Protestant Ecumenicalism

Do you think that denominations are important? I bet there’s a 9/10 chance that you'll say no.

It is not unusual. A few centuries ago (as far as two centuries back would more than suffice) denominations are considered important. Today, it isn’t anymore. Anyone who thinks so is branded a separatist. When the Emergent Movement hits, (and it is already hitting hard), the first thing to go is denominations.

Why do I say that denominations are important? I say so on two levels.

On the first level. Going far back into the history of the church, the Roman Catholic church is claimed to be “officially” the first denomination in the world. Even up to today, the world still recognizes it as the “official” denomination of Christianity. I’ve heard a course mate say in point blank, “The Catholic wan is the more serious and holy wan. The Protestant wan is the not serious wan.”

Not serious wan? You mean...

Serious Catholic?

Crazy Protestant?

If we say that denominations are not important, then the great divide between Catholicism and Protestanism should not exist. Do we maintain that not having that great divide is a good thing?

On the second level. Going forward into the history of the church, we see many denominations forming within the Protestant movement. Within mainstream Protestant denominations itself, we see them getting “reformed” here and there. They put the word “reformed” before the name of their denomination, and they’re a new entity altogether.

If we say that denominations within the Protestant movement are not important, then the stands of different denominations mean nothing. Do we maintain that not having a stand on anything is a good thing?

I maintain that denominations are important. It will mean that we stand for something. If we stand for nothing, then we will fall for anything. It is better to stand for something, be it a "correct" thing or a "wrong" thing (as far as conscience serves us), than to stand for nothing.

I believe our view on denominations reflects our attitude towards truth. If there is such as thing as truth, then one should also stand for it. It also shows the depth of one’s seriousness towards God. If we seek to do God’s will, anything goes is not the answer.

I maintain that denominations are important, and yet I also maintain that the universal Body of Christ is equally important. Not having a kingdom mentality nullifies the truth that we pursue therein.

Jesus’ expressed His desire for us to know this truth in His last prayer with His disciples:

“I do not pray for these alone,
but also for those who will believe in Me though their word;
that they all may be one,
as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us,
that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21)

We should know and believe why we are in a denomination – not by misinformation, or by deliberate ignorance. But I also maintain that we should not believe that one denomination is superior over any other.

Our purpose on earth is finding out God’s will and doing it to glorify Him. God puts us in different places under His sovereign plan to function to the praise of His glory. The least we can do is to find our place, and serve Him wholeheartedly there. Not having a place, or refusing to have one, is like a servant who is already inside His master’s compound… But he does his chores while standing on the fence.

Life Is A Pinball

Now that I’m sick and I can’t go to Borders, what can I do?

Pinball in the morning. Pinball after breakfast. Pinball after quiet time. Pinball before lunch. Pinball after I write my blog entry for the day. And pinball again just to set the high score.

Some observations and insights about pinball.

Observation 1: Do not bump the machine. You always get higher scores when you focus on your flippers instead. Worst is, if you accidentally bump it when the “Careful” warning comes out, your machine will go into “Tilt!” Your flippers will freeze. The ball will just fall into the hole.

Insight: It is not wise to be too assertive. It is good to shake things up a little every once in a while. But don’t bump it too much. You may just bump yourself into your own doom. Best is, just focus on what you should be doing right. You’ll score more points that way.

Observation 2: Do not be flippant about your flippers. If you need to flip the right flipper, flip the right flipper. If it’s the left flipper, then flip the left flipper. Make a choice. And make it fast. If you flip both flippers at the same time, sometimes the ball may scrape by one flipper, but hit the bottom of the other flipper. And you’ll “backflip” the ball into the hole.

Insight: Life is about decisions. Make fast decisions. Make good decisions. Don’t live in indecision. If you’re too flippant, you will never decide on anything. You’ll let opportunity slip through the hole. There are no two ways about doing things. It’s either one, or the other. If you choose both, one of it will backfire. And the backfiring one may ruin the good decision that you made.

Observation 3: Follow the lighted arrows. The game is not about keeping the ball in the air. It’s about hitting the places that will get you the highest scores. If all you want to do is keep the ball in the air, you may get to play longer. But you won’t get a high score. So, try to hit the lighted arrows. They are lighted for a reason.

Insight: Live a purpose-driven life. Life is not just about staying alive. It’s about doing the right things to make it meaningful. If all you want in life is to stay alive, you may get to live longer. But you won’t get any meaning out of it. What on earth are you here for? Find your lighted arrow. Your Creator left you instructions for a reason.

Final observation: When people are jobless, they start making philosophy out of pinball.

Final insight: When trying to reduce unemployment rate in a country, don’t give them pinball. Just give them a job, for cryin’ out loud…

My high score is 4,539,500.

Do Not Convert To Christianity!

Different people approach their jobs differently. Some people want the job. They’re not interested in the environment, or the pay, or the working hours, or the boss. They are just in love with the job.

“I wanna be a musician! I’m not interested in where I do my music. I don’t care how much I make. I don’t mind the artsy-fartsy, eccentric people around me. I don’t care if my works of art are recognized only after I’m dead. I just want to make music!”

That’s Type A.

Some other people don't really like the job. They are more interested in what comes along with the job. Like, if the money is good, then they won’t mind the job.

“I wanna make money! I'm not interested about what that job is. I don't care who I have to meet everyday. I don’t mind where or how long I have to work. I just want lots of money!”

That’s Type B.

When it comes to religion, we see Type A and Type B too. We like to sell Type B Christianity. We try to see how all the other things in the Christian lifestyle can be alluring to us. Christ is the added bonus.

We find it easier to ask our friends to “try” Christianity. To “taste” how is it like to be a Christian. We encourage them to do all the Christian things first. We show them all the things in the “package” that appeals to them. And if they kinda fancy it, maybe they wouldn’t mind to be a Christian.

