Spiritual Tour

I was touched by the Lord when He asked me to put my name in the first verse of Galatians Chapter 3 verse 1... i.e. You crazy Alan! instead of You crazy Galatians!

As I put my name there, the impact of this passage is directly on me instead of the Galatians. I could recall I used to read this passage and think that this passage is only meant for the Galatians. The Lord used this same passage to deal with my religiosity and set me free from the legalistic environment that I was in. This time around, as the Lord asked me to put my name in there again, my spirit is quickened and encouraged. My spirit-man gave praises to the Lord for He had called me out of that religious sheep pan ...!

Try to fill your name in the blank below and have a quick spiritual tour through this passage together with the Holy Spirit. Let Him reveals to you the status of your Christian life, so that you will know whether you are walking in faith or by the observance of the Law. You will also know whether you are depending on His grace or your own effort...

Galatians Chapter 3 ~ The Message

1 You crazy ________! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.

2-4 Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!

5-6 Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don't these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God.

7-8 Is it not obvious to you that persons who put their trust in Christ (not persons who put their trust in the law!) are like Abraham: children of faith? It was all laid out beforehand in Scripture that God would set things right with non-Jews by faith. Scripture anticipated this in the promise to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed in you."

9-10 So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith—this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: "Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law."

Faith is what we trust, not what we do...

I Believe

When we first believe in Jesus, we were running superbly! Due to our leak of knowledge, we were deflected from the true course in “the blind leads the blind” situation. We were zealous for God, but our zeal was not based on knowledge. Since then, we did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish our own righteousness through rule keeping system, we did not submit to God's righteousness. The truth is: Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Do we really believe in Jesus?

Christ had set us free to live a free life through His death on the Cross. If we say we believe in Jesus, take our stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on us through their religious teaching. Our Lord Jesus Himself is emphatic about this because when we abide in rule keeping system, we do actually believe in ourselves, not our Lord. The moment any one of us submits to any other rule keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard won gift of freedom is squandered. That is why we are repeatedly warned by Apostle Paul that: the person who submit to rule keeping system trades all the advantages of our Father and sons relationship in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. When we attempt to live by our own religious plans and projects, we are cut off from Christ, we fall out of Grace.

As born again, Spirit filled believers, we are to depend fully on His Grace and expectantly with faith that He is faithful, wait for a satisfying relationship through resting ourselves in the Spirit and abide ourselves in the new covenant truth, and for the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. In Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion means anything. What really matters is something far more interior: our faith in Christ expressing through love. Again this love is not our own love but His love manifesting through us when we appreciate His Grace. We love because He first loves us.

Do not be deflected from the true course of obedience by rule keeping system. This true course of obedience is "obedience by FAITH" not "obedience to MAN". This detour doesn't come from Jesus who called you into the race in the first place. And please don't toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a small amount of yeast to permeate an entire loaf of bread.

Be sensitive to the struggles of your spirit-man. If you say you believe in Jesus, stop all your rule keeping activities that come from religious teachings. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. This is the evidence of His grace. His grace will melt your religious being (flesh) and strengthen your spirit-man. If your Christian life is full of religious activities, you are believing in the Pharisee not Jesus. The evidence of your belief in Jesus is that, knowing that you are the weak and the helpless one, appreciating His grace lavishing upon you.

I have seen His grace and I believe, what about you?

Chinese New Year 农历新年

Have a Blessed Chinese New Year!

祝您新年蒙恩, 五福临门!

Colourful Jars of Cookies and Goodies

Clockwise from top left hand corner..., Peaches Jelly, Swiss Rolls x 2 trays, Kuih Lapis, Surabaya, (Indonesian Layer Cakes) and Dragon Fruit Jelly. Very colourful, yet very natural...

Delicious Dragon Fruit Jelly with Peaches Jelly in the background

Beautiful Formation of Cloud

I have been watchful for beautiful formation of cloud in the sky lately. Ever since my last encounter of beautiful cloud in the sky on 22.10.2008, I began to take notice of the cloud in the sky and I would imagine and see the formation of cloud as God's paintings in the sky.

I like to share with you my recent observation of these beautiful formations of cloud in Kuching's skyline.

Proverbs 8

Wisdom's Call

1 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?

2 On the heights along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

3 beside the gates leading into the city,
at the entrances, she cries aloud:

4 "To you, O men, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.

