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“Coincidences are natural phenomena”

2 September 2024 blogpastor 2 Comments

I have taken the liberty to post a comment from “Gary” here. He had posted it somewhere else, where not many people would see it. So I post here his argument against the existence of God. He states that coincidences are usually natural phenomena, not interventions of God in answer to prayer or the providence of God. He then mentions some of the answers that evangelicals typically give. He numbered them (1) to (5). These are answers I would possibly give too. If you wish to elaborate, explain, or add to the reasons for your hope in Christ, please drop a comment to help “Gary”.

This is what “Gary” wrote in the comment page:

“A primitive farmer in a primitive land suffers two consecutive bad harvests. The following spring, he
sacrifices a chicken to the rain god hoping to change his fortunes. That year, the rain fall is steady and just right: not too much and not too little. His crops grow tall and strong. He has an excellent harvest. “The rain god answered my prayers because I offered a chicken sacrifice to him,” the farmer says to
himself. For the next four years the farmer offers a chicken sacrifice and each year the rain fall is just right and his harvests are green and bountiful. His life changes dramatically. He is incredibly happy. Once angry and short-tempered, he is now kind and generous. He experiences incredible peace and a profound sense of security knowing that he has pleased his god and is now reaping the benefits of his god’s good favor.

Question: Do you believe that the chicken sacrifices had anything to do with this man’s five consecutive good harvests and his change in character and demeanor? Of course you don’t. The five consecutive good harvests were simply a rare but very natural phenomenon. Statistical variation perfectly explains this man’s good fortune.

As an evangelical Christian, you believe that a spirit lives inside you; a spirit who has unlimited knowledge and powers; a spirit who answers your prayer requests and performs miracles for
you. However, if you can’t see, hear, or touch this spirit how do you know this spirit is really there? How do you know that your perception of a spirit dwelling within you is not just your mind playing tricks on you? I have asked many evangelical apologists this question and the response I usually receive involves one or more of these statements:

1.) My personal experiences prove His presence: Unusual events have occurred in my life which I am certain were due to the intervention of Jesus/the Holy Ghost.

2.) Answered prayers: I ask Jesus/the Holy Ghost for something and the requested action or event occurs. This has occurred multiple times in my life. They cannot all be coincidences or
statistical random chance.

3.) Dramatic change in my life: Since becoming a Christian, my life has changed dramatically. I am a new person. I left behind (drugs, alcohol, crime, etc.) and have become a good, loving, upstanding person.

4.) Incredible feelings of peace, comfort, and happiness: Since I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and asked him into my heart I have experienced the most incredible joy, peace, and
sense of security, knowing that He is always with me, guiding me in every step
of my life.

Question: How are your perceived experiences with your spirit (Jesus/the Holy Ghost) any different than the perceived experiences of our primitive farmer with his spirit (the god of rain)? There is no difference, my evangelical Christian friend! All your perceived answered prayers and perceived miracles
have involved natural events. Some of them may have been very rare natural events, but they were still natural. None of you has witnessed Jesus/the Holy Ghost move a mountain or even levitate your kitchen table after requesting that action in your prayers. Those types of answered prayers never occur, do they? Answered prayers always involve events which could have a natural explanation, even if a very, very rare natural explanation.

A fifth reason I sometimes hear is this: 5.) The Bible tells me that Jesus/the Holy Ghost dwells within me and the Bible has proven itself to be true and trustworthy.

Question: Would you accept such “evidence” from any non-Christian on the planet touting the veracity of his religion’s holy book? Of course you wouldn’t. You and your fellow Christians may believe that the Bible is reliable but most of the world’s population disagrees with you. Jewish Bible scholars reject Christian claims that Jesus fulfilled OT prophecy. Jews, Muslims, and non-supernaturalists (agnostics and atheists) reject as insufficient and weak apologists’ evidence for the alleged resurrection of Jesus. The authorship and eyewitness status of the Gospels, the best evidence Christianity possesses, is disputed, even among Christian scholars, for goodness sakes! So appealing to the Bible as proof of the
existence of a spirit living inside your body is a real stretch, friends.

