Serving God In The Working Place Part Two

Eph 6: 5-8  Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free

Eph 6: 5-8 Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don't just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ's servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.

Most of us hold a job or some form of employment to earn a living. Some of us are businessmen, technicians, accountants, salesmen etc. Of course there are also those who are house wives, retiree and the rich who do not need to work. But, they are the minority group; the majority of us are employed in some form of work or business. Some of you are students and very soon you will be working.

I have good news for you. God wants us to serve Him both in our working place and in church. How many of you wish that you can be a better witness for Christ in your office? Christians are often guilty of placing less priority in the working place compared to the church or some other place. We don’t mind going to a faraway foreign country to do mission work but we seldom win people for Christ from our working place.

I think this is wrong because we are given more opportunities to win people for Christ in our working place than anywhere else. If you ask the church how many of them are working in the same place or those who came to church because someone from work invited them, not many will affirm to this.

Generally, our colleagues, clients are more open to us than any other person because they know us and they can see our lives. We spend eight hours or more every day in the office; there are many opportunities for us to do good to our colleagues, clients and show the love of God to them, pray for them than most people. Our working place could be our most fruitful harvest field.

Most Christians has this belief that engaging in a business or a job cannot be as spiritual as serving in the church. We have this idea that we should not put too much time or effort in the working world because we do not want to be contaminated with the world.

This is far from the truth. We are called to serve God, not only in the church but also outside of the church where most people are. The same anointing we have in our ministry in church is also available for us outside of the church. Jesus told the disciples in Matt 28 to go into all the world, preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations.

Jesus did not say to start a church and remain there until He comes. But He said to go into the whole world. It is an expanding and far reaching mission. The ministry must not be limited to a church building or a familiar gathering of believers. It must go beyond the four walls of the church into the working place, to the society at large and also the world. This includes the offices, shops, schools, police stations etc. where we work.

I believe the church is our training school for ministry and the actual ministry takes place outside of the church. Believers are trained in the church to do ministry in the world and not just limited to church only. The early Christians did not just remain in Jerusalem or the temple. They scattered everywhere, preaching the word. So if we only serve in church then we have not fully graduated from training school.

Let us consider some examples from the scripture and from our own lives that working in the offices, schools, factories etc. are equally important as serving in the church.

Firstly most Christians are called to have a job outside of the church. If we think that full time ministry in the church is more important or spiritual won't the LORD create more jobs in the church and put us all in the church work?

In most churches the numbers of full time workers are less than 5% of the church goer’s population. God places more people and resources in the working places because there is where the action is and where most people are.

A wise general would send his best soldiers and guns to the most strategic places where most of the spoils are. It would be foolish of the general if he sends all his army to a less important battle and loses the whole war. Similarly, God places His people in the working world because the spoils are there outside of the church building. He is the best general. He knows where the battles are and what is required to win the war.

So He assigns His soldiers to the most important battle fields and the people for the job. No one is more important than the other but everyone is given talents to function in that particular battlefield. Christians working outside of the church is equally important with the pastors in the church. So do not underestimate what you can do for the LORD where you are working.

In Ezekiel 47:1-9 there is a prophetic significant in this vision for us today. The river represents the move of the Holy Spirit, the life of God. The river produces life wherever it went. The Holy Spirit is the source of life, healing and wholeness. The sea and fish represent humanity. The Spirit wants to bring healing to humanity. We are His vessels that He uses to accomplish this.

Notice, the river continues flowing out from the temple. It did not remain in the temple; the river flowed out from the temple. The move of the Spirit will not be restricted in the church or the gathering of believers. The Spirit wants to reach out to the world and heal the people who are outside of the church. He does not want to be put into a box. He wants to work through you wherever you are.

Christians are always guilty of this. They restrict the Holy Spirit from working outside of the church. Most Christians think like this, “Holy Spirit you can do whatever you want in church but not in the office”. So the Christians are a different people in church and in the office. They seldom practice what they learned in church in the working place. That is why we do not see miracles happening in our working place.

How many of you agree that if a river provides water only for just one household that is a waste? There is more than enough supply for everyone in this river of God. And we need to bring this blessing to our working place and where people are.

In Ezekiel's vision of the river, the further he moves away from the temple, the river gets deeper and deeper. First it is ankle deep, then knee deep and as he went further, it is waist deep and finally he could only swim in the river because it is too deep and it is at the place furthest from the temple. The deeper you go the greater is the move of the Spirit.

The greater move of the Holy Spirit is not just limited in the church but also away from the church. The Holy Spirit has more of His power, His gifts, His miracles, His wisdom, and anointing available for us outside of the church. In fact, most of the miracles of Jesus and the early church were performed outside of the church building, in the working place and where people were.

Why is the power of God most evident outside of the church building? Obviously, it is because there are the places where the power of God is most needed and the most sick people are. There is so much of Him and His power in you that you will never run dry.

So this erroneous thinking that God only works in the church has us restricted from accessing and seeing the power of the Spirit in our generation. There is so much of His wisdom, anointing and power reserved for us if we would take it and use it to change the working world for Jesus.

But, we only restrict ourselves to just a little bit of the power in the church and yet there is so much more of the power of the Spirit make available for us that we can use it to minister to the working world where He places us.

Secondly, Jesus often time preached about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the domain of the rule and reign of God. In His kingdom there is His righteousness, power, healing, love and much more.

Many Christians have this wrong understanding about the kingdom of God as referring to the future kingdom of God manifesting on the earth or the kingdom of God is to be confined in a building. But that is not true; Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God to the earth, the kingdom God is at hand implying it is within our reach and experience. And like a mustard seed it must grow to its full potential and power on the earth until it fills the earth. God's intent and purpose is global and not just in a small tiny building called the church.

