JURONG OUTREACH - OCT 03

FERVENTLY PRAY UNTO GOD by Milton Mathers
5 Oct 03

The first part of the title above comes from Esther 4:14.  Esther had to act right away in order to save her people from destruction; she could not wait any longer.  In matters pertaining to the time in which we live today, we also need to act right away, in order to save others from eternal destruction.  People worldwide need the saving message of the Gospel of Christ.

There is a time element for all of God’s dealings with men.  Sometimes He reveals the length of that time; sometimes He does not, which is all the more reason to pray fervently.  God gave Hezekiah an additional fifteen years of life upon seeing his tears and acknowledging his good life.  God hears and answers prayers (Isa 38:1-8).  So, let us resolve, every day that we have—one day at a time—to do what we are able to do.  One thing every child of God can do is to bow before the Great I Am and fervently pray unto our God.

Paul had written to the saints and faithful brethren in Colossae of one Epaphras, who fervently prayed to God. 

(Col 4:12) “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”

The word always means, “at all times.” Labouring means, “to agonize, strive, toil, contend; to progress with great effort.” 

Fervently simply means, “to be hot; full of eagerness.”  This is the way our prayers are to be: always agonizing with much eagerness, with great effort for our brethren.  The reason  is, “… that ye may stand [be immovable] perfect [mature] and completer [full to the brim] in all the will of God.”  Oh, how this applies today—how we need to pray for these same things in our time!  Many are not fully standing in the inspired Word of God, (2 Tim 3:16-17) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

It is so hard to get brethren even to show up for Bible study at the appointed times in our congregations, much less to study their Bibles at home.  Many brethren are so ignorant of the Bible that they do not (cannot) stand “perfect and complete” in their knowledge of God’s Word.

As servants of Christ we are always to remember that we are God’s tools.  Therefore, Paul urges: “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (Col 4:6).

Many just do not know enough Bible to answer anyone, much less actively teach someone.  Peter states a similar admonition: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: " (1 Pet 3:15)

Some brethren seem only to “hope” they have hope. So for such a time of compromise and ignorance as we see in the church now, let us always pray fervently for our brethren that they will stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.  Paul urged the Ephesians to be strong in the Lord, stand against the wiles of the devil...withstand in the evil day…. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, (Eph 6:10-18).

Oh how we need to stand for Truth, and not move from it in any direction.  While making that stand, though, we need to pray fervently that more will do the same.

Let us fervently pray to God because of the trying times in which we are now living.  Paul warned that such times would come and described many of their characteristics, which are prevalent today.  The warnings apply today as well:

(2 Tim 3:1-5) “This know also, that in the last days perilous times [hard to take, to bear]shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent [without self-control], fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

These evils along with others mentioned elsewhere in the scriptures, are all the more reason to pray fervently, zealously, earnestly, purposefully, seriously, and constantly.

May God help us to pray fervently to Him for such a time as this!

For such a time like this, we must seek the old paths
12 Oct 03

God’s word came to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign in the Book of Jeremiah 1:2 about 626 B.C.  It had been nearly one hundred years since the Northern Kingdom had gone into Assyrian captivity, from which Judah had learned little.  Prior to Josiah’s reign, his grandfather, Manasseh, had promoted various forms of idolatry, as did his father, Amon.

(2 Kings 21:20-21) “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did. And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:”

Josiah’s reign was refreshingly different.  “He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord… and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” (2 King 22:2).  However, Judah had already gone too far.  God’s promised wrath was about to come, but because of Josiah’s tender and humble heart before the Lord, He would delay judgment until after Josiah died (V 16-20).  So, not surprisingly, Jeremiah often calls Judah a “backsliding” people (eg 2:19; 3:6), accuses them fifty-three times of “sin” or “transgression,” and describes them as stubborn, Impenitent, rebellious, and idolatrous people.  The whole of Jeremiah 6 deals with Jerusalem’s impending destruction and their sins that had brought them to this point.

God’s Plea and Their Rejection of It

(Jer 6:16) “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”

Judah was at the intersection of two roads.  They could travel a narrow, difficult road, a road that would please God; or, they could travel the broad road that presently seemed easy, but which would lead to ruin.  “The old paths” were “the good way” because God had revealed it.

