JURONG OUTREACH - DEC 03

THE LORD STANDS WITH YOU 
7 Dec 03

One of the saddest passages in the New Testament must be the last chapter of Paul’s second epistle to Timothy (2 Tim 4).  Paul there prophesied that in later days some brethren would turn away from the Truth, seeking false teachers who would tell them fables of what they “wanted to hear,” rather than the Truth they actually needed to hear.  He encouraged Timothy not to be swayed by the demands of those weak brethren, but instead to be a faithful “Gospel” preacher, both “in season and out of season.”  Or, as brother Marshall Keeble used to say, “that means to preach the Word, both when they like it and when they don’t like it.”

Paul then predicted that he was not longing for the world (4:6), but confidently affirmed that this was not troubling for him, as he was spiritually ready to meet the Lord and receive his reward for faithful service.  However, there is a note of distress and loneliness in the last half of the chapter as he wrote of Demas, who forsook him, of Alexander the coppersmith, who did him much evil, and of the fact that, at his first hearing before the emperor, all men forsook him as he stood alone (4:10, 14, 16)

But then, in what may well be one of the most obscure passages found in the Bible, which gives encouragement for faithful Christian living, Paul shared the secret strength which kept him going on, despite the discouragement of weak and unfaithful brethren, who often let him down.  He wrote, “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen”. ( 4:17-18)

If ever a man had the right to be discouraged and want to quit the Christian life, Paul did.  Whenever you are feeling sorrow for yourself because of the sacrifices you’ve had to make to be a faithful Christian, just flip over to 2 Corinthians 11: 22-28 and read of the tribulation Paul suffered—195 lashes at the end of a whip, 3 times beaten with rods, stoned and left for dead, frequently imprisoned, shipwrecked, robbed, hungry, and some of this at the hands of his brethren.  The brethren did let him down!  But Paul didn’t let the unbelief, the spiritual weakness, and the unfaithfulness of his brethren cause him to be discouraged enough to quit.  He said, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” (2 Cor 4:8-10)

Oh, brothers and sisters, how we need to learn this secret Paul discovered to keep him going on.  He was converted to Jesus, and not to the brethren.  He understood that his commitment was ultimatel to Jesus, not to the brethren.  And when the brethren forsook him, as the brethren are sometimes prone to do, he knew that Jesus was still with him.  He knew that, as long as the Lord still had a work for him to do, the Lord would deliver him, stand by him, and preserve him, until the Lord was ready to call him home to glory.  That knowledge kept him going on, despite the discouragement of his brethren.

Fellow Christians, if you live long enough, sooner or later the brethren are going to let you down.  It ought not to be that way, but that is reality, because the brethren are human.  Human beings, even Christian ones, are weak, make mistakes, and sometimes will be unfaithful and will let you down.  If your commitment to the Lord hinges on the faithfulness of your brethren, you are in for a lifetime of heartache and disappointment.  Jesus said, concerning the way of salvation that leads to eternal life, “few there be that find it” (Mt 7:14) “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. “, and thus it has always been the case that only the faithful few will be found doing the Lord’s work.

You must not let that discourage you!  Your commitment is to Christ, Who will never let you down!  You will work for Him no matter what anyone else does, because your relationship to Him does not depend on what others do, or don’t do.  If your work for Him goes unnoticed or unappreciated by others, so what?  It matters not, for you’re working for His glory, and not your own.  If, sadly, everyone forsakes you, and you have to stand alone, you’ll know in your heart, soul, and mind that you are not really alone, for the LORD STANDS WITH YOU.

FROM TASMANIA WITH LOVE
14 Dec 03

Dear brethren at Jurong church of Christ.  With great appreciation and love I write this article of thanks to you all.  Since I first met with brothers Eddy Ee and Ullas Nair at the 9th annual Eastern Shore Lectureship in Hobart Tasmania, I have enjoyed their friendship and am thankful for their strong stand in the truth of the gospel.  Brother Eddy Ee is of great spiritual encouragement to me as he labors so diligently to serve here at Jurong as a faithful preacher and teacher of God’s word.  Brother Ullas is of great encouragement as he serves in the Singapore army but does not neglect his service to the Lord’s army.  These men truly do as the Lord commanded…

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt 6:33)

These two brothers have made this trip to Singapore possible for me and I will never forget the great inspiration that comes from meeting with so many wonderful brethren.  It never ceases to amaze me of how a Christian can travel all over the world and never feel alone.  We have the Lord with us but we also have our brethren, like you at Jurong.  I felt this family and caring attitude while I attended the AABL and the feeling is the same here at Jurong.  Your love and affection does not go un-noticed. 

The AABL has been a great experience and the lessons were fantastic.  It is very encouraging to see that the gospel is sound here in Asia and that the church here is strong.  This is the same thing John wrote of in his epistle, “ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John 1:4).  The topic of the AABL was very important and the brethren should have all gained some encouragement for this time of learning.  I thank bro.  Eddy and bro. Ullas for making it possible for me to attend this great event.

