Pastoral Exhortations Database

1 Corinthians 14:29-40

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, As we consider this topic, “Let all things be done decently and orderly,” previously we had focused on how preaching was to be conducted in the church so that it might reflect the character and nature of God whom we worshipped. Next, the Apostle Paul shifted his focal piont on the women. I. Women and worship (How women should conduct themselves) This was another problem in the Corinthian church, and it had to do with women – how women should conduct themselves in the church. Verse 34, Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. Some people think this command is only applicable to the early church, or the conservative and “Bible Presbyterian” churches. Most certainly not! Notice, the last part of verse 33 said, as in all churches of the saints. It is applicable to all churches; thus, it is not a Bible Presbyterian thing, but a universal standard and command. Let your women keep silence in the churches - Since this was in the context of prophesy, therefore, Paul was speaking about women and prophesy (or preaching). Previously, he had dealt with the women in chapter 11; e.g. having their heads covered. So, for him to deal with the same group of people (women) a couple of times, implies that it must have been an issue in Corinth in those days. When the women gathered together for worship, they wanted to have the same authority (as men) to speak and preach. Do we have the same problem in our churches today? Definitely! Just take a look at the number of churches having women pastors and preachers. Why do we not have a woman to stand on the pulpit and preach to the church? Because the command was given, for it is not permitted unto them to speak. It does not mean that women are not allowed to speak and teach at all. Obviously, they can teach other women; especially the mature women to teach the immature women, the older women to teach the younger women, and they can teach the children, etc. Most of us would agree that some of the best Sunday school teachers are women. But in the context of the church, public worship and teaching men, they are not permitted to do so. This is because of submission, but they are commanded to be under obedience. Some people think that this command, let your women keep silence in the churches is only about preaching. Therefore, as long as the women do not preach in the church, then it should be alright. But it is much broader than that, because one must remember that this is not the only place where the Bible said, “women are to keep silent.” In 2 Timothy 2:8, Paul said, “I want all the men to lead in prayers (men must lead), and I want all the women to be dressed modestly, not to show off, not to be worldly, so as to reflect godliness,” and then he continued to say in verse 11, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” Why must the women be in silence? It was a reflection of her submission. The command to submit to the man was already given in the law or the Old Testament. That was why Paul said in verse 13, For Adam was first formed, then Eve. He took it all the way to the beginning (the book of Genesis), where God first created Adam, and then He created Eve to be his helper, and to submit to his authority. Adam was to be the head, and Eve was to submit. It was God’s order and design. What happened when God’s order and design was not obeyed? Man fell into sin! Remember how Eve took upon herself the role of the man when she took the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and then gave it to her husband Adam. So, verse 14 said, And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. That was the consequence of reversing God’s order and design. The man was to be the head, and the woman was to be the helper. Back to our text in verse 35, And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. If it was God’s order and design, then it should be applied in the church. If the woman wanted to understand something or ask a question, and immediately raise the question in the church or public worship, Paul said, “No!” She should first ask her husband at home because he was her head, and he was supposed to be the leader and “theologian” at home (so to speak). She had to ask him, and if he did not know, he should learn and find out through a diligent study of God’s Word, and with the help of church leaders, then he would be able to teach her. Three prevelant problems in our modern times 1. Today, the problem with many Christian homes is that the wives are more spiritual and knowledgeable than their husbands. The husbands cannot answer their wives’ questions due to the lack of biblical knowledge. Some husbands will even say to their wives, “Don’t ask me. Ask someone else.” Whenever the wife is going around seeking answers to her questions other than from her own husband, it is a sad reflection of the spiritual condition of the family. It reflects what kind of a leader the husband is. The husband should be diligent students of the Bible, and in this sense, be way ahead of their wives and children in terms of spiritual maturity so that he would be able to lead them. 2. Another problem is not because the husbands are lacking in their biblical knowledge, but rather the wives refuse to ask their own husbands at home. That was why here, the rebuke was directed at the women and not the men, for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. The implication was that the women were married and they had husbands. But what about those women who are singles or widows? There is always a proper place to ask questions, like in a Bible-study class where questions can be asked respectfully. However, here the context was about the church and public worship where all the other men were gathered together. 3. Oftentimes, the real problem is in the intention and motivation behind those women asking the questions. It is not for the sake of wanting to know the answers, but to show off their spirituality, or to bring trouble to the church, and most importantly, to usurp the authority of the men. Their attitude is, “Well, if you (men) do not know what you are saying, then let me show you what I know.” It is a shame for women because she is not reflecting her submission to her own husband, and in so doing, she is not submitting to God the Creator. In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

“…they wanted to have the same authority (as men)…”

1 Corinthians 14:29-40

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In this section, we want to consider this topic, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” Firstly, allow me to give you the background of this passage. First Corinthians was one of the earliest letters written by the Apostle Paul. Do you notice something missing or not being mentioned in this letter? There were no references to pastors, elders and deacons, but there were many references to apostles and prophets. Later on, as Paul wrote the other epistles, especially the pastoral epistles (like the books of First and Second Timothy, and Titus), he not only mentioned pastors, elders and deacons, but he also gave the qualifications for those offices. And then we do not see any references to the apostles and prophets in the books of Timothy and Titus. Well, the reason is very simple because as we study through the New Testament books in terms of timeline, there was this transition whereby the apostles and prophets would pass off the scene, and the pastors and elders would take over the on-going ministry of the church. During the foundation of the New Testament church, God used the apostles and prophets to instruct the church with new revelations (as the Bible was progressing being written and compiled). But once they had served their purpose, and there was no more need for new revelations, they would pass off the scene. With the church being founded (c.f. Ephesians 2:20), she would need the pastors and elders to continue with the on-going building process to preach and teach what the apostles and prophets had already given to the church. So, these commandments were given to the early church when there were still apostles and prophets, and the practice of tongue-speaking was still in existence. Today, we do not have apostles and prophets, and tongues have ceased. If that is the case, why are we still studying this passage? Well, the biblical principles can still be applied into our lives. Therefore, it is vital for us to understand the context of the passage, though these commandments were given to the early church. The primary context was about public worship, and how the worship service ought to be conducted in the church! I. Prophets and worship (How preaching is to be conducted) The first part from verses 29-33 was about how prophecy or preaching should be conducted in the church. There are several principles given here, beginning with 1 Corinthians 14:29, Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. (1) Firstly, only two or three prophets should speak at any given worship service (very similar to tongue-speaking, only two, and at most three). Paul would not have given this command, unless there was a problem in the Corinthian church. So, one can imagine how the worship service was very chaotic. There were multiple people all speaking at the same time; people speaking here and there, talking over one another, and it was all out of control. In order to stop the chaos, Paul said, “No more than three persons should prophesy or preach.” But it was not only to stop the chaos because when everybody is speaking, then who is listening? Nobody! And when one is not listening, then he or she cannot be edified. But there was another problem; when everybody was speaking, then who was judging what was being said whether it was true or not? That is where the second principle must come in. (2) Secondly, And let the other judge. Most likely, Paul meant, “let the other prophets judge” because he was speaking about the prophets, and the other prophets would have the spiritual maturity, understanding and discernment to judge what was being said. So, as two or three prophets took turns to speak the Word of God in the common language of the people, the other prophets who were not appointed to preach on that day would examine or judge what was being said. If someone preached something wrongly, the leaders of the church (the prophets), they had the responsibility to correct those erroneous teachings. How can we apply this biblical principle in our time? It would be the responsibility of the elders! They have to listen very carefully to what is being said, and if there is anything contrary to the Bible, they need to address it immediately. Having said that, it is not easy to correct a person when he preaches wrongly; one not only needs knowledge but also boldness and courage, and he needs to know how and when to do it. Let’s say, when a visiting minister preached something wrongly, should the pastor and elders immediately address it after the message, or wait until the speaker has left the church or in the next worship service, so as not to embarrass the speaker? But what about those people who only attend that particular service and not the subsequent service, they would leave believing in the wrong teaching? So, one needs to consider all these factors, and pray for the wisdom and discernment to know what to do, how to do it and when to do it as well. It is not an easy task, therefore we need to pray for the pastor and elders! (3) Thirdly, there ought to be no competition. The prophets were not competing amongst themselves as to who got to preach and who did not get to preach. If the prophesy was truly given by God, then it was His prerogative to decide when He wanted to reveal His truth, and who He chose to use to reveal His truth. Verse 30, If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by. Let the first hold his peace. In other words, as the prophet was preaching to the church, if there was another prophet who was sitting down and he received a new revelation from God (in those days, God was still revealing to the people new revelations as the Bible was not completed yet), then the one who was preaching would stop and give to him the opportunity to speak to the church because he recognized that God wanted to speak directly, so everyone should listen, including himself. Verse 31, For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. Again, not all at the same time, but one by one. One prophet was preaching, and if God gave new revelation to someone else, he stopped and let the other person speak. Why should it be done in such an orderly and harmonious way? It was not just for the purpose of respecting one another, or out of humility, or for the sake of giving others the opportunity to speak, but rather so that the church would be able to learn and be comforted (or exhorted). Preaching is not about satisfying ourselves, or to draw attention to ourselves, or to compete with one another. It is always for the purpose of edification, so that the people would be encouraged and strengthened. (4) Fourthly, there was self-control. Verse 32, And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. Here, the word spirits is a reference to the prophets themselves, not the Holy Spirit (similar to the usage in verse 14), which means the prophets were in control of the use of their spiritual gifts. The one who was gifted by God, was not someone who is out of control, he was able to exercise subjection or self-control. Have you ever encountered someone who says to you, “Well, I am not able to control myself. When the Holy Spirit takes over, I have no control”? Can you imagine, the preacher does not know why he said what he said, because he has no control? Or the worship chairman does not know why he kept on asking the congregation to sing the same stanza again and again and again, because he has no control? Or the pianist does not know why she is playing a different tune, because she has no control? That cannot be true! The Holy Spirit will not cause the believer to go out of control. In fact, one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control or temperance. So, there is an order in the worship service, (1) only two or three prophets were allowed to speak at any given service, (2) as they speak, others would examine and judge what they say, (3) and there is no competition, priority should be given to the one whom God wants to reveal a new revelation, (4) and there is self-control. The reason why these principles were given was because verse 33 says, For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Dear friend, what is our worship all about? It is about God, right? Then it must reflect the character and nature of God. God is not glorified when there is disharmony and confusion, or when people just want to worship and serve the way they want, or everybody wants to speak and nobody wants to listen, or when there is competition amongst the believers, or when there is no self-control. If what we are doing as a church does not result in peace but chaos and confusion, we know that it is not the work of the Holy Spirit. It is not a worship service that glorifies our God! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

“…people just want to worship and serve the way they want…”

Selected Scriptures

Rev Dr Jose Trinipil Lagapa

Jesus is risen! Our Lord and Saviour has conquered death! He is alive! “…Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). After His resurrection He ascended back to heaven. “And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11). Let us be ready for His soon return! He will not delay, better be prepared and be not left behind! THE LORD’S COMING But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? (Luke 12:31-41) Some may have knowledge of the Lord’s return but fail to prepare for His coming; they will face severe consequences. Those who are unaware will face lighter consequences. Jesus concludes that “to whom much is given, much will be required.” As Christians, we are taught these truths; if we are genuine believers, we do not wish to be punished. Let us remain watchful as we await His second coming. Those who do not hold the value of eternity in their hearts will lack the motivation to anticipate the Lord’s return. Their focus is on earthly things, and they prefer to pursue material wealth rather than spiritual treasures in heaven. Their inability to see beyond this world stems from spiritual blindness; they lack the spiritual insight to appreciate God's eternal Kingdom. To them, these concepts are merely illusions for the minds of the devout. They cannot perceive because they are not yet regenerated and remain dead in their sins. They must be born again through faith in Christ to truly see the Kingdom of God. Jesus began the parable by instructing us to keep our loins girded and our lamps burning. These are external signs of individuals who are active and alert. To gird the loins means to prepare for action by tightening the garment around the waist, signifying readiness for work. Keeping the lamps burning indicates a person who is prepared to continue their task even during the late hours of the night. When Peter asked the Lord whether the parable was meant for them or for everyone, the Lord continued to describe the blessings of the servants who are faithfully watching for His return. This indicates that the message was not only for them and their generation but also for us today, who may be the generation to witness His coming, especially as we observe the signs He mentioned being fulfilled before our eyes. It is not for us to question, like Peter did, to whom this parable is addressed; rather, we should be watchful and heed the Lord’s command. The central theme is to remain vigilant for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Before sharing the parable, the Lord urged His disciples to pursue the Kingdom of God. This narrative is crucial for those who long for the Lord's return. The exhortation was directed to the flock of God, referring to those who have genuinely attained the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The Lord has reserved the Kingdom for them, and they should not live in fear but rather trust in God's promises. Their courage and faith in God's word should be reflected in how they value eternity above the riches of this world. Heavenly treasures will never fade, and if their hearts are set on them, they will certainly be watchful for the Lord's coming. The servant who is found faithful in waiting, watching, laboring, and toiling will be appointed a ruler by the Lord. He will receive abundant blessings from God as he faithfully anticipates his Lord’s arrival. Thus, Jesus’ parable urges His disciples to be prepared, as no one knows when the Lord Jesus will come. We must always be ready, for if we labor and dedicate our lives to serving His Kingdom, He will usher us into the Kingdom of God, where there will be eternal joy for all who are present. However, if we become complacent and entangled with worldly matters, we may be left behind. Let us not grow weary but continue to work diligently until He comes, which may be sooner than we think. Are you among those who can see? Do you recognize the significance of our Lord's coming? Blessed are your eyes for they can look ahead and perceive the Kingdom of God. Give thanks to the Lord for that spiritual insight. Not everyone is granted the vision to understand eternity in God’s Kingdom. Stay focused on it and do not let your eyes be drawn to the false allurements of this world. With love in Christ, Rev Dr Jose Trinipil Lagapa True Life B-P Church

~5 min read

“…better be prepared and be not left behind!…”

Selected Scriptures

Rev Reggor Galarpe

Today, the entire Christendom observes “Palm Sunday.” It’s the day that we remember the historic if not glorious event of our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem that ushered in the Passion Week, which is the Lord’s final week that led to His death at the cross and thereafter His glorious resurrection. Though we refer to it in the Scripture as the Lord’s “Triumphal Entry” it is popularly known as “Palm Sunday.” While we do commemorate all these biblical events, even hold special services on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we do not conform nor adhere to many church traditions and practices like the observance of the Lent and all its requisites – the Ash Wednesday, fasting and abstinence, penitence and penance, bringing of palms to church; going for the “way of the cross”; the re-enactment of the Passion of Christ; the procession and many others! Instead, we commemorate the Passion Week mainly for the purpose of glorifying God for all that He has done out of His great love and abundant grace and mercy; in sending His One and Only Begotten Son to accomplish one thing that we fallen creature could never accomplish ourselves –our salvation. And in remembering, we look back and contemplate of what the Lord Jesus had gone through to accomplish that very purpose of His coming. At the heart of the Passion Week is the suffering of the Lord Jesus both in the hands of the Jews and of the Gentiles. Anticipating all that was ordained to happen, He told His disciples how “the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again” (Matthew 20:17-19). This is what the prophet Isaiah prophesied; “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not…But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed…He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth…Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:3,5,7,10) As we think of the Lord’s suffering and death, the human aspect of it may seem horrible to ponder upon – He was mocked, scourge, spit upon, subjected to the most extreme humiliation and agony; but God in His sovereign plan meant it for good. Human agents and the circumstances surrounding the Lord’s suffering and death all worked out in accordance to God’s sovereign plan of redemption. Consider the very purpose and significance of the suffering and death of Jesus and what it has accomplished — 1. Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law — Galatians 3:13; “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” The whole of mankind stands condemned under the law. (Read Rom. 3:19-21). 2. Jesus showed the richness of God’s love for sinners — Romans 5:7-8; “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 3. We have received the forgiveness of sins — Ephesians 1:7; “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Colossians 1:14; “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins;” This is what we receive when we come to believe in Jesus and trust in His name. 4. We are reconciled to God — Having received forgiveness, we are reconciled to God! Romans 5:10; “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Apart from Christ, man is at enmity with God. We were enemies of God, and because of this, reconciliation must take place. And thanks be unto God for He initiated the move to reconcile us to Him through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. 5. Eternal life is given to all who believe on Him — Many of us know John 3:16 by heart; “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Since the Fall, it has been God’s desire to redeem man from eternal damnation. Thus the offer, “whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The Apostle Paul wrote on this in Romans 6:23; “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Think of such a great blessing, from being condemned for eternal suffering in hell; to being saved for eternal bliss in heaven. And the good news is, you need not work out for it; for Jesus had worked it out for you. All you have to do is to believe in Him and trust in His name. Yes, as we love to sing; “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.” Jesus did it all for us – accomplishing for and on our behalf, one thing that we could not accomplish for ourselves. All glory and praise be unto God for the great salvation that we have received! With love in Christ, Rev Reggor Galarpe Pastor of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church (Cebu, Philippines)

~4 min read

“…the Lord’s final week that led to His death at the cross and thereafter His glorious resurrection…”

1 Corinthians 14:20-28

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Some of us are church leaders, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, parents with children, married couples, individuals, etc. We may be Christians for many years. What if someone describes you as a child? It would be most devastating, right! Nobody likes to be called a child because it means you are immature, childish, easily deceived, fickle-minded, uninformed and does not understand. These are just some of the negative characteristics of children. Here, in 1 Corinthians 14:20, the Apostle Paul began by calling the Corinthians children, Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In a sense, he was saying, “You think you are spiritually mature, but you are so childish in your understanding. Though here, the immaturity was in regards to spiritual gifts, but in an overall sense, the Corinthians were very immature in their understanding and thinking. The literal structure of the sentence is “Stop being children in your understanding.” Why did Paul call them children? Just take a moment and consider the negative characteristics of children. Children are selfish — Children are selfish by nature, and when they desire something, they only want it for their ownselves. Like children, the Corinthians desired to have the gift of languages (tongues) not for edification but to show off, impress others and be praised. Likewise, when we do something (like our services in the church) that only pleases ourselves, and satisfies our desires or egos, we are behaving like children who are selfish. Children are easily deceived — Christian are easily deceived. When they see everybody doing something, they reckon it must be good. Like children, the Corinthians saw that everyone was desiring to speak in tongues, therefore, it must be good. They did not consider the thing they desired in accordance with God and His Word. Children want to be known as mature — The Corinthians thought they were spiritually mature, but in reality they were the opposite, spiritually immature. Oftentimes, people who are immature, almost always think they are mature. Parents would be able to attest to this fact. Children would tell their parents that they are mature enough to take care of themselves when they want to go out on their own or stay out late at night. But they cannot even take care of themselves when they are at home. Children do not understand why they are doing what they are doing — Like children, the Corinthians did not even understand the purpose of tongue-speaking, and yet they desired to have those gifts. Isn’t it true that children often do not understand why they want what they want, or why they are doing what they are doing? But there is one characteristic whereby being childlike is good and desirable, Paul said, howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In other words, he did not want them to be childish and immature in their understanding, but when it came to sin, wickedness and malice, he wanted them to be as innocent as a child. To put it plainly, when it comes to spiritual understanding, we ought to be thinking like a mature adult, but when it comes to sin, we ought to be thinking and behaving like an innocent child. The opposite will be most devastating; when it comes to spiritual understanding, we are like children, but when it comes to sin, we are like adults, meaning to say, so advanced in our understanding and experiences (in sin). Have you ever listened to the conversation of young immature people who like to boast about the things they know and have experienced? They would say, “Have you tried smoking? I have experienced that! Have you tried drinking alcohol? I have experienced that! I have been to clubs and casinos, even though I am underage, by using my friend’s identity card.” God’s people must never be like that. When it comes to sin, we ought to be innocent like children. I. The Importance Of Biblical Thinking Tongues were never intended for believers, it was for the unbelieving Jews. 1 Cornthians 14:21, In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people (the Israelites, the Jews); and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Here, the law refers to the Old Testament. This was a quotation from Isaiah 28:11-12. What happened was that in the time of Isaiah, the Israelites were running away from God and they were engaged in false worship and idolatry. God said to them, “If you don’t listen to me, you are going to listen to a people who speak a language that you don’t understand.” The first group of people were the Assyrians that attacked and took over the Northern Kingdom (Israel), and the second group of people were the Babylonians that attacked and took over the Southern Kingdom (Judah). The strange foreign languages of their conquerors was a sign of God’s judgment! The Jews were very familiar with this quotation from Isaiah. So, at Pentecost in Acts 2, when the Jews saw the people speaking in tongues (foreign languages), they were thinking to themselves, “This is just like Isaiah’s time. This is judgment on us because we did not listen to God. Now He is speaking through these people in other languages that we do not understand.” If God’s judgment would fall on the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, how much more would His judgment fall on those people who had crucified the Son of God? In AD 70, that great judgment came, and Jerusalem was utterly destroyed by the Roman general Titus. Over one million Jews were slaughtered, and many were taken into captivity. The Temple was desecrated and destroyed, and the rest of the city was burned to the ground. This was the other important reason why tongue-speaking had ceased because the judgment had already come. As a sign gift (a sign means it is pointing to something), the purpose of tongues had ended when that which it was pointing to had come to pass. It was a sign to authenticate the authority of the Apostles, and with the Bible completed and the apostolic era having ended, there was no more reason for tongues to exist. For example, if you are driving to Canberra, you may see the first sign that says you are 600 km away. Later, you see the sign that reads, 500 km, and then, 400 km, and subsequently, 300 km. However, after you pass through Canberra, you will no longer see the sign anymore. There is no more need or purpose because the sign which is pointing to the place has come and passed. 1 Corinthians 14:22, Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. Paul was trying to help the Corinthians understand that the purpose of tongues was for a sign to the Jewish unbelievers because they had refused to listen. It was not intended for the church. The Corinthians thought it was great to speak in tongues, in different languages, but they had missed the essential point that it was a sign to the unbelievers. If tongue-speaking was not intended for the believers, then what was intended for the believers? But prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe (v.22b). The word prophesying can mean preaching, and notice Paul did not say prophesying was a sign, but rather, he used the word serveth. Prophesying or preaching is not a sign gift but a spiritual gift which still exists today. All spiritual gifts serveth as a purpose for the edification of the saint, for them which believe. God’s people need God’s Word. They do not need to hear things they do not understand. We need pastors to stand on the pulpit to preach the Word. We need Sunday school teachers to stand in front of the children to teach the Word. This is the way the people can be edified! 1 Corinthians 14:23, If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? Today, we worship as a church in one place, at 10 Downing Street, Oakleigh, Victoria. If all of us start to speak in tongues, different languages, and we have an unbelieving visitor, and he does not understand those languages, he is going to think that we are all mad or crazy. How can he be evangelised in a language he does not even understand? But on the other hand, 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all. And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. Essentially, that was the difference between tongue-speaking and preaching. How did we get saved? Someone explained the Bible in a language that we could understand. The Holy Spirit convicted our hearts; we were confronted by our sins, the secrets of our heart were all revealed, we repented of our sins, we turned to the Saviour and cried out to Him to save us. And then we worshipped God and acknowledged that indeed He was the one living and true God. That is just how powerful and superior the preaching of the Word is! Therefore, the Corinthians must understand the biblical reason why God gave the gift of tongue-speaking. Tongue-speaking was a sign for unbelievers, prophesy (preaching) was for believers. Therefore, the Corinthians must grow up, and stop thinking like children who only wanted to show off, were selfish, immature and easily deceived, and did not understand why they were doing what they were doing. II. The Importance Of Biblical Practice 1 Corinthians 14:26, How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. Paul was saying, “When we come together as a church, whether we have a psalm (it could be reading or singing a psalm), or a doctrine (reading some verses, passages, instructions or teachings from the Word of God), or has a divine revelation, or speak in another language, or be able to interpret the language, let everything be done for the purpose of edification!” At that point in time, the sign-gifts like tongues-speaking and divine revelations were still in existence, So, it was not wrong to exercise those gifts (if they had been gifted with them), but they had to be careful. The only way tongue-speaking could edify was when it could be understood, and the only way it could be understood was that it had to be interpreted. But even then, it had to be done in an orderly fashion. And so, Paul showed how it should be done in those days. 1 Corinthians 14:27, If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. Firstly, in any one service, there should be no more than three persons permitted to speak in tongues, preferably two and at most three. Secondly, and that by course means each speaks in turn, not all at the same time. If everyone is speaking at the same time, then who is listening to who. Everybody would be confused. Paul says, “You do not do that. Only two or three should speak in tongues, and let them speak one at a time.” Let us pause for a moment, and ask ourselves, “Does this reflect the charismatic tongues today? We have mentioned this before, that the charismatic tongues are different from the biblical tongues in the early church which were languages. The charismatic tongues are ecstatic utterances. But even then, look at the way it is being practiced in the charismatic churches. They all speak at the same time, and there is confusion everywhere. Here, the Bible said very clearly, “Only three at most, and it must be one at a time!” Thirdly, Paul said, and let one interpret. Remember tongues was a foreign language, and therefore it must be interpreted so that it could be understood. There must be someone who was able to interpret. But what happens when there was no one who could interpret? 1 Corinthians 14:28, But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. By way of illustration, let’s say, we have some people who can speak in different languages, English, Chinese and Tamil. The congregation can only understand English. The one who speaks in Chinese must have an interpreter who understands both Chinese and English. And the one who speaks in Tamil must have an interpreter who understands both Tamil and English. But if the interpreter who understands both Tamil and English is not present, then the one who speaks in Tamil has to keep silent, because what is the purpose of him speaking in Tamil, when no one in the congregation can understand the language. However, what he can do is to pray to God by himself in Tamil, because only God can understand! Dear friend, are we a spiritual child or spiritual adult? Do we see the need for maturity as important in our life? What will happen if we have spiritual children serving as pastors, preachers, Sunday school teachers, Bible facilitators and parents? The church will be wrecked, the believers will not be edified, and the unbelievers will not hear the pure Gospel! We need to grow out of spiritual immaturity, and the only way we can do that is through a diligent study of God’s Word, and a humble submission to the wonder working of the Holy Spirit. It is not either one, but both. We must not just be hearers of the Word only, but to be doers of the Word as well. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~10 min read

“…immature, childish, easily deceived, fickle-minded…”

1 Corinthians 14:7-19

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Spiritual gifts were given for the purpose of edification; for the building up of the believers. Therefore, the Apostle Paul had dealt with why prophecy or preaching was better than speaking in tongues. It was in the context of edification. So, we need to ask ourselves, “Whatever spiritual gifts God has given to us, how best can I edify the church?” Paul had spent so many chapters dealing with the topic of tongue-speaking. Well, it was a pertinent problem in those days because the Corinthians considered tongue-speaking as an amazing and spectacular gift, and they desired to have it. In fact, some even pretended to have it even though they were not gifted with it. Today, is tongue-speaking a problem? Most certainly! Just take a look at the charismatic churches, how people would put a premium in tongue-speaking, and some even claimed to be able to interpret what was spoken. Again, it is worthy to note that the charismatic tongues are ecstatic utterances unlike the tongues of the Bible which were known languages. In the preceding verse 6, Paul said that even if one was able to speak in a foreign language, but if nobody understood him, it was of no use. Here in this section, he went on to further reiterate his point. I. Tongues have no meaning Paul gave two illustrations on how one could not be edified or blessed by something he did not understand. The illustration of music — 1 Corinthians 14:7, And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? The pipe refers to a wind instrument, the harp (kithara where the Engish word for guitar was derived) refers to a string instrument, and these are things without life mean lifeless things. If one plays on those instruments, and there is no rhythm, structure, tones, keys, chords and harmony, how can it mean anything? For music to be music, it must make musical sense! 1 Corinthians 14:8, For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? In those days, the soldier would play a certain tune on the trumpet in order to prepare the people for the battle. The moment the people hear that particular tune, they would be all geared up to charge and fight. But if the soldier were to play a tune unfamiliar or unclear to the people, who would understand that it was a preparation to fight in the battle? The Corinthians would really appreciate this musical illustration because the city of Corinth had one of the greatest musical buildings, with a seating capacity of about 20,000 people. Using this illustration familiar to them, Paul stressed, So likewise ye (you Corinthians), except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air (1 Corinthians 14:9, emphasis mine). In other words, Paul was saying, “If you are speaking in a language that nobody understands, how can anyone know what you are trying to say? You are like speaking into the air. It is of no value at all.” The illustration of language — Paul moved on to the second illustration of language, 1 Corinthians 14:10, There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. It has been estimated that there are about 6500 different languages in this modern world, not including the different dialects (which would be enormously more). Perhaps during Paul’s time, there were fewer languages, but still the numbers would be significant. Each language is made up of a particular voice (phone where we get the Engish word phonic). One may hear different voices or phonics, but there is no such thing as a language that is without meaning. 1 Corinthians 14:11, Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. In the ancient world, the Greeks were proud of their nationality, culture and language, and when they saw someone from the non-Greek countries like Persia and Egypt who could not speak Greek, they would make fun of those people saying, “Your words don’t make sense. You sound like, bar, bar, bar,” (and that is where we get the word barbarian). You cannot speak our language, so you are a barbarian!”1 The word barbarian was a very insulting term! In other words, if someone speaks in a language and I do not understand it, I will be regarded by him as a barbarian. He will say, “You cannot understand what I say, can you? So, you are a barbarian!” Vice versa, the one who speaks in that language unknown to me will be regarded by me as a barbarian. I will say, “You are speaking in a language that makes no sense to me. So, you are a barbarian!” That is what it means! 1 Corinthians 14:12, Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. Yet again, Paul applied these two illustrations to the Corinthians, even so ye. They were zealous of spiritual gifts which was a good thing, but they must desire those gifts for the purpose of edifying or building up the church. Dear friend, when you see someone playing the piano, teaching the children or singing in the choir, you may wish to have those same spiritual gifts. But why do you want to have those gifts? Why do you want to exercise those gifts in the church? Because you want to serve the Lord by ministering to the people. Remember the word edification? It is for the purpose of edification; for the strengthening and building up of God’s people. Spiritual gifts are given for us to exercise only in the context of the church. Praise God for those brethren who recently came forward to serve in the PA ministry. Maybe the recording equipment system needs to be revamped, or the formatting and uploading of sermon audio needs to be changed. If you have been gifted in those areas of ministry, then serve and excel in it, and do your best. Your service will impact and affect the believers because some people may not be able to come to church physically but they can still attend the online worship service and listen to the sermon audio. Without your ministry, how can they be edified? It is all about edification! II. Tongues are emotional 1 Corinthians 14:13, Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. In Acts 2, during the Pentecost, the people were speaking in tongues. But those people who understood those languages were there too. If those people were not even there, why do you think God would enable the disciples to speak in foreign languages? So, if you are speaking in a foreign language (unknown tongue), then you need to interpret, either yourself or someone else. Some people may say, “Well, it is my spiritual prayer language. It is my special heavenly language (which the charismatic use to say).” Consider what Paul said next, For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful (1 Corinthians 14:14). The word spirit is a reference to one’s spirit, not the Holy Spirit. What he meant was, “If I pray in an unknown tongue (foreign language, e.g. Spaniah, French, etc). It is unfruitful or meaningless because I myself do not even understand what I pray!” Now the question may arise, “If people do not understand the meaning, why do they still want to do it?” Well, there is something emotional about it. In many modern-day charismatic churches, when people see the believers speaking in tongues (ecstatic utterances), they are impressed, “Look, these people must be very close to God. I wish I could do that!” People think of Christianity as having a spiritual experience. They want something more than the Word of God. The Bible says, “If thou shalt call upon the name of the Lord, thou shalt be saved.” However, they would say, “But God, how do I really know? Is there an emotional feeling or dramatic experience? I want to have that kind of feeling or experience, and can you give it to me?” Like when it comes to the worship of God, people want the kind of songs that would stir up their emotions and passions. Worship is all about how they feel, and it is no longer about God accepting our contrite and broken spirit. Thus, oftentimes people would ask, “How was the worship?” By that, they mean, “How was your feeling or experience?” And the common answers are, “I feel good. My heart is at peace. It is a wonderful experience.” Or alternatively, “I don’t enjoy it at all. It is boring. It is a bad experience.” Somehow, Christianity has become subjected to our emotions! Having said that, it does not mean that being emotional is always wrong. God gives us emotions. But one’s emotion cannot stand by itself, and it must come with understanding! That was why Paul continued to say in 1 Corinthians 14:15, What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. The word understanding is a reference to the mind which comprises the faulties of perceiving and understanding. Let’s say, someone hears a song, and then all of a sudden, she starts crying. And you ask her, “Why are you crying?” She replied, “I don’t know why I am crying?” You asked, “Do you understand the lyrics?” She replied, “No, I don’t. I just feel like crying!” Does it make sense to you? No! But if she hears a song, understands the lyrics, those words touch her heart, and she cries, “I am especially touched by those words that said, “That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul….it is well with soul!” Does it make sense to you? Yes! Because the emotion comes with understanding! 1 Corinthians 14:16, Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest. The unlearned person who occupieth the room, is a reference to the one who is sharing the same space and does not understand what you are saying. In other words, when you stand up to bless, give thanks or pray, how would the person who does not know what you are praying, say, Amen? Amen means “let it be so, or truly.” No one would or should say amen to something he or she does not understand! Once, a young man in our church asked me, “If I am in a restaurant, and someone is praying for the food. But the restaurant is crowded and noisy, and I cannot hear what he is praying, should I say, amen?” Why do you think that person would ask such a question? He knew that when you say “amen,” he is agreeing to what the person is praying, and he does not want to agree to something he does not know, right?” My answer to the question was that in such a situation, you should always pray in your heart and give thanks for the food, and then say “amen to your own prayer!” 1 Corinthians 14:17, For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. Paul was saying, “You may feel that you have given thanks well enough, but if the other person does not understand you, he is not edified.” Yet again, the point is repeatedly emphasised, what one does not know or understand, cannot edify him or her! So, does it mean that tongue-speaking is bad? Most certainly not! Tongue-speaking was a sign gift. It was the ability to speak in a language which one had never studied before. It was a good gift which God had given for a purpose; to authenticate the authority of the Apostles and the writing of the Holy Scripture. But it had since ceased after the apostolic era and the Bible was completed. 1 Corinthians 14:18, I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: God had given to the Apostle Paul the gift of speaking in different languages even though it was not recorded in the Scriptures, But nevertheless he said, Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue (1 Corinthians 14:19). It was better to speak in a short sentence made up of five words, giving a message that would edify and encourage the hearts of the believers, than to speak in a multitude of words, ten thousand words in a foreign language that no one understood. Take note of the phrase yet in the church because spiritual gifts were given for the purpose of edification, and the place for it to be exercised was in the church, and not for private or personal use. Dear friend, perhaps we understand the cessation of tongues, but how can we apply this passage into our lives? 1. Emotion — God has given to us emotions, but our emotions cannot stand on its own, it must come with understanding. Therefore, whenever we make decisions (whether it be whom we marry, which job we choose to do, where to live or study, which church to attend, etc), they must not stand on our emotions alone, but rather based on the truth of God’s Word which giveth us understanding. 2. Spiritual gift — God has given to us spiritual gifts, but what have we done with our spiritual gifts? Spiritual gifts are not given for self-gratification, self-satisfaction or self-glorification. They are not given to do the pastor and minister a favour, or to please men, or receive their applause. They are given for the edification of the church. We need to pray for and attend a Bible-believing church where we can exercise our spiritual gifts! 3. Edification — There are things we do that people may not know, especially those things we do behind the scenes. But it does not matter, because if God has given to us those spiritual gifts which may not outwardly appear to be “obvious,” “glamorous,” or “big” in the eyes of the people. But as long as it edifies the believers, that is what we are going to do. For the glory of God! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~10 min read

“…put a premium in tongue-speaking…”

1 Corinthians 14:1-6

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, If God has blessed you with a spiritual gift, it is not for your own benefit but for the edification of the believers. For example, if God has blessed you with the gift of hospitality, showing mercy, teaching or singing, it is for the purpose that you may contribute to the good of others. So, in this chapter, one sees the repetition of the words, edification, edifieth, edifying or edified, a total of seven times (vv.3, 4, 5, 12, 17, 26). Thus, it is a key word. Edification means to build up or to strengthen. The Corinthians were very concerned about spiritual gifts, but their motivations were all wrong, it was for the purposes of self-seeking, self-gratification and self-glorification, not for the edification of the church. Verse 1, Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. The phrase follow after is a strong term which means to pursue or to chase after with intensity. The problem with the Corinthians was that the only strong desire they had for spiritual gifts was for themselves, therefore Paul urged them to pursue after charity (love). Without love, everything would be meaningless (c.f. 1 Corinthians 13). But that does not mean that we only hold onto love, and everything else is to be disregarded. Love is no substitute for the other virtues, like truth and service. We must speak the truth with love, and we must serve with love. The point is that one needs to understand that the proper use of every spiritual gift is not for one to show off, but for him or her to minister to others with love. Here essentially, Paul was saying that there was a more significant and important gift that could accomplish something that tongues could not accomplish, and that was to prophesy. The word to prophesy can mean to fore-tell (as in fore-telling the future), or forth-tell (as in declaring the truth). When the Bible was completed, and with the strong warning in Revelation 22:18-19, the ability to fore-tell the future had come to an end. Today, when we prophesy about the future, like speaking about the end times, we are forth-telling what the Bible has already recorded for us. So, basically, to prophesy is to declare the truth of God’s Word. So, Paul was making a point that prophesy could do something that tongues could not do. But how could prophesy be better than tongues? Again, it had to do with the word edification. I. We Are To Edify The Believers, Not God Verse 2, For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. The word tongue means language. The word unknown (which was added by the King James translators) is not a reference to the charismatic ecstatic speech which nobody can understand. It is a foreign language! In those days, when the Bible was still not completed, there was the existence of the sign gifts, and speaking in tongues was one of them. When the person spoke in an unknown tongue (foreign language), he was speaking to God because only He could understand every language. He was not speaking to men unless those men knew and understood the language he was speaking. Howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries — The word spirit is not a reference to the Holy Spirit, but to the person’s spirit. Essentially, the person was speaking things to himself that no one could understand. Unknown words do not edify, because what you do not know or understand cannot edify you. If the preacher were to stand on the pulpit and speak in a language that the congregation does not understand (it could be French, Spanish or Mexican), it is of no value to those people who do not understand those languages. One ought to remember that spiritual gifts are meant to edify. God gives us spiritual gifts for the edification of the saints. He does not give us spiritual gifts for the purpose of edifying Him for He is perfect and does not need edification, to be encouraged, built up or strengthened. Believers are to glorify God, not edify Him! On the other hand, we are not perfect, therefore God gives us spiritual gifts so that we may edify, encourage, build up and strengthen one another. Words with no meaning edifies no one! The modern charismatic movement does not understand that. When you watch the charismatics speaking in tongues, they are speaking words that no one knows nor understands. One of the things the charismatics would always say is that speaking in tongues is a gift, and they are speaking to God, and only He understands. One does not need to speak to God in such an ecstatic speech or utterance for Him to understand. To reiterate again, God does not give us spiritual gifts so that we can edify Him, but rather to edify the believers. Therefore, Paul said in verse 3, But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. Speaking a foreign language cannot edify the one who does not understand. But there is something that edifies, and that is the preaching or declaration of God’s truth in the native tongue of the people. There are at least three benefits from the gift of preaching. This verse is not an exhaustive list of all the benefits of preaching, just citing some essential ones. 1. The first benefit is edification — This is the strengthening of our faith and knowledge of God which enables us to grow spiritually. 2. The second benefit is exhortation — This is the encouragement for us to press on and persevere. 3. The third benefit is comfort — This is to help us cope with the trials and struggles of life. II. We Are To Edify The Believers, Not Ourselves Verse 4, He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. This statement was spoken with a touch of sarcasm (in a good sense to drive across a point). It does not mean that the person who speaks in an unknown tongue (foreign language) actually edifies himself. In whatever language one speaks in, unless he or she understands that language, he or she would not be edified. In other words, Paul was saying, “You are only thinking about yourself. You want to feel good about yourself. You are just after self-gratification. But spiritual gifts are not meant for yourself, they are given to you for the edification of others!” Let’s say there is a sister-in-Christ who is gifted to play the piano, and the deacon-in-charge of music approaches her to serve in the music ministry. But she says, “No!” And the deacon says, “But God has gifted you in this area.” “Yes,” she says, “I know that, and that is why I play for myself every day. I feel so encouraged every time I play the piano for myself.” The same goes with the one who is gifted with a good voice, and she says, “I sing for myself.” Or the one who is gifted to preach but he does not want to teach in the Sunday school, and he says, “Well, I like to preach to myself, and I would record what I say, and then listen to my own preaching and be edified.” That was never the intention of any spiritual gift. It was never for the purpose of self-edification! Again, we are not targeting the charismatic movement, but it is very common for those who practice the charismatic tongue-speaking to say that it is for their own private devotional use. Though, we believe this unknown tongue in verse 4 is a foreign language, but just for sake of argument, even if it is a reference to the charismatic ecstatic speech, Paul said, “Do you not know that was not the purpose for spiritual gift. It was never to edify yourself, and it was always meant to edify others!” On the other hand, preaching edifies the church because the Word of God is powerful to edify, encourage and comfort the people. Verse 5, I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. Here, it is a figure of speech, because Paul did not mean for everyone to speak in tongues. That would be impossible! If he did that, then he would be contradicting himself because previously he had said in 1 Corinthians 12:30, Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? Most certainly not! Only some of them were given those sign gifts! On another occasion, he said in 1 Corinthians 7:7, For I would that all men were even as I myself. (in other words, I am single and I wished that all men were like myself) But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. Did he really mean that everyone should not get married? No! Not everyone had the gift of celibacy! In other words, what Paul was trying to do here, was that he did not despise the gift of speaking in tongues (foreign language). Even if God had given all the Corinthians the gift of speaking in tongues, there was something greater than that, and that was preaching. Greater in terms of edification. To put it simply, Paul was saying, “I would rather you are gifted to preach because that would be more edifying!” Speaking in a foreign language is of no value to us, except when it is interpreted. By way of illustration, have you ever watched a foreign movie on television without subtitles? You have to keep guessing what the actors are saying, right? Some people may argue that in movies, the setting, sequence and actions may provide some clues. But what about listening to a foreign radio? That would surely leave us absolutely clueless. That is exactly what speaking in tongues without any interpretation means. Some time ago, one church member said to me that she would not bring her parents to church because they could not understand English. They could only speak Cantonese, so she brought them to a Cantonese church. I totally agreed with her. What benefit could they receive from listening to an English sermon? What edification, or exhortation, or comfort, could they receive? None! But there is one way in which speaking in tongues (foreign language) can have the same emphasis or significance as that of preaching, and that is when it is interpreted. For example, when I speak in English, and I have an interpreter who understands both Mandarin and English, standing beside me, and he interprets every word I say into Mandarin. When he does that, then it will be able to edify the Mandarin listeners. Perhaps, you may be thinking to yourself, “Alright, I understand that prophesy is better than speaking in tongues (foreign language). But since the gift of tongues-speaking had ceased after the apostolic era, and no one is gifted in such a way anymore, so what has that got to do with me?” Well, remember, the keyword edification. If you are a believer, then God has gifted you; every believer is given at least one spiritual gift, some have multiple spiritual gifts. There are two things you can do in regards to your spiritual gift/s. 1. You may be unfaithful — God has given to you the spiritual gift, and you refuse to exercise the gift, or you use it only for self-edification, self-gratification or self-glorification. 2. You may be faithful — You understand that God has given to you the spiritual gift and you want to use it to glorify Him. Therefore, you want to consider your spiritual gift in relation to the edification of the church. How best can I edify the church with this gift? How best can I encourage, build up, strengthen and comfort the believers with this gift? When God opens the door for you to serve in a particular area, and you see the opportunity for you to exercise the gift so that you can edify the church, you will serve with all faithfulness and humility. Dear friend, are you faithful or unfaithful in regards to the spiritual gift/s that God has given to you? One day, all of us would have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and we long to hear our Saviour say to us, “Come thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord. For you have been faithful to use the spiritual gift/s that I have given to you for the edification of the believers!” With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~9 min read