(Jer 7:23) “But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you”

Tragically, their response to God’s plea was, “We will not walk therein.”  They “had no delight in” God’s Word (6:10).  They had a false sense of security saying, “Peace, peace; wh en there is no peace” (v 14).  “They were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush” when they committed abomination" (V15).  Therefore God said, “I will bring evil upon this people...because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it” (v19).

A Plea for the Old Paths Is Needed Today

As with God’s ancient people, many currently are standing at a crossroads that requires a careful choice.  As did Judah, we can go the way of least resistance, choosing that which helps make us acceptable to the world, but a way that ultimately brings God’s wrath.  Or, we can choose “the old paths” that God’s faithful people have always followed.  Many have declared that “the old paths” are too restrictive, and have chosen a new, less restrictive way.

What are “the old paths” we should travel?  Contrary to the allegation of some, the old paths do not refer to what the church in the U.S. has done in the past few generations, except as they have followed Christ. Certainly, the old paths are not learned from those who have not followed them.  We use the expression the old paths to refer to the way revealed perfectly in the New Testament.  All that we do “in word or deed”  -  in teaching and practice—must be done “in the name [i.e. by the authority] of the Lord Jesus” (Col 3:17).  Therefore we must “speak as the oracles of God” (1 Pet 4:11) and not “think of men above that which is written” (2 Cor 4:6).  The New Testament of Christ delineates “the old paths” of God that we must follow.

Loyalty to the Bible

A plea for “the old paths” is a plea for complete loyalty to the Bible. Such requires acceptance of the Bible as inspired of God.

(2 Tim 3:16-17) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

Being inspired of God means that it constitutes the complete revelation God wishes man to have, and only those things God requires man to know and do (Jude 3) “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints"

There are no Truths of God possessed by some to which the rest of us have not had access.  God has given His Word as our only guide in religion. One cannot reject God’s Word without rejecting God!  We do not need a new way of serving God.  The way of change is not better.  Let us all resolve to walk in “the old paths” of God’s Word!

A Hasty Spirit
19 Oct 03

The lesson of life is that the damage done by unguarded speech is  difficult to correct.  Sometimes we speak more from the top of our heads than from the bottom of our hearts.

How often do we suffer for something we have done only because we acted too hastily?  We are guilty of it, and many times.  Hastiness on our part is to blame for many a setback.

A hasty spirit is a dangerous thing.  Solomon said, “He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.” (Pro 14:29)

The expression, “Hasty of spirit,” corresponds to the Hebrew words, “short of spirit.”  It means, “one that is easily irritated; and, being in a passion, he is agitated so as it is the opposite of Paul’s exhortation that we should be “longsuffering” and “forbearing”.

(Eph 4:2) “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;”

Sometimes we are hasty with our words. The lesson of life is that the damage done by unguarded speech is difficult to correct.  Solomon knew the extreme degradation of hasty talk when he wrote, “Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” (Porv 29:20).

Sometimes we speak more from the top of our heads than from the bottom of our hearts.  As long as one follows such a practice he will have endless apologies to make through life, or he will suffer the loss of many friends.

In this connection, James admonishes, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”

(James 1:19).  It would seem that we have been given two ears and one tongue in order that we might be twice as quick to listen and half as quick to speak.

Sometimes we are hasty in our determinations and decisions.  Sadly, many people have begun the Christian life with joy, only to fade away into indifference after having failed to count the cost involved.  In Lk 14: 28-33, Jesus shows the real difference between a loose adherence to Him and a real, disciple-like adhesion.  We are warned against attempting so great an undertaking with a spirit of haste and want of determination, which guarantee failure.

Sometimes we are hasty in judgements of others.  For this reason Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Mt 7:1).  The Lord forbids all unkind criticism resulting from a hasty spirit without full investigation and knowledge of the facts.

It never pays to be hasty in our temperament, words, deeds, or decisions in life.  We will suffer long because of our lack of thought and consideration, and often we will not suffer alone.  Wise counsel has always been, and still remains: Don’t be hasty!  Think it through, then act.