5 You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, gain understanding.

6 Listen, for I have worthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.

7 My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.

8 All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.

9 To the discerning all of them are right;
they are faultless to those who have knowledge.

10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,

11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.

12 "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.

13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.

14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have understanding and power.

15 By me kings reign
and rulers make laws that are just;

16 by me princes govern,
and all nobles who rule on earth. [a]

17 I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.

18 With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.

19 My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.

20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,

21 bestowing wealth on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.

22 "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, [b] , [c]
before his deeds of old;

23 I was appointed [d] from eternity,
from the beginning, before the world began.

24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth,
when there were no springs abounding with water;

25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,

26 before he made the earth or its fields
or any of the dust of the world.

27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,

28 when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

29 when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

30 Then I was the craftsman at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,

31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.

32 "Now then, my sons, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.

33 Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not ignore it.

34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.

35 For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the LORD.

36 But whoever fails to find me harms himself;
all who hate me love death."

Grated Orange Rind Almond Cookies

Chinese New Year is just round the corner and Mandarin Orange is traditionally related with the belief of the Chinese people as a symbol of "LUCK", for that's how the Chinese people pronounce in the dialect of Cantonese. Nevertheless, this kind of traditional belief does not affect us anymore as we have found the SOURCE of all our blessings.

However, to join in the mood of celebrating this coming Chinese New Year, Penny combined the Grated Orange Rind of the Mandarin Orange with Almond Powder to created an unbelievably unique cookies called "Grated Orange Rind Almond Cookies" of which she is proud to share this recipes with our readers.

Grated Orange Rind Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

150gm Ground Almonds
230gm Plain Flour
150gm Caster Powder
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

150ml Corn Oil or Sunflower Oil
1 egg yolk for glazing

1 medium size Mandarin Orange

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Chinese readers a very Blessed Chinese New Year.

From Flower To Juice

A Dragon Fruit Tree was planted at the back of our house and it took three years to bear its fruits. These Dragon Fruits was ice blended and combined with a small portion of fresh Lemon juice. The combination was perfect, deliciously juicy and refreshing!

Meanwhile, we have been "dunging" this tree hoping that it will bear more fruits; thirty, sixty and hundredfold!

Dragon Flower Bud

The Flower has a shot life span and with full bloom at night

Dragon Fruit

Blended Dragon Fruit Juice with Lemon Juice, deliciously juicy and refreshing...

How God Managed His Anger?

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53 (NKJV)

Do not take pride in our law keeping. Our law keeping prove nothing at all. This religious act will not prove that we believe in Jesus. When we keep the law, we are actually believe in ourselves., our evil self! Our evil self think we can keep the law. We believe that by our law keeping and good conduct, we can earn the blessing from God and if we are perseverance, we can make it to heaven. For 1,500 years, none of the Israelites could keep the law including the best of them, King David!

Do not be bound by religious spirit and fear that God will punish you. God's anger is well managed for He had poured out all His wrath on His Begotten Son two thousand years ago. He chose to pour out His anger on His own Son. He is now absolutely at peace with you. Bohold the Cross, come and accept His GRACE. Believe in His Son Jesus and what Jesus had accomplished for you on the Cross. Jesus said, "It's Finished!" Let's believe it is finished and rest...!

BIG Mac ~ Big Shaking!

I have not been to McDonald for a long time and since Adrian said he would like to try their "Prosperity Burger", so we decided to have burger for our dinner. I ordered a Big Mac meal just to recapture my childhood memory and I am sad to say that I had a disappointed Big Mac meal for my dinner today.

I was surprised to see how small the beef has shrink and in fact, the whole burger has shrink. This Big Mac meal dug up my remembrance of whenever I visited this kind of fast food outlets like KFC or McDonald, I would always like to complain because the meals they served were always look different from their food menu, in term of quality and quantity… and mind you, the situation is getting worse!

Well, my Elder just preached to us this morning that, as believers who have been enlightened by His grace, we should put our full confidence on the Finished Work of Christ and never put our confidence in the things of this world because the things of the world are on shakeable ground. Indeed, this Big Mac is fast to accomplish its purposes to disappoint me and at the same time, confirm the word of God to me.

Image of Big Mac downloaded from Google

Big Mac in Kuching

Hey, where is my beef?

Oh.. Here it is...