So we appeal to their taste in music. Some people like to play the guitar. We appeal to their hobby in literature. Some people like to read thick, old books. We appeal to their sense of gregariousness. Some people just like being around people.

If the music, the literature, and the people they are in contact with most of the time are Christian, maybe they may just stumble into Christianity. “Why not, since I’ve kinda adopted the lifestyle already?”

It’s not barking up the wrong tree. It’s more like barking up the tree the wrong way. We’re doing it the other way around. We ask people to choose Christianity before we challenge them to choose God. We give people a lifestyle to follow before we give them a Person to follow. We push them into a mould that we call “the right mould.”

That’s why we often hear people saying “Why do you say Christianity is the only way?” No, “Christianity” is not the only way. Christ is the only way. We hear the wrong question being asked because we have sold the wrong gospel. We sold the religion, not the Person.

Yes, we always need some kind of medium to connect people with the gospel. All kinds of ways are permissible. As Paul said, “Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” (Philippians 1:18) I also believe that showing love, genuine concern and warm fellowship are one of the best ways to preach the gospel.

However, we cannot be naïve to not realize that in the mind of an unchurched Mary or Harry, pushing a particular lifestyle can come across as distasteful. If the Person is preached instead of the lifestyle, acceptance or rejection will be based on the root Himself. The response won’t be directed at cultural hegemony.

Even we, believers, are not spared. When we think back on why we are called Christians, we may be afraid of our honest answer. Maybe it was not about Jesus Christ after all. It was about all the other things attached to Christianity. It was the lifestyle. Jesus Christ was an added “I-don’t-mind” bonus. Type B.

If we are Type A Christians, we won’t fall even if everything else we love about the lifestyle of Christianity falls apart.

Let us not convert people to Christianity. Let’s bring them to Christ.

We Have An Option

“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3)

A woman knocked on the door of my tuition student’s house this morning. She talked with my student’s mother. She spoke in gentle, well-polished English. “Surely it is not one of those door-to-door salesmen,” I thought.

Apparently the woman at the door was no stranger. She must’ve met my student’s mother, and maybe my student as well at some prior occasion. After an exchange of a few sentences, the mother said:

“I’m really not interested… We are all Buddhists. We do not want any Christian influence... My children are busy with their studies, my son is sitting for his SPM this year. I don’t want them to be disturbed… My husband told me to politely refuse you... I don’t want things that are not an issue to become an issue... Yeah, ultimately it’s my choice, isn’t it… No la, I don’t want…”

I was trying hard to eavesdrop as I was teaching my student Add Maths at the same time. My student quietly asked, “Do you mind if I ask what is your religion?”

“I’m Christian,” I said.

Awkward moment.

It doesn’t work. If the gospel is preached in a way that gives people options, we get nowhere. Give me an option, I’ll choose the one that I’m comfortable with. If any option I take is equally ok, then what’s wrong with my choice?

Yes, we have a freedom of choice. But sometimes, we emphasize too much on the freedom of choice, that we are too glad to give people options. We are already afraid enough to bring people to church. Even if they do come to church, we do not want to offend them. When we preach the gospel, we do not want to challenge people to a decision. We leave them with many options. In the end, we leave them with nothing.

I think there is weakness in the preaching of our gospel. The gospel’s main thrust should not be about the options that we have, although it is part and parcel of our response to the gospel. The main thrust of the message should be: There is one God. What are we going to do about it. Choosing not to believe Him does not make Him cease to exist.

The “what have you got to lose” package does not work either. Give me that package, and I’ll tell you what I got to lose. I got to wake up on Sunday mornings. I got to go to church. I don’t like singing. I have to sit through long, torturous talks. I’ve got to sign up with all their activities, or look like a snob. I’ve got to read a Bible, on top of all the other things I already have to read. I have to spend time with people I don’t like hanging around with. I have to give 10% of my money away. I have to change my lifestyle. What’s so great about getting a Christian religion?

Christianity is not a marketing strategy. It is a distribution of truth. We don’t market the truth as though it is “the best deal.” We distribute the truth because it is “the only deal”.

When Jesus preached the gospel, he gave people choices. But He did not make it sound as though any option is equally as acceptable. “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish,” He said.

Yes, you’re right, we have free will. Yes, we have an option. Here’s the option:

And The Guillotine Goes To...

Yup, it made it. The letter came out in NST, January 8, page 28. The letter was edited. The mellow version can be viewed here. A response to the letter can be viewed here.

The Sun made a story out of it. It came out on January 9, front page picture and story on page 8. No bullets were censored. The Sun’s version for “telling it as it is” can be viewed here.

NST is also trying to make a story out of it. They are in the midst of chasing it down.

Now that it’s out in the open, am I feeling worried about what will happen?

Not at all. I’m looking forward for something to happen with great expectancy. If the posting for graduate teachers is hastened, then I’ve accomplished my goal.

Am I worried about what will happen to me? Not at all. It’s a win-win situation for me either way. If the education ministry gives me my posting soon, I win. If they don’t, I get a free degree from them, and I can finally start building my life outside the government sector. I still win.

Is it really heroic and big-hearted of me to do such a thing? Not at all. I disqualify myself from being called big-hearted because I have vested interest in it.

I admit that I wouldn’t have written to the press if I was not an unemployed graduate teacher myself. I am not big-hearted enough to hang out on a limb if I was not personally affected by it. My sense of social action is not that big.

But these recent happenings remind me of someone who did something truly heroic. Something really big-hearted.

This person was in no trouble of his own. But he saw that mankind was in trouble.

He was not personally suffering from the consequences of sin. Yet he could empathize with those who have sinned.

Not only did he empathize or sympathize with them. He left rightful place in heaven, and suffered the punishment of sin on their behalf. This person stuck out his own life for a cause that did not affect him at all.

Why would he do such a thing? Mankind’s sin was not his problem. Was it worthwhile to make it a problem for himself? What’s the point of stirring up to hornet’s nest until the hornets wanted to put him to death?

