JURONG OUTREACH - Apr 10

Misconceptions concerning Christianity: Introduction
4th April 10

Back in Klang, a member once shared his experience in meeting a visitor during the baptism of a person a few years back. While talking to her, she commented on how she cannot accept the fact that the Bible teaches that everyone is born in sin because they inherit the sins of their forefathers, all the way up to Adam. The member then pointed out to her that the Bible does not teach that and subsequently showed some verses to support his claim. 

A brother also once recounted his experience whilst at a service several years ago. He asked another brother concerning the subject of baptism. The teacher responded that baptism is not the core of Christianity, but the love of God is. 

We may also have encountered times when people ask us, “Are you a Christian?” and when we affirm it, they continue by asking, “Are you a Catholic or Protestant?” or “Which sect are you a part of?” or “What denomination are you from?”. 

The above situations are but few examples of the many misconceptions that not only those out there, but also members of the church have about Christianity. This will serve as our motivation for the next few articles – clearing misconceptions about Christianity, both among believers and non-believers. It is hoped that by the end of this series of articles that we will all have the ability to at least help unbelievers to see what Christianity really is all about, as well as helping us as Christians clear up some doubts we may have had about what the Bible teaches concerning certain topics but have yet to find an answer and also encourage us to continue searching and studying the Scriptures, because it contains the words of life which will reveal God’s will for us and eventually lead us to heaven. 

Throughout these discussions, it is also hoped that we will be able to see the simplicity of God’s word and how easy it is to understand the plain teachings of the Bible if only we take the effort to search and read for ourselves. Notice that when Jesus was on earth, He did not reach out to the royalty, or the people in the “high places”. He reached out to so-called ordinary people, laymen like you and me. His disciples were fishermen, tax collectors, and the like. Some were well-educated, but others were not. Likewise, the Bible was also written for everyone. We can read and understand the Bible! 

Throughout this series, we will consider various areas like misconceptions concerning the Bible, worship, salvation and several other doctrinal issues. As mentioned earlier, we will focus on misconceptions both by Christians and non-Christians alike. 

May the Lord bless us all as we seek His favor in our lives!

Faith & Works

There was an old man who operated a rowboat for ferrying passengers between an island and the mainland. One day a passenger noticed that he had painted on one oar the word "Works," and on the other oar the word "Faith." Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of this.

    The old man replied, "I will show you," dropping one oar, rowing only with the oar named "Works." Of course, the boat just went around in circles. Then he switched oars, picking up "Faith" and dropping "Works." And the little rowboat went around in circles again­this time in the opposite direction.

    After this demonstration, the old man picked up both oars "Faith" and "Works," and rowing with both oars together swiftly coursed over the water. He looked at the passenger and said, "You see, that is the way it is in life as well as in rowing a boat. You got to keep both oars in the water, otherwise, you'll just go in circles." 

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1 Thessalonians 1:3
We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
 

Misconceptions concerning Christianity: Is truth relative?
11th April 10

In this day and age, there are many things that are being re-examined. Homosexuality, for instance, which used to be an abomination among society is suddenly regarded as an alternative way of lifestyle. Premarital sex which was once condemned and considered shameful among the community is now something which is not only acceptable, but it is being promoted more and more. These and other issues are one of the factors that have caused people to come to the conclusion that truth is relative, and no longer absolute. Therefore, everything becomes relative in their eyes. Morality becomes a subjective issue. They will live by the principle that there is no right and wrong, but that we can never know truth absolutely, and that it all depends. Is it wrong to lie? It depends. Is it wrong to steal? It depends. Is it wrong to have multiple partners? It depends. Is this true? Is this what the Bible teaches? 

Suppose this is true, that truth really is relative. Then, we are contradicting ourselves when we claim that the Bible is our all-sufficient guide in our lives. This is because by claiming so, we claim that it tells us how we ought to live our lives to be well-pleasing to God. However, if truth really is relative, and morality is subjective, then we don’t need the Bible at all, because since everything is subjective, we can do anything we feel is right! 

Next, we should note that not only does the Bible not teach this, but the statement in itself cannot be logically true! If the statement was true, then that statement, which is truth, is absolute, which is a contradiction. If it is not, then truth must be absolute.  

Furthermore, the Bible speaks plainly that we CAN know the truth and that it must be absolute. Not only all over the Bible, but also in our everyday lives, we deal with absolute truths. If the price of a plate of chicken rice is three dollars, then we must pay three dollars to get the plate of chicken rice. This is an absolute truth! Can you imagine going up to the chicken rice stall owner and telling him that truth is relative, so the price of the chicken rice can be anything you like it to be, and so you pay him only a dollar? That is absolutely ridiculous! 

The Bible records the words of Jesus in the book of John. In John 8:32, Jesus told them, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Jesus told them that they shall know the truth. The word “shall” denotes future tense, and also implies absolute certainty. The disciples will surely know the truth. Likewise, we will know the truth! In John 17:17, we see that Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth.” The Bible tells us that God’s word is truth! 

In 1 John 2:21, John wrote, “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” John stated clearly that the recipients of his epistle knew the truth! They knew the truth. Paul also wrote, in his letters to Timothy, that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and again in 2 Tim 2:25, “in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.”

If truth really was relative, then how can God expects us to know the truth? It would be an impossible task! But God has promised us that we can know the truth, and desires for us to do so. Therefore, let us stop giving excuses and continue searching for the truth so that we may be well-pleasing to Him. God bless.

Misconceptions concerning Christianity: The Lord's Supper (Pt 1)
18th Apr 2010

The Bible records of Paul’s recalling of the account of our Lord Jesus on the night He was betrayed in 1 Cor 11:23-26, where it says, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” This account can be found in Matt 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26 and in Luke 22:14-23. This bread and cup is known as the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:20). There are many misconceptions about the Lord’s Supper, and we would like to look at some of them. 

Firstly, there are some who think that the Lord’s Supper is the most important act of worship. Yes, they do not mention it explicitly, but their conduct implies it. Once, a preacher told a story about two Christians who were going to miss Sunday worship service at their local congregation. It was said that they borrowed the keys to the building, went in very early in the morning and ate the bread and drank the cup, and they left. You may also have known several instances where in some congregations they partake of the Lord’s Supper first before they have the sermon. In certain cases, there are some who will just take the Lord’s Supper and leave straight after that. 

These two accounts are examples on what we think of the Lord’s Supper. Is the Lord’s Supper the most important part of worship? What does the Bible say? 

Jesus in Matthew 23 pronounced a list of woes on the scribes and Pharisees, accusing them to be fools, blind, brood of vipers, and the like. In verse 23, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” 

Jesus was condemning the scribes and Pharisees because they gave too much detail to how much they have to pay, but in the process have neglected the more important things of the law. 

In 1 Sam 15, we read the familiar account of King Saul’s disobedience. We read that Saul, instead of utterly destroying the Amalekites as God told him to (vs. 3), spared king Agag and the best of the cattle (vs. 9). God was then very displeased with him (vs. 11), and Samuel, a prophet of God, said in vs. 22-23, “Has the Lord delight in burnt offering and sacrifices, as in

obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than to sacrifice, to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness, iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you as king.” 

Yes, and likewise, there are matters of faith which are more important than others. It is better to obey than to sacrifice. Likewise, it is better to worship than to merely partake of the Lord’s Supper. 

In 1 Corinthians 11, we also read of Paul’s admonition to the church in Corinth regarding their improper conduct of the Lord’s Supper. From vs. 17-22, we read, “Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore, when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.” 

Notice that in verse 20, we see that our emphasis when we come together is NOT to eat the Lord’s Supper. Yes, it is important, and we have to partake it in a worthy manner, and its guidelines are stated in vs. 27-34, but the Lord’s Supper is not all there is to worship! There are other acts of worship that we still have to do, which are singing, praying, giving and the preaching of the gospel! These we ought to do without leaving the others undone. 

So to answer the question, which act of worship is the most important? Is it singing? Or perhaps prayer? Or the preaching? Or maybe it is the giving? Notice that the Bible has never put one act of worship over another, and even if it did, they are still important and must be done in order to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). So, which act of worship is most important? Let me suggest to you that none of them are more important, but that all are equally important! 

May the Lord guide and help us as we seek to worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Misconceptions concerning Christianity: The Lord's Supper (Pt 2)
25th Apr 2010

What is our attitude towards the Lord’s Supper? Do we know what it means to us Christians and why do we partake it the way we do and as often as we do? This article will further discuss the mistaken attitudes adopted toward partaking of the Lord’s Supper. 

Firstly, the Lord’s Supper is NOT a time to either take a toilet break or talk to others; nor is it a time to reply messages. It is NOT a snack to help our stomachs last until lunchtime. It is also not the time to start searching our wallets and purses thinking about how much we are going to contribute to the church. This should have been done beforehand, as the Bible instructs (1 Cor 16:2). So then, what is the purpose of our partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and how should our attitude be towards it? 

In the institution of the Lord’s Supper, our Lord Jesus gave us the purpose of our partaking of the Lord’s Supper. In Luke 22:19, Jesus said, “This (referring to the bread) is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” This is again reiterated in 1 Cor 11:24-25. From these three verseswe read that the purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to remember the Lord’s death. The Lord’s Supper can be viewed as a solemn memorial where we spend our time reflecting on the Lord’s death and sacrifice for us. When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes again (1 Cor 11:26). The subsequent verses also tell us that if we partake of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, we will be guilty of the body and blood or the Lord, and we will eat and drink judgment to ourselves (vv. 27, 29). In verse 28, we are then given a guide to help us partake of the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner. Verse 28 reads, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.” Paul, in his inspired writing, teaches us to examine ourselves as we partake of the Lord’s Supper so that we can partake of it in a worthy manner. 

Perhaps it would be good practice to occasionally read a passage of Scripture in the Bible regarding the Lord’s Supper or about Christ’s suffering to help remind ourselves of the purpose of the Lord’s Supper and to help us focus our minds on Christ’s death on the cross. But some of us may think that reading the same passage over and over will cause the effect to lessen. But we should remember that repetition is really the way to drill this fact into our heads. Why is it that we can remember the announcement on the MRTs so well? Why is it that we can remember the lyrics of the latest pop songs so well? Why is it that we can remember the names of the soccer players of our favourite team? Because these announcements, these songs and these names have been repeated over and over again so much so that it has stuck in our heads! Brethren, have we become dull of hearing (Heb 5:11) that we do not want to listen to the word of God being repeated over and over again? Consider the psalmist when he wrote, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.” (Ps 1:1-2). The psalmist tells us that if we meditate on the word of God, we will be blessed! Isn’t that what we all want for ourselves? So let us not grow dull in hearing, but take delight when we hear the word of God being read. 

Next, notice in Matt 26:26-27, before Jesus gave the bread and the cup to His apostles to eat and drink, He gave thanks for it. Now the question to us is this: In our prayers for the Lord’s Supper, do we give thanks to God for the bread and the grape juice? This attitude of thanksgiving is very important to us as Christians and should not be neglected. We need to realize that God, in all His power and glory, did not need to send His Son to die for us, but He did, and Jesus obeyed even unto the death of the cross (Phil 2:8; Heb 5:8), so that through Him we may receive salvation! We are not worthy, but through God’s grace, He has redeemed us, and all those who obey Him (Rom 5:8; Heb 5:9) and hence, this attitude of thanksgiving should come very naturally to us and we ought to thank God in everything (1 Thes 5:18;
Col 3:17). 

Therefore, let us all adopt a better attitude towards the Lord’s Supper, of which our Lord Jesus Himself has instituted, and let us strive to continue to do His will. God bless.