Hab 2:14 for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Adam was God's representative of the kingdom of God on the earth. He was to suppose to rule in the Garden of Eden on behalf of God and extend the kingdom throughout the earth. God told him to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Adam was to fill the earth with God's reign but he failed.

The earth was then given to the kingdom of Satan. But Jesus came to defeat Satan and now He gives us the authority to fill the earth with the His kingdom. As Christians, we are to bring God's kingdom to our working place and wherever we are. The Kingdom of God must infiltrate and subdue all aspect of life on the earth, the business, education, governments, media etc.

The devil knows that if he can convince us that serving God is only in the church, he is already safe. If he can deceive us to think that the battle is in the church and the working place is to be avoided then he will put us on the defensive. The center of the devil's work is not in the church. He works in the businesses, the government, schools, financial institutions and where most people are. Jesus often times cast out demons in the streets and market places where most people were.

The devil has no power to rule because he has already been defeated. But he can only take charge when the believers allow him to do so. So if the people of God are kept in the church, the devil can do all he wants in the working place.

This is the consequence when we place too much emphasis in the church and not moving out to the world. The devil will take dominion in the world not because he has the power but the believers allow him to do so. And we blame the devil for the woes in the world instead of taking hold of our God given responsibilities to change the world. That is why you are so important and God wants to use you to change the world where you are.

Jesus never restricted his ministry in the synagogue. Jesus taught and ministered outside of the four walls of the temple. He went to villages, houses and the streets. He too has good business sense. He spoke about good business practice in his parables eg. investing for treasures in heaven, calculating the cost before committing. It takes a person to know some business topics and practices before he can say anything about the topic.

He was well informed about the business world. That tells us Jesus spent great expense to learn about the business world and used this to bring people to the Kingdom of God. Jesus never abandon the working world but He embraced it. He used it to change the people. Most of his followers are businessman, fisherman, workers and farmers.

The early church was not busy erecting church buildings or serving only in the Temple. Most of them have jobs and earned a living. While working they did good to those around them. People were drawn to the church because they saw the miracles and also the love of God through interaction with believers wherever they were. A believer named Dorcas was a designer of clothes who was well known to those around her because of her charitable deeds.. The early church was impacting people in the streets and working places and not restricted in the church building only.

So as Christians working in the offices, schools, shops, supermarkets etc. how should we respond to the call of God as His representative to the working world?

1)  Thank God for the job you are in and believe that He has put you there for a purpose. You may not like the way the business is done or the weakness in people but no one is perfect. Do not let the situation around you prevent you from bringing the grace of God in the place. Christians should not be easily perturbed or give up because of the presence of evil but seek to change the situation and circumstance for good.

Jesus did not run away from sinners. He ate with them, talked with them and also loved them. Daniel did not gripe over the fact he was taken away from his home and placed in a godless nation. He accepted the job he was in and did his best. Esther has to marry a heathen king and that was not her idea for a good job. Despite the difficult situation they were in, they chose to remain there and believed God can turn evil into something good. By keeping their conviction, they were able to excel at work and changed the whole nation.

Similarly, God has a reason why He put us to work in a particular place. Instead of whining and complaining about how bad our job is, why not thank Him for the job and pray that He will use us in our working place. We can be God's agent for change in the working place. The way for change is to remain where we are and be an agent of change.

2)  Embrace the job where you are working. It is not enough that you tolerate or remain static at your job. Many Christians are not happy with their jobs. They are critical towards their work and fellow colleagues hence they seldom enjoy their work. So they become unproductive, show no initiative or always looking for somewhere for greener pasture.

Embracing your job is accepting the job. Don’t be overly negative with your job. Make a list of all the wonderful things the job has to offer. Refuse to see flaws in your job or colleagues. See yourselves working hard, enjoying your work and every testing as a stepping stone for success in your job. Appreciate your job, those working with you and put diligence in it. It is God who puts you there. Just like when you embraced your call to serve in the church and you give your time and energy to serve in the church; do it also in your work.

Joseph did not have a good start in his career. Probably at first he hated his job as a slave because he never wanted to be a slave. But later on he embraced his job as a slave. He did not remain static; he put in effort in his job. Because he was willing to serve, he was able to go through the tests and trials from a slave to a supervisor and then a manager finally he was trained to be the prime minister of Egypt. God used him to impact the nation. He wants to promote you but according to His timing and when you are ready.

3)  Recognize you have a ministry in your working place. You have a ministry in church and you have a ministry in the working place. The idea that Christians working out there just to support the full time ministry in the church no longer holds water. Working Christians has equally important ministry in the working places as those serving full time in the church. A change of mindset will put us on track on serving God in our working places.

4)  What you do in church, do also in the working places. The same Holy Spirit who is with us in the church will also be with us in the work place. We are to carry His Presence to the places where He can work through you.

The same anointing of the Spirit that operates in the church will also operate outside of the church. The Holy Spirit wants to work through you in the office, factory and schools. So do not put Him in a box.  Allow Him to work both in the church and in your working place. It will be a waste if all we learn in church; we keep it in the church. Why not share what you do in church with your friends and colleagues? We can pastor our colleagues, encourage them or care for them. We can pray for them and minister healing to them or we can listen and counsel them, do good works, helping the needy. We can also conduct prayer walks around the office, bless the business and customers.

Of course we may do things a bit different in our working place compare to our church. Ask God for wisdom how we can best serve Him in the office, shops and schools etc. Remember the church is only our training school. The actual work is outside the four walls of the church.

5)  Put your best effort in your work. Aim for excellence. Ask God to give you wisdom and talents to work. By doing so, Christians will earn the right to speak to people. People listen to those who are excellent in what they do. The lazy and mediocre ones hardly gets any attention from anyone. 