THE U IN JESUS

Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God even stuck U in the name of His Son.

And each time U pray, you’ll see it’s true
You can’t spell out Jes U s and not include U.

You’re a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, He was born; that’s why He came.

And His great love for U is the reason He died.
It even takes U to spell cr U cified.

Isn’t it thrilling and splendidly grand
He rose from the dead, with U in His plan.

 The stones split away, the gold tr U mpet blew,
And this word res U rrection is spelled with a U.

When Jes U s left earth at His upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.

 Go into the world and tell them it’s true
That I love them all-
Just like I love U.

 So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don’t they have a right to know Jes U s too?

It all depends now on what U will do,
He’d like them to know
But it all starts with U.

Excuse Me! Have You Washed Your Hands? by Sis Abigail Chew
26 Oct 03

Have you washed your hands?” sounds nostalgic. When I was young, my mother used to drum these words into my ears before I started to eat my food. These words sound very sweet to my ears now but not during that time.

Recently, due to the outbreak of Sars, “Have you washed your hands?” spelt fear. We were reminded to wash our hands from all and sundry. Washing of hands have become a serious matter. It was taught in the school and over the mass media. It was no more just rubbing two palms together in the water but close attention also paid to the center of the palms, back of the hands, in-between fingers, tips of the fingers and the nails.

Indeed, too many times I washed my hands without realising the significance of it. This habit does help me from getting infected by harmful viruses. It prepares me to face any communicable diseases. Further more I stop the spread of viruses through washing as well.

Is washing of hands the only way to keep clean and stay away from Sars and other unknown and deadly viruses? I searched through the book of Leviticus for guidance.

In the book of Leviticus, there were about thirty verses that sited washing as one of the ways to keep one physically clean. Clothing has to be changed and washed. All parts of the body are to be washed also and anything that comes into contact with dirty things has to be rinsed as well.

(E.g. Lev 15:11) “And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.”

The words “wash”, “cleanse”, “bathe” and “rinse” appear over and over again in Leviticus.

Besides washing, the book of  Leviticus talks about getting rid of infected utensils and materials around us. This will enable us to keep our surrounding clean. Words , such as “burn” (Lev 13:52) “He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire.”, “broke” (Lev 15:12) “And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.” and “cast” (Lev 14:40) “Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city:”  were used.

Quarantine was the word we heard very often during Sars peak period. Leviticus 13:46 said that the sick person must be identified and marked (pronounced unclean). He is to be isolated (dwell alone) and stayed away from the crowd (without the camp). “Shut him up” was used around eight times also. The quarantine period is usually seven days according to Leviticus. It is amazing to know that God cares so much for us. He cares for our souls and He also cares for our bodies. There is so much wisdom we can glean from His word, the Bible.

Arm with the knowledge from the Bible and the habit cultivated from young, I washed my hands often even before the Sars outbreak. When I paid visits to the hospitals, I washed my hands just before leaving. When I reached home, I would take a bath and change my clothing. It has been this way for ages for me. During Sars period, I washed my hands and face when I reached the Church building. When I reached home, I did the same thing and get into a new set of clothing. It looked very troublesome but I believe the effort is well worth it.

There are other measures which I am also taking to minimise the risk of virus infection. I must take my body temperature and wear a mask when I am not feeling well. I must isolate myself when I have fever and seek for medical help if necessary. I should sneeze and cough into tissue paper and then dispose. I should wash my hands after that. Normally I do not share my eating and drinking utensils with others. That includes my family members. All in all, be responsible to ourselves and to others.

Let us continue to remind ourselves to take care of our body, the temple of God (2 Cor 6:19), to nourish and cherish it (Eph 5:29). We must see that we have balanced meal, good rest, enough sleep and exercise to keep us fit.

If there is another outbreak of Sars or any unknown diseases, will we be gripped by fear? John says in (I Jn 4:18) that fear has torment. This fear is definitely not from God. Paul says in (2 Tm 1:7), “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The children of God should exhibit a spirit of power, love and a sound mind in their lives.

If  I have done my job, I leave the rest to God. Heaven is a nice place to go after all.