Final question. Dear Evangelical Christian: Are you being rational in your belief that a spirit dwells within
you? Or, are you being as irrational as our primitive farmer, who experiences statistical anomalies and attributes them to the actions of his culture’s gods and devils? Invisible spirits and ghosts are not
real. There is no good evidence they exist. Step out of the darkness of superstition and into the light of reason and rational thinking.”

I would appreciate any response from readers to “Gary” that will help him see the hope we have in Christ. “Gary’s” worldview is rationalistic-scientific which is understandable because we are all children of modernity. Such a worldview leaves no room for miracles and divine intervention – even if there are no natural phenomena to explain them, like the healing of a person born blind, or the miracle of a deaf man enabled to hear after being prayed for.

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The Importance of Rhythms in Prayer

16 August 2024 blogpastor 2 Comments

For about seven years, Jimmy Tan, Koh Seng Chor and I (above picture, from R to L) have been meeting in a 3-2-1 spiritual friendship. We have met in our homes, the Railway Mall, the office or the great outdoors. Three persons, for about two hours of sharing life and prayers, once a month. This circle of authenticity and accountability has been a blessing in my life.

The Rev Dr Jimmy Tan is a chaplain, and lecturer of pastoral and practical theology at Trinity Theological College. The courses that he teaches include pastoral care, pastoral spirituality, pastoral theology, marriage and family, and Christian spirituality. He regularly leads retreats and offers spiritual direction at the college and beyond. Seng Chor and I have been blessed by his insights, authentic sharing and prayers of faith and I am sure we have been a blessing to him.

On the 14th of August, the college recently had their annual Day of Prayer when faculty, staff and students (about 180) came together for prayer. I read the talk that Jimmy gave to them at the beginning of the day. I was so blessed and inspired I asked for his permission to share the script in this blog post. Here goes:

If we pause to notice, we will observe that ‘life is full of rhythms’

The daily rising and setting of the sun, and how it influences our circadian rhythms. The rhythm of our heartbeats or the lack of it, how it communicates good health or concern. The rhythm of our breathing correlates with the pace of our walking, running, or resting. In rhythm, one seems to do better; in rhythm, a gymnast delivers a more beautiful floor exercise; in rhythm; a sprinter clocks a faster timing; in rhythm, a marathoner pushes on to the finishing line. Out of rhythm, a higher-ranked badminton player loses to an opponent many rungs lower. Out of rhythm, a student struggles to write a single line of an essay.

Rhythm affects our lives more than we realize

Even with our leisure and moods; rhythm has its influence. Music and dance with a good sense of rhythm make for better music, dance, and relaxation. Poetry, with its rhythm, brings forth its point with delight. A good rhythm in communication engenders deeper trust and makes for a better community.

Rhythm impacts our lives beyond the surface

And we find the sense of rhythm in Scripture. The author of Genesis utilizes the rhythm of day and night to describe God’s creative activity. The psalmist uses regularity and consistency for the practice of prayer and praise. Indeed, the chiastic structure of the psalm communicates the author’s point with greater impact. Jesus, himself, regularly goes out to quiet places to pray and be in communion with his Father.

God’s wisdom, grace, and mercy is communicated in rhythmic provision. Six days of work and one day of rest; six years of production and one year of rejuvenation; forty-nine years of activity and one great year of Jubilee!

Scripture is imbued with rhythm

If a sense of rhythm pretty much permeates our living consciousness and impacts the quality of our lives, we ask why a sense of rhythm is strategic to prayer. We have noted that the Psalmist embraces a sense of rhythm in his expression. Seven times a day, he prays. Through the travails of the night, he prays.

Then the early church tells us about their times of prayer. These were regular hours through a day: intentionally spaced out: at 6am, 9am, midday, 3pm, at the setting of the sun, and before one retires for the day. They were strategically placed to pepper the day with prayer consciousness. These hours became known as the divine hours, and the practice of prayer, the Daily Office. Together, they distinguished the church through the ages.

The regularity of prayer did not just carry them over a day, but also a week, and then through a year with its liturgical seasons. There were prayers for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany; there were prayers for Lent, Easter, and the Ascension. And there were prayers for Trinity Sunday, and Sunday after Sunday, till Advent came around again. The rhythm of the lectionary tells the story of Christ and his church, over and over again. And so, the practice of prayer coinhered with the regularity of rhythm – daily, weekly, and annually. And this is what our chapel roster is patterned after.