6)  Apply bible truths in the working place eg integrity, honesty, righteousness. Seek to make your working place better especially those things that are not doing well. You are the light of the world, your attitude in work and your integrity will make a difference to those working with you.

7)  Bringing the kingdom of God into your working place through prayer and your testimony. One way you can impact your working place is by spending time in prayer for God to touch lives in the office. Ask God to open the eyes of your boss, clients or your colleagues to the reality of God.

     Sister Ruth shared this story to me. One day she was asked to handle a very difficult case in the court. By the way, Ruth is a corporate lawyer. Her colleagues all agree that this was an impossible case. The chances of winning were slim and she cannot do much but prayed in the courthouse. Though the chances of winning were slim, the judge did the impossible by awarding the case to her. She was so excited that she shared with everyone in the office how God has answered her prayers. This was her great testimony for God in her office. What the LORD did for Ruth He can also do it for you. He wants to use us in our working place and wherever He sends us. Let us shine for Jesus

Live In the Pursuit of Love

Mk 12: 30-31 and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The first and great commandment is you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and to love your neighbor as yourselves. Our primary calling from God is to love Him passionately and to love people.

Loving God passionately involves spending time in His Presence in church or in our private time with the LORD. Spending time in prayer and fasting, worshiping Him and mediating His word are expressions of how much He really means to us, how much we value our relationship with God, how much we love Him.

When we love someone very much, we want to be with them. When I was courting my wife Lois, I would love to be with her though it cost me to drive all the way from Ampang to Taman Melawati.

Those who truly love God are hungry for more of Him. I sometimes wonder how it is possible for us to love God and not spending time with Him. It cannot be done. If you truly love Him, you will wait in His Presence and enjoy His love. But Christians who seldom pray or spend time with Him, they are not really in love with the LORD. Many believers have idols in their hearts; there is no longer space for God. Jesus warned us this as losing our first love for Him.

God wants to have a close, intimate relationship with us because He really and sincerely loves us. Jesus said “Those who love me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and my Father and I will come to them and live with them. If you love Him, He is so excited about your love and He wants to be with you and live with you. He runs to you and makes His residence in you and stay with you.

Those who love the LORD passionately will stay on course. They live to please the LORD. They are willing to give up everything because they love Him. People have difficulty committing their lives to the LORD because they don’t love the LORD the way they should.

Loving God passionately also implies that we seek total obedience to God. Jesus said if you love me you will keep My commandment. We express our love for God through our action in obedience. Jesus tells us to be perfect just as your Father is perfect. This is total 100% obedience to God and loving God with our whole heart. Total obedience is not trying to be sinless but a heart pursuit to live in perfect obedience to God because we love Him. There is a chasing after, to want to follow God from the heart.

Saying no to disobedience is how we can express love to God. The moment we refuse sin, we are saying to God, “I love you. I must not offend You because sin hurts You and You paid a heavy price for my sin.” Any person who sin willfully does not truly love the LORD from the heart.

Many believers love God the convenient way. If it is convenient, easy and comfortable then we will obey but if it demands a sacrifice, not many will want to follow. They will serve the LORD if they can get something from Him. When things get tough, they will not obey the LORD or totally abandon Him. Obedience requires us to respond in faith to what the Word teaches us and what the Spirit is saying from the heart whether it is easy or difficult. And if we pursue to obey God we are loving Him with all our heart.

If you read the stories of great man of God in the bible, this is how they show their love and devotion to God. The main goal in their lives is the pursue of God in total obedience.

David was found faithful before God because he was the man after God's heart. David sought for total obedience to God. David mentioned about his persuit for total obedience in the following psalm;

Psa 101:2-4  My conduct will be faultless. When will you come to me? I will live a pure life in my house and will never tolerate evil. I hate the actions of those who turn away from God; I will have nothing to do with them. I will not be dishonest and will have no dealings with evil.

Paul's main objective in his life was to win the prize of reaching total obedience. Paul used the illustration of running the race in such a way to win the price. This is his goal in life to pursue total obedience to God and to prove of his love for God.

The primary goal in life for Christians should be the pursuit of perfect obedience. Anything less is to love God less. Jesus loves us until the end and He deserve all our love.

We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. Whatever we do must be motivated by love, anything done without love will not profit us. In 1Cor 13  Paul wrote, “I maybe speak in different languages. I may have prophecies, I may give up everything but if I do not have love this does profit me.”

We may have done great ministry, help a lot of people, preach a great sermon or done a lot of things but if they are done for some selfish reasons, self fame and self gain it will not be rewarded in eternity. The motive for our service is so that the other person is blessed and we love the LORD.

I remember when I was a young Christian; I wanted to tell everyone that I have done good for a Christian brother. I wanted to share in the church service about this thing that I did for him and be proud of it. As I was about to do so, I felt an uncomfortable feeling in my chest telling me not to go out. I do not understand what this is but I decided not to go out anyway. Later I understood this is the Holy Spirit rebuking me for doing something because I wanted to be famous. Before this, I never know God can be so real and this is my first experience of God working in my life. I wanted to encourage people to do good but my motive was wrong. So God stopped me from embarrassment and making a fool of myself. Doing a good work can be wrong if our motives are not love.

The positive side is that we can do good works because of the love of God. It is not too difficult to do good works because of the love of God.  Believers have the love of God in them.

Rom 5:5  ...... the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us.

2Cor 5:14 for the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died

The love of God in us becomes a force that compels us to do good to someone or show love to people. I find this to be true.

A few non Christians friends I know have been telling me that Christians are loving people and do many good works. I believe this is not coincidental that people just do good works for no reasons but the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in a believer, compelling, prompting or moving a person with compassion for others.