Extremely undersized beef on both layers

Hebrews 6:17 ~ Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
Hebrews 6:18 ~ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.
Hebrews 6:19 ~ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
Hebrews 6:20 ~ where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

The amount we pay do not really reflects the quantity or quality we deserved because this fallen world in its fallen stage has failed to keep up with its law based on deserving system. God never bless us based on our performance or what we deserved., and at the Cross, Jesus took away what we deserved and in exchange, He lavished His grace to us so that what we do not deserve, become ours through His promises. The grace of God is indeed on an unshakable ground and was put into covenant by Two Unchangeable Being. It is lavished to us undeservedly, "unearnedly" and "unmeritedly" from God.

And talking about shaking, do not put your confidence on Politicians too, they shake your hand before elections and your confidence after...!!!

Joseph Prince's Classic Sermon

The Lord confirmed the Gospel of Grace with miraculous sign as Pastor Prince preached his classic sermon eight years ago. The wind chimes played supernaturally in the background during the service as the following verses from the Book of Acts were proclaimed by Pastor Prince...

Acts 13:38~39 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Aleph Tav - The Signature of Jesus in the Bible

It is wise that we get rid of our religious belief and put our trust in His GRACE alone. When we are being religious, we are actually trusting ourselves not Jesus and we are believing in ourselves instead of Jesus.

Hebrews 13:9a ~ Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace...

Divine Exchange

She came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak… and immediately her hemorrhage ceased. She felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Aware that power had gone forth from Him, Jesus immediately turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched me?’ What an amazing exchange of power, fluid as life. This woman has been bleeding for twelve years, the life being drained out of her physically, in her hemorrhage; and financially, in the flow of resources to useless healers, all in vain, all for nothing; and socially, spiritually, exiled from community and religious practice that gives access to God.

Her life is bleeding away on every level – nothing can stop the hemorrhage that makes her ritually unclean and defilement to others: “you have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them.” She is an embodiment of Psalm 88, utter desolation: “My life is at the brink of the grave; I have become like one who has no strength, lost among the dead.” Perhaps she pours out her heart to God in lament, begging for healing and restoration to life and health and community. Yet she has no ritual access to God, for she is unclean; so perhaps her prayers, like the Psalmist’s, feel far from where God lives, far from the seat of power and glory to which only the clean and the holy have access. Even when Jesus comes through her town she can’t approach Him – not like Jairus does, directly, face to face, begging for help. She is a scourge and a horror; He would recoil if she did approach… and she can’t draw His attention from afar since He’s surrounded by such crowds. She has no recourse but the invisibility of the outcast and her own desperation.

Like a lunatic, suicidal, she pushes through the crowds, hiding herself as best she can lest anyone notice who she is – for if they caught her, God knows how many people she’s touched and defiled in the process, and then they’re touching one another – the whole crowd has been made filthy – they’d lynch her, an abomination! Perhaps stone her on the spot. And it goes without saying she can’t let Jesus of all people see her, let alone feel her touch contaminating Him – she dares to touch only the fringe of His outermost garment, the closest she can reach, the closest she can risk proximity to Him…. But then what an amazing exchange immediately takes place. Immediacy is one of the hallmarks of Mark’s Gospel, of course – things are always happening immediately, all over the place. So here, too: “immediately” she sensed the hemorrhage stopping… and “immediately” Jesus became aware of power flowing from Him. As her hand brushed or touched or perhaps seized His cloak for one desperate second, immediately they both felt the surge of divine power moving between them. And in that holy immediacy, everything changed. Time stopped. The hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus stopped, and turned, and, to her horror, began to look around, asking who had touched Him.

O my Lord, what a nightmare, worse than she’d ever imagined. People laugh at Him, of course, “What do You mean, who touched You? Who hasn’t touched You, in this crowd?” Boy, they’ll laugh when they find out who else has touched them, won’t they? But in the flow of power into her body, stopping the hemorrhage, perhaps Jesus’ healing has poured into her spirit too, for the woman draws up her courage and falls at His feet and tells Him the whole truth. And does He recoil in disgust and revulsion that she has contaminated Him so brazenly? Does He pick up the first stone to begin the ritual purging of this scourge in their midst? No. It’s astonishing! He says, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

He senses the power flowing out of Him… she feels His power flowing into her, and the draining of her lifeblood cease. His power flows into her that she might no longer be drained. He allows Himself to be drained of power – He feels power flowing from Him – in order to fill and heal one who has no power, no hope, no standing. “For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Paul’s words are not just rhetoric: we see them actually happening in today’s Gospel! Jesus becomes poor, He lets His power be drained from Him for the sake of one who is poor; and on the cross He opens His life-blood to all the world, letting His power pour out to fill and heal all those hemorrhaging in body, heart, or spirit – indeed, our whole hemorrhaging world – that by His blood poured out, all the places of blood-letting might at last, at last, be stanched.

