The More Things Change, the More We Realise God Doesn't (Part 1 of 2)

The More Things Change, the More We Realise God Doesn’t (Part 1 of 2)

The Christian strategy against liberalism, political correctness and every change that is destroying the world

Khen Lim

Image source: thoughts-about-god.com

“I can’t believe it,” the church member said, “but this is not the school I thought I knew.”

“I signed up to do my practicum at my old school, thinking that familiarity will ease things up a little for me. Y’know… I know where everything is… the classrooms, teachers’ staff room, the school hall, canteen and even the administration and the headmistress’ office. I’m familiar with the teachers, some of whom actually taught me.”

She sounded upset but I wasn’t sure I fully understood what the problem was and so I probed a little more.

“What were you really looking for when you applied to do your teaching experience back at your school? Favours, maybe?” I asked.

“Favours? Of course not! When you do the practicum, you know that assessment is going to be tough. So if I could eliminate as much of the unnecessary uncertainties that surround a strange and unknown school, I could at least focus more on the teaching instead. I thought if I could do my teaching experience at my own school, that familiarity would be helpful. What I wasn’t prepared for was that the school seemed to have changed so much in such a short time. I wasn’t ready for that!”

Making Sense of Gibberish

Making Sense of Gibberish

Based on 1 Corinthians 14

Khen Lim




Image source: bible.org.nz

Here’s an embarrassing story to tell about myself. In the early Eighties, I accompanied a fellow employee of the music school I worked at in Geelong to go along with her family to visit her pastor’s home one quiet evening. I was a man of the world then and my biggest ‘weapon’ in intimidating young Christians was to breathe into their faces and ask questions they couldn’t answer. And that was how my friend suggested that I asked that to her pastor.

What is Life Without Love? (Part Two/Final)

What is Life Without Love? (Part Two/Final)

From the first three verses in Part One, we now look conclusively at the biblical overview of the entire Chapter 13 of First Corinthians

Khen Lim




Image source: whitegoldsilver.blogspot.in

More than face value

Even though the world talks incessantly about love, that love usually comes with conditions or it is compromised. There is no pure love that any of us know of without a catch somewhere. Yet none of this applies to what we know of love in the strictest Pauline sense and this is best characterised in 1 Corinthians 13. For what Paul teaches us about love, we find it nowhere more inspiring, more enlightening and more meaningful.

What is Life Without Love? (Part One)

What is Life Without Love? (Part One)

A discourse on 1 Corinthians 13

Khen Lim




Jack Lemmon and Robby Benson in The Tribute, 1980 (Image source: cinema.de)

All but his son

In December 1980, playwright Bernard Slade launched a theatrical play and later a motion picture by the name ‘Tribute,’ which earned the brilliant Jack Lemmon an Oscar nomination as the leading actor. Lemmon played the role of Scottie Templeton, a shallow Broadway press agent who learns he is dying of cancer just as his twenty-year-old son Jud arrives for a visit. 

Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts

Three Basic Steps to Find Your Spiritual Gifting (1 Cor 12:28-31)

Khen Lim

Image source: gracethrufaith.com

Have you ever asked yourself what your purpose is in life? Have you ever thought that your life has something to do with what God intends for you to be? Have you figured what you must do with the life that has been given you?

That sense of purpose invariably leads us to an understanding of what God has endowed us that we can then use to forward His kingdom by playing our part in the building up of the Body of Christ. And God does that by giving each of us the opportunity to discover the spiritual gifts that He has stowed away in us and if there is anything more amazing and intriguing in life than this, I’m still waiting to know because, believe me, it is thrilling, overwhelming and powerful.

Dem Bones Make Up the Whole Body

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 12:18-21

Khen Lim




Gift of healing (Image source: lds.org)

Author and songwriter James Weldon Johnson was born in 1871 and died in 1938 at the age of 67. In February 1928, he recorded his composition called Dem Dry Bones, which soon became a very well-known spiritual song. As you may suspect, the lyrics were inspired by Ezekiel 37:1-14 in relation to the Valley of Dry Bones and symbolic of Israel’s national resurrection. Over the years, countless artistes added it to their repertoire including Rosemary Clooney, The Kingsmen, The Lennon Sisters, Mills Brothers, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Fats Waller and as late as 1986, The Cathedral Quartet.

Sorting Out the Holy Spirit

What to make out of the Evangelical-versus-Charismatic debate

(Based on 1 Corinthians 12:13)

Khen Lim




Image source: samdepreacher.wordpress.com

Not too long ago, I had spent time in different churches where I got to feel what they were like. Among the few that I did invest some years with was a charismatic Indian working-class church loosely tied with the Assemblies of God denomination. Coming from an essentially conservative evangelical background, the initial experience was overwhelming. Despite spending a few years acclimatising, it was tough going for an old dog like me.

