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The Power of Right Believing by Joseph Prince: reflection 1

27 November 2013 blogpastor 31 Comments

There are seven parts to this book and I hope to post my reflections on them a part at a time. This book was written to help people with fears, guilt, and addictions. Prince is convinced that the difference between those who were set free and those who were not, is simply right believing.

First a summary of the first part: Believe in God’s Love for You

What You Believe is Powerful (chapter 1): Wrong beliefs keep you imprisoned but the truth sets you free. The truth that sets you free is the gospel of grace which when believed will uproot all your wrong beliefs.

The God Who Seeks the Shunned (chapter 2): God is not after you for your mistakes and failings and sins. People will shun you like the village shunned the Samaritan woman, but Jesus would seek you out. Uproot common misconceptions about God’s attitude towards those who fail him. Know and believe He abounds in mercy and love and your life will change.

“Jesus Loves Me This I Know” (chapter 3): God’s love for us is unconditional. He forgives us completely; He justifies the ungodly; and loves the sinner. It’s not about how much you love Him but about how much He loves you.

Joseph Prince’s book is very readable. I like the easy to read typo and spacing. The chapters are probably adaptations and edited versions of his sermons. They bear some characteristics of sermons. They speak directly to you in a conversational tone. Sometimes there is the occasional detour and the repetition of ideas in different words. It’s also inspirational and declaratory.

What resonates for me was the mention of how we often have mere head knowledge of the vastness of God’s love for us but when a crisis hits our lack of real belief and knowledge is betrayed by our great fears, anxiety and guilt. On reflection I realize these moments when we see a gap between what we believe about God and how we react or behave are opportunities for the Spirit to write on the tablets of our hearts His personal love letter. Through such experiences what we know in the head percolates to the heart.

From reviewing the first part, I can understand why he keeps preaching the rich theme of God’s grace over and over. For one there are always new people in the audience who need to hear it many times in different ways before it uproots their wrong concepts about God. Second, the whole Bible has a rich deep vein of inexhaustible grace to be mined and surfaced for the people to draw from. Third, faith is not built over a Sunday and often when we are facing a challenge we need to be reminded again and again to look to the God of grace and unconditional love.

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Book and movie reflections book review, faith, Joseph Prince

Sister Beryl on home visit

26 November 2013 blogpastor 2 Comments

Again my sister, Beryl, reminded me that I was the one who passed to her a book that impacted her so much it changed the course of her destiny. The title of the book was “My All For Him” by M. Basilea Schlink, the founder and leader of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary. She devoured the book, which I received free together with other books from the sisterhood. She began to read her other books and even wrote to visit the sisterhood in Darmstadt, West Germany. That visit and later visits eventually saw her become a Sister of Mary.

She was here in Singapore for about 3 weeks. The last time she was here was when mother went home to be with the Lord about 5 years ago. She stayed mostly with my eldest brother, Colin. Two nights she stayed with us so we could catch up with what God is doing in our respective situations. She did quite a few things. She visited all the surviving uncles and aunties and cousins. She spent time with us her immediate family. She met up with former classmates and friends. She ate all the different foods she had missed while in Darmstadt all these years. By the time she left she virtually tasted everything Singaporean with everyone eager to ensure that she gets to eat what we thought she missed.

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Personal and family Darmstadt, Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary

Where I prepare my sermon

22 November 2013 blogpastor 1 Comment

Beautiful floor to ceiling windows: let there be light

The Trinity Theological College Library is probably the most beautiful library in a theological college. I love its design. The large glass windows that bring in natural light. The courtyard in between the library and the students rooms. It gives me a sense of the vastness of God and of knowledge yet unknown to us who are creatures redeemed by God. The smell of books is stimulating. There are corners here and there where one can find some privacy and a catnap if necessary. There are three floors of books and spaces for study. The wireless there makes it possible for us to research via the internet too, or even respond to an urgent email.

More and more I find myself drawn to this space. Used to prepare the sermon in the church office but the constant interruptions and distractions would leave me frustrated at times. Furthermore there are no windows and I feel less creative in that place. The home was for many years a better place for sermon preparation. However in this recent year and a half I have found Trinity Theological library a haven for a soul pregnant with a sermon to deliver. I thank God I live in the west. I thank God I am alumni. I thank God for the library. It’s my favorite place in the whole college. It’s a sacred workshop where many a sermon was crafted and honed, and many prayers prayed.

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Preaching Preaching, sermon, Trinity Theological College Library

My old Bukit Batok neighbourhood: an outing with my new Olympus Stylus XZ 2

4 November 2013 blogpastor Leave a comment

It was a sunny Monday morning as I went off with my new camera Olympus Stylus XZ 2, one of those models that is slightly bigger than a compact but with some versatility of a DSLR. My old Fujifilm compact died on me and to repair it was not worth it. That’s the way it is these days.

I went to the old neighbourhood where I lived for 17 years: the neighbourhood where I raised all my children. It was an apartment at Block 264, #09-13 a pre-fabricated four-roomer. This place bore fond memories for me. As I walked around the area images, sounds, memories filled my mind. I parked at St Mary of the Angels. I think it is the most beautiful church in Singapore. I love the architecture and the feel of the place. The Catholics generally give more attention to aesthetics. Their buildings generally give a sense of the transcendance of God. The Protestants are more pragmatic in their design, more utilitarian. Here are some pictures of the church and of my old neighbourhood.

Leading to the entrance of the sanctuary

Niches and little corners for prayer and meditation

Lovely flowers outside the prayer chapel - my first "bokeh" using a compact

Matthew and Elaine had kindergarten here but it is now catechism classrooms

Most of the dry market stalls were closed except the fruit stalls

My children waited for the Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School bus here

As then, so now, the cats are everywhere - this one is beautiful

This was where I played soccer with my three kids

Where the community center stood was once a field where SDP held their rallies and won the Gombak seat

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Interests Bukit Batok East Ave 4, Olympus Stylus XZ 2, St Mary of the Angels

Reliability of the gospel

25 October 2013 blogpastor 3 Comments

On Thursday, I read in the TODAY free paper that Dr Aseem Malhotra a cardiologist wrote something in a respected medical journal that busts the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease. That is good news if you love the humble coconut that has been falsely given a life sentence for being dangerously laden with saturated fat. We have been warned unceasingly of having coconut oils in our curries, lontong, chendol and nasi lemak. Now that life sentence can be lifted, and we do not have to settle for substitutes like yoghurt or skimmed milk. Probably for a while…. until another study comes along to tell us the opposite. The words and wisdom of men shift with time and situation and place and it can be confusing to live by man’s word. God’s word however never changes, and we can confidently live by the gospel that has once and for all been delivered to us in the New Testament. With the certainty of the unchanging gospel we can live with confidence and peace. And we can be sure that it will result in the good life.

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Gospel, theology and story God's Word, gospel