“…it is not for your own benefit…”

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

Ps Paul Cheng

The Corinthians were very concerned about the prominence of spiritual gifts, and the more spectacular the gift was, the more they would desire that gift. Before the Bible was completed, the gift of prophecy would include the ability to foretell the future, and the gift of knowledge would include the ability to understand things that have not been revealed, special revelation. Then the Apostle Paul embarked on 1 Corinthians 13 to deal with the importance and qualities of love. Without love, all the spiritual gifts would be meaningless! No matter how seemingly spectacular or prominent those spiritual gifts might be, they were only tempaoral. Only one thing was permanent, and that was love! I. An Examination Of Prophecies, Tongues And Knowledge Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away (1 Corinthians 13:8). Charity (love, or agape) never faileth, does not mean love will always succeed. Love does not always win. Our Lord Jesus’s love was perfect, yet not everyone believed in Him. In fact, they denied, rejected and crucified Him. The Apostle Paul truly loved sacrificially, yet he was persecuted, arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and like his Lord, he was put to death. Likewise as parents, we love our children most dearly, but it does not mean that our love will always win our children over, and they will always respond in a positive way. Here, it is about the permanence of love! The word faileth means to drop away; like a flower or a leaf that withers, decays and falls to the ground. There will never come a time whereby love will die or be abolished. In heaven, there will be no more need for the gifts of teaching, preaching, prophecy, discernment, knowledge, wisdom, tongues, miracles, healings, faith, mercy or leadership. None of those gifts will have a purpose or place in heaven. But there will still be love in heaven. Here, the Apostle Paul was emphasizing the permanence of love against the spiritual gifts that were temporal and partial. Take a moment and consider our relationships. A person may be a married man or woman, a father or mother, a son or daughter, and so forth. Those are wonderful relationships. But do you realize that those relationships do not last forever? There will be no marriage, or parental relationships in heaven. The only thing that will still exist in heaven is love; one’s love for God and his love for others. Interestingly, Paul used two different Greek words to explain how tongues, prophecies and knowledge would stop. He used the same word for prophecies and knowledge, they shall fail and vanish away. It is a very strong word of cessation (katargeo). It is in the passive voice which means there will be an outside force which will cause them to stop. And what is this outside force? Verses 9-10 give us the answer, when the perfect is come (which will be dealt with shortly). II. An Examination Of Sign Gifts But for tongues, Paul used a different Greek word that they shall cease (pauo) which means to come to an end. It is in the middle voice meaning the gift of tongue-speaking will stop by itself. For example, like a battery, it has a limited energy and lifespan. When it reaches its limits, its activity automatically ends by itself. In other words, prophecies and knowledge would be stopped by something outside themselves (when the perfect is come), but the gift of tongues will stop by itself. Previously, we had discussed that tongues-speaking was a sign gift (just like the gift of miracles). Sign gifts were given for a particular reason, they were to be used specially to authenticate the authority of the apostles. Once they had served their purposes, they would cease by themselves. It does not mean that God has ceased to perform miracles or healings. Today God continues to perform miracles and heal miraculously. He still works in supernatural ways according to His sovereign will, but as far as any man having the gift to perform miracles and healing, they had ceased. With the passing away of the last Apostles, those sign gifts had stopped by themselves. Today, people talked a lot about tongues speaking. But do you realize that tongues speaking was only mentioned in the earlier New Testament books? In fact, most of the New Testament books do not even mention tongues-speaking. Paul mentioned it only in this book; James, Peter, John and Jude did not talk about it at all. The only place tongues speaking was mentioned was in Acts, but even then, after Acts 19, there was no more mention of tongues-speaking anymore. It is very clear from the New Testament record that tongues had ceased by itself even before the end of the apostolic age. After the apostles, came the church Fathers, and this topic of tongues speaking was not found in their writings. Historians and theologians of the early church had unanimously agreed that tongues had ceased to exist after the time of the Apostles. For almost 1800 years, there was no mention of tongue-speaking. Then all of a sudden, tongues speaking appeared in several Roman Catholic churches in Europe in the ninteenth century, and then around the twentieth century, it became a major emphasis within the Pentecostal denomination. Later on, in the 1950s, there was the charismatic movement which carried the practice of tongues into the other denominations. It is worthly to note that the charismatic tongues are different from the tongues in the Bible. Their tongues are ecstatic tongues which means to speak in an unknown language, while the tongues in the Bible are known languages. III. An Examination Of Charity So, for prophecies and knowledge, or special revelation, they shall fail or vanish away meaning they shall come to an end because of an outside force. When would that happen? When the perfect is come! There are two popular views about what is this perfect thing? • The first view believes that this perfect refers to the second coming of Christ. This view is unlikely because the word perfect (teleios) was never used with reference to the second coming of Christ, or the end of the world. This word is in the neuter, and it is not a reference to a person but rather an object. Christ was never known as the teleios, He was the logos. Therefore, this perfect thing cannot be a reference to the second coming of Christ. • The second view (which we hold as the right view) believes that this perfect refers to an object (teleios), the completed canon of the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. Remember, at this point in time, Paul was still writing the book of first Corinthians, so the perfect as in the Holy Scriptures, was not yet come, which means it was not yet completed. Once the Bible was completed, God through the Apostle John gave this strong warning in last chapter of the last book of the Bible, Revelations 22:18, For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. The gifts of prophecies and knowledge as in special revelation had come to end because of this outside force, this perfect is come, the Bible had been completed. Thus God gave this strong warning,; no more adding or subtracting from this perfect Word of God. That was why Paul said, For we know in part, and we prophecy in part (v.9). In other words, at that time, God was still revealing to the Apostles, and they were still receiving revelation and writing the Holy Scriptures. So, what they knew was only partial to the entire canon of the Holy Scriptures. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away (v.10). When the canon of the Holy Scriptures was completed, one no longer focused on that which was partial (bits and pieces), but on the completed Word of God. Furthermore, Paul gave the illustration of a child, When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things (v.11). He was comparing his present situation with regards to the Word of God, to that of a child. Without the entire Holy Scriptures, he could only speak, understand and think like a child, and his maturity was that of a child. He did not have the other New Testament books to help with his understanding and maturity. For example, he did not have Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John, Jude and Revelation. Without all these books, he was like a child. His understanding and maturity was like a child. But when he had the entire Holy Scriptures, he became a man which means he had the maturity to understand all the other things. He was no longer childish (as in immature in his understanding, childish things can mean simple things). If one is still not convinced that Paul was referring to the Word of God, Paul gave another illustration, For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known (v.12). Here, he likened the Word of God to be like a glass, a mirror. How does one know Paul was referring to the Word of God? Well, James said the same thing, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth whch manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (James 1:22-25, emphasis mine). The same word for glass was used there, and it was a reference to the Word of God! In a sense, Paul was saying, “At this point in time, the Bible is still not completed. Therefore, we can only see through this glass or mirror, and it is dark as in obscure or not clear. But later on, when the perfect is come, we would see face to face, which means directly. All that we need to know about life, sin, death, salvation, judgment, Saviour, heaven, hell, God, man, etc, will be completely revealed in this book, the Bible. And through this completed canon of God’s Word (the Bible), He will speak to us directly, face to face, through His Spirit.” So, today, if anyone claims he has the gift of prophecy, it can mean only one thing, he has the gift to forth-tell, declare or preach the perfect Bible (Word of God), not special revelation. If anyone declares he has the gift of knowledge, it can mean only one thing, he has the gift to understand the truth revealed in the perfect Bible, not special revelation. Finally, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (v.13). In the preceding verse 7, we had learnt the importance of believing all things and hoping all things, which were faith and hope. Though faith and hope are very important virtues, one day, they would be realized when we go to heaven, whether by death or the rapture. Faith and hope would have no purpose in heaven because we do not need to keep on believing as everything true would be known in heaven. We would see the reality of our faith because we do not need to keep on hoping as we have already arrived in our glorified state. But love is eternal and permanent, and it will continue even as we dwell with Christ forever and ever in the New Heavens and the New Earth. There will still be love! Having said that love is the greatest of these three not only because it is eternal, but even in this temporal world that we live in. Without love, everything would be empty and meaningless, including faith and hope. Today we must continue in love, for we cannot have faith and hope without it. Indeed, love is the greatest! Dear friend, with this in mind, let us ask ourselves, “Why do we fight amongst ourselves as to who is better, more successful or resourceful? If you are serving as a Bible teacher, or singing in the choir, or playing the piano, or ministering to the elderly, and another brother or sister in Christ is better than you in these spiritual gifts and activities, are you jealous? Rather than being envious, we ought to be happy. Love must be central in our lives, and this charity never faileth. It will continue with us even after we die, and when we see Christ face-to-face, there will still be love. The only difference is that our love then will be perfect, because there will be no more sin. One final vital lesson we can learn from here, is that if everything is going to end soon, our services and ministries will come to an end soon. If we truly love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind, we will continue to persevere and do His work while it is day, because when night cometh, we can no longer work. So we must not give up easily before that time comes, but to press on and persevere! When we draw our last breath in death or we are raptured, we will see our Lord face-to-face. In the sweet-by-and-by, on that beautiful shore in heaven, when everything will come to an end, but our love for God and for one another will still continue! Shalom, Pastor Paul Cheng

~10 min read

“…only thing that will still exist in heaven…”

1 Corinthians 13:7d

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 13:7d, Charity endureth all things. This original Greek word endureth (hupomeno) is different from the previous Greek word beareth (stego) all things. This word endureth is an intense bearing, to remain steadfast in times of suffering or in the face of persecution. Inevitably it is going to happen because our love is going to be tested. And in order to pass the test, we have to endure! Our love is going to be tested by very difficult circumstances. There was a classic example in Genesis 29 about Jacob who went to Laban because he desired to marry Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel, and her father Laban promised that he could have Rachel if he served him for seven years. Without hesitation, Jacob worked for Laban for seven years because he wanted to marry the woman he loved. And the Bible tells us that seven years seemed like a few days to Jacob because of his love for her. After enduring seven years of hardwork, did he get her? No! Laban deceived him in a sham marriage, and when Jacob woke up the next morning, he realized that the woman he married was not Rachel but Leah (her sister). Then Laban said to Jacob, “You can have Rachel if you work for me another seven years.” And Jacob did that. So, eventually, he ended up working and labouring for fourteen years to marry the one whom he loved dearly. If physical, natural and romantic love could cause a man to endure fourteen years of hardwork, how much more the supernatural love, charity (agape). True agape love is self-giving and self-sacrificing, and it is the highest and purest form of love, and it is a love that characterises God. True agape love will remain steadfast despite adversities and trying circumstances. That is the reason why missionaries would venture into foreign lands. They have to leave the comfort of their homes, to live in an unfamiliar environment with a different culture and language. They have to face difficult circumstances, and oftentimes without proper food, medical care and schools to send their children to. They are willing to accept all these challenges for the sake of sharing the gospel. What is the thing that motivates them? Love (agape)! Their love for lost souls enables them to endure all things! That is also the reason why the reformers were willing to face persecutions, and even be burned on the stakes (e.g. William Tyndale, John Huss, John Rogers) for the sake of the Bible. So that millions and millions (including us) can have access to the Word of God which is able to save the souls of men. It was their love for God, His Word and the souls of men that enabled them to endure all things! Dear friend, our love for God, His Word, His church, His gospel and the souls of men, is going to be tested by very difficult people, persecution, hostility, suffering and all kinds of trials and tribulations. But by the grace of God, we will endure, remain steadfast and pass the test, because love endureth all things! Having learned all the characteristics of love, I would like to end by saying, “Our love is active.” Our love is not just a word, thought, feeling or an emotion, but rather it is a verb. It is an action verb; it is to rejoice, bear, believe, hope and endure (c.f. 1 Corinthians 13:6-7). It is much easier when love is just saying some nice things to one another, or having some kind thoughts about one another, or having some emotions towards one another. But when love goes beyond our thoughts, attitudes and words, and it requires actions, that is what makes it difficult. But true agape love is God’s love in the highest and purest form, and He who has commanded us to have such a love, will enable us to exercise it. If we humble and yield ourselves to the Spirit’s leading, He will produce in us this love which is the first on the list of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit (c.f. Galatians 5:22). With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

“…to remain steadfast in times of suffering or in the face of persecution…”

1 Corinthians 13:7c

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 13:7c, Charity hopeth all things. Dear friend, have you ever felt like giving up? Have you ever said within yourself, “What is the use of serving? No one seems to understand and appreciate my services! What is the use of teaching and preaching? No one seems to hear the message! What is the use of evangelising? No one has been saved so far through my efforts! Surely, there were times when we felt like giving up. What was the thing that kept us persevering? Hope! As long as we are alive, there is always God’s grace still available for us, and thus, there is hope. Despite Israel’s failure, there was still hope! Despite Peter’s denial, there was still hope! Despite the Corinthians’ failure, there was still hope! And despite Bethel’s shortcomings (like all the local churches, we are not perfect), however there is still hope! There are so many promises in the Bible that make our love hopeful. Parents, if you have backslidden children, do not give up hope! Husbands and wives, if you have an unfaithful spouse, or you feel your marriage is at its breaking point, do not give up hope! Friends, if you have an unbelieving loved one, do not give up hope! As long as there is life, we will still love, because our love is hopeful. Our love is based on the object of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will never forget nor forsake us. The One who saved us through His death and the shedding of His precious blood on the cross of Calvary, and continues to save us through the sanctifying work of His Spirit and Word, and one day, He will completely and perfectly save us in our glorification. Recently, I watched a documentary about a dog owner who had passed away, and after the funeral, everyone left the burial ground. But the dog remained there waiting. For days, months and years, that dog would not leave the grave site. Because that was the place, he last saw his master being buried, and he was waiting for his master to return. He would not give up the hope that someday they would be reunited again. If a dog’s love for his master can produce that kind of hope, how much more should our love produce for our Master? Three times in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible, Revelation, Jesus said, “Behold, I come quickly!” Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is coming for us soon. His return is imminent. When Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He answered, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:30-31).” As believers, we will and must persevere in our love for God and man, by clinging on this blessed wonderful hope that our Lord Jesus will come for us soon! And until He comes, love hopeth all things! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~2 min read

“…so many promises in the Bible that make our love hopeful…”

1 Corinthians 13:7b

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 13:7b, Charity believeth all things.   Love has to do with what one thinks; how he thinks and feels about someone. What does it mean to believe all things? One theologian aptly explains it this way, “It means that I would rather be wrong by believing you than to wrong you by not believing you. I would rather be taken advantage of than to hurt you by judging you in an inaccurate way.”   Perhaps, we can say, “Love is not suspicious.” We cannot see the heart of a man; we can only hear what a person says, and we accept what he says on face value. We do not try to read his heart motivation (which is something we do not know). Though sometimes we may be disappointed because people do not say what they mean, and they do not mean what they say.   However, love does not suspect the worst nor does it not expect the worst. When one suspects the worst, he would say things like, “Well, there must be something at work behind the scenes. There must be something evil going on down there!” When one expects the worst, he would say things like, “No matter what he does, I think it is going to be bad. At the end of the day, the outcome is going to be negative!”     Dear friend, are you someone who is always suspecting the worst, expecting the worst? Love does not do either of the above! Love is not suspicious in the sense that it takes evil imaginations, motives or intentions, and imposes it on the person and says, “I know this must be in his or her heart!”     Do you realize that oftentimes we choose to believe what we want to believe about a person? We have already formulated an opinion about the person in our minds. Then when we hear someone says, “That person is really nice, kind, respectful, thoughtful and generous,” we would respond, “Well, you don’t really know about that person. You don’t know what I know, and you have not seen what I have seen.” Maybe at times we are right; we do know what others do not know, and we have seen what others have not seen. But more often than not, that is not the truth at all. The truth is that we see the person the way we want to see him because we have already formulated an opinion of him in our minds. That is not loving!   Perhaps you have been hurt in the past. You have trusted certain people, and they have let you down. You have always thought well of them, and they have disappointed you. Thus, you have made up your mind, and you are not going to let yourself be hurt, or be taken advantage of again. Therefore, you are not going to trust, believe or love anyone.   Do you remember Joseph in the Old Testament? He was mistreated by his brothers who had sold him to slavery. In fact, they contemplated leaving him in the ditch to die. He became a slave, and subsequently, he was being falsely accused of rape, thrown into prison and forgotten. Later on, he became the second most powerful man in Egypt. At the end of his life, he not only provided for his brothers who had experienced a great famine in their land. When his brothers appeared before him, was Joseph bitter, angry and vengeful? He had every opportunity to execute vengeance if he wanted to, but he did not. Instead, he said to his brothers, But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive (Genesis 50:20).  Joseph recognised that all this was a part of God’s sovereign plan for his life. This is a wonderful lesson for us to learn. Even the things that have hurt and disappointed us, or situations when we have been mistreated, they are all parts of God’s sovereign plan for our lives. God allows those things to happen, not to destroy us, but He always meant it unto good for us; to sanctify us, to produce in us the fruit of the Spirit and one of which is love.   When we love by believing all things, it does not mean we will not be taken advantage of, or we will not be disappointed. Essentially, we are trusting in God that He will protect us, He will take care of us, even if He allows us to be taken advantage of, He has a sovereign purpose for us.     Shalom, Pastor Paul Cheng  

~3 min read

“…love does not suspect the worst nor does it not expect the worst…”

1 Corinthians 13:7a

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 13:7a, Charity beareth all things. The phrase all things does not mean love just simply accepts anything, or believes anything. Most certainly we do not believe those things that the false prophets are teaching, or believe what all the other pagan religions believe in. Here it means all things acceptable in God’s righteousness and will, and in accordance to His Word. The word beareth (stego) means deck or roof. What does a roof do? It provides a covering and protects us against the rain and elements (e.g. weather). It can also mean to endure. Thus, the context of “charity beareth all things” means we are willing to patiently endure in order to protect those whom we love. The best way to understand this aspect of love is perhaps when we think about our physical affection. We have a natural tendency to protect those people in our family whom we love most like our parents and children. We want to protect them against criticism which will discourage them. We want to protect them against vicious physical and verbal attacks which will disparage them. We want to protect them against evil and sin which will destroy them. We are willing to endure patiently so that our loved ones will be well taken care of. Now when we take this natural physical affection into the spiritual realm, what about our spiritual family, the church? What about our spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ? What are the things we are willing to patiently endure so that they can be spiritually protected, and spiritually well taken care of? In the church, we serve the Lord by serving others, because we know that our spiritual services are beneficial for the body of Christ, the church. But how much are we willing to endure or bear? Sadly, many have given up along the way. Some people do not mind serving as long as it is convenient, but when the burden gets too heavy, they will call it quits. Let us take a moment and think of our physical family. As parents, we will never say to our children, “Well, that is too much for me to bear. I will not do this for you anymore.” Most certainly not! However, we do this all the time to our spiritual family, the church. We give up when things get difficult, or they take too much of our time and effort, or they bring us trouble and unhappiness. That is not alright! Consider the Apostle Paul and the Corinthians. What kind of a church was that? The Corinthians were deeply involved in sin and immorality. They were divided, disorderly and chaotic even in their worship. They fought with one another, sued one another, and had sexual sins with one another (there was even a case of a mother and son committing the sin of incest). They were proud of their spiritual gifts, and their hearts were filled with jealousy. They abused their marriages, and false teachers had crept into the church. They attacked the integrity of Paul, and even questioned the resurrection of Christ. In fact, the condition in Corinth was so bad that Apollos would not stay or return to Corinth though the Apostle Paul urged him. That was how problematic the Corinthian church was! Yet, Paul did not give up, and he was willing to endure with them, and continued to provide them protection (through faithfully preaching and teaching the Word) to enhance them spiritually. Why did he do that? Because that was the church God had called him to minister to, and he truly loved the believers. Indeed, love beareth all things! Dear friend, is Bethel your church? Do you love the church? If you love the church because it is your spiritual family, and it is the place where God has called you to worship and serve Him then in spite of whatever adverse situations or circumstances, you will do all you can, to protect, endure and persevere because love beareth all things. Shalom, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

“…willing to patiently endure in order to protect those whom we love…”

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

Bro Joshua Nah

Dear Bethelites, It’s been just over a month since I arrived at FEBC and commenced my studies, so I thought I would update you on how I’ve been doing. Thankfully, I think I’ve adjusted well to life here. On the day that I arrived, Rev Dr Jeffry Khoo told me that many people think of FEBC as an extended church camp, and that they’re wrong. FEBC is probably better likened to spiritual NS (national service). Since I haven’t started studying the biblical languages yet (I’ll start Greek next semester), I can’t say that I understand the full rigour of FEBC life yet. But, needless to say, I think Dr Khoo was right. Apart from the 2-4 hours of lectures each day, my time is spent completing my assignments (which are mostly reading and writing) and cleaning the college. Yes, something that was not fully advertised to me before I arrived here is just how much cleaning seems to be a part of the curriculum. As a friend told me, “We’re learning not only to serve with our hearts but also with our hands.” Other practical parts of my week include a game of Captain’s Ball (which the weather doesn’t make easy), door-to-door evangelism (which is testing my highly limited Chinese), and a choir rehearsal of the college’s anthem in preparation for the graduation ceremony at the end of the semester. I will say that the part of all this that does feel like an extended church camp is definitely the fellowship. I’ve made great friends here and each day is full of laughs, exhortation, encouragement and even debates. Concerning my weekends, I’ve decided I’ll be worshipping at Gethsemane BPC. Currently, I’m still considered which ministries and fellowship groups I’ll be involved with long-term, but everything has been a blessing so far. There are many more things I could share, but, lest I bore you with the details, I’ll wrap up with a couple verses that seem fitting. In 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, Paul says, “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father”. Arriving in Singapore and not being actively involved in a church was and still is a strange experience. But being in this sort of limbo between Bethel and Gethsemane has helped me pray and give thanks more for you all and the work you are doing in Melbourne. And I want to thank you for your prayers too. There are many things that I’m realising are potential pitfalls and temptations for me in this Bible college, and in the future. The example of Moses’ reluctance to serve God because of his own weaknesses has become quite relatable. Yet, at the same time, I’m daily reminded of how God’s grace is sufficient to overcome all our weaknesses, and that it is through prayer that we call down this grace upon ourselves. So, as I pray for you all, please continue to pray for me. Namely, please pray that I’ll grow in my: 1. Love for God and His Word with each assignment, reading, sermon, and everything in between. 2. Dependence on God to overcome the challenges I face. 3. Stamina and discipline to work hard despite feeling quite tired most days. Every other day the thought occurs to me that I’m in a Bible college. It’s quite surreal. I still feel like I’m on a long holiday that should end soon. I thank God for this opportunity and pray I’ll remain faithful with it. I wouldn’t have reached this point if it weren’t for your prayers. May God help us all to grow in our love for Him in Melbourne and Singapore! Your brother, Joshua PS. Happy belated Chinese New Year! Past FEBC Student With Present FEBC Students [From Left To Right: Joshua, Timothy, Pastor, Biboy, Jonathan.]

~3 min read

“…just over a month since I arrived at FEBC...”

1 Corinthians 13:6b

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 13:6b, but rejoiceth in the truth. The word but is the contrast, instead of rejoicing in iniquity, we rejoice in the truth. In other words, love is able to recognize what is right and wrong, righteousness and unrighteousness, truth and iniquity. So, love is discerning! What is truth? Truth is anything that is in accordance with the Word of God, and anything that reflects the will and character of God. Love cannot turn a blind eye to matters of right and wrong, or truth and error. Love is able to discern that there are some things acceptable and unacceptable to God. 1. A love that is committed to the truth - To rejoice in the truth, we have to make a commitment to the truth. Some people may say, “We don’t have to be so judgmental. We don’t have to take such a firm stance. Can't we just accept everything? After all, isn’t that what it means to be loving?” Biblical love (agape) is in the purest form, and does not operate like that. We have to know the truth, and then be committed to it. We cannot be neutral! 2. A love that is not neutral - Have you ever heard this statement, “It doesn’t matter if people agree or disagree with us about doctrines, what matters is that we love them”? Do you realize that this statement does not make sense? Our love must be based on the truth of God’s Word, not our feelings, or emotions, or what we think is right or wrong, or what the majority thinks. Love always rejoices in the truth and never in falsehood or false teaching. In fact, love cannot tolerate wrong teaching. Most certainly, we love our parents. Let’s say, our parents are unbelievers. If we truly love them, then it is very important to us whether or not what our parents believe is right or wrong because it is going to affect their souls, eternal salvation, and whether they end up in heaven or in hell. If our parents say, “Well, it doesn’t matter what I believe in. Every religion teaches a way to salvation. My good work can save me. My giving money to charity can save me. I can pick and coose any religion I want, and at the end of the day, I will still be in heaven.” If we truly love them, we will correct them not because we desire a debate or an argument, but because our love rejoices only in the truth that will save their souls. 3. A love that requires a stance - When we make a commitment to the truth, we have to take a stance. Love is not passive in the face of truth and error. Love does not allow us to say, “Don’t ask me. It is not my business. I do not want to be involved.” We do not really have a right to speak like that. Love does not allow us to take no position because of self-preservation, or out of fear, or we don’t want to be on someone’s wrong side, or we want to be accepted by everyone. Love does not allow us to do that. The only way we can rejoice in the truth, is that we must recognise what is truth and error, sin and evil. And when we love the truth, then we must hate evil, which inevitably will lead us to take a stance. We can never be neutral. 4. A love that is on the Lord’s side - When we make a commitment to the truth, it doesn’t matter whether the person is our father, or mother, or child, or friend, if he orshe is wrong, he or she is wrong, regardless. We may lose our friends, or be rejected, or ostracised, or not welcomed, but we would rather stand on the Lord’s side than on the other side. Because love rejoiceth in the truth! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

“…love is discerning…”

1 Corinthians 13:6a

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 13:6a, Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity.   To rejoice is to be happy or find satisfaction. Love never takes satisfaction from iniquity or sin, whether it is our own sins or the sins of others. When we commit a sin, it is already bad enough, but to be happy about it, is even worse.    First and foremost, rejoicing in sin is wrong because sin offends God. How can we be happy with something that offends and grieves our heavenly Father? If we truly love God, whatever offends Him will offend us, and whatever grieves Him, will grieve us.   We may not find ourselves rejoicing in sins like violence, crime, immorality, murder, etc. But rejoicing in sin can take many different forms.    1. It can take the form of hoping someone will make a mistake or fall into sin (especially someone whom we do not like).When we find ourselves very eager to hear bad news about the person, or how he or she has fallen into sin, something is very wrong. That is not love!   Some years back, I had a friend who tried to counsel someone about a certain sin the latter had committed. That person refused to take his advice and continued in his sin. My friend was disappointed that this counsel was not well-received, and became angry. He was so consumed with anger that he wished that the person would get in deep trouble, and pay a heavy price for the things he had done. That is not love!     It does not matter whether the person is your friend, or someone who despises you, or your greatest enemy. Do you find yourself rejoicing in seeing him or her being destroyed through sin? Think of someone who has hurt you very deeply, and then you hear of him making some foolish decisions and subsequently facing some serious consequences, what is your attitude and emotion in hearing that piece of news? If you take delight in telling someone else, “Do you remember so-and so? Do you remember what he did? Did you hear what happened to him? He deserves it!”, if there is some kind of joy derived from the fall of that person, it is not love because love rejoiceth not in iniquity.      1. Another common form of rejoicing in sin is gossip.Many people would take this sin very lightly, but this is very wicked. What gossip does is it amplifies the sins and weaknesses of others. People who gossip would often say, “But what I am saying is true.” Even though what they say may be true, it is still gossip because their intention and motivation is to hurt and not to  Whenever we gossip, we are sharing something negative about the person, or something that reflects poorly on his or her character, it is not for encouragement or edification.   But that does not mean we do not speak against sin and iniquity. Whenever we speak against sin, our intention and motivation should not be to gossip but to help. That is why we must deal with it in a biblical way. Take church discipline for example. Do you realize how church discipline helps us not to gossip? Why do you think Matthew 18 tells us to go to the person one-on-one? So that we can help the person in the most private way possible, and when the person responds to the first step of discipline, that will be the end of it. Keep it private (don’t gossip, keep it one-on-one)! But if he does not want to listen one-on-one, what do we do? Take 10 or 20 persons with us, to speak to him? No! Take 2 or 3 persons, so that if he listens, it is still dealt with in a private sense. It is only when the person chooses not to listen, and he continues to disobey, that is when we bring it to the church level. Why do we do that? Because instead of going around to gossip, we are opening the matter up. We have to do that, to keep the purity of the church! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

“…our intention and motivation should not be to gossip but to help…”

1 Corinthians 13:5d

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 13:5d, Charity thinketh no evil. The word thinketh is an accounting term, meaning to reckon or to take into account. In other words, love does not keep a record of the wrong done to us, and it does not harbour ill feelings toward those who have us wrong. Do you keep a record of the hurts done to you? Do you hold grudges? It does not mean that we have absolutely no memory of the things done to us. That is not how memory works. We are still conscious of those things, and we can still remember those things. What it means is to be willing to forgive. In Matthew 18:21, Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” Jesus saith unto him, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Jesus meant indefinitely. He went on to give the illustration of the servant who owed the king 10,000 talents, and was forgiven of the huge debt. Another servant owed that servant one hundred pence, however, and the latter caught hold of him, choked him by the throat, and threw him into prison until he paid up the small debt. The equivalent of 10,000 talents to 100 pence is about 7 million dollars and a few dollars. Then the king came and said to him, “I forgave you of all the debts - shouldn’t you also have compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” The king was so angry that he delivered the ungrateful servant to the tormentors until he paid up all that was due. The moral of the story is this, Jesus said, So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses (Matthew 18:25). When we consider our salvation and the enormous, unparalleled debt we owed to God, according to His standards of justice we deserved to lose everything - including our soul - to pay it off. He forgave all our debts. How can we not forgive another person of his or her sins against us? When we say we forgive a fellow brother or sister in Christ, it does not mean that reconciliation will take place immediately. It takes only one party to forgive, but it takes two for reconciliation to take place. If the offending party does not want to repent, or does not want to receive forgiveness, reconciliation cannot take place. A wife may be willing to forgive her adulterous husband, but if he does not want to repent and feels that he has not done anything wrong, as willing to forgive as the wife may be, reconciliation cannot take place. Regardless, the point is that we must be willing to forgive - the first step. Are you someone who keeps a record of the hurts done to you? Or are you someone who is quick to forgive the people who have sinned against you? Ask yourself these few questions and you will know the answer; 1. Are you able to pray for the person who has done you wrong? Take the person who has offended you in the worst possible way you can think of. Someone who has hurt you most deeply, and try to pray for him or her genuinely. Pray for his redemption. Pray for a change of heart. Pray for reconciliation. Pray for the situation to change. If you cannot do that, you know in your heart that you have not forgiven the person. One of the clearest signs of unforgiveness is the inability to pray for the person. 2. Have you always been bringing up the past issues? You find yourself always repeating the same struggles again and again. Our minds are not like the computer whereby we can delete all the memory in the hard-drive, but to find ourselves constantly repeating the old issues again and again is surely a telling sign that we have not forgiven the person. Sometimes when a husband and wife get into an argument, one party may pull out a list of the things that the other has done in the past (or vice-versa). “This is not the only wrong thing you have done. Do you remember what you did the last time? Do you remember you did this and that?” This is an indication that those past issues have not been forgiven. 3. Have you been telling others negative things about the person who has offended you? Slanders and gossip are good indicators of an unforgiving spirit because they are meant to destroy the person/s with words. Having said that, it does not mean that we are not to speak about past issues. We can discuss those past issues in a constructive way. Deep in our hearts, we must have love which thinketh no evil, and we must want to better the relationship.

~3 min read

“…to be willing to forgive….”

1 Corinthians 13:5c

Ps Paul Cheng

The Qualities of Love (Part 8) - Love is not easily provoked 1 Corinthians 13:5c, charity is not easily provoked. To be provoked is to arouse anger. It is a sudden outburst of emotion. Paul was not speaking about righteous anger. For example, when we see God and His Word being attacked, blasphemed or contradicted, or people trying to divide or destroy the church, we should have this righteous anger. When Jesus cleansed the Temple, He was angry with the abuse of God’s house. Yet on many other occasions, when He was personally abused, He did not become angry or defensive. Likewise, Paul was angry when he responded strongly against such things as heresy, immorality, worldliness and the misuse of spiritual gifts, but he did not become angry at those who beat, jailed or persecuted him. When we hear of a wicked man trying to cheat a young into illicit vices, we should be angry. When we hear of someone trying to influence our child and cause him or her to commit a horrendous sin, we should be angry. If we are not angry, then something is terribly wrong with us! But even in our righteous anger, we must be very careful because anger often leads to sin. That is why Ephesians 4:26 said, Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. In other words, do not let our righteous anger turn to bitterness and sin, and do not prolong that anger because in doing so, we are giving the devil a place in our heart from where he can begin to control our emotions and actions. Here, the easily provoked that Paul was talking about had nothing to do with righteous anger. It has to do with things done against us that are personally offensive. Are you someone who is easily provoked? Does it take just a little thing to trigger your anger to explode? If there is something wrong in your life, and it needs to be corrected, and someone brings it to your attention, are you quick to be irritated? A person who is easily provoked is not approachable; he is not teachable and is unwilling to receive constructive criticism. There are some people who are happy for you to point out their mistakes, and they are able to accept criticism. They are quite pleasant until you bring up some issues about their children, and then all of a sudden, they turn into “monsters.” That specific issue is their trigger point which easily provoked them. Oftentimes, people who are easily provoked, would not be happy with any situations. They will always be looking for occasions to take offence at people. They are always unhappy, never satisfied, and they will not say anything good about anything or anyone. If you are someone who is easily provoked, it would mean that you are someone whom everyone has to be sensitive to. Everyone has to walk on “eggshells” because of you. Everyone has to think about what you want and what would make you happy, so that you will not lose your temper. The people who are closest to us, our husbands, wives and children, will know us best, whether we are patient or easily provoked. It is not good enough for us to tell our husbands or wives that we love them but we are always getting angry with what they say or do. It is not good enough to tell our children that we love them but we are always shouting and yelling at them for doing things that irritate us and interfere with our plans. Some people may respond by saying, “Well, I know that I lose my temper a lot, but it is all over in a few minutes.” One pastor wisely said, “While that is true, so is the nuclear bomb, and so is the impulsive murderer.” If we are not careful, a great deal of damage can be done in a very short time. Our anger is always destructive, and sometimes, our outburst of anger can leave permanent damages. Dear friend, as believers, we need to recognise if we have an issue with anger, and ask the Spirit of God to help and grant us the strength to control it. And we must be willing to take concrete steps to deal with our anger. A Christian friend of mine who once had anger issues was subsequently able to become patient. So I curiously asked him how he was able to overcome that. He shared with me that whenever he felt this anger ventilating in his heart, he would take three steps. (1) Firstly, he would walk away from the situation. (2) Secondly, he would recite the church weekly memory verses. (3) And finally, he would pray. Praise God for giving him godly wisdom! We must let the love of God to guard our hearts against what we say, do or think, not our emotions. Love is not easily provoked! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

“…a sudden outburst of emotion…”

1 Corinthians 13:5b

Ps Paul Cheng

Seeketh not her own (1 Corinthians 13:5b) The Apostle Paul exhorted the Philippians, Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others (Philippians 2:3-4). The unbeliever naturally puts himself first, others second and God last. But the Bible teaches us to reverse the series; God is to be first, others second and we last. Dear friend, are you a selfish person? Are you someone who puts yourself first, others second, and God last? If we want to know the truth about ourselves, all we need to do is to ask ourselves these questions, “What are our desires? What are our decisions? What are our devotions?” Desires — We may have many desires. For example, we want to go to college, secure a good job, get married, buy a new house, save money for holidays, enter into a business venture, etc. While all these desires may not be sinful, what have they got to do with God and others? If none of our desires has anything to do with God's glory or for the good of others, and they are all about ourselves, what does it tell us about ourselves? How can we say we have lived our lives serving the chief purpose “the chief end of God is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever (WSC 1).” If we do not obey God, to love Him and others, how can we glorify Him? Decisions — We need to consider all our decisions because they will reveal our hearts’ desires. We may say, “We love the Lord with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all minds, and our neighbours as ourselves.” But the decisions we make in life will reveal whether we are true or not. How often do we make decisions only based on how they would affect us, without considering how they would affect others? How often do we make decisions only based on how we feel, without considering how they would affect the feelings of others? Even within our families, the decisions we make for our children, are they really for their own good, or are they just decisions based on what we want our children to be? The decisions we make in regard to our families, marriages, jobs, services in the church, where to live and where to send our children for schools, do we consider our decision in light of how they would affect God and the people around us? Or do we only think about ourselves? Devotions – Our desires will reveal themselves in the decisions we make, and they in turn will inevitably affect our commitments or devotions. If we have true love in our hearts, we will make long term commitments and devotions that require sacrifice and faithfulness. But on the other hand, if we are selfish, and only think about ourselves, we will make the kind of commitment that says, “I will continue to do this, as long as I can see the benefits. But the moment it becomes too troublesome or inconvenient, or it requires me to make sacrifices, I am out of here!” That is the reason why many people are “jumping in-and-out” of marital relationships because of this carnal mindset, “I am committed to this marital relationship, as long as I feel it is beneficial. But once there is no more ‘spark’ (romance), and it is too burdensome, I will call it quits!” That is also how many people are treating their services in the church, “I do not mind to be a member, or to serve, as long as it is convenient for me. But once it encroaches into my personal time and family life, I will throw in the towel!” But if we have true love which is not selfish, seeketh not her own, we will not behave like that. We will understand what it means to take the marriage vow, “till death do us part.” We will understand what it means to pledge the church membership vow to serve the Lord - though others may give up but we will press up and persevere. We will understand what it means to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls and strength, and our neighbours as ourselves. We will truly mean what we say, and what we say is truly what we mean! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

“…himself first, others second and God last…”

1 Corinthians 13:5a

Ps Paul Cheng

Doth not behave itself unseemingly (1 Corinthians 13:5a) The word unseemly has to do with poor manners, or acting rudely, or without any care for other peoples’ feelings. Do you remember how the Corinthians had behaved at the Lord’s Supper? Every time they were gathered around the Lord’s Supper, they would have a love feast in conjunction with the Lord’s Table. Some people came early and enjoyed their meal together in such a way that when the poor came in later on, they would have nothing to eat. Some of the rich brought their food and only shared it with the other wealthy believers. While the poor believers were left hungry and even humiliated. That is a picture of what it means to behave oneself unseemingly. It is an untoward behaviour that does not care for the peoples’ feelings. Have you ever encountered someone who walked into a room and said whatever he felt like saying, or did whatever he felt like doing, without any thought or concern for anyone? When you asked him, “Why do you do that?” His response was, “Well, this is the way I am. I have the right and freedom to say and do what I want.” But when others did the same thing to him, he would be angry and offended. People who behave themselves in such a way, they only think about themselves and do not care about others. To put it simply, they do not put themselves into the shoes of others! This reminds us of the golden rule that our Lord Jesus taught in Matthew 6:12, Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. In other words, we should treat others how we want them to treat us. Interestingly, many of the major religions and philosophical systems in this world also teach a similar rule. For example, the Jewish rabbi Hillel said, “What is hateful to yourself, do not do to someone else.” One of the books of the Apocrypha (which the Roman Catholics subscribe to) wrote, “What thou thyself hatest, to no man do.” The Jewish scholars in Alexandria taught, “As you wish that no evil befall you……so you should act on the same principle toward your subjects and offenders,” Confucius instructed, “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” At first glance, they seemed to be teaching the same thing as Jesus. But there was a great difference! They all put forth this principle in a negative sense - what you hate others to do to you, do not do to others. Only Jesus taught this principle in a positive sense - what you like others to do to you, do to others. One may think it is quite similar, however it is totally different. The difference is in the motive. To refrain from harming others in order that they will not harm us, is motivated by fear and self-interest. But the motivation behind Jesus’ teaching was love, not self-interest. How do we know that the motivation was love? Jesus said, for this is the law and the prophets, which was a paraphrase of the great commandment. The first great commandment was, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second great commandment is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40, emphasis mine). Dear friend, do you realise that it is much easier to apply the “negative principle”? We do not like our things to be stolen, so we do not steal. We do not like to be cheated, so we do not cheat. But to apply the “positive principle,” it means we have to be proactive. It is not just refraining ourselves from doing something, but we have to do something. Most of us like people to do certain things to us, so we must actively do those things to others. Allow me to cite some examples; 1. Marriages – In our marriages, there will always be differences and issues. When there are quarrels, and we do not talk to each other, we want the other party to take the initiative to start the talking first. Or when there is a problem in the marriage, it is typical for the husband to say, “When she submits to me, then I will love her.” Or the wife will say, “When I feel he loves me, then I will submit.” The golden rule is never wait for the other person to do the right thing first, but for you to take the initiative first, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. 2. Church – When we attend a church, we want the people to receive, welcome and approach us. When we do not feel welcomed or cannot find anyone who is approachable, we start to murmur and complain, “Oh, my previous church is better, or my friend’s church is better.” Perhaps, people may be hesistate, shy or even afraid to approach us thinking that we may respond negatively. But whatever be the reason, have we ever paused to think, “How welcoming am I? How approachable am I?” The golden rule is, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. 3. Services - We want the people to appreciate our services. Whenever they say nice words about the things we do, we are encouraged, whether it be our involvement in the ushering, refreshment contribution, music ministry or logistical work. But do we do to others (in appreciating their services) what we want them to do to us? The golden rule is, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. Do you want people to respect you? You should respect them! Do you want people to be polite and gentle to you? You should be polite and gentle to them! Do you want people to be kind and generous to you? You should be kind and generous to them! If we have love in our hearts, we will apply the golden rule that Jesus had taught us, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

