quickly capture these moments before it ends and in the midst of the excitement, I often blur my shots! Hahahaha. It's just like in fishing ... the one that got away. Sigh! But that's all part of the fun!

We were taught from the pulpit that nothing happens to us by chance. I find it amusing when preachers proclaim our presence in meetings is by divine appointment. Many times in conferences, I heard the host affirming that my presence was not a coincidence but rather God had brought me there by divine appointment. In as much as I would love to have God personally appoint my presence for the conference, I am afraid I have to beg to differ. I think pretty often preachers are too careless or easy on words. It's easy to say it is God's will when one don't have an answer. Let me try to put this in perspective today.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.

In the Old Testament, what the Father had need to do, He's done it and then He sent Jesus. What Jesus needed to do then, He too had done it and He had sent the Holy Spirit. Now it's up to us, how we walk with the Holy Spirit and how we live our lives in view of what Jesus had already done for us. AND in life, God doesn't order our every footstep ... what we do or don't, which career path to take, how many kids we want to have, which church to attend, our health, etc. It's all about our choices. Whatever we decide, we bear and live with the consequences. There are of course exception to the rule. God is sovereign and if He so chooses , He can interject and accord a divine intervention and so order our footsteps. Unless that happens, life is a matter of choice just as you would choose your destination for your next holiday. Really, if God do indeed order our every footstep, all of us would have gone astray! So under the sun (i.e. the course of life) time and chance happen to all. In other words, life happens. Whether it's good or bad, favorable or not, it remains a fact that God is still good and is unchangeable, doesn't make mistakes and doesn't need improvement. Only we and our lives need change and improvement, sometimes by purposeful intent and other times, by coincidences. Whatever it may be, we can always draw strength and confidence from God,.

In Luke 10:31 Jesus spoke of a parable. In it He said, "by chance ..." or coincidentally. That's life. Things do happen by chance. There are things within our control and influence and there are things which is beyond our control and influence. So when life goes either way, let's keep in mind the words of the apostle Paul: " ... in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you . (1 Thess 5:18). Read carefully. It say, "IN" not "FOR" everything. Just remember, we can draw strength from God in all circumstances by giving thanks. Sometimes we may need a friend or two to walk alongside, but our strength and our joy, they come ultimately from God. You can go through tough times with Him or without Him. The choice is obvious.

I love those "it so happens" happy moments. They're there. You just have to avail yourself. Many are caught in a rut by sulking and indulging in pity parties. Perhaps it's time to grab your "camera" and take a stroll? You'll never know. Today you may just have a glorious day because it so happens you were there at the right place and the right time. Isn't it true God's angels are watching? Look out for those "it so happens" moments. It's exhilarating!

What Are You Planting?

I read in a magazine on board an aircraft some years ago and I remember this article (vaguely) about how rubber seeds were first smuggled into our country from … hmm … don’t remember where. It was years ago! Anyway, from just a small amount of seeds, today rubber is one of the major exports of our country. Seeds are powerful stuff! And the thought for today … what are you planting of late? What kind of seeds are you sowing? You’ve got to understand this universal law; you reap what you sow. And may I also add, you EAT WHAT YOU REAP!

After 3 years in Bible College under the influence of missionary lecturers from the West, we were taught to “go out into the world and plant churches.” If there is a town big enough for a post office, it’s big enough for an Assemblies of God church. So by the time I graduated, I planted a church in Rawang and when I left Bible College, immediately I started Vineyard. After having identified a location, I secured the sponsorship of a mother church. Rented a bunglow in Taman Septueh. Furnished it with pulpit, chairs, Sunday school rooms, etc. Now the tough part. Getting people to fill the church. So I had to “advertise” the presence of the new church. Went house to house weekly distributing flyers and talking to whoever would accord me the time and interest. Problem is, non Christians are basically not interested in church. So I was hopeful that Christians in that locality might want to join this new church. Long story short, wasn’t very successful with the inhabitants in that location although a handful got saved to start with. They were students. But I did have a handful of “imports” from our mother church FGT. After 2 years, came the “exodus” and we started moving from hotel to hotel for our services. Finally we settled in Jalan Bukit Bintang for a short while, started Haggai Project. And in 1997 we bought our current premise! I think we had about 40 – 50 members then but oh … we were a bunch who love God and love the church!

While trying still to fill the empty chairs in church, I started planting churches again, this time in Cambodia. Looked in Myanmar, Thailand, East Malaysia, but didn’t commit. In Cambodia, we planted two and is now looking into our third. We worked with the locals, and like what has been the norm, I looked for a worker who wants to plant a church and work in partnership with him/her. We don’t take ownership. We just help initiate and support the work up till the church can function on its own. Then we reckon we have planted another church. Were we successful as a church? I guess you can say yes. But are we on the mark? Well, maybe. Like me, church planters in Cambodia too is looking to do the same thing. Get a location. Get a sponsor. Get a building. Furnished it. Put up a signage. Now we are ready for business. Let’s pray.

Of late, like that cruise ship that’s turned upside down due to a rogue wave, my life too has been turned upside down. Looking at things from the upside-down perspective, I see that what I did was not wrong but it’s not the way things are meant to be. I realize now that Jesus did not commission His disciples to go plant churches. Bible did not say, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten CHURCH that whosoever believes in her shall not perish but have everlasting life.” God said He gave His Son! And that whoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life. We are commissioned to plant JESUS, not CHURCHES! Jesus didn’t come to BUILD a physical kingdom. He came to plant the KINGDOM OF GOD in the hearts of men. While we go and tell people to come join our church, Jesus said we are to go plant His kingdom in the hearts of men! In other words, plant Jesus … not churches! As people get saved, collectively they become a church and that church can meet anywhere, anytime and without a banner. Church is a byproduct. It is a result of, not the reason to. To plant a church you’ll need a full time worker and plenty of resources. To plant Jesus, any Christian can do that. You don’t need a pulpit, a building, a group of believers. You just need to tell someone that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life! Our calling is not to plant churches but to plant Jesus! It can happen in your home, at your office, at Starbucks or Papa Rich or over an outing. There are no 4 walls limiting you. The world is your harvest field! 

