Listen Now

James left home when he was young on a scholarship to study in a foreign country. He was given a one-way ticket as his family was poor. Over time, he finished his studies and settled in his new land. He became very successful and lost touch with his family back home while he was focusing on building his life. James was raised a very devout Christian from young and his new home was a majority Christian nation. It was the perfect environment for him to grow in his faith. He was very active in his church and was diligent in giving and serving. In the past few years, there has been a growing Muslim migrant community in the city where he lived. The demographic of the city was changing. This upset him a lot as he saw their influence in contradiction to the Christian values of his nation. He joined a movement that organized protests all over the city where Muslims lived, demanding that they convert to Christianity or leave the city. James was very pleased because the protests were very successful. A minority of the Muslims did convert while a majority left the city. The ones who remained were too few to ever be a threat. It was around this time that James began to miss his family and the home of his childhood. He realized that he focused so much on trying to build a new life in a new country that he had forgotten his roots. So, he organized a trip back to his land of birth, planning to surprise his family and to show them how well he had made it in life. He landed in his motherland and as his taxi got into the city, it got stuck in a traffic jam caused by a massive protest that was going on. He got out of the car to find out what it was all about. Through the placards and the chants of the crowd, he worked out that they were Muslims who were protesting the growth of the Christian minority in the country. They were demanding that Christians convert to Islam or leave. Suddenly, in the midst of the rowdy, chanting crowd, he could barely recognize him, but it was his Dad. He pushed his way through the crowd. When he came face to face, the man could not recognize him, until he said, “Dad?”. Instantly, the man’s eyes widened, he grabbed James and hugged him and they had a teary reunion. James asked his father why he was part of this protest that was persecuting Christians. After all, it was his father who raised him as a Christian and taught him everything he knew about Christianity. His father replied, “Son, before you were born, we were all Muslims, but we were a minority. The Christian majority forced us to convert at the threat of our lives. We had no choice. But now, the Muslims are the majority and we no longer need to hide. Son, it is now safe for you to be a Muslim again just like the rest of your family.” .fb-background-color { background: !important; } .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

More than a 100 years ago in a town in the South of France, there was an art museum. Two women were looking at a beautiful abstract painting debating its meaning. The first lady said, “I believe this painting is telling us about light.” “No, I disagree,” the second lady said, “I feel it’s all about darkness.” As this conversation was going on, an observer decided to chime in, “Excuse me, I’m sorry to be rude but you were both speaking so loudly that I couldn’t help but notice. I believe this painting is actually telling us about twilight.” The two ladies were offended and declared in unison, “You are wrong! I am right!”. At which point, the gentleman explained that he knew the painter before he died and that this was his intention behind the painting. “How can we be sure you really knew the painter?” said the first lady. “I too can claim that I knew the painter,” said the second lady. This spirited conversation continued as each person declared the true meaning of the painting. A month later, the museum reported that the painting had been stolen. As it was a beloved painting, the museum decided to commission a local artist to reproduce the painting from memory. Three months later, as the new replica hung in the museum, two gentlemen were debating its meaning. “I believe it’s talking about love,” said the first gentleman. “No, I can feel a strong sense of hatred,” said the second gentleman. An observer decided to chime in, “Look at the brushstrokes. Look at the mix of colors. It’s not even an accurate reproduction. Why waste time talking about the painting?”. Over the years, the painting became famous and was displayed in many different art galleries and museums. 100 years into the present, the painting is hanging in one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world. A couple is debating the meaning of the painting. “I can feel that he is capturing the essence of capitalism,” said the husband. “No, I believe that he has encapsulated socialism in this brilliant piece,” declared the wife. An observer decided to chime in. “Excuse me, but I’ve studied the history of this artist and I believe he was trying to capture twilight.” At this point, the curator of the gallery appears filled with distraught saying, “Have you heard the news? It just came out. A group of researchers have discovered that this and a whole lot of other paintings were not actually produced by the painter. He had bought them off another artist and passed them off as his own.” Ignoring the curator, they turned back to the painting. “Capitalism,” said the husband. “Socialism,” said the wife. “Twilight!” insisted the observer. .fb-background-color { background: !important; } .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