“…Have you ever encountered someone who walked into a room and said whatever he felt like saying, or did whatever he felt like doing, without any thought or concern for anyone?…”

2 Samuel 22:47

James Smith

"The Lord lives!" 2 Samuel 22:47 We lives in trying times. The new year opens, as no new year has opened to us of late. Our country is at war. Provisions are scant. The future, though concealed from our view, appears to be hung with clouds. It is probable that there will be great changes. Many fears will be awakened. Many hearts will be wounded. The faith of many of the Lord's people will be deeply tried. Satan will be busy. Our principles will be put to the test. But amidst all, we, as believers in Jesus, have one comfort, "The Lord lives!" There will be no change in him. His Word will remain true, his throne will be unshaken, and his purposes rest undisturbed. He will have his way in the whirlwind and storm, and make a path for himself in the deep waters. Yes, Jehovah is immutably the same, and he is our God. Ours by covenant engagement. Ours by promise and by oath. Ours in Jesus, his beloved Son. He is the object of our hope and love. His bosom will be our resting-place, his arm our defense, and his proviilence our friend. Unspeakable privilege! Unparalleled mercy! Jehovah, in all his greatness and glory, in all his goodness and grace, is our God. And as our God he ever lives, ever reigns, and performs all things for us. Here is then — An Encouraging Fact, with which to enter upon a new year, "The Lord lives!" Friends may die, the nearest and dearest of our friends; and most probably some of them will die this year. Our relatives may die, the wife may lose her husband, the husband may lose his wife, parents may lose their children. Oh, how many wives will be left widows, and children orphans, this year! But, the Lord lives, and that should comfort us under all. Church members may die, the most holy, the most useful, those upon whom the prosperity of the church seems to depend; but the Lord can do without any of them, and carry on his cause in their absence, as well as by their help. Ministers may die, the most exemplary, and the most successful. Many of our church leaders will be taken home this year. Many of our promising young men may be called away likewise. Many a pulpit will be vacated, and many a church will be left without a pastor — but the Great Shepherd lives, and his church is safe, his cause must go on. He is not dependent upon men, or ministers, to carry on his cause — and he often proves this to us, by removing early those who promise most. He can raise up any number and any kind of ministers he chooses; and, blessed be his name, he will raise up all that he needs. If, therefore, during this year, dear friends are called away, if our most valuable relatives are taken home, if the active members of our churches are removed, or even if our preachers and pastors die — let us remember, "The Lord lives!" This will give us living comfort amidst dying circumstances, and dying friends. Our gourds may wither, our idols may be torn from us — but "the Lord lives!" and living — he loves all his people. His dispensations may change — but his love never. Fixed on his people in past eternity — fixed on his people as viewed in Jesus — it remains immutably the same. Everything outside of God will change; but his love to his people is himself loving them; it is his nature, it is himself; and he is immutably the same. I may lose the affection of my fellow-man — but God will still love me; for he rests in his love. Whom he loves — he loves to the end. While he lives — he loves his people; and as he ever lives — he ever loves. Oh, consoling truth, amidst all the toils, trials, troubles, and temptations of the coming year — the living God will continue to love me! Love me infinitely! Love me so as to cause all things to work together for my good! "The Lord lives!" and living takes an interest in all the affairs of his people. Having numbered the very hairs of their heads — he considers nothing too insignificant, nothing too trivial to interest him — if it affects them. Believer, your God will take an interest in your every-day affairs, and he wishes to hear from you in reference to them all. Hence the direction, "In everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." He will look to all that concerns you, and desires to help you in every situation. He bids you cast all your cares upon him, assuring you that he cares for you. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." "The Lord lives!" and living, will listen to all the sighs, cries, groans, and prayers of his people. Not one will escape his notice. Each will touch his heart and awaken his sympathy. "I have heard," said he of old, "the groanings of my people who are in Egypt, and I have come down to deliver them." Yes, poor, tried, troubled Christian, your God will hear your cries, regard your prayers, fulfill his promises, and end all your sorrows, by setting you before his face forever. "The Lord lives!" and lives to fulfill his Word. His predictions shall all be made good. His promises shall all be performed. Creatures may break their word — but our God will never violate his. Every promise lies before his eye, is engraved on his heart, and shall he fulfilled in the experience of his people — to his own praise and glory. My poor tried brother, you may trust him. However rough your road. However severe your inward conflict. Yes, while floods of corruption are rolling through your soul, while Satan's fiery darts are sticking fast in you, while the world is frowning, and even your fellow-Christians are looking coldly upon you, or standing aloof from you — you may trust him! "The Lord lives," and lives to accomplish his purposes. Toward you, they are gracious purposes. Trying they may be; beneficial they must be. They flow from his love. They bear the stamp of his wisdom. They were passed in Jesus. They are to issue in his glory. Poor Job, in the midst of his affliction, saw something of this, and therefore said, "He performs the thing that is appointed for me, and many such things are with him." "The Lord lives!" and lives to perfect his works. The work of redemption will be perfected by the resurrection of all the saints in the exact likeness of Jesus. The work of grace in your heart will be perfected in the exact conformity of your soul to the soul of Jesus, in the day of his glorious appearing. The Lord began it — and he who began it, will complete it. He well knew all the opposition it would meet with. He knew how much and how often it would be hindered — but he determined that it would never die. He will carry it on by what means and by what agencies he pleases — but he will carry it on, until he can see the image of his moral excellencies reflected by every power of your soul! "The Lord lives," and lives to secure the glory of his own most holy name. "The Lord has made everything for his own purposes — even the wicked for a day of disaster." He will get glory by all he does, by all he prevents, and by all he permits. When the mystery of redemption is finished, we shall see that all his works praise him, and his saints bless him. His work will appear to be honorable and glorious, and his righteousness will endure forever. His glory will be great in our salvation. Sweet thought this: My God will get glory by me: by all my toils and troubles, by all my sadness and sorrows, by all my conflicts and conquests, by my weakness and strength, by my sighs and songs, by my life and my death! Let us then, my poor tried fellow-traveler, enter upon this new year, drawing encouragement and comfort from the fact, that "the Lord lives;" and try and sing with the Psalmist, "The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted!" We will now notice — The comfortable CONCLUSIONS to be drawn from this fact. If the Lord lives — we shall not be FRIENDLESS, for he will be our friend, a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He will . . .counsel us by his Word, conduct us by his providence, teach us by his Spirit, feed us with his hand, and at length receive us to glory! If the Lord lives — we shall not be FATHERLESS, for he will be a father unto us, and we shall be his sons and daughters. He will treat us as his children. He will deal with us as with sons. He will perform a father's part. Therefore we may expect to be instructed, corrected, yes, sometimes scourged! "For what son is there whom his father chastens not." True, if we can do without the rod, we shall not have it; but if the fool's back calls for stripes — we shall receive them. He will not spare the rod — and spoil his child; much less will he ever allow one to die or perish from neglect. If the Lord lives — we shall never be FORSAKEN; for the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make them his people. His own most precious Word assures us of this. He speaks to us individually. He says to each poor, timid, troubled believer, "I will never leave you! I will never, no never, no never, forsake you!" As believers in Jesus, he has sworn that he will not be wrathful with us, nor rebuke us. Precious, precious assurance this, with which to begin the year — that let what will take place in the family, in the world, in the church, or even in our soul's experience — we shall not be friendless, fatherless, or forsaken! But as it is said of old, "For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord Almighty, though their land is full of sin before the Holy One of Israel" — so we shall find that amidst all that occurs, we have a faithful friend, a loving father, and a present God. Oh, for grace rightly to use and improve this glorious fact! If the Lord lives — then we may go forward with CONFIDENCE…...in our Christian course, in our daily labor, into the deadly conflict! As our day — so will our strength be. The grace of Jesus will be found sufficient for us. Confidence befits those who have the living God with them to fight for them; with them as their friend and father. This is our privilege, therefore with confidence let us press on toward the mark for the prize. If the Lord lives — then we may look forward into the future with HOPE. Clouds and darkness may surround us at present. Briers and thorns may be with us now. But the clouds and darkness will pass away, for light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. The briers and thorns will vanish; for instead of the thorn — shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier — shall come up the myrtle tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign, that shall not be cut off. If the Lord lives — we may meet the worst with COURAGE. Should it be persecution, or poverty, or reproach — we may then meet it, for since, and because, Jesus lives, we shall live also. Yes, we shall be more than conquerors — through him who loved us. If the Lord lives — we may anticipate DEATH without dread. We may die this year! But suppose we do — we shall "die in the Lord;" we shall only depart from scenes of sin, sorrow, disappointment, vexation, and grief — "to be with Christ, which is far better." Besides which, the living Lord will be with us in the dying hour; he will watch beside our dying pillow; and give special grace, for this special trial. Oh, believer, what is death to you? A foe? True — but a stingless, powerless foe! A strange transition! Admitted — but One will be with you, who is no stranger to you, for even death cannot sever you from his love, or change his heart towards you. If the Lord lives — we should…..publish his fame, speak forth the honor of his name, and make his praise glorious. If the Lord lives — we should cleave to his friends; they may he imperfect, despised, and trying — but they are his friends still; and we should love them, prefer them, and cleave to them for his sake. If the Lord lives — we should live in his family, and with his household. The church is the household of God; of that visible household we should be members, dwelling in it, working in it, and seeking our happiness in its great and precious privileges. We should abound in his work. If he works in us, the least we can do in return, is to work for him. To work heartily. To work regularly. To be, as the apostle exhorts, "Always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as we know that our labor is not vain in the Lord." If the Lord lives — our fears are follies. Whom should we fear? What should we fear? Nothing but sin — literally, nothing but sin. Through this year we should join with David and sing, "The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident!" Or with David, "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord, the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together." If the Lord lives — conquest is sure. He who once conquered for us, will conquer in us, and conquer by us. Our shout will be, by and bye, "We are more than conquerors, through him that loved us!" Therefore at present we may say to the Lord, "We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners." Finally, if the Lord lives — supplies are certain. We do not know what we may need, nor how much we may need, nor how long we may need — but the Lord knows; and he has provided of his goodness for the poor. In eternity, he laid up for us; and in time, all through our time here, he will lay out upon us. Only let us….exercise faith in his Word, cleave to his cross, wrestle at his throne, watch in his way, work in his vineyard, and aim at his glory — and then let taxes rise ever so high, let trade sink ever so low, let needs increase ever so fast — we may confidently say, "The Lord lives — and my God will supply all my needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus!”

~11 min read

“…An Encouraging Fact, with which to enter upon a new year…”

Selected Scriptures

Martin Luther

The Meaning of Christmas (An excerpt from the sermon preached by Martin Luther) Mary laid God’s Son in a manger. Why not in a cradle, on a bench, or on the ground? Because they had no cradle, bench, table, nothing but a manger of the ox and sheep. That was the first throne of this king: a feeding trough. There in a stable without any servants lay the Creator of the world. And there was the Virgin of fifteen years bringing forth her firstborn without water, fire or light, what a sad sight. What Mary and Joseph did next, no one knows. But they must have marveled that this Child was the Son of God. He was also a real human being. He was a true baby, with flesh, blood, hands and legs. He slept, ate, and did everything else that babies do only without sin. Think of what it was like for Mary! No warm water, no light, no helper. The cold manger was the bed and bathtub. Who showed this young teenager what to do, she who had never had a baby before? Do not make of Mary a stone. It must have gone straight to her heart that she was so abandoned. She was flesh and blood, and must have felt miserable-and Joseph too-that she was left in this way, all alone, with no one to help, in a strange land. Her eyes were moist even though she was happy, and aware that the baby was God’s Son and her savior and the savior of the whole world. Mary was not stone. The more people rest in God’s favor, the more tender they are. Mary was not only holy. She was also the mother of the Lord. With trembling and reverence, before nestling him to herself, she laid him down, because her faith said to her, “He will bethe Son of the Highest.” No one else on earth had this faith, not even Joseph, for although he had been informed by the angel the word did not go to his heart as to the heart of Mary, the mother. Let us, then, meditate upon the Nativity as we see it happening in babies around us. I would not have you contemplate the deity of Christ, the majesty of Christ, but rather His flesh. Look upon the baby Jesus. Divinity may terrify us. Inexpressible majesty will crush us. That is why Christ took on our humanity, yet without sin, that He should not terrify us but rather that with love and favor He should console and confirm. Look at the Child and forget all other thoughts. That all that is and has been and ever shall be, belongs to him, that your conscience should not fear but take comfort in the child. Doubt nothing. Watch him springing in the lap of the Virgin. Laugh with Him. Look upon this Lord of Peace and your spirit will be at peace. See how God invites you in many ways, placing before you a babe with whom you may take refuge. You cannot fear God, for nothing is more appealing to us than a babe. Are you frightened? Then come to Him, lying in the lap of the fairest sweetest maid. You will see how great is the divine goodness, which seeks love above all else that you should not despair. Trust Him! Trust Him! Here is the Child in whom is salvation. To me there is no greater consolation given to humankind than this, that Christ became human, a child, a baby, playing in the lap of His most gracious mother. Who is there whom this sight would not comfort? The power of sin, death, hell, conscience, and guilt is overcome if you come to adore this gurgling Babe, and believe that He is come, not to judge you, but to save you.

~3 min read

“…the first throne of this king…”

1 Corinthians 13:4e

Ps Paul Cheng

Love is not puffed up (1 Corinthians 13:4e) To be puffed up means to be arrogant or proud. This pride is closely associated with boasting, but here it has the idea of someone who is so puffed up and inflated with pride that he is arrogant and rude. The Corinthians were puffed up and proud about their spiritual knowledge and gifts. Some of them arrogantly boasted about their famous teachers, “We belong to Apollos, or Peter, or Paul.” They were so twisted in their pride that they even boasted about their worldliness, idolatry, immorality, and including incest (which was not even practiced by the pagans). People who are proud can be so blinded by their arrogance that they would not be able to differentiate between truth and error, or godliness and worldliness. Dear friend, who are we, and what is our life? Our life is like a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away, isn’t it true? Recently, I received an email from a former church member who was currently living in Canberra, and she was afraid that her house would be affected by the bush fire. Indeed, all it takes is just a bush fire and everything we have will be gone. Is there anything we have, including our lives, which cannot be taken away from us in a split second? Nothing! What strength do we have, no matter how strong and healthy we are, cannot be turned to frailty and weakness? Nothing! What knowledge and wisdom do we have which cannot be taken away from us with simply the loss of memory? Truly, there is absolutely nothing for us to be proud of! Why then are we jealous when others are more successful than us? Let us learn from the life of John the Baptist. Initially, John the Baptist was well-received by the people. But when Jesus began to preach, He soon overshadowed the ministry of John. Yet John spoke of Him as, He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose (John 1:27). Later when John’s disciples were jealous of Jesus’ popularity, he rebuked them, He must increase, but I must decrease. Instead of being proud, John knew his place, and he was humble. Another example was William Carey, often known as the father of modern missions. He was a brilliant linguist, and he was responsible for translating parts of the Bible into almost thirty-four languages and dialects. He had been raised in a simple home in England, and in his early days, he worked as a cobbler. When he first came to India, he was often ridiculed for his poor background and former occupation. One day, at a dinner celebration, a proud man said to him, “I understand, Mister Carey, that you once worked as a shoemaker.” Carey replied, “Oh no, your lordship. I was not a shoemaker, only a shoe repairman.” He did not even claim to make shoes, but only repair them. That was the kind of man God would use in His ministry, not someone who says, “I have several degrees, masters, bachelors, or PHDs. I am able to speak in many languages. I have written so many books and articles. I have established many churches.” No! William Carey said, “I am a nobody, and yet God chose to use me!” The believer who has love, will display the characteristic of humility instead of pride. Maybe there was a time when we were proud and arrogant. But today, as believers, we have been transformed by the power of God, and we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are new creatures (not perfected but new creatures), and we recognise that those sins of arrogance are inconsistent with the life of a believer. So, we pray and ask the Lord to help us, “Remove this pride and arrogance from my life so that I may manifest this agape love that is humble, like my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!” With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

“…inflated with pride that he is arrogant and rude…”

1 Corinthians 13:4d

Ps Paul Cheng

Love vaunteth not itself (1 Corinthians 13:4d) Love vaunteth not itself mean love does not brag or boast. Boasting is the other side of jealousy. Boasting has this sinful attitude of “I want you to know about me, and to make you jealous of me (instead of me being jealous of you).” The Corinthian believers were trying to show off their spiritual gifts, and they wanted to draw attention to themselves. Therefore, they started to compare their spiritual gifts, and many of them desired to have the gift of tongue-speaking because of the misconception that it was one of the most “desirable” gifts. They did not care about fellowship, edification, peace and harmony within the church, for they only cared about themselves. They were boastful! Can you imagine the sin of boasting happening in our church? For example, people boasting about their piano gradings, “I am grade eight. What about you? Only grade three or four?” Or people boasting about their creativity in flower arrangements, or their cooking skills in the refreshment teams, and they are always competing with one another. Let us pause for a moment and consider this. Who is the Source of all our physical and spiritual blessings? God! We are not the Source but recipients of our gifts and talents. Why do we boast as if we are responsible for all the blessings we have? Whenever we are boastful, we forget who the source is. But worse than that, whenever we are boastful, and we receive the glory, we are robbing God of the glory that He deserves. Whatever be the thing we are boasting about; whether it is our wealth, academic achievements, secular accomplishments, spiritual gifts, families, marriages or children, we have to ask ourselves, “Why did God give these things to us?” He didn’t give those things to us, just for our sake. He gave them to us to bless and serve others, and ultimately to glorify Him. Why do we want to serve in the church? Why do we want to preach and teach? Why do we want to sing in the choir? Why do we want to be musicians? Do we really care to edify and encourage the brethren? Or do we desire to build ourselves up so that people will praise and applaud us? That is not love! For love vaunteth not itself! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~2 min read

“…Or do we desire to build ourselves up so that people will praise and applaud us?…”

Corinthians 13:4c

Ps Paul Cheng

Love envieth not (1 Corinthians 13:4c)   Love envieth not mean love is not jealous.  Someone describes jealousy very interestingly, “There are two kinds of jealousy.  The first kind is “I want what someone else has.  If he has a better house than mine, I want it!  If he is successful, I want that success for myself!”  That kind of jealousy is bad enough, but the second kind is even worse, “I wish he didn’t have what he had.  This second kind of jealousy is more than just being selfish.  It is desiring evil for someone else.  It is jealousy at the most corrupt and destructive level!”     A classic example was found in 1 Kings 3:16-27, when King Solomon discovered the woman who pretended to be a child’s mother.  When her infant son died, she secretly exchanged him for the baby of a friend who was staying with her.  The true mother discovered what happened, and when their dispute was brought before the king, he ordered the baby to be cut in half.  Each woman would receive half of the baby.  The true mother pleaded for the baby to be spared, even if it meant losing possession of him.  The false mother, however, would rather have the baby killed than for the true mother to have him.  In other words, her attitude is, “If I cannot have it, neither can you.”  That is jealousy at its worst!           Jealousy is a terrible sin, and it has plagued the people of God since the beginning of time.  It was jealousy that caused Cain to kill his brother Abel, the first murder in the Bible.  It was jealousy that caused Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery.  It was jealousy that caused the Babylonian officials to have Daniel thrown into the lion’s den.  It was jealousy that caused the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son to be angry with his father for showing attention to his younger brother.     Jealousy is something that every Christian would have to fight against.  There will always be someone who is better, cleverer or more successful than us.  We face the temptation to be jealous when someone else does something better than us.  The first reaction of the flesh is to have what that person has, and if this sinful passion is not controlled, it will escalate to the worst level, and that is, to wish evil for that person.   Dear friend, when someone else is getting all the opportunities, have you been thinking, “Why didn’t they ask me to do it?  Why didn’t I get that opportunity?”  Perhaps, you feel that you have worked harder than your colleague and you deserved to receive more than him, but he was the one who got the promotion.  There is this boiling emotion in your heart whenever you see the person receiving all the attention.  You cannot stand hearing anything good about him, and you cannot even bear being around him.  That is jealousy!     Jealousy is something that others cannot see, but God sees.  When we are jealous, we are not loving, and when we are not loving, it is sin.  We must repent and ask the Lord to help change our hearts so that we can truly love the person who is popular, successful and talented, or does well in his work and studies, or has a big house in a better neighbourhood, or able to serve with many spiritual gifts.  We are happy for the person and not jealous.  Love envieth not!   With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~2 min read

“…Jealousy is something that every Christian would have to fight against…”

Corinthians 13:4b

Ps Paul Cheng

Love is kind(1 Corinthians 13:3b) To be kind is to be gracious. When Jesus commanded us to love our enemies in Matthew 5:40-41, He did not simply mean to have some kind thoughts, gracious feelings or sentiments about our enemies, but to be kind to them in action. Jesus said, And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. To let him have thy cloak and go with him twain were commands to love not only in words but action! How do we apply this “love in action” practically? The first place we should begin showing kindness is the home. The Christian husband must be kind to his wife and children, and the siblings must be kind to one another and to their parents. They have more than just kind feelings toward one another. They do kind things for one another, to the point of self-sacrifice, when necessary. Then this kindness must be extended to the covenantal family. The church is the place where we show kindness to one another. We show kindness with the words we speak to encourage and edify, and not to discourage, or words of gossip and divisiveness. We show kindness by praying for one another - we are eager to attend prayer meetings to supplicate in prayers and give thanks for answered prayers. We show kindness by our services for one another - we serve one another, and we are happy to lead and assist one another, and attend to the duties whenever others are unable to. Finally this kindness is exercised not only in our family and church, but everywhere we go. In our work place, school and amongst friends, and toward people whom we meet. We are happy to help those who are in need whether spiritually, physically or financially. Biblical kindness always points the people to God and never to ourselves. We do not show kindness so that the people would pat us on our backs and say, “Look, he or she is so gracious and loving. He or she is such a remarkable person!” We want the people to say, “It is amazing how the gracious and loving God has transformed him or her into such a kind person!” With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~2 min read

“…It is amazing how the gracious and loving God has transformed him or her into such a kind person!…”

1 Corinthians 13:4a

Ps Paul Cheng

Love suffereth long (1 Corinthians 13:4a) Here in 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul defined love in fifteen characteristics. Essentially he was saying, “This is what love is, and this is what love is not.” Beginning with the first characteristic, love suffereth long. To suffer long was to patiently endure. Here it was used to describe patience with people. It was the ability to be taken advantage of by a person or some people again and again, and yet not retaliate. Chrysostom, the early church father, explained it this way, “It is a word which is used of the man who is wronged or mistreated and who has it easily in his power to avenge himself, but will never do it.” The supreme example of patience was God Himself. It was because of God’s patience that prevented this world from being destroyed, and allowed time for men to be saved. God could have destroyed this world, but because He was long-suffering, He patiently endured (c.f. 2 Peter 3:9). In the last century, there was this very well-known atheist who would often stop in the middle of his lectures, and he would speak against the existence of God. And then he would pause and say, “I will give God five minutes to strike me dead for the things I have said.” Then he would use the fact that he was not struck dead as proof that God did not exist. But one faithful Christian heard what he said and responded very wisely, “Do you really think you can exhaust the patience of the eternal God in five minutes? Satan cannot even do it over a period of thousands of years, and you want to do it in five minutes?” On the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ taught us this most wonderful lesson about patience. As He was dying on the cross, rejected by those whom He had come to save, He prayed, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). One of the early disciples, deacon Stephen, followed the footsteps of Jesus so faithfully that as he laid dying while the persecutors were throwing stones at him, his concern was for his murderers rather than for himself. He was long-suffering, patently endured, and he cried out, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge (Acts 7:60). We need patience to love – Why do we need patience? We have been commanded by God to love. But who are we to love? Love those who are lost and our enemies! If we are going to love people who do not know Christ who would potentially oppose and reject us, and people who are enemies of God who would possibly persecute us, then we need much patience. We have been commanded to love the believers. One may think, “Well, that’s easy because they are believers.” Do you really think so? Sometimes it is even more difficult to love the believers because we expect them to live according to certain standards of biblical truth. And when they do not live to that standard, we are frustrated and discouraged. It is more painful when a believer gossips about you or cheats you than an unbeliever. Our family, spouses, children and church friends, are all sinners just like we are. If we are going to love them, we must bear in mind that there will be things in their lives that will challenge, discourage, disappoint and test our ability to love them. We need patience! We need patience to preach the word – We need patience to preach the word and share the gospel. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine (why must we preach with all longsuffering, because the next verse said) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears (2 Timothy 4:2, emphasis mine). When a brother in Christ is living in sin, you need to speak the truth in love. It may hurt him, break the fellowship, destroy the relationship, and cause him to think of you as critical, judgmental and unloving. He may call you all kinds of undesirable names, and the easiest thing is not to do or say anything. But that is not love. You still have to do it despite all the difficulties, and that is why you need patience to preach the truth! A word of encouragement to all those who are serving the Lord in different capacities. You may face adversities, rejections and have nasty name-calling hurled at you. Perhaps, you are contemplating giving up. Please do not do that! If you have love, you will persevere and press on, because love is long-suffering! As believers, when we exercise patience in our lives, it is a wonderful testimony of the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is evident that we are walking in the Spirit and producing the fruit of the Spirit, of which one of them is patience. But the opposite is true as well. When we are impatient, it shows that we are not walking in the Spirit. Thus it is not a trivial matter. When we are not patient, it means we are not loving, and when we are loving, it means we are not walking in the Spirit. And that in itself is sin! Dear friend, love is long-suffering or patient, and it is a supernatural work, and only God can help us to do that. We need to pray, “Lord, I know I am going to face many challenges in the relationships, circumstances and situations of life. Please strengthen me in my inner man according to your power so that I will demonstrate this loving patience. And others may see this loving patience which is impossible apart from the wonder working of your Spirit so that they may give glory to thee.” God, who has given to you this commandment, love suffereth long, will give you the strength and ability to love patiently! With love in Christ,

~4 min read

“As believers, when we exercise patience in our lives, it is a wonderful testimony of the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.…”

1 Corinthians 13

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In the secular world out there, perhaps love has been the most written and discussed topic, whether it is in poetry, songs, books, television and movies.  We see this subject of love popping up time and again. The Bible also has written much about love.  In 1 Corinthian 13, the Apostle Paul spent an entire chapter about this topic of love.  Ultimately in Christianity, almost two thousand years ago, the perfect love was manifested on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is because of love that Jesus came into this world, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).  It is because of love that Jesus was crucified on the cross, and not the Jews, Pilate or the Romans who forced Him to go the way of Calvary.  Jesus said, No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again (John 10:18).  However, today, after so many years, and though love was so much spoken and written about, people are still unclear about the nature of true love. Have you ever heard anyone say to you, “The church is not loving, or that believer has no love”?  Why do they say that, and on what basis do they say that?  Sometimes, maybe it was because of some doctrines that the church holds to, or some decisions that the church has to make, or some actions or words that the believer has made.  But when you consider deeply into the reasons behind those decisions, actions and words, you may realize that the church or the believer has been misunderstood.  In fact, the basis of those decisions, actions and words is love! By way of illustration, oftentimes children would say to their parents, “Daddy and mummy do not love me.  If they love me, why would they discipline me?  Why would they do this to me?”  Children just do not understand!  The same is true with spiritual children, and they think that the church, or the pastor, leaders or members, do not have love.  The sad reality is that until they grow up spiritually, they may never understand. Before we embark on the qualities of love discussed in 1 Corinthians 13 which is commonly known as the “love chapter,” we first need to understand what biblical love is. One must remember that this chapter of love was written in the context of a discussion about spiritual gifts.  In other words, the Apostle Paul was trying to say that even if a person had all the spiritual gifts, but if he did not have love, he gained nothing.  Spiritual gifts had to be exercised in the spirit of love! The word used for charity here is the Greek word agape.  In English, there is only one word for love, but the Greek language has four different words for; sexual love, family love, brotherly love, and God’s love.  This word agape is God’s love.  It is love in its purest sense; it is the love which God manifested through His only begotten Son. In this chapter, Paul was not really focusing on what love is, but rather what love does or does not do.  Love is active not passive.  As one theologian explains, “Love does not only feel patience, it is patient and it practises patience.  Love does not only have some gracious feelings, it is also gracious and it does gracious things.  Love is not jealous, does not boast, is not proud, does not behave indecently, is not selfish, is not easily irritated, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, rejoices in the truth, bears all thing, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.  Love is powerful, for it brings about change.  It impacts lives.  It is a great testimony.  It is supernatural.  It is only present in the life of someone who has been transformed.  Only believers who have experienced the agape of God, would have this kind of love!”  How true! Indeed, as we seek to understand the characteristics of love depicted in this amazing chapter, we must bear in mind that it is the believer whose life has been indwelt and transformed by the Holy Spirit, and living in obedience to God’s Word, is able to demonstrate the qualities of this agape love. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

“…Have you ever heard anyone say to you…”

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, How can we know whether a person is spiritual or not?  The Corinthians would answer, “Spiritual gifts!  The more amazing and remarkable your spiritual gifts are, the more spiritual you are.  If you are able to speak in a language you have never studied before, then you must really be close to God.”  But the Apostle Paul would answer, “Love!  If one does not have love, it does not matter how many spiritual gifts he has.  It will mean nothing!”   Paul was still on the topic of spiritual gifts (c.f. 1 Corinthians 14:1), and he was not pitting love against spiritual gifts.  But rather spiritual gifts ought to operate or exercise in the power of love, otherwise it was useless.  A person may be the best organizer, or greatest pianist, or most excellent teacher, but if he or she does not have love, it will be meaningless!   • The ability to speak 1 Corinthians 13:1, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.   The word charity means love (agape).  Love (agape) is the highest form of love, and it is more concerned with giving than receiving (King James Bible rightly translated it as charity).  The supreme example of agape is expressed in John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of agape.  At the Last Supper, Jesus took off His outer garments and began to wash the disciples’ feet as a demonstration of love.  While He was anticipating the agony of the cross, yet His disciples were arguing amongst themselves as to who was the greatest.  Humanly speaking, they were most unloving, undeserving, selfish and insensitive, yet the Saviour chose to love them supremely and taught them how they ought to love another as He had loved them.  Ultimately, He went to the cross to die for such wretched sinners. If you remember, the Corinthians were focusing on the gift of tongue-speaking, thus Paul began with tongues.  When he said, though I speak with the tongues of men, it means “even if I can speak the languages that I have never studied before.”  And he went on to say, though I speak the tongues of angels.  Some people conceive that this means angels speak in some special language.  But scripture never said that angels had their own language; whenever the angels spoke, they always spoke in a language that the people who were listening could understand.      Here, Paul was speaking in a figurative sense, just like in verse 2, if I know all mysteries and all knowledge.  It does not mean in a literal sense that Paul was all-knowing (that is impossible).  Or if I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains; it does not mean Paul could shift the mountains around.  They were spoken in a metaphorical sense! Have you ever heard cymbals tinkling or clashing?  When I was young, I used to join a lion dance group (I was an unbeliever then).  I was assigned to learn different things.  Those who were more acrobatic were privileged to learn the physical lion dance.  Others learnt the drums, and yet others learnt to play the cymbals.  All of us hated the cymbals because they produced no music, notes or rhythm.  It was just some clanging noise! In a sense, Paul was saying, “Even if I may be very eloquent, or I am able to articulate God’s truth in a way that others would not be able to do so.  Even if I may be gifted with such amazing abilities such as speaking the tongues of men and of angels, but without love, I would be just making a bunch of noise.  It is meaningless!”   1. The ability to understand        1 Corinthians 13:2, And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not charity, I am nothing. The gift of prophecy is the ability to communicate spiritual truth or proclaim God’s truth.  Before the Bible was completed, the gift of prophecy would include special revelation, but once the Bible was completed, as far as special revelation was concerned, it had ceased.  The gift of prophecy would only be based on the written Word of God.   The mysteries of the Bible were not like the mystery novels.  Oftentimes, biblical mysteries were references to truths hidden in the Old Testament, but were revealed in the New Testament.  The word knowledge means biblical understanding.  In other words, a person may have the ability to preach, and understand things hard to be understood.  He is able to take biblical mysteries or truths and relate them to the people.  Many would conclude that such a person is spiritual.  But Paul says, “No!  That is the wrong way to evaluate the person.  The question is, does he have love?”      Paul went on to say, and though I have all faith.  Here he was not talking about saving faith, but the faith to trust God to do mighty things on behalf of His children. And he quoted the teaching of Jesus when His disciples failed to deliver the demon-possessed boy in Matthew 17:20, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  Isn’t it great to have such strong faith?  Yet Paul said, “If I do not have love, I am nothing!”   Dear friend, you may be teaching the Word of God in Sunday school, or serving actively in various fellowship groups, or visiting the elderly residential homes.  But you do not have love.  You do not care for the people whom you minister to nor for their salvation, and you are simply doing those things as a meaningless spiritual exercise, then it is all empty.  You are nothing!        • The ability to be sacrificial  1 Corinthians 13:3, And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. When we hear of people giving in the most generous way, it surely touches our hearts.  I remember the testimony of William Colgate, the founder of the famous toothpaste, Colgate.  He used to make soap and candles to sell, and whatever he earned, he faithfully tithed ten percent.  God blessed him so much that toward the end of his life, he was tithing almost ninety percent of his earnings, and yet he was still extremely rich.  That was an amazing testimony!   But the example Paul gave was way beyond William Colgate because it was not just ten percent or ninety percent.  It was everything, I bestow all my goods to feed the poor.  This is the kind of person who visits the mission churches in third-world countries, and he witnesses the great poverty.  He goes back and sells his house, car and withdraws all his money in the bank, and gives everything to feed those poor people.  Surely people will say, “He is a great Christian.”  But Paul says, “No!  Wrong evaluation!  Does he have love?  It is not what he does.  If he does not have love in his heart, even if he gives everything away, it profitteth him nothing!”     Even if one becomes a martyr and performs the ultimate act of giving his body to be burned.  Some people may ask, “But would that not mean that the person loves, and that was why he was willing to be burned?”  Not necessarily so!  There are people who engage themselves in such sacrificial acts because they want to earn the approval of God, “If I do this, maybe God will forgive me.”  Or they want to earn the approval of people, “If I do this, maybe the people would name the building after me.”  Or they just want to feel good about themselves because deep inside, it makes them feel good.  Paul says, “Without love, it profiteth me nothing!” There will always be some people who will read these three verses, and then they will be looking around and judging the people around them, “Is he doing what he is doing with or without love?  We must never do that because firstly we will never know what is in the heart of others, and secondly, it is never our business to try to ascertain the actions of others.     Notice, Paul used the first-person pronoun “I,” which means, “Even though I may do this or that, if I have not love, I am nothing.”  God does not want us to go around and question one another’s motivations, but He wants us to look into our own spiritual mirror and ask ourselves, “Why am I doing what I am doing?  If it is not with love for God and man, then it is useless!”  In the final analysis, there are only two things that really matter, loving God and loving people.  Regardless of how gifted we may or may not be, if we do not have love, we are nothing!.      What has love got to do with us?  It has everything to do with us!  If we are true believers, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and we have to walk in the Spirit.  When we do that, we will produce the fruit of the Spirit.  What is the first fruit of the Spirit?  Love! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

“…spiritual gifts ought to operate or exercise in the power of love, otherwise it was useless…”

Selected Scriptures

Pr Ho Kee How

It is instructive to note that Jesus, when He was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, declared unequivocally, “...It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Now, how can we obey this injunction to live by every word of God that “proceedeth out of the mouth of God” unless we have all of God’s revealed words (kept intact) available to us? And as Dr D. A. Waite in his book, Defending the King James Bible, puts it: we who speak English and who may not know the original languages in which the Holy Scriptures were first given by inspiration of God, “how will we know God’s Word unless He has preserved it ... and then we have it accurately and faithfully translated ... into (in our case) English”? Undeniably, this intimates God’s preservation of His inspired words. Thus, the crucial question, which is the crux of the matter, is: which English Bible truly is the very Word of God? The answer to this question can spell the difference between life and death, nay, between eternal life and eternal death! Translation From The Infallible, Inerrant Texts Hebrews 1:1-2b tell us that “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son ...” Truly, God has spoken to His chosen people, the Jews, through chosen holy men, namely the prophets (“Thus saith the LORD”) throughout the Old Testament (“in time past”). Such progressively given revelation has been preserved through writing; hence giving rise to the law, the prophets, and the psalms (cf. Luke 24:44). We see the culmination of all these revelations in the incarnation of Christ “when the fullness of the time was come” (Galatians 4:4). Together with the New Testament writings [referring to the NT books written under inspiration of God during the course of the first century, shortly after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (cf. John 16:13-15)], “[w]e have also a more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19a), namely the Bible, which is God’s special revelation to us. The Bible reveals to us the mind of the infinite, eternal, unchangeable God, whose “ways [are] past finding out” (Romans 11:33b). While “[t]he secret things belong unto the LORD our God ... those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever” (Deuteronomy 29:29). Indeed, in the Bible is contained all that we need to know to gain salvation into God’s kingdom, all the godly principles to live a victorious Christian life in this sin- darkened, trouble-filled world, as well as all that we need to know to “occupy” ourselves as we await Christ’s second coming. All these precious truths — and more — have been revealed to us through God’s Word being recorded in the Bible. Our eternal destiny hangs in the balance, depending on how we respond to its sacred contents. Thus, it is imperative to know which Bible is God’s Word kept intact in English. God has spoken, and His words have been recorded in the original languages, i.e. “the Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of God’s people of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of writing, was most generally known to the nations)” (Westminster Confession of Faith I:VIII). These original texts, being “by [God’s] singular care and providence, kept pure in all ages”, were used and recognised by the New Testament churches down through the ages. As copies of the Scriptures were carefully made and faithfully transmitted from church to church and from generation to generation (being widely used by the church community), “the pure Scripture texts were preserved, and only a small minority (of corrupted text) would have escaped detection. Thus the majority text came to be acknowledged as the accepted text to be received by the churches ... therefore acquir[ing] the names Textus Receptus, Majority Text and Traditional Text” (Jeffrey Khoo). These providentially preserved traditional texts had been identified and accepted by the Reformers and the Puritans as the very Word of God, infallible and inerrant. They came to be known as the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus, which would be the very texts underlying the King James Version (KJV), the latter being commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611. As opposed to the modern English versions, the KJV is the only translation of the Bible that accurately preserves the original Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek words in English. This is due to its superiority not only in the texts underlying it, but also in its translators, techniques of translation, and theology. Godly, Scholarly Translators Besides its being translated from the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus, the KJV is superior in that it was undertaken by faithful, scholarly, godly translators — a total of about fifty of them who worked in six companies. These men were the best biblical scholars and linguists of their day, with exceptional ability in their various fields of knowledge. One was conversant in 15 languages; another was an eminent scholar in Oriental studies; another an expert in Aramaic who had Hebrew at his fingertips; yet another was so distinguished in Greek and Hebrew that he read through the whole Old Testament in Hebrew at the age of 5. Among the rest were a renowned textualist, several King’s Professors of Hebrew and of Greek respectively, as well as a university chief examiner of Hebrew/Greek professors. Above all, they were godly men with a deep reverence for God’s Word. They were not wont to criticise God’s Word; they were men with a mission, committed to the awesome task of providing a good and faithful English translation that could be trusted as the very Word of God. One would probably never find another devout group as gifted and elite as these, whom God — in the early 17th century, by His appointment and providence — had assembled for His higher purpose and plan. By logic of argument, there will never again be a Bible like that of the KJV! Rigorous/Meticulous Translation Technique The KJV was given the best translation from the godly collaboration of the best minds available (in an age untainted by rationalism, deism and evolutionism, which only reared their ugly heads in the 18th and 19th centuries). This team technique is unequalled by any modern translation method. Every translator of each company (there were 6 companies as mentioned) was to translate every chapter and verse of the biblical books assigned to his particular company, after which all the fellow translators of each company would gather and decide among themselves which translation was the best. Then they would pass that translation to the other 5 companies respectively for another round of vetting/translation. A joint committee (made up of two members from each company) would be formed to arrive at a final translation! This most meticulous team effort sought to produce the best translation ever to the glory of God. Furthermore, the KJV translators adhered strictly to the ‘verbal equivalence’ or word-for-word technique, which ensured an exact and faithful translation, free from the corruption of men’s fallible, prejudiced thoughts. This is opposed to ‘dynamic equivalence’, the technique used by modern versions, which is thought- for-thought translation that allows translators to rephrase God’s Word according to their, at best, imperfect understanding. In so doing, they take liberty to add to, subtract from and change God’s revealed words, which God specifically warns against (cf. Revelation 22:18-19). The verbally inspired nature of Scripture demands verbal equivalence to be the only acceptable method in Bible translation. KJV is superior because of its correspondence with the Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek words, not just thoughts or concepts, thanks to its faithful, rigorous and thorough techniques of translation. Sound Theology Behind Translation The faithful and sound theology of the KJV is plain for all to see, reflective of the God-fearing translators who were all contenders of God’s Word. The KJV gives pre-eminence to the Lord Jesus Christ by faithfully translating key words which declare the incommunicable attributes of Christ, such as His omnipresence, His omnipotence, His sinlessness, and His eternality, while eschewing textual changes that might effectively attack Christ’s Deity, among other things. This is in contrast to the liberal changes to and even deletions from the underlying texts that modern versions make at will, whereby a number of vital doctrines are affected, such as the Virgin Birth and the Blood Atonement of Christ, which have been undermined by the preclusion of some (doctrinally rich) word/s. Truth be told, the modern versions all use as their source texts the corrupt Westcott and Hort Greek Text — the fruit of 20 years’ collaborative doctoring by the said diabolical duo. By their evil genius of textual criticism (which manipulatively cuts out many parts of God’s Word affecting theology), Westcott and Hort displaced the traditional Textus Receptus with their doctored Greek Text (which heavily relied on the Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus — two of the “most scandalously corrupt” and “shamefully mutilated” extant manuscripts, according to Dean Burgon). Whereas the modern versions attack fundamental doctrines, the KJV gives evidence of its superiority in its preserving of these Biblical truths, thereby upholding the authority of God’s Word. No Reliable Alternative To KJV There simply is no good alternative to the KJV. The proliferation of modern English versions of the Bible (arisen purportedly due to perceived obsolete words and grammatical errors in the KJV), as well as the growing universal desire to replace the KJV with them, is not simply a matter of linguistic preference. This label of ‘language and readability’ masks a real hidden agenda. Deeper issues are at stake. In the light of long-held biblical truths now being systematically distorted, ridiculed and misrepresented by all these versions, it is very unsafe to turn to any of them for an accurate understanding of the words of the Bible. Incidentally, the different modern Bible versions do not read the same. The unmistakable consensus among the modern versions seems to be that “God preserves His message and doctrines, but not necessarily the words, and certainly not every word.” But as has been pointed out, words do affect how the doctrines are perceived. Moreover, this does not square with Matthew 4:4 and Matthew 5:18, among other key Bible verses. Such an equivocal stand allows the different English versions to be embraced, variations notwithstanding. But Scripture warns us to “believe not every spirit,buttrythespiritswhethertheyare of God” (1 John 4:1). The conscientious Bible-reader must not continue to sit on the fence and think sentimentally of the insidious modern versions. There is no neutral ground; our most holy faith is at stake (cf. Jude 1:20)! One more point is worthy of mention. The KJV had the benefit of the fruits of the translation works of the Reformation, including the works of Tyndale, Erasmus, as well as the Coverdale Bible, Matthew Bible, Geneva Bible and Bishops Bible. These Reformation Bibles, in effect, served as useful ‘forerunners’ of the KJV in providing “a wealth of refined texts” (Jeffrey Khoo), all reliable translations based on the providentially preserved traditional texts. We would rather have the KJV with all its archaic words (which are not that many nor difficult to understand really) than the modern English versions with their diluted and adulterated doctrines. Why settle for ‘second-best’ (which is a far ‘second’) when we can have the best, namely the KJV? Conclusion As a parting shot, the Bible is God’s special revelation to man; in it contains the way of salvation and the doom of sinners. It goes without saying that all who trifle with its sacred contents stand to be divinely condemned. May the discerning Christian beware of the pernicious modern versions which, through their irreverent trifling with the texts and their consequent liberal, unfaithful translations, “privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them”, and “by reason of (which) the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” (2 Peter 2:1b, 2b). These have the effect of subverting our precious faith, no less! In contrast, we have the very words of God (kept intact) in the King James Version, which is the most accurate and faithful English translation of the Bible, thanks to its fourfold superiority in its texts, translators, techniques and theology. [Preacher Ho Kee How | Bible Witness, Reformation | Giving God’s Word Back To God’s People]