I don’t know if you can grasp what I am saying here. We not only need to do the right thing, very importantly we need to do it right. What has been passed down to us is a culture. A western concept of church. We need to do the right thing the right way. The church of Jesus Christ is the most powerful force on the face of this earth. Today I want to bring us back into perspective. Let’s start sowing the seeds of the Kingdom of God. Let’s plant an entire orchard of “Jesus Plant”. There is salvation in the Name of Jesus!

N.B. This article I wrote some years back. Since it's Easter week, I thought I'd post this. Easter is about Jesus. Let's keep it this way. Blessed Easter.

The Superficial & The Remnants

It's kinda hard  to comprehend the sufferings of the Jews throughout the history of their existence. It all started when they rejected their Jehovah and especially so when they rejected Jesus as their Messiah. God "abandoned" them and allowed Jerusalem to be trampled upon by the Gentiles until a said time. This is called the "times of the Gentiles" (Luke 10:24). Today we still see Jerusalem as it is, not as what it was. BUT in actual reality, God has not abandoned His people. When the "numbers/fullness of the Gentiles" (Rom. 11:25) is prophetically fulfilled then God will return His people to Himself. He will turn away the ungodliness of Israel. Till the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, God has indeed hardened the hearts of Israel. They remain as they are today, a nation that has rejected their God. And God will always preserve a remnant who will, by all means, remain faithful to Jehovah.

Why the sufferings and atrocities that comes with the rejection? Why allow the Jews to experience near annihilation time and time again in history,  past and present? It's no wonder the hearts of the Jews have hardened. Israel was and is God chosen. Of all the peoples of the earth, God chose them to be His holy nation. The privilege and honour was theirs but they chose to reject the goodness of God and turn to wicked ways. So God had to "abandoned" them for a season. The reason being: to remove the superficial and to preserve a remnant who will yet glorify God.

To bring this home, let's look at the church at large today in our own country. We think we are doing fine. We think we are in the midst of a revival. Mega churches do not at all reflect the true state of the church today. Looking at the statistics alone will tell you that for the past decades the church has not grown at all. While we are happy church-ing, lost souls are still lost, yet to be found. If we continue on this trend, I fear we too may enter into a time where God will start removing the superficial so the remnant can shine. What's the superficial? The comforts, the prosperity, the music, the programmes, the buildings, just to name a few.

Now let's bring it a little more closer to home. We who are called of God, who professed to be a child of God, are too tied up with so much superficial that we don't give God our best. God is no longer first. Good Friday, Easter, Christmas are filled with travel plans and leisure. Gone were the days when these were great opportunities to introduce the Kingdom of God to friends. Church is no longer that important as long as we still belong. Prayer and Bible study are no longer of importance. Christians are after preachers who would preach those "make me feel good" sermons. From charismatic to cruisematic. Dare we say our faith in God is still strong and Bible based? Should the trumpet sound today, how confident are we that we will not be left behind?

I have been reading much of late with regard to Israel's past, present and future. It broke my heart to see the sufferings Israel  had to endure because they had turned away from God. Yet amidst the hardening of hearts, there's always the remnant who would not compromise on their faith, who would still hope against hope, trusting and believing that God had not abandoned them. These were the ones who would not be corrupted by the world nor would they compromise because of sufferings. These were those who would never lose sight of God's plan, purposes and promise. These were the ones who  would endure no matter what. These were the true believers. I believe in every church, there will always be the superficial and the remnant. The question is ... which are you?

HEY GOD. CAN I ASK?

Imagine you are in the wilderness for a long while. Now come the exciting time. Time to go over to Canaan land. First, there's this need to spy out the land. You have eleven others with you. Off you go. After the mission, there was a huge let down. Only you and Caleb gave positive reports while the rest transferred their fear and hopelessness to the entire camp. Chaos followed rebellion. God kicks in and the sentence ... 40 years in the wilderness. For the rebellion, it's understandable. Check the problem before it grows worse. But for you and Caleb? Was it fair and just? I mean, forty years is a long time! I wonder if Joshua and Caleb ever questioned God's decision.

Do you ever question God? Is it wrong to question God? Will God be angry if we questioned Him? After all we are only human and we don't know nor understand all things. When asked the same questions, Pastor Rick Warren said it's alright to question God as long as we don't question His morality and character. We do not and must not doubt God's morality and character. God is God and He is perfect. He doesn't need to improve, neither can He improve.  Just because we feel injustice doesn't mean God is unjust. It just means we need to see a bigger picture. And if you stick close enough to God, you'll see it.

So what do we do in moments when we feel God is neither fair nor just?

1. Accept the fact that He is just and right. Don't question His morality and character.

2. Look for the bigger picture. It may take a while but if you care to look, you'll see. And when you see, you'll understand. When you understand, you'll be encouraged to know that God has been with you all the time. You just didn't see it.

3. Take it as a test. You  know in exams, those who pass the tests get the promotion. Those who fail get retained.

Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who realized the dream of their forefathers. Even in old age when men's health fails and strength wanes, Caleb still had the strength and calibre of a young man. God kept him healthy! That in itself is priceless. Life is not just about today. Today is important. Tomorrow too matters. Go ahead. Ask God your questions.

Come now, and let us reason together, said the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isa. 1:18)