More Than Conquerors

The Covid-19 Virus

'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution of famine or danger or sword? No for all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.' Romans 8:35,37

The whole world seems to succumb to the Covid-19 pandemic. Today on the 25 October 2020, 42,946,446 of the world's population had contracted the Covid-19 virus infection and 1,154,857 had died from the disease. For a protracted and unrelenting period, countries and cities around the world are in some form of lockdown, isolated from each other with borders closed and economies devastated. In our lifetime, we have not witnessed a scourge such as this which threatens to bring us to our knees.

This tiny virus may have wreaked havoc to our physical bodies, our mental health and our livelihood but yesterday, a small group of elderly Christians from my church, Charis Methodist Church refused to allow this virus to dampen our spirits. Yesterday, more than 50 of us decided to meet in the Zoom Virtual Meeting platform to lift up our spirits. Despite restrictions of physical meetings we felt we could still show that even the more elderly among us have found ways to keep active within the Covid-19 restrictions. 

We showed pictures and videos of our interactions, all wearing masks or using virtual platforms. The older members quickly learnt to use WIFI and the Internet. We shared how our younger church members helped the elders to shop for groceries and to deliver food. We were encouraging each other and learning the heartfelt lessons from the exhortation of the prophet Isaiah,

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.' Isaiah 54:10

Indeed these are troubling times, the Corona virus has spun the world into a global depression. Many of us lost our jobs or took substantial pay-cuts. At such times, a long forgotten Christian chorus comes to mind, 'In Times Like These.'

In times like these you need a Savior,

In times like these you need an anchor;

Be very sure, be very sure,

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes He's the One,

This Rock is Jesus, the only One;

Be very sure, be very sure,

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

 

In times like these you need the Bible,

In times like these, O be not idle;

Be very sure, be very sure,

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

In times like these I have a Savior,

In times like these I have an anchor;

I'm very sure, I'm very sure

My anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

So, we decided that although the virus may affect our bodies and health, it shall never affect our spirit because we have Jesus as the anchor of our souls.

We are reminded that this experience of living under some form of oppression, even persecution was also lived by the early Christian church. Yes, the apostles and the early Christian churches lived through untold hardships, yet they were not downtrodden. St Paul wrote to the Corinthians (2 Cor 4:8,9)

'We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. 

The early church under the Roman empire persevered until respite came with the conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity. Since then and down through the ages, the Church and God's people experienced periods of blessings interspersed with periods of great difficulties and through it all we have prevailed. We are more than conquerors.

Lionel  

Must Life be a Struggle? Count Your Blessings

"The steps of a man are established by the Lord; and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hands."  Psalms 37: 23-24 

We used to have a small pond of Oranda goldfishes. Two of them in particular caught my attention. One red Oranda had a slice of its long broad tail bitten off. The poor thing was unable to swim properly. It was a struggle for it to stay afloat and to fight for food amongst seven other goldfishes. Yet it was feisty fish and was determined to have its space within the pond. For this red one, life is a struggle.

The other was a silver Oranda with a red cap which Pat called the Cardinal. In contrast it swam gracefully and effortlessly, spreading fins and its broad and long flowing tail. When I watched these two fishes, I long for that gracefulness of the cardinal and yet I best identify with the struggle of the red Oranda.

What has life in store for us? Is it one of struggle instead of graceful peace? What does God require of us? The Bible in Micah 6:8 answered this question "He has showed you, O man, what is good and what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." God requires from us, not just the usual outward show and outcomes of Christian witness but the depth of inner character. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. God has our best interest at heart.

Kent Nerburn wrote a book entitled 'The Hidden Beauty of Everyday Life' which is a series of short essays of inspirational anecdotes of everyday experiences and seeing the sublime within each experience (Ref 1). Nerburn wrote:

To those who find God in the ordinary moments

Who know that life has meaning beyond the simple acts that make up our ordinary days

 Who feel the presence of God in the trees and the grasses and a baby's helpless cries,

in the loneliness of the elderly, the love of young couples, the good work of the labourers, in the silence of the night

Who are moved to tears by the kind act or caring word

Who stop to help the weak rather than seek the favour of the strong

Kent Nerburn is right, if we can see good in the simple acts including our own then we can live gracefully, treasure the times and the blessings. 

