Dear…
‘Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?’
Then Peter said unto them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’
…Then they that gladly received this word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.’
Acts 2:37-41
“I do” is an affirmation most couples at the altar gladly mouthed in the solemnization of a marriage. Of course, for some, “I don’t” becomes the new catchword when relationships amongst once dovey eyed couples flounder on the rocks.
“I will” is when the very sanctifying Spirit of God imbue in us this great desire to respond the only heartfelt way we can and must, to the love of God, by accepting His grace and the salvation offered to us the sinners.
After 7-8 years of inundating many of you with my wonderful experiences with God, I am blessed to know that some have accepted the faith, and even more have grown in your faith, though my role has been more as a recipient of your testimonies and maybe a bit player in your journey with our Lord, for it is God Who brings about the increase.
‘Be diligent to present yourself approved to God.’
2 Timothy 2:15
A resolute “yes” many of us might echo in our moments of spiritual oneness with the Spirit of God, but what about the follow through? We still live in a fallen and sinful world, and much as we agree to start on a new cleansed slate, our carnality is still very much in evidence, and agreeing to be a believer is just the beginning of a period of following as the Spirit of God refines us in the fire of life to make us ready for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism of fire might refer to the first time one’s endurance is tested in a severe ordeal. For followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, it might be more apt to describe our journey as one of intermittent and increased intensity of baptism of fire, yet always ending well with the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, that will bring us closer to Christ-likeness. Like the lacquer works I collect, lacquer in its liquid form is mildly poisonous, yet every layer of lacquer overlaid with loving care by a master craftsman on a raw piece of carving, over months, will bring forth a tensile strength that will not just last centuries, but will retain its lovely sheen, notwithstanding the ravages of time.
‘All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.’
2 Timothy 3:12
Like those health warnings at the entrance to a particularly challenging ride in the theme parks, Christians must be fully cognizance of what you are committing to. But not many truly understand the depth of commitment to this covenant with God, and when the pain starts to creep in, many will fall by the wayside. But it need not be so, for the Spirit of God is with us and will imbue us with that inner strength to not just sustain us when the temperature heats up, but to bring forth the desired grain of Christ-likeness that God wants to mold all who seek Him into.
‘Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.’
Hebrews 13:21
The means is not the end, and refinement is not a conclusive but a continuous action, and what matters is the transformative experience with the Spirit of God, that one receives in going through the process. We must decrease and God must increase and much as we are stripped of what we are today as molded by the world, God will now transform us unto His likeness.
‘And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’
2 Corinthians 12:9
‘Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.’
2 Kings 5:15
Have I been put through enough times in the furnace, lovingly worked by the Lord our God to know from experience that indeed I ‘see” God better in my times of trials. And that God delivers every time? Yes I have and though the imperfect me still surface at the next challenge, by the grace of God my turnaround time from self to Him is much shorter and in my greater willingness to submit, I see and understand the grace and plans of God quicker and in greater clarity.
‘Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things that ye have, for He hath said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’
Hebrews 13:5
To live our faith is tough. Thoughts of self interest must be fleeting, yet selflessness must grow into our second nature. Lusts and carnal desires that promises instant gratification must be put to rest, cold blooded we are not, but hot blooded of the lustful type we cannot, for we must look away from the sinful but delectable to the Divine God. Crushed we will not be, but repressed we will be subjected to, and we resist not our oppressors, but instead submit to God our Provider. Irrational, faith in action might seem to the carnal man, but the old us long tainted by the bite of the forbidden fruit must die, and the new us, the spirit man that God wants to mold us in His Spirit must now rise forth.
‘So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.’
Hebrews 13:6
I am still learning. I have been humbled by the experiential knowledge of truly how great our God is. And I look forward to the day where my spirit will move in one with the Spirit of God, where no trace of the once carnal me will ever surface again.
And indeed God is moving me to the next phase of my journey with Him. Which is, like the early Christians, who were sent forth to the world, after a period of preparation, when they rested with the Lord till His Spirit rested upon them. The time has come for me and all who do feel led, to reach out to the community in more concrete ways, for the days of great need are now with us, for inflation and yet limpid real growth will be the overhanging and burdensome cloud on the lives of many these next few years.
‘And all that believed were together, and had all things common. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need……..And the Lord added to the church daily as should be saved.’
Acts 2:44-47
6od Blesses
Eng Hieang
(23rd Nov 10)
As the year ends, it is indeed apt for me as this juncture of my faith to make a pilgrimage not to the Holy Lands, but rather, to the source of the growing Christian faith in Singapore. Mother England has seen better days, not just as an Imperial power but as a once pioneering Christian nation, where the fruits of seeds long laid by its faithful men and women in the wide reaches of the British Empire, is now bearing fruit in the once heathen lands. What will God show me in my next three weeks in the British Isles, I have no inkling, but I know it will have a bearing on our faith as Asia carries the baton of sharing the gospel to the last unreached people of the world, and this will include not just the tribes in the remote jungles of Irian Jaya, the lands of Central Asia, but also the present generation of the Western world, many of whom, unlike their devoted forefathers, no longer have a relationship with the Sovereign God or for that matter, knows Santa Claus better than our Lord Jesus Christ.
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