But the practice of prayer is not just rhythmic. It is, in fact, rhythm in relation

If we regard prayer as a conversation with God. Does this conversation benefit from an expression in rhythmic form? During National Service, we learnt to use the walkie-talkie; and to use it well, we learnt and practised the discipline of communicating with it.

“Alpha to Command Center, over.”

“Command Center to Alpha, send over.”

“Alpha asking for permission to proceed to checkpoint two, over.”

“Alpha, permission granted, over.”

“Alpha, Roger and out.”

We learn to hear, and then we learn to respond; this hearing and responding is itself a rhythmic expression of communion with God. Perhaps that is why, in the observance of prayer throughout the day, we pause from our labours for a moment to hear better; and pray better. Especially with a hectic schedule, which often calls us to many tasks and engagements, the pause at midday or evening brings refreshment to our weary bodies and minds and helps to re-centre our distracted souls in God. Has it not been our experience where the pause to pray became a blessing rather than a bane in a crazy workday? Just this past Sunday, I was reminded of the blessing of a pause in silence.

In her acceptance speech, the British actress, film-maker, and poet, Michaela Coel, the first black woman to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing, said,

“In a world that entices us to browse through the lives of others… [and] to be constantly visible (for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success), do not be afraid to disappear, from it, from us, for a while, and see what comes to you in the silence.” (Acceptance speech 2021 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for HBO’s I May Destroy You).

Today, we learn to disappear for a while, into the silence, to receive some reprieve through the rhythms of prayer. For……

These rhythms of prayer heal us of our restlessness and addictions.

These rhythms of prayer guide us to commune with God.

These rhythms of prayer offer us the beautiful gift of a yielded life.

These rhythms of prayer sustain us over the long haul of discipleship.

These rhythms of prayer bring us life.

MFIS Conference 2024: Shepherding God’s Flock

9 August 2024 blogpastor 4 Comments

I arrived early for the conference. Pastors were around several tables, having their nasi lemak and coffee for breakfast. I sat down with Dora and Pastor Timothy Chow and had casual conversations that normal people have. I feel relaxed and a sense of belonging. The conference began with singing and prayerful worship. The presence of God can be felt. I needed it. The Presence. I am sure other shepherds were drawing down the graces too. These are ministers who carry heavy responsibilities. Some may be discouraged, weary and heavy-laden, and some may be hurt, fearful or frustrated. Only the Chief Shepherd knows their specific needs. We pray the Holy Spirit will expertly tend to each one uniquely.

The fear of the Lord

I was blessed by the first session, “Shepherding God’s Flock in the Fear of the Lord” delivered by Pastor Gabriel Han. Gabriel mentioned how in recent decades the church had flirted with a different gospel: hyper-faith, self-centred favour, prosperity, and pampering emphases, but these days are over and the time has come for the church to heed the message of holy love and holy fear. He talked about what a church with the fear of the Lord would look like, expounding on how Ananias and Sapphira’s deceit with offerings were met with death. “And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard these things.” (Acts 5:11) As shepherds we need to serve in all aspects of ministry with a sense of holy reverence before God. One statement that struck me was: Perfect love casts out all fear of man and inspires a godly fear of the Lord.

I believe the Spirit underlined his concluding words. He appealed to pastors to grow in the fear of the Lord so that their lives would impact the congregation, causing God’s light to shine upon them and inspire growth in the church. “The God of Israel has spoken: the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. (2 Samuel 23:3,4) I could sense the Spirit stirring in the pastors a desire for the fear of the Lord in their lives.

Saint and sinner simultaneously

The second session was a surprise for me. However, it demonstrated the openness of the MFIS leadership team to have invited a Presbyterian pastor, Keith Lai, to speak on the topic of “Understanding Leadership Failures and Avoiding Common Pitfalls”. I have known Keith for some time. He is one of the seven wonders of the Presbyterian church! I wondered how a Presbyterian minister who exercises the charismatic gifts managed to survive, indeed, thrive, in a denomination generally known to be doubtful, if not suspicious, of all things charismatic. In fact, he is open to all the Lord had for him and shared how he learned from the Baptist, the Methodist, and the Catholics, not just the charismatics. Fascinating and mind-opening.

