Vale - Pooi-Cheng, Leong (1931 - 2015)

By Khen Lim

Vale: Pooi-Cheng, Leong (1931-2015)

After spending ten days at Pantai and despite the loving attention of the nurses and our trusted oncologist, it has always been mom’s constant desire to be back at home, the home that she had built with my dad in a marriage that has lasted a beautiful 58 years.

Now she is home and resting, free from pain and freed to be with Christ. We are of course saddened that she could not see the twins let alone touch them or have a picture taken with them, but the consolation is that she is no longer ravaged by the cancer that took her away from her family. She is at peace and my whole family certainly knows she is up there with Christ, looking at us with all the affection that she is so well known for.

Her generosity in spirit, her kindness and consideration for others is legendary. It is so widespread that the whole of Pantai Hospital, from the valet boys to the front admission counter, the nurses at the Oncology Day Centre, the nursing staff at the second and third floor wards. The story gets even more pronounced when in her brief visits to the KPJ Hospital for her radiotherapy, her heart had caught up with a clinical assistant there who made it her point to not just remember mom but to made the effort to visit my mom at Pantai just to be with her.

I also like to take this opportunity to thank a few people on behalf of my family: 

• The oncologist Dr Zul and his team of dedicated nurses, Ms Chan, Ms Liew, Ms Farrana, 
• The gastro-enterologist Dr Harjinder Singh
• The haemotologist Dr Teh Hiok Seng
• The dietician Ms Rachel Lee
• The nursing staff at the second and third floors
• The front admission counter girls especially Ms Ferrin
• The private night nurses Anis, Amira and Gayathri, including 
• The valet boys, Jumat, Ahmad and Amir

...all of whom work at Pantai Hospital Ipoh and were exceptional and exemplary to my mother and my family. 

And with all of that in mind, I have now sent my last letter to my mom. This is how the letter goes:

Dearest Mom

It’s good to know that you are finally with Christ, the one who saved you when you called on Him for the first time three years ago to rescue you from your coughing as you were wheeled into the operating theatre at Selayang Hospital. You can now look at His face and let Him lead you into heaven. You can now see and experience the splendour of God’s glory and see the Father for the first time. It is such a privilege that you are now able to do all of this and we are sure you are revelling in the delight.

Now that you have left us, mom, we feel the suddenness and some of us are still reeling from the quick turn of events. No doubt there is now a gaping hole in our family, a hole that is impossible to fill. All of us have poignant vivid images of you everywhere we look in our home. For me, I see you walking in your bright green flip-flops, searching in your right trouser pocket for your room keys. I see you having loads of fun playing your favourite tunes on the electric piano. I see you walking ahead of Marianne and I, holding dad’s hands as we make our way to some food court. I see you watering the plants in the garden, squatting down manicuring the grass with nothing but a pair of scissors. Only you would have such a meticulous way of doing this.

Chong and I are proud and privileged to be your children and you to be our mother. When we were young, we already knew your lovingkindness but it’s only when we became older and married that we fully understood how you define family love and how you fiercely protected us from harm. Through thick and thin, through our triumphs and darkest hours, you have always been there with us. And no matter how old we are, we always remained your boys no matter what.

Marianne, my beloved wife, cherishes you so intensely. In the number of years she has come to know you, she cannot think of anything else about you than that you embody all that love is. She grieves now as much as we are. But I’m sure that your love and kindness for her will live forever in her very being and it will be passed on to the twin girls that will come into our lives on the 29^th of this month.

And from that day onwards, dad will also have a new sense of purpose, a renewed sense of desire to play the role of the loving and doting grandfather in their lives. He will know in his heart of hearts what you will expect him to do in caring for your new granddaughters. And they will be truly beautiful because in them, your love will shine. In them, your grace will be pervasive. Dad will get to see and play with them, teach them and tell them who their grandmother was and how wonderful she has been in all our lives. Dad’s role will be new but I know for sure that from above, you will guide him to perfection.

Mom, we are slowly coming to terms that even as you are no longer with us in person, you live in our hearts and minds. It will take some time as the pain of longing still resonates. But it will surely come. In the meantime, I want to tell you, mom, don’t worry about us. We are going to be okay. Chong, Marianne and I promise you from our hearts that we will love dad with everything we’ve got. We will stay united as a family. From you, mom, we have more than enough love to share around not just within our family but with all our friends, our relatives and everyone we come across in our lives.

