Last and 100th post for 2008

For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

-Romans 13: 11b-14

FYP Inertia

One thing I dislike about the December break, especially this year's, is that firstly it flies by so quickly that you wonder now where it all went and secondly, unlike previous December breaks there is still my FYP to finish with a progress report in mid-January. Needless to say, the past two and a half weeks have been less than productive and the inertia to get going again is not helped by the fact that my experimental runs seem to quit on me continuously.

Oh man I wish FYP would be over soon, though what happens after that is a whole other story.

*Edit* One of my experiments just ended and gave me some decent results. So praise God for that. :)

Desire for the new year

An intimacy with God. That is all.

None of Self

Oh, the bitter shame and sorrow
That a time could ever be
When I let the Saviour's pity
Plead in vain, and proudly answered:
All of self and none of Thee!

Yet He Found me; I beheld Him
Bleeding on th' accursed tree,
Heard Him pray: Forgive them Father;
And my wistful heart said faintly:
Some of self and some of Thee!

Day by day His tender mercy,
Healing, helping, full and free,
Sweet and strong and, ah! so patient,
Brought me lower, while I whispered:
Less of self and more of Thee!

Higher than the highest heavens,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, Thy love at last has conquered;
Grant me now my spirit's longing:
None of self and all of Thee!

- Theo Monod

Taken from Leonard Ravenhill's book, Revival - God's Way

Why? Because we have tried every other way.

- Leonard Ravenhill
1907 - 1994

What sort of prayer requests do you have?

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

- Colossians 4: 2-4

I am simply astounded at the Apostle Paul. Even while in prison and suffering deprivation and physical discomfort, his only prayer request to the Colossians was that the Lord might open doors for him to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Should we not be ashamed at our own petty prayer requests for our own comfort?

24 Years of Grace

Even as another year comes and goes,
And the well-wishes come in,
Lord I remember your Grace,
I give you praise for Your Mercy.

Where would I be without You oh Lord my God.
If it were not for Your restraining Hand what would I have become.
Yet You chose to save a wretch like me.
Who is like the Lord? There is no one.

Hold me close to You oh Lord.
Grant me the discipline and the wisdom to seek after You.
That my food would be to do You Will,
And that You would get all the glory You can out of my life.

Amen

Quote of the Day

One fellow said, "I just finished three years in Seminary."
I asked him,
"Did anyone ever preach a sermon on eternity?"... "No."
"Did you ever hear a sermon on the judgment seat of Christ?"... "No."
"Did anyone preach a sermon on "The Bride of Christ?"... "No."
The man burst into tears.
I said, "In God's name, why do you go to seminary? To learn how to bury the dead?"

There is an eternity in front of us! There is a world that now is in more rebellion than ever! "As in the days of Noah" they rebelled against God. For 100 years Noah never preached a new message, he preached repentance, he preached righteousness. Alexander White used to say, "You can preach divine healing, you can preach prophecy, you can preach anything, but you can't preach righteousness; people won't have it."

- Leonard Ravenhill
1907 - 1994

Quote of the Day(2)

I say with all my heart, we’re looking for a painless Pentecost.
We want to invest a dime and get a million dollars back.
Can you drink of the cup? "We are able," and so they drank, and were crucified.

Today it is considered sadistic if you even say that people have to take up their cross. "Don’t tell young people about the cross—they’ll be discouraged." Are you suggesting that Jesus wasn’t smart? "If you’re going to be my disciple, kiss the world goodbye." You see, when people are born again these days, they don’t get separated from the world. Most likely their pastor is the most worldly guy around! But if you’re going to get what He wants to give, if you’re going to get the true baptism of the Spirit, you have to drink of that cup.

-Leonard Ravenhill
1907 - 1994

*Edit* Found a wonderfully stirring message by Ravenhill that he shared in his last meeting before his death. A must read for all true believers. Read it here.