We were taught when we first became Christians that we should live our lives counting our blessings. There is an old familiar folk song call Count your Blessings which encourages us to go through each day with inner quiet, peace and strength

Count your blessings one by one

When dawn appears and day has just begun

They will light your heart with happiness

Make each hour bright and bring you gladness

Count your blessings one by one

When twilight falls and toil of day is done

And in sweet dreams they'll come again to you

If you will count your blessings each day through

Count your blessings while you may

For we are here with little time to stay

All around are hearts sincere and true

Lovely things abound just waiting for you

Count your blessings while you may 

The big or small which ever comes your way

For then you'll find this world a place of love

If you will count your blessings from above

To be sure, God has not promised skies always blue and there will be difficulties and challenges ahead. Whatever life may throw at us, we are asked to walk humbly with our God. In the overall scheme of things, life need not be a struggle.

Lionel

Ref 1. Kent Nerburn. The Hidden Beauty of Everyday Life. New World Library June 2006/

1st published 14 Jul 2007

Christian Hospitality - Thank You For Being A Friend

'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do for Me.' Matthew 25:35-36 and 40.

A Christian brother, Kenneth Lau, shared a story which left me with a lasting impression of Christian Hospitality and its positive influence on the recipient. Kenneth was a student in the USA and he related that one wintry day he decided to go on a cycling marathon. Unfortunately as it got dark, Kenneth cycled into snow storm. Soon he could no longer go further, whereupon he chanced on a brightly lighted house. He knocked on the door to ask for shelter. 

The host warmly welcomed him, sat him by the fire to dry and then invited him to join the family's thanksgiving dinner. There was Kenneth, intruding into this Christian family thanksgiving and yet, he was received as one of them and shared a happy meal. Perhaps the most memorable for Kenneth 

When the storm subsided, Kenneth cycled back to the University. He shared with us that at that encounter his Christian faith was strengthened for he had partaken of the love of God shared by this Christian family. This incident anchored his faith in Jesus Christ.    

What a fine example of Christian hospitality so wonderfully offered to a complete stranger! 

Hospitality was a hallmark of the early Christian church, the willingness to open up their homes to others, even to strangers. This was a major factor contributing to the spread of the gospel wherein itinerant preachers were offered accommodation in the homes of the early Christian families and shared meals. The early church was obedient to Christ's teaching in Matt 25, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. 

Hebrews 13:2 reminded, 'Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.' In 3 John 1:5 the apostle John praised his friend Gaius, "Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you."

The sharing of a meal is a commonplace practice in Asian families especially with the Chinese. This is not the easiest thing to do. It is a gift. When we extend hospitality to friends and strangers, we have to receive them in a free and friendly space in which they will not feel strange but welcomed, the same way that Kenneth was welcomed that wintry thanksgiving evening. 

So let us be willing to share our private spaces. We can invite people into our lives yet exclude them from ourselves and keep them at a distance. Discover the other person and be a true friend because     

• True friends are lasting.
• True friends are anchored by God's love.
• True friends dare to love.
• True friends provide mutual encouragement.

That's what friends are for. 

It Is Well, It Is Well With My Soul

 

'The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord makes His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.' Numbers 6:24-26

The soul is the very basis of our spirituality and humanity, it is running our entire lives. Dallas Willard wrote, 'It is the life-centre of the human being. The soul is like an inner stream, which refreshes, nourishes and gives strength to every other element of our life. When that stream flows properly, we are refreshed and content in all we do, because our soul is rooted in God and His kingdom. We are in harmony with God, reality, the rest of humanity at large.' Ref 1 

Christians always seek this wellness within our souls, our harmony with God. When we are disjointed from God, we will feel insecure. Perhaps we have done something wrong or perhaps wrong was done to us. Perhaps we are very sick or  have lost our jobs or have quarrels with friends and families. At such times we might feel resentful, angry, sad and even pity ourselves. 