Caiaphas said of him, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man dies for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:49-50)

Now, that’s real big heartedness. That person is Jesus Christ.

Firemen In The Education Department

I've sent this article to The Star, The Sun, and News Straits Times. Just in case it doesn't make it in the press.

********************

Our Education Department must have acquired secret training from the Fire Department. They operate under the same modus operandi. They go to work only after there is a fire.

I wonder if anyone had foreseen that it was only a matter of time before saturation point is reached, considering the constant mass production of education graduates. Did anyone think about making statistical checks to meet the supply of teachers with the demand for them?

Education graduates from local universities of 2006 have finished their studies in May 2006. The new year has greeted them. But up to this day, even Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia’s (KPM) scholarship holders have not yet received their posting.

Letters were sent from the Education Department, appealing for patience. No date of expectancy was given. The Education Department has to understand that when houses are on fire, telling the victims to wait is not a comforting response.

Yes, they have been quite letter-happy alright. Letters were sent out in October 2006 to all Education graduates to call for an interview. Some did not receive a letter at all. When checked, their names were “not on the list.”

The unreliability of Education Department’s database was further amplified when a UKM education graduate received two interview letters. One letter said the interview will be on the November 14, the other said November 15.

KPM scholarship holders received the same interview letter too. They went all the way to attend their interview on the given date, only to be sent back before the interview began. It was an admitted mistake that KPM scholarship holders should’ve been rightfully exempted from an interview.

Did I mention that the interview letters were sent via Pos Ekspress? The Education Department must’ve used a lot of taxpayer’s money to fight fires. Normal mail would have sufficed if they were a tad more efficient. In fact, millions of Ringgit would’ve been saved in retraining teachers, sending letters, and pumping money in all the wrong places. But I guess they have a lot of financial aid from the NEP to pull it off.

Speaking of financial aid, did you know that KPM scholarship holders were given RM26,000 to complete their degree, and they are bonded for 4 years of government service? KPM scholarship holders are required to serve the government within 12 months after finishing their degree. I guess the government is really pushing it. The government is not giving scholarship holders a chance to do their dues, and the scholarship contract makes them unable to find a job elsewhere during that period of time.

What are education graduates to do? In my opinion, KPM scholarship holders can go ahead and look for a permanent job in the corporate sector. And if they do get a posting after they already found a job, they can ask the government to release them from the bond. It’s not as though the government has not wasted taxpayer’s money before. And I’m sure hundreds of graduate teachers will be more than willing to take up their places.

On 29th October 2006, the press quoted Prof Zakaria, UPM Dean of Educational Studies saying, “there is no obligation for the government to hire them.” My question is this. If the government is not obligated to employ education graduates, how come teachers are not trained to function outside the four walls of a classroom throughout their 4 years of university education? The government is just wiping their hands clean. If graduate teachers add to the number of unemployment in the country, they are indeed victims of circumstances caused by the government.

I personally wouldn’t want to see the day when I look back in retrospect and say, “The years I spent in pursuit of my aspirations to be a teacher was a total waste of time.”

Here’s wishing a productive new year to our firemen in the Education Department. Time to strap on rubber boots and get to work. Fire has broken out.

Book Of The Day

What do you do when you’re jobless and bored? You go to Bore-ders. A book a day keeps the senile brain away. I came across this book:

Some interesting parts I found:

Trapped.

It’s not because you are making the wrong decisions, it’s because you are making the right ones.
We try to make sensible decisions based on the facts in front of us.
The problem is that so is everyone else.

Izzit… No wonder I’m trapped in limbo. Don’t have a job, can’t get a job.

The unsafe decision causes you to think and respond in a way you hadn’t thought of.
And that thought will lead to other thoughts which will help you achieve what you want.
Start taking bad decisions and it will take you to a place where others only dream of being.

Really ah… Why did I want a safe, conventional job like teaching? Hmmm… Maybe it’s time to make a really, really BAD decision.

The book has humanism and individualism written all over it. The book tells you that:

“You are the person you chose to be.”

“There is only one person who can determine the shape of your life.
You.”

This part made me chuckle:

Are you being reasonable.

Salomon Brothers, the well-known New York investment house, met with prospective clients not once a month or once a day, but three times a day.
That is unreasonable.
But it works.
Most people are reasonable, that’s why they only do reasonably well.

This reminds me of someone I know. I always say, “If it’s not working, don’t keep banging your head against the wall.” This guy kept on banging. The wall broke.

This one justifies aksi behaviour:

No one but No.1

It is fashionable for so-called thinking people to try to lose their ego.
Well, they should think a bit harder.
Presumably we were given egos for a reason.
Great people have great egos; maybe that’s what makes them great.
So let us put it to good use rather than try to deny it.
Life’s all about “me” anyway.

Contrary to biblical teaching, huh?

This one made me ponder quite a while:

What’s your opinion?

Most people are other people.
Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions,
Their lives a mimicry,
Their passions a quotation – Oscar Wilde

I suspect that Oscar Wilde is an atheist. I felt as though he was talking to me. Are your thoughts not your own, but the Bible’s opinions? Is your life just a mimicry of someone else by the name of Jesus? Is your passion merely the quotations of a person called Jesus?

We have a choice then. Agree with Oscar Wilde, that Christians are just like "anyone else", mere followers of another person, with no opinion of their own. Or, agree with me, that Oscar is the wild one.

I believe it’s just a natural course of consequence. When you start off with humanism and individualism, sooner or later, you’re gonna drift into post-modernism. True enough, it came out a few pages later. Look at this one:

There is no right point of view.

There is a conventional or popular point of view.
There is a personal point of view.
There is a large point of view which the majority share.
There is a small point of view which just a few share.
But there is no right point of view.
You are always right.
You are always wrong.
It just depends from which pole you are looked at.
Advances in any field are built upon people with the small or personal point of view.