~9 min read

“…this intimates God’s preservation of His inspired words…”

1 Corinthians 12:27-31

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In the preceding passage, Paul had reminded the Corinthians that as believers, they were members of the body of Christ. Thus, regarding spiritual gifts, they should be concerned about how the gifts could be used for the edification of the church. 1 Corinthians 12:27, Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. This is a reference to all those true believers in the local church who ultimately belong to the universal or invisible church which is made up of only true believers. Though the church of Corinth was filled with all kinds of problems; the people were divided, disorderly, worldly, immature and so forth, yet Paul said, ye are the body of Christ. In a sense, Paul was saying, “This is what you are. You are saved through faith. You are born again. This is the reality that you are the body of Christ. It is because of what God has done for you in Christ Jesus.” This is not an excuse that believers can fight, quarrel and divide (like the Corinthians), but it is a reminder of the magnitude of God’s grace and what Christ has done for us on the cross of Calvary! 1 Corinthians 12:28, And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. By God’s sovereign will, this was the way He had established the church. The phrase God hath set some in the church means God had appointed some in the church. Here, Paul was speaking about certain gifted men whom God had appointed in the church. The gifted men did not choose their own giftedness. The apostles, prophets and teachers did not choose their own gifts, God chose to appoint them with those gifts. In the church, no one chooses to be a pastor, elder or deacon by his own accord, and the same goes with all the other ministries. If it is one’s own choosing, it will not be God honouring, and it will not be blessed by Him. That is why we must always pray and seek the Lord’s will! What is the difference between the apostles and prophets? The apostles had a role and responsibility to all the churches, while the prophets were mainly confined to a particular location. The apostles were given the responsibility to write the Holy Scripture. The prophets’ primary responsibility was to fore-tell or forth-tell the Word of God, and when the Holy Scripture was completed, the only way they would fore-tell was to forth-tell what was already written in the Word of God. These two offices formed the foundation of the church (c.f. Ephesians 2:19-20). Once the church foundation was laid, the work of the apostles and prophets was finished. The work of interpreting and proclaiming the completed written Word of God was given to the teachers. In other words, the purpose of the apostles and prophets was to equip the church with the right doctrine, and the purpose of the teachers was to equip the church for effective ministry. Notice, all these three offices have something in common, and that is the Word of God. God gave apostles, prophets and teachers to the church for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). The purpose why God gave these gifted men was for the edification of the church. All spiritual gifts are important, and they are all necessary for the church, and we should not be comparing and ranking one against another. But in terms of edification, not all spiritual gifts are equally edifying in the same sense. What is the thing that can best edify the church, the body of Christ? The Word of God! It is the Word of God that convicts, saves, edifies, encourages and builds up! The focus of this passage is about edification of the church. And the best way to edify the church is through the preaching and teaching of the Word. That is the reason why these gifted men were listed first. Consider this, without the Word of God, what would happen to all the other gifts like miracles, healing, and diversities of tongues? Would the people then be able ascertain whether they were really from God or men? Would they be able to know whether they were genuine or false? Without the Word of God, would the people be able to exercise their spiritual gifts in the way they should? Most certainly not! That is why the ministry of the Word must always come first. When there is proper teaching in the church, then the people will be able exercise and function in the way they should. From these certain gifted men, Paul went on to speak about certain spiritual gifts. Miracles are supernatural acts. They are a display of God’s power, like the casting out of demons, the feeding of the five thousand, etc. Healing is a supernatural ability to heal at will, like the healing of the blind, lame dumb and deaf. These two gifts were almost always used in conjunction with the proclamation of God’s Word. They were sign-gifts. God used these signs to signify that the apostles and prophets were men whom He had used for the revelation and writing of the Holy Scriptures. That was the reason these two gifts were listed next in line because as far as edification was concerned, they had to do with the authenticity of the Word of God. Gifts of helps is the gift of helping to carry the burdens of others. God had given some people the gift to step in at the crucial moment, to help carry or to lighten the burdens of others. For example, these would be the spiritual gifts given to the deacons and deaconesses; men and women who were called to serve tables. Gifts of governments or administration. Here the original Greek word government (kubernesis) has the idea of guiding a ship, giving direction or helping to organize. These would be the spiritual gifts given to the leaders of the fellowship groups to organize and make sure that the group is moving toward the right direction. Finally, diversities of tongues. This was not the first time Paul had listed this gift last (c.f. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10). Remember, it all had to do with the edification of the body of Christ, the church. What is most beneficial to the whole body? Firstly, the apostles and the prophets because they were responsible for the revelation and writing of the Holy Scriptures. Subsequently, the teachers because they were responsible for the on-going teaching of the revealed Word. Then miracles and healing because they pointed to the authenticity of the Word, followed by helps and governments. And last of all, the gifts of tongues. Why was the gift of tongues listed last? Some people think that it was because the church at Corinth were very focused on this gift, and Paul wanted them to know that they had a misguided sense of values. I do not think that was the main reason. Do you realize that the gift of tongues is useless to edify the church, unless it is interpreted? We will cover more about tongues-speaking in our next few chats, but as for now, perhaps it is sufficient to say that as far as edification was concerned, the gift of tongues is useless unless it is interpreted (c.f. 1 Corinthians 14:1-5). Paul’s concern was for the edification of the church. That should be our concern too. Whatever is best for the church, and whatever edifies the church the most, that is what we desire. But the Corinthians only cared about themselves, how they could be more important than the rest, and how they could be better than the rest. So Paul asked three rhetorical questions in 1 Corinthians 12:29, Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? verse 30, Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? The answer is, no! Finally, 1 Corinthians 12:31, But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. We tend to look at the English word covet in a negative sense, to be greedy or jealous. But it can also be in a positive sense, which is to desire. For example, when I say, “I covet your prayers,” it means “I earnestly desire you to pray for me.” The Corinthians were desiring the more-showy gifts, to prove that they were better and more important. Here, Paul was telling them, “You should not behave like that. But rather you should earnestly desire the best gifts. The best gifts are those gifts which most edify the body of Christ, the church. I will show you the more excellent way and that is love (which he will cover in the next chapter)!” Dear friend, when you see others serving God and being mightily used by Him, do you feel jealous and despise their gifts, or do you praise God for blessing the church with such gifted men and women for our edification? We must understand that God has blessed the believers with spiritual gifts for the edification of the church. Some of us may be serving God with our spiritual gifts, but if we do not have love, then everything is useless! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

“…God chose to appoint them with those gifts…”

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In this passage, the Apostle Paul was using the analogy of a physical body to illustrate the church, the Body of Christ, of which every believer was a member. The human body is made up of many parts, e.g. visible features and limbs, and “invisible” vital and sensory organs, etc. When everything is working in harmony, the body functions well. But when one part is injured or paralysed, the whole body suffers. What is true of the human body is also true of the church, the body of believers. Some of our ministries may be more public than others, and others work behind the scene and are practically unknown. However, there is no such thing as an unimportant or worthless believer! God has made us and gifted us very differently, and it is not who is more important but everyone is important and has a responsibility to exercise his or her spiritual gifts. That is the way the church ought to function. Thus, in considering this matter of spiritual gifts, it is vital to touch on this topic of unity in diversity. I. How Are We United? 1 Corinthians 12:12, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. Just as a physical body has many members or parts, so also is Christ. Christ has only one body, that is the church, and within this body of Christ, there are many members. And how did we become part of this body of Christ, the church? 1 Corinthians 12:13, For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. This is not a reference to water baptism, and we did not become part of Christ because of water baptism. Water baptism does not save a person; it is an outward sign of an inward faith, and it is a testimony to the church and to the world of someone who is already saved. This is a reference to the spiritual baptism which occurs at the point of conversion. When a person hears and believes in the gospel of salvation, he is baptised by Christ with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the agent of baptism, and Christ is the baptiser. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist said about Jesus Christ, He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. Thus, Romans 8:9 said, Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. The word one and all speaks of all the believers coming to the body of Christ in the same way. In other words, the Corinthians should not be arguing amongst themselves as to who was better or more important, in regards to his spiritual gifts. They should not do that because they had come to the body of Christ in the same way. II. How Are We Diverse? 1 Corinthians 12:14, For the body is not one member, but many. Someone likened the analogy of a body to an orchestra which is made up of many people playing different instruments and making beautiful music. Similarly, believers are given different spiritual gifts to perform the work of the ministry beautifully. One theologian explained the problem with the Corinthians in this way, “They were divided where they should have been unified and then they tried to be unified where they should have been diversified. For example, they were divided when it came to leadership, whether to follow Paul, Apollos or Peter, but actually they should be unified as these leaders were all following the Lord Jesus ultimately. On the other hand, they tried to be uniform when it came to spiritual gifts. Those believers who did not have certain gifts desired to have those gifts that others have, and others who did have those gifts, expect everyone to serve like the way they serve.” In other words, when it comes to spiritual gifts, they should have been diverse, but instead they tried to be uniform! That was the reason why Paul said**, If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not the body; is it therefore not of the body? Verse 16, And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? (1 Corinthians 12:15-16)** To put it in perspective, it is very easy for anyone in the church to think, “I am not the pastor, elder, deacon or Sunday school teacher. I am just serving in the refreshment team, so maybe I do not belong here.” But that is not how the body is, each member belongs to the body whether it is the foot, hand, ear or eye. The body (church) needs you! 1 Corinthians 12:17, If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? Let us say, “If everyone is an usher, what happens? Everyone will crowd around the foyer and nobody will be able to enter into the church. If everyone is a choir member, what happens? They will be singing to empty pews. When that happens, what about the other ministries?” God has designed us to work uniquely and harmoniously in His body (church) just like the way the different parts of the physical body functions. 1 Corinthians 12:18, But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. God, in His wisdom, has placed us in His body, exactly where He wants us to be and equipped us to do exactly what He wants us to do. By desiring those gifts that are not given by God, one is questioning His wisdom (c.f. Romans 9:20-21). 1 Corinthians 12:19-21, And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Some Corinthians who were prominent and gifted would act as if they were sufficient and they alone could perform the work of ministry all by themselves. They had this attitude, “I don’t need you. You do not belong here.” They were proud and overestimated their own importance, and underestimated the importance of others. On the contrary, Paul said, Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: (v.22). As discussed previously, there is no such thing as an unimportant believer, just as there is no such thing as an unimportant organ in the physical body. There are those “invisible” organs like the heart, liver and kidney working behind the scenes, which may seem feeble but in reality they are not. They are both vital and necessary. What is the spiritual lesson we can learn here? There are some ministries which may not be visible and prominent, but they are most necessary. Many who worked quietly behind the scenes like formatting the bulletin, and preparing the church premise for the Lord’s Day worship, though their ministries may not be visible but they are absolutely vital and necessary. 1 Corinthians 12:23, And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. Most likely less honourable refers to the parts of our body that are not particularly attractive. It could be the thighs or bulging stomach. The word bestow suggests the idea of clothing the body. People spend more time and effort to clothe those parts of their body that are less presentable, and in doing so, they are giving those members more abundant honour. The word uncomely means shameful or indecent, and therefore it may refer to parts of the body that are considered private. It is not those parts of the body themselves that are shameful, but it is the display of them that is shameful. That is why one should be careful to cover these uncomely parts because modesty would dictate that is the proper thing to do. 1 Corinthians 12:24, For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: Those parts of the body that are more visible and attractive need not be covered, or extra care and attention. What was Paul trying to teach here? Those believers in positions of leadership and believers who are gifted with visible and prominent gifts, not only should not look down on those whose gifts are less noticeable but they should take special care to encourage and protect them when necessary (c.f. 1 Thessalonians 5:14). Sadly, this is not happening in most churches, and in fact, the opposite is true. People would seek out those members who are seemingly gifted, prominent and influential, while neglecting those who are lacking. 1 Corinthians 12:25, That there should be no schism (or division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. We are all different and when we compete with one another as to who is better, our diversity will lead to disunity. But when we care for one another, our diversity will lead to unity. When we go around and behave as if we are better than the rest, and look down on people who are not serving the way we are serving, we are creating schism or division. But when we show concern and care for a weaker brother or sister, and encourage him or her to serve the Lord with whatever gifts God has given to them, we are creating unity. Finally, 1 Corinthians 12:26, And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Some of us here love to run marathons. If someone asks, “How was your race?” You would not say, “My race was great, but my foot’s race was not so good. Because I had a good time, but my foot really hurts.” We would simply say, “I hurt.” Or let’s say, you got an award for the race, you would not say, “My foot won an award.” Since we are all related and united, when one part of the body suffers, the rest of the body suffers with it. The same is true with the church, when one member is stumbled and fallen, the whole church suffers. If Bethel is the church that God has called you to worship and serve, then this is the place for you to exercise your spiritual gift to glorify God. The church is no place for lone-rangers, or for people to create divisions. Bethel is the church where we need one another, and everyone is vital, important and necessary! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~8 min read

“…it is not who is more important but everyone is important…”

1 Corinthians 12:8-11

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In his discussion about the varieties of spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit to profit, edify and build up the body of believers, the church, the Apostle Paul spoke about permanent and temporal gifts. He began with the permanent gifts like wisdom, knowledge and faith, and then moved on to speak on the temporal gifts. I. The Gift Of Healing 1 Corinthians 12:9b, to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; The gift of healing was the first category of the temporal sign gifts. As mentioned earlier, the sign gifts were given to authenticate the apostolic message as the Word of God, until the time when the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God, was completed and became self-authenticating. Therefore today, the gifts of healing have ceased. Does God still heal miraculously? Most certainly! God may still heal miraculously, in response to the faithful prayers of His children. But as far as the gift of healing is concerned, no Christian today has this gift. No Christian can behave like Christ and the Apostles, and walk up to someone, with just one word or one touch, he is able to heal the person instantly. No believer can ever do that! The great commission does not include a call to heal bodies, but only the call to heal souls through the preaching of the gospel. It is not that God is not interested in our physical healing, or the church is not concerned with our physical well-being, but the point is that God’s healing work through miracle is no longer required as a sign-gift because the Bible is completed, and He no longer gives such gifts to the believers. II. The Gift Of Miracles 1 Corinthians 12:10a, To another the working of miracles; The gift of miracles was the next temporal sign gift. The definition of miracle is an act of God that is contrary to the ordinary works of nature. It is a divine intervention or supernatural intrusion into the natural world and its natural laws. In the New Testament, Jesus performed miracles like turning the water into wine, feeding the five thousand, walking on water and raising the dead. Why did Jesus perform miracles? John 20:30-31 explained, And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. The Apostles performed miracles like the casting out of demons. Why did they perform miracles? Hebrews 2:4 explained, God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? B.B Warfield said, “These miraculous gifts were part of the credentials of the apostles, as authoritative agents of God in founding the church. Their function confined them distinctly to the apostolic church, and the necessarily passed away with it.” Those signs accompanied God’s Word only as long as He was revealing the Word, but when the revelation stopped, the sign gifts also stopped. Today, God may still do miracles, if He chooses to do so. But as far as the gift of miracles is concerned, no believer has the gift. No Christian can behave like Christ and the Apostles, or like Moses and say, “Be open,” and the Red Sea is split into two! III. The Gift Of Prophecy 1 Corinthians 12:10b, to another prophecy; The word prophecy simply means to speak forth, or to proclaim. It can mean to fore-tell (like telling the future pertaining to certain individuals or events) or to forth-tell (in the sense preaching the Word of God according to what has already been revealed). When the Holy Scripture was completed, God gave the command not to add or subtract from the Bible, the gift to fore-tell the future had ceased (c.f. Revelations 22:18-19). Today, the gift of prophecy means to forth-tell, by declaring what is revealed in the Holy Scripture. For example, if one says, “Jesus is coming soon, and He will rule the world for one thousand years,” that is a future event. However, he is forth-telling the future prophecy of the Bible which is true and will surely happen. No believer has the gift of prophecy as in fore-telling the future, like having new revelations pertaining to the future, or to things relating to your marriage life, family, living and working conditions, etc. As one theologian said succinctly, “Gift of prophecy as in preaching? Yes! Gift of prophecy as in new revelation? No! We want faithful messengers, not fortune-tellers!” IV. The Gift Of Discerning Spirits 1 Corinthians 12:10c, to another discerning of spirits; Here, the gift of discernment is the ability to determine what is true and false, what is genuine and counterfeit. Satan is the great deceiver and the father of lies, and ever since the fall of man, he and his demons have counterfeited God’s message and messengers. Therefore, all believers should judge carefully what they hear and read. 1 John 4:1, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. But sometimes, it is hard to tell the difference because what appears to be biblical on the surface may actually be deception. So, God has given a special ability to certain believers to recognize the deception. A classic example is found in Acts 16:18. On that occasion, Paul and Silas were ministering in Philippi, and there was a certain slave girl who was possessed by the spirit of divination, and she belonged to her master who made use of her to make money by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and Silas, and cried out, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. On the surface, what the girl said not only was true, it seemed to support the gospel as well. But her purpose and motivation were exactly the opposite. The demons who controlled her wanted to attract the people, gain their trust, and then attack God’s Word and His messengers. God had given to Paul the gift of discernment to determine that though her words were true, she was controlled by the demons. Therefore, Paul turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And the spirit came out the same hour. Today, there are all sorts of teachers, preachers and ministers who claim to be evangelical and biblical. But are they really true? How can we know whether they are true or false? We have to judge by comparing what they say and do with the Holy Scripture. A good example is the Bereans in Acts 17:11. Since Paul was speaking in the context of spiritual gifts in this passage, some theologians believe that this gift of discernment would include the ability to discern whether a particular spiritual gift is true or imitation. In other words, God has given to some believers the ability to discern whether the person exercising the gift in the power of the Holy Spirit, or he is serving for his own selfish reasons, to glorify himself, or he is serving under some demonic forces. In the church, everyone claims to be serving the Lord, whether in the Sunday school, fellowship group, choir ministry, etc. Is everyone truly serving the Lord to glorify Him? Most certainly not! Well, God has blessed certain people like the church leaders, with the gift of discernment, to ascertain if they are serving with the right spirit and motivation, through careful observation and prayerful consideration. V. The Gift Of Tongues 1 Corinthians 12:10d, to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: Next is the gift of tongues. This is the ability to speak in a language one has never known or studied before. Both the gift of speaking and interpreting of tongues will be further discussed in detail in chapter 14. Therefore here it is sufficient to say that both are temporal sign gifts, and just like the other sign gifts, with the completion of the Bible, they are no longer active in the church today. 1 Corinthians 12:11, But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. There is one Holy Spirit, and the Spirit divides or distributes to each believer individually, the different gifts. One person may say, “I wish I could preach,” and another person may say, “I wish I could sing solo,” yet another may say, “I wish I could lead.” God in His sovereignty says, “The church is my body, and it is my decision to give to you certain gifts that I would not give to others. Likewise it is my decision to give to others certain gifts that I would not give to you. It is my will!” Oftentimes, people would ask, “What is my gift? How do I find out what my gift is?” The way to discover one’s gift is to serve God, and he serves Him, it is the Holy Spirit who worketh (energeo) or energizes him as he serves. And the Holy Spirit will make it apparent to him and the people who have profited from his ministry, his spiritual gift. Dear friend, as we serve the Lord in the church, we need to understand what are the spiritual gifts that are still in operation today, and what are the spiritual gifts that have already ceased - the temporal and permanent gifts. If you are still struggling to figure out how you can serve the Lord with your spiritual gifts, ask yourself these questions, “How can I serve the Lord in the church? What are the different works and jobs to be done in the church? How can I contribute to the encouragement, edification, profit and good of the believers in the church?” The Spirit will reveal to you what He has given to you to serve and glorify God! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

“…to profit, edify and build up the body of believers, the church…”

1 Corinthians 12:8-11

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, There had been debates and divisions amongst the Corinthians, and it had to do with spiritual gifts. Likewise today, in the evangelical world, there are also disagreements and differences in understanding spiritual gifts. One of the questions is whether all of the spiritual gifts are still being given by the Holy Spirit today. Are all of the spiritual gifts still in operation today, or some of the gifts have ceased? In the New Testament, there are diversities and varieties of gifts. Some of the gifts were known as permanent spiritual gifts which we still have today, e.g. teaching, preaching, hospitality, showing mercy, giving, etc. Some of the gifts were known as temporal spiritual gifts which were given to the church at a particular time for a particular purpose. The purpose of those sign-gifts was to authenticate the work of the Apostles and the foundation of the church. Through the Apostles, God gave the New Testament Scripture, and He was confirming their office through those sign-gifts. When the New Testament was completed, and with the passing of the Apostles, those sign-gifts had served their purpose, thus they had come to an end. Some of the temporal sign-gifts were healing, miracles, tongue-speaking and prophecies (prophecies as in on-going new revelation). This question about the cessation or continuation of the sign-gifts is a matter of contention in the evangelical world. Perhaps, you may be thinking that this is not an important issue. However, one ought to consider the serious implication of the view he takes, whether it be cessation or continuation. If the sign-gifts are still in operation today, and one says that they have ceased, then he is guilty of quenching and resisting the Spirit, and hindering the Spirit’s work. On the other hand, if the sign-gifts are no longer in operation (they had served their purpose), and one says that they have not ceased, then he is attributing to the Holy Spirit things that do not come from Him. In other words, it is a deception! And if it is a deception, and it does not come from the Holy Spirit, then the next question is, “Where do those “sign-gifts” come from?” At best, they would be worldly and deceptive, at worst, they would be demonic! Therefore, this question about the cessation or continuation of the sign-gifts is a serious matter that has grave consequences. That is the reason why the Apostle Paul spent a large portion of this book of 1 Corinthians to deal with this matter. Here, in this passage in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, firstly, he began by illustrating the varieties of gifts given by the Holy Spirit to profit, edify and build up the body of believers, the church. Some of the gifts were permanent, while others were temporal! I. The Gift Of Wisdom Verse 8a, For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; The phrase for to one is given by the Spirit emphasizes the sovereign choice of God. The Holy Spirit is the Giver of spiritual gifts so that the believers may perform their God-given duties. It is a gift! The phrase word of wisdom refers to the ability of applying God’s truth to the situations of life. Two persons may have the same amount of knowledge (e.g. facts, information and understanding), but the one who has the gift of wisdom is blessed with the God-given ability to apply that knowledge to a real life situation. Most Bible counsellors and pastors would have this gift of wisdom as they must know, understand and be able to apply God’s truth in order to help the people. II. The Gift Of Knowledge Verse 8b, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; Some theologians believe that the gift of knowledge should precede the gift of wisdom because knowledge always comes before wisdom. Here, the word of knowledge refers to perceiving and understanding the truths of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit gives to some believers a special ability to study His Word, understand certain individual words and phrases, and discover the full meaning of the text and context. These people are then able to help other believers better understand the Word of God. Bible teachers and preachers would have this gift because they first have to be equipped with the word of knowledge to be able to teach and interpret God’s truth to others. The only way these people could receive this gift of knowledge is by studying and meditating on the Holy Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15). III. The Gift Of Faith Verse 9a, To another faith by the same Spirit; This gift of faith is not just saving faith or the daily faith one needs to live his life. This kind of faith has to do with the ability to trust God in very difficult situations. It is the ability to trust God in times of overwhelming obstacles and human impossibilities. On one occasion, the Apostle Paul was travelling to Rome as a prisoner, and the ship encountered a terrible storm. After throwing all the cargo and equipment overboard, for many days the sailors went without food, and they were despaired. At that crucial point, Paul told the people, Be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hat given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me (Acts 27:22-25). It was such a strong faith in moments like this that has helped others to preserve and press on. Throughout the history of the church, thousands of saints who had believed in God in the face of great danger and even death. And in exercising their gifts of faith, they had strengthened the faith of their brothers and sisters in Christ. Thousands of missionaries had given their lives to evangelise to tribes that people would consider impossible to minister the gospel, and by God’s grace, those tribal groups had responded to the gospel. Hudson Taylor went to China, David Livingstone to Africa, William Carey to India, and they were all men of great faith. Today, the gospel has reached almost every corner of the world! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in the next pastoral chat)

~4 min read

“…whether all of the spiritual gifts are still being given by the Holy Spirit today…”

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In a typical FIFA award (Federation International Football Association), the footballer who has displayed excellent sporting conduct and performance will receive a prize.  The most prestigious award is given to the strikers and midfielders, not the defenders and goalkeepers.  The reason is because they are the ones most likely to score the goals, and thus considered to have contributed to the most exciting part of the game.  They are the stars of the team.  So, many aspire to be strikers and midfielders, and they want to be like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, David Beckem and so forth.  But that does not mean the defenders and goalkeepers are not excellent sportsmen.  Without them, the entire team will not be able to function! In the spiritual realm, this was happening in the church at Corinth.  They were comparing and ranking themselves as to who was the most spiritual.  And they reckoned that the most spiritual would be the ones with the best spiritual gift.  So, they ranked one another according to his spiritual gift, and that was the reason why Paul had to deal with this topic in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. I. The gift is given by the same God 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. Notice the repetition of the word diversities or differences, and the repetition of the word same.  Indeed, there are diversities of gifts, but they were given by the same God. The word gifts (charisma) is sometimes translated as grace, diversities mean differences or varieties.  In other words, Paul was trying to remind the Corinthians that there were different gifts, but every gift was by God’s grace.  The word grace would completely remove any idea or any kind of thinking that spiritual gifts were rewards one deserved or earned from God.  God bestowed them with those gifts not because they deserved them but despite the fact that they did not deserve them.  It was by God’s grace! Perhaps you may be wondering why the word “grace” is used here to describe the spiritual gifts.  It is because this word “grace” will completely remove any idea or any kind of thinking that spiritual gifts are rewards we deserve from God, or we earn those gifts because of something that we have done.  This is not the case with spiritual gifts.  God bestows them upon us not because we deserve them but despite the fact that we do not deserve them.  It is ours only by God’s grace alone. What one needs to understand is that every believer is given a spiritual gift; some may be gifted in a number of different areas like teaching, administration, hospitality and so forth.  However, the spiritual gift that God gives to each believer is unique.  A hundred believers with the gift of teaching will not have exactly the same teaching skills or emphasis.  One may be good in public teaching, another may be effective in instructing children, yet others may be gifted to teach one-on-one, and the list goes on and on.  No Christian can replace another Christian in God’s plan.  He has His sovereign plan for each and every believer as He has specially gifted him accordingly.  When the Christian does not exercise his gift faithfully, the ministry of the church suffers in that area because God has not gifted another Christian in exactly the same way for exactly the same work.  That is why no Christian should be a “spectator” in the church of Jesus Christ.  Everyone is on the same team and is important in God’s plan with his own unique gift and responsibility. The word administrations (diakonia) is from where we get the English word for “deacons,” which basically means to serve or to minister.  God has given different gifts to different people because there are different ministries where they can serve. When God gives to the believer His spiritual gift, He gives precisely the right one with the precise empowerment to exercise it.  As verse 6 confirmed, And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. Both the words operations and worketh come from the same root word where we get our English word “energize” (energema or energeo).  It means the ability to work out or operate.  Just as spiritual gifts are given supernaturally, so they are operated supernaturally too.  The believer, no matter how well-trained and experienced he is, cannot exercise his spiritual gift by his own power.  God does not only give us spiritual gifts, but He also gives us the power to use them. II. The gifts are given for a purpose Verse 7, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. Interestingly, spiritual gifts were called the manifestation of the Spirit; manifestation means to disclose or to make known.  Every time we are serving in the church, exercising whatever gifts God has given to us, we are showing to the people “this is what the Spirit of God can do.” The purpose why God gives the spiritual gift/s to the believer is to profit withal which means for the common good.  Here, it is in the context of the Corinthian church, and for us, it is Bethel BP church.  Instead of feeling proud and comparing our spiritual gifts, we should be asking, “How can I contribute to the common good of the body of Christ, here at Bethel BP Church?  How can people profit from my spiritual gifts?” If spiritual gifts are given for a purpose, for the common good of the people, then what should be our attitude and responsibility toward spiritual gifts?  Allow me to cite some practical examples; 1. We should not despise the spiritual gifts of others If God has blessed the believer with the spiritual gift for the common good of the people, and we despise him when he exercises his gift, we are despising the One who has called and gifted him. b. We should not despise our own spiritual gifts Some Christians despise their own spiritual gifts because they desire the gifts of others.  We can never fulfil the purpose for which God has gifted us if we constantly want to be something that God has not designed us to be. There is nothing wrong with wanting to serve in different areas of ministry, but it is wrong when we disapprove the way God has made us and in ways He has gifted us.  Happy are those who discover God’s gift and give of themselves to serve in what God has gifted them to do – whether it be preaching, teaching, evangelizing, writing, giving counsel or showing hospitality. c. We should not covet spiritual gifts that we do not have Some people claim to have certain gifts and try to be impressive, but in reality, they do not possess those gifts.  In 1 Corinthians 12:29, Paul asked, Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Are all workers of miracles?  Have all the gifts of healing?  Do all speak with tongues?  Do all interpret?  If God has not given to us any of those gifts, then we should not pretend to have them nor should we covet them. d. We should not neglect using our spiritual gifts There is a common saying, “What you do not use, you lose!”  How true!  People who do not use their gifts will lose the opportunity to do and to be what God has blessed them with.  We are all obligated to use the gifts that God has given to us for the edification of the believers - the common good of the church.  Failure to exercise our gifts is a sinful neglect of our calling.  The person with one seemingly insignificant gift is as much obligated to use that gift faithfully and fully as the one who has several seemingly prominent gifts. Dear friend, if you have been blessed with a beautiful voice to sing for the glory of God and you refused to surrender your voice, soon you will grow old and you can no longer hit the same high pitch that you used to be able to.  Then you will never be able to render your service in that area again.  Do not store up your spiritual gift! e. We should be willing to exercise our spiritual gifts Some people do not want to exercise their spiritual gifts because it may require them to sacrifice their time or resources.  If they have the gift of counselling, much of their time would have to be spent in visitation.  If they have the gift of teaching, they would have to put in much effort in preparing the lessons.  If they have the gift of singing, they would have to stay back after church and spend hours practising.  When they think of all these sacrifices, they refuse to participate.  The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Do we really love the Lord Jesus Christ who died to save us from our sins, do we serve Him only when it is within our own conveniences?” There is one question that people would often ask, “How do I know my spiritual gift?”  God does not give His children gifts without letting them know what those gifts are.  If we are unsure of our gifts from God, it is most likely because we have not totally surrendered to Him.  When our lives are on the altar of sacrifice, we will have no problem discovering or using our spiritual gifts.  Our spiritual gifts cannot be recognized except when we use them.  When a believer walks in obedience to the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit, always seeking to serve the common good of the people, it will become apparent to him and to others what his gift is and how it can bless the body of believers. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

“…the most spiritual would be the ones with the best spiritual gift…”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Ps Paul Cheng

Praise be to God for seeing us through yet another year!  Although the Covid-19 pandemic is still prevailing, life seems to have returned to normality.  We were able to resume normalcy in all the church activities, and many events have occurred in this financial year.  As we come together to rejoice in God’s faithfulness, let us consider how we ought to respond to His goodness.  Let us take heed to stand fast in the faith!   1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.  Let all your things be done with charity. • Be watchfulWatch ye means be alert or vigilant and it has the idea of staying awake and not falling asleep.  We must be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8).  The devil who is the head of this worldly evil system, wants us to live in spiritual drunkenness so that our spiritual senses will be hindered, live in sin and be rendered ineffective for the service of God.   1. We must be watchful of temptation and not allow any form of wickedness to creep into our lives.   2. We must be watchful of our spiritual condition and stay spiritually healthy by utilizing whatever resources offered to us by the church to guard, protect and maintain our walk with God.   3. We must be watchful of complacency and not let our Christian lives get into a rut and just go through the motions of attending and serving without understanding the spiritual significance of those activities.   4. Stand fastStand fast in the faith means to stand firm in the faith.  Here, the definite article before the word faith tells us it is not our subjective faith as in our belief, but the objective faith which is the Word of God.  In other words, we have to stand firm in the Word of God! Satan cannot remove the Word of God nor take away our salvation.  Once we are saved, we will never lose our salvation.  Jesus said, And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand (John 10:28).  But what Satan wants to do is to cause us to live a life that will dishonour God and be ineffective in our services for Him.  And the way to do that is to cause us to doubt God’s Word.  That is why he sends false teachers and preachers, and floods this world with all kinds of books to deceive the people with strange teachings to confuse the people with the different interpretations.   The world is always changing in regards to its views about the Bible.  Consider the attacks on the inspiration and preservation of Scriptures, the innumerable theories like evolution and theistic evolution, and the devastating movements like the ecumenical, feminist and gay movements.  The wiles of the devil may be crafty and diversified, but we must stand fast in the faith and not be moved.   As a church, we have this awesome responsibility not only to stand firm in God’s Word, but to guard the truth and pass it onto the following generation.  This is the only way the church can be kept pure! Can you imagine if five years down the road, Bethel has drifted away from the Word of God?  Sunday school is all about games and parties!  The Young Peoples’ Group is all about outings!  The Sunday sermon is only ten minutes with little or no reference to the Bible!  How tragic that will be!  The Psalmist said, If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3)  Thus, we must not hold God’s truth in a careless way but to hold it firmly and never let it slip from us so that every generation of Christians in our church will have a strong foundation.         • Be strongQuit you like men, be strong. This was translated in the Old English which often used phrases like “quit yourselves like men and fight,” meaning to fight like a man.  So, here it means to behave, like men should behave, and be strong! When we stand fast in the faith, what will happen?  We will face hostility, opposition, rejection and even persecution, and therefore, we need spiritual strength.  It is the kind of strength that comes from within us through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16).  We cannot strengthen ourselves, for that is the Lord’s work (c.f. Philippians 4:13), and He has commanded us how to be strong, and that is to put on the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:13-19).  When we do that; the outer man or the physical body may be weak and it will soon die, but the inner man is strong!  1. Be loving    Let all your things be done with charity (or love).    What is the greatest commandment?  Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).  If we truly take these two commandments very seriously, then whatever we do, will be done with this love for God and for others.  Notice, Paul spoke about the truth first (stand fast in the faith), and then the love.  Our love must be based on the truth.  If we love someone, we want that person to know and live by the truth, and glorify God.  We are willing to do whatever we can to help that person achieve that.  We are willing to be misunderstood, face rejection, hostility and even persecution.  That is love!     Love and truth are like two sides of the same coin, they cannot be separated!  We can be watchful, but without love, it is meaningless!  We can stand fast in the faith, but without love, at best it would be legalism, at worst, it would be hypocrisy!  We can be strong, but without love, we would just be a cold and hard-hearted person!   God has blessed us with so many ministries and fellowship groups, and we must let all your things be done with charity.  Thirty eight years have come and gone, and if God were to give us another year to live and serve, what should we do?  What kind of a believer should we be?  A believer who is watchful, stands fast, strong and loving!  A blessed annual congregational meeting to you!     With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

“…if God were to give us another year to live and serve, what should we do?…”

1 Corinthians 12:1-3

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In life, it is common for people to rank different things. For example, schools, colleges and universities are ranked based on their results, airlines are ranked based on their services and safety measures, restaurants are ranked according to their food quality. The list is endless, from cities, neighbourhood, healthcare, environment, infrastructure, motor vehicles, electronic gadgets, etc. Ranking can be beneficial because it can help us to make the right choice. But the problem is when people bring “ranking” into the church. That was what happened in the Corinthian church. The people were comparing and ranking one another according to their spiritual gifts. One of the things that caused the division in the church at Corinth was this, “Who is the most spiritual? Who is blessed with the best spiritual gift?” It was inevitable that they started to rank those spiritual gifts like hospitality, music, ministering, giving, and so forth. And right there at the top of the list would be the gift of speaking in tongues which they reckoned that being blessed with this “spectacular” gift meant the person must be very close to God. That was the reason why the Apostle Paul had to spend almost three chapters, 1 Corinthians 12-14, to deal with the gift of tongue speaking. Firstly, he began by presenting to them a right understanding of spiritual gifts. I. Have a right view of spirituality 1 Corinthians 12:1, Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. This was Paul’s way of saying, “You asked me a question concerning spiritual gifts, and here is the answer!” The word gifts was in italic which means it was not in the original Greek language. In other words, it could be translated as now concerning spiritual. The King James Bible translators included the word gifts because the subsequent context was about spiritual gifts. Paul called them, brethren, because they were believers. Even though they were spiritually immature and misbehaving themselves, they still belonged to Christ. And he did not want them to be unaware about the importance of spiritual gifts, I would not have you ignorant. The church cannot function spiritually if the people cannot identify and rightly use their spiritual gifts. The church would be extremely unhealthy and ineffective if the people continue to compare and rank one another by their spiritual gifts. Dear friend, do we rank one another by our spiritual gifts in the church? Perhaps we may not do so in the context of tongue-speaking like the charismatic churches, but what about the other gifts. Sadly, there are some people who have the misconception that it is more spiritual to have the gift of preaching rather than hospitality, or teaching than administration, singing in the choir rather than preparing refreshment, or leading in the worship rather than ushering, etc. Let us not be ignorant, for God is the One who sovereignly gives to His people spiritual gifts, and whatever gifts He gives, has nothing to do with the person’s spirituality. The only thing that has to do with the person’s spirituality is how faithful he or she is in exercising the gift to serve and glorify God. II. Have a right view of yourself 1 Corinthians 12:2, Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. The example of the Corinthians — The Corinthians were Gentiles means they were non-Jews. Here Paul used the word Gentiles to refer to the time when they were pagans, and one of the main characteristics of the pagan religion was idolatry. Before their conversions, the Corinthians were idol worshippers. Like prisoners being led by a jailor for execution, they were once prisoners of Satan, spiritually blind and could not help being led into idolatry. Why did Paul bring the Corinthians back to the time when they were unbelievers and unconverted? The purpose was to show them that there was a time when they were led by those dumb idols (the word dumb emphasizes the fact that those idols could not respond). Those dumb idols could not respond to them, or offer them forgiveness, or bless them, or deliver them. But by the grace of God, the Corinthians came to believe in the only Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, who delivered them from the penalty of sins, offered them the forgiveness of sins. When they embraced Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, they were being indwelt with the Holy Spirit who blessed them with spiritual gifts to serve in the body of Christ, the church. 1 Corinthians 12:3, Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. The example of Paul — The word accursed was a very strong word which means condemnation. Some theologians believe that here Paul was speaking about himself. There was a time when he persecuted the Christians, and forced them to blaspheme the Lord calling Him accursed (c.f. Acts 26:11). The unbelieving Jews considered Jesus accursed because according to Deuteronomy 21:23, for he that is hanged is accursed of God. But the truth is that Jesus was hung on the cross to bear the sins of His people. By the grace of God, Jesus called Paul on the road to Damascus and he was convicted by the Holy Spirit. and he cried out to Jesus as the Lord (Acts 9). Therefore, Paul was saying to the Corinthians, “If you want to know who is spiritual, first look at yourself. There was a time when you were not spiritual being carried about by those dumb idols. But now you are spiritual. If you want to know who is spiritual, look at me. There was a time when I was cursing the name of Jesus. But now I am spiritual, calling out, Jesus is the Lord.” The phrase Jesus is the Lord is the foundational confession of one’s faith, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit. The evidence of a born-again Christian is someone who is being influenced by the Holy Spirit, who first convicts our hearts at the point of our justification and then sanctifies our hearts in the process of our sanctification. The word Lord implies sovereign authority. For a person to say, Jesus is the Lord, means Jesus is the sovereign authority of his life; He is the King of his life, and everything he does is in line with what the Lord wants him to do, including the exercise of his spiritual gifts. So, what is the evidence that a person is spiritual? Spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues? No! It is to put one’s faith in Christ, confessing that Jesus is the Lord, and that means the Holy Spirit is actively at work in his or her life. In other words, it is not because one is gifted that makes him a Christian, but he is first a Christian and that is why he is gifted. So, one should not judge the believer by his or her gifts. As far as spirituality is concerned, there are only two classes of people in this world, believers and unbelievers. All believers are spiritual regardless of what his gifts are. Dear friend, whether you serve as a pastor, elder, deacon, Sunday school teacher, DHW facilitator, choir master, administrator or usher, it does not make you more or less spiritual. If you are a believer, you are spiritual, and God has given you certain spiritual gift/s, and you are to use those gift/s for His glory. In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

“…Who is the most spiritual? Who is blessed with the best spiritual gift?…”