Many notable ministers and ministries have fallen into disrepute and brought shame to the Lord’s name. However, Keith challenged the common reaction of shock and surprise of many Christians when they hear of notable preachers who have fallen into sin. They should not be surprised because theologically all believers are “simul justus et pecator” (“simultaneously saint and sinner”). All believers, including pastors and leaders, are like sheep and are susceptible to falling if not for the grace of God keeping us. We are all works in progress and are still being sanctified. Only in our glorification will we be finally free from the “presence of sin”. In the meantime, we notice the struggle of the desires of the Spirit with the desires of the flesh.

Seven times seven

By the end of the second session, I was full. I had received much to chew on and digest. But in typical Singaporean style, we had to pack in more! This session however was very encouraging. It showed MFIS intention of “connecting the generations and growing together in the 5-fold gifts” (from MFIS mission statement). Seven young ministers will each preach for seven minutes enlarging from the text in Psalm 78:72 “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart, with skillful hands he led them.”

Straightaway, I happily recognized one of my home church pastors Tom Cannon, and my pastor friend’s son, Jireh Chee. The seven young ministers were clear communicators infused with life and I was blessed as they turned around the verse like a diamond and let the conference see different aspects of shepherding, drawn from the life of David. My brain by this time was bursting with content and I was thankful that lunch was next, and what a sumptuous buffet it was – comparable to the spiritual food we just had.

Afternoon workshop

Now the lunch has put me on screensaver mode, and I wondered how to keep alert during the workshop. There were three workshops on offer: “Your Church is a House of Prayer: From Prayer Meeting to Prayer Movement” by Lai Kheng Pousson; “Shepherd from Rest” by Eugene Seow; and “Staying Fresh in the Ministry” by Pastor Calvin Lee. I have not seen or heard from Eugene for many years so I went for his workshop. It helped that I was in front – it kept me awake.

Eugene Seow shared with us that he was no longer in F.C.B.C. and is now a pastor with Living Sanctuary. That’s news to me. I was happy to hear him talk about the meaning of sabbath rest for pastors. One thought that resonated with me was that God created man on the sixth day. Then on the seventh day, which God separated as holy sabbath, was Adam’s first day, a day of rest, of being with God. God wanted man for himself. It goes against some common notions we have of the sabbath. It’s not the last day but the first day. It’s not time to wind down but to wind up. It’s not arriving but taking off. It’s not leftovers but first fruits. It’s not closing but a new beginning. This is a refreshing perspective. He ended with two practical applications: Remember (Exo 31:12), and Listen (Isaiah 55:P2,3 Hebrews 3:15, 4:7).

Corporate prayer

The session ended and we sang and prayed in the truths we heard all day. My upper back was aching and Pastor Isaiah noticed it and he prayed for me. That was so good. One more plenary session to go. Can this aching body and saturated mind take in more? Come on!

The grand finale

The new chairman of MFIS is Pastor Samuel Gift Stephen. I heard his father preach long ago in the late 1970’s when he was the pastor of a Finnish Mission church called Praise Evangelical Church. It was wonderful then to see the son on the stage and the dynamism of his preaching.

The topic was “Recognizing False Ministries and Teachings” and he was the right person to carry the last session. He was constantly reaching out and drawing responses from the pastors. He connected and engaged us effectively. He taught about the identifying traits of false teachings and ministries: conflict with Scripture, focus on material gains, lack of fruit, and authority without accountability. He also shared strategies he uses to vaccinate his members: equipping and biblical training, promoting open dialogues and forums, establishing clear doctrinal stands and practices, and fostering a culture of accountability. Effective communication within the time allotted. Great, what a full day! Homeward bound.

As I reflected on the conference the next day, I concluded that the speakers had communicated highly relevant and helpful subjects to the pastors. I wish I had such input earlier in my pastoral ministry. I was glad there were 150 participants from 58 churches in the conference. May these pastors and leaders shepherd their flocks with integrity and skilful hands. Amen and amen!