Sum of the Whole is Greater than Sum of its Parts

Reflections of 1 Corinthians 12:11-13

Khen Lim




Image source: franklin.edu

You probably know that the title came from somewhere else and you’d be right. Wikipedia links it to the definition of Synergy but it was in 1890 that the Gestalt concept surrounding this phrase was conceived by Christian von Ehrenfels (1859-1932) who said that, “it’s the perception of a composition as a whole while each of the individual parts have meaning of their own (but) when taken together, the meaning may change. Our perception of the piece is based on our understanding of all the bits and pieces working in unison.”

In Christ We Are Anew

Commentary on Colossians 3:1-17

Khen Lim




Josef Stalin (Image source: mp3-kniga.ru)

Despite the Soviets and the Nazis have signed a non-aggression treaty on August 23 1939, it was an open secret that the hostilities would commence no matter what. This was made evident after Joachim von Ribbentrop’s (Hitler’s foreign minister) invitation to the Russians to join the three Axis partners (Germany, Italy and Japan) that formed the Tripartite Pact ended dismally for the Soviet Union and so when Vyacheslav Molotov (Stalin’s foreign minister) returned home empty-handed, everyone knew what Hitler’s promise actually meant.

A Brief Insight into John 4:20-26

Understanding the worship implications and how they impact our approach

Khen Lim




Image source: youtube.com

Central to John 4:20-26 is the concept of worshipping God ‘in spirit and in truth.’ This is the hallmark of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well. When Jesus revealed His knowledge of not only her many husbands but also her immorality of living with a man who is not her husband, the woman became unsettled and attempted to change the subject to matters of religion. 

Knowing her attempts to distract, Jesus delved into the heart of the matter, saying, ‘But the time is coming – indeed it’s here now – when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way’ (v23).

If It's Yours, God Says, 'Use It!'

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Khen Lim




Peter heals a beggar (Image source: shallwelearn.com)

Christmas celebrations always mean something very special to kids. It’s that time of the year when they dream of getting what they’ve been wanting the whole year. Christmas gifts therefore make their mark best with children and they want it so badly that you could taste it.

Wholeheartedly for God

Commentary on 2 Chronicles 34

Khen Lim





King Josiah being revealed the rediscovered scroll by Shaphan the scribe (Image source: sothlansing.org)

The prophet Jeremiah wrote in 2 Kings 23:25, pronouncing Josiah as a king unlike any other before and none since because he ‘turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses.’

Josiah ascended to the throne in the southern kingdom of Judah aged eight, inheriting it from his father, Amon, who was assassinated. Prior to that, his infamous grandfather, Manasseh, ruled for fifty-five years in what was widely known as the worst and most hated in its history largely because of his abominable obeisance to Baal and Asherah and other agricultural gods as well as child sacrifices. 

It's Not Our Supper But the Lord's

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 11:17-33

Khen Lim




The Last Supper scene from the motion picture 'Passion of the Christ' (Image source: thelordssupper.org)

At Hosanna EFC, we follow the once-monthly communion like many other Protestant churches in the world. For us, it’s the first Sunday of every new month. We are called by the Gospel into God’s kingdom to be united as one in the sharing of the Holy Communion because Christ Jesus, while instituting His Supper, spoke of not doing so with His disciples again until that day when the Kingdom of God arrives (Heb 2:11-12). 

That kingdom – the church (Col 1:13) – came on the day we call Pentecost, a Sunday (Acts 2:1-42), which fuelled the Early Christians’ decision to observe communion and gave of their means on that day (1 Cor 10:16-17).

Like anything that becomes a fixture, it isn’t difficult for an event like the Holy Communion to be mechanically suffused into a clockwork-like ritual. As they often say, ‘familiarity breeds contempt.’ And by allowing this to happen, we unwittingly or otherwise encourage apathy and neglect to seep in.

The Disturbing Art of Spiritual Leadership Abuse

Khen Lim



Image source: nakedpastor.com

This week’s topic on the abuse of spiritual privileges (1 Cor 10:1-22) is not often, if at all, discussed in Malaysia; at least not that I personally know of. Yet for many of us, we have been victims of spiritual abuse and not know it.

Spiritual abuse isn’t just about the pastor and his pulpit advantage. As congregants, we may be complicit as well. Even ministry leaders and elders could easily be part of the problem. In other words, spiritual abuse is potentially a widespread issue in many churches here and abroad.