This is the Happy Exchange Martin Luther loved: Jesus’ taking on our poverty, receiving our uncleanness as He did this woman’s, bearing in His own body our need and our sin, and in exchange pouring out all His holiest, most precious divine gifts to us: His power flowing forth, His heart poured out, His love and mercy, His body and blood, His breath and Spirit and friendship, His life. It is a happy exchange indeed – in fact outright astonishing. He becomes poor to make us rich; and we the impoverished, the weak, the unclean, the unworthy, the desperate – we receive all that is His and are beloved, washed, fed, cherished, and showered with riches. Even our most wretched sinfulness can’t separate us from Him, for He “carries our sins in [His] own body on the tree,” as we pray on Good Friday with almost unbearable poignancy. He bears our sins in His own body; we are united with Him and held in Him in a love that doesn’t defile Him but transforms us completely, making exiles and outcasts into “Daughter,” “Son.” And even more: He becomes Bridegroom to us, taking us into His very own home – His heart, His Body, where He abides – and clothing us anew and giving us a new name, a new identity, a whole new being.

We too know something of hemorrhage, in the desperate broken places of the world or in people we love or even in our own lives. We know the experience of depletion, of nearly imperceptible draining of life-blood over time: in exhaustion, in petty conflict in our churches or relationships, the slow sapping of resources or energy or hope. Perhaps we can sense how even prayer and our hearts’ deep life in God can hemorrhage over time, leaving us depleted and far from the places of rich and joyful access to God we long for.

Yet for us, as for this nameless woman, the miracle is that access to God is not far off – it’s as near as Jesus’ own presence. We too experience that holy immediacy – touching not the fringe of His garment but His own body coming close to us, receiving His blood: into us, too, into our poverty and longing and need, Jesus’ divine power flows just as powerfully as into this woman’s. Here at the altar the Happy Exchange takes place; yesterday and today at this conference, week after week after week in our parishes, this holy happy union of flesh and blood and heart and soul is consummated: Jesus’ divine presence poured into our human need, His love filling us and healing us and making every hemorrhage to cease – and changing reality completely, even raising the dead.

Come, weak or needy as you are; come, depleted or even dead inside: let Jesus touch you. Come, daughter, son; Come, beloved: receive the love poured out for you!

By Lisa E. Dahill, Ph.D.
Scripture reference: Mark 5: 21-43; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15.

Jesus The Same

There's a light in the darkness that shines
Giving hope to all the world
Hope to all the world
And there's a door that's been opened to all
Into a new and living way
A new and living way

Praise the name of Jesus
Perfect Redeemer, Star of the Morning
Yesterday, today and forever
Jesus the Same...

There's a fire that burns in our hearts
To see the lost return
To the Father
And it's a passion that's not of our own
We have seen it in the Son
In the face of the Son

Wonderful Counsillor
Mighty God, Eternal Father
Prince of Peace

Is Your Joy Complete?

John 16:22 ~ So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
John 16:23 ~ In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 16:24 ~ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Our joy is complete when we ask of ANYTHING from the Father in Jesus’ Name. To be able to ask from the Father, we must have revelation knowledge of what His Grace means. Most of the believers are shy to ask from the Father because of their wrong conception of who God is. Our Lord declared the era of Grace at the end of His earthly ministry from the above scripture to portray the three stages of human destiny on before the Cross, after the Cross and when the mystery of Grace is revealed.

Before the Cross
John 16:22 ~ So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

After the Cross
John 16:23 ~ In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

When the mystery of Grace is revealed
John 16:24 ~ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Have you understand much about Grace? If we understand Grace, asking anything from the Father is the fruit of our understanding of His Grace; and our understanding of His Grace depends on:-

1) Whether we are born again or not.
- Jesus said no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

2) Whether we choose to humble ourselves before His Word that He has revealed to us in our heart or not.
- Before I was enlightened by Grace, I was taught to humble before man (Leader). Don’t get me wrong for encouraging disobedience in the midst. The truth is, when we humble before His word, we have the abundant Life to be obedience in proper prospective to anybody. In fact, when we are disobedient to man, we are obedient to God and in turn, our obedience is a holy obedience to anyone.