The psalmist lamented 'Why my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?' three times in Psalms 42 and 43 in three circumstances. The psalmist felt

• Abandoned by God (Psalm 42:3)
• Forgotten by God (Psalm 42:9)
• Rejected by God (Psalm 43:2)

These two Psalms described the desolation felt by God's people at the time of their exile.  

Someone else who would ask such a question was Horatio Spafford. Horatio Spafford suffered many calamities in his life. He lost almost all his fortune in the great Chicago fire of 1871. His four year old son died soon after. Hoping that a vacation to the United Kingdom would help his wife and four daughters recover from the tragedy, he sent them off on a trans-Atlantic voyage. However the ship capsized after a collision with another vessel. More than 200 people lost their lives including all four of Horatio's daughters. His wife, Anna, survived and upon reaching England sent a telegram to her husband that began, "Saved Alone. What shall I do?" 

Horatio immediately set sail for England deep in sorrow and heavy-hearted. As Horatio's ship passed the spot where the shipwreck occurred, he thought of his daughters but God comforted him. Somehow he was inspired to write the words of this hymn, It is well with my Soul.

When peace like a river attendeth my way

When trouble like sea billows roll

 Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say 

It is well, it is well with my soul. 

How could a man who suffered such grief write these words? Horatio Spafford is a remarkable man. A lesser man would have wallowed in remorse and pity, even to the point of blaming God for the lost of five children. It must have been a very painful moment to stand gazing at the Atlantic Ocean over the very spot where his four daughters died. But Horatio was not such a man, his Christian faith and belief in God sustained him through this terrible ordeal. Horatio survived with his soul intact, still able to inspire many generations of sufferers through the most severe of challenges and to say that whatever the pain, it is still well with the soul. The same awakening and realisation also dawned on Anna, Horatio's wife. Their lives thereafter became a testimony of unstinting faith and service, and these examples were passed on through many generations. The human spirit can rise above tragedy.

What then is wellness of the soul? It is the right combination of personality, temperament and character in a person that accords self confidence, contentment and peace. It is being at a place of a right relationship with God. A form of godliness with contentment which St Paul advocated to Timothy, 'godliness with contentment is great gain.' 1 Timothy 6:6. The outward manifestations of such a wellness is holiness and happiness.

A 'poetic' description of such a person is found in Psalm 1:3, 'That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.' I considered words to describe the characteristics of such a contented person and came up with 

• Godly
• Christlike
• Gentle
• Measured
• Merciful
• Charitable
• Reverent
• Compassionate
• Confident
• Benevolent
• Forgiving
• Gracious

If only some of these words were to describe us, we will be truly blessed. In all circumstances we will have the assurance that God is with us.   

Lionel

Ref 1: Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, Inter-varsity Press, 2002

Not Fake But Authentic

' But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness  and respect, keeping a clear conscience, keeping a clear conscience.' 1 Peter 3:15-16

 

We used to rely on the newspapers to give us news and opinions but now we are very skeptical of what we read in the newspapers or hear on the TV. It is ridiculous, even appalling, that in a world of the Internet we would mistrust the readily available information offered to us. Where is authenticity, integrity and credibility?

The Christian community is not spared from this question. Non-Christians often see us as hypocrites because they see that the profession of our faith does not commensurate with our behaviour, conduct and character. Our walk does not fit our talk. In the face of an increasingly insincere and hypocritical world, inclusive of the church, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount challenges us to a lifestyle that is completely and radically different. This sermon which is recorded for us by Matthew in his chapters 5 to 7 is a call for us to move from superficial, shallow and “plastic” religiosity to a sincere, authentic and practical faith. The sermon looks at us, the church, the people of God and instructs a paradigm change in our thinking and behavior. Time and again, Jesus stated the way things were and then offered a change in conduct and attitude. He used the phrase, “You have heard….but I say to you.” 