We will honour you by adopting your kindness, humility and generosity. And it is by doing all of this that we know you will live in our lives forever.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ words are truly appropriate in this moment. He says:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”

(Jn 14:1-4 NLT)

Mom, I love you. It’s not goodbye. I will see you again. 

Apologies - Service Interruption

Dear readers

I write with a heavy heart. On October 22 2013 at 5:38pm, my mother passed away of cancer of the duodenum at the Pantai Hospital in Ipoh, Malaysia. It would be too difficult for me to put up the Sunday Weekly or post articles for this week. I appeal for your understanding and accept my sincere apology.

I hope to be able to resume management of our church website by next week.

My apologies once again.

Khen Lim

Administration 

Ten Principles of Christian Giving

Khen Lim (References from 2 Corinthians)



Image source: fhlchristianministries.org

A significant part of 2 Corinthians is about Christian giving, which is an important hallmark of all who live in Christ. Paul takes the opportunity to outline it in his letter to the church in Corinth, encouraging us to give and to give generously and also to continuously give. 

We are not to count how much nor to take stock of what we give because it is not in the material value that God examines our hearts but in our willingness and desire to give so that others less fortunate or privileged may see the light of Christ in us.

All of that is great but be careful of wolves who exploit this to undermine our spiritual naïveté. 

Peter in his second and final letter (2 Pet 2:3) said, “In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”

From the context of Christian giving, churches that thrive solely on the prosperity message are worthy of a very cautious study. Much of how they manipulate Christian giving may not necessarily be a good thing but instead, deceptive. I pray the Holy Spirit will help you to discern.

Based on 2 Corinthians 8-9, the late Dr John Stott observed ten principles of Christian giving. In brief, Christian giving is:

1.    …an expression of God’s grace

Paul doesn’t refer to the Macedonians’ whose charitability was actually acknowledged in the letter but instead to God’s generosity – which is essentially what grace is about – at work within His people (8:1-6).

2.  …a gift of the Spirit

While all of us are called to be generous, certain ones among us have the gift of giving bestowed upon them by none other than God (v.7).

3.  … inspired by the cross of Christ

Christ renounces His wealth and on His cross, He assumed the poverty like us. We must hence be reminded of His sacrifice (vv.8-9).

4.  …is proportionate giving

We are to give according to our abilities and to his needs (vv.10-12).

5.   … contributes to equality

We give even if our social statuses or income differences are disparagingly different because in Christian giving, we are all equals (vv.13-15).

6.  …must be carefully supervised

Avoid criticisms by acceding to proper church appointees to handle the finances (vv.16-24). This way crooked fingers can never be pointed at us and politics can be averted.

7.   …be encouraged by friendly competition

It’s healthy to stir each other to give even more because in friendly competition, we do all in glory to God (9:1-5).

8.  …resembles a harvest

Paul’s promise is that, the more we continue to give generously, the more richly blessed we will be by God (vv.6-11a)

9.  …has symbolic significance

Our Christian giving expresses our theology in which we demonstrate our confidence in the power of the Gospel of God (vv.11b-15).

10.  …promotes thanksgiving to God

Our giving should not only lead others to thank us as donors but more importantly, to thank God as they see our gift in the light of who the Lord Jesus Christ truly is (vv. 11b-15).

On This Day, October 18 AD65

Remembering the World's First Christian Doctor

By Khen Lim



Image source: doc2doc.bmj.com

Although the Bible does not provide clarity here, the question is whether Luke ever medically treated Paul. In other words, did Luke at some stage save Paul’s life? If that is true, we owe Luke a huge gratitude for the former Pharisee became a veritable giant of the New Testament with a bulk of his epistles and who evangelised not just Asia Minor but pretty much the West.

Of the numerous biblical characters, Luke has a special place and in many ways, he is also unique. Firstly, he is the only non-Jewish Gentile author in the Bible. Secondly he had a very close relationship with none other than Paul. His success in evangelising the western Roman empire could well be due to Luke whose medical expertise might have helped him stay alive amidst the myriad life threatening experiences where the Bible recalls violent beatings, stoning or attempted drownings.

Thirdly Luke’s exclusive position in the Bible records him as the first Christian doctor and with that, history also tells us that so many have since chosen to follow in his footsteps. Many today continue to look to Luke as an inspirational example. Historians also view Luke as an important example of the traditional Greek writing style. 