I have personally seen spiritual abuse although I did not know there was a label for it. Before settling into Hosanna EFC, I was at another church where ‘pulpit bullying’ was rampantly practised by the two senior pastors who conspired with at least some of the elders to openly put selected church members to shame. I sat through one of them during a Sunday Service and it was horrifying.

What Matters Most is the Good News

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Khen Lim



The lonely runner (Image source: runningandgod.wordpress.com)

Many a sporting legend would be able to relate to Paul’s last three verses in 1 Corinthians 9. Paul talks of discipline amidst a wordscape shaped by determination, purpose, reward and sacrifice. Those who train to run long distances will understand not just discipline but also perseverance and fitness. We may or may not be runners ourselves or we could be couch potatoes watching great athletic prowess on show but one thing we can agree with – we can interpret Paul’s sporting metaphors in terms of experiences and emotions for the faith.

While Paul is surely relating to something deeper than mere athletics, his use of the analogy draws us to understand what he wants to say to us. Back in his days, the Isthmian Games, unlike modern Olympics, had no medallists but instead only one victor, the one who crosses the line first. Therefore the quest for every athlete was to win it, an aim that we should adopt. But Paul doesn’t really focus too much on victory. Instead he talks more about a certain way to run the race. Our faith, it seems, isn’t to parallel the victory but to define the effort and commitment victory itself requires.

It's Not the Meat, Silly

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Khen Lim




Image source: revelationcommentary.blogspot.com

Let’s imagine a scenario concerning two former unbelievers, Jack and Harry, who become new Christians. Jack has nothing to do with his former life and therefore does not eat the meat sold in the market because of its association with paganism. Harry, on the other hand, simply avoids the temple and any of the pagan events but he doesn’t see a problem with eating the same meat from the market. For him, idols have no power to taint good meat and therefore he (correctly) sees no issue eating it.

To Stay Single or Not, What Does God Want of You?

A Commentary on 1 Corinthians 7:7-8

Khen Lim




Image source: sosialerom.no

As you may well suspect, many believers (and unbelievers) misconstrue the biblical standpoint on Christians staying single. In 1 Corinthians 7:7-8 (NLT), Paul says, ‘I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another. So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows – it’s better to stay unmarried just as I am.’

These verses have been quoted wide off the mark and it’s not difficult to see why. Paul says that each person is gifted by God in one way or another. This is a gift he alludes to being single and being married. However, get this – Paul says, “I wish everyone were single” (my italics). The grammatical use of the word ‘were’ here is called the past subjunctive mood because it tells us that the writer (Paul) did not believe everyone was single and was imagining a different reality and how things would have been different otherwise. It therefore suggests that Paul was aware that most people weren’t single at the time of his writing.

More likely, more people were married than remained single. This would tell us that it is not necessarily God’s will for everyone to be single. And indeed, as God provided Eve as a helper to Adam, it would have been His vision that ideally, man and woman would marry in order to populate the Earth.

Gospel Matters

A Commentary on Colossians 1

Colin Wong, Guest Writer




Image source: mbcc.us

Introduction

Imagine for a moment a well-known reputable Bible teacher coming to Hosanna EFC, and preaching things that seem to contradict what we already know of the Christian faith. This results in confusion. It calls for clarification as to what the Bible actually teaches and what the Christian faith is really about.

There was a church in the first century A.D. that was facing this kind of issue. It was the church in a place called Colosse. False teachings were penetrating the church, and it was causing confusion among the Christians there. Because of that, the apostle Paul had to write to them in order to clarify and explain precisely what the Bible and the Christian faith teaches, and to refute the errors of the false teachings. This gives us the Book of Colossians.

Favoured to Triumph Over Adversity

A Commentary on Ruth 2:10-13

Khen Lim




Image source: jw.org

For unrepentant sinners, adversity and death will pursue them to the end. However the righteous will prevail in happiness and prosperity. Life after all isn’t about wealth attainment but instead about learning to embrace and love God and then to humbly serve others. In that light, Ruth the Moabite exemplifies all of this even when set against incredible adversity.

Exactly Who Owns Our Body?

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Khen Lim




Guy or girl? (Image source: androgynousguy.blogspot.com)

In the last two decades, as the Korean androgynous phenomenon gained attention throughout the world, Malaysian youths clambered for the ‘new look’ that has resulted in men and women sporting the same facial appearances.

Androgyny is the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics, giving rise to at least some form of gender confusion or ambiguity. Some call it biological intersex physicality but no matter what you may call it, it can sometimes be quite a challenge to decipher what sex that person is.