John went into an old magic shop that was full of tricks and curious props. As he walked past the crammed shelves, he saw a particularly dusty box that seemed to call out to him. He wiped off the surface of the box causing a mini dust storm that caused him to cough uncontrollably. It was a beautiful ornate wooden box with the words “The Perfect Jigsaw” carved on it. Curious, he took the box to the proprietor of the shop, a man who looked as old as time itself. John asked him what was inside this ancient box. The proprietor explained that this was a very special jigsaw puzzle. The picture on the jigsaw would reflect the life of the solver and once the jigsaw is completed, the lines and curves of each piece would disappear, thus completing a perfect picture. John was intrigued and proceeded to pay a handsome price to purchase the magical puzzle. He couldn’t wait to open it when he got home. He was surprised to find that there were thousands of pieces inside. So, he proceeded to set aside a space on his living room floor dedicated to putting this jigsaw together. For months, John worked on the puzzle. There was no reference picture to work with. Each piece just had splotches of color and he had to find a corresponding piece that matched the splotch. John was determined. Every moment he could find, he would spend trying to put all the pieces together. However, it wasn’t easy. Some days, he would be overwhelmed with frustration. Once, he was so angry he broke apart the partly finished pieces and flung them across the room. Another time, he packed the unfinished pieces into the box and threw it into the rubbish bin. After more than a year, he finally affixed the last piece in its place. Magically, the splotches of color began to change before his eyes. A kaleidoscope of scenes from his entire life began to materialize. Significant moments of his years, the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly. Great achievements and bitter disappointments solidified into a beautiful masterpiece. John stood there marveling at what seemed like a miracle. He was overwhelmed by the rush of memories the picture brought to him. Then, suddenly, all the lines and curves of each jigsaw piece began to melt away and disappear. The large jigsaw puzzle was now complete into a beautiful seamless picture. John stood there in awe. Then, he started weeping. The next day, he was back in the magic shop. He wanted to return the perfect jigsaw. “Are you not satisfied with this puzzle?” asked the proprietor. “No,” said John, “there is no evidence of the effort I put into solving the puzzle.” .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

Adam heard the call of God. He responded, “Here I am, Lord. Send me to the nations.” He sold everything, packed his bags and relocated to a foreign land. After 3 months, not a single person responded to his evangelistic efforts. The people had their own religion and were not interested in embracing another. Adam thought long and hard about his approach. Perhaps, the people needed to trust him first. He said to himself, “If I started a school and educated their children, then they might open their hearts to the Gospel.” After 5 years, Adam’s school had grown from 10 kids to more than a 100. He had also trained 12 teachers. Yet, not a single person wanted to become a Christian. Adam decided to reconsider his strategy. The school was already self-running. Maybe he should start a clinic to tend to the sick in the community. Surely, they will open their hearts to Jesus when their bodies are well. Adam raised funds and from a makeshift clinic with a part-time doctor, the work grew into a hospital after 10 years. Yet, despite Adam’s commitment, he still could not produce a single convert. His mission letters to his supporters felt so empty. In fact, his funding was drying up. People were losing faith in him. Adam decided that he could not rely on his donors. He needed to start a business to generate income. In fact, this would be the perfect vehicle to train entrepreneurs and raise the economic standards of the community. Perhaps, if they experience prosperity, they will see that God’s hand is upon them. Adam was far more successful than he expected. Not only did his business grow but many small and medium enterprises were launched. Poverty was almost eradicated in the community. Adam had by now spent 30 years with this community. Yet, despite all that he had done, he had no convert, no church building, no ministry to speak of. One day, he got a letter from his home church. It said, “Adam, we have supported you financially and with prayers for more than 3 decades now. Yet, you have failed in your mission. Why don’t you come home? Perhaps God has a better ministry for you.” Adam felt so broken. Surely, he had heard God’s call correctly. Unfortunately, he entered into a deep depression. He eventually fell ill and despite the best efforts of the doctors, he died. On the day that he was buried, the community erected a statue of Adam in the midst of the town. At the bottom were inscribed the words – THE GREATEST MISSIONARY. .fb-background-color { background: !important; } .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

The message of Jesus has been hijacked to only be relevant to how you will get right with God and go to heaven. So, the message of Jesus has been framed as exclusively Justification by Faith or Salvation by Grace and not Works. As a result, the centrality of this approach has created Christians that are ultra-sensitive to doing good works, lest it is seen as working to earn salvation. The unfortunate consequence is that Christians end up going to the extreme of not doing any good works at all since it is not needed to gain God’s acceptance. This is the question. Why must everything be framed in the context of God’s acceptance? Isn’t that really a moot point since we know that God already loves and accepts us? If we understand this, we will then clearly see that doing good is actually at the very heart of being a Christian. In fact, doing good is a hallmark or evidence that you really are a follower of Jesus! I don’t do good because I want God to one day say to me, “Well done good and faithful servant”. I do good because I am a human being made in the image of God. It is who I am. It is a reflection of the character my Maker implanted in me. Over and over, throughout the Bible, what you do matters. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. In fact, Jesus states this for himself in John 14:11, Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Your good deeds, the good works that you do, is the light that shines in the darkness! Why is there so much darkness in the world today? Because we don’t shine the light. What does this mean? It means that Christians all over the world are not manifesting the Reality of God enough! We are not sufficiently engaging in good works that demonstrates God exists and is real! Darkness is the absence of light. The world is only in a mess because we are not doing anything about it. Some of you may be thinking. “Hang on! Hang on! Hang on! Time out! Are you trying to say that we need to work for our salvation? Are you trying to say that we need to do good works to go to heaven?”. No, that is not what I’m saying. I’m saying, Good works will not bring us to Heaven. Good works will bring Heaven to us! We live out the Good News of the Reality of God to establish Heaven on Earth! If we believe that this is God’s world then we will care for it the way he does. We will love what he loves. If God is real. If the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is genuine. If the message of the Gospel is true, then Christians would be trailblazers of good works. Just like Jesus, we would be * championing the cause of the marginalized * working to eradicate poverty * finding ways to heal sicknesses and diseases * speaking out again oppressive systems * and extending dignity to all people. We would be proclaiming the Good News with our Good Works! When Christians all over the world stop being allergic to good works, we will see Heaven established on Earth. May this powerful paradigm transform your life and the world around you. God Bless! .fb-background-color { background: !important; } .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

There are 2 concepts that have greatly helped me in deepening my encounters with God. Firstly, we often do not experience God because we are distracted. Our minds are everywhere except in the present where God wants to meet with us. Being PRESENT is one of the most important states to be in to encounter God. If our minds are not in the present where God is, then we will miss him. The second concept, I discovered when I was sharing some of the great things that God was doing in my life to a friend. My friend said to me, “You are so blessed! God doesn’t work in my life like this!”. As I pondered my friend’s reaction, I realized that God wasn’t working in my life more than my friend. I was just more AWARE of God working in my life compared to my friend. Why is it that some people seem more blessed by God than others? Why is it some people have more testimonies of God’s goodness in their lives than others? It is not because God favors one over the other. It is just that one is more AWARE of God than the other. The truth is, God is working in all our lives. He is ever present. It is only whether we are aware of him. So, instead of asking God to show up in our lives, ask God to increase our awareness so that we can see and sense how he is already present in our lives. If you want to encounter God more, be present and increase your awareness. Be Present, Be Aware. Have you wondered why many Christians today no longer do their morning devotions? Often, it is not because they don’t want to. They just find it really hard to maintain this habit. Why? It is because of the smartphone. What is the first thing we do when we wake up in the morning? We reach for our smartphones and we fill our heads with everything inside. Messages that have been queued up since last night. Emails that need to be answered. Bad news that has happened. Details of everyone else’s life on social media. And whatever else we check or read when we wake up. How is it then possible for us to be present and be aware of God? So, I have developed a new habit where I only look at my handphone half an hour to an hour after I wake up. Every day, I wake up, I meditate, I have a time of gratitude, I set my intention for the day and I spend time being present and aware of God. Only after doing all this, I finally look at my handphone. When I first started doing this, something amazing happened. The amount of clarity that came to my mind was profound! I did not realize how cluttered my mind had been for so many years. I literally found myself again! I discovered that I had not been present to myself! And by being present to myself, I increased my self-awareness. Once I started recovering back my life, it was easier for me to be present and be aware of God. Being present and aware is the greatest present you can give yourself. Being present and aware is the greatest present you can give God. And, being present and aware is the greatest present you can give others. Isn’t that the truth? When we meet others, we are constantly checking our phones or having our minds distracted by its contents instead of being present with and aware of those around us. This device which is supposed to be a blessing to our lives has now become a curse. However, it is your choice whether you let it become a curse. So, this is now my mantra – Be Present, Be Aware. Be Present, Be Aware. Start with yourself. Give yourself the present of presence. Increase your self-awareness. Listen again to your thoughts, your heart. Be aware of the state of your physical body. Cultivate your spirit. Then give God the present of presence. He is always with you. He is always working with love in your life. Increase your awareness of his whispers, his gifts, his expressions of love toward you. And finally, out of a life that is whole again connected with God, give others the present of presence. Increase your sensitivity to those around you. Look at their facial expressions, listen to their words, hear their heart and connect deeply with who they are. Will you give the greatest present? Be present, Be aware. Repeat after me. Be present, Be aware. May your life, your connection with God and all your relationships be elevated as you live this out fully. God Bless! .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

