Thank You for the Cross My Friend

Begin to ponder on the Cross once again. Thank you for the cross my friend.

Isaac

Love your enemy?

My dad's business was affected during the 1998/99 financial crisis. His business partner cheated his money, and he has to close down his business. My dad of course forced him to pay back the money that he owed to us. At one point we even called the police, but it didn't work. He said he will pay monthly to us. And that is how I can use the money more my tertiary education and completed my degree in finance.

Recently, his daughter added me in Facebook. At first I was suspicious who is this. Many people added me recently whom I do not know them. So famous..:D Anyway, I checked up her photos, and saw her brother who I used to hang out with. I recognized by then that the father is the one who has cheated us! 12 years time had passed. I saw that they are enjoying and my dad is struggling financially.

Mix feelings. Should I be hateful to them? Is their generation. But if not because of him, I might have the chance to go oversea to study. My extended family relationship would not be broken now! And I would not see how my dad being insulted by people especially my uncles! My mum wouldn't struggle to work daily until her health is affected. And my brothers will have the chance to continue their study too.

All these happen because the love of money! I thank God, it is through deepest struggle in my family that my dad accepted Christ and willingly allow my brother and I to serve fulltime, 66.7% of us.

I'm still struggle to love them. I actually has forgotten about it.

So Help Me God,

Isaac

Altar Call?

I do not know what do you all think about when church has altar call after their preaching. To me, I am still struggle with it. Either we agree or not agree, each party will say that we limit the work of the Holy Spirit. While remaining in struggle and being in church that practice altar call, this my stand if they do so. By saying all these, I have not made my stand yet, but is just my stand because I am in church(es) which practices altar call.

Firstly, do not misused altar call when the preaching is not solid! Most of time from observation and to young preacher, and to preacher with charismatic influence, will tend to do altar call when their preaching is not solid; when they preached not systematically, and they feel that they have failed to deliver the message properly. Sometime you will notice the message is different than the altar call challenge! I'm standing in a position if I would practice altar call, we should not use it when we feel we fail to deliver the message, and try to use psychology to manipulate people. If you feel your sermon is lousy, don't do altar call for you are the one who need the Holy Spirit to minister.

Second, if I were to practice altar call, we must respect people who responded and come up to the front. Most of time we see that when there is an altar call, the worship team will make the music so loud and encourage those who standing and not responded to sing while people in front are being ministered. I think this is just all wrong! It is so hard to minister and pray for those who has accepted the challenge when the music is so loud. We have to yelled at their ear, and sometime we could not hear what is their needs. If you want to have an altar call, make the music soft so that people who have accepted the challenge will be ministered. Sometime, like the first point, music is purposefully made loud to manipulate people feeling that they feel is Holy Spirit prompting them.

These are my main two issue when people practicing altar call.

Isaac

Boasting?

Philippians 3:4-7 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Hmm... I was thinking what is the difference when we share our testimony of following Christ with Paul's.

Isaac

Superb Jan 2011

Jan 2011 going to end in one week. I can say, I have a great and superb January except coming back to seminary to face my academic studies. It is superb month because I've experienced, and experiencing, and continue to experience answered prayers. I've shared some to the church how God has answered my prayers just in the first 2 weeks of January. It really increases my faith and my trust in the Lord that He is always there when I pray. Even simple prayer like looking for a nice parking I experienced it this month when I pray and trust in it!

Let me share one quote from Hudson Taylor that makes my year to be fruitful: God's works done in God's way will not lack God's supply

Picture taken in CEO center, Bangalore

Isaac

Holding the right thing

I saw the "washing machine"

kaabooooo....

I'm back in STM and the so-called retreat has over. The semester will be starting tomorrow. Nervous! Thesis!

Just want to share some thoughts which is in my mind now. Yesterday, in a small group discussion, we were discussing things that we can give thanks for; so I shared that I give thanks because I'm alive today because 4 years ago I nearly drowned during a water rafting game. After sharing this, I kept on thinking back on the incident.

In 2007, I went for water rafting at Padas River during a staff retreat. Thank God that all of us were safe under His grace. We rented two boats and we were the only two boats that prayed before we started the game, and we were the only two boats that capsized! I sat in front of the boat, and we went into the "Washing-Machine" section. Once our boat hit on the water current, the impact was so great at the place where I was, so I flew few meters away from the boat, but because of the current which was so fast, I was pushed near-by the boat but that time I was in the river already. I went down to the water, I came up and saw the boat and I was supposedly to hold the rope at the side of the boat, but instead of holding it, I hold back my pedal!: I went down into the water and came up, the boat had gone far from me. I tried to yell for help, but the voice just couldn't come out from my throat! Cut the story short, I was saved.

In our lives, we sometimes hold the wrong thing to secure our lives. We thought that what we are holding now will secure us, but it is actually a burden in our lives that caused us into depression, stress and lost our focus in our lives and eventually find that life has no purpose. I was supposed to hold the rope, but I hold the pedal which could not save me from being drowned! Only the rope can. I missed the robe and I was saved because someone on the boat throws the robe back to me. The decision I have to make is to hold the robe so that I can be saved from drowning.

Today, for those of you who are reading this post, if you have missed the first rope, there is the second chance. The rope is from our Lord Jesus Christ. Now your decision is just to accept the rope and be saved for eternity!

Isaac

God heals!

Second half of the year, I faced a hard question. The question arose from an incident over a controversial song. Most of us know the controversial song from Hillsong entitled "Healer". The question came when my friend and I were discussing about it. He recognizes that the song is controversial, but, he adds on, that God can use the song to heal people with the main reason that through this song, many people were healed. This was the question which is in my mind until recently: The song, Healer heals a lot of people. My question is that, why a song which was written with false testimony can heal people?

I've been pondering about it. During one of my devotions, I got an answer: it is God who heals. I have doubt because my focus is on the song which heals, and I did not focus on God who heals. I believe all those who had been healed either from singing this song or just listening to it, was healed by God. It is not the song which heals, but God. By saying this, I am not saying or encouraging people to simply write songs to manipulate people psychologically, but songs must be written firstly through the meditation of the Word of God and with our experiences with God. This is what is lacking in today's Christian songs!

Question came now, will I use the song in church. My stand is, I will not! Because it is God who heals by His grace and His will. Our focus should not be with the power of the songs, but our focus must be with the power of God who heals!

God heals,

Isaac