As we learn to be obedient to the love of God operating in us, we can see more good works done to others that will glorify God. The more you yield to the force of the love of God in you, the more you can distinguish what is from God and from yourselves.

Some of you have thoughts of helping someone you know who have needs, coming to you again and again. Or when you have not seen a person for a long time you have this concern for that person and you want to call them and find out how they are doing. There is urgency in your spirit and recurring thoughts about doing something for the person. Only after you have said yes to help or reach out to them, there is relief in your spirit. This is the love of God compelling, prompting and touching you to respond to them.

Learn to yield to the love of God in you and you will be able to love people the way you never think you can. God wants to touch people with His love through you.

Eternal Rewards

2 Tim 4:8 finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing

Eph 6: 5-8 Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don't just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ's servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free. (The Message)

Once there was this man who had a dream in his sleep. In his dream, Jesus was standing in front of him. Lo and behold, down at his feet was his life time work for the Lord. And suddenly a fire came from the LORD and burned everything on his feet. The fire was to test his work whether it would last or not. And to his great surprise everything was burnt up and nothing remained.

One day every believer will stand before the LORD to give an account on how he or she had lived and used whatever talents given to him or her. The bible teaches that Jesus is a very conscientious business owner. He is our Savior, Master, God and He is also our Boss. He owns everything we have and He expects a good return for every investment or opportunity given to us. Remember the parable of the talents. The Master expects a return from his servants with what was entrusted to them. The lazy servant was rebuked for not doing anything with what was given to him.

My boss is very particular about the bottom line with every business deal. He would ask us about the profit margin and as much we try to convince him to be more realistic in expecting profits, he still insist on making a reasonable gain. Business is all about returns and profits. There is no play play here.

Similarly, I believe Jesus is really serious on how we use His resources. He expects a return from what is entrusted to us. Though He loves us dearly, He views with great concern on our stewardship with what is His. And He doesn’t want us to be wasting away with His goods. And in return for our faithful service, Jesus blesses us with eternal rewards and a place of authority in the afterlife which is far more glorious that we could ever imagine. So we must be busy about God’s business.

As much we want to please God with our stewardship, there are rules that we must work on in order to earn eternal rewards.  God doesn’t see things the way we see. He is not impressed with merely the outward results. A person may have done alot just like the man who had the dream but not gain much reward at all. On the other hand a person may not have done much in the eyes of man but with a right attitude and diligence he or she is greatly rewarded by the LORD.

Firstly, God looks into our hearts first before He looks at our work. What motivates us to do something for Him? Is it because we love Him and people? Or is it for our personal pride, fame, enrichment and selfish gain? In 1Cor 13 the greatest motivation for service is love. Without love, our work is counted as useless, meaningless, nothing.

I remember when I was a young Christian, I wanted to tell everyone that I have done good for a Christian brother. I wanted to share in the church service about this thing that I did for him and be proud of it. As I was about to do so, I felt an uncomfortable feeling in my chest telling me not to go out. I do not understand what this is but I decided not to go out anyway. Later I understood this is the Holy Spirit rebuking me for doing something because I wanted to be famous. Before this, I never know God can be so real and this is my first experience of God working in my life. I wanted to encourage people to do good but my motive was wrong. So God stopped me from embarrassment and making a fool of myself. Doing a good work can be wrong if our motives are not love. So let us be motivated with God’s love when we serve Him and not other reasons.

Secondly, God only pays what He orders. Don’t do anything because it is a popular thing to do. But find out what is your God ordained place in ministry or work and remain faithful in it.

Everyone is called to fulfill the Great Commission and heal the sick. It is non negotiable. My wife Lois, is called to be a pastor. She should remain functioning as a pastor. Some are called into the full time ministry and some are not. God may call some to be in the limelight and some behind the scene. It doesn’t matter what you do for the LORD, as long God calls you into it. Don’t do anything which God didn’t call you into. It can be a struggle to keep up. Moreover, He will only reward you for what He calls you into.

Thirdly, God rewards faithfulness. To be faithful means that you will use your gifts responsibly. Some people are talented with computers but they use it to hack into people's bank account and that is not using your gifts responsibly. All gifts come from God and we are just stewards to use them to do good and be a blessing to others. Of course your gift will provide for you, you get a good pay for a job well done but never use it to break the law, selfish reasons or bring dishonour to God.

To be faithful also means spending effort and time to use and develop your gifting. Some people may have talents but they do not use or develop them. There are people who are lazy and refuse to spend time to brush up their skills. They use their time to do other things which are not beneficial to their gifting and talents. The servant with the one talent should have spent time to do business with the one talent he had but he chose to hide his talent and spent his time doing other things not related to his talent. And he got the nerve to give excuses and blame his master for not doing his job.

I know people who are good in singing but they do not bother to join the worship team because it a hassle for them. Some are good in sales but they never venture into their own business because they are lazy to enrol into business management classes or spend time to study. To be good in your talents you must be willing to learn more and practice regularly.

Athletics may be good at running or playing games but they must spend many hours in training in order to be a champion. If you want more rewards in heaven, be good with what you do and it will bless more people.

To be faithful means to persevere and continue on the job or ministry. Don’t give up easily when you face difficulties or problems, whether you are working or serving in the church

The benefit of staying longer and persevere is that you will learn the trade or ministry better and you can be skillful in your job or ministry. Good working knowledge comes from years of experience and solving problems as they come along. If you are the people who easily give up, you will not learn much and there is not much promotion for you. Remember, in the ministry or in your job, keep doing it despite difficulty or problems. You will gain valuable experience and know how and become a better worker for the LORD.