1 Corinthians 11:27-34

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Having discussed the danger of the Lord’s Supper being perverted, and reiterating the purpose of this vital sacrament, Paul went on to speak about how the believers ought to prepare themselves as they approach the Table. III. The Preparation The Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion is not only commemorative, it is also spiritual. Since it is spiritual, there is a strong warning given. 1 Corinthians 11:27, Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Who can partake of the Lord’s Supper? In the Old Testament, only those who were circumcised were allowed to take the Passover. As circumcision had been taken over by baptism in the New Testament, thus only those who are baptised are allowed to take the Lord’s Supper. The reason why we do not allow those infants who were baptised to partake of the Lord’s Supper is because they do not understand the significance of the elements. They have to attend the Basic Bible Knowledge classes (e.g. catechism classes) so that they can understand the significance of the element before they partake of the elements. There is a difference between unworthy and unworthily. We will always be unworthy but because of God’s grace and mercy, we can approach the Lord’s Table. But a person can come before the Lord’s Table unworthily in many ways; (1) he may partake of the elements in a ritualistic way, without preparing his heart and mind, (2) he may just go through the motion, with a careless attitude, “Oh, once again, it is the first Sunday of the month to conduct the Lord’s Supper! Alright, why not?” (3) he may come with a spirit of bitterness, or hatred toward another believer, or come with a sin which he refuses to repent. When a person takes the flag of a particular country, throws it on to the floor and steps on it, he is not only dishonouring that piece of cloth but the country it represents. When a believer comes before the Lord’s Table unworthily, he is not dishonouring the pastor who conducts it but the One in whom the elements represent. That was why Paul said, “He or she shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord because that is what the Holy Communion represents. He is guilty of mocking the very Person of Jesus Christ and what He had done.” Instead, every time he comes to the Lord’s Table, his heart’s attitude should be,But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup (1 Corinthians 11:28). Essentially, he must examine himself (1) if there are any sins he refuses to confess and repent, (2) if his motives and attitudes are right toward the Lord, His Word and His people, (3) he must take time to consider the meaning and significance of the Lord’s Supper and what it represents, (4) he must remember His sacrificial death and shedding of His precious blood on the cross, (5) he must commit himself to obey the Lord’s command and look forward to His imminent return. Dear friend, do you realize the Lord’s Table is a special place for the purifying of the church? If every member truly understands the significance of the Lord’s Supper, and prepares his heart spiritually, what would happen? Sins would be confessed and repented, heart would be transformed, there would be rededication of lives, where there are differences, the offending party would admit his mistake and apologise, the offended party would be willing to forgive, and there would be reconciliation. All because the people understand the significance of the Lord’s Supper. Sadly, we do not see that happening today in many churches. Do you think God does not know those people who partake of the Lord’s Supper unworthily? Do you think He will not deal with them? Most certainly, He will! 1 Corinthians 11:29, For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. The word damnation does not mean “condemnation,” but rather “judgment” as in chastisement, because Paul was speaking about the believers (c.f. Romans 8:1). The next verse further attested to the fact that Paul was speaking about the believers, For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (1 Corinthians 11:30). Some of the chastisements the Lord might use to discipline the believers might be physical weakness, sickness and even death. The word sleep was always used as a reference to the death of the believer. When the believer dies, his soul goes to be with the Lord while the body goes to sleep, only to be awakened when the Lord returns so that both body and soul can be united in a glorified body. Some of the Corinthians in the church had died because they had partaken of the Lord’s Supper unworthily! It is vital to note that it is wrong for us to go around and judge anyone who is weak and sick, and conclude that it is because of their sins. Some believers have been godly and obedient, yet they are weak and sick, because God allows those trials into their lives, not due to sins, but on the contrary, it is due to their godliness so that those trials would build them up to be stronger and enable them to help others more effectively. However, it is always right for us to judge ourselves; whenever we are weak and sick, we need to examine ourselves, “If this situation is a result of some sins? Are there any sins we have committed or refused to repent?” It is better for us to judge ourselves and repent if we have sinned, rather than be judged and chastised by God. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 11:31 said,For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. Verse 32, But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. But even if the Lord were to judge us, it is because He wants to discipline and chastise us, it is always for our good because He wants us to be righteous, godly and holy. God does not want us to live in worldliness and ungodliness, and He will even take our lives, if need be, then for His beloved children to live in unrighteousness. Today, if we are still being chastised by God, it is proof that we are His children, and as His children, we would not be condemned together with the world. Finally, Paul said, Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come (1 Corinthians 11:33-34). Paul was not against the love feast or fellowship meals that the Corinthians had before the Lord’s Supper. He wanted them to get their lives right, and change their selfish attitudes. Therefore, they should wait for one another, and not just jump into their own meals without considering others. They should care and share with one another, and make sure nobody went away hungry. If anyone wanted to attend those love feasts just for the sake of satisfying their physical hunger, then let him eat at home. In other words, “What is the point of coming together and sin, and then be judged and chastised by God!” Paul ended this section by stating that there were other issues he would like to deal with, but he would take care of those matters when he visited them personally. Indeed, it was not only important for the Corinthians to understand the significance of the Lord’s Supper, but everyone of us as well. Hopefully, we will always remember the lessons we have learned about the Lord’s Supper, the perversion, purpose and preparation. In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~6 min read

“…there is a strong warning given…”

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, The Significance of the Lord’s Supper - The Purpose (a continuation from the last pastoral chat) In our previous pastoral chat, we had considered how the Corinthians had perverted the Lord’s Supper.  Today, we will focus on the purpose of the Lord’s Supper from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.  .     II. The Purpose       1 Corinthians 11:23, For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: One theologian said, “These verses are like a diamond dropped in a muddy road.”  In other words, in the middle of a strong rebuke of worldly, carnal and sinful attitude, here comes the most beautiful passage in all of Scriptures.  Paul made it clear that what he was teaching was not of his own opinion and not from the other apostles, but the Lord Jesus Himself had revealed it to him.  This most wonderful thing - the institution of the Lord’s Supper - was something Jesus did on the same night he was betrayed.   Dear friend, can you imagine that in the midst of that greatest betrayal, God instituted something so precious, wonderful and meaningful to us?  Jesus did that on the same night He was betrayed!   In the Old Testament, God instituted the Passover when He delivered His people from the four hundred years of bondage in Egypt.  The Passover meal reminded the Israelites that the angel of death passed over the houses of those whose doorposts and lintels were smeared with the blood of the lamb.  The lamb was sacrificed and eaten, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  Throughout history, Israel celebrated this meal in remembrance of the Lord’s deliverance of them, from Egypt to the Promised Land.  Even today, it is still considered the holiest Jewish feast.  Sadly, they did not recognise the Lamb of God had already come.  When Jesus came, John the Baptist recognised Him as that Lamb, Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  On that same night in which Jesus was betrayed, He transformed the Passover into the Lord’s Supper which was the infinitely greater deliverance He came to bring.  All the Passover lambs were but only foreshadows of the ultimate Passover Lamb who had come to deliver His people from their sins.  Therefore, it was so significant when Jesus took the bread and said, when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me (v.24).   When the victim was crucified on the Roman cross, both his hands and feet would be nailed to the edge, and his body would sag down.  The only way for the victim to breathe was to push himself upwards through those nails, to draw just one breath.  There would be this excruciating pain, with the nails ripping through the nerves and bones.  All that, our Lord Jesus endured for us.  The Romans would normally break the legs of the crucified victims in order to stop them from pushing themselves upwards to grasp for air, so that they would quickly suffocate to death.  When they came to Jesus, it was not necessary to do that, because He had already died.  That was why the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus’ legs were not broken, in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled that not a bone of Him should be broken.  So, when Jesus said, “This is my body which is broken for you,” He was referring to His body being crucified on the cross.      Notice the two most amazing words, for you, this is my body which is broken for you.  In a sense, Jesus was saying, “I became a man for you.  I suffered for you.  I gave my life for you.  I died for you.”  Dear friend, the word “gospel” means “good news.”  But what good is the gospel if we do not believe and receive it personally?  It is not good enough to say that Jesus died on the cross, but we must believe with all our hearts that He died on the cross for me!    It was not just any kind of death, but it was by way of the cross, which was the most cruel, painful and humiliating execution ever concocted by man.  It was a death whereby His precious blood was shed because without the shedding of blood, there would be no remission of sin (c.f. Hebrews 9:22).  Therefore 1 Corinthians 11:25 went on to say, After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. It was new, not in the sense that it was a different covenant, for it was still the same covenant of grace.  The Old Testament or New Testament believers were all saved by the covenant of grace, for the covenant of works cannot save them.    The believers were commanded to this do ye, as oft as. The frequency was not given in the Bible.  But there are practical considerations.  If the believers do it once every six months, they may forget about the significance.  If they do it every week, the significance of it may be lost.  In our church, Bethel, we prayerfully believe that by observing the Lord’s Supper every first week of the month, we can meaningfully remember the significance of it and at the same time, fulfil the command to this do ye, as oft as.     What does it mean in remembrance of me?  To truly remember is to go back in one’s mind and recapture the reality and significance of the cross where Jesus suffered and died for us.  When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we do not offer a sacrifice again because Christ’s sacrifice was completed, fulfilled and never to be repeated, but we are called to remember His once-for-all sacrifice for us.  And rededicate ourselves to serve Him with all faithfulness!   The holy communion is not only a reminder of His great sacrifice, but it is also a reminder of the Lord’s coming again, for Jesus said, For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come (v.26).  In other words, by partaking in the Holy Communion, we are proclaiming His death and we must keep doing it, until He comes.  The Holy Communion keeps us looking forward to the day when we will be with Christ. Dear friend, this is the purpose of the Lord’s Supper, and each time we come to partake of the holy element, let us remind ourselves of the command given to us, the significance and meaning of it.  When we return next week, we will consider how we ought to prepare ourselves for the Lord’s Supper.   (To be continued in the next pastoral chat) With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

“…something Jesus did on the same night He was betrayed…”

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Every first week of the month, we come together to partake of the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. Some would approach the Table like a ritualistic routine, some with an unprepared heart, others with a careless attitude, yet others with unrepentant sins. Is there a right and wrong way to approach the Table? Is there anything one must beware of? Are there any warnings or consequences one has to face if he does so in an unworthy manner? These are some of the lessons we want to learn from this passage 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, and since it is a vital topic, I would prayerfully divide it into three parts, the perversion, the purpose and the preparation for a deeper consideration.  Firstly, it is important to understand the background of this passage. Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted two sacraments, Baptism and the Holy Communion, so that those who believe in Him would obey and follow faithfully. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded His disciples to go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. During His last Passover meal in the upper room, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, telling the disciples to do this as often as they can in remembrance of Him. Apparently, whenever the early church was celebrating the Lord’s Supper, they would first have a special fellowship which some people referred to as the love feast (agape feast), and then they would conclude that meal with the observation of the Lord’s Supper. The purpose of having this love feast was because of fellowship, affection and mutual caring for one another, and it was also a way of providing a meal for those who were poor. The Corinthian church followed this custom, but sadly, they had turned the meals into a drunken party. But most importantly, those meals were connected with the Lord’s Supper which they observed at the end of their partying; therefore, they had desecrated the very sacrament which the Lord Jesus had instituted. • The Perversion 1 Corinthians 11:17, Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. Instead of those celebrations being times of loving fellowship and spiritual enrichment, the Corinthians started to indulge themselves selfishly, shaming those brethren who were poor, mocking the Lord’s sacrificial death, and being a bad testimony to the unbelieving world around them. It would have been much better for the Corinthians never to have the love feast, and never to have observed the Lord’s Supper, than to have abused them.  For application, let us consider our fellowship meetings which are spiritually healthy and enriching. But when should we stop coming together for fellowship meetings? When people start to abuse those fellowship meetings, or instead of being times of edification and encouragement, they have become a place of gossip, divisions and tearing one another apart. It is very sad because we have come to a point where we have to say, “Enough is enough, we have to stop this fellowship meeting because our coming together is not for the better, but for the worse.” 1 Corinthians 11:18, For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. That was happening in the Corinthian church. Whenever the Corinthians got together, they were bickering and fighting. And as difficult as it was to believe that this was happening in the church (the house of God), Paul had to say, and I partly believe it because it was typical of the Corinthians to be divided. Remember in chapter 3, some of the Corinthians were saying, I belong to Paul, others were saying, I belong to Apollos. Spiritually, they were divided, socially, they were also divided - the rich separated themselves from the poor!     1 Corinthians 11:19, For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. The word heresies mean a group of people following a particular thinking, and it can mean faction. One of the worst things that could ever happen to a church is faction or division. The Bible has given to us ample warnings about people who cause divisions in the church and how we are to treat them; we are to mark them, reject them, withdraw ourselves from them, and we must have no company with them. When we associate ourselves with such people, we are approving their actions, and when we allow these divisive people to continue in their ways, the church would be divided. Paul said there must be also heresies among you because he knew that it was inevitable there would always be divisive people in the church. Until the Lord Jesus returns, there would always be tares amongst the wheat, goats amongst the sheep (meaning unbelievers amongst the believers). In a sense, God allowed them to be there so that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. Church division, though as ungodly and sinful as it is, nevertheless is used by the Lord to prove who His faithful servants are. In every church, God has chosen His faithful servants to serve Him, and one of the ways in which God will show to the people that these are His chosen servants who have the spiritual strength, wisdom and leadership to do His work, is through these ungodly men who cause divisions. Dear friend, there will always be divisive people in the local church like Bethel, but as we keep a watchful eye on those troublemakers, at the same time, we must not forget to watch out for those faithful men whom God will reveal to you. God will use evil to reveal good, and He will use divisive people to reveal His chosen people.         1 Corinthians 11:20-21, When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. The term Supper was the normal word used for a meal (especially the evening meal), but with the addition of the word Lord, it was given a very special and significant meaning because it was instituted by the Lord Himself. As mentioned earlier, the people would gather together to eat of the fellowship meal known as the love feast, and then they would conclude it with the observation of the Lord’s Supper. The love feast was only the precursor; the Lord’s Supper was the main course (so to speak). And because they had abused the love feast, they had also desecrated the Lord’s Supper.   The poor brethren came and were expecting to share in the food brought by the wealthy brethren, but they went away hungry. The rich brethren brought food and drink and refused to share with the poor. It was like having their own private party; they gorged themselves and became drunk. Church history tells us that initially the early church had both the love feast and Lord’s Supper side by side, but it was so abused that eventually the church was forced to separate the two, in order to protect the Holy Communion. Soon, the love feast disappeared altogether!   It is very sad when brethren bring the world into the church, and when the fellowship becomes a time of show off. Instead of “pot-bless”, bringing the food to share with one another, it has become “pot-curse”, people care only about themselves, or show off to the others that they can afford better food. One must never bring these kinds of attitude into the church! What is the thing that brought us together as a church? Our Lord Jesus Christ! Our Christian attitude and motive should be pure at all times, and how much more when we come before the Lord’s Table and share the bread of His body, and the cup of His blood. It is absolutely necessary that we remove all our sins, worldliness, pride, racial, class and social differences. Our situations and circumstances are so different, and we must be sensitive to one another’s needs. Whether they were doing that ignorantly or on purpose, of all places, the Corinthians were abusing the Lord’s Table!              1 Corinthians 11:22, What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. Here, we can almost sense Paul’s disgust. He was saying, “If you intend to selfishly indulge yourselves in your food and drink, could you not do that at home? Why do you purposely do it in the church? Why do you purposely embarrass and shame those poor brethren? If you cannot show love to those poor brethren, why have a love feast? Shall I praise you? Most certainly not!” Dear friend, those people who bring those worldly, insensitive, sinful and ungodly attitudes into the church, and cause trouble and division, the same would not do so in their homes. They may be attending the fellowship meetings regularly, but they ought to be praised for their regular attendance. Sometimes, it is right to say to such people, “It is better for you not to attend, than to attend, because you come not for the better, but for the worse. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in the next pastoral chat)  

~7 min read

“…do this as often as they can in remembrance of Him…”

1 Corinthians 11:8-16

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, there was the struggle for power - woman versus man.  And one of the most devastating movements in our time that advocates this kind of power struggle is the feminist movement.  It is not only changing the world but sadly, it is also changing the church.  Church leaders and pastors have slowly given in to the pressure.  Fundamentally, this movement traced its roots to the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, where a rebellion against God’s order and plan for mankind took place. The Apostle Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that there was an order for everything.  If things do not function in an orderly manner, it becomes dysfunctional.  God, in His wisdom, has ordained order in our relationships with one another as we live our lives in this temporal world; there is this authority and submission between the state and the citizens, church leaders and members, husbands and wives, parents and children, employers and employees, etc.  Once there is an ordained order and plan, then one has to submit to it. I. The creation 1 Corinthians 11:8, For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Man was created first before the woman existed, and even before the woman was created, man already had a leadership function over creation.  Genesis 2:19, And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.  God brought the animals before Adam so that he could give them names which speaks of his headship and authority over that which God had created.  And after God created the woman out of the man, it was Adam who gave Eve her name.  Genesis 2:23, And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man….and Genesis 3:20, And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 1 Corinthians 11:9, Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.  The woman was not only created from man, but she was created for man!  Genesis 2:18, 22, And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him….And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. God is the Creator and He has ordained it that way! II. The angels 1 Corinthians 11:10, For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. The use of head covering represented the woman’s submissiveness and respect for authority.  In those days, no woman would walk into an assembly with her head uncovered because that would demonstrate her unwillingness to submit, and if she did that, she would have no right, authority or power to pray or worship God. This respect for authority was something that angels had an interest in.  The holy angels understood what it meant to submit to authority.  The holy angels knew what happened to Lucifer who refused to submit to God’s authority, and that great rebellion led to the great fall from heaven (c.f. Isaiah 14:12-15).  When one goes back to the origin of sin, one can see that it was an attack on God’s order and plan in regards to authority and submission. But what has the woman submitting to the authority got to do with the angels, and why did the Apostle Paul use the phrase because of the angels?  According to Job 38:7, the angels were present at creation, and they were witnesses of God’s unique design for man and woman.  How could the angels not be offended if the women were to rebel against that God-given authority? 1 Corinthians 11:11, Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. In those days, the Greeks and Romans treated the women as little more than just slaves.  They were the possessions of their husbands.  In the Jewish communities, the woman’s situation was not much better.  It was a sad reality that there were some men who were proud to be the head, the authoritative figure, and they treated the women badly. Though the woman was created out of the man and to be his helpmeet, it was in a functional sense that she was to submit to his authority.  She was never inferior to him; intellectually, morally and spiritually, she was equal to him.  Women were just as important as men; their roles might be different in function, but they were no different in importance.  There was a mutual dependence and need between the man and the woman.  They were created to function as a team, to serve each other and together with each other.  In this regard, Galatians 3:28 said, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Throughout church history, faithful women had played an important role in the life of the church.  Immediately after the ascension of Christ, some 120 believers gathered in the upper room for prayers, and many of those disciples were women.  In many of his letters to the New Testament churches, Paul ended those letters with commendations and praises for those faithful labourers, and many of them were women.  In some unique situations, faithful women have kept the church alive with little or no support from the men.  Some years back, I was speaking to an elderly lady from a church in Malaysia, and she shared with me that during the Japanese occupation, most of the men in her village were taken away.  They had no men to lead the church, but the women rose to the occasion to do the Lord’s work, and faithfully taught in the Sunday school until the boys became men to take over the leadership. 1 Corinthians 11:12, For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. Every man, if not for his mother, will not be in this world.  His existence is dependent on a woman.  Whilst it is true that the first woman was created from the man, however ever since then, every man has been created through a woman.  One theologian rightly said, “Women are not to be teachers of men, but they are usually the most influential shapers of men!”  As mothers, they have a unique role in training and shaping their boys, from the time they were in their wombs, to their conceptions, infancies, teens, youths, adulthoods, the men are being shaped by their mothers in a most marvellous way.  Ultimately, all things are of God, which means everything originates from Him! 1 Corinthians 11:13-14, Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?  Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? In other words, one should judge for himself whether it is proper for a woman to pray without her head covering.  Although the head covering was a cultural practice, the primary emphasis was about authority and submission.  The head covering was not Paul’s main concern; it was a symbol, and he was not focusing on the symbol, but rather what it symbolized. The head covering was a cultural expression of an attitude.  When the woman took off her head covering or shaved her head, it was a symbol of her rebellion to the authority.  On the other hand, when the man put on the head covering or kept long hair, it was a symbol of his willingness to relinquish his authority, behaved like the woman, and reversed God’s order and plan.  Doth not even nature itself teach you that there was the role of the man and the role of the woman that there was a difference between a man and a woman? When a man allows his head to grow long enough that he could be mistaken for a woman, most cultures would understand that as a shame.  In ancient times, after the Roman conquered a particular army, like the Greeks, they would build statues to depict the conquered army as having long hair, with curly locks, it was the Roman’s way of mocking and demeaning the Greeks.  It was to say that their men were weak and they were like the women, they could not fight like real men.  Some even said that they were making fun of the conquered army as being homosexuals because homosexuals were known to have long hair. 1 Corinthians 11:15, But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. I am not a hair expert, but I have enough problems with my hair falling out, to know that God created men and women differently, even in the development of our hair.  I read an article that says, our hair develops in three steps, growth, rest and fallout.  Somehow, men reach the third stage of fallout earlier than women, the women’s hair takes a longer time to go through the different stages.  The truth is that God has made the woman in such a way that her long hair was given to her, as a glory to her.  Whether it is her long hair or her head covering, they are both representing her submissive role. Finally, verse 16, But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. Why do you want to be contentious, and fight over this truth?  If it is wrong, it is wrong, no matter where you go to?  The role for men and women, God’s order and plan in regards to men and women, authority and submission, is not just for this or that church, it is universal, for all the churches of God.  The question is, “Are you willing to submit to God’s order and plan in your church, family and life?” Shalom, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

“…there was the struggle for power…”

1 Corinthians 11:2-7

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Some churches emphasize that all their women would have to place a veil on their head when they come to church for worship services.  Some years back, someone called up our church and enquired about our worship services, and she seemed to be quite happy to visit our church until she asked me the question whether our church practised head coverings for women.  When I said, “No,” she hung up, and she did not visit our church after that. Is it necessary for women today to put on head coverings?  What is this head covering, is it referring to the veil, or is it referring to the woman’s hair?  What is the significance of head coverings?  Is this passage really about head coverings?  From this passage in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, we want to learn not only about the significance of head covering, but the more important spiritual lesson of submitting to God’s order and plan.  We will divide this passage into two parts vv.2-7 and vv.8-16. I. The Problem 1 Corinthians 11:2, Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. Though the Corinthians were problematic and immature, yet they respected the authority and wisdom of Paul.  The word ordinances means traditions or teachings that were passed on from one person to another.  The traditions of men should be avoided, but the traditions that are given in the Word of God, e.g. the apostolic traditions must be observed.  The Corinthians remembered the truths of God’s Word, but the problem was that they did not apply those truths into their lives.  Likewise today there are many people who are like the Corinthians with a head puffed up with knowledge, but their lives show no evidence of godliness.  Believers must never behave like that! II. The Example Verse 3, But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.  It is good to understand the situation back then in the Corinthian church.  In those days, as mainly a male chauvinistic society, women would often live in the background.  But all of a sudden, the gospel of Christ gave them much dignity and honour, and somehow, many women became so outspoken that they rebelled against the God-given authority of the men.  Thus, it was important for Paul to stress to them the roles of men and women in God’s order and plan. The word head refers to the one who has the ruling authority.  Notice, here Paul made three important statements. Firstly, the head of every man is Christ.  Christ is uniquely the head of the church; He is our Saviour and Lord, and He has redeemed and bought us by His precious blood.  Christ is also the head of every human being, believers and unbelievers alike, though the unbelievers would never acknowledge His headship.  But the Bible tells us that one day, at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).  In other words, ultimately one either bows before Christ as his Saviour or as his Judge! Secondly, the head of every woman is the man.  It does not mean that the man is any better than the woman, or the woman is any less than the man.  But God has chosen the man to be the leader and the woman must submit to the authority that God has designed.  It is His order, will and plan that the man is to be the leader.  As far as personal worth, abilities, intellect or spirituality are concerned, the woman is completely equal to the man.  In fact, some women are even more superior to some men in terms of abilities, maturity and spirituality.  But God has ordained the man as the authority and the woman as the subordination in His order and plan for mankind.  Women must never usurp that God-ordained authority (1 Timothy 2:11-12)! Thirdly, the head of Christ is God.  Christ has never been, in any way, inferior to the Father in His essence, for He is the eternal Almighty God.  Yet in His incarnation, He willingly subjected Himself to the Father, to be our Saviour and Redeemer because He loves us so much.  He willingly subjected Himself completely to His Father’s will as an act of humble obedience to fulfil the divine purpose of saving His people. In essence, Paul was saying, “Just as Christ is submissive to the Father, Christians are to be submissive to Christ, and women are to be submissive to men!”  One cannot accept one part and reject the other part; for they are all ordained by God. Consider this — If Christ had not submitted to the will of God, redemption for mankind would be impossible and we will forever be doomed and lost.  If we do not submit to Christ as our Saviour and Lord, we will forever be doomed and lost.  And if women do not submit to men, or wives to their own husbands, then the family and society as a whole will be dysfunctional and destroyed.  So whether on a divine or human scale, submission and authority are the indispensable elements in God’s order and plan. III. The Application Having established the principle of God’s order and plan, Paul went on to speak on the application.  Verse 4, Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.  Here, Paul was speaking about the public ministry before the Lord and the people (like in the worship service), whereby one’s testimony was very important.  The word prophesying means to declare God’s truth as recorded in the Holy Scriptures. In those days, women wore a veil to signify that she would not expose herself to other men.  Her beauty was reserved entirely for her husband or future husband.  Likewise in the city of Corinth, especially during a public ministry, wearing a head covering was a woman’s way of stating her devotion and submission to her husband and ultimately her commitment to God’s order and plan. The phrase, having his head covered, literally means “having down from head.”  Some theologians believed that this was not a reference to having the head covered with a veil because the Jewish men did not do that, but rather it was referring to men having long hair like a covering.  Women ought to have long hair like a covering, and men ought not to have long hair like a covering.  But whether this was a reference to long hair or some kind of a veil, the principle is the same; the roles of men and women must not be reversed! For a man to pray and preach without his head covered was a sign of his authority over the women.  But for a man to pray and preach with his head covered would suggest a reversal of the God-given roles which means he was taking on the role of the woman instead.  That would be an abomination unto God! In our modern context, we may not have the practice of putting on head coverings.  But the principle is the same; for the man to play the role of the woman, or for the father to play the role of the mother, or for the husband to play the role of the wife, it is a dishonour to Christ! Verse 5, But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishnoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.  Here, it does not mean that the Apostle Paul approved of women teaching, preaching and leading in a church worship service.  Women are allowed to pray and preach, but the Bible is consistent, and we have to consider all the other scripture passages.  The New Testament has no restrictions on the woman teaching children and other women (c.f. Titus 2:4-5).  But women should not pray and preach in the meetings of the church where men are present, because this would contradict the other Bible verses like usurping the authority of men. For a Corinthian woman to pray and preach with her head uncovered, she would dishonour her head which was the man which means she did not regard her devotion and submission to husband as something important.  Ultimately her action was a disregard for the God-ordained authority! Historians tell us that in those days, there were women who would take off their veils or head coverings, and cut their hair to look like men.  Much like the feminist movement in our time, they wanted to be treated exactly like men and they attacked the institution of marriage, and the raising of children as unfair restrictions of their rights.  They wanted independence by leaving their husbands and homes, refusing to care for their children, living with other men, demanding jobs traditionally held by men, and wearing men’s clothing and hairstyles.  Apparently, some of the Corinthians were influenced by those movements, and they were starting to refuse to cover their heads at the appropriate times. When such women were allowed to teach children and other women, they were actually teaching them to rebel and disobey God’s order and plan!  Therefore, Paul went on to say in verse 6, For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. In those days, only the prostitute would shave her head.  The church father Chrysostom wrote in his writings that women guilty of adultery had their hair shaved off and were marked as prostitutes.  No woman would want to be branded as a prostitute.  In a sense, Paul was saying, “If you want to uncover your head, you might as well go all the way, and have your head shaved.  If you are unwilling to look like a prostitute, then do not pray or teach with your head uncovered.” Though head covering was a cultural thing and practised during the Corinthian times, the principle being taught is about the God-ordained authority and submission.  This matter of God’s order and plan should never be compromised. The head covering was a sign of subordination.  Verse 7,For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. Man was uniquely created to bear the image of God.  Adam was created as ruler, and God gave him dominion over all the created world.  Both man and woman were created in God’s image, but as far as the original creation was concerned, it was only Adam who was created from the dust of the ground.  Eve was created later from one of Adam’s ribs (Genesis 2:22-23).  It was in this sense that man was made in the image and glory of God, and woman was made in the image of God but in the glory of the man. Through the man, God shows how magnificent a creature He could create for Himself.  Through the woman, God shows how magnificent a creature He could create out of or from man.  But as far as saving and sanctifying grace is concerned, the woman and man share in the same communion with God.  They are both saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and they will both be like Jesus when they see Him face to face. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in the next pastoral chat)

~8 min read

“…there are many people who are like the Corinthians…”

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, The Apostle Paul had to spend three chapters stressing to the Corinthians that there was only one living and true God and all the idols were nothing, not real and false.  Some Corinthians were wondering, “In that case, then the food offered to idols meant nothing and it could not draw them closer or further away from God.  So we have the liberty to eat the food offered to idols.” We always think that the answer to any question is surely, a yes or a no!  But sometimes, the answer to a particular question may not be a simple, yes or no!  It depends on the context, or the situation, or the way the question was asked.  Your child may ask you, “Mum, is it alright for me to spend some time with my classmates to get to know them?”  The answer is, yes!  Then your child says, “So, does it mean I can go to my friend’s party where there is drinking and other worldly activities?”  To that second question, the answer is no!  You would say, “Spending time with your classmates, yes, spending time with your classmates in those kinds of activities, no!” Is the idol nothing?  The answer is, yes!  Can one go to the temple, where there is the worship service and then eat the food offered to idols?  The answer is, no!  Can one eat the food bought from the market place which may have been offered to idols?  The answer is, yes (because the idol is nothing)!  Can one eat the food offered to idols, and stumble our weak brothers and sisters in Christ?  The answer is, no!  Does one have the right to eat?  The answer is, yes!  Can one insist on our rights in any situation?  The answer is, no (you must be willing to give up your rights for the sake of the gospel)!  The answers to all these questions, depend on the context, situation or the way the question was asked. Let us learn from this passage how Paul answered these questions according to the context, situation or the way the question was asked. 1 Corinthians 10:23, All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.  The Corinthians were thinking, if the Bible does not forbid it, then it is lawful and permissible.  The word expedient means “profitable,” and the word edify means to build up.  In other words, not all things are profitable and edifying to our spiritual growth. It may be lawful or permissible for us to do certain things, but we need to consider something else.  Is it profitable for us?  Is it edifying for us?  Does it build me up spiritually?  We must not only be thinking about our own selves but we must also be thinking about other people’s edification and spiritual growth.  1 Corinthians 10:24, Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.  The word wealth speaks of the neighbour’s good or spiritual wealth. Dear friend, when we are faced with a choice or decision to make, firstly, we need to ask, “Does the Bible permit it?” and secondly, “How does it impact us?” and thirdly, “How does it impact others?”  Some things may be lawful and permissible, but in a particular setting, it may not be profitable and not edifying! Some years ago, a preacher friend of mine from the Philippines had a visitor who stayed at his house.  Late one night, the visitor woke the preacher up saying, “Let us go out to the streets to do evangelism.”  The preacher said to him, “At this time of the night?”  Who would be out there roaming the streets but the prostitutes, partygoers and drunkards!”  But the visitor insisted that they should go out to do evangelism.  Evangelism is not only lawful and permissible but is also commanded in the Bible, but to do that in the streets, at that hour of the night, is not expedient and edifying.  That young man may have the zeal for evangelism but he certainly lacked the discernment to know when to do it! Paul went on to answer the question, “Are we allowed to eat the meat which was sold at the marketplace, or at our friend’s house?”  The answer is, yes!  1 Corinthians 10:25, Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: Shambles was the meat market or the butcher stall.  In those days, the meat which had been offered to idols; a portion of it would be given to the priests, another portion would be given to the one who offered it, and whatever leftovers would be sold at the marketplace.  When the people bought the meat from the marketplace, they would not know whether or not that meat was the “leftover” of those offerings.  Well, the believers would not know and he needed not to ask for his conscience to be troubled, and simply buy and eat it. In another similar situation, If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake (v.27).  If their neighbour invited them over for a feast, they had the freedom to go or not to go.  If they choose to go, whatsoever is set before you (whatever meat was placed before them), they need not ask for their conscience to be troubled.  For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof (v.26).  This was a quotation from Psalm 24.  The earth belongs to the Lord, and everything that fills up this earth belongs to Him as well, including the animals that God has created for mankind to eat. However, there were times when they must say, no, and not partake of the meat!  But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof: (v.28)  If the person said to him that the meat had been offered in sacrifice to the idols, then he should not eat. Some people may say, “Why can’t I eat the meat, to teach the person a spiritual lesson that an idol is nothing and false gods do not exist?”  One must be careful because instead of teaching the person, he may stumble him.  Though one’s conscience may be strong, and he knows that the earth and everything on it belongs to God, he should also be concerned about the conscience of his neighbour.  Thus, Paul said, Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: (v.29) But what about one’s Christian liberty?  Why should one’s liberty be based on another man’s conscience?  **For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? (v.30)  ****In other words, “If I have already given thanks to God for the food which I have partaken, why should anyone speak evil about me?” Well, the answer is**, Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God (v.31).**  Consider what will happen when one insists on his Christian liberty; 1. If that person is a weak or new believer, he may think since it is alright to eat meat offered to idols, then perhaps it is alright to go back to idolatry. 2. If that person is an unbeliever, he may think since it is alright to eat meat offered to idols, then perhaps Christianity and all the other pagan religions are the same. 3. In that situation, how can one’s action, eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, be glorifying unto God? We do not want to stumble the unbelievers from coming to Christ, and we do not want to stumble the believers in their walk with the Lord.  As Paul went on to say, Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved (v.32-33). Many of us have unbelieving loved ones, relatives, friends and colleagues.  We ought to live our lives in such a way that we please them in all things, not as compromisers or men-pleasers, but as far as their salvation is concerned.  We want to do all we can for their profit so that they may be saved.  We will not do anything to stumble them in any way. Finally Paul said, Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).  Paul was willing to give up his right as an Apostle, following the example of Christ who was eternally the Almighty God, yet He was willing to give up His prerogatives to come into this world and ultimately to die and shed His precious blood on the cross for the salvation of sinners. Dear friend, is there anything you are unwilling to give up for the sake of the Gospel and the salvation of lost souls? Shalom, Pastor Paul Cheng

~6 min read

“…if the Bible does not forbid it, then it is lawful and permissible…”

Joshua 24:14

Rev Reggor Galarpe

Joshua 24:14; “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.”   The verse above contained Joshua’s declaration among the people of Israel shortly after they have settled in the Promised Land, which is worthy of our consideration as it speaks about our solemn duty unto God –   “Now therefore fear the LORD…” – Joshua admonished the people to fear the LORD. This means “to stand in awe; in reverence; to be stricken with a deep sense of honor, and worship.” It has the idea of recognizing the exalted position of the Lord and standing in awe of Him. This is not about “fear” as that of “being afraid” or scared in crippling fear, cowering in His presence; but that of reverence, honor, and worship. Joshua knew very well that the moment the people ever lose their fear of the Lord, their spiritual demise would soon follow.   We live in a time where people have no fear of the Lord, as the Bible says in Romans 3:18; “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” And this is evidenced in the way they live that is, with no thought of accountability to God. Many may not agree as many will not admit it, this is even true among God’s people! Sure many do profess to such fear of the Lord but their practice shows that they don’t possess it.   “And serve him in sincerity and in truth.” – The people were admonished to serve the Lord in sincerity and truth. Joshua had witnessed enough “lip service” unto the Lord with no genuine service. Joshua is not interested in the people being able to speak well of their faith, rather he wanted the people to practice their faith well by serving the Lord. He wanted them to be sincere in their service to God and seek to do so in a manner that is pleasing to Him.   One thing that you will find in an average Christian home is a Scripture reference on display either hanging on the wall; or placed on a frame; or table top even on refrigerator doors. Well and good! But unless the message of the verse put on display is translated into practice by everyone in the home, it accomplishes little.   People are watching and carefully watching our lives. And what are they seeing? Are they seeing genuine service or just a show or a display like the Scripture references hanging on the wall? We must be willing to actively engage in service for the Lord!   “And put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.” – After all that the Lord has done to Israel, Joshua knew so well that there’s still idolatry among the people. There were false gods among them. Some of the people had been influenced by the nations around them and chose to worship their gods. All of the people were not seeking holy, sanctified lives. They wanted to receive the Lord’s blessings and abundance while holding on to the pleasures of the flesh. Joshua challenged them to put away their idols and serve Jehovah and Him alone!   The same is true to us today. Our homes will never be all that God desires until we are willing to put away the strange gods. You might argue that there are no idols within your home. Yes, you may not have idols and images in your homes but it could be that you have idols in your hearts! Remember? Anything that stands in between you and God is an idol. Anything in our lives that has priority over serving the Lord and our submission to Him is an idol. They come in different sizes and shapes! And we, Christians often stumble in any one of them and get caught up in idolatry. Perhaps, we need to examine ourselves; “do I have any of these idols?”   Blessed Lord’s Day!   Pastor Reggor Galarpe

~3 min read

“…We live in a time where people have no fear of the Lord…”

1 Corinthians 13

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites,   Praise be to God that we were able to have our annual Young People Group camp which was conducted from 7th to 11th July 2024, at Heritage Holiday House. We were privileged to have Rev Reggor Galarpe, Pastor of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church (Cebu), who was invited to preach on the theme, “But The Greatest Of These Is Charity,” based on 1 Corinthians 13.   Rev Reggor faithfully delivered a series of seven messages to help the youths to have a better understanding of biblical charity (love), and how to exercise this love in our Christian walk. Below is the outline of the seven sermons;   1. The Preface: A Scriptural Perspective On Charity (1 Corinthians 13)   2. The Pre-eminence Of Charity (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) 3. The Practice Of Charity I (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 4. The Practice Of Charity II (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 5. The Practice Of Charity III (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 6. The Permanence Of Charity (1 Corinthians 13:8-13) 7. The Pursuit Of Charity (Selected Scriptural Passages)    The camp sermons were followed by workshops whereby the youths were divided into groups to discuss questions designed to help them apply the spiritual lessons they had learnt. I was tasked to preach in the morning devotions, of which I prayerfully decided to exhort on the parables of Christ, namely; the parable of the rich fool, the parable of the unjust manager, the parable of the ten virgins, and the parable of the sower. Based on those parables, the main emphasis was to teach the youths lessons about preoccupation, stewardship, preparedness and love.   Thus, the morning and nights were scheduled for a time of spiritual teaching and learning, and the youths were encouraged to do their own personal quiet time and dormitory devotions. Hopefully, the youths would learn this healthy spiritual habit to begin and end each day with God and His Word (not only in but also after camp)!   As the old proverb said, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy,” the afternoons were set aside for games. It was truly encouraging to see how the youths were able to apply the spiritual lessons learnt as they engaged themselves in games interaction, applying brotherly love one to another.   Thank God for sisters En Long and Yuan Cheong, and Dn Jeffry Chua, who laboured in love to prepare the meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was most wonderful to savour hot sumptuous home-cooked food. Our palates were blessed by the “bak-chang” (Chinese dumpling) and “char siew” (barbequed pork), which were lovingly pre-prepared by sister Gek-Choo Nah. Indeed, we were not only spiritually but physically fed as well!   The Lord was good to provide us with this campsite, Heritage Holiday House, which was beyond our expectation. Allow me to explain. Actually, we had pre-booked another campsite, but that premise had some maintenance issues, so the same owner graciously offered us this place at the same agreed price. A church member who visited us, made a remark saying, “This place is equivalent to a 5-star hotel.”      It was a huge mansion with six-rooms fully furnished with ensuite restrooms, two additional caravans, a huge sitting room which was used as our main meeting place, a large communal kitchen and dining room, and just to name a few amenities, snooker-table, indoor heated swimming pool, tennis court, etc. We all knew that this campsite did not come by chance or coincidence, but by God’s providence! Everyday, we were being visited by troops of kangaroos, and the scenery of hills and lakes were simply breathtaking.   Indeed, praise God for a wonderful YPG Camp and His bountiful blessing! Psalm 8:1, O LORD, our LORD, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.   In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng    

~3 min read

“…a better understanding of biblical charity (love)…”

1 Corinthians 10:19-22

Ps Paul Cheng

But some of the Corinthians might be thinking, “Well, Paul, I thought you have been stressing to us that an idol is nothing, and now you are telling us that it is wrong to eat meat offered to those idols because of what we believed in, identified ourselves with, and we fellowship with.  Are you not contradicting what you have said, does that mean that those idols are real?” (c.f. 1 Corinthians 8:4)  Thus, Paul went on to bring in the second point that idolatry was demonic in nature!        1. Idolatry is demonic in nature Verse 19, What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?  Most certainly not!  The things sacrificed to the idol had no spiritual power or nature, neither the physical idol itself for it had no spiritual power.  Those things were nothing in themselves.  Idols were not real, but that was not the end of the story, because it was what those idols represented that was critical.   What the idols represented was demonic!  Verse 20, But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. One has to bear in mind that the devil is behind every false religion.  He is the spiritual force behind all idolatry.  Whenever the people believe that an idol represents an actual god, Satan the devil is happy, and he is the one who encourages the people to engage in false religions.  Though there is never a god behind an idol, there is always a spiritual force, and that force is always evil and demonic.  Therefore, one cannot simply say, “It doesn’t matter, since the idol is nothing.  It does matter because whenever the people sacrifice; they are sacrificing to devils, or demons.”   One must understand that demons can demonstrate certain powers.  Many of the claims by cultic, demonic, fortune-telling and pagan religions are false, but some are true.  Have you ever heard people say, “But the things that they say will happen, and those things did actually happen!”  Indeed, some of their predictions may come true through the work of demonic forces.  Demons are not all-powerful (only God is all-powerful), but they have sufficient power to perform certain wonders and make certain predictions come true to keep the superstitious worshippers deceived as they continue to worship those idols.  That is why it can be so difficult to share with our unbelieving pagan relatives, because they would be saying, “But those things that the fortune tellers said, did come true.  Those things that the temple mediums said, did come true.”     Satan is the prince of this evil world system, and he rules this world with the help of his demons.  His aim is to have more and more people deny the one living and true God, and one of his ways is to make them worship those false idols.   That is why the Christian must have nothing to do with the idols.  Verse 21, Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.  Jesus Himself said in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.”  It is impossible to do that, both at the same time.  It must be either one or the other! Christians are not immune from the influence of demons.  When we are not careful, or willingly ignore God’s Word, or play the fool, we are opening ourselves to the demonic influences.   In Acts 5, when Ananias and Sapphira lied and pretended to give to the Lord, and the Apostle Peter said to them, “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?”   In Ephesians 6:12, the Apostle Paul stressed on the on-going spiritual warfare, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  The only way one can overcome this spiritual warfare is to put on the whole armour of God; to equip oneself with the loins of God’s truth, breastplate of righteousness, gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.   In 2 John 1:10-11, the Apostle John said, If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.  Never bid him God speed means never show him hospitality.  For example, there is a false teacher who is coming to town, and he needs to have a place to stay, and you have been approached.  You may think, “Well, what is wrong with showing some form of hospitality.”  Well, the Bible says, “When you show hospitality to those people who promote false teaching, you are fellowshipping with their evil deeds!”    When one hinders the Lord’s work, he is being influenced by the demonic forces.  Jesus rebuked Peter when he tried to hinder Him from going to the cross, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23).          Dear friend, everyday of our lives, we would be challenged by the decisions we have to make and the issues of life, and we have to be careful not to be influenced by the demonic forces.   III. Idolatry is offensive to God Verse 22, Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? How could God who loves us with a perfect love not be jealous of His love?  God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to come into this world, and Jesus suffered, died and shed His precious blood to save us from our sins.  And God sent His Spirit into our hearts to wrought conviction that we might believe in Him, and be transported out of darkness into His marvellous light.  How could He not be jealous of us?  For thou shalt worship no other god: (why) for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14, emphasis mine).     God will surely guard His love very strongly, and He is not willing to share our love, adoration and devotion with anyone, not with the world or any false gods. An idol may not just be a physical statue one sees in some of the homes.  It can be something one puts in his life in place of God.  It can be something or someone that takes precedence in his life which otherwise should be the place of God. Perhaps, you have come to church because of someone; whenever that person is in church, you are there, and whenever that person is absent, you will not attend.  Has that person not become your idol?  Or you have placed your job and other priorities in life over the worship of God, perhaps your children’s education, (your son or daughter is taking VCE and therefore you will not attend church because you bring them for tuitions), and you say to yourself, “Well, God will understand.”  God does understand and He knows that something else has taken over His place in your heart, and if you are a true child of God, He will do all He can, to remove that thing, so that He can be the “President” in your life.  Why?  Because He is a jealous God and He will not share your love for Him with anything or anyone else.       Finally, the Apostle Paul ends with a rhetorical question, “Are we stronger than He?”  Most certainly not!  The idolater will not get away with it, and go unpunished.  No one can escape God, not even His own children.  If one is a true believer, he is saved and will not lose his salvation.  But he will not escape God’s chastisement if he engages in any sort of idol worship.   Dear friend, have you placed anything or anyone in the place of God in your life?  For example, your job, your priorities in life, your children’s education, your ambitions, aspirations, hobbies and worldly pursuits?  God is a jealous God because He loves us perfectly, and He is not willing to share our love for Him with anything or anyone else.  We must flee idolatry because it is inconsistent with our beliefs, it is demonic in nature and it is offensive to God! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~6 min read