3) Whether we believe in His Finished Work on the Cross or not.
- Because of His Finished Work, everything bad that you can ever think of or even you cannot think of, is nailed on the Cross by Jesus. Therefore, our sin is a done deal and we are forgiven eternally. To be exact, the sin for the whole world has been forgiven because God so love the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life! The world just has to respond with faith and believe in Jesus to be saved! The providence for the forgiveness of sin is ever ready by grace and the world does not go hell because of their sin but because of their unbelief!

4) Our revelation knowledge that we are no more servant but son. Our relation with God is no more servant and Master Relationship but rather, son and Father Relationship.
- Before Jesus died on the Cross, He personally came to introduce the Name of Father and His death on the Cross brought forth this Father and sons relationship for us. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"— which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He cried out, "My God, My God!" so that we can call God, "My Father, My Father!"

5) When we question ourselves that what kind of son are we if we do not ask of anything from our father?
- For a child to ask from the father is proper thing to do. To be able to ask from the Father is an unmerited and undeserved favor from God not our merited and deserved achievement through law abiding. In the realm of Law, we all fell short to ask from God, while in the realm of Grace, God has given us a new life through His grace for us to ask from Him.

The Lord said: “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” To ask of anything from the Father is a lifestyle not an act. When our joy is complete, the full blossom of Grace is flourishing in our life!

This is Grace...!

Promises

I have received New Year greetings through SMS from friends and I find this particular one very meaningful…

Peace in your HEART,
Health in your BODY,
Wealth in your LIFE,
Joy in your HOME,
May you always be blessed with these priceless treasures!
BLESSED NEW YEAR 2009!

Year after year, the world is wishing each other with sound messages like this. Only after I have been enlightened by His grace, I then could see God's promises and I found myself remembering what the Lord had done for me at the Cross. As His beloved, I found that I already have what the world is wishing for because I have chose to believe in what the Finished Work of Christ had done for me...!

Peace in your HEART

John 14:27 ~ Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Isaiah 53:5a ~ But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him.

Health in our BODY
Isaiah 53:5b ~ and by His wounds we are healed.

Wealth in your LIFE

2 Corinthians 8:9 ~ For we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for my sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich.

Joy in our HOME

John 16:24 ~ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

By His grace, and not through our effort that for no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.

His grace is indeed priceless and I say Amen to that!

Spiritual Gardener

Matthew 13:3 ~ Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.
Matthew 13:4 ~ And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
Matthew 13:5 ~ Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
Matthew 13:6 ~ But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
Matthew 13:7 ~ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
Matthew 13:8 ~ But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Matthew 13:9 ~ He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

This parable highlights the ministry of Adam in the Garden of Eden as well as in our time under the dispensation of grace. In Genesis 2:15, the Bible says, "Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it."

Now, some translation used work instead of tend, and if any of us is having the idea that work is to sweat with hard labor, I am sorry to say that we are being erroneous to receive this revelation in the prospective of New Covenant Spirit. The word tend means to look after; watch over and care for; minister to or wait on with service. In Genesis 2:15, Adam was still living in the perfect will of God and he was full of divine wisdom, power and life. The “work” in taking care of the Garden definitely not like the fallen idea we have in our mind. The work for the first Adam was effortless and without sweat. He only needed to speak the word and it was done.

As the Second Adam had restored what the first Adam had lost in the Garden two thousand years ago, Our Lord Jesus had restored the Garden of Eden with Spiritual Garden through His grace. The New Covenant ministry is being identified here to tend and keep this Spiritual Garden. As His Royal Priesthoods, we are entrusted by the Lord to tend and keep this Spiritual garden. We are to speak His pure grace and the Gospel to prune and water as a form of tending and keeping the Garden.

Everyone who came to believe in the Lord is saved by His grace. Through faith, this Spiritual Garden is composed of all the born again believers saved by His Grace through faith and they are to grow in the Lord by His Grace through faith.