And lastly faithfulness is always giving thanks to God who has given you the talents. Never forget He is the one who helped you.

A faithful husband or wife will always stick together in good or bad times. If a husband or wife leaves we call them unfaithful. This is how some Christians treat God. Sometimes when we are successful and prosperous we forget about God, we spend a lot of time and effort in our work or talents that we do not come to church, pray to Him or serve Him.

Our talents become our God instead of Father God. It is sad to see Christians when they have nothing, they pray and fast for success and recognition in their business and jobs but when God gives this to them they are no longer in the church. God is looking for faithful people who will continue to seek Him in spite of their success so that He can give them more they can ever dream of.

Let us remain faithful to Him whether we have little or much. Keep on moving with Him and use all our gifts to glorify Him. Be motivated by love for Him and people. And surely when we meet Him we will hear His words whispered into our ears, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

Please read also the posting Serving God in Our Working Place

A Visit to Hell

John 3: 16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

The subject on Hell has caught my attention these past few weeks. I managed to get hold of a few articles about Hell and recently someone posted on YouTube of a lady who shot herself and died. She was sent to hell and came back alive to tell her story. You can check it out by going to the link http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=KDPPZ7NX.

I know the topic on hell has been hotly debated by religious scholars and scientists; Christians and non Christians alike. Most people would avoid the subject on hell; no one likes to talk about death or the afterlife. Hell has become a subject of ridicule and a joke to many. People take hell lightly as though it is not real or superstition. And some Christians don’t even believe hell is real. But the topic on hell is a very important topic in the bible. In fact there are over 400 scriptures in the Bible in reference to Hell, the suffering there and also the final destination of the dead or the afterlife.

Jonathan Edwards the great revivalist of the 18^th century had mass conversion from preaching the sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”. He spoke about hell and judgment for sinners. And many would repent and cried out to God for mercy. Today not many preachers preach about hell and the judgment of God because it is unpopular. But Jesus didn’t stop preaching about hell just because it was unpopular. In fact Jesus spoke more about hell than heaven. He spoke the truth to warn people about the horrors of hell and eternal judgment so that many will come to repentance.

Many people doubt the existence of hell but it doesn’t make hell less real. Jesus Himself taught hell as a real place. If we say hell is just imaginary or a state of the mind and not to be taken literally then we make Jesus a liar. And He cannot lie.

Hell is a place of punishment and torment. It is a horrible place to be in. The Chinese folks believe hell is a homecoming for close relatives and friends. My non Christian relatives don’t mind going there because they believe that when they die they will have a reunion with the ancestors in hell.

Each year during the Cheng Beng festival, the Chinese folks will burn paper notes, clothes, modern gadgets made from paper so that the ancestors receive them in hell. This is a deception of the devil. I don’t see how one can enjoy life in hell when everyone is in pain and anguish.Yes, God is good to all, both the good and evil in this life. But in hell, the goodness of God is no longer there. No love, peace, joy, hope, nothing. Someone said it appropriately the only heaven for unbeliever and the only hell for a believer is in this life.

The bible tells us that in hell the soul of dead people will be tormented with fire throughout day and night for all eternity. A couple of years ago, I burnt my hand while trying to handle the hot pot. The burning pain lasted for a few days and it really hurts. Those trapped inside a building during a fire would rather jump off from the roof than having to be burned alive. It must be extremely painful to be burned alive. One could imagine how painful it can be with hell fire.

Luke 16:23-24 and being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

And all of a sudden, something grabbed me and pulled me out of this cell.  I know it was the Lord, but then I didn't know that.  I was there as an unsaved person, so I didn't know these things.  I just went there as if I had never accepted the Lord.  I was placed over next to the fire that I had seen.  I was standing alongside that pit.  I was beneath a cavern, like a giant cave, with a tunnel going up. 

Alongside the fire I could see through the flames, just enough to see bodies, people in the fire screaming, screaming for mercy, burning in this place!  And I knew I didn't want to go in there.  The pain I'd endured already was bad enough, but the heat from that flame I knew was worse.  These people were begging to get out.

There were these big creatures lined all around the edge of this Pit, and as the people crawled up trying to get out, they would be shoved back in to the fire and not allowed to get out. I thought, "Oh, this place is so horrible, so horrible and horrendous." 

All this was going on at the same time.  You're thirsty, you're hungry, and you're exhausted.  You don't get to sleep in Hell either.  You need sleep just as you do now.  Your body needs sleep.  Rev 14:11 says, and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, you never get to sleep.  You can imagine how that is, never sleeping. Regarding the water, in Zechariah 9:11   I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein no water is. Absolutely there is no water in Hell.  (A testimony by Bill Wiese)

Some religion believes that hell is only a temporary holding cell for sinners until the time when they have fully been instructed for heaven. And then they will be transported to heaven. But the bible teaches that there is no salvation for dead people who refuse to believe in Christ when they were alive.  

The moment a person accepts Christ he or she becomes a new person from the inside. Though he or she may still struggle with old sins in this life yet has God’s life inside. When the believer dies he or she is freed from the flesh and attains perfection in the spirit.