There you go. Post-modernism in a nutshell. Just as I was thinking about the writer’s personal position about God, he answered my question. He writes in the epilogue:

My next book

Since the beginning of mankind, more thought has gone into the understanding of God than any other subject known to man and still nobody is any wiser.
In the length of a taxi ride, Paul Arden explains it once and for all.
GOD EXPLAINED IN A TAXI RIDE.

I finished the book in one sitting. The book costs RM43.95.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:43-44)

This is by far one of the creepiest things that Jesus had done. I remember seeing the face of my dead uncle in a coffin. His face was bloated because he had tried to burn himself. My mother and grandmother wept loudly right after they had seen the body. My dead uncle’s brother said that as he was sleeping in the funeral parlour one night, he dreamt that my dead uncle climbed out of the coffin and ran. I remember seeing all the ceremonies that went on for the dead – the priest, the music, the chanting, and the offerings. I was just a small boy then. Until today, I still feel that the funeral parlour is a very creepy place. I must’ve been traumatized.

Imagine… A man, who was dead for 4 days, coming out from his tomb, still wrapped in his graveclothes? Man… I would’ve fainted. I’m sure there must’ve been people who did not know how to react when they saw Lazarus coming out like that. Maybe some must’ve gone hysterical. Some could’ve gone into shock. I wonder how mixed the atmosphere must’ve been, between a sense of rejoicing and of fright.

If you have a friend that just walked out of his tomb after 4 days, how will you react to him? Can you bring yourself to talk to him normally again? Maybe you still cannot accept the fact that he is alive again. Or maybe your mind still needs some time to register what you have seen, and match the supernatural with reality. Perhaps you may want to poke at his flesh to see if it is the same. Maybe you’ll want to run far, far away, because the emotional toll is too great. Imagine having spent days trying to come to terms with the loss of a dear friend, trying very hard to get closure… And suddenly, he walks again?!

Imagine how will it be like if you were Lazarus. I wonder… Will you be feeling hungry? Will you have any recollection of the last thing that happened before you woke up and found yourself wrapped in grave clothes? Did you get to see heaven for the past 4 days? Or were you in hell for 4 days? If you were in heaven, how does it feel like to be back on earth? Or if you were in hell, how does it feel like to get a second chance?

This one miracle is so amazing, it utterly astounds. It wasn’t anything like healing a man from a flu or a fever. It was raising someone who was dead for 4 days back to life again! Imagine how it affects people emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Imagine the effect on human relationships and human psyche in seeing such a thing! If there was such a thing as insurance policies at that time, the insurance agents would have a big headache!

Just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He said this:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)

Then, he asks:

“Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)

Martha did. So did many Jews.

Government Prophets

The Jehovah’s Witnesses predicted Christ’s return many times. And they got them all wrong. In an attempt to save face, they claimed that Jesus actually did return on October 1, 1914 in an invisible way.

Edgar Whisenant, a former rocket scientist, circulated a booklet around the United States “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988”. He said that Christ would return on September 12, 1988. People pulled their children out of school in order to be together as a family when Christ came back. They began to withdraw from all long-term commitments. They quit their jobs and gave up their projects in work, in church, and elsewhere.

The prediction failed.

Edgar Whisenant revised his prediction, saying that his calculations were one year off. He said Christ would return instead on September 1, 1989 (or one day earlier or later). Or, if not then, on Rosh Hashanah 1990 or 1991 or 1992. Or, at the latest, September 15 – 17, 1993.

All predictions failed. Chiew…

Déjà vu like mad.

It was predicted that my posting would come by September 18, 2006. I stopped teaching at St. Xavier’s Institution in August, attended my convocation, and waited for September to come.

The prediction failed. I took up the job at Convent Green Lane.

It was predicted that the posting would come by January 2006. I stopped teaching at Convent Green Lane in November, and waited for January to come.

The prediction failed. Now, I sit jobless.

It was said that my posting status can be checked online at http://apps.emoe.gov.my/gsst/gsst.cfm by December 22, 2006. Go and see for yourself.

“The web site you are accessing has experienced an unexpected error.”

The latest prediction says that the posting will come by February 16, 2006. A coursemate says my posting status can be checked in the same website by December 30, 2006. Another source says the Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri said that university graduates will get their posting by mid January.

You know what I say?

“REPENT THEREFORE AND BE CONVERTED, THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT!!”

False prophets. All of them. Terrible…

Stir Me Some Magic

"Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had." (John 5:2-4)

This is one of the workings of God that I did not understand. Why would God send an angel to stir a particular pool? Why stir it only at a certain time? Why is it that only the first guy who went into the pool will be healed? I thought the work of God cannot be analyzed in a test tube. If so, why is He showing such a trend at the Bethesda pool?

It seems unlikely of God’s character to show grace sparingly. Why dangle candy at a multitude of people, but choose to heal only one at a time? There was a man who had an infirmity for 38 years (John 5:5), but someone always beat him to it whenever the pool was stirred.

I didn’t understand this working of God. Until I watched Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" late at night on Christmas Eve.

It occurred to me that events similar to the stirring of the pool at Bethesda still happen today. Every year, people wait for that special day to come.

It is only on that day when the soup lines are open. The poor can get a bowl of soup for free. It is only on that day when the church doors are open. The homeless can keep warm for a short while. It is only on that day when donations are collected for charity. The needy suddenly get a windfall. It is only on that day when food is given for free. Some people get a warm meal only once a year.

That day is Christmas Day.

The Bethesda pool is a place when rules were broken. God broke the laws of natural biology to make some people happy. The sick can hope for magic.

Christmas Day is a day when the society's rules are broken. People go against the law of personal benefit to make someone else happy. The helpless and unfortunate can hope for unmerited generosity for a change.

Christmas Day is also a day when the bond of sin was broken. God broke the law of punishment for sin when He sent Jesus Christ to forgive them. The guilty and heavy-hearted can hope for pardon and eternal life.