Quote of the Day

While some are satisfied with a miserably low degree of attainment, and others are not ashamed to live on without any holiness at all—content with a mere round of churchgoing and chapel-going, but never getting on, like a horse in a mill—let us stand fast in the old paths, follow after eminent holiness ourselves, and recommend it boldly to others.

- J.C. Ryle
1816 - 1900

HT: DefCon

Asking Why

Why oh Lord did you call me back to that place?
Is there a purpose, a plan?
Where is the one who seeks after You?
So many have turned aside to things of this world.
Their interests lie more in gods of gold and silver,
In gods of entertainment and sport,
Rather than the One True God.

Why oh Lord have you placed me there?
Where every morning one pleads that you may be present, and that Your Word may be preached faithfully.
No one speaks of You nor of your excellencies.
Even I have so often been lulled into apathy.
My soul grieves for Your Name is not Glorified;
In that place where it was always meant to be glorified.

How long will You tarry from us oh Lord?
If You do not move, we will remain utterly destitute.
Our prosperity and numbers merely blind us from the Truth;
That we are blind, naked and poor.
We have traded your Light for a form of godliness;
But without any power.
We have sold out to the world that crucified Your Son.

But who am I to bring this charge against others?
Am I not guilty of so much of the same?
Be merciful to me oh God and hear my complaint;
For my soul despairs of ever seeing Your mighty Hand move in that place.
How long can I remain here;
In the place where so many despise Your Name without knowing.

But yet Your ways are not my ways;
And Your thoughts are above my thoughts.
You are faithful to preserve Your people;
And no other power may overthrow Your work.
Lord forgive me of my unbelief and doubt;
And lead me in your paths of Righteousness.
That I may Delight in You and dwell in your House;
Forever and Ever.

Amen



I said on Sunday how much I want revival
But then on Monday, I can't even find my Bible
Where's the power
The power of the cross in my life

I'm sick of playing the game of religion
I'm tired of losing my reason for living
Where's the power
The power of the cross in my life

I'm not content just to walk through my life,
Giving in to the lies,
Walking in compromises now
We cry out as a generation, that was lost
But now is found in the power of the cross

Chorus:
We believe in You
We believe in the power of Your Word that is true
We believe in You
So we lay down our cause
That our cross might be found in You

I'm not satisfied, doing it my own way
I'm not satisfied, to do church and walk away
I'm not satisfied, there's no love in my life but You
I'm not satisfied, living in yesterday's hour
I'm not satisfied, to have the form but not the power
I'm not satisfied, Lord I am crucified in You
(Chorus)

So we lay down our cause
That our cross might be found in You

Testimony of Persecution

Dr. Daniel Wong

Memories of Prayer Group 2000

He has come
To bring light into the darkness
He has come
To bring freedome to the captives
He has come
To restore the brokenhearted
It's time to proclaim
The year of the Lord

Prepare the way
Prepare the way for our Redeemer
Prepare the way
Prepare the way for our Restorer
Make ready your heart
Make ready your home
Make ready the poeple of God
Prepare the way

He has come
To bring hope to the hopeless
He has come
To comfort all who mourn
He has come
To heal our every sickness
It's time to proclaim
The year of the Lord

Danger: Read with (spiritual) Caution

An article in Newsweek that is close to making me puke.

Just one quote that I want to pick out from the morass and mess that is a poor excuse for an article.

More basic than theology, though, is human need. We want, as Abraham did, to grow old surrounded by friends and family and to be buried at last peacefully among them. We want, as Jesus taught, to love one another for our own good—and, not to be too grandiose about it, for the good of the world. We want our children to grow up in stable homes. What happens in the bedroom, really, has nothing to do with any of this. My friend the priest James Martin says his favorite Scripture relating to the question of homosexuality is Psalm 139, a song that praises the beauty and imperfection in all of us and that glorifies God's knowledge of our most secret selves: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." And then he adds that in his heart he believes that if Jesus were alive today, he would reach out especially to the gays and lesbians among us, for "Jesus does not want people to be lonely and sad." Let the priest's prayer be our own.