But an unbeliever is spiritual dead. Spiritual death is the absence of God’s life in the spirit. When the unbeliever dies, he or she remains spiritual dead and retains his or her fallen state e.g. If the person is lustful, he or she remains lustful still in the afterlife. In hell, the rich man is as selfish and demanding as he was alive. He even had the audacity to ask Abraham to send Lazarus on an errand for him. It is impossible for a person to enter heaven with its present condition. He or she must be born again. Jesus came to give us a new life.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Once there was an evil man who died and entered into the spirit world. He was cursing and reviling God by saying “God is altogether unjust. He has prepared heaven for His saints but cast the rest of mankind into hell. Yet the saints call Him God is love.” As he was doing this suddenly there was a sweet voice of an angel speaking to him, “God has given permission for this man to enter heaven.” So the man stepped forward and accompanied by two angels into heaven. When they reached the door of heaven and saw the holy and glorious heaven with the blessed saints, he began to feel uneasy. The angel said to him, “See how beautiful heaven is. Go a bit further and look at the LORD sitting on the throne.” From the door he looked and as the light of the LORD revealed his impure estate and sin defiled life, he started to be in agony of self loathing, fled with such ease and threw himself into the bottomless pit. (Excerpt from the Spiritual World by Sadhu Sundar Singh)

The worse thing in Hell, the worse thing, worse than all the torments, was I understood that, first of all, that there was life going on up here on the earth.  And that people up here, most people, had no idea that this world even existed down here!  They don't even know this is a real world down here and there's billions of people suffering and begging for one chance, if they had an opportunity to get out.  But they never get a chance to get out, and being mad at themselves for not taking the opportunity to have received Jesus, that they are stuck there forever. 

This is the worst thing about Hell, that there was absolutely no hope of ever getting out.  I understood that.  I grasped eternity.  I could understand eternity.  Here on earth, we can't quite, can't get a hold of it.  But there I understood it.  I knew I would be there forever and ever, and had no hope of getting out. 

I thought about my wife.  I could never get to my wife!  I've always told her that if we were ever separated by any kind of earthquake or something horrible, I said "I'll get to you.  I will find you.  I'll get to you if we're ever apart."  But here I couldn't get to her.  I could never see her again.  She would never have any idea where I was, and I just could never ever talk to her again.  That thought just absolutely bothered me terribly!  To not be able to talk to her, get to her, and for her not to know where I was, and have no hope to ever get out!  You understand, you never get out of here, ever!  See on earth there's always hope.  Even people in concentration camps had a hope of getting out, or dying at least, to get out of it.  But we've never experienced a totally hopeless situation.  In Isaiah 38:18 it says, "Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth." (A testimony by Bill Wiese)

Heaven and Hell are real. There is a heaven to gain when we believe Jesus died for our sins. So if you have not accepted Him as your personal Savior why not receive Him now before it’s too late. I have never been to hell before and I don’t have to. Jesus has saved me from hell. How awesome is Your grace for me LORD.

When tragedy strikes

Jas 1:2-4   Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

I have been around long enough to know that life is not always constant. No two days are the same. With each new day comes different set of challenges and problems. There is no such thing as a trouble free life here. We are all prone to disappointment, misunderstood, adversity and hardship. If you want a trouble free life you might as well leave this earth because Jesus said in John 16: 33 in the world you will have tribulation.

Back in the first century, Christians were persecuted because of their belief in Jesus. They have no problem with suffering because they esteem dying for Christ as more desirable than their own lives and comfort. They literally count it all joy when faced with difficulties.

In those days Christian leaders rejoiced over the scars on their maimed bodies as a testimony of their devotion to the LORD and also to their office. Remember the apostle Paul mentioned about the 40 minus 1 strips on him to silence his critics that he doesn't qualify for the apostleship. Action speaks louder than words then. It is strange that in today’s modern Christianity the opposite has taken place. A life with God without suffering is commonly preached. And personal comfort is more desirable than going through inconvenience for the sake of gospel.

Few weeks back I have some problems relating to my colleagues at work. Sometimes people can be rude and mean but for me I choose to forgive despite being mistreated. There will always be contentions, misunderstanding and problems when working with people. No one is perfect anyway.

Recently more than 14,340 have died and 11,889 are still missing due to a massive earthquake and tsunami that shook Japan. Who would have predicted that so many people lost their lives in a modern and advanced country like Japan? Tragedies can happen at anytime and anyplace.

A few years ago, a Christian couple with their children met with a road accident on the way back from ministering in a church in Johor. The couple and their children died in the accident. David Wilkerson, a prominent Christian leader who authored the book The Cross and The Switchblade had a road accident and died recently. It is sad to hear that the worst can also happen to God’s people. It is wrong to conclude that only the evil and wicked are liable for the worst calamity. It can happen to anyone.  

The worst atrocity in history must be the Holocaust that took place during Hitler Germany. More than six million Jews were massacred and butchered by the Nazi in concentration camps all over Germany, Poland, Yugoslavia and other German occupied territories. Very few ever survived to tell the tale of the ordeal. Where was God during the most tragic period of the Jewish history? Has He forsaken the people whom He has loved dearly?

No one fully understands why everything happened the way it happened. Why innocent people has to suffer? Why God did permit the Holocaust to take place? But looking back, sometime good has come out of the disasters of the Holocaust. The Jewish nation was born out of adversity.

For more than two thousand years, the Jews were without a homeland. They were scattered all over Russia, Eastern Europe and North America. Most of them have virtually lost their identity and attachment with their ancestral land where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob once lived.  But after the Holocaust, the Jewish people saw the importance of coming back to their ancestral homeland and the survival as a people. So the nation of Israel was born in 1948. God turned something meant for evil to be good.

We may not fully understand the reasons for our sufferings when tragedy strikes. It is easier to blame God for a tragedy and harbor hurt, anger and bitterness in our hearts. Like Job in the Bible we may question God and His justice for allowing tragedy to happen to us. How could God allow such a thing to happen to me?

The key to our healing and restoration is refusing to become hurt and angry against God in the midst of our suffering. We may not understand everything but still worship God even with our questions. 