Another word of thanks is for the accommodation at the church building.  This has been of great help to me and I have enjoyed it very much.  I cannot forget and will not forget the hospitality of the good brethren here at Jurong, “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”  (Romans 12:13),  “ Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” (1 Peter 4:9).  You brethren have excelled in this quality and I thank you very much for your care.  I have not had to think about eating as brethren have invited me for meals every day and for this I am very grateful.  I thank you for your charity and for your Christ like attitudes.  Please if you are ever in Australia, “come and stay with us”.  We would love to extend the arm of hospitality to you also.

Another good quality I see at Jurong is in the youth, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them”  (Ecclesiastes 12:1).  I was very impressed with the youth here in general.  This is something I will not forget also.  The youth seem very respectful and very Mature.  I love the way that they are polite and take time to talk with the older brethren.  This is something that Australian youth can learn to do a lot more.  Thank you to all those youth who made me feel very welcome here at Jurong.

I am sorry that I did not get to speak but this was due to my travel planning.  Next time hopefully I will plan things a little better and the opportunity to speak will be possible.  Lord willing I will be able to visit with you in August of 2004 as I return from my trip to the USA. 

Please accept my sincere gratitude towards you all here at Jurong.  I love and appreciate you all and will not forget your love.  It reminds me of a fine Scripture, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1.  How much it has been a blessing to be with you all.  Please stay strong in the faith and know that we are praying for you in Australia.

In the love of Christ Jesus, Chris Herd, Tasmania Australia. 

Blessed be the tie that binds,

Our hearts with Christian love,

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

HIS MOST PRECIOUS POSSESSION
21 Dec 03

The story is told of two soldiers who had recently been released from a prison camp in Siberia following World War II. "We did our best," said an officer, "to repatriate the men as fast as possible, but many were still there when winter threatened to close up the port." Only a limited number could board the last small boat...

Among those waiting to be transported were two who had been friends all through the war. One of them was selected, but the other seemed doomed to remain behind. An order was given that those who were leaving could take only one important item of luggage. The heart of the man who was chosen went out to his friend, so he emptied his duffle bag of its prized souvenirs and his personal belongings and told his companion to get into the canvas sack. Then carefully lifting the bag on his shoulders, he boarded the ship with his dear friend -- his single, most precious possession!

Because of our sins, you and I are doomed!

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

However, Jesus Christ died on the cross on our behalf as payment for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21) “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus did this willingly so that you and I might gain safe passage "home" to live together with our Heavenly Father for eternity. Our "ticket" home came at a great personal cost to Him, however His self-sacrifice was motivated by His great love for us. "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). Through the death of Jesus, a "new and living way" has been opened up for us to enter that heavenly home (Hebrews 10:22) “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Accessing this way to heaven requires
faith, (Romans 5:1) “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
repentance (Acts 17:30-31) “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.  
confession (Romans 10:9-10) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 
baptism (immersion) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” AND
faithful obedience in walking the well-lit path of righteousness (1 John 1:7) “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

The last ship is leaving... Can you hear the boarding call

( Mark 16:15-16)? “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Jesus has given up everything so that He can take you with Him into that ship whose destination is the safe harbor of heaven.

Don't be left behind -- YOU are HIS most precious possession!

Will YOU allow Him to carry you home?

      Come unto me,

        all ye that labour

       and are heavy laden,

        and I will give you rest.   

                                                   Mt 11:28

HAPPY ARE THE HUMBLE
28 Dec 03

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 5:3)

I have always thought that the manufacturer knows more about the product than anybody else!  And the One who made us said that we will be blessed if we may be truly described as being “poor in spirit.”  Now, if that’s the way you would like to turn out (I.e., blessed), then please read on.

There were two Greek words for “poor.”  The more common of the two meant that one was so poor that he had to work just to maintain a living.  But the word Jesus uses in the Beatitude means being poor— so poor that one must totally depend upon someone else for survival.  The noun form of that word is translated “beggar” in Luke 16, describing Lazarus.  Now the Lord applies that word to our spirits—we are to be poverty-stricken in spirit.  But what, exactly, does that mean?

The idea the Lord wants us to grasp is one of absolute dependency upon God.  That is simple humility, the antithesis of pride.  The Lord doesn’t want us to depend upon ourselves; He desires us to give our lives to leaning on the everlasting arms.

That is exactly what James was inspired to promote:

(James 4:6-7, 10) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the   humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

According to the wise man, God hates pride in people.

(Pro 6:16-17) These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,.

To come to God, we must become totally dependent upon Him.  That implies a recognition of our own powerlessness, and an acceptance of His all-powerful nature.  The Lord said, “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a     contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”

King David wrote, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” (Psa 34:18)

Jesus Christ simply said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

What is your life characterized by?  How does He see you?

 ********************************

“NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: I WILL…..”

    Like Paul, forget those things which are behind and press forward (Phil. 3:13-14)

   Like David, “Lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help” (Psa 121:1)

   Like Abraham, trust implicitly in my God (Rom 4:19-20)

   Like Enoch, walk in daily fellowship with the Heavenly Father (Gen 5:24; Heb 11:5)

Like Job, be patient under all circumstances (Jas 5:10-11)