As the Bethesda pool is a place for law-breaking, so is Christmas day. God set the example when He first broke the rules: He didn't give us what we deserve, and He gave us what we do not deserve.

So go on, and make someone happy. Show some charity. For charity itself is a work of God.

Just don’t become like this guy:

Uncle Scrooge!

Dear Junior

I had a talk with Abraham Choong last week, and with John Khor yesterday. From the two conversations I had with them, I am prompted to write a letter to my unborn kid.

Dear son/daughter,

Get an education. Maybe you have plans to start working after your secondary education. But these days, if you don’t have a degree, you’re gonna get stuck. People won’t hire you easily because in the end of the day, they still wanna see some kind of paper qualification. Even if they do hire you, they won’t give you a graduate’s pay. Getting increments to make up for your lack of a degree is a long and hard road. Be smart. Go study.

I won’t be able to afford to put you through some fancy college to do the course of your choice. So you’re gonna have to take life the hard way. Go take Form 6. You may not end up doing the course of your choice in university. But do it anyway. Get in there, get a degree, and get out.

Here’s the thing. University education does not sufficiently train you for the working world nowadays. Since no one will do it for you, you got to do it for yourself. Train yourself for your job! Do things that are outside your academic requirements. Take up big projects. Dare to imagine. Take up challenges that you never thought possible. Expand your social circle and develop yourself as a balanced individual. Learn to be wise.

Get your nose buried only in your books, and I’ll cut your allowance.

Take up temporary jobs when you can. If it pays well, good. You can do whatever you want with your own money. Go buy that 1000 Ringgit handphone if you want to, because I’m sure as heaven I won’t get one for you. It doesn’t register with my logic.

If the temporary job is non-profit, do it anyway. It’s not the money you should be after at this point of time. It’s the experience. If what you do for non-profit can give you invaluable experience for your job, what seems like foolishness today will be great wisdom tomorrow. Trust me on this. On-the-job experience with a finished product to show beats a purely academic resume anytime.

Let your friends go nuts over their 4.0. Get yourself a 3.0, and the confidence to take on the world. Then we'll see who really goes nuts.

Always remember. Your paper qualification will get you a job. Your experience will let you keep it.

Graduating with the course of your choice is only an added bonus in obtaining a degree. In reality, almost everyone starts from zero when they start working. Most people end up working in a job that has no relation at all with what they studied. So, if this is the case, why be picky over your course? That’s why I’m saying – get in, get a degree (any degree), and get out.

If you know the system, beat the system.

Oh yeah, while you’re doing all that, remember this: Don’t sleep around. Don’t drink. Don’t do drugs. Don’t think you’re too smart. I may be from the dinosaur generation by the time you’re old enough to read this. If you don’t want to take it from me, then don’t take it from me. Take it from the guy who was way smarter than any of us:

This guy slept with more women you can imagine, got more money than you can think of, and was more power hungry than your university’s pak guard. But in the end of the day, he had this to say:

“Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all” – Solomon.

Come And See

One fine day at Bethabara, John was standing with two of his disciples. When Jesus walked by, John pointed his two disciples towards Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples ditched John and followed Jesus.

Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” (John 1:38)

When Jesus asked “What do you seek?” The two disciples of John did not answer that question. Instead, they addressed Jesus as “Rabbi”. Then, they asked Him where He was staying.

The disciples’ first response showed the humility of their hearts. By addressing Jesus as Rabbi, they humbly recognized Jesus as their teacher, and themselves as the learners. They turned to Jesus so He could teach them what John could never teach. They wanted to learn from Jesus what they could never learn from anyone else.

After that, they asked Jesus where He was staying. The disciples’ second response showed the eagerness of their souls. No, they were not interested in the geographical location of Jesus’ abode. They wanted to know where Jesus would be staying, so they could be with Jesus for as long as it was possible.

How did Jesus respond to the two disciples?

He said to them, “Come and see.”
They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day. (John 1:39)

********************

Jesus found Philip. And in turn, Philip found Nathanael. Enthusiastically, Philip told Nathanael that he has found the One of whom Moses and the prophets wrote about.

And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

How did Philip respond to Nathanael?

Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:46)

Nathanel came to see for himself where Jesus was. When he had encountered Jesus, he said, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

********************

This Christmas, let us come and see. In humility of heart and eagerness of soul, come and see the goodness of God, in the sending of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Come and see the one whom Moses and the prophets wrote about. The one who loves us and saves us from our sin. The one who gave His life for us so we may have eternal life.

What good can come out from Israel? What good can come out from Palestine?

This Christmas, go and see. You may find the Prince of Peace. The One who is yet to bring everlasting peace on earth, but who has already made peace for us with God.

We Are Immortals

Dunno if you remember this show. Duncan MacLeod is the Highlander. For over 400 years, he constantly faced other immortals in a combat to the death. The winner takes his enemy's head, and with it his immortal power. One by one, immortals will fall as their heads are decapitated.

In the end, there can be only one. May it be Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander!

And the theme song goes, “Who waaants… to liiiiive… foreveeeeeer…”

We are all made to live forever. Christians and non-Christians alike. Every single one of us! Do you find this surprising?

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29).

What happens after death is, there will be a resurrection. ALL who are in the graves will come back to life. Either to the resurrection of life, or to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I have hope in God… that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust” (Acts 24:15).

Yup, there it is again. Both the just, AND the unjust, will be called back for a reckoning.

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).

In that day of reckoning, some will awake to everlasting life, and some will awake to everlasting contempt.

We are all indiscriminately made to live forever. Still not convinced? Logic itself says so:

We say that after we die, we go to heaven or go to hell.
If we go to heaven, we will have everlasting life.
If we go to hell, we will have everlasting death, right?
In hell, there will be suffering. So that means we can feel pain, right?
So if we can feel pain in hell, how can we be dead?
So that means in hell, we have... Everlasting life!