David was anointed as king over Israel but he didn't reign until much later. It never occurred to him that he must suffer as a fugitive, fleeing from the hands of Saul. In spite of all this, David ministered to the LORD. He didn't harbour bitterness against God for the ordeal he went through. David knew how to strengthen himself in the LORD at the lowest point of his life. Isaiah 40: 31 Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength. He moved on with God and God was with him. 

Never allow hurt or bitterness to stop us from moving on with God. He may reveal the reasons for our suffering or He may not. But if He doesn’t, trust Him that He is in control and He knows best how to handle our situation. God can turn something meant for evil to be good for us.

A year ago I had a vision from the LORD while worshipping the LORD in church. I saw multitudes and multitudes of saints praising God with the song, “I love You LORD”. Then a revelation came to me that the saints were singing to the LORD out of deep appreciation for what He has done for them during the times of crisis and adversity despite not fully understand the reasons why, but now has been revealed to them. One day we will all understand fully the mystery of suffering and appreciate Him for all He has done for us in the midst of our sufferings. God is truly awesome.

Serving God in the working place

Eph 6: 5-8  Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. (NKJV)

Eph 6: 5-8 Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don't just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ's servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free. (The Message)

There was this cardio surgeon who gave up his practice and served full time as a pastor in a local church. For a few years, he did his best to serve in the church but without much success; there wasn’t much numerical growth or spiritual development in the church.

Finally the man became demoralized because of lack of progress in the ministry; he sought God earnestly to find out where he went wrong. And the LORD told him that He did not call him into the full time ministry in the first place so He couldn’t bless him anyway. So the surgeon gave up the ministry and went back to be a cardio surgeon. And as a heart surgeon he helped more people than he ever did as a pastor. The moral of the story is to serve God in whatever work He has called us to and remain faithful in it.

Don't get me wrong. I am all for full time ministry. It is a noble profession. But most important, do what the LORD asks us and then we will have success in what we do for Him.

One of the drawbacks of the Western mindset (which is based on the Greek culture) is the segregation of what is sacred and secular; separation between what is of religious use and the non religious, the spiritual and nonspiritual. But there is no such division in the Bible. We are to live our lives fully separated unto the LORD; in our daily affairs, employment, family, relationship.

For many Christians, serving in church is sacred, spiritual and desirable whereas serving in the working place is secular, nonspiritual and spending least time at best. This has created a culture of avoidance for what is deemed secular, lack of pursuit for excellence in our jobs and low self esteem. How many of us see ourselves less important, inferior or insignificant in the kingdom of God because we hold a job compared to a full time pastor.

If you look into the church, over 95% of the members hold daily jobs eg. Doctors, engineers, secretary, farmers, police officers, house wives, truck drivers. That leaves only less than 5% are full time pastors, ministers etc.

I personally believe this is not a coincidence that the majority hold jobs. God could have allowed more full time pastors, ministers in the church if He wanted to. But He preferred to put most of the believers in the working place for a purpose. Like a wise general, He places His troops in the most important battlefield in order to win the most significant victory.  

Believers in the working place have a significant role to play to win the world for Christ. The working place is our platform to speak about the goodness of God (not many believers have the opportunity to speak on the pulpit) and also to change the world with godly values through our lives. The only bible that most of the people will ever read is through the interaction and working with believers in the offices, schools, shops, construction sites etc.  

So let us appreciate God’s calling in our lives to serve Him in the working place. Don’t see ourselves as insignificant in the work of the LORD compared to the full time ministers. I believe God values both the work in church and in the working place as equally important. Otherwise He won't place so many of us in it. He wants to use us in church, our jobs and wherever He sent us.

God doesn't leave us alone in our offices, construction sites, shops, police stations etc.  He is always there with us and assist us to make an impact for Him with our jobs. Use whatever talents we have to glorify Jesus in the working place and make Him known. Ask God to show you how you can minister to your colleagues, business partners, clients. Pray for them too.

John Wesley once said that the world is his parish. Yes, I agree that our mission is in the world and not just limited in the church.

God is our Master Creator

Psalm 143:14   I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;Marvellous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

Our body is such a complex and intricate machine; a testimony of God’s great wisdom and ingenuity. I always marvel at the thought that God created us to breathe through our noses and also our mouths if we have a blocked nose. Of course, there are more marvels of the human body that make us who we are and how we function. Truly, God is so great and He is the Master Creator of us all.

Our lungs inhale over two million litres of air every day, without even thinking. The surface area of the lungs is approximately the same size as a tennis court. .

The average adult is made up of 100 trillion cells.

There are more bacteria in your body than the number of cells in your body. There are an estimated 75 to 100 trillion cells in the human body.

Our brain is more complex than the most powerful computer and has over 100 billion nerve cells.

Capillaries are so small that red blood cells can only travel through them in single file. .

Each cell in your body has an estimated 6 to 8 feet of DNA.

Research has shown that guilt damages your immune system by lowering your immunoglobulin levels.

The total length of your circulatory system stretches an amazing 60,000 miles. That is more than twice the distance around the Earth.

Except for your brain cells, 50,000,000 of the cells in your body will have died and been replaced with others, all while you have been reading this sentence.

Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day and about 40,000,000 times a year. In one hour the heart works hard enough to produce enough energy to raise almost one ton of weight one yard from the ground.

The liver is often called the body's chemical factory. Scientists have counted over 500 liver functions.

The central nervous system is connected to every part of the body by 43 pairs of nerves. Twelve pairs go to and from the brain, with 31 pairs going from the spinal cord. There are nearly 45 miles of nerves running through our bodies.

Messages travel along the nerves as electrical impulses. They travel at speeds up to 248 mile per hour.

Your body has about 5.6 litres (6 quarts) of blood. These 5.6 litres of blood circulates through the body three times every minute. In one day, the blood travels a total of 19,000 km (12,000 miles) - that's four times the distance across the US from coast to coast.

Our eyes can distinguish up to one million colour surfaces and take in more information than the largest telescope known to man.

We give birth to 100 billion red blood cells every day and about two million red blood cells every second.

We make one litre of saliva a day.

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

During the first month of life, the number of connections or synapses, dramatically increases from 50 trillion to 1 quadrillion. If an infant's body grew at a comparable rate, his weight would increase from 8.5 pounds at birth to 170 pounds at one month old.

The big toe is actually one of the most important elements within the body, as it balances the skeleton and enables the owner to move forward when walking without it, we would simply fall over.

On average, you breathe 23,000 times a day. You take about 600 million breaths during your lifetime.

It is normal to lose 100 hairs per day from the scalp.

And God knows the number of your hair. Since God is the One who created our bodies with all its complexity and uniqueness, (of which we can't function without) what than are the issues of life that He cannot handle. Nothing is impossible for Him. He is the all wise, all powerful, all knowing and ever living God. He will take care of us.

Marriage is so wonderful

Marriage is so wonderful. Sometimes we need a good laugh at ourselves and enjoy the company of our spouses. I hope you have a good laugh at the lighter side of marriage.

An Illinois man left the snow-filled streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick email. Unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her email address, he did his best to type it in from memory.

Unfortunately, he missed one letter and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher's wife, whose husband had passed away only the day before. When the grieving widow checked her email, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream and fell to the floor in a dead faint. At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen:

DEAREST WIFE: JUST GOT CHECKED IN. EVERYTHING PREPARED FOR YOUR ARRIVAL TOMORROW.
P.S. SURE IS HOT DOWN HERE.

Hahahahahah

Her husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months yet she stayed by his bedside every single day. When he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer. As she sat by him, he said, "You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business fell, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you gave me support. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. Well, now that I think about it, I think you bring me bad luck!

Hahahahahah

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband.
Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen. 'Careful,' he said, 'CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up!
Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!'
The wife stared at him. 'What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?'
The husband calmly replied, 'I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving.'

Hahahahahah

A woman who died found herself standing outside the Pearly Gates, being greeted by St. Peter.
She asked him, "Oh, is this place what I really think it is? It's so beautiful.
Did I really make it to heaven?"
To which St. Peter replied, "Yes, my dear, these are the Gates to Heaven. But you must do one more thing before you can enter." The woman was very excited, and asked of St. Peter what she must do to pass through the gates. "Spell a word," St. Peter replied. "What word?" she asked.
"Any word," answered St. Peter. "It's your choice." The woman promptly replied, "Then the word I will spell is love.L-o-v-e."
St. Peter congratulated her on her good fortune to have made it to Heaven, and asked her if she would mind taking his place at the gates for a few minutes while he went to the bathroom.
"I'd be honored," she said, "but what should I do if someone comes while you are gone?"
St. Peter reassured her, and instructed the woman to simply have any newcomers to the Pearly Gates to spell a word as she had done.
So the woman is left sitting in St. Peter's chair and watching the beautiful angels soaring around her when a man approaches the gates. She realizes it is her loser husband.
"What happened?" she cried, "Why are you here?"
Her husband stared at her for a moment, then said, "I was so drunk when I left your funeral, I was in an accident. And now I am here? Did I really make it to Heaven?"
To which the woman replied, "Not yet. You must spell a word first."
"What word?" he asked.
The woman responded, "Czechoslovakia."

Hahahahahah

When a woman got married she put a shoebox in the closet and told her husband not to open it. After over 50 years of marriage she was dying and told him to open the box. When he opened it there were 2 doilies and $85,000.00 He ask why this was in the box. She replied “when I got married my mother told me to crochet a doily every time I got mad at you. He smile thinking she was only mad twice and ask what the $85,000.00 was. She replied that's the money from selling the doilies.

Hahahahahah

A couple is sitting on the porch sipping wine. The wife says, "I love you."
The husband says, "Is that you or the wine talking?"
The wife replies, "It's me, talking to the wine.

Hahahahahah

A little boy was attending his first wedding. After the service, his cousin asked him, "How many women can a man marry?" "Sixteen," the boy responded. His cousin was amazed that he had an answer so quickly. "How do you know that?" "Easy," the little boy said. "All you have to do is add it up, like the Bishop said: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer"

Hahahahahah

A couple had been married for 45 years and had raised a brood of 11 children and was blessed with 22 grandchildren. When asked the secret for staying together all that time, the wife replies, "Many years ago we made a promise to each other: the first one to pack up and leave has to take all the kids."

Hahahahahah

A little boy walked down the aisle at a wedding. As he made his way to the front, he would take two steps, then stop, and turn to the crowd, alternating between the bride's side and the groom's side. While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar. And so it went-step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR-all the way down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the pulpit. The little boy, however, was getting more and more distressed from all the laughing and he was near tears by the time he reached the pulpit. When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed back his tears and said, "I was being the ring bear."

Hahahahahah

An explorer goes into an undiscovered tomb for the first time, and in the center of the tomb there is a lamp. So he picked it up and started to rub the dirt off of it, and out came a genie out of the lamp and he said "I want to know the person you hate the most" The explorer said "That's gotta be my ex-wife. Why?" "I am a cursed genie, I will grant you three wishes but whatever you wish for your ex-wife will get double the amount." "OK, I wish for a billion dollars" "Granted, but your ex-wife gets two billion" "I wish for a mansion in California with a swimming pool, and tennis courts, everything" "Granted your ex-wife gets two. This is your final wish" The explorer walked around the room and came back to the genie with a stick and said "Ya see this stick, I'd like you to beat me half to death."