“…things sacrificed to the idol had no spiritual power or nature, neither the physical idol itself for it had no spiritual power…”

1 Corinthians 10:14-18

Ps Paul Cheng

In our previous message, we had considered that our temptation is not unique and it is the common experience of every man. But we do not have to sin because God will provide a way of escape, and we can have victory over temptation. Oftentimes, the way to have victory is not without but through the temptation, as God is faithful and He will help us to bear it. But just in case, anyone thinks, “Well, if God is faithful, He will provide a way for me to escape. And that way is through the temptation, then I am going to purposely put myself in the path of temptation, and see how God is going to help me to be victorious.” That is foolishness! Instead of placing oneself in the path of temptation and sin, one should flee. Therefore, Paul said, Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14). The phrase flee from means if one is tempted to do it, do not do it, if one is already in it, get out of it, if one has not gotten into it, stay as far away as possible from it! Some of the Corinthians might question, “If idols are nothing, and false gods do not exist, so what is the big deal? Why must we flee from idolatry?” Well, Paul lovingly explained to them the reasons, my beloved brethren. I. Idolatry is inconsistent with our beliefs I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say (v.15) As believers, the Corinthians had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures, therefore they had the ability to be wise men - wise men who had the fear of the Lord which was the beginning of wisdom. When Paul said, judge ye what I say, he did not mean, “Maybe it is right, or maybe it is wrong, you can decide for yourself.” Basically, he was saying, “If you have the fear of God in your heart and spiritual wisdom, you will be able to judge what I say is true and right.” A lesson we can learn from here is that as parents, Sunday school and Bible teachers, when we teach the Bible, we do not give the impression that there is an option or choice, and one can decide for himself. We must be emphatic and authoritative, “This is what the Bible says! You judge what I say! If this is what the Bible says, then you must obey and follow!” Next, Paul gave an illustration of the Lord’s Supper. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (v.16) The significance of the Lord’s Table would be discussed in the next chapter. Here, it was not in Paul’s mind to explain the significance, and he was simply using the Lord’s Table to illustrate the point that they must flee from idolatry. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He said, “Do this as often as you can, in remembrance of Me.” So, every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper, it is to remember. But it is not just a commemoration, for it is a spiritual exercise because there is a blessing that comes with it when we do it in a godly manner, and there is a warning that comes with it when we do it unworthily. That was why some of the people were weak, sickly and some even died (c.f. 1 Corinthians 11:30). It is called the cup of blessing, as John Calvin said, “Every time you partake of the Lord’s Supper worthily, there is a spiritual blessing that words cannot express.” Whenever we conduct the Lord’s Supper, the minister will take the bread and say, “Jesus said, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me.” And then the minister will take the cup and say, “This cup is the new testament in my blood which is shed for the remission of sin, this do ye, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” Do you realize that was essentially a re-enactment, a picture to remind us of our Lord Jesus Christ? Every time we do that, we are remembering this picture of His death, how His body was crucified on that cross and His blood was shed to save us from our sins (He died and He was risen from the dead), and we are looking forward to His soon return. By way of illustration, when we have a picture of someone we love, the picture is not the same as that person, but it does represent that person. And whenever we look at the picture, we have this feeling of love, care, affection and the desire to be with the person, and we remember the experiences we have had with the person. Those feelings and experiences are real. But it is possible to have that kind of feeling only when we know the person. When we know, trust and believe in the person, then we can identify with the person. We cannot have feelings and experiences with someone we do not know, like a total stranger. It is the same way when we partake of the Lord’s Supper. That is why only believers who are baptised (who understand the significance of it) are allowed to partake of the elements. Notice the word communion of the body and blood of Christ. This word communion (koinonia) can be translated as fellowship, or participation, or sharing. For example, Romans 15:26 says, For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. The same word “koinonia” was translated as contribution. When you believe and trust in something and when you identify yourself with something, you direct your money or support toward the cause. Just as some of you have contributed toward the needs of the Myanmar churches to help those brethren who were affected with the sickness of elephant flu recently and support their gospel work. Why do you do that? Because you know them, trust and believe in what they are doing (the gospel cause), identify with them as fellow believers, therefore you contribute (koinonia) to their needs. Likewise, we come together and observe the Lord’s Table, because we know, trust, believe and identify with Christ, essentially with His life, death and resurrection. Thus, we have fellowship and communion with Him. That is why sometimes the Lord’s Table is called the holy communion, which means, holy fellowship, holy sharing, holy participation in the body and blood of Christ. For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread (v.17). Because we are one with Christ, we are one with each other. We can fellowship with one another because of what Jesus Christ had done. As we come into fellowship with Christ through the communion, we come into fellowship with each other in a unique and deep way. All believers stand on the same ground at the foot of the cross, we come equally as forgiven sinners who have eternal life through Jesus Christ. Paul went on to give another illustration, Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? (v.18) The phrase Israel after the flesh was a reference to the unsaved Israelites who craved for the evil desires of the flesh, and they were engaged in the false worship of idols. There were many occasions when Israel went after other gods. And when they ate of those sacrifices offered on the altars of those gods, they were partaking, fellowshipping, sharing, communing with the pagans of those false gods. In other words, Paul was saying, “Whenever you go into a pagan religious worship where there is a meat offered to the deity, and you sit down and eat that meat, you are identifying yourself with it, and you are fellowshipping with the pagans who believe in it.” Why would a Christian go into a temple and there is a worship going on, and eat the meat offered to an idol, it is totally wrong, and inconsistent with what you believe in! (c.f. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18) What do we have in common with an unbeliever? In a physical sense, we have everything in common; we are both human beings, we eat the same food, we drive the same car, we live in the same neighbourhood, etc. But in a spiritual sense, we have nothing in common; because of who and what we believe in, we do not identify with them in the same thing, we do not fellowship, share, commune or partake in the same thing! Why would the Christians claim one thing, by observing the Lord’s Table, and then turn around and do another thing, by fellowshipping in the idol’s temple, eating the meat offered to the false gods. It is totally inconsistent with our beliefs! Today, we may not participate in the worship of idols or partake of the sacrifices offered to them, by God’s grace. But what about fellowshipping (koinonia) with the unbelievers in the spiritual sense where we compromise who and what we believe in? Like joining their wild parties, engaging in their sinful conversation, sharing their worldly values and philosophies, identifying with their ungodly behaviours and lifestyles, etc. We must apply biblical separation to keep ourselves holy! (To be continued in the next pastoral chat)

~7 min read

“…stay as far away as possible from it…”

Selected Scriptures

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, By the grace of God, I have just returned from a trip to Singapore and Penang (Malaysia).  I was invited to preach at True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church Camp in Penang from the 10 th to 14 th June 2024.   Prior to the Church Camp, I was scheduled to preach at True Life’s worship service at RELC hotel.  I preached on the topic, “This One Thing I Do,” based on Philippians 3:12-14, focusing on what the believer ought to do to pursue after Christ, live for Him, serve Him and be more and more like Him.  And the way he can do that is to (1) forget those things that are behind, (2) reaching forth unto those things which are before, and (3) pressing toward the mark. The next morning at 9.00 am, I boarded the Scoot flight to Penang.  It was an uneventful flight, and upon arrival, I took a taxi to Royale Chulan Hotel where the Church Camp was held.  It was a heritage hotel, built according to those old Victorian-styled buildings.  Penang is located on the northwest coast of Peninsula Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca with a population of about 1.74 million residents which includes Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, Siamese and expatriates.  Interestingly, Captain Francis Light, a British explorer, founded the British colony and its capital city of George Town in 1786, and his son William Light was also the one who founded the city of Adelaide in South Australia.  That is an interesting connection between Penang and Australia.  To me, this rustic city was reminiscent of Singapore in the 70s, thus bringing back many sweet memories.     There were more than 200 participants in the Church Camp which were made up of True Lifers, visitors from other churches, representatives from their missions and joint-missions churches in Cambodia, Myanmar, China, Kemaman (Malaysia), the Philippines, Kenya, Brisbane and Perth.  Amongst the participants were two principals, Rev Dr Jeffry, pastor of True Life and principal of the Far Eastern Bible College, Rev Dr Mark Kim, principal of the Bible College of East Africa and Rwanda, several lecturers of FEBC, as well as ministers and preachers from other churches.  It was quite a daunting experience to preach before my former pastor, Bible College principals and lecturers, and other senior ministers.  Nevertheless, God had strengthened, sustained and given me the words to exhort.  All glory to God!         The church camp’s theme was “The God of all Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).”  I preached to the English participants, while Rev Lee Kim Shong (Calvary Jaya B-P Church) preached to the Chinese participants.  I chose selected scripture passages from the Old and New Testaments about believers who had experienced the comfort of God in the different phases of life; drawing spiritual lessons from Elijah, David, Paul, Peter, James and the disciples of Christ. Altogether there were seven sermons, and they were as follows: . Lesson from Paul - Introduction to the God of all Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:1-7) I. Lesson from Elijah - Having victory in times of trials  (1 Kings 17-18) II. Lesson from David - Having confidence in times of trials (Psalm 3) III. Lesson from Peter - Understanding God’s purpose in trials (1 Peter 1:6-7) IV. Lesson from James I - Enduring trials and the reward (James 1:1-12) V. Lesson from James II - Understanding who God is and who we are in times of trials (James 1:13-18) VI. Lesson from the Disciples - Clinging onto God’s promise in times of trials (John 14:1- 6) The fellowship was loving and warm, and during meal time, we would share with one another about the trials we had faced and how we had experienced the comfort of God.  Representatives from the mission churches were allotted time to share reports of their work which was most encouraging as we were given insights into the blessings, struggles and challenges they faced in the ministry which enabled us to pray for them more relevantly.   Penang is arguably the Malaysian state that produces the best durians, and so, a “durian party” was organised on the last night at the hotel carpark (obviously durians were not allowed in the hotel premise), and everyone (except a few who did not like durians) was able to savour the “King of Fruits.”  The camp ended with a time of thanksgiving and testimonies when the participants shared their own personal experiences with trials and God’s strengthening comfort, and lessons they had learnt through the messages.  There was a question-and-answer segment toward the very end, but time was so limited that I was only able to answer six questions before the campers had to break camp and check out of the hotel.  Indeed, God is good and He has blessed us with a wonderful camp, to feast upon His Word and have sweet fellowship with one another.    Upon my return to Singapore, I was invited to preach at the Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church worship service on the Lord’s Day on the 16 th June.  I was able to meet up with Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy and fellow Gethsemaneans, as well as their missionaries.  Coincidentally, Gethsemane had her missionary conference in Kuala Lumpur at the same time True Life was having their church camp at Penang.  That was the reason why those missionaries from Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippians and India, were present at the worship service.  Once again, I was blessed with a brief but most edifying fellowship with people whom I knew and had not met for years, before catching the flight in the evening bound for Melbourne.    Before and after the church camp, and in-between those days when I was not scheduled to preach, I was also able to spend some time with my elderly parents.  Each time I visited them, I could see how they had aged tremendously, and with the ageing came all the aches, pains, sicknesses and mobility restrictions.  But praise be to God for the time well-spent, and the opportunity to minister to them.   I went to Singapore and Penang to minister and be a blessing to the people, but in reality, I was being ministered and blessed so abundantly.  Truly, For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations (Psalm 100:5).   With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~4 min read

“…Truly, For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations (Psalm 100:5)…”

1 Timothy 4:12

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites,  Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity (1 Tim.4:12).   The word example can mean pattern, image or model. A dressmaker would lay the pattern on top of the material and cut the material according to the pattern. An artist would often use a model so he can reproduce it in his painting. That is what the Christian ought to do, to live his life as an example so the people can have a pattern to follow. Someone once said, “Your life speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say.” The worst thing that could ever happen to a Christian is when his life is such a bad image that no one wants to pattern after.   Timothy was young, and was therefore subjected to a certain amount of questioning. If he wanted the people to follow him, he had to be respected. The way for him not to let anyone show contempt for his youth and be despised because of his age, is to be an example of the believers. In which areas of his life should he be an example?   In Word  A Christian must be an example of the believers in his words. Jesus says, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Matthew 12:34), for whatever comes out of the mouth reveals what is in a person’s heart.   Ephesians 4:25, Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. A Christian’s speech is to be truthful, he should not speak any falsehood or doubletalk, telling one thing to one person and another to someone else. The testimony of a Christian will be destroyed when people compare notes about the lies he has told them.  Colossians 4:6, Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. A Christian’s speech is to be gracious, and he should not speak words of wrath or anger. He must never reach a point whereby his words are bitter, vengeful or ungracious.   Ephesians 4:29 says, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. A Christian’s speech is to be pure and edifying. Scriptures exhort us to speak words seasoned with love and grace. To hear some words of love is a wonderful thing; our words can either be used to encourage or discourage. If you are someone who is always encouraging in your words, people will certainly be encouraged by you. No one likes a cynical, sharp-tongued person. If we have critical and judgmental thoughts concerning one another and we speak evil against one another, we can be sure that the love of God will not be manifested through our lives. We must love one another even in our speech, and we must not sin against our brethren by what we say.   In Conversation   The word conversation means manner of life, conduct or behaviour. A Christian must be an example of the believers in the way he lives his life. He must be a person who lives out his convictions based on godly principles; in the things he says, in the things he does and in the places he visits, they must always be God-honoring. He must conduct his lives in such a pattern that others would want to follow; it must be a good pattern and a righteous one.   1 Peter 1:1, As he who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of life. A Christian’s manner of life should not contradict his profession of faith. If his life does not tally with what he professed to believe, it is not only meaningless but it can be a stumbling block.   In Charity   The word charity can be referred to as love. Love is one of the fruit of the Spirit in Gal 5:22. A Christian must be an example of the believers in love.   In the secular world, perhaps love has been the most written about topic of all times, in poetry, in arts, in movies, etc. So many years have passed, and though love was so much spoken and written, yet people are still so unclear about the nature of true love.   The Bible has also written much about love. In 1 Corinthian 13, the Apostle Paul spent an entire chapter talking about this topic of love, and ultimately in Christianity, almost two thousand years ago, the world witnessed the ultimate love that was manifested on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus commanded His disciples, Love one another as I have loved ye.   1 John 1:18, My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. Love is not something that is only fit for head knowledge, it is not something that only rests on professed lips, but it must be manifested in deed and in truth.   The Christian church is an unique place where the rich and the poor fellowship with one another, where the strong and the weak come together, where the people esteem one another better than themselves, a place where people love one another.   In Spirit   A Christian must be an example of the believers in Spirit. Galatians 5:16, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Either a person walks in the Spirit or walks in the flesh. But a Christian has the indwelling of the Spirit of God, and he ought to live his life according to the Spirit’s leading and in accordance with the Word of God. A Christian who walks in the Spirit, will also manifest the fruit of the Spirit in his life, …love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.   In Faith  A Christian must be an example of the believers in faith. The Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy that he must be consistent, faithful and trustworthy in his ministry. 1 Corinthians 4:2, It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. It is a requirement, and in every ministry, the faithful and trustworthy people will serve God throughout their lives. Indeed, faithfulness is the key factor that will separate those who will succeed and those who will fail in the Lord’s ministry.   In Purity  Finally, a Christian must be an example of the believers in purity. The word purity not only refers to sexual purity, but also to the intents of the heart. If one’s heart is pure, his behavior will be pure as well. Christians must maintain their moral purity.   2 Timothy 2:22, Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Youthful lusts mean the deep-seated desires of the heart. It does not mean that those who are older in age do not have lustful and evil desires, but it is typical of young people.  My friends, if every one of us is to apply this biblical principle in 1 Timothy 4:12 into our lives, into the church, into the ministry, into the family, our lives will certainly touch the lives of others. Our lives will be a pattern that our children would emulate and others would want to follow.   With love in Christ  Pastor Paul          

~5 min read

….“Your life speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say. The worst thing that could ever happen to a Christian is when…”

1 Corinthians 10:13

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, 1 Corinthians 10:13, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.   In our previous pastoral chat, as we considered the theme, “Encouragement in times of temptation,” in 1 Corinthians 10:13, we had touched on the first point (1) your temptation is not unique - but such as is common to man.  Today, we will continue to look at the second point.           1. You do not have to sin   Verse 13b, But God is faithful.   No believer can ever say, “I have no choice, the temptation was too great.  I cannot help it, and I just have to give in to the temptation.  Or the devil will make me do it.”  We have to understand this very important point that no one, not even the devil, can make us sin.  Though Satan may be powerful, he cannot even make an unbeliever sin, how much more a believer.  People sin wilfully.  But as believers, we do not need to sin because we have a resource that is greater than all our temptations.  Our God is faithful.           God knows all our strengths and weaknesses.  He knows what is good for us to go through at this moment.  You may be a faithful believer but God wants you to be an even better Christian, and He allows you to go through certain trials, not to destroy but to strengthen even more.  Or you may have been proud and God does not want you to live in pride, and He allows you to go through trials as a refining process, again not to destroy but to humble you.  Nonetheless, whatever God would allow into your life, He will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.       There are times in life when people would say, “I cannot take it anymore, God has allowed this thing to happen in my life, I have no choice, so I have to sin.”  The Apostle Paul says, “No!  God will not suffer you, which means He will not allow or permit you, to be tempted above that you are able.  You do not have to give up!  You do not have to sin!”  Do you think God does not know what you are going through?  Do you think He is not in sovereign control of the events in your life that you, as a child of God, bought by His precious blood, need to resort to lie, cheat and steal?  God is faithful, He will not allow you to do that.     In the gospel of John 18, there was a very heart-warming and touching example of God’s faithfulness that He would not allow His beloved children to go through the trials when they were not ready.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, He asked them twice whom they had come to arrest.  Twice they answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.”  And Jesus said to them, “I have told you (twice) that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these people go their way.”  Why did Jesus do that?  He wanted to prevent His disciples from being arrested in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled which says, “Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.”  Jesus knew that the disciples were not ready for such a test.  If they were arrested, they would have been devastated, their faith would be destroyed, and Jesus would not permit it.  Later on, we learn from church history that all the twelve disciples (minus Judas Iscariot) died a martyr’s death, except the Apostle John who was exiled for life on the Island of Patmos.  Church tradition tells us that when Peter was about to be crucified, he said to his persecutors that he was unworthy to die like the Lord Jesus Christ, and requested to be crucified upside down instead.  Andrew was crucified on an X-cross, that is the reason why Saint Andrew’s College has the symbol of the X-cross.  All the disciples went through great persecution, imprisonment and hardship for the sake of the gospel, but they did not go through those things until they were ready to experience them.   Dear friend, if God allows certain circumstances and situations into your life, He knows that you are able to bear it, and you are ready for it.  You do not have to sin, but to believe that God is faithful, and He will give you the strength and ability to go through it.              • Victory is through temptation    1 Corinthians 10:13c, But will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.   Many believers want victory in their Christian life, but they want victory without the temptation (as mentioned earlier, the word temptation (peirasmos) can mean a trial, test or a temptation).  The only way one can have the victory is through temptation.  Notice the phrase a way; in other words, there is a certain way, a particular way, or a definite way.  There is only one way to escape from temptation, no matter what kind of temptation it is, the only escape is through it.  The construction of the sentence is very interesting because the second part of the sentence explains the way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.   Whether it is a test by God to prove our faithfulness, or it is a temptation by Satan to cause us to fall into sin, there is only one way we can pass the test.  We escape temptation not by getting out of it, but by passing through it.  God does not take us out, but He will see us through by helping us to bear it.     Let me give you some biblical examples.        The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted.  It was the Father’s will that the Son should be there in the wilderness (not out of the wilderness, but in the wilderness), and Jesus did not leave until He went through the three temptations.  He escaped the trials by enduring and bearing them, in the power of the Spirit. In the book of Genesis, Joseph faced trial after trial; he was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and sent to prison and forgotten.  Joseph escaped the trials by enduring the betrayal, slavery and prison, in the power of the Spirit.   Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, were thrown into the fiery furnace, and they miraculously survived.  They escaped the trials by enduring the lion’s den and the fiery furnace, in the power of the Spirit.   Dear friend, I do not know what is your lion’s den, or fiery furnace; it could be the death of a loved one, or a financial crisis, or a difficult boss you have to face at work.  But it is always the same case, if you want victory from temptation, the only way is through the temptation.    But that does not mean you purposely put yourself in the path of temptation that may cause you to fall into sin.  For example, you know that there are certain ungodly websites you should not be visiting, and you say to yourself, “Well, God is faithful, and He will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  So, I am going to purposely visit those websites, and see how God is going to help us to view those pictures, and yet not lust after them.  I am going to be victorious.  That is foolishness!”  The biblical mandate is to flee fornication, to flee youthful lust.  The command has already been given to us; we must do all we can to avoid the temptation.  But despite us doing all we can to avoid the temptation, it still comes to us.  When God allows it, as a form of a test, to come into our lives, He knows that we are ready for it, and we are able to bear it.     What we need to do is;     We need to pray for the strength to endure the testing.  If we do not pray, we can be sure that the test will turn into a temptation that will cause us to fall into sin. We need to trust God.  Praying without trusting is useless!  We must believe that God has a purpose for everything that comes into the lives of His beloved children.  When we are tested, we should gladly endure it in His power, for the sake of the gospel and for our own spiritual growth.   We need to focus on our Lord Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith.  He is the originator, the One who caused us to believe in Him, and He who has saved us, will keep us, and He will complete and finish the work of faith that He has done in our lives.    Dear friend, to summarise; (1) your temptation is not unique (it is the common experiences of man), (2) you do not have to sin (because you have a source that is greater than all your temptations, and God is faithful), and (3) if you want victory (you can have victory), but victory is only possible through temptation, and you must be able to bear and endure it, in God’s power.    With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

“…No believer can ever say, “I have no choice, the temptation was too great…”

1 Corinthians 10:13

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, 1 Corinthians 10:13, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. This is a very encouraging verse, but we need to understand the circumstances that surround this verse.  In the preceding chapters, the Apostle Paul had warned the Corinthians to stop craving evil things and falling into idolatry, and to live righteous lives when the environment was so wicked.  Do not murmur and complain like the children of Israel in the wilderness!  But how could they do that?  The believer should understand that victory was always available to them if they would trust in the sovereign purpose of God.  This is what we want to learn from this verse. I. Your temptation is not unique 1 Corinthians 10:13a, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: The basic meaning of the word temptation is simply to test or to prove, and it has no negative connotation.  Whether it becomes a test of our faith, or a temptation to fall into sin, it depends on how one would respond.  If one resists the temptation in God’s power it is a test that proves his faithfulness.  If he does not resist, it becomes an inducement to sin (c.f. Matthew 4, the temptation of Christ in the wilderness) God allows certain circumstances and situations to come into our lives, never as a temptation to cause us to fall into sin, but as a test to prove our righteousness and faithfulness.  To cause us to turn to Him for strength, and provision and purposes; James 1:13, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.  Notice the phrase, with evil, which means God never intended for the testing to be with evil, but it becomes a temptation to evil only when we respond to it negatively.  Instead of trusting God, we yield to our own sinful desires.  That was why James continued to say, But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:14-15) Dear friend, oftentimes God would allow circumstances into our lives to test us.  At that moment, we may not recognize it as a test, but our response to it would prove whether we are faithful or not.  Perhaps, you may have just received your medical report and it says, “You have contracted a very serious illness (that is a test), and you respond to it by trusting God that all things work together for good (God must have a sovereign purpose).  Or you respond to it by being bitter and angry with God.”  Perhaps, you may be a businessman, and you have hit hard times; the economy is not good (that is a test), you respond to it by trusting God that He will provide for your needs and it may even be His will to close down the business, or you respond to it by stealing from your customers or falsifying your accounts. The circumstances of life will present themselves to us, in many different shapes and forms.  It could be an issue in the workplace, or a problem one faces in school, or a decision one has to make.  How we respond to those situations becomes an opportunity for us to prove whether we are faithful to God or not, righteous or not, growing spiritually or declining tragically.  It all depends on our response.  That is the reason why we learn to pray the Lord’s Prayer, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  In other words, we are praying that God will not allow the test to become a temptation, and the idea is, “Lord, stop us before Satan will turn your test into his temptation.” Whenever we go through really hard times, we have the tendency to think that no one has faced the same kind of trials we are going through.  We feel as if we are the only ones on the face of this earth, going through such an experience, and we will say things like, “This is so horrendous.  No one knows or understands what I have gone through.”  But the truth is, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man;  The phrase, common to man, simply means that which is human or that which belongs to mankind.  In other words, there is no such thing as a supernatural temptation, or an out-of-this-world experience.  Let us not think that we are the special one in that we have experienced something that no one in this whole world has ever experienced before. Our situations may be different, but the basis of temptation is the same. The Bible reminds us, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Jesus became 100% man, and He had faced the temptation that every man would have experienced. Do you know what happens when people start to think that the temptation they are facing is unique, special, and no one has ever experienced before?  That is the time when people would begin to spiral downward into depression because they feel that no one understands them.  No one has experienced what they have gone through, and therefore they cannot see any example of victory nor any hope of recovery. As believers, we must understand that our temptation is not unique.  Temptations are just the common experiences of every man; millions and millions of other people have gone through the same experiences.  That is why it makes perfect sense to us that in the preceding verses, the Apostle Paul would go back a thousand years and spoke about the Israelites in the wilderness.  Those Israelites lived in the desert and we lived in brick buildings, they lived in ancient times and we lived in modern times, and what do we have in common?  What we have in common is the temptation to murmur and complain; the temptation to crave for evil things, and the temptation to fall into adultery and idolatry.  It is always the same! In this regard, let us consider a word of advice to all our young people, “Please do not keep saying that your parents do not understand what you are going through, like peer pressure or cyber bullying.  Whatever you are going through is not unique, though the circumstances may be different, but the basis of temptation is the same. Your parents do understand, and you need to speak to them!” With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

“…Lord, stop us before Satan will turn your test into his temptation…”

1 Corinthians 10:1-5

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In our previous pastoral chats concerning chapters 8 and 10, we had discussed how Paul dealt with meat offered to idols. Why did Paul have to spend two chapters to touch on the same subject about meat offered to idols? Both had to do with Christian liberty! But there was a difference between those two chapters; in chapter 8, Paul was exhorting the Corinthians to be careful that their Christian liberty did not hurt or stumble other people, while in chapter 10, he was telling them to be careful that their Christian liberty did not hurt themselves. Perhaps, some Corinthians might be thinking that the idols were nothing, and food offered were basically still food, and they could be involved in the various types of idolatrous activities and yet not be affected by them. That was the key verse of 1 Corinthians 10:12, Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall! In a similar fashion, today there are some people who think to themselves, “I know the Scriptures. I am well-grounded in the doctrines of the Bible. I am a Bible teacher and spiritually mature. Therefore, I can go into the world and be engaged in the things of the world, and yet not be affected by worldliness and ungodliness.” Be careful, for your over-confidence is hurting yourself! The Apostle Paul began with a little history lesson about the nation of Israel. It is always good for one to learn from the wonderful success stories of men and women in the past, but it is just as useful for him to learn from the failures of historical figures as well, so that he will not make the same mistakes. Verse 1, Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; The word moreover connects chapter 10 to chapters 8 and 9. Therefore Paul was still on the topic of food offered to idols. Here, he was emphasizing the fact that the Israelites had great privileges. The Israelites had spent 400 years as slaves in Egypt, where they were subjected to the oppressions and abuses of the Egyptians. After God sent the ten plagues against the tormentors, He miraculously delivered the Israelites. He opened the Red Sea for them to pass through the sea on dry land and then closed the waters on the Egyptians. He guided them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (cf. Exodus 13:21). Verse 2, And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. This verse has been quite controversial because some people interpret it as referring to the sacrament of water baptism. I have heard of Presbyterians who believe in sprinkling as the mode of baptism using the first part of this verse to say, “Well, you see, they were baptised in the cloud (one cannot be immersed in the cloud, he can only be sprinkled by the rain from the cloud),” and the Baptists who believe in immersion as the mode of baptism using the second part of this verse to say, “Well, you see, they were baptised in the sea (that speaks of immersion).” But this verse was not talking about water baptism because the cloud actually went in front of the Israelites, it gave them direction, and they were certainly not immersed in the sea, remember, they went through as on dry land. Here, the word baptized means to be identified, which is one aspect of the meaning of baptism. When we trust in Jesus Christ, we are baptised into Him, and identified with Him, and one with Him. Galatians 3:27, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. The Israelites believed in the Lord Jehovah, and they believed in His servant Moses, and they were all baptized unto Moses in that they were identified with him as God’s appointed leader over them. Verse 3, And did all eat the same spiritual meat. Sometimes people would use the phrase spiritual meat to refer to a spiritual strengthening, or a spiritual feeding, especially being spiritually fed by the Word of God. While it is true that God will spiritually strengthen His people, here the meat is a reference to the manna (bread from heaven) that the Israelites had received throughout their forty years in the wilderness. And the word spiritual simply means it was spiritually or supernaturally provided. The people not only had the food, but they also had the drink. Verse 4, And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. Again, it was spiritually and supernaturally provided by God. Throughout their forty years in the wilderness, there was Someone who gave them food and water. And that Someone was none other than the Rock Jesus Christ. Christ was with them throughout their entire journey. It was so comforting to know that the Israelites had received guidance, protection, food and water, all provided for, by the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, they were a privileged people, for they were recipients of the incredible spiritual blessings. Sadly, But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness (v.5). Out of all the adults who left Egypt, only two actually went into the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb. How could such a large group of people, who were recipients of God’s amazing spiritual blessings, and yet ended up dying in the wilderness? The answer is, “They were overconfident!” The Israelites thought, “We have all these blessings. Therefore, we are great and special. We can stand and make it on our own!” But they died most tragically, and their bodies were overthrown or scattered in the wilderness. God was not well pleased with the Israelites because instead of being grateful to His blessings and responding in good faith, they murmured and complained against Him. That was why God said to Moses and Aaron in Numbers 14:27, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me....As truly as I live…Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun (Numbers 14:27-30). Dear friend, the one important lesson we can learn from this passage is that great spiritual blessings are no guarantee that one will not fall. One may be born into a Christian family; he may have attended the Sunday school since infancy, graduated from the elementary classes and moved into the worship services, given many opportunities to serve the Lord in the various ministries of the church. One may have witnessed the hands of God working in his family and individual life. But he must not be proud, and think that just because of all these spiritual blessings, he will fall. Why did God record for us in the Holy Scriptures that the Israelites had experienced such great spiritual blessings, and yet be overthrown in the wilderness, not being able to enter the Promised Land? Is it not for our good? Truly it is for our spiritual learning that we will not make the same mistakes. This is the lesson from history, do not be overconfident! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

“...Be careful, for your over-confidence is hurting yourself!…”

Selected Scriptures

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Greetings in the most blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I trust this write-up finds you all well in the Lord, as we keep praying for you. By God’s grace and through your prayers, we, the brethren at First and Ngalti BPCs, Myanmar, are doing well. Today, we are very thankful to give you a short account of how the Lord has led us recently into another phase of His glorious ministry, namely, the ordination of Jeffrey Tial Hre Mang, in conjunction with Ngalti BPC camp, 7-14 April 2024. At the same time, our sincere thanks to Rev Paul for allocating space for this report. NGALTI BPC CAMP 2024 The mission team, comprising Rev Lal Lian Uk, Pr Van Bawi Hu and Rev Biak Lawm Thang, left Yangon for Ngalti on the 1st of April (Monday) to be back on 22 nd April (Monday). The purpose of the trip was twofold: to speak at Ngalti BPC camp and to ordain Pr Jeffrey Tial Hre Mang as Minister of the Word. God was so good to us throughout our trip, granting us journey mercies to and from Ngalti, despite travelling challenges amid civil unrest in the country (Ps 121). Arriving at Kalemyo (half-way to Ngalti) in the evening of the same day we left, we stayed there for one night, as we needed to wait for the public transport to take us to Falam, a small town located in- between Kalemyo and Ngalti. It is the nearest town to Ngalti (about 30 miles from Ngalti), from which, villagers nearby, including our brethren at Ngalti, usually buy their daily necessities. From Falam we had to wait for the brethren to come and fetch us, while making preparations, such as purchasing those things necessary (relief aids) for Ngalti BPC. We finally arrived in Ngalti on the 6 th of April (Saturday), safe and sound, by God’s grace. All praise to God for His protection. From the same Saturday night (6th April) that we arrived at Ngalti, we started to have nightly worship service together with the brethren there until the next Lord's Day night (14th April), nine nights in total. The Church Camp started from Monday (8th April) to the next Lord's Day (14th April). While worshipping together every night with much joy and happiness, children presenting Bible recitations and praise items before the messages every night, day time was spent studying God's Word under the camp theme, "God's Design for the Family." Rev Lian Uk and Rev Biak took turns to minister the Word to the adults, while Pr Bawi Hu and brother Ngun Lian Zir (a former student of our Bible College) taught the children. The whole week was a week of feeding on spiritual food, of fellowship with and learning from one another, a very sweet and blessed week indeed. We all experienced God’s goodness in a very practical manner, granting us such valuable opportunities amid troubled time, guiding us every step, protecting us from all harm and danger, and blessing us with many blessings both spiritual and physical. “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Ps 34:8). “O give thanks unto the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever” (Ps 136:1). ORDINATION OF JEFFREY TIAL HRE MANG The Lord's Day, 14th April, was a big day, a day of worship, praise and thanksgiving. It was a day on which we had a very blessed opportunity of ordaining Pr Tial Hre Mang as Minister of the Word, baptizing 6 infants, and administering the Lord's Table. By God's grace and through your prayers, every plan went smoothly, all to the praise and glory of God. All of us were very thankful to the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness upon us. Rev Tial Hre Mang sensed the Lord’s call to ministry in 2010. He then went through theological training in Bible Colleges in Myanmar and India. After that, he underwent special training under First BPC for two years. Then he served as Preacher at Ngalti BPC for five years on an interim basis. Having fulfilled “all righteousness” concerning the ordination, he was ordained as Minister of the Word, on the 14 th of April, 2024. We praise and thank God that He in His grace added to us another faithful minister who will serve Him in a field where Pastor is most needed. Rev Mang was married in 2022, and he is blessed with one daughter. As he has just taken the great responsibility of pastoring God’s flock at Ngalti BPC, he, together with his family, need our constant prayer and encouragement. DISTRIBUTION OF RELIEF AIDS Another important aspect of our recent trip to Ngalti BPC is the administration of relief aids. Having brought relief funds from Yangon, which we had received from Bethel BPC, Melbourne, we made the purchase of materials at Falam. All the relief funds were transformed into materials – in the form of daily necessities, such as (1) rice, (2) salt, (3) sugar, (4) medicines, and others. Our brethren at Ngalti BPC have been suffering the effects of civil war for three years and their livelihood has been greatly affected. On the Lord's Day (7th April) after the worship service, the brethren gathered together at the village hall to receive their shares of relief aid. Rev Biak took the opportunity to read God's Word and explain to the brethren how the Lord graciously provided such amazing and timely help through the generous giving and instrumentality of Bethel BPC, and Rev Lian Uk offered a thanksgiving prayer. Then the relief aids were distributed to each family by the Session of Ngalti BPC. The brethren were very thankful and gave thanks to God for His wonderful provision in this time of need through Bethel BPC (1 Cor 16:1-4; 2 Cor 8-9). Indeed, we are very thankful to the Lord for His guidance and protection, and we want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your faithful prayers and constant support. May His name be honoured and praised for the great works He has done through and among us, and may we be moved with greater fervency to do greater works for Him. “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Rom 11:36). “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Eph 3:20-21). With love in Christ, Biak Lawm Thang

~4 min read

“… short account of how the Lord has led us recently…”

1 Corinthians 9:27

Ps Paul Cheng

As we come to the end of the theme, “how to run the race faithfully,” let us briefly recap what we have learned in our previous pastoral chats. We have touched on the importance to (1) run to win, (2) run with self-control, and (3) run to obtain an incorruptible crown. Today, we have come to the last aspect and that is to (4) run to be approved by God! IV. Run to be approved by God 1 Corinthians 9:27, But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by many means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. To keep under my body, and bring it into subjection basically means to discipline oneself. The Apostle Paul was reiterating the point he had made in the preceding verse 25 to be temperate in all things (exercise self-control). The reason why he was determined to exercise discipline and self-control was to prevent himself from being a castaway (adokimos) which means to be disapproved or disqualified. An athlete who failed to meet the training requirements would be disqualified.  What is the work of the preacher? His work is to preach to the people about the requirements that God has set for His people to follow; e.g. how they ought to run the Christian race faithfully. If Paul had preached these requirements to the people, but he himself was castaway or disqualified for not meeting those requirements, everything would be meaningless. That was the point Paul was trying to stress. Many believers would start the Christian life with great passion and devotion, and they train carefully and run well, but only for a while. Soon, they begin to slacken and no longer train and run as hard. They allow the world, flesh, personal interests, laziness, sin and ungodliness to creep into their lives and hinder their spiritual growth and services for the Lord. Dear friend, you may be a church preacher, leader, Sunday school teacher or parent. Do you think God would use such a person who goes around telling others to run the Christian race faithfully but then he himself has no desire, passion and commitment (does not run to win), or he allows worldliness to creep into his life (does not run with self-control), or he just wants the applause of men and accolades of the world (does not run to obtain an incorruptible crown), or he just wants to be approved by men (does not run to be approved by God). Most certainly such a person would not be used by God, right? If you are a truly born-again believer, you have entered into the Christian race. It is not good enough just to run the race; you have to run to win, with self-control, to obtain an incorruptible crown, and to be approved by God. This is the only right way we should live our Christian lives! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~2 min read

“…An athlete who failed to meet the training requirements would be disqualified…”

1 Corinthians 9:25b

Ps Paul Cheng

The Christian ought to run the race to win, with self-control and to obtain an incorruptible crown.   III.      Run to obtain an incorruptible crown1 Corinthians 9:25b, Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. The word crown (stephanos) is from where we get the English word for Stephen. The deacon Stephen (Acts 6) was martyred for his faith, and he received the martyrs’ crown. In the ancient games, the winner would be awarded a wreath made up of leaves and branches that was placed on his head. This corruptible crown made up of perishable leaves and branches was practically worth nothing but only for that momentary glory when the winner stood on the podium to receive that award. The athletes who trained for many years; had to exercise self-control and restrict themselves from many things, e.g. food, drink, leisure, rest, etc. All those sacrifices were made for that wreath made up of leaves and branches. It has been said that “the glory fades as fast as the plants on the wreath.” Can you fathom the vanity?  Take a moment and consider the greatest award you have ever received in your lifetime. Maybe, you have received a trophy, plaque, certificate accompanied with some money as a token of appreciation. How long would all those things last? Is it not vanity? You trained so hard and sacrificed your time and resources, just to stand on that stage and receive that award, to the applause of the crowd, and then you are forgotten. You are just one out of the millions and millions who have received great awards throughout the history of mankind.  But the Christians are different, for they are running to receive not a corruptible crown which would soon perish and be forgotten, but an incorruptible crown. Incorruptible means imperishable which is not liable to death and destruction, and it would last forever and ever. Even when God destroys this present heaven and earth because they have been tainted with sin, and He creates the new heavens and the new earth, that incorruptible crown would still be there. Something that lasts for all eternity is something worth fighting for, isn’t it true?  Dear friend, when we live for Christ, the result is eternal. If we know that we are running this Christian race to obtain an incorruptible crown, then it must surely affect our present life on this earth, right?   1. It must affect our services for the Lord - Many people are willing to work so hard for their earthly bosses, sadly sometimes even at the expense of their family time, in order to build their wealth in this world that will eventually perish. How much more should the believer give of his time and effort to serve the One who will give him an incorruptible crown that will never perish?   1. It will stop us from murmuring and complaining - Oftentimes, when other people do not serve, and we feel that we are the only ones doing the work all by ourselves, we tend to murmur, like Martha complaining about her sister Mary. But if we are running the race to receive the incorruptible crown, we should be serving the Lord with gladness in our hearts. If we truly understand the eternal value, then we must not let murmuring and complaining rob us of the incorruptible crown.       1. It will encourage us to endure and press on in this life - The athletes train and run hard just to receive the corruptible crown which is temporal and perishable, and we train and run hard to receive the incorruptible crown which is spiritual and imperishable. How can it not encourage our hearts to persevere?   Since the crown that Paul looked forward to receiving is incorruptible, therefore he said, I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air (v.26). In other words, Paul was saying, “I am not someone who runs aimlessly.” The Christian must not live his life aimlessly. Do you realise that it is so easy for a person to live aimlessly? There are some people who do not understand why they are doing what they are doing. Week after week, they are just going through the motions, without pausing to consider, “Why am I doing this; worshipping, serving, etc.? How is Christ glorified by what I am doing?” There are some who simply think that the Christian life is so boring, and everyday is the same, with no desire, vision, goal, plan or resolution for Christ. There are others who do not even understand why they have to exercise self-control and self-discipline, and they have absolutely no clue as to why they are going through trials and tribulations in their Christian walk - every time they face a struggle, they murmur and complain. There are yet others who want to do so many things; they start to do something, and then give up and do something else, and then give up and move on to another thing. In reality, they do not know what the Lord wants them to do. They are all running aimlessly!      A good illustration is that of a fighter who is beating the air. He is like a boxer who is swinging his arms, but he is not aiming for his opponent. He is just “shadow-boxing.” In a sense, Paul was saying, “Do not live your life aimlessly, but be someone who runs with an aim.”  The only way the Christian can run with an aim is to obey the command given in Hebrews 12:2, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. The phrase looking unto Jesus is not a command. It is a description of the believer’s preoccupation when he is running the race. He needs to focus on the ultimate example and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. In running, as well as other sports, where the athlete looks is extremely important. When he looks at the wrong thing, he is bound to lose the race. No runner will run well if he is looking at his friends up in the stands. A good runner cannot even look at his feet otherwise he would lose his balance, fall and lose the race. Some Christians are just too preoccupied with themselves or the people around them. They pay too much attention to what they are doing or what others are thinking about them. Such people will not run well for the Lord. As the Christian runs and inches toward the finishing line, he must not be distracted, and he must follow the example of Jesus Himself who had finished the race faithfully.  If one focuses on himself or the people around him, he will not run well for the Lord. Jesus is the author means He is the pioneer, originator and the One who guides and leads. He is the finisher of our faith means He is the One who will carry our faith to the very end of the Christian race. Run to obtain an incorruptible crown; this is the way we should run the Christian race faithfully! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