A few years ago, I took the bold step of wiping the slate clean. I made a decision to rediscover my faith. I decided that I would be a child once again. After all, Jesus said, “anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”. So, I was going to approach the Bible as though I didn’t know anything. I wanted to find out what the mission, purpose and message of Jesus was. What really is the Gospel? At that time, I discovered that we have defined the Gospel mainly by reading the New Testament letters like Romans, Hebrews, Ephesians and Colossians. We like to read the Epistles because they are more theological. We don’t like the Gospels because they just seem to be stories. So here is the crucial question. Instead of finding out what Paul or any of the other New Testament writers thought about Jesus, Why don’t we find out what Jesus thought about himself? What did he declare was his mission? What did he say his message was? So, I decided to go through the four Gospels to listen afresh to Jesus. Over and over. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. I was shocked by what I heard! I discovered things I never saw before. It was life-changing and life-invigorating! Most of the time, when you ask a typical Christian why Jesus came, they would say, “Jesus came to save the world by dying on the cross for our sins so that we can be forgiven and reconciled to God.” Is this really the best understanding of Jesus? The church seems to emphasize 2 main parts of Jesus’ life – his birth and his death/burial/resurrection. This is evidenced by the 2 biggest Christian festivals, Christmas and Easter. When we look at the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed, these two parts of the life of Jesus are highlighted, but what about the life of Jesus? There appears to be a general lack of emphasis on Jesus between his birth and death! I want to suggest to you that the most important part of Jesus’ life is, his life! The Death of Jesus has absolutely no meaning unless we understand the Life of Jesus In order to reconstruct our understanding of Jesus, I want to suggest the following 7 questions: 1. Why did Jesus come? 2. What role does he play in our lives and the world? 3. What was his mission? 4. What is the good news he was proclaiming? 5. What does the cross and his death really mean? 6. What significance does his resurrection have? 7. How does all this make a difference in my life? In order to uncover some answers to these questions I would like to suggest the following: For question 1, go through the book of John. For questions 2 to 4, go through the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke and pay attention to what Jesus says. For question 5, the predominant view of the cross and death of Jesus is the penal substitionary theory of atonement. This is actually a recent view that was formulated in the 16th century. Do some research to discover what the older views are. Go through the book of Acts to see how the early followers spoke of the death of Jesus. For question 6, go through the book of Acts and the epistles to see how the resurrection was referenced by the early followers of Jesus. Finally, for question 7, Christians often say that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. Think beyond the words to our actual practice. What have we actually done with Jesus in the practice of our faith today? Jesus is central to the Christian faith. Therefore, our understanding of him is central to our faith. If we want to reconstruct our faith, we must reconstruct our relationship with Jesus. As you do this, may you rediscover Jesus, his message and the power of his death, resurrection and current presence in your life today. God Bless! .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

In the last blog, we discovered the missing pillar of Christianity which is to Love Yourself. If you haven’t read it, I suggest you do so before reading this one. When I finally understood the Great Commandment as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels and repeated in Galatians, Romans and James, I realized that I am to build my life on the 3 pillars of Love God, Love Self and Love Others. Jesus came to establish a New Covenant with us. We are not to live under the Old Covenant anymore. Jesus said that all the Law and Prophets hang on these 3 pillars. Paul and James says loving your neighbor as yourself is the fulfillment of the law. This means that under the New Covenant established by Jesus, there really are not that many rules anymore. One of the big mistakes we make is to think that the Bible is a giant rule book. We treat the Bible like a law library. I used to practice as a lawyer and we lawyers would often refer to laws passed by Parliament. Section 25, subsection (b)(ii) says this. Section 51, Subsection (a) says that. And so that is how we treat the Bible. Like a book of laws and rules, we quote chapters and verses to govern everything about life. So, we end up saying silly  things like: Where in the Bible does it say I cannot smoke? Pornography is not mentioned in the Bible The Bible doesn’t say that I cannot drink Show me which part of the Bible says drugs are wrong? You don’t need a rule book to govern every single thing you do in life. These 3 pillars settle everything. Everything you do, ask yourself these 3 questions: Am I loving God? Am I loving Myself? Am I loving People? Christians are generally familiar with the 2 pillars, so, let’s apply the missing pillar. How is smoking loving yourself? 1/3 of all cancers are tobacco-related. How is addiction to porn loving yourself? Research shows that porn addiction actually rewires your brain in a negative way. How is drinking and getting drunk loving yourself? Sure, there is research showing that red wine is good for your heart. But what about all the other alcohols? Especially Asians. The enzyme that converts alcohol into a harmless substance is inactive while the enzyme that converts alcohol into a harmful substance is more active! How is taking drugs loving yourself? I don’t need to find a chapter and verse to answer every situation in your life. If you Love God, you Love Yourself and you Love Others, you will know what to do. However, this does not mean that everyone becomes their own rule book. This is a misunderstanding of the heart of God. We make the mistake of thinking that Christianity is an individualized personal faith. No, throughout the whole Bible, God’s heart is to form a community. Therefore, how we live out these 3 pillars should be done in the safety and wisdom of community. Now, you might be thinking, “But David, isn’t everyone’s interpretation of love different? So, these 3 pillars become totally subjective because love means different things to different people”. When we build our lives on the 3 pillars, we are building our lives on the love demonstrated by Jesus. Not just any love but the love that he expressed when he was here on earth and ultimately displayed through his death on the cross. Other definitions of this love can be found in 1 Corinthians 13 and in the book of 1 John. Ultimately, the standard of love that we build our lives on is the love of Jesus. I have attempted to build my life on these 3 pillars for the past few years. It has not only brought true freedom but true change and growth in my life. May you be liberated to truly Love God, Love Yourself and Love Others. God Bless! .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

When you look at the mission or vision statement of churches around the world, most are built on 2 main pillars – Love God, Love People. Where do they get this from? It’s from Jesus Himself. It’s from what we refer to as the Great Commandment which is recorded in all 3 of the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ What is the second part saying – Love your neighbor as yourself? It is saying, you are to love others to the SAME EXTENT that you love yourself. Therefore, I want to suggest to you, that one of the main reasons why you find it hard to love others, is because you don’t love yourself! I want to suggest that one of the main reasons Christians all over the world are not loving and winning the world to Jesus is because Christians don’t love themselves! Christianity has become a religion of self-righteousness, legalism, condemnation, shame and judgmentalism. We have become so obsessed with our sin, our guilt, our failures and weaknesses. I want to suggest to you that we have missed out on the message of Jesus. Your life is not just to be built on 2 pillars. The mission of the church is not just to fulfil 2 pillars. There are 3 pillars! LOVE GOD, LOVE YOURSELF, LOVE PEOPLE There is nothing wrong with loving yourself as long as you love others with the same intensity. I want to introduce you to a concept I call Selfless Selfishness. This is where you are loving yourself so that you can love others. You are being selfish so that you can be selfless. You are being selfish for selfless reasons. Now, you might be thinking, “David, how can you say we should be selfish? That is contradicting the teaching of the Bible. We should be 100% selfless!”. Really? To be selfless means to give yourself away. Therefore, to be 100% selfless means to give 100% of yourself away. If you have given 100% of yourself away, what do you have left to give? Nothing! You cannot be 100% selfless. 100% selfless means you have no money because you have given it all away. 100% selfless means you’re naked because you have given all your clothes away. 100% selfless means you never sleep because every single hour of the day is for others. 100% selfless means you never eat because you have given all your food to the poor. 100% selfless basically means, you are dead! When Jesus was alive, he was not 100% selfless. You will read occasions when Jesus said, “My hour has not yet come. My time has not yet come.” Other times, He will withdraw to lonely places or to the mountain to pray. He did not always minister to people. He had his alone times. He had his own timetable. Jesus was only 100% selfless when He died on the cross. That was when He gave it all for us. Therefore, in order to be selfless, we need to be selfish. In order to give away yourself, you must have some self to give away. How selfless can you be if you hate your life, you’re totally broke, sick all the time and don’t know how to relate to people? So, what does Selfless Selfishness mean? It means, I build my life strong so that I can help the weak. It means, I have a deep spiritual life so that I can minister out of the supernatural. It means, I have a big heart so that I can have compassion for others. It means, I have a sharp mind so that I can solve the problems of others. It means, I have a healthy body so that I can serve others. It means, I have the finances to give to those in need. It means, I love myself so that I can love others. You have to take care of YOUR LIFE so that you can take care of OTHERS. Let’s tie all these 3 pillars together. To Love God is to place God in the center of your life. So, to establish these 3 pillars in your life is to have: GOD-CENTERED SELFLESS SELFISHNESS Ultimately, your Selfless Selfishness is an expression of your love for God. If this pillar is missing in your life, it’s time to set it up. You can love yourself because God loves you. You can value yourself because God values you. You can accept yourself because God accepts you. May this truth set you free to be who God has made you to be. God Bless! .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

It is very common for Christians to define faith as belief. Therefore, to have faith in God is to have certain beliefs about God. More specifically, it is often described as holding on to what Christians believe to be the right view of God. Faith is seen as having certainty in the right thoughts we have about God. The problem with this approach to faith is that it is entirely impersonal. The Bible is a record of humans encountering God over several millennia. It suggests that God is personal and knowable and can be experienced and interacted with. Therefore, I want to suggest that having faith in God is both personal and relational. Let me illustrate this with the famous story of Charles Blondin, the greatest tightrope walker of the 19th century. One day, Charles Blondin turned to the crowd and asked, “Do you believe I can carry someone across the rope on my back?” The crowd cheered, “Yes, we believe you can!” Then Charles asked, “Who will volunteer?”. The crowd was silent. He then pointed at a man, “How about you?” The man replied, “No! I’m not going to risk my life like that!”. Charles then pointed at another man, “And what about you?” The man replied, “I believe you can.” Charles said, “Will you trust me?” The man replied, “I will!” The man then proceeded to climb on the back of Charles Blondin and they headed out on the rope. The crowd watched breathlessly and roared their approval once they completed the crossing. What they did not know was that the man was Harry Colcord, his manager. Harry knew Charles and fully trusted him. It is one thing to believe facts about a person. It is another thing to trust that person. I want to suggest to you that faith is not affirming information about God. Faith is putting your TRUST in God. In fact, I want to suggest that the word Faith be replaced with the word Trust. Many Christians today believe in Jesus but they don’t trust him. Many say they have faith in God and yet have a hard time entrusting their lives to him. They are like the spectator crowd declaring their faith in God but never ever getting on his back when it truly matters. Now, if faith is TRUST, then there is room for DOUBT. Let me give you an example from my life. As I look back over my past, I notice that I’ve had a lot of mixed feelings and thoughts towards my father. There were seasons when I felt I didn’t know him. There were times when I had doubts about who he was. Quite often, I had wrong ideas of him. Yet, despite all this, I knew he was still my father. Even though I could not always figure him out, I trusted him as my father. All these years, regardless of what I felt and thought of him, he never stopped treating me as his beloved son. In the same way, do we have to figure God out completely to trust him? Is there a need to silence all the questions in our heart to commit to him? Conversely, does God stop loving you if you have any inaccurate thoughts of him? Do your doubts fundamentally change who he is to you? When you are reconstructing your faith, you may be faced with a lot of doubts as your familiar belief structures crumble and yet, you can still continue to trust God. “God, I have doubts, but I trust you anyway!”. “God, I may never find all the answers to my questions, but I still trust you!”. This is true faith. When you trust in the midst of uncertainty. Don’t build your faith on having the most accurate information about God. Trust God as your divine parent who loves you with a perfect love! As you do this, may your relationship deepen with God every single day! God Bless! .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

Christians believe that God is a perfect and infinite being. On the other hand, we humans are imperfect and finite beings. How can imperfect finite beings comprehensively understand and define a perfect infinite being? This means that any idea of God that we have is never enough to capture the entirety of who God is. So, how do we know whether any belief we have of God is a true reflection of who he is? I do not have the answer to this question. Instead, what I want to suggest is a simple way to determine whether our understanding of God is likely flawed. Here’s the test. God cannot be less ethical than the best of us. When an idea of God makes him sound, look and act less ethical than humans, it is an indication that the concept is describing something less than human and God cannot be subhuman. If God is perfect, then surely, he becomes our benchmark and our goal is to come as close as possible to who he is. So, if we have a concept of God that we would not want to emulate ourselves, it is an indication that our view of him is flawed. Let me give you an example. There are Christians who believe that God does not discriminate sin. They believe that God treats all sin the same and does not rank them according to severity. As a result, God punishes all sin the same way. This is demonstrated by his creation of hell. No matter how long one lives or what one has done during their lifetime, everyone deserves to spend eternity in hell regardless of what sin they have committed. There is no parity between the crime and the punishment. It does not matter that your sin was committed during a fixed limited time, your punishment will be eternal with no time limit. If this understanding of God is true, then why is it the Christians who believe it do not live by this same standard of justice? How come these Christian parents do not mete out the same punishment to their children regardless of what they have done wrong? Following God’s standard of justice requires that parents punish their children the exact same way whether they lie, steal or just did not make their bed. How come these Christians are not advocating for laws of the land that prescribe the same penalty for all crimes? If this is the standard of perfect divine justice or as some would refer to as holiness or righteousness, then: Rape should be given the same punishment as littering. Jaywalking should have the same sentence as murder. Genocide should be treated the same way as speeding. Also, why is punishment matched with the severity of the crime? Why aren’t these Christians fighting for the death penalty for all crimes? Why promote a definition of divine justice that we are not willing to follow? That we actually find abhorrent if it were practiced in real life? If Christians do not want to be like their concept of who God is, then it is not God who is the problem. The problem is our beliefs about God. God cannot be less loving than humans. Less just than humans. Less accepting than humans. Less emotionally stable than humans. Otherwise, why believe in a God that is less ethical than us? That is not God. That is just an idea that is less than the best of us. God should be more compassionate, more equitable, more honest, more faithful, more welcoming than any human on earth, past, present and future. As you reconstruct your beliefs, may you encounter a God that energizes you to embody the highest virtues! God Bless! .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

Many Christians insist that they read and apply Genesis literally. The reality is, no one reads Genesis 1-3 literally, even those who claim to. Let me give you two examples from Genesis 2. However, even before we go to the two examples, reading Genesis literally will reveal that there are two contrasting and contradicting creation accounts. One in Genesis 1-2:3 and the other one from Genesis 2:4 to the end of the chapter. Any attempts to harmonize the two accounts would already confirm that they are not being read literally. Now, let us go to the first example. Genesis 2:18-20 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. God declares that man should not be alone and that a helper partner would be made for him and then he proceeds to create animals and birds! Yes, you read that right. God creates animals and birds to be Adam’s partner! Unfortunately, despite his best effort to mate with, I mean, partner with these animals, none of them were suitable for him. It was only then that God creates Eve. Wow! Eve was plan B! Plan A: Animals. Failed. Plan B: Eve. Success! I want to suggest that this is the most honest, literal reading of this passage in Genesis. Now, let’s go to the second example. One of the ways it is claimed that Genesis is taken literally is when it is used as a model for marriage. The most quoted part is Chapter 2 verse 24 which says, Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. I’ve attended numerous Christian weddings. In fact, I’ve conducted a number of them. I can assure you that I’ve never seen this taken literally ever. In the typical western Christian wedding, the father walks the bride down the aisle to give her away to the groom. Literally, the woman is leaving her father and mother to be joined to her husband. I’ve never ever seen nor ever heard of a father walking his son down to give him away to the bride. Well, not in heterosexual wedding ceremonies anyway. I’ve never seen or heard of any Christian wedding ceremony affirming Genesis where the man shall leave father and mother to cleave to his wife. Symbolically and literally, western Christian weddings all over the world affirm that the bride is leaving her parents to be joined to the man. So, let’s not kid ourselves when we say we take Genesis literally. In fact, these are only two examples. Well, three if you count the creation stories I mentioned briefly. There are many more. If you wish to take Genesis literally, then you probably want to be a nudist vegan. But, let’s leave that for another day. .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

One of the biggest stumbling blocks in Christianity is how the first 2 chapters of Genesis are interpreted. Many follow the traditional view of reading Genesis literally. Unfortunately, this does violence to the text as it ignores genre, context, culture, history and science. It is a mistake to read an ancient text through the culturally-colored glasses of a 21st century Christian. As much as we can, we must try to step into the shoes of the ancient author and sit in the place of the ancient audience. This is the best way to approximate an understanding of what was recorded then. In order to illustrate what I’m trying to say here, I’ve reversed the process. I asked myself, “What would the first chapter of Genesis sound like, if it were to be written today, in the 21st Century? How would it be expressed in our modern context, culture, history and science, yet retaining the same genre?”. So, here’s my version of Genesis Reloaded. It all started with God. There was nothing. Reality as we know it, did not exist. The Spirit of God saw this as a blank canvas. Then God spoke. Bang! From nothing, everything that exists today, time, space, matter and energy, proceeded from a singularity. And God was pleased. This was the beginning of the first epoch. Then God said, “Let the light gather”. And that is what happened. Stars, galaxies, clusters and superclusters began to form. And God was pleased. This was the second epoch. Then God said, “Let there be elements”. And that is what happened. Elements with distinct structures and properties combined to form chemical compounds. And God was pleased. This was the third epoch. Then God said, “Let there be planets and systems”. And that is what happened. Astronomical bodies more chemically-rich than stars were formed. As a result, Planet Earth and our Solar System emerged. And God was pleased. This was the fourth epoch. Then God said, “Let there be life on Earth”. And that is what happened. Life began to evolve into sea creatures, land creatures and sky creatures. Eventually, this led to the emergence of humans. And God was pleased. This was the fifth epoch. Then God said, “Let my image be imprinted on all humans, male and female. They will be my representatives on earth”. And that is what happened. God bestowed upon humans, speech, language and moral cognition. Then God blessed them and said, “All the good that I have placed in you, multiply this through your generations. Fill the earth with the knowledge of me. Reflect me to all of life.” And humans began to gather themselves in communities. Then God looked over everything and he was pleased. This was the sixth epoch. So, God’s grand plan was completed. He spoke to the first group of Anatomically Modern Humans and said, “I invite you to enter the seventh epoch. The progress of life has been marked by death and suffering. In this epoch, you will experience true rest and peace as you and your descendants remain connected to me”. And God blessed this seventh epoch and called it Special. Well, I hoped you enjoyed that. First of all, you will notice that it is very poetic. Exactly. It’s a poem. Secondly, you will realize that it is very time-bound. It is bound to the language, culture and science of today. 2,500 years from now, this might not make sense to our more enlightened descendants living on Mars. Thirdly, you will realize that the point is not to explain WHAT happened but rather WHY it happened. It is about meaning and purpose more than science and history. It is about what or more accurately, who is behind the physical reality we see around us. I want to suggest to you that this is how we should approach the ancient poem in Genesis 1. Don’t get stuck in the quicksand of time-bound culture and science. Instead, find truth in the timeless message that there is a God who gives meaning and purpose to all of creation. You have been imprinted with the image of God. He has filled you with his goodness. May this truth bring strength, joy, security and deep significance to your life. God Bless!   * For an interactive description of the history of the universe as well as an explanation of “Goldilocks Conditions”, check out Big History Project. .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

I believe that one of the most important questions a Christian must ask is – What is the Bible? Without dealing with this question, it is difficult to journey on. So, what is the Bible? Some say it’s the Word of God. Others say it’s the absolute, inerrant, inspired, revelation of God. One even coined it as Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E.). Kind of like an Owner’s Manual for life. Really? It might surprise some people but the Bible didn’t fall out of heaven one day. In fact, the Bible is not even one book! The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by around 40 authors over approximately 1,600 years. 66 books? 40 authors? 1,600 years? This sounds like a pretty amazing library! Exactly! The word “Bible” means ‘books’. It is an ancient library. There are people who treat the Bible like a piece of legislation; like a law passed by Parliament. They refer to chapters and verses in the Bible like referring to sections and sub-sections in the Penal Code or the Companies Act. As a result, they claim that the Bible has an answer for everything. Really? So, what does the Bible say about whether we should use Instagram? How about whether I should buy a hybrid car or a conventional car? Or is Android or Apple better? Ok, let’s not go there. The Bible doesn’t even claim to be a complete record of everything. In John 21:25, it is stated, Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. You mean there are things that Jesus said and did that we have no record of? Yup! So, how do we approach a library? Let’s say I was studying psychology. When I go to the psychology section in the library, I will find many books on this topic. No book is alike. Although there might be some overlap, each book covers the topic of psychology from its own perspective. Sometimes, there appears to be conflicting views. Other times, there are alternative explanations. However, when I read through the different books, I get a fuller, richer, more satisfying understanding of what psychology is. I want to suggest that it is the same with the Bible. Each book in the Bible is unique in its own way. At times, there appears to be contradictions and differences. There are many different themes and angles. Yet, when you put it all together, you get this rich tapestry of God revealing Himself to humankind over several millennia. So, the Bible is not just to be used to create principles and rules and laws for living. Its power is in the stories it tells. Its beauty is in the revelation of God in His interaction with people over time. Ultimately, the Bible should lead us to a revelation of Jesus. The book of John refers to Jesus as the Word. So, the written word should lead us to the Living Word. The word of God should reveal the Word of God. Jesus. Here are some questions that will help you in your quest to understand the Bible better: Why is this book/story/passage in the Bible? What did it mean to the people at that time? What does it tell us about God? What does it tell us about ourselves? How does this make a difference in my life? Ultimately, instead of just asking “What does the Bible say about…”, you might want to ask, “Where do I find myself in the ongoing story of the Bible?”. May you have a life-changing encounter with God as you immerse yourself in this ancient sacred library! God Bless!   * This blog includes adaptations of ideas and concepts from Brian McLaren and Rob Bell. For further reading, we highly recommend: Making Sense of the Bible .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }