Be Offensive In The Kingdom

In the Old Covenant, we had divine protection. But we didn’t have authority and power.

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In the New Covenant, we have both. It’s time to learn to walk out Luke 10:19 than to stay at Psalm 91. #crushcovid19

Unity In The Faith ----- Coronavirus

Unity In The Faith ----- Coronavirus

As a normal believer who has seen thousands of individual healings, including my own healing from an incurable disease, I saw two schools of thought among the churches around the world, as I have been reading widely about the responses of churches.

Though it is not explicitly contended, both schools of thought are actually condemning each other.

School 1: Continue to trust God and meet together as a church. We believe in divine healing and we are not afraid.

School 2: Practise wisdom and stop meeting together. Do online teaching and gather in small groups. We are not afraid. We just want to be careful and submit to the local government.

School 1 will condemn School 2 for a lack of faith and not living out the Word of God. On the other hand, School 2 will condemn School 1 for a lack of wisdom and social responsibility.

Who is right and who is wrong? Well, the one who is wrong is the one who condemns the other.

I count myself pretty radical when it comes to divine healing. I wrote a book on it. I live it out as much as I can. I take risk with my own life many times because I have to walk the talk. My wife knows I'm pretty extreme in this area and she gets upset with me occasionally because of her love and concern for me.

You probably know which school I belong to. However, there shouldn't be condemnation against one another, for we are the same Body ----- growing in the Unity of the Faith.

By trying to justify why your church is not meeting together or why your church is continuing with the meeting is to reveal a lack of identity and confidence in who you are before Him. A lot of pastors struggle with identity because they have a lot of people looking up to them to lead, and it's not easy to make decisions in times like this.

Personally, I believe that the decision should go hand in hand with your conscience and conviction because neither school of thought is wrong. If we shipwreck our conscience, we shipwreck our faith (1 Timothy 1:19).

If our conscience and conviction are to stop gathering, then should we decide to gather because of other external pressures, the church will be in trouble. Without faith, you cannot be protected from the fiery darts of the evil one (Eph 6:16).

If our conscience and conviction are to continue gathering, then should we decide to back off because of other external pressures, the church will fail to be the light and the supernatural force as a living testimony to the world, because we are supposed to be the answer and the hope of glory.

Whichever you choose, don't shipwreck your conscience and faith. Don't slam one church over the other. And don't preach at the pulpit as though one school is right, because that's condemning the other.

P.S: I especially dislike people using Scriptures to justify their preference. We have become too religious that we are trying to bend the Scriptures to justify our actions.

P.P.S: In Singapore, we can't gather above 250 pax as it is the law of the government and it is right to submit to the authorities (Romans 13:1-3). But it is a good time to re-think church. We can certainly gather in 10 groups of 25, or 25 groups of 10.

Pulpit VS Transformation

Pulpit VS Transformation

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶n̶e̶w̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶m̶i̶n̶d̶  hearing more anointed preaching, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:2 (Today's Charismatic Translation)

But we all, with unveiled face, b̶e̶h̶o̶l̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶m̶i̶r̶r̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶l̶o̶r̶y̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶L̶o̶r̶d̶  beholding the men of God and their anointed preaching, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. - 2 Cor 3:18 (Today's Charismatic Translation)

“If you abide in M̶y̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶d̶  prominent public figure's pulpit preaching, especially anointed type of preaching, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” - John 8:31-32 (Today's Charismatic Translation)

Over the years, I have seen a number of pitfalls on pulpit preaching. In my personal outlook, while there is a place for pulpit preaching, it hardly transforms many believers' lives.

Note: It works more effectively for non-believers because the Gospel can be presented to many from the pulpit. Look at Jesus, Peter and Paul. Their preaching led many to believe in Christ, but not many disciples. The disciples were not multiplied by their preaching; they were multiplied as they gathered in communities, devoted themselves to the Word, communion and modelling the Way of life. By the way, there were no New Testament Scriptures in those days ---- so they had to hear the apostles. Now we have the complete Bible to devote ourselves to.

While I only preached for a few years at the pulpit, which is not a long span of time, I realised that life transformation and discipleship don't really take place because of pulpit preaching. 

Why is that so? In Singapore, there are plenty of teachings everywhere. We are an 'information-overloaded' generation. There are so many preaching sessions/seminars/conferences that we have listened/attended. As a result, there is a rojak understanding of the Word ---- which contains truths, half-truths (they are still lies) and lies. Sometimes, it is so subtle that we don't even know that we are believing in stuff that actually contradicts each other. For lies to be replaced by truths, there needs to be the constant pounding of truths. But before the truths could go deep into the hearts, we are already hearing various teachings that could possibly undo everything, if we are not diligent in self-study of the Word.

Disclaimer: No preacher is perfect. This is why we need to take own responsibility to study the Word on our own like the Bereans did.

This is the usual approach of some believers:

Hear a pulpit preaching -> Go back and check the Word -> Seems to confirm the preaching -> Believe in the preaching

This is my encouragement:

Study the Word on your own (with the Holy Spirit) -> Get a personal understanding, conviction and belief -> Hear a pulpit preaching -> Go back and check the Word -> DISCUSS & CHALLENGE each other on what is preached ----- is it what the Word is really saying?

If there is no place for a healthy evaluation, challenge and discussion, then it is not a healthy culture. There is no point sharing what this preacher or that pastor says if you don't know what the Bible really says. 

If we don't develop a personal understanding of the Word, we will always be tossed around by different doctrines. We will not be able to divide a pulpit preaching and reject what is untrue.We will not be able to sieve out various theologies and stand firm in what we believe (until we stand corrected by the Word). As a result, there is no transformation because there is no revelation of the Word of Life.

There is no shortcut to transformation. Discipleship, first, requires ownership. Disciples are made by abiding in the Word (John 8:32) and modelling after Christ (2 Cor 3:18) and His disciples (1 Cor 4:16). Not by hearing pulpit preaching, which hardly does much transformation.

Pastoral VS Truth

Pastoral VS Truth

Sometimes, in desiring to be pastoral, we compromise truth. But we were never taught to be loving at the expense of truth. Because truth and love are on the same side of the coin, not a different side.

Since Jesus is love (1 John 4:8; Heb 1:3) and He is also Truth (John 14:6), He is the example that we can learn from. Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

Some say, "Oh... it's because we care, so we try to be abit balance in our sharing, so that we don't hurt people." In doing that, they are willing to compromise truth in order to strike a balance. But since when did Jesus show that compromise to us?

Eph 4:15 says, 'But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ...'

The whole context is on unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son, where doctrines are involved. (Eph 4:11-14)

Let's look at what Jesus said and did in the book of John.

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a h̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶s̶a̶y̶i̶n̶g̶;̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶?̶  pastoral saying; we love it.” - John 6:60 (TPV, Today's Pastoral Version)

When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this o̶f̶f̶e̶n̶d̶  sit well with you? - John 6:61 (TPV, Today's Pastoral Version)

From that time many of His disciples w̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶a̶l̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶H̶i̶m̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶  flocked to Him because He told them what they wanted to hear. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “D̶o̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶a̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶g̶o̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ Do you feel good with My words now?” - John 6:66-67 (TPV, Today's Pastoral Version)

Joke aside. Jesus, the very Person of Love & Truth, never compromised in His message. Absolute Love requires Absolute Truth. Human love may come at the expense of truth. But God's Love comes with His Absolute Truth. To be loving without truth is in fact, unloving ---- it's a form of sensuality.

Instead of compromising truth in order to be 'pastoral' or to prevent offending/hurting people, there is another option.

Jesus said in John 16:12-13, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;"

We should not be fearful of offending believers with truths if our heart intention is love. For love and truth are supposed to be on the same side. 

Disclaimer: To offend them just because we want to be right/heard is a wrong intention though.

However, if we know (by the Spirit) that the person is not able to bear the truths now, it is better not to say it, than to compromise the truths. We can only pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to them, open their hearts and guide them into all truth.