What the?!?! Where the heck did these people get such conclusions? As I posted before, the whole problem can be seen in the very first line of the quote. I assume what they mean by more basic really means more important. The whole obsession with self and what self wants. Someone should go back and read Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Issac in obedience to God's command.

*Edit* Isaiah at Word and Verse pointed me to an article rebutting the one in Newsweek. A must-read to get that disgusting taste out of your mouth.

*Edit No. 2* Second rebuttal posted here.

Delighting in the Lord

An excellent post by Charles over at his blog here. Do stop by and read.

To Think Great Thoughts of Him

If there were ever one thing worthwhile that one could set his mind upon, it would without a shadow of doubt be to set it upon Him, the Holy and Risen One, the One who sits at the right hand of the Father in Glory forever and ever.

From where does passion flow from? From what source does Life come? What is the essence of your motivation to worship and serve Him?

So many people in churches today in Singapore wonder why is it that Sunday morning seems to elicit barely a tenth of the excitement and passion that is so often displayed during a football match the night before. The very same people who could debate passionately over the latest football results or fashion trends or stock prices would struggle to stifle a yawn whenever a preacher steps up to the pulpit.

So many leaders in Youth Ministries wonder why their charges seem so dead in their worship and walk with the LIVING God and all their attempts to bring in the latest pop worship songs and/or 'exciting' and 'relevant' 'preachers' only seem to animate the corpse which is their Youth Ministry for a few weeks before the 'fire' dies out again.

"Our youths need passion!" seems to be the battle cry heard so often in countless youth ministries across the country. And so we bombard them with motivational talks and speakers. We tell them funny and/or inspirational stories in order to 'encourage' them to be 'on-fire' for God (however that is defined). We read the latest books on methodologies and ways of 'engaging' youths. We manipulate their emotions using music or by dimming the lights and giving long drawn-out altar calls. We appeal to their sense of 'destiny', of the 'great' and 'wonderful' things that God wants to do through them if only they'll let Him.

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
- Romans 10:14

Now one would probably start asking, "Are you saying that our youths do not know who God is? That's preposterous! They've had years of Sunday School and Bible Studies! They prayed that prayer accepting Christ! They already know who God is! Sure, most of them aren't really walking with God as they should walk, and they're not really concerned with the things of God, but the problem is probably that they do not have enough self-esteem or self-confidence. We need to build them up, not tear them down. Teaching on things like repentance and sin and Man's depravity are too depressing for kids who are increasingly 'emo' (how I hate that word). No, no, no. We need to keep telling them how wonderful and good they are. We need to continually affirm them and not harp on their sins lest they leave for some other church. Teaching about God and His attributes just isn't practical enough. And if we were to teach on God's attributes, the only thing I like is His Love. His Holiness, Wrath and Sovereignty are simple too much for me to understand/accept, and I don't think the youths would want to hear about those things, so we'll put them aside and not talk about them. We need to teach them about Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Warfare since that's what excites them the most and besides, we need to be pragmatic about this."

Now do you realize what the problem is in so many of our youth ministries? It's all about Man and not about GOD!! We assume that the Gospel is merely something small and trivial or, God forbid, about giving Man his best life now. So many youths enter youth service to sing a bit of 'christian' karaoke and leave utterly deceived into thinking that they have worshiped in the presence of the Most High God. They have completely no conception of the Majesty and Beauty of the One who hung on that tree, the Lion-Lamb who is worthy of all praise and honour and worship forever and ever amen. They have no passion to worship Him because they do not know Him! And why? Because no one is telling them!

O may the Lord be merciful and forgive us for the frivolous and nonchalant way we have treated His Son and His Cross. That the Lord may open our eyes to the reality of the sacrifice shown on Calvary, to understand just a fraction of what it means to say He shed His own blood for my soul.