So Jesus in Matthew 6:1-18 told us to cut out the play-acting, the hypocrisy and get down to genuine and authentic behaviour. There are 2 lessons for us:

a. The World is not a stage – Don’t Play Act. The root word for hypocrisy is 'play acting.' This is how Jesus described hypocrites, play actors. He said “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you do not make a performance out of it. It might be good theatre, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.” (Peterson – The Message). Churches turn away far more people from Christ than winning them for him by not ‘walking the talk.’ The non-Christians and the young Christians are quick to detect hypocrisy within the church. In contrast authentic Christianity when it is manifested never requires advertisement or publicity. Jesus taught “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to your self, When you help someone out. Don’t think about how it looks. Just do it – quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.” The problem is that we divide our lives into two compartments – spiritual and secular. We keep our Sunday spiritual behaviour in one compartment and the rest of our lives in another. As a result we do not relate what we hear on Sunday to the way we run our businesses from Monday onwards. Very soon we will have the need to act up on Sunday, to don our Sunday best and play act.

b. Don’t demonstrate prayer – Just pray. ‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you,’ Matt 6:5-6.

Xian Vase

 

The Latin word for sincerity is ‘Sine cere’, which when translated literally means ‘without wax”. The Greeks spoke of being sincere as being 'sun-tested.' Fine porcelain is greatly valued and therefore expensive. Often in the making of a vase when the porcelain is fired in the kiln tiny cracks would appear if the material is of a low quality. Dishonest merchants would smear pearly white wax over the cracks, and try to pass off the lower valued stuff as fine porcelain – unless held up to the light of the sun when the cracks will become prominent.

Similarly, our cracks will appear when held up to Jesus the light of the world. When we over-demonstrate spirituality in a put-on fashion, the non-Christians are quick to notice the fault lines. Can we withstand scrutiny when we are held up to the light? What will show when our books are open?

I have struggled with this problem for many years. In the office I am noted to be a very harsh person. I am quick and sharp in meetings and have been known to be ‘brutally frank and open’. At first I thought that this was a sincere way of doing things - ‘tell it like it is.’ But there were times when I overdid myself and the words I used could be said to be offensive. The staff saw me as a very strict man. 

I am not so sure now if I was being sincere or I am just a hypocrite. A more caring and soft approach is more consistent with my ‘Sunday’ behaviour? How to be sincere without having to be brutally frank? Unless we question ourselves we cannot spot our hypocrisy. There is no better way to put up ourselves to the light that is to hold ourselves to the light of God. 

King David knew when he prayed in Ps 139 “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD." 

There was a king who was fashionable and pompous. He liked to wear beautiful clothes. On his birthday he commissioned for himself the most beautiful outfit, one that had to befit the grand occasion of his birthday parade. But being a pompous man, he was not satisfied with any of the fabrics and designs that were shown him by the many tailors of the land. As the day of the parade approached, he still had not made up his mind and he had no new outfit to wear. One day, two tailors came to the palace. They 'showed' him a beautiful cloth supposedly made of the finest material. It was said to be dazzling in colour and texture. They told the king that the cloth was so special that only a person of the appropriate stature and ability would appreciate its beauty and subtlety. Taking advantage of the king's pride, they described the illusion so splendidly that the king, not to be outdone, joined in the charade. So did all the people at court.

On his birthday everybody remarked how beautiful and resplendent the new outfit was. The king wore his splendid new clothes and went on a parade through town. All the town people cheered and clapped and hailed. They strained their necks to see the clothes that glittered until a young boy sitting on the shoulders of his father shouted, “Look mum the emperor has no clothes on.”

In 2 Cor 5:17, we are described as new creations. 'Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come.' The emperor’s new clothes were visible only to those who pretended that it was there. We may be guilty of putting on a new man that is scarcely discernable to the outside world. All of us in church clap and wave as we parade and strut about each Sunday. Perhaps it is time to cut the hypocrisy. Be authentic. 

Lionel

First published June 2007