“…Something that lasts for all eternity is something worth fighting for, isn’t it true?…”

1 Corinthians 9:25a

Ps Paul Cheng

The Christian life is likened to a race, and in order to run faithfully, he has to run not only to complete the race but to win.  Next, the Apostle Paul continued to speak on how to run with self-control. II. Run with self-control 1 Corinthians 9:25a, And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. The original word for the phrase striveth for the mastery is from where we get the English word for agony. The Christian race is a brisk jog or walk but an agonising run requires determination, perseverance, self-discipline and self-control (temperate). The athlete has to deny himself many things.  He may be tempted to go out and eat food he really enjoys, or go out to parties.  But he has to exercise self-control and discipline himself to say, “No!”  There are certain things that will hinder him from winning the prize, and those things have to go. The importance of self-control is well-explained in Proverbs 25:28, He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. In ancient times, walls were needed to protect the inhabitants i.e. to protect themselves against the enemies; otherwise they would be attacked on every side.  The strong walls were meant to create a barrier between the inhabitants and the enemies.  This illustration was used to describe that self-control acts as a barrier between the believer and the forces that come against him. In exercising self-control, one is building up barriers for himself; there are things he cannot do for which he has to deny them because they are not good for him.  As Hebrews 12:1 exhorts, Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.  Every believer is responsible to lay aside whatever weight that may potentially hinder him.  Not all weights are sinful; whether they be a friendship, an association, an event, a place, a habit or an entertainment, etc.  But if this otherwise “good thing” has become a hindrance to the believer, then it must be removed from his life. Thus, one needs to honestly examine his own life; the way he uses his time, money and resources.  One needs to consider what is of greater spiritual value.  If something has become an unnecessary weight to him, then he has to lay it aside, and to exercise self-control to stay away from it, or else it is going to weigh him down.  It could be the internet, perhaps the exorbitant amount of time he spends on face-book.  Or it could be the time spent on holidays, hobbies, work and friends, that caused him to have no time to worship and serve the Lord.  If all those things have become a hindrance to his spiritual life, then he must exercise self-control and deny himself because of his love for Jesus Christ. The first step is to acknowledge what are the things one needs to exercise self-control. The runner will not do well, if he is not able to recognise the things that are always hindering his performance.  Just as the believer will not be able to run the Christian race well, if he is ignorant of the things that are stumbling him; it may not be things tangible but intangible like his pride, envy, jealousy or his love for worldliness. Once the believer has acknowledged the potential hindrance, the second step is to purpose in his heart not to sin against God.  Job 31:1, I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?  What Job meant is, “I have to be careful with what I see, and I have to exercise self-control in this area, because this is where I may sin.  So, I have a covenant with my eyes.  If my eyes easily stray away unto unwholesome things, then I have to purpose in my heart not to sin against God in that area.” The third step is to meditate on the Word of God because God will show him the things he needs to exercise self-control so that he may have the victory.  Psalm 119:9, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.  In other words, how can a young man keep his way pure?  By keeping his heart and mind completely committed and guarded by the Word of God.  It is this constant input of God’s Word that begins to fill the believer’s mind which will help him to live a life pleasing and acceptable unto God.  Psalm 37:31, The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. Dear friend, this is how we should run the race faithfully, by exercising self-control.  We must acknowledge what are the hindrance/s, and make a commitment not to give in to it/them, and also to meditate on the Word of God. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

“…he has to run not only to complete the race but to win…”

1 Corinthians 9:24

Ps Paul Cheng

The Christian life is described for us as a race. In a race, there is always this competitive spirit, but the competition of the Christian life is very different from that of an athletic race in two important ways. Firstly, we are not to compete against other Christians, trying to outdo one another in our services or righteousness. It is a race of faith, and even then, we are not competing with each other in our faith. Our fight is against Satan and his evil world system, and our own sinfulness. Secondly, our strength to run the race is not in ourselves, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the preceding verses, the Apostle Paul was speaking about the willingness to give up one’s right. In running the Christian race, one has to exercise self-discipline to be willing to give his right in order to run well and win. Using a sporting illustration, Paul was teaching how the Christian could and should run the race faithfully.                 I. Run to win 1 Corinthians 9:24, Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. The word run is used three times in this verse. Run is a metaphor for Christian living. There is a particular course planned by the Almighty God for each and every believer to run. We are all running the Christian race, but our “terrains” as in the circumstances and challenges we face may be different. Some terrains are relatively straight, others have lots of turns here and there, yet others seem to be uphill all the way. God knows what kind of terrains will be best for us, to make us more and more like our Saviour. Thus, He designs that particular course especially for us to run!    The Christian race is not a 100 metres sprint; it is a marathon that lasts a lifetime. Some new believers are very zealous and enthusiastic when they first come to know the Lord. They would be serving in almost every ministry, attending all the spiritual programs, but soon that zeal starts to wear off and problems begin to arise, and they lose their enthusiasm and confidence. They can still be doing what they have always been doing but with no more passion or excitement. Nothing is worse than running the race but with no desire to win! Dear friend, the moment you became a Christian, you have entered into the race, and you are running just like all the rest of the believers. But simply participating in a race is not enough; you have to run to win. To run the Christian race without the desire to win is unacceptable to God!   I knew of someone who loves to run marathons. Some years ago, she showed me a T-shirt and a certificate to prove that she had completed a 42 km marathon. I knew it was an amazing accomplishment to complete the full marathon, but my mentality about entering into a race was to win a medal or trophy. The person was surprised and she said, “You think it is so easy? It is already a great achievement if you can participate and complete the full marathon.” I understood there and then that she had entered the competition, not to win, but simply as a participant.  Indeed, some people think that coming to church once a week, or attending the prayer meeting once in a while, or participating in the fellowship meeting whenever they are free, or answering a couple of questions in the DHW classes, is enough. It is not enough! They need to show a level of seriousness, commitment and the desire not to just run but to win the race triumphantly.    Paul was not talking about winning against others, but about the manner in which one runs and the attitude one has toward living the Christian life. Does one run to win, or does he run just simply to complete the race? People who enter into the marathon to win, they would be training seriously, and even the people around them would know they are training to win the marathon. The neighbours would say, “There he goes again. He must be training for the marathon. He is so committed to training because he really wants to win.” That is how people should see us as Christians; always committed to the Lord’s work and serious about living for Christ. Perhaps, when they look at our lives, they would be saying, “There he goes again. He is evangelizing for Christ again. He is running here and there serving God and encouraging the believers. He is going for missions-trip again.” That is the kind of race we should run. Running to win! Do people see that in our lives?  With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Ps Paul Cheng

~7 min read

Exodus 35:5; Selected Scriptures

Rev Samuel Joseph

~6 min read

John 12:32-33

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 9:15-19

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites,

1 Corinthians 9:7-11

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites,

1 Corinthians 9:1-6

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites,

1 Corinthians 8:7-13

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites,

1 Corinthians 8:4-6

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In 1 Corinthians 8:4-13, the Apostle Paul was dealing with the issue about eating meat offered to idols. I do not think the eating of meat offered to idols is really a problem in our society, and most of us would feel that it is not relevant to us. I. Understanding the background However it was a major problem in the church at Corinth. The city of Corinth was idolatrous. Almost all the meat that was purchased in the marketplace for the people to eat had been offered to an idol in one way or another. In those days, when the meat was offered in a pagan sacrifice, it was divided into three parts; one portion was burned to be given to the idol, another portion was given to the priests, and the third portion was taken home and eaten by the worshipper. Therefore, if a person visited his friend’s house for a meal, there was a high chance he might eat the meat that was offered to the idols. Or, the priests might take the leftovers and re-sell it in the marketplace, and someone might end up buying meat that had been previously offered to the idols. Therefore, the Corinthians would in some way or another be eating meat that had been offered to idols. II. Understanding the issue Some of the Corinthians had come to believe in the gospel of Christ, and they were saved from pagan idolatrous worship. They wanted to have nothing to do with their old ways of life. It is like an alcoholic who became a Christian and he wants to stay as far away as he can from the alcoholic drink. Or a gambler who became a Christian and he wants to stay as far away as he can from those places and people that are engaged in gambling activities. That was the situation with the Corinthians, especially the new believers, because they wanted to stay away from any meat that had been offered to idols. But then there were some of the Corinthians who were the so-called “spiritual ones,” or “knowledgeable ones,” who had the mindset, “We all know that an idol is nothing. It does not exist, and therefore eating something offered to something that does not exist means nothing. So, it is alright to eat! Furthermore, eating does not bring one any closer to God or draw one any further away from Him. So, it is alright to eat!” III. Understanding the heart’s attitude In answering this question about eating food offered to idols, the Apostle Paul was dealing with a deeper issue and that was the attitude of the heart; a head full of knowledge but a heart void of love. 1 Corinthians 8:4-5, As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many, and lords many). In other words, Paul was like saying, “I agree with you for all of us know that an idol is nothing because there is only one God, even though there are many people who would worship many gods and lords.” But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him (v.6). The word us was a reference to the believers. The believers had the knowledge of the one God who created all things and through Him they were created. This knowledge was correct and accurate, but it was not enough to have this knowledge alone. There was something else they needed, and that was love. Remember in the preceding verses (v.1-3), Paul had said, “Knowledge alone would be puffed up, but knowledge and love would build up. If anyone proudly thinks he has knowledge, in reality he knows nothing. And it is not how much you know, but rather who knows you. The most important thing is that God knows you. If you love God, then you are known of him.” Using this essential element of love, Paul would deal with the issue of eating meat offered to idols. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in our next pastoral chat)

~3 min read

Selected Scriptures

Rev Biak Lawm Thang

Greetings to all of you in the most blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We trust this write-up finds you all well in the Lord, as we keep praying for you. Today, I am very thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to give you a short account on how the Lord has providentially brought First BPC and Bethel BPC into one church, after a decade of serving the Lord as two churches. When First BPC was founded by the grace of God in 2009, one of its commitments was to expand its witness for the Lord to any place, near and far, wherever the Lord would lead (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). At that time, First BPC was based in Insein - one of the towns that makes up the city of Yangon. As the church continued to pray and reach out to people with the gospel of salvation, the Lord led us to a place in particular, namely, Dagon, which is, like Insein, one of the towns of Yangon (The distance between Insein and Dagon is about 45 minutes’ drive). Here, the gospel door was opened to us, and First BPC took the opportunity to conduct Bible study every Saturday. As the weekly Bible study continued faithfully, the Lord gradually increased the number of people attending it, and by the third year it was deemed good to transform the Bible study group into an out-reach church. Thus, with the hand of the Lord leading, Dagon Bible-Presbyterian Church was born in October 2012, taking the name of its location. Later, it was renamed Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church, Dagon. Meanwhile, by way of testimony, the Lord led us further up to the northwestern part of Myanmar, namely Ngalti village, Chin State, where a faithful BPC witness was much needed. Chin State is located in the northwest of Myanmar, sharing a border with India, quite a distance from Yangon. By God’s grace, in this remote part of the country, Ngalti BPC was started in 2010 the following year after the founding of First BPC. All praise be to God! Bethel BPC, Dagon, started with a very humble beginning, and since its inception it had been under the direct oversight and leadership of First BPC. The two churches shared a very close relationship, much like that of a mother-daughter church. In the year 2021, the Lord brought us into another chapter of ministry, in a most amazing way. As is known to all, the Covid-19 pandemic was making its spread extremely rapidly, bringing devastating effects in the years 2020-2021. This, among other things, caused all the ministries of the church to be suspended, as extreme preventive measures and lockdowns were ordered by the governing authority. All had to stay at home, and the ministries could only continue via online. Consequently, the situation was further compounded by a political unrest that took place in February 2021. During this difficult and trying time, however, the Lord had His own plan in store for us (Romans 8:28; Genesis 50:20). As the pandemic pressures continued and the political situation remained unfavourable, Rev Biak and family had to move from Insein to Dagon, on a part-time basis, to take care of his elderly mother-in-law. This provided, in the Lord’s providence, ministry opportunities for Rev Biak, including a closer spiritual oversight of Bethel BPC in Dagon, and an outreach work to people nearby, and a better exploration on the town of Dagon itself as well. One result of these, among other things, is that he became better acquainted with two nearby families, who were in charge of up-keeping a church property (sanctuary). As the outreach continued, the importance of standing for God’s Truth and First BPC’s commitment to fulfil the Great Commission was shared with the two families. They were further invited to join First BPC as regular worshippers, when services were conducted online. Praise God that their response was positive, and the Lord moved their hearts so that they were willing to offer the sanctuary under their charge for First BPC’s use, free of charge. (The size of the sanctuary is about 60’x30’, which can accommodate approximately 80-100 people. It is well facilitated with pews, pulpit, fans and air-cons.) At this point, please note that all these while, both First and Bethel BPCs were operating in the homes of the pastor and preacher respectively, all rented by the church. Upon the availability of this sanctuary, our church leadership had successive meetings to prayerfully consider the matter and how the various ministries of First (Insein) and Bethel (Dagon) BPCs ought to be continued in such unique circumstances. After much prayer and deliberation, we came to an agreement that we should take the newly available sanctuary and that a combined online service should be conducted temporarily for both First and Bethel BPCs. This continued for some time, even when physical gathering became possible by December 2021. At the same time, we were in prayer seeking the Lord’s will for the possibility of the two churches to become one. Hereby, I would like to take the opportunity to share with you of what had always been in the heart of our church leadership. It is the desire of the church leadership that one day the two churches can join together as one when the Lord provides a property (sanctuary) of our own. After years of prayerful thought and consideration, our church leadership has become more and more inclined towards Dagon, rather than Insein, for the church’s future permanent base. The reasons are several, of which the main are: (1) Dagon is, in terms of the government’s town-plan, a better planned and well organized township, compared to Insein and other townships in Yangon; (2) ministry opportunities – most of our church members (First BPC) have already moved into Dagon, and there are opportunities for an outreach ministry to the people nearby and students of Dagon University etc. (there are fewer churches in Dagon than in Insein); (3) accessibility – it is easy to reach Dagon from different parts of Yangon.) This is the human side of the matter, and we are subject to God’s sovereign will. So, since 12th December 2021, First and Bethel BPCs have been worshipping together as one at the newly available sanctuary in Dagon. The unity, warm fellowship, and spiritual blessings that we have been experiencing during these times are indeed delightful, edifying, and glorious. We believe that the circumstances leading us this way is God’s providential hand. Therefore, after worshipping together for two years on a temporary manner, on the 10th of January 2024, First BPC and Bethel BPC came to an unanimous agreement to become one, retaining the name First BPC. Truly, we praise and thank God for His marvellous leading. We pray and believe that this coming together will bring greater commitment and more effective service, all for the glory of God. All praise and glory be to Him. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth (2 Corinthians 13:8). First BPC’s new address is: 159, ThitSar 5th Street, 39-A, North Dagon, Yangon, Myanmar. With love in Christ, Biak Lawm Thang

~5 min read

1 Corinthians 8:3

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelities, In this topic of “Knowledge alone is not enough (1 Corinthians 8:1-3),” the Apostle Paul said that a knowledge void of love is useless, and (v.1) a proud heart knoweth nothing (v.2). Finally, he went on to say that it was not what you knew but rather who you knew. III. A love for God 1 Corinthians 8:3, But if any man love God, the same is known of him. Essentially Paul was saying, “What you need to glory in, is not what you know, but who knows you. It is not about what you know, but that you are known.” The most important thing is that God knows you. The believer who loves God, is known of him. What does it mean to be known of him? It means to be saved, to have salvation. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22, Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Do these people have knowledge? Most certainly! They were able to preach in Jesus’ name! But what did Jesus say to them? Verse 23, And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.What is vital is not how much you, or how much knowledge you have, but who knows you! What characterises the person who is saved? Just because a person has a head full of knowledge, does it mean he is saved? Many years ago, I knew a man who was an unbeliever. But I dare say he knew the Bible more than most ordinary lay church members. He was able to engage himself in theological discussions regarding the doctrines of election, predestination, reformed Calvinistic theology, and so forth. But he was an unbeliever, until the Lord sovereignly called him to be His child. Knowledge is not the chief mark of the believer. It is not what you know, but whether you love God? If you love God, you are known by Him, in salvation. The question is, “Do you love God?” Instead of focusing on how much one knows, he should be focusing on how much he loves God? A person may know the Gospel; he may know that Jesus Christ is God and He came into this world almost two thousand years ago. He lived a perfect sinless life, and died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, and was raised from the dead on the third day. A person may know, and profess to believe all these things about God. He has prayed the sinner’s prayer, and was baptised, but does he love Him? If he truly knows and loves God, does he follow Him, pursue Him, obey Him, follow His will, seek Him in prayer, love His people, and has this burden in his heart to tell lost souls about this Jesus whom he says he loves? The question is not what we know about Jesus, but do we love Him? This is the amazing truth of salvation. If anyone loves God, a miracle has happened in his or her life because loving God is not natural; it is supernatural. He was not born into this world loving God, but rather he was born an enemy of Him. By nature, he was a God hater and rejecter. But by the grace of God, he was convicted of his sins, turned from his wicked way and received Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour. All of a sudden, he loves Him! And the Bible says, if any man love God, the same is known of him! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

1 Corinthians 8:2

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelities, A knowledge of God’s Word alone is essential, but knowledge alone is not enough if it is not coupled with love. To have love and no knowledge is unfortunate, but to have knowledge and no love is equally tragic. The Apostle Paul went on to say, And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know (v.2). II. A proud heart knoweth nothing A proud man may know less than he thinks! Have you ever heard someone say to you, “I know. I understand. I don’t need to be taught. Tell me something I do not know”? When a person has the mindset and attitude that he knows everything, and loses that humble and teachable spirit of a learner, he is on the wrong track. Dear friend, are you someone who thinks you know everything? Are you someone who thinks that you have a vast knowledge of many things, and you feel that no one can teach you anything for you do not need to be taught anymore? If that is the case, then humility is something that you do not know. Even if you “really” have great knowledge, without humility, you will cease in your pursuit for knowledge. There is nothing wrong with going around teaching and encouraging others according to the Word of God. As believers, we ought to do that. But there are some people who have a holier-than-thou attitude, a know-it-all attitude, or a I-don’t-need-to-be-taught attitude. They just loved to correct people. Again, Paul was not against knowledge, for it is good, essential and extremely important. It was the thinking, imagination and prideful attitude that one knows everything that he was speaking against; the reality was that such a person knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. If a man has true knowledge, then he will be conscious of how much he does not know. The more he learns, the more he will recognise how little he knows and he needs to learn even more. The more God teaches him, the more he will recognise that he is lacking in his knowledge. The more he knows, there will always be this insatiable desire to want to know more, and it will cause him to look to God, “Lord, teach me. Help me. I need to grow in my knowledge.” What kind of attitude do you have? Are you someone who thinks you know everything, or are you someone who has the humble and teachable spirit of a learner? Do you think God does not know the attitude of our hearts? Do you think God does not know why we do not want to attend the Bible study to learn together with the other believers? Do you think God does not know that every time we listen to the preacher, we are thinking in your heart, “Tell me something I do not know”? God says, And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in the next pastoral chat)

~2 min read

1 Corinthians 8:1-4, 8

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelities, A knowledge of the Bible is extremely important (c.f. Romans 10:17). But there are many professed believers who take their biblical knowledge, not for the sake of truth but sin. One classic example was found in the Garden of Eden where Satan used his knowledge to tempt Eve. He knew the Word of God (although he did not believe in it), and thus he used it in the most wicked and deceptive way. One must never use his biblical knowledge as an excuse for sin, or for his own advantage, or to suit his own situation. Here in 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 is an excellent example of such a behaviour. The Apostle Paul answered and said to the Corinthians, Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth (v.1). Paul was answering a series of questions, and concerning this matter of food offered to idols. These were things involved with the worship of false gods. On the surface, there appeared to be two aspects in regard to this issue; firstly, what was being eaten (the food itself that had come from the sacrifice offered to false gods), and secondly, was the food purchased in the public market and then eaten at home. One writer gave the historical background of the food being eaten and sold in the public places in those days, “The eating of cultic meals was a regular part of worship in those days. This was true not only of the nations that surround Israel, but of Israel itself. In Corinth during Paul’s time, such meals were still the regular practice, both at state festivals, and private celebrations of various kinds. There were three parts to these meals; the preparation, the sacrifice proper, and the feast. The meat was divided into three portions; those that were burnt before the gods, those that were given to the worshippers to be eaten, and those that were placed on the table of the gods which were attended by the priests. For the most part, the Gentiles who have become believers in Corinth, had probably attended such meals all their lives. These were the basic restaurants in those days. Every kind of occasion was celebrated in this fashion.” Therefore, somehow there were connections with the worship of false gods in all kinds of dinners, celebrations and state functions. The sacrifices made to idols would be offered, and a portion would be set aside for the pagan worshippers to enjoy (like a fellowship meal in the temple), and the food that was left over from the table of the false gods that was not consumed, would be sold in the public marketplace. So, the question is not just, “Are they eating food that has some association with the worship of false gods?” But rather, “Have they purchased it in the public market and taken it home to eat, or are they actually going to the temple of the false gods and sitting down in those festive meals like they had done all their lives? Have they returned to that paganistic practice?” At this point in time, Paul was no longer with them, and it appeared that they had returned to their old paganistic practices (c.f. read verse 10). So, the Corinthians were trying to justify their action on the basis of knowledge. They were reasoning amongst themselves that they were not doing anything wrong in view of what they knew. That was why Paul said, we know that we all have knowledge, referring to their knowledge about two things; (1) the eating of food in sacrifice offered to idols that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one (v.4), and (2) the food itself represented nothing for it could not bring them closer to or further away from God (v.8). Thus, in light of these two things they knew, the Corinthians concluded that not only did it not matter what they were eating, but also it did not matter where they were eating it. Essentially, it was as if the Corinthians were saying, “We know that the idol is nothing. There is no such thing as a false god. How could we be affected by something that does not exist? Even if there is a group of people in the temple who were eating food offered to idols, and we happened to be there, and we joined them in the feast, it is no big deal! And eating whatever food does not bring us closer to God or draw us further away from Him. We have theological understanding and knowledge. It is not a problem! The Corinthians were very wrong! Later on, Paul would deal with their erroneous understanding (c.f. 10:20-22) where he said to them, “You have nothing to do with idolatry, and the fellowship with devils, and food sacrifice to devils. Why do you want to provoke God? Why do you want to involve yourself with any type of idol worship?” But before Paul corrected their understanding about food offered to idols, he wanted to deal with a more pertinent matter, and that was their prideful attitude. So, he began by saying, Knowledge puffed up, but charity (or love) edifieth. I. A knowledge void of love is useless Most certainly, Paul was not against knowledge. Throughout his epistles, he had always emphasised the importance of knowledge. What he was against was knowledge that was void of love, and that kind of knowledge would make a person puffed up, proud and arrogant. A knowledge of God’s Word alone is not enough. It is essential but not sufficient. To have love and no knowledge is unfortunate, but to have knowledge and no love is equally tragic. The problem with the Corinthians was not the lack of knowledge, but rather they did not have love. A person may know the Bible very well, and be able to quote the Scriptures by memory, from Genesis to Revelation, but if he does not have love, it would be worth absolutely nothing! Dear friend, does your knowledge make you proud? Does what you know make you arrogant? Does your knowledge help you to forgive others, understand others, work and serve together with others for the glory of God? If your knowledge is not humbling you, and producing a sweet spirit in you, and a heart that desires to be more and more like Christ, then something is wrong with your knowledge. Our knowledge must be coupled with love! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in our next pastoral chat)

~5 min read

1 Corinthians 7:36-40

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelities, As the Apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthians biblical truth about marriage, singlehood and widowhood, he pointed them to the chief end of man.  The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever (WSC 1).  In our previous pastoral chat, we had considered his advice to singles and how singlehood could enable them to have an undivided devotion to the Lord.  Then he turned his attention to the fathers and widows. II. His advice to the fathersBut if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. (1 Corinthians 7:36) In those days, parents, particularly the fathers, had an important role in deciding whom their children would marry.  In the New Testament times, arranged marriage amongst the young people was the norm. In Corinth, some of the fathers had dedicated their young daughters to the Lord as permanent virgins.  To pass the flower of her age means to reach the prime of her age.  In other words, if the daughter reached the marriageable age and she wanted to be married, the father would be in a dilemma.  Should he break the vow he had made for the daughter since it was obvious that she did not have the gift of singleness, and she was struggling with her desire to get married? In such a situation, if the father who had taken the vow to dedicate his daughter to serve the Lord as a virgin, had he sinned in breaking the vow?  No!  It was not God’s will, and he was free to allow the couple to be married.Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.(v.37) But if the father was firm in his resolve, it was not necessary for him to change his mind because his daughter had no desire to get married.  Then he had the power and authority to keep his own will, and he was able to fulfil whatever he so decreed (determined) in his heart to keep his daughter as a virgin, and Paul said, he doeth well.  It was a good thing!So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. (v.38) Here it was not a matter between right and wrong, but rather between good and better.  It was good to give your daughter away in marriage, but it was better not to give her away in marriage.  The comparison between good and better was in relation to living with an undivided devotion to God.  In other words, it is good to live for Christ as a married person, but it is better to live for Him as an unmarried person because of the undivided attention. Dear friend, there is an important spiritual lesson we can learn from here.  As we make our plans, we ought to consider how those decisions would relate to God; whether they be plans pertaining to our families, work, residence, holidays, etc.  Though those plans may not be sinful in and of themselves; it is not a question between right and wrong, but rather between good and better.  Is it better for our family to reside in this or that location, or is it better for us to work in this or that company, or is it better for us to travel to this or that country for holiday?  Is it good or better - in relation to God! III. His advice to widowsThe wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. (v.39) Marriage is permanent, but this marriage relationship is not permanent in the sense of being eternal but lifelong.  Marriage is binding as long as both partners are alive (till death us do part). A word of advice to all our young people.  If you ever prayerfully consider marriage, you must bear in mind that marriage is truly till death us do part.  If you are not ready for that, please do not get married!  Divorce must never be considered an option to break the marriage bond. But if the husband be dead, the wife is at liberty to remarry.  This truth is applicable not only to widows, but to widowers as well.  The widow is free to be married to whom she will, however there is a condition, if she does remarry, it must be to another believer, only in the Lord.  Obviously, only in the Lord must be according to the Lord’s will.  It must never be an unequally yoked relationship!But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God. (v.40) But Paul said, “Remarriage is not the best situation.  It is my judgment, or counsel, that she is happier if she remains as a single person.”  Here, Paul was not giving his opinion based on his own human wisdom but under the influence of the Spirit of God. A widowed person who has God’s grace for singleness will be happier to remain single.  Again, it is not a matter between right and wrong, but rather good and better.  The widowed person will be able to serve the Lord with a single-minded devotion, until the day God calls him or her home. Once a widow shared with me that the reason why she did not want to remarry was because she could not endure the painful experience of burying someone whom she loved dearly.  She said to me, “If I were to remarry and if I die before my husband, then he would have to go through the painful experience of burying me.  If he dies before me, then I would have to go through the painful experience of burying him.  Why do I want to bring upon myself this trouble all over again?”  Though we can understand her mentality, and though her thoughts may be noble, it is not good enough. Dear friend, whether we should remain single or be married, or remarry after we are widowed, whatever decision we make, must be based on this one purpose, “I want to live and serve the Lord with an undivided devotion!”  For that matter, whatever decisions we need to make in our lives, we need to ask ourselves, “Is this decision going to help me achieve this undivided devotion to the Lord?  Or is this decision going to draw me away from the Lord?  The Lord Jesus who has saved me, He alone knows what is best for me, and He will grant me that which is best, because He knows that my heart is in tune with Him!” We do not know what is in store for us in the future, but what we do know is that our God is in control of the future and He has a plan for us; whether we remain as singles, or get married, or remain as widows, or get remarried.  Whatever is the Lord’s will for us, we will accept, and we want to live and serve Him with an undivided devotion. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

1 Corinthians 7:36-40

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelities, The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever (WSC 1)! But how can this truth about the chief end of man be applied to marriage, singlehood or widowhood? Let us consider the Apostle Paul’s advice. I. His advice to singles In the preceding verses, Paul spoke about the present distress (v.26) and the trouble in the flesh (v.28) as reasons for why it was good to remain single. In regards to the present distress, he was referring to the persecution that would come from the wicked Emperor Nero, and the believers would be persecuted in ways they had never experienced before. On top of that, there were also the common problems and issues in marriages which the Corinthians would face which was the trouble in the flesh. Following that, Paul gave his counsel with regards to remaining as singles.But I would have you without carefulness.  He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord. (v.32) Paul wanted the Corinthians to be free from anxiety (carefulness), and spared from things that would weigh them down. This anxiety was not something sinful or inappropriate; it was the kind of anxiety that people would have to face when they get married. What are the anxieties that the married person would have to face? 1. Material Concerns If a person is a single person, in terms of clothing, food and accommodation, all he has to be concerned with is himself. But when he is married, not only he has to be concerned about the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the one he has married. And if he has children, his burdens would be multiplied. 2. Decisions When a person is single, he is responsible for his own decisions. When he is married, he has to be responsible not only for his own decisions but including those he has to make for his family.  He has to think through those issues, based on his understanding of his family, and how it would affect his wife and children (the opposite is also true if the person is a woman, she has to consider how it would affect her husband and children). Husbands and wives do not always look at things the same way. Sometimes they struggle with their decisions; for example, the spouse may not agree with his job decisions (where to work), location decisions (where to live), education decisions (which school to send the children to), etc. One has to make all these decisions with a spouse who is an individual in his or her own right who may think differently. 3. Spiritual Concerns If a person is single, he is only concerned and responsible for his own walk with God. But when he is married, he has the added responsibility of being a husband to care for the soul and spiritual well-being of his wife. Again, if he has children, his responsibility will be multiplied. Having said that, one has to remember that all the above can also be great blessings.  It is a blessing to share one’s life together in marriage, and to have a helper in life. Paul was not saying it was not good to get married; he was giving his counsel in regards to the unique situation of the Corinthians, and in view of the impending danger they would soon face.He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord. (v.32) Here Paul was referring to the believer because only the believer would love the Lord and want to please Him. If one truly knew the Lord, he would want to please Him who has saved him, and his unmarried state would enable him to live with this single-minded devotion to please the Lord.But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. (v.33) The married man is divided in his devotion to please the Lord.  It does not mean that the married man does not love the Lord, but he has one added hurdle to cross, in his desire to please the Lord, and that is the cares of this world. It is no longer just him and the Lord, now he has to be concerned about your wife’s desires, for she has been entrusted to him and he has the responsibility to lead her. In the past, he sought to glorify God as an individual, now he has to glorify Him not only as an individual but also in the way he deals with his wife - to glorify God as a couple.There is difference also between a wife and a virgin.  The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. (v.34) To be holy is to be set apart. As believers, are to live a life that is set apart unto God, and there is a difference between the married and unmarried woman. It is easier for the unmarried woman to live such a holy life both in body and in spirit; both physically and spiritually. It does not mean that the married woman is worldly when the Bible said, she careth for the things of the world, but it means she is preoccupied with temporal things. The married woman’s focus is on the home, and how she is to take care of her home in the midst of the world, so that she may please her husband. The married woman’s calling is to serve the Lord by being a home-maker, and to be a good helper to her husband. It does not mean she ignores the church, or neglects the ministry, but it means that her first area of responsibility is her home. The unmarried woman does not have that kind of concern. Take the example of the office of deaconesses. The Bible gives the wise counsel about women who are called to be deaconnesses that it is good for them to be sixty years and above.  1 Timothy 5:9, Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man. A typical church session meeting could last for five or six hours, and if the meeting begins at night, then it could only end at midnight. Can you imagine the young married woman who is a deaconess, leaving her young children at home, to attend those session meetings until late in the night? But a woman who is sixty years old and above, even if she is not a widow, her children would all have grown up with her own families. She would be able to serve the Lord without compromising her responsibilities at home.And this I speak for your profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. (v.35) The word ”snare” can mean to restrict, or to put one in a tight situation. Some of the Corinthians might be thinking, “Well, Paul, you are single, so surely you are advocating singlehood, and you are trying to force us to be like you.” Therefore, Paul was saying, “I am saying this not to snare you; not to restrict you, or to put you into my same situation. I am saying this, for your profit.” The phrase for that which is comely means for that which is noble and honourable. Singlehood, contrary to what the world may think, is a respectable and honourable estate. It is honourable because it is the life that God has in store for you. It is honourable because God is seated at the throne of your heart. It is a life of undivided devotion to God. In some ways, it is easier to attend to the things of the Lord without distraction, when you are single. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Today, we live in a society where people are very concerned about the condition of their health.  We can tell a person is healthy if he has passed a certain medical examination.  But how do we ascertain the spiritual health of a Christian?  How can we tell whether a person is spiritually healthy or not?  Some people would gauge a person’s spiritual health based on his knowledge of the Bible, or the amount of time he has spent in serving God, or the number of fellowship meetings he has attended, or based on his relationship with the church leaders and other fellow believers.  While all these things may be important, the best way to ascertain the spiritual health of a Christian is based on his relationship with God. How does one gauge whether his relationship with God is right and healthy?  There are certain essential attitudes that must be in his relationship with the one living and true God. I. The attitude of constant joyfulnessRejoice evermore. (1 Thessalonians 5:16) It is in the imperative which means it is a command, and evermore means always. Why would God command joyfulness?  The opposite of joyfulness is to have a negative attitude in spirit.  If one is going to live in a negative attitude, he is not only going to affect himself, but the people, especially the spiritual family, the church, and most vitally, his relationship with God. True biblical joy is not based on the outward circumstances, or some emotional response to the positive situations of life, it comes from God.  This joy comes when the believer is reminded of his eternal saving relationship with God who is in control of every situation.  It is a supernatural joy that comes from the Holy Spirit (c.f. Galatians 5:22). Some examples why the believer ought to be rejoicing; • God is in sovereign control of all things (Romans 8:28, Psalm 28:7). • Christ’s redemptive work on the cross of Calvary (Galatians 3:13-14, Colossians 1:13-14). • The wonder working of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). • The abounding spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). • The promises of God. • The answered prayers. The reason why many are not constantly rejoicing is because they are more concerned about earthly things rather than heavenly things.  What about in times of trials and tribulations?  God will not command us to rejoice if it is not possible and without giving us the ability to do it.  One classic example is Paul and Silas who prayed and sang praises unto God even while they were in prison (Acts 16:25).  In fact, their rejoicing spirit, while singing praises, even affected the other prisoners who listened to them.  Dear friend, the adverse circumstances of life cannot stop us from rejoicing evermore, instead it can even lead us to affect the people around us because our rejoicing is “contagious.” II. The attitude of constant prayerfulnessPray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) The believer is commanded to pray without ceasing, whether privately or publicly.   Most likely this is a reference to public prayer gathering because it is only through public prayer gathering that the believers can encourage and edify one another.  The church is to be a family of praying people! Prayer is God’s appointed means whereby the believer receives what he asks from Him.  To pray without ceasing means always, at all times, at every opportunity or in every season.  One must live every day of his life with this awareness that God answers prayer (c.f. Hebrews 11:6). All situations of life should draw forth prayers from the believer.  If one is happy, he should express his happiness to God.  If one is afflicted, he should still commit his affliction to God.  If one has experienced something good, he should immediately thank God for it.  If one meets someone who does not know Christ, he should pray that God would use him to be a faithful witness to the unbeliever.  One should pray during worship, fellowship, work, vacation, rest, and so forth.  There should be no situation in life from which God does not hear from the believer! Pray without ceasing also means to persevere in our prayers.  And if God has commanded the believer to persevere in his prayers, that means He has a sovereign purpose for the persistent prayer. George Muller was well known for his love for orphans, and it has been said that he had cared for more than 10,000 orphans in his lifetime.  He was known to be a man of prayer.  Once George Muller was praying for the salvation of his two friends, and for fifty years he prayed that they would be converted.  One day, someone asked him why he was still praying after such a long time.  George Muller replied, “Do you think God would have kept me praying all these years if He did not intend to save them?”  Both men were converted, one shortly before George Muller died, and the other after his death. Dear friend, perhaps you have always been praying for the salvation of your unbelieving loved ones, and they have been rejecting the gospel.  You are discouraged and disheartened!  Please do not give up, but press on and obey God’s command to pray without ceasing.  God has His sovereign purpose for your persistence! III. The attitude of constant thankfulnessIn every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) In every thing means in all circumstances, because nothing happens by chance or coincidence, but by the providence of God.  Providence is the means by which God directs all things toward His sovereign purpose.  Ephesians 1:11, According to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Notice how the Apostle Paul closed this section by saying, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  It is God’s will that all believers would live such a life, in constant joy, in constant prayers and in constant thankfulness. Consider the two common wrong attitudes toward giving thanks; • Some people think it is unnecessary to give thanks. They are not thankful simply because they perceive they deserve every good thing they have or even more. An excellent example is the parable of the rich fool who was presumptuous about his future prosperity. • Some people’s attitude toward thanksgiving is that of ungratefulness. A wonderful example is the healing of the ten lepers of whom only one of them returned to give all glory and honour to God. Life is filled with different challenges and issues, and some of the challenges can be most painful, yet the Bible says, In every thing give thanks.  To be thankful in everything is to acknowledge God’s control of our lives in every single detail.  When trials and difficulties come into our lives, and we murmur and complain, in reality we are questioning God’s wisdom and love as well as His sovereignty. Giving thanks reveals one’s spiritual condition and maturity; 1. One can be thankful whenever he is blessed. When things are going well; for example, one has gotten a job, or found a life-partner, or healed from a sickness. One is happy, and it is relatively easy to give thanks to God. It requires little spiritual maturity to give thanks at such times! 2. One is thankful before a blessing comes. To give thanks for something one has not received but only anticipates to receive is surely more difficult. It takes certain spiritual maturity to believe that God will answer one’s prayer according to His sovereign time, will and purpose. 3. One is thankful in the midst of trouble. When one is still undergoing tribulations; even when it seems as if the whole world is crashing down on him, and he still gives thanks to God. For example, when the believer loses his child, and he gives thanks to God and accepts His will to take the child to a better place (heaven). If we can only thank God when things are going well, it shows very little of our faithfulness.  If we can thank God in anticipation of what He will do in the future, we show more spiritual maturity.  But to be able to thank God while we are in the midst of pain, trials or persecution, it shows a level of maturity that few Christians seem to know, but that is what our heavenly Father wants all His children to be. Finally, in every thing give thanks does not mean we give thanks for sin; for example when we hear of someone’s adultery, or someone propagating a false doctrine, or a church is divided, those are terrible sins.  We do not give thanks for anything that is contrary to God and His Word.  For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus means it must be consistent with who Jesus is and what He has done, the righteousness of Christ is contrary to sin.  We do not give thanks for sin, but we give thanks to God for being God even in the midst of trouble! As we enter into the New Year, let us consider these three essential attitudes and pray, “Lord, I do not know what is ahead of me in the future, for there may be death, sickness, pain, the economic uncertainty, recession and trouble lurking just around the corner.  But one thing I do know is that you alone are in control of all things, and you have a sovereign purpose for all things.  I want to obey your commandment and cultivate these three essential attitudes for the New Year so that I will be constantly joyful, constantly prayerful and constantly thankful in all situations because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me!” A blessed New Year to you! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

Matthew 21:33-46

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Christmas is the time when people remember the birth of the Saviour of the world. No one knows for sure when Jesus Christ was born. Christmas is a day the early Christians had set aside to commemorate the great reality that God became a man. The word “Christmas” is made up of two words, Christ and mass. The word “Christ” means the anointed one or Messiah, a reference to Jesus. The word “mass” is a Latin word which was used to refer to the eucharist, a special service to remember the body and blood of Jesus. So, on this special occasion known as Christmas, the early Christians would gather together to remember the body and sacrifice of Christ, how He became a man to come into this world, ultimately to die on the cross, shedding His precious blood, to save His people from their sins. Sometimes, people would use the short form of Xmas, and it does not necessarily take “Christ” out of Christmas, because the first letter of the Greek word for Christ is X. Sadly, today, instead of keeping Christ at the centre, the world is desperately trying to remove Christ from Christmas, and replacing Him with Santa Claus, Christmas trees and worldly celebrations. In most Christmas worship services, churches would preach messages about the story of Christ’s birth, and what a better way to be reminded of Christ’s birth, than to hear the story being told by Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, let us consider the words spoken by Jesus in Matthew 21:33-46, the parable of the wicked tenant. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. I. The Story Notice Jesus began by saying in verse 33, “Hear another parable.” A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. In the original Greek, there are different terms for the word another. It can be another (heteros) of the same kind, or another of a different kind (for example, the Apostle Paul spoke about the false teachers who preached another Jesus, another gospel, which was another of a different kind). Here, it is another (allos) parable of the same kind. In the preceding verses, Jesus spoke about another parable, the parable of the two sons. In other words, this parable of the wicked tenants was just like the parable of the two sons; it was another parable of the same kind. So, there is a connection between these two parables; the parable of the two sons, and the parable of the wicked tenants or husbandmen. Both parables have to do with the vineyard, but more importantly, both have to do with judgment. And there is a progression from the first parable to the second parable. In the first parable, the fault of the second son was his hypocrisy; he gave the impression that he was obedient, religious and he loved the father, but in reality, he did not. In this second parable, it was more than just hypocrisy, it was wickedness. Jesus was speaking to the religious leaders that their hearts were so hardened with evil that it went beyond just hypocrisy and into wickedness, for they murdered the landowner’s son who was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very simple parable, the householder was a reference to God, the son was Jesus, the servants were the prophets, the husbandmen were the Jews or religious leaders, and the vineyard was God’s kingdom. It is an easy, self- explanatory parable. The question is how can we apply this parable into our lives? This is what we want to learn! Let us hear how Jesus shared this story,“there was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country” (Matthew 21:33). In those days, it was common for a landowner or householder to take a portion of his land, and rent it out to the tenants. This particular landowner had invested a great deal into his land; for he had planted a vineyard, protected it against wild animals and robbers by building a hedge around it, he built a winepress for the grapes to be crushed into juice and a tower for the tenants to watch for intruders as well as to store their goods. In a sense, this landowner had blessed the tenants with great resources, provision and protection. Therefore, it was only right and proper for the landowner to expect to receive a certain portion of the fruits that were produced from the land. That was precisely what he did,And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it (v.34). The only right thing for the tenants to do, was to give him a certain portion of the crops, and they could keep the remainder for themselves. But they did not do that!And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise (vv.35-36). That was a very wicked thing to do, but notice the progression of the wickedness. Initially, they started to beat the servants, and then they killed the servants (which implies they killed instantly or immediately), and finally, they stoned the servants (which implies a very slow and terrible death). Isn’t this how sin works? It always starts small, and gradually escalates to utter wickedness. At the beginning, people will try to play hide and seek with sin, feeling ashamed of what they are doing, then they grow much bolder and they no longer attempt to hide their sin any more, and finally, they will not only sin blatantly but they will boast about their sin. Therefore, the only way to deal with sin is to nip it in the bud, and not let it start, otherwise it will grow. But the landowner was very gracious, and he continuously sent one servant after another. Throughout the Old Testament history, we have read how God sent prophet after prophet to preach to the Israelites. They not only rejected those prophets but they also killed them. Traditionally, it was believed that the people took the prophet Isaiah and cut him in half with a wooden saw. They took the prophet Jeremiah and threw him into a pit and stoned him. They rejected Ezekiel, and Amos had to run for his life. Zechariah was stoned, and Micah was smashed in the face, and the list goes on and on. That was why Jesus said in Luke 11:51, From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple (before the temple was built, the sacrifices were offered on the altar, so between the altar and the temple, means it was over a long period of time); verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation (because this would be the generation who would kill the only begotten son of God). Some people may ask, “It is truly unbelievable why the landowner would do that, allowing his servants to be killed one after another.” Well, this is just how gracious and patient our God is. 2 Peter 3:9, God is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son (v.37). Finally, the landowner said, “I am going to send my son.” The word reverence (entrepo) means to turn around. In other words, “Surely, the people would feel so ashamed of what they had done to my servants and turn around when they see my Son.”But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him (vv.38- 39). They knew exactly who He was (landowner’s son), and they planned His murder. In our modern language, this was first degree murder for it was premeditated. That was exactly what the religious leaders did. Let us be reminded that as Jesus told this parable, in two days’ time, they would crucify Him on the cross. Isn’t it amazing that Jesus said this, prior to His death? He not only knew that the Jews had killed the prophets of old, but He also knew they were going to kill Him. Yet He was willing to come. This is the supreme love of God! Maybe some are tempted to think that this parable only applies to the Jews or the religious leaders. But this parable is not only applicable to them, for it is just as applicable to us as well. If Jesus were to speak to us today, what would He say to us? Consider this, “Has God not blessed us like the way the Israelites were blessed with the land? Has He not protected us and our families like the way He built the hedge around the vineyard? Has He not provided for all our needs like the way He watered and cared for the land? Is it not right and proper for God to expect to receive fruits from us, as in spiritual fruits; the fruit of repentance, the fruit of righteousness, the fruit of the Spirit, etc? Has He not sent preacher after preacher to minister His Word to us?” We may not have physically killed the preachers, like the Jews who killed the prophets of old. But have we not treated God’s preachers with little respect; by rejecting, ignoring, disobeying, critiquing and attacking the messengers and their messages verbally? We may not have been faithful any more than the Israelites were faithful. Dear friend, what do you think God would do to those people who take His grace, mercy and blessings for granted? That was the question Jesus asked those who were listening to this parable. He could have given the answer Himself, but instead He turned to the very people He was accusing, and asked them what the landowner would do when He returned. II. The responseWhen the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons (vv.40-41). They were right, in fact, that was the only answer anyone could possibly give. However, they did not realise that in giving the right answer, they were pronouncing their own condemnation. Notice, there were two things that the landowner would do; firstly, there would be a judgment (He will miserably destroy those wicked men), secondly, there would be a replacement (He will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen). Take note of these two things, judgment and replacement, for we return to it shortly.Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? (v.42) It was like a slap to the face of the religious leaders, “You who say you know the scriptures, and you are knowledgeable of the scriptures, but have you not read in Psalm 118:22-23?” In those days, when the builders wanted to build a building, they needed a cornerstone. It was the most important stone in the building. It was the foundation; once this foundational cornerstone was laid, it would set the angles for the walls, draw the line for the entire building, and establish the shape and direction of the building. This cornerstone was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Apostle Peter was preaching in the city of Jerusalem, he said in Acts 4:10-11, Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. That cornerstone which the Jews had rejected, would be restored to become the head of the corner. The rejected cornerstone was the crucified Christ, and the restored cornerstone was the resurrected Christ. III. The judgment So, what happened when the Jews rejected Christ? There would be the judgment!And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (v.44). In other words, Jesus was telling the people, “You could have been part of my kingdom and be blessed, but you rejected me, therefore you would be broken and be crushed into powder.” All God needed to do, was simply to take away the hedge of protection, and the enemies would flood in to crush the Israelites. That was precisely what happened to Israel in AD 70, when God removed His hand of protection, and the Roman General Titus came in and destroyed Jerusalem, the Jews were killed and the rest were dispersed throughout the whole world for almost two thousand years. IV. The replacement But what happened after the judgment of the Israelites. Remember, there was a judgment and there was a replacement.Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (v.43). What nation is this? 1 Peter 2:9 gives the answer, But ye (the believers, the church) are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Dear friend, this is where we have a part to play. If we are true believers, we are the church, the holy nation that will bring forth the fruits of repentance and righteousness that the Jews had failed to produce. This is the wisdom of God! The rejection of the Jews had turned into the salvation of the Gentiles (for you and me). Today, when we traced the roots of our salvation; how we were once aliens and strangers to the Almighty God, our forefathers were idol-worshippers, pagans and outside the kingdom of God. How was it possible for us to come and believe in Jesus Christ? It is all the Lord’s doing. He had turned the rejection and judgment of the Jews, into the salvation of the Gentiles. But the day will come, according to Romans 9- 11, when the last Gentile has come into the kingdom of God, that all Israel will be saved. For they will look to the One whom they had pierced and they will cry out to Him as the Saviour of the world. So, Jesus was saying to the Jews, “You have been blessed with the knowledge, and received my provision and protection. You have been taught by the prophets of old, you have witnessed my miracles, heard my teachings, experienced my goodness, and you still do not believe me. You have lost the right to be in my kingdom and the place of blessing. I will pluck you out, and give my kingdom to a people who were at one time, not my people, the Gentiles and they will produce the fruits - spiritual fruits.” Let us not think for a moment that just because we are believers, we do not care about the way we live our lives. Listen carefully to what Jesus said,my kingdom will be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, … which means it is expected of us to produce fruits. If we do not produce spiritual fruits in our lives, there are only two possibilities. Firstly, we may not be true believers in the first place, because like the Israelites, we have deceived ourselves; true believers will and must produce fruits. Secondly, perhaps we may be true believers, but we are rebellious and disobedient, and God our Father will chastise us so that we will produce fruits. Remember Jesus said in John 15 about the branch that was attached to the vine, and the Father would purge or prune the branch so that it would produce more fruits. It can be painful when God purges us, but it is necessary, so that you and I can produce fruits. The sad reality is that some people will never understand, because like the religious leaders, they knew that Jesus was talking about them. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them (v.45). They knew He was referring to them, yet they did not repent from their sins. Their hearts were so hardened! But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet (v.46). Sadly, they were more fearful of the people, than of God Himself. Dear friend, this is the Christmas story told by our Jesus Himself, and can you see how it relates to your life. God sent His prophets to preach to the people, but they rejected those prophets, killed them and stoned them to death. Then finally, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and true enough, they not only rejected Him, but crucified Him on the cross of Calvary. Because of their rejection, they were judged, they lost their right to be in God’s kingdom, and the entire nation of Israel was set aside for a period of time. And the kingdom of God was opened to the Gentiles (which includes you), and those who respond to the preaching of the Gospel, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, they are brought into His kingdom. If you have truly been saved, then you will produce spiritual fruits to glorify the One who has saved us. This is the Christmas story, God sent His Son! Perhaps, you are still an unbeliever lingering outside the kingdom of God. You have celebrated many Christmases, and heard the story of Christ’s birth on countless occasions, and you have been rejecting Him. You will be miserably destroyed. You will be crushed into powder, because without the Saviour, the day will come, when you will die in your sins and be sent into eternal hell forever. Today is the day of salvation! Turn to Jesus and call out to Him, “Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I am totally lost. I cannot save myself. Only you alone can save me, through your death and the shedding of your precious blood which can wash away my sins. Lord, save me, and come into my life as my Lord and Saviour!” Jesus will say to you, Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37) When that happens, it will be the greatest Christmas you have ever celebrated in your entire life! A blessed Christmas to you! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~13 min read

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Through the inspiration of the Spirit, the Apostle Paul dealt with the topic of singlehood and its blessedness which was contrary to the mindset of many that only marriage is blessed. In our last pastoral chat, we had touched on his first point which was “marriage may bring trouble.” Today, we will continue with Paul’s second point, and I have restated it as, “marriage is temporal.” II. Marriage is temporal 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none. And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. The time is short means this life is brief; we have only an appointed time on this earth. It will not be long before all these things are coming to an end. We must always live with this perspective that our time on this earth is short. Dear friend, is this how you are living your life? Do you live your life as if it would not be long? Do you live believing in the imminent return of Jesus Christ (almost two thousand years have come and gone, even though it is two thousand years but it is still short compared to eternity)? Do you live believing that today could be your last day? Many years ago, when I was in Singapore, I once saw a man crossing the road. He looked very healthy, and all of a sudden, he collapsed in the middle of the road. Soon the ambulance arrived, and the medical personnel tried to resuscitate him, but they failed. At that point, I was with some Christian friends, and I said to them, “That man might have crossed this road a thousand times. But who would have thought that today would be the last time he is crossing this road? Did he say goodbye to his wife and children (if he had any) before he left home? If he did, that would be his last goodbye? If he did not, it was too late! That is just how fragile life is!” Some of you may have been married for quite a long time; perhaps you have just celebrated your thirtieth anniversary. Some of you may be sad, hurt and weeping because of certain bad experiences. Others may be happy and rejoicing because of a recent promotion or the purchase of a new property. Life is too short to be dictated by the circumstances and situations. Paul went on to say, it remaineth (which means from now onwards), that both they that have wives be as though they had none. And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it? In other words, do not abuse or be dependent on the pleasures of this world. It does not mean we are to be ignorant or indifferent to our current situation. It does not mean you say to your spouse, “We are married, but from now onwards, we will act like we are not. We have a house, but we will act like we do not have anything.” The children are happy, but you say to them, “Stop laughing and smiling!” Or your friend is weeping, and you say to her, “Stop crying and wipe away those tears!” That was not what Paul meant. The time is short; keep your eyes on the future. There will come a day when there will be no marriage. There will come a day when your current circumstances will be no more; whether difficult situations or victorious situations, they will all come to an end. There will come a day when all the things you own will be burned up; all those things that you are so obsessed with, business, politics, world events, etc, they will all be gone. So even if you are married, live in light of the day when there won’t be any marriage anymore. Live in light of eternity. Marriage, sorrow, rejoicing, possessions and pleasure all have a proper place in the Christian life, but once they dominate our thoughts and behaviours, they have become sinful. Do not let the temporal things of this life hinder us from the eternal things of God! Even though you are so sad, and you have been weeping, do not be overwhelmed by your present circumstances. Live in light of the future day when there will be no more tears. You may have lost a loved one in the Lord, and it is so painful, for it breaks your heart every time you think of him or her, but you remember that the day will come, in the sweet by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore in heaven. You may have some glorious moments in your life, but again you remember, that is only momentary, for soon it will be over. You look forward to the glorious moment in eternity that will last forever and ever. Live your life in view of eternity, and this must be the driving force in our life. Look forward to the kingdom that is coming, and the One who is bringing it, For the fashion of this world passeth away, which means the manner of life, and the way of doing things in this world, will soon pass away. Some of our young people would be getting married. Marriage is a good thing, and it is called the grace of life. If you have been blessed by God with it, you should embrace it. But marriage is not everything, and it is certainly not the most important thing. What is important is the eternity in heaven that is coming! Marriage is the closest relationship between two earthly persons, as you become one flesh, but it is not an eternal relationship. It is only till death do us part, and death brings an end to your marriage. What is important is the everlasting relationship that is coming, in heaven! Being single can be a good thing, given the current situation. But ultimately, it must be God’s will. If the Lord has called you to be single, He will give you the wisdom, strength and ability to live such a life, to the glory of His precious name! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

1 Corinthians 7:25-28

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, The Apostle Paul had been answering some of the questions the Corinthians had asked; some were single and wanted to be married, others were married and wanted to behave like single and practising celibacy in their marriage, yet others were married and wanted to divorce and have a new marriage. Basically, the Corinthians wanted a change in their situation. Dear friend, the real problem is not that we need a change in our circumstances, but rather we need to obey the Lord in whatever circumstances He has called us. That was why Paul repeatedly said, “Remain as you are, abide as you are!” Here in this passage, Paul was dealing with the question of being single. Some people treat singleness almost as if it was like a curse. But why do people think that marriage is the only good thing, and being single is like a curse. Well, they would associate singleness as loneliness. Oftentimes, people would say, “Oh, she is single; it is so sad. She must be really lonely.” But the truth is that some of the married couples are the loneliest people on the face of the earth. Do you feel strange about being single? Do you feel deprived of something? Is this pressure coming from the outside or inside? If it is coming from the outside, one needs to ask, “Why do I need to subject myself to what the people or the world think?” If it is coming from the inside, then the question is, “What is the basis of this pressure; is it a physical, emotional or spiritual struggle? Did I speak to the Lord and commit to His will? Am I willing to accept His will to remain single?” Apparently, the Corinthians were asking questions about singlehood, therefore Paul said, Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful (1 Corinthians 7:25). Some theologians believed that the word virgins refer to those who were pure, single, not married, while others believed that it was a reference to those who were singles or engaged to be married. That is the reason why some Bible versions would translate this word parthenos as betrothed, meaning they were virgins but already engaged to be married. In other words, the anticipated Corinthians’ question was, “Paul, you have told us to continue with the Lord in the state that we are. If we are married, remain married, and if we are single, remain single. For that is a good thing! But I am sort of in a transition because I am engaged to be married. Should I continue with the marriage, or call off the engagement? If I follow through with the engagement, is it not a good thing?” Or Paul could be answering a straight-forward question, “I am a virgin, not married, thus, should I get married or not?” But there is another possibility as Paul could be answering the question of a father who was sending her daughter away in marriage and he was asking, “Is this the right thing to do?” In those days, it was the father who gave permission for his daughter to be married, as verse 38 said, So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. One cannot be dogmatic about what the anticipated question was, and the above were only suggested possibilities. But whatever the anticipated question was, basically, it was all pointing to the same thing, “Is it better to be single or married?” In verse 10, Paul said, And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, which means this is not what I (Paul) say, but the Lord Jesus who said this. In verse 12, he said, But to the rest speak I, not the Lord, in other words, this is what I (Paul) say, not what the Lord said (Jesus did not speak about this matter particularly). But whether it was the Lord or the Apostle Paul speaking, both were equally authoritative because they were given by the inspiration of God. But verse 25 is a little different, what Paul was saying here, was not so much an authoritative command. He was not commanding the people to be married or to be single, but rather to be married or to remain single was within the prayerful choice of the believer. In a way, he was giving them his counsel or opinion, that was why he said, yet I give my judgment. As an Apostle who had obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful and trustworthy, Paul’s conviction was that it was better for single Christians to remain single if they had the gift from God. In verse 40, he said the same thing to those widows who were allowed to remarry because their husbands had passed away, But she is happier if she so abide (in her widow or unmarried state) and this is my judgment, my counsel or opinion. And Paul knew that it was the Spirit of God who had guided his thought in this matter. This is an important point for us to learn. Oftentimes, we like to seek counsel from people. But the question is, “Who are we seeking counsel from?” We must only seek counsel from people who are faithful and trustworthy; people who are indwelt and filled with the Spirit of God, and their counsels would be a reflection of wisdom taught by the Holy Spirit. So, before you seek advice from anyone, you need to ask yourself these questions, “This person must first have a knowledge of the Bible, he must be knowledgeable. But knowledge is only one part, for he must be committed to the Bible. And his commitment to the Bible must also be reflected in his life. Is his life a reflection of biblical truth? Is he committed to the holiness of God, or is he just giving counsels in terms of situation ethics, worldly philosophies or human opinions? Is he giving counsel just to please people, or is he seeking to please God?” Indeed, some people like to present themselves as smart, wise and spiritual, and they love to play counsellors, but they are not concerned about glorifying God, only themselves. Therefore, one must be careful whom he or she seeks counsel from. I. Marriage may bring trouble The first thing we can learn from this passage is that marriage may bring trouble, and sometimes it is better to remain single. 1 Corinthians 7:26, I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Verse 27, Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. Verse 28, But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. Paul gave this counsel based on the relevant situation of the Corinthians. If you were to give counsel to someone, you have to take into consideration the issue in its context and how the Word of God may be applied in those circumstances. Paul was giving his counsel to the virgins (those who are not married) based on his understanding of the present distress. We do not know exactly what he was talking about, but we do know that the Corinthians were being afflicted for their Christian faith. Marriage does bring along with it, unique blessings, but it also brings along with it, unique challenges. There are times when being single is better than being married. Times of intense persecution could be one such example. Soon after the writing of this letter, the Corinthians would face severe persecution from the Roman emperor Nero. The believers would be losing their lives. Church history tells us that Nero was so cruel that he had Christian sewn up in animal skins and thrown before wild dogs to be torn apart and eaten up alive, as a form of entertainment. Other believers were dressed in clothes soaked in wax, tied to trees and set on fire, to become human candles for his night garden. It was difficult enough to be concerned about your own faithfulness to the Lord in such times, but when you were married, you had to be concerned about your wife and children, and that would introduce more challenges into your life. When you were married, the problems and pain multiplied; you had to worry about their safety and livelihood, and vice versa, they had to constantly fear for your life. In the event of your death, who would take care of them in your absence. Your wife and children would have to endure the pain of watching you being beaten, stoned or imprisoned. So, Paul was saying, “If you are not married, don’t get into it (that is my counsel to you) because of the present distress. It is already difficult to be a single person in such times, how much more to be a married person with all the added responsibilities. On the other hand, based on the current situation, if you are married, don’t get out of it just because you are facing the present distress; remain in your marriage and ask the Lord to give you wisdom and strength to persevere.” Today, if there is a man who knows that he would soon be enlisted into the army to go to the Middle East and he would be fighting in the frontline; he knows that because of his dangerous job description, he could be killed at any moment. And this young man is asking this question, “Should I get married in this present distress?” You would probably say to him, “Based on the current situation, it is better for you to remain single. Why do you want to get married and possibly make your young wife a widow, and cause her to go through the pain of burying her husband, for say one week?” That would be our modern-day application. But if you choose to go ahead and get married, have you sinned? No, you have not sinned! If the virgin chooses to get married, she has not sinned. Again, Paul says, nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. Here, he was referring to the normal challenges that a married person had that a single person would never face. There are times when being married burdens us. The word trouble literally means “pressed together, or under pressure.” Believers are still sinful, and it is hard enough for a sinner to live with himself, let alone with another sinner. When two people are bound together in marriage, the problems of the human nature are compounded. It is not that marriage is not rewarding, it is a great joy, but marriage may cause some problems. When two persons become one flesh, they are still two personalities, two distinct persons with their own likes and dislikes, characteristics, emotions and desires. Each one has his or her own challenges with anger, jealousy, pride, forgetfulness, envy and selfishness. Surely, there will be trouble, and Paul was trying to say, but I want to spare you from these troubles. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in our next pastoral chat)

~8 min read

1 Corinthians 7:20, 24

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Calling begins with God who calls us to be Christians. And as we live our Christian life, He continues to call us into specific ministries, duties and responsibility. So, in our last pastoral chat, we had considered that the first thing we ought to learn is to live according to our calling. Today, we will discuss how we ought to be content with our calling. II. You must be content with your calling In 1 Corinthians 7:20, Paul said, Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. To abide is to remain, and the only way we can remain as we are, is when we understand and are content with our calling. Some people would look at others and feel that they are more gifted than them, or they have opportunities that they do not have. As such, they would say, “If only….” But here, God is saying to us through His Word, “Please do not do that! You should abide and remain as you are. The situations and circumstances need not change; what needs to change is your heart and your understanding of My calling.” It is God who has distributed to each person his or her portion, no more and no less, but what he or she needs to serve and glorify Him. When I was a young Christian, there was a time when I used to watch the little children in Sunday school, and I thought to myself, “I grew up in an unbelieving family, and I only came to know the Lord in my twenties. But if only I were to grow up in the church as a child, went through Sunday school, attended youth camps, family camps, fellowship meetings and Bible studies as a child, I would surely be a different person today. Surely, my knowledge and relationship with Christ would be stronger and better? Or if only I had learnt to play the piano from young, and watched how others in the church serving the Lord by playing the piano in church, how wonderful that would be!” It is always, “if only!” But finally, I realised one thing, “Do I really know? Can I really be sure that if only the circumstances are like this or like that, things would be better? There are so many children who grew up in the church, yet they are no longer worshipping God; some are even professing atheists, and I could easily be one of them. There are so many people who grew up watching others serving the Lord in playing the piano, and they themselves are accomplished pianists, but they never lift a finger to serve the Lord in this ministry, I could easily be one of them. Dear friend, do we really know, “if only” the circumstances are like this or like that, things would be different? The reality is that we do not know anything! Therefore, we should humble ourselves before the Almighty God who knows all things. Whatever is in the past, let it be in the past! As for today, our situations do not need to change, but rather it is our heart that needs to change; a heart that longs to serve God and glorify Him regardless of who we are. Finally, Paul said, Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God (1 Corinthians 7:24, emphasis mine). This phrase is very similar to verse 20, Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. But there is something different; notice Paul added two words, with God. The key to a contented life is to know that God is with us! Hebrews 13:5, Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Well, you may say, “How can I be content; my house is so small, or I am single, or I have no children, or I am married and I have so many children, or my job is so stressful, and my commitments are so many.” Well, God says to you, “You can be content, for I am with you, for I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” When God says that to us, what more can we ask, and what more do we need? Dear friend, if we are true Christians, then we ought to serve and glorify the One who has called us to be Christians. We can glorify Christ whether we are a man, or a woman, or a child, married or single, Jew or Gentile, slave or free (c.f. 1 Corinthians 7:21-23). We can glorify Christ whether we are in Australia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, or anywhere. We can glorify Christ whether we are rich or poor, young or old. Whatever we are and wherever we are, we can glorify Him. We must be faithful and content with our calling! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

1 Corinthians 7:17-19, 21-23

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Have you ever tried to encourage someone to serve the Lord and that person says to you, “Well, if only my circumstances were different, then surely I would be able to serve. If only I had a better job, or a less stressful job, or I was younger, or I had a better spouse, then I would be able to serve the Lord in a better capacity.” What do you call this kind of thinking? Some pastors have called this “the Corinthian’s thinking.” Apparently, this was the situation with the Corinthians who were questioning, “If only I was married, or I was single, or I did not divorce and remarry, then I could really live for Christ.” That was why Paul had to write this portion of scriptures to address this kind of thinking. Let us recap what Paul had dealt with in 1 Corinthians 7 so far (1) those who were singles and widows, it was good to remain as they were, (2) those who were already married, it was good to remain as they were, (3) those who were divorced, it was good to remain as unmarried or be reconciled to their spouses, (4) those who were married to unbelievers, it was good to remain as they were, and not divorce, (5) those who were married to unbelievers who wanted to divorce because of Christ, it was good to let them go and stay faithful to God. Whenever we read through a particular chapter or passage, and there is a repetition of a particular idea or word, we know that it is the theme. The constant idea that is being repeated throughout this chapter is about remaining as you are; abide as you are, or stay as you are. The word that is being repeated throughout this passage is the word “called,” or “calling” (it is repeated 8 times). Christianity is a calling; it begins with God calling us to be Christians (c.f. John 6:44). As we live our Christian life, God continues to call us into specific ministries, duties and responsibilities (some are called to be married, others are called to be parents, and yet others are called to be single). If that is what we have been called to be, then we ought to remain and be content with our calling. If we complained and hoped for a change of situation, then we have committed two sins: the sin of being discontented with God, and the sin of not fulfilling our calling. So, the first thing we ought to learn is to live according to our calling. I. You must live according to your calling 1 Corinthians 7:17, But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. The word walk is a metaphor for living, in other words, let him live. How should we live our lives? According as God hath distributed to every man! God has supernaturally distributed to each of us a place in life. We did not pick our parents, or the country we were born in, or our gender, or our IQ abilities. All these things were sovereignly distributed or assigned to us. This principle is universal, not just to the pastors, elders and deacons, but it applies to everyone. That was why Paul said, and so ordain I in all churches, which means this is what I have given to all the churches. To further illustrate his point, the Apostle Paul gave two examples; The example of circumcision or nationality – Verse 18, Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. The Jews practised circumcision and the Gentiles were not circumcised. In those days, there were Jews who came to faith in Christ, and obviously they were already circumcised. Interestingly, according to the historian Josephus, during the time when the Greeks or the Romans were ruling, some Jewish men who wanted to be accepted into the Greek and Roman society had surgery performed to make themselves appear uncircumcised. So, in a literal sense, they wanted to reverse the circumcision. There were other Jewish Christians who thought that was a way to demonstrate their total break away from Judaism; a clean cut from Judaism would be to reverse the circumcision. On the other hand, there were also Gentiles who wanted to be accepted by the Jews, and maybe they were taught wrongly that circumcision was necessary for salvation, or there was a special blessing that comes with circumcision, so they wanted to be circumcised. In a sense, the Apostle Paul was saying, “Don’t do that! Were you saved when you were already circumcised? Yes, you were! Then remain as you are, and you do not need to be uncircumcised. Were you saved when you were uncircumcised? Yes, you were! Then remain as you are, you do not need to be circumcised.” Paul went on to say, Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God (verse 19). It is possible that Paul could have used this illustration to describe the Jews and the Gentiles; the Jews representing the circumcision, and the Gentiles representing the uncircumcision. Therefore, it was not important whether you were a Jew or a Gentile, what was important was that you were a Christian. If you were a Christian, what was your most important duty? It was the keeping of the commandments of God! Obedience is the only mark of faithfulness the Lord recognises, and we can be obedient to the Lord anywhere and in any circumstances. In our modern application, it does not matter whether you are an Australian, Singaporean, Malaysian, Greek or Korean, it is important that you be a Christian and that you live as one, keeping the commandments of God. The example of slavery or social status – Verse 21, Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. The word servant (doulos) can mean a slave. During the time of the Apostle Paul, about one third of the population were slaves. In those days, the slaves were better educated, more skilful and cultured than any other slaves throughout history. In fact, some doctors, teachers, accountants and other professionals were slaves. However, only a few of them were treated with respect, and the vast majority, of course, lived in constant poverty and under cruel owners. Here the Apostle Paul was not approving or disapproving slavery; he was simply making a point that even if a person was a slave, he was still able to live a Christian life. He was still able to obey and serve Christ in slavery as if he was a free person. No circumstances, no matter how terrible, painful, or difficult they were, could keep the person from being a Christian. So, Paul was like saying to the Corinthians, “If you were called to salvation when you were a slave, do not worry about it, just be content and be faithful as the Lord leads you. But if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. In other words, if you are able to become a free person, and if you are able to buy yourself out of slavery, you should do it. Surely freedom is better than slavery. If a Christian slave has the opportunity to become free, he should rather use it. But the Christian slaves might say, “It is easy for you to say that because you are not a slave.” Well, Paul said in verse 22, For he that is called in the Lord being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Indeed, some who were slaves when they were saved, but remember, they were also the Lord’s freeman. What did the Lord free them from? No bondage was worse than being enslaved to sin, Satan and the judgment to hell. But Christ had delivered them from that bondage. In Christ, they had the greatest, most complete and glorious freedom ever. Dear friend, let us take a moment and consider this important point. As a believer, you are the Lord’s freeman; you are freed from sin, Satan and hell. You will remain free forever and ever. Even if you are a slave, why should you be overly concerned about remaining in human bondage for a few years? With this perspective in mind, whatever trials you may have to go through, even if those trials may be very severe, or may even last a lifetime, it is only a short period of time because compared with eternity, it is but a little season. Soon, it would be over! Those Corinthians who were free, and not slaves, might be proud and thinking that they were more blessed by God than the slaves, and their freedom meant they had the license to do as they pleased. Paul said to them, likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Your freedom in Christ is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin, it is not freedom to do your own will but freedom to do the Lord’s will. You are a servant, and your Master is the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are to please, honour and glorify Him. Why? Ye are bought with a price; (v.23), and that price according to 1 Peter 1:19 is with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. We were once servants of sin, Satan and judgment, but Christ has redeemed us by His precious blood, now we are His servants. So, we must never live our lives to be the servants of men, to live by man’s standards and seeking to please men. We live to please the One who died on the cross and shed His precious blood to redeem us from the penalty of our sins. One day, all Christians who are servants of Christ, would have to give an account of how they have lived their lives. How have you lived your life? Have you lived your life according to the standards of the world and always seeking to please men? Or have you lived your life according to God’s standards and always seeking to please Him? (To be continued in the next pastoral chat) With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

1 Corinthians 7:12-16, 39

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, As we consider the topic of divorce and remarriage based on 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, we had focused on the first two questions in our last pastoral chat; (1) If I am a believer married to another believer, can I divorce? (2) Are there any exceptions to this command not to divorce?  Today, we will move on to contemplate the third and fourth questions. The third question: Is divorce allowed to take place between a believer and an unbeliever? Supposing two unbelievers got married and one of them came to believe the Lord, while the other remained an unbeliever.  In such a situation, is divorce allowed to take place?But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.  And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. (1 Corinthians 7:12-13) To the rest refers to the rest of the other marriages, those mixed-marriages, between a believer and an unbeliever.  It does not mean the Bible allows unequally yoked marriages (verse 39 stressed that one must always marry in the Lord).  Here the possible scenario is that two unbelievers got married and one of them came to know the Lord, or one believer went against God’s commandment and got married to an unbeliever.  In such situations, one does not divorce that unbeliever, as long as he or she is willing to stay. Some Christian husband and wife may say, “I have evangelised to my unbelieving spouse on multiple occasions, but he or she is so stubborn and will not believe.  I am going to divorce him or her.”  Please do not do that! Paul gave the reason, For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy (v.14).  The words sanctified and holy come from the same original Greek root word hagios which means to be set apart. How can the unbelieving husband or wife be set apart by the believing spouse?  It does not mean set apart for salvation because no one has the power to sanctify or give salvation to anyone.  Only God! But if there is a believer in a home; that home is different because it has a gospel presence.  That unbelieving husband has a wife who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who is reading the Bible, praying, serving the Lord faithfully, producing the fruit of the Spirit, and living a transformed life, which is something he cannot argue with.  Do you realize that if you have an unbelieving spouse, he or she could argue against the doctrines and teachings of the Bible, and oftentimes come up with all kinds of silly arguments.  But there is something he or she would have great difficulties arguing against, and that is, the testimony of your genuine transformed life.  Can you imagine the unbeliever coming in close contact with such a believer on a daily basis?  It is in this sense that the unbelieving spouse is sanctified or set apart by the believing spouse. It is not uncommon to hear of unbelievers coming to faith in Christ, through the testimonies of their believing spouse.  Our testimonies cannot save, but they can certainly draw people to the Lord Jesus Christ.  As 1 Peter 3:1 attested, Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives. The fourth question; What if the unbelieving spouse wants to divorce?But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart.  A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. (1 Corinthians 7:15) If the unbelieving spouse is not willing to stay in the marriage, and let us say, he said, “I have enough.  It is always the Bible, and it is always Christ, and it is always Jesus says this and that.  I am going to leave you.”  Let him depart or divorce; it is in the imperative, or a command. It is important that this command be given because there may be some who are considering, “Well, maybe I should stop reading the Bible, or praying, or attending church, since all these activities are annoying to him.”  Do not do that!  It is a command, let him depart, because you are to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul and strength, more than anything or anyone.  You should do everything you can to make the marriage work, but never at the expense of Christ and His truth.  In such a situation, the brother or sister is not bound by the bond of marriage, though the marriage may be broken, but he or she is at peace with the Lord.  This is what is commonly known as desertion, when the unbelieving spouse walks away from the marriage and deserts the believer because of Christ. Some people may be thinking, “But what if I do all I can, to save such a marriage, even at the expense of Christ and His truth, perhaps some years later, he might come to believe in Him one day?  Isn’t that better?”  Well, Paul went on to say, For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband?  or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? (verse 16).  In other words, he was like saying, “can you assume that by doing all you can that you can save your husband or wife?  Most certainly not.”  Salvation belongs to the Lord, and it is better that we humble ourselves and obey the Lord’s command, rather than use our own human wisdom and dishonour Him. Then the question may arise, “Can the Christian remarry in this case (in the situation of desertion)?”  Again, the Bible is silent!  A lot of wisdom is needed in this case because what if after divorce, the unbelieving husband gets converted and wants to return (assuming he did not remarry)?  If the Christian wife gets remarried, the opportunity to return to the original spouse is forfeited.  It is God’s intent that the original spouses be reconciled and remained together. Dear friend, there will always be differences and issues in our marriage.  In marriage, we are not marrying a perfect person, but a sinner just like us, who needs love, understanding, care and forgiveness. Someone once said, “When two elephants fight, which one of the elephants would suffer the most?  The husband will cry out, “I am the one who suffers the most.”  The wife will cry out, “No, I am the one who has been tormented all these years.”  But the truth is that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers the most.  Indeed, the children of divorced parents were the ones facing the greatest impact. A failed marriage often brings guilt and pain.  For those who have gone through a divorce, and if you feel that you have sinned, and things cannot be undone, and you are truly sorry, and you ask, “Can God forgive me?”  The answer is, “Yes, He can, and He will.”  1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~5 min read

1 Corinthians 7:10-11

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, An article on divorce and remarriage is bound to stir up emotions, sad memories, bitterness or even fears. Some of us have lived through a divorce, or our parents and children have gone through a divorce, others may be contemplating a divorce. Whenever we consider the issue of divorce or marriage breakup, there is always guilt, sorrow and conflict associated with it. There are some people in the church who want to accommodate everyone and they would say, “Let us try to understand, let us be loving; it is alright to divorce because God will forgive them anyway regardless of what they do.” There are others who will object and say, “No divorce, no remarriage, for anyone, and for any reason.” Some ministers will even shy away and say that it is a controversial topic. We need to hear what the Bible has to say about divorce and remarriage. In the previous verses, the Apostle Paul had dealt with questions concerning singleness and marriage, and here he moved on to answer questions about divorce and remarriage. We do not know exactly what were the questions that the Corinthians were asking, and based on the passage, we can only assume what those questions were. So, let us approach this passage somewhat differently, by assuming what those questions were, based on the answers that Paul gave. The first question: If I am a believer married to another believer, can I divorce? 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. Here, Paul was talking about two believers who were married, and they must not divorce. The little phrase yet not I, but the Lord means this command did not come from Paul himself but the Lord Jesus Himself (c.f. Matthew 19:3-9). The word depart means divorce, and not separation or to leave one’s spouse for a period of time, because verse 11 clearly stated that if she departs, let her remain unmarried. This command was not only given to the wife, but to the husband as well, and let not the husband put away his wife. Christians must not divorce. But what if he or she does divorce? The phrase but and if she depart does not mean Paul was allowing divorce, he was simply acknowledging the fact that there were some believers who might have already divorced their spouses. In such situations, where divorce had already taken place, he or she must remain unmarried. If someone were to ask the minister, “Pastor, can we get divorced?” The pastor’s response would be, “Please don’t do that!” And the couple replied, “But too late! We already did!” So, what should the pastor say to the couple? Based on 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, he would say, “You have two options. You can continue to be unmarried, or you can be reconciled to each other!” The second question: Are there any exceptions to this command not to divorce? Since the Apostle Paul says in verse 10 that this command not to divorce was given by the Lord, let us hear from Jesus, and what He has to say. Did Jesus give any exception to this command? Matthew 19:9, And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. The term fornication is a general word which means immorality or any kind of sexual unfaithfulness, and fornication within marriage is known as adultery. When adultery is committed within marriage, then divorce is permissible. It is not commanded but permissible. In the Old Testament, when the people committed adultery, they would be stoned to death. The death would break the marriage bond, and the innocent spouse would be free. But God was gracious in that He did not always execute the death penalty like in the case of David, Solomon and many others who were spared. God, in His mercy, spared the life and divorce was permitted but only because there was hardness of heart. But that does not mean that one has to divorce the spouse if unfaithfulness has occurred. It is not a command. In fact, one ought to forgive and to seek reconciliation. The best example is illustrated in God’s relationship with the nation of Israel. It was constantly pictured as a husband and wife relationship. Israel was repeatedly unfaithful to God, and He repeatedly said that it would be His prerogative to divorce her, to cut her away and have nothing to do with her. But God repeatedly forgave her! This was also illustrated in the book of Hosea. Hosea married Gomer who was a prostitute, and she became unfaithful. Hosea was told to go to Gomer, not to divorce her but restore her. Whenever someone commits adultery, we must be willing to forgive and pray for repentance. One may ask, “How can I forgive someone who has betrayed the purity and sacredness of marriage.” Indeed, it is very painful and difficult. But the Bible says, And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32). If Christ has forgiven all my sins, who are we not to forgive our spouses? Does it mean that the moment your spouse commits adultery, one is free to marry, since Jesus said, except it be for fornication? Let us be reminded that all scripture is given by inspiration of God; Paul began by saying “This is what the Lord, not I,” and then he went on to speak on what Jesus did not elaborate, But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. In other words, one should not divorce, and if divorce has occurred, then you remain unmarried and pray for reconciliation. But what happens if the one who has committed adultery has already remarried? Then the hope of reconciliation is broken! One cannot remarry his or her former spouse under such a situation (that would make him or her an adulterer), and it is an abomination to the Lord. So, what about the so-called innocent party since reconciliation is no longer possible? Can he or she remarry? The Bible is silent! However, the Westminster Confession of Faith permits and says, “In the case of adultery after marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce: and, after the divorce, to marry another, as if the offending party were dead (24:5).” With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in the next pastoral chat)

~4 min read

1 Corinthians 7:2-5

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In the previous pastoral chat, we had considered how Paul was answering the questions concerning singleness and marriage.  Should one remain single or get married?  Is it better to be single or married?  He first dealt with all the misconceptions about singlehood, and that it is actually a good thing to be single.  The truth of the matter was that both singlehood and marriage were proper God-given gifts and therefore subjected to His will.  Subsequently, Paul moved on to speak about being married. It is good to be marriedNevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. (1 Corinthians 7:2) Here, Paul was not saying that every Corinthian church member was immoral, but rather the danger of fornication for those who were single.  If the sexual desires were unfulfilled, there could be a strong temptation to sexual immorality for those who were unmarried.  He was not suggesting that therefore Christians should go out and find someone to marry just so to avoid fornication.  He had a much higher view of marriage than that. Fundamentally, God has ordained marriage for four reasons; (1) companionship (for it is not good for man to be alone), (2) mutual helpfulness (Eve was to be a help meet for Adam), procreation (that the two shall be fruitful and multiply) and (4) avoid fornication.  Thus, the sexual relationship is only one part of the marriage union. In order to understand why marriage is a good thing, one has to consider what kind of a union is marriage; Marriage is a union that can help avoid fornication – avoid fornication. The sexual relationship within marriage is a blessed union.  This is the only sexual union that God has given to mankind that is not considered fornication.  It is lawful, blessed and ordained by God.  Every other sexual union is fornication; they are sinful because the sexual relationship before marriage is fornication, and the sexual relationship outside marriage is adultery.  Only the sexual relationship within marriage is permitted by God and not sinful, therefore it can help avoid fornication. Marriage is an exclusive union – let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. One cannot and must not take someone else’s husband or wife.  It is a lifetime union; one man, one woman, for life, till death us do part.  One must remain sexually faithful to the other until the latter dies, and then the former is free to marry again, if it is the Lord’s will. Marriage is a responsible union**Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.  The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife (1 Corinthians 7:3-4). In the physical realm, our body is our own, and we have to take care of it, and to use it as a gift from God.  In the spiritual realm, we understand that our bodies belong entirely to God.  In the marital realm, our bodies belong to each other; we have become one flesh as husband and wife. There is this mutual obligation and mutual authority over our bodies.  So, we must live our lives in this body, not only to fulfil our own desires, but also the desires of our own husband or wife.  It is our responsibility to satisfy the desires of our husband or wife.  Apparently, there were some Corinthians who had this erroneous belief that they were spiritually more superior when they abstained from sexual relationships, even within marriage.  In a way, they were practising ‘celibacy’ within marriage.  Perhaps, some of them were married when they were unbelievers, and then they became believers after marriage, but their spouses were still unbelievers, and so they had the thinking that by uniting themselves with their unbelieving spouses, they were defiling themselves. God holds all marriages to be sacred, and He holds the sexual relationship between the husband and wife to be sacred as well.  In abstaining from sexual relationships within marriage, they had neglected their responsibilities to their husbands and wives. Let us recap the four reasons why God had ordained marriage; companionship, mutual helpfulness, procreation and avoid fornication.  If anyone abstains from having a sexual relationship with his spouse, at least he is refusing to fulfil two of the reasons for which marriage was ordained; procreation and avoid fornication. The sexual relationship must never be used as a form of punishment or “bargaining tool.”  Some spouses would say, “If you do not do this, or if you do not buy that for me, or if you come home late from work again.  You do not dream of coming to bed with me tonight.”  Please do not do that, for that is not a godly mindset! At the same time, this passage cannot be used in a selfish, demanding, unthoughtful or unkind way.  One must never say to his or her spouse uncaringly, “Don’t you know that your body belongs to me.” By the marriage covenant, God has given the couple to each other; their bodies must be used to fulfil the needs and desires of the other person in a most godly and loving way.*Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. (*1 Corinthians 7:5) The phrase defraud ye not one the other is an emphatic command; it means to deprive, or to keep back something by means of fraud.  Why did Paul use the word defraud?  In a healthy marriage