Seeds fell by the wayside

Some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and ate it up. In churches’ tradition explanation, the birds here are usually referred to the devils that come and eat of the seeds. In the light of New Covenant Spirit in His grace, birds here can also be referred to as Pastors or Leaders who teach erroneously with the mixture of Law and Grace without filtering their teaching through the Cross. These seeds are being turned away from His grace and put onto a platform of law abiding with work oriented, self consciousness mentality. As spiritual gardeners enlightened by His grace, we preach Christ centered preaching pointing them to Jesus and He will supply this kind of seeds with good soil. His Word will prune and water them and allow them to grow in the ground full of His Grace. The seeds then yield a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Seed fell on stony places

These are the seeds belonging to Churches that preach legalism with mixture of law and grace. They depend on their own good work to be justified by God. The word in this passage says there is not much soil (grace) but stone (Ten Commandments). The New Covenant Spirit is showing a very profound truth here. Truth is not on the side of Law and the seed can never be rooted in such foundation. Apostle Paul said, we must be rooted in His love… The Law condemns and the Spirits gives life and we can never find love in the Law. Our Christ centered preaching is to point them to Christ who is the Supplier of good soil, trimming and watering. When the seeds receive the truth of His grace, they will accept His righteousness and lay down their own righteousness which came from law abiding. Apostle Paul talked of self righteousness as dung. As the seeds received good soil, plenty of water, and dung (fertilizer) that was laid down through their renewal of mind, and with the sunshine of His love, the seeds then yield a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Seeds fell among thorns

These seeds are troubled by the needs of this world because of the self righteousness teaching based on the principle of deserving. They are trying to meet every areas of their need through deserving system. They count their blessing base on their commitment to the Lord. They are thinking that God only helps those who help themselves. But the truth is, God only help those who are helpless! Christ centered preaching on grace is to bring peace to their hearts and uproot the thorns. The watering of His Word will put them back on His grace, which is the unmerited and undeserved favor of God! As the seeds received good soil, plenty of water, and dung laid down as fertilizer, and with the sunshine of His love, the seeds then yield a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Matthews 13:8 ~ But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Grace is the good ground. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Grace ~ The Hidden Wisdom of God

Before Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, the instinct of discerning and obedience were contained in between the two trees which God called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. When God placed a demand on Adam to exercise his freewill, He declared, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” He was showing Adam the death and the life in these two trees.

The task of being discerning and obedience was a test to Adam as he had a free choice to choose death or eternal life in the midst of the Garden. As all the trees were pleasing to the eye and good for food, he was deceived to believe that the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was desirable for gaining wisdom. He ate of the tree without knowing that he was made in the image of God and already had the life to know of the Good and the Evil.

The battle between sight and faith long existed in the Garden of Eden, influencing Adam’s ability to discern and being obedience. As Adam partook the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, what was on the tree had entered inside man as God declared, “Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. He must not be allows to reach out his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat, and live forever.” Today, the principality of this tree is still impacting the world through objects and images which are the continuation of the force behind the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden.

Jesus’ Finished Work on the Cross had restored what Adam had lost in the Garden. The restoration overturned the realm of flesh with a new birth whereby whoever believe are called the new creation as they are born again in the Spirit.

The world is governed by the Law and we are born into this world growing up in a work motivated, deed conscious environment. Clearly no one is justified before God by the Law because the righteous will live by faith and the Law is not based on faith but on sight.

We need the Holy Spirit to reveal grace to us. Grace is spiritual, and can only be understood by our born again spirit. Grace is God's hidden mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Law was given by Moses and grace and truth was given by our Lord Jesus Christ. When we preach Law or mixture of law and grace, we are ministering to our flesh and only our flesh are edified; but when we preach grace, God’s secret wisdom, we are ministering to our born again spirit and our spirits are edified.

As born again believers, we are encouraged by Apostle Paul, the Apostle of Grace, to eat from the Tree of Life instead from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. To live in the Spirit and restrain from living in flesh. To live by faith not by sight. To be justified as righteous by faith as there is no one can be justified as righteous by work. Submit to God's righteousness instead of establishing our own righteousness as Christ is the end of the Law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Choose life as we already have the Life to live our life knowing what is Good and what is Evil.

On the contrary, the world does not have Life, is leave at the expense of performing good and avoid doing evil. The world too, does not have the Holy Spirit, can only understand Law, but not grace; as grace is spiritual...

1 Corinthians 2:12~13 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Do you understand grace?

Sarawakian Pork Satay

Aromatic Sarawakian Pork Satay serve with peanut sauce and best goes with fresh cut cucumber and pineapple.

Ingredients:

Satay:

500gm Lean Pork
1 tea spoon Ground white pepper
1 tea spoon Garlic powder
1 table spoon Ground turmeric
1 table spoon Aniseed powder
1 table spoon Ground cumin
1 table spoon Ground coriander
1 table spoon Paprika powder
2 table spoon Vegetable oil
1 table spoon Brown sugar

Peanut Sauce:
1 table spoon Fresh chilli paste
2 table spoon Dried chilli paste
8 Shallots, ground
5 Cloves garlic, ground
1/2 cup Thick coconut milk
2 table spoon Asam jawa mixed with 1/2 cup water
1 table spoon Lime juice
3 table spoon Castor sugar
1 tea spoon Salt or to taste
1/2 cup Roasted peanut, coarsely ground
1 stalk Pandan leaf, knotted
1 stalk Lemon grass, smashed
4 table spoon Vegetable oil

Method on seasoning of Lean Pork:

Cut meat into 2cm strips; marinate the meat with combined spices and seasoning. Refrigerate for overnight.

Add two tablespoons of oil to the marinated ingredients. Thread meat onto the skewers. Reserve the remaining marinade for glaze when grilling or barbecuing the meat until well browned and cooked.

Method on preparing Peanut Sauce:

Heat oil in a wok and fry ingredients, pandan leaf and lemon grass till aromatic. Add coconut milk, asam jawa juice and lime juice. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until oil rises to the top. Stir in ground peanuts, sugar and salt.

Aleph Tav ~ Alpha and Omega ~ A to Z

Hebrew alphabet is the same as Chinese writing character, they are read from right to left. The most common word in the Hebrew Bible is the word את (et). The first letter is the א, called an Aleph, and is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The second letter in the word את (et) is the ת, called a Tav, and is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. These two letters are the "first and the last," the "beginning and the end" and the "Aleph and the Tav" which is translated as the Alpha and the Omega, which are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:8 ~ "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Dr. Larry Ollison expounding on the missing translation on Aleph Tav

את is used over 7,000 times in the Hebrew language and such can be seen in the very first verse of the Bible as בְּרֵשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ׃ (Genesis 1:1 ~ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.) Being at the center of this very first verse in the Bible, Jesus is Aleph Tav in the Book of Genesis and Apostle John had the revelation in the Gospel of John Chapter 1 verse 1...

John 1:1 ~ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Our Lord Jesus is Aleph and Tav in Hebrew, Alpha and Omega in Greek and A to Z in English.

AD 2009

We are now entering the year of AD 2009 and I pray that our knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord be increased in this New Year. As I look back at the year and despite of all the uncertainties in this world, I thanks God for His grace, mercy and faithfulness that we are still living in the fullness of His blessing.

For a start in this new year, I feel impressed to bring your attention to a very basic truth. This truth is reflected in our everyday life and maybe many of us have overlooked this.

The world dating system was designated by the abbreviation of B.C. and A.D. Before Christ is abbreviated as BC or B.C. This abbreviation is used in the English language to denote years before the birth of Christ. Whereas the abbreviation of AD or A.D. (Anno Domini) denotes in Latin as “In The Year of the Lord”. Anno Domini system was invented by Dionysius Exiguus. This abbreviation of AD or A.D., is a designation used to number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. More fully, years may be also specified as Anno Domini Nostri Iesu (Jesu) Christi (In the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ).

The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world today. Again, our Lord Jesus Christ is involved and He is the central focus in influencing the human race on differentiating the years they are in. Jesus Christ is at the heart of societies and human civilization and the history of this world must date to our Lord Jesus Christ from both sides. Indeed, history is His Story…

Colossians 1:15~22 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Before God opened up the floodgates of the heavens to judge the world with flood during Noah's time, He made Methuselah (Noah's grandfather) lived for 969 years. Methuselah became the longest living human in history. When God gave His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ to save the world, Jesus died young at the age of 33.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified at the age of 33 and was resurrected on the 3rd day and is now sitting at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. We are now living in 2009th year of the Lord Jesus Christ! Our Lord Jesus Christ is alive and is still living today. This is the truth!

2 Corinthians 13:8 ~ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.

Well, happy New Year to everyone! May you and your love ones be highly favored, greatly blessed and deeply loved by our Heavenly Father in this coming year.