Image source: campus.udayton.edu

Painters regard Luke with a sense of camaraderie because the famous doctor is also said to have been the painter behind the famous icon called ‘Salus Populi Romani’ (tr. ‘Health (or Salvation) of the Roman People’), which today is the feature of a column in the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore now enshrined in the Borghese Chapel of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Because Luke was a medical practitioner, he would have been most taken in by Christ’s wonders and miracles. Reading the four Gospels would help us to understand his position because he deployed medical terms far more prevalently than anyone else in the New Testament. For example, when Publius’ father was ill, he did not just say he was sick. Instead he described the ailment, saying he was afflicted with fever and dysentery (Lk 4:38). It was, of course, Paul who described Luke as a doctor and held the brotherly affection in calling him, “dear doctor Luke” (Col 4:14). Needless to say, it’s no rocket science as to who or where the medical acumen in the New Testament had come from since his two books, Acts and his Gospel offered enough clues already.

Image source: tvaraj2inspirations.wordpress.com

It was also Luke who gave us a fitting portrayal of a very young Jesus (Lk 2:41-52); certainly more so than Mark, Matthew or John. Had it not been for him, we would have known very little of the boy Jesus’ earlier life but being a medical practitioner, he had a vivid passion to observe life even as a young boy such as it was in the case of Jesus. For all of that, it is obvious that Luke would have consulted Mary on many of the details that described Jesus’ childhood (Lk 1:26-2:7, 2:21-52, 8:19-21, Acts 1:12-14). Perhaps from the time he spent with her, he might have had witnessed the beginnings of the Magnificat, as cited in his Gospel (Lk 1:46-56).

On this day, October 18, Christendom has set aside to remember Luke in which many churches worldwide observe as a feast day to commemorate the man who has been quietly instrumental in ensuring that the inspiring luminosity of the New Testament was there to stay.

And maybe in that sense, Paul would nod agreeably too.

On This Day, October 11 1531

Ulrich Zwingli Dies For His Beliefs

Khen Lim



Image source: reformationanglicalism.blogspot.com

Born Jan 1 1481, the world Ulrich Zwingli entered was in a state of flux amidst the religious and political forces that were at play, but one in which he would become a prime mover. Although he was excellent at his studies and music, he felt a calling by God and was duly ordained as a priest by the age of 23.

Let's Break Down Walls

A Reflection of Ephesians 2:11-22

Khen Lim



Image source: preacherpartystore.org

In the ancient world we know of, much of society practised socially-agreed segregation that classified and separated people such as the rich and the poor, the masters and the slaves but also men from women and Romans from barbarians. From a theological aspect, there were two divisions – the Jews and the Gentiles (Eph 2:11-12).

Under the one true God and heralded as His people, Israel was blessed right from the beginning. They were a privileged nation imbued with the Word of God, the many covenants, Temple worship and the promises invested in Israel’s coming Messiah, not to mention the prophecies that would restore it in the future. The Gentiles, on the other hand were left groping in the dark, wallowing hopelessly and drowning in their twisted pagan conduct.

The Three Wars to End All Wars

Explaining the battles of the End Times prior to the Millennium

By  Khen Lim



Image source: thesierraleonetelegraph.com

This morning as I began presenting my sermon, I took a look at the online CNN headliners. Here they are:

“19 dead as patients burned on beds during bombing”

“Coroner: Oregon gunman shot himself.”

“Bush on shooting: ‘Stuff happens’”

“Russia bombs Syria for fourth day”

“Migrants break into Eurotunnel”

“Eastern U.S. soaked by huge storm”

“Coca-Cola calls on FIFA boss to quit”

“Attacker kills 2 in Jerusalem”

“Gay priest loses Vatican duties”

“ISIS’ car bombs kill 24 in Baghdad”

What’s the world getting to, you ask? Maybe we should ask what GOP presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina asked: “How did we get to this?”

The world is tearing itself apart. CNN headliners are all bad news because that is a fact – we’re having so much bad news because we did this to ourselves. We had numerous chances to right ourselves but we’re too smart to think of doing anything else but to play God. And this is the result. But it will get worse because God says so. The wars that define the End Times tell us that what we’re seen so far is nothing compared to what we are about to face. We will in due time feel the full wrath of God… because we deserve every bit of it.