There you go. Actually, the discussion boils down to this. What really is life? What really is death? Is life a state of existence, and death a state of non-existence?

The bible defines life and death rather differently. Life means “being in a relationship with God.” Therefore, everlasting life means “being forever with God”. Death means “separated from a relationship with God.” Therefore death, in its most final meaning, is “separated forever from God.” In other words, Christian jargon calls this spiritual death.

Let’s hear Jesus Himself define what eternal life is:

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

Therefore, life is not merely a state of existence, and death is not a state of non-existence. Life or death is defined in terms of a person’s relationship with God. Either we know God and are eternally in a good relationship with Him. That is life. Or, we don't know God and are eternally in a bad relationship with Him. That is death.

If we have life, we will be in heaven where God is present. If we have death, then we will be in hell where God is absent.

So who says death is really the end?

Weird Christians

My laptop died today.

Demonic Dave would've said, "This is demonic oppression! They don't want you to blog anymore in Hasten Ministries."

Judgmental Jill would've said, "Surely you have sinned!"

Gullible Garfield would've said, "Izzit ah? Must be lah..."

Frank Faith would've said, "You must believe that there is hope. Call Dell."

Pentecostal Pam would've said, "Pray! Just pray! He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world! Don't call Dell!"

Prosperity Patricia would've said, "Aiya, just call Dell la. They will do everything for you. Pay money only ma... You got give money to church or not? If you did, then the money will come back to you wan. No need to worry..."

Theological Theo would look at everyone, and said, "You all... RACA!!"

Everyone would stare at Theological Theo. Then, he would mutter to himself as he walks away, "Raca means fool in Aramaic... As in the original text in Mark..."




Read all about it!

Hymns vs Choruses

Was looking through some old emails. Found this one. Utterly hilarious!!

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An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

"Well," said the farmer, "It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns."

"Praise choruses?" said his wife. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're OK. They are sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife.

The farmer said, "Well, it's like this - If I were to say to you: "Martha, the cows are in the corn"' - well, that would be a hymn. If on the other hand, I were to say to you:

'Martha, Martha, Martha,
Oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,
the cows, the big cows,
the brown cows,
the black cows, the white cows,
the black and white cows,
the COWS, COWS, COWS
are in the corn,
are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,
the CORN, CORN, CORN.'

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well, that would be a praise chorus."

The next weekend, his nephew, a young, new Christian from the city came to visit and attended the local church of the small town. He went home and his mother asked him how it was.

"Well," said the young man, "It was good. They did something different however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs."

"Hymns?" asked his mother. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're OK. They are sort of like regular songs, only different," said the young man.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his mother.

The young man said, "Well, it's like this - If I were to say to you: 'Martha, the cows are in the corn' - well, that would be a regular song. If on the other hand, I were to say to you:

'Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain
There in their heads is no shadow of sense
Hearkenest they in God's sun or His rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

So look to the bright shining day by and by
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn
Where no vicious animals make my soul cry
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.'

Then if I were to do only verses one, three and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn."

******************************

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! It's a classic :)

The Sky Is Falling!

We have a problem. Let’s call it Chicken Little’s tension.

Many bible passages warn us to be ready of Christ’s unexpected, sudden return. But many bible passages also indicate numerous important and visible events that must take place before Christ returns.

Here's the thing. Why the urgency to prepare for Christ’s return, if the events that precede Christ’s return have not happened yet? Isn’t it wiser to just wait it out and observe world events, instead of running helter-skelter?

Also, if the important events that precede Christ’s return are observable, how can Christ’s return be unexpected then? Isn’t it contradictory to prepare of something unexpected, if we know what will happen before that?

So, how? Can Christ really come at any time?

Two possible solutions to solve Chicken Little’s tension:

A) Concede that Christ could not come at any time.

This position, as taken by Louis Berkhof, has two difficulties. Firstly, it seems to nullify the force of the warnings of Jesus to “take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is” (Mark 13:33). Secondly, it seems to use the signs in a way quite opposite from the way Jesus intended them to be used. Jesus meant for the signs to intensify our sense of eager expectation. But rather, this position uses the signs as a reason to convince ourselves that “Jesus couldn’t come for a many more years, not until this sign and that sign is fulfilled.”

B) Accept that Christ indeed could come at any time.

The prelude of signs can be reconciled with the unexpected return of Christ in 3 ways:

i) The New Testament talks about two distinct returns of Christ – a secret, invisible coming (i.e. a coming for His saints, or Rapture) and a public, visible coming (i.e. a coming with His saints to reign over the earth). The secret coming can occur at any moment. The public coming will occur after the signs are fulfilled.

The difficulty of this position, as proposed by John Nelson Darby, is that it is hard to separate two separate comings of Christ from the bible. And since the suggestion of this position is quite recent (i.e. in the 19th century), this shows that this position isn’t the only possible solution to Chicken Little’s tension.

ii) All the signs have been fulfilled, and therefore Christ could indeed return at any moment.

This position is not convincing. It is not convincing to look back at history and try to see how the signs have been fulfilled in certain key events in the past. It is like trying to squeeze Scripture into the mould of history, when it should be the other way around. It is like trying to make Scripture say what we want it to say, and trying to see the signs as we would want to see them.

iii) Admit that it is unlikely, but possible that the signs have already been fulfilled.

This view proposes that we cannot pinpoint with certainty whether or not the signs have been fulfilled in history. Therefore, it is unlikely that the signs have happened. However, since we cannot know for sure whether or not the signs have been fulfilled, it is also possible that they have already happened.

So, if Chicken Little holds on to this view, he will always be on his toes. When he sees a wave of events happening in the world, it may or may not be the last, real sign before Christ returns. If it was, he will be ready. Even if it wasn’t, each successive wave of events will increase his sense of expectancy of Christ’s return.

And this is good. Responsible exegesis of Scripture, an expectation of Christ’s sudden return, and a measure of humility in human understanding, are all three preserved in this position.

As for me, at this moment of time, I’m with solution B, and a combination of option (i) and (iii).

How about you?

Yet Another Boring Day

Boring update: A boring boy wearing a boring-looking National Conference Enzyme t-shirt was spotted roaming Queensbay Mall. He was wearing blue Cheetah shorts that has no pockets. So he was carrying his handphone and keys in his hand.

He saw what he wanted for Christmas:







The price is not friendly. But if you buy for me... I'll be friendly :)


Can find at Bore-ders Bookstore.

Christianity And Family

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

We all need objective truth. But we never really know it. Until it hits us personally.

Picture this. Your son comes home from school one day. He says, “Dad. I’m a homosexual. I have a gay boyfriend.” What can you say?


You try to reason with your son. Discourage him. Correct him. Your son persistently asks you, “Why?” You are forced to dig deeper and deeper into your presuppositions that determine your value system. When you hit rock bottom, you’re going to say “I’m not going to approve of it. I didn’t raise you to be gay.” Your son will shrug, and walk away. And you’re going to sit by yourself on the dining table. Confused, frustrated, angry, and helpless.




You’re going to wish you can appeal to some kind of authority that is higher than yourself, so you can convince your son. You’ll scramble to look for a kind of authority that is binding. A kind of standard that is absolutely true, definitely right, that you can totally trust. An objective truth that can be no two ways about it.

That kind of authority can come about only if there is such a thing as absolute truth. Absolute truth can come about only when there is someone in absolute authority. Who else is absolute, except for God alone?

Without God and His authority in Scriptures, there is no real way to argue with your son about homosexuality. He is going to throw words like prejudice, cultural relativism, universality of love, generation gap, and freedom of choice at you. Deep down inside, you just know that it is wrong. But you don’t know how to articulate it. You’ll find yourself desperately helpless to nail it down for your son. Unless God speaks.

That’s why any responsible parent will not dichotomize the Christian faith from the reality of life. Thus it is important for families to recognize the supreme authority of Scripture on the first level, apply it to issues in everyday life on the second level, and openly discuss it with the family over the dining table on the third level.

Now, blow up this picture into a national context. Then, try to look at it from a global context. I believe you’ll begin to see why it makes perfect sense to govern a country based on the highest authority – God Himself.

Since the very beginning, God already instituted His laws. He showed His people how to live, because He loved them. He gave them the 10 commandments.

His people broke all of them. So, are the 10 commandments redundant then?

No, they are not. Repentance has meaning because the commandments were instituted in the first place. If God never gave the 10 commandments because He foresaw its unfeasibility, how will people ever know the right from the wrong? If people will never know the right from the wrong, how will people ever come to know Him? If people can never know Him, what meaning is there in their very own existence?

None at all.

That’s why I have reason to believe that God’s laws should be instituted on all levels. Starting from the family unit, extending to the country’s government, and reaching out to global realization. So people can have a chance to obey. So people can have a chance to know God.

Sure, people can choose to disobey. But that choice to disobey is possible only after the absolute standard of truth is set from the beginning. Not before. Adam and Eve had freedom of choice only after the tree of forbidden fruit was put in the Garden of Eden. Not before. Real choice came into being only after a standard of right and wrong was set. Without a standard that distinguishes between the two, there is no such thing as freedom of choice.

So, does God’s truth infringe on human rights? Is God's rule oppresive? I don’t think so. Rather, the institution of God’s truth is what really gives mankind the ability, and the freedom to choose. It is "the truth that shall make you free".

“Free at last, free at last. Thank God almighty, we’re free at last!” – Martin Luther King.

Boring Is As Boring Does

“He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

I am, indeed, a bore. I asked myself 4 questions. Here are my findings:

What do you like to do?

I don’t know. At one time, I swam a lot, did lifesaving a lot, presided a Christian Fellowship, debated quite a bit. But all those were things that I needed to do. Now that those things are abruptly over for me, I can do what I want to do. But what do I like to do?

I must’ve been doing only the things that I need to do for too long. Now that I don’t need to do those things anymore, what do I really want to do? I don’t even know.

Where do you like to go?

I can go to the pool. But that’s because there is where I train. I can go to the shopping mall. But it’s not as though I can buy anything there. I can go to the bowling alley. But bowling is no fun when you got no one of “your type” to bowl with. I can go play ping pong. But no one seems to be interested in it nowadays. I can go to the badminton court. But you need to find a group of people to do that with you. I can just go for a run outside. But I am afraid of getting the “black out” feeling. Because I’ve been out of touch with physical activity for too long.

I don’t go to discos, I don’t go to pubs. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke. If I can’t appreciate museums or art galleries, and if going to cinemas is carnal… I don’t know where I want to go.

What was the latest piece of clothing that you bought?

A pair of long khakis. But that was because I needed to get a pair to help out with D Jungle People. It’s like their uniform.

The fact is, I don’t buy clothes! All my t-shirts are free. I get a lot of free t-shirts from swimming competitions since I was 8. I don’t remember deliberately buying a t-shirt from a store. Camp t-shirts and debating t-shirts don't count. Put me in a store and ask me to pick a t-shirt. I wouldn’t even know what to do.

What was the last book you read?

Discipleship Of The Mind by James W Sire. Was preparing for a workshop on worldviews then.

Currently reading a Francis Schaeffer book. A trilogy – A God Who Is There, Escape From Reason, God Is Here And He Is Not Silent. What kinda book is that??

My gosh. A Francis Schaeffer book. I must be truly boring...

When a dispute arose between John’s disciples and the Jews, John said “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven” (John 3:27) John may be losing a lot of people to Jesus when Jesus started baptizing in Judea. But John said “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Yes, the joy of Christian living is in seeing more and more of our inner lives being conformed to be more like Christ, and in seeing more and more of our outer lives being surrendered to Him. We want to see more and more of Him in us, and less and less of ourselves. As Eric Liddell said, “It’s complete surrender.”

But doesn’t God allow us that little space for us to do what we like? Doesn’t He permit us to have that small, little place for us to choose what we want for ourselves… to be happy?

I'm sure He does.

Sigh… Hence the struggle to walk the line between selfless godliness and selfish hedonism.

Or maybe I’m just feeling depressed. Or maybe it’s the book that I’ve been reading. Maybe it’s because the book has been going on and on about how everything from art to literature to music to theology has gone below the “line of despair”. Maybe things will get better when I hit the good news/solution part of the book.

Or maybe I should just stop reading Francis Schaeffer. And stop being boring.

*I can't even find a picture for this entry. Boooring...*

Boooring...

I was browsing through other people’s blogs yesterday. Then I looked at my own blog entries. It suddenly struck me. Gosh, what a boring person I am! Just look at the things I blog about!

Any other normal person would blog about something interesting that has happened during the day. Or some random thought. Or someone he/she met yesterday. Or what he ate for lunch. Where she went last weekend. What he did two nights ago. Something new she found out as “fact of the day”. How he is feeling. What she is doing. Or wanting to do. Just simple, normal things. And they turn out to be quite interesting to read about.

When I glance through my blog… Oh my goodness! What a bore I must be!

I do want to post more light-hearted entries. Something not so serious, or something about myself. But what can I do. The last time I let a little bit of my personality in, someone called me boastful and pompous. *blek*

Here’s how I rationalize my blog posts. Say if I can write one blog post a day, what would I want to write about? Things that are beneficial, or things that don’t matter at all? Well, I could write a balance of both. Like, 3 serious posts and 4 nonsense posts a week.

Then, I ask myself. If I know that I am able, and should be, writing things that are helpful, useful and edifying, shouldn’t I be doing more of that? Yah. You can’t argue with that. So I write 5 serious posts and 2 nonsense posts.

And then again, if I consciously know that I write nonsense posts, why am I deliberately writing them? It is one thing if my serious posts are actually nonsense posts, and I don’t even know the difference. But it is another thing if I can tell the difference, and I deliberately choose to write nonsense.

So, the logic is, if I consciously know when I am actually writing good stuff and when I am actually writing rubbish, why would I choose the latter? If I know that it is better to write about beneficial things, why not go all the way then? You can't argue with that.

So...

7 serious blog posts, 0 nonsense blog posts.

I actually have an old blog that I’ve abandoned upon starting this blog. Back then, I thought it was hedonistic and time-wasting to have a “personal” blog. It had more of myself in there. But it felt so syok sendiri. Only very few people know about that old blog...

But what if I do two different blogs then? One for serious stuff, one for syok sendiri stuff. Why not, rite? I can still maintain my objectives in my Hasten Ministries blog, and I can have some personal fun in a separate blog.


But then… Why the dichotomy? Why am I separating things like that? Does that mean that I am living a dichotomized life? Spiritual and Christian on one side, full of nonsense and hedonistic rubbish on the other side? Having two blogs with such a clear dichotomy will only prove myself to be a hypocritical person who lives a double life, wouldn’t it?

Ahhh… The complications of putting your thoughts in public.

The question still remains. Am I boring? I suspect that I am.

Hmmm…

Christianity And State

“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” – Romans 8:19-21.




Questions of the day: How will it be like if an absolutely Christian government rules a country? What will happen if a country is ruled without a dichotomy between Christian faith and government administration?

Let us define the terms and paint the scenario. What if a government that fits these descriptions becomes a reality:

It is a Christian government, where the basis of Scripture is argued on the first level, applied in laws and ordinances in the second level, and discussed by everyone formally or casually in the third level. Christian principles are applied in every matter of governance, from economic plans to foreign policies. Administrative and ethical decisions are made according to Scriptures, not apart from it. It does not have two separate courts, e.g. a Christian Court and a Federal Court. It only has one court. There is no dichotomy.

It is a Christian government, but it does not Christianize people. It believes in a non-plural, one and only, living and true God. But it does not violate people’s free will. It does not afford every baby born in the country a Christian status by default. It does not make it legally difficult for those who want to come out from the faith. It is not troublesome for people to be labeled as a believer of another faith in their IC. An unbelieving spouse and his/her family are not required to get a Christian status by proxy. It does not insist on a Christian burial just because some people claim the deceased to be one, or used to be one. It does not barge down hotel rooms in an attempt to find promiscuous behaviour, and does not apologize after that.

It is a Christian government that is impartial. It does not grant special privileges to any race or religion, even to Christians. Even if it does, the privilege that Christians will have is extra taxation. So the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the marginalized can benefit form it.

I’m not surprised if we have doubts about the feasibility of a Christian government. This is because our picture of a theistic government is clouded by the discomforting picture of other religious governments that presently exist.

We tend to think that a country ruled by religion is oppressive, intolerant, and an infringement on human rights. But I have reason to believe that a country ruled by a Christian administration without a dichotomy between faith and government is for the betterment of humanity. Why?

Because the Christian faith is exclusively different from all other theistic beliefs. Therefore, a Christian government is also different from other non-Christian, theistic governments. Every professing Christian should not be ashamed to admit that the Christian faith is unlike all other faiths. Therefore it is only logical for a professing Christian to conclude that a hypothetical Christian government, if it exists, will be superior to presently existing religious governments.

However, even though Scripture is inerrant, improper application of Scripture will still occur, given the fallibility of man. A Christian government, even if it is run only by Christians, will not be a perfect one. Unless he who presides the entire government is perfect.

But the bible says that day will come to pass! A perfect person will one day preside a global government! The time will come when the believers who have part in the first resurrection will live, and “they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6).

Oh, how the whole creation waits. It “has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:22). We have much to look forward to. The world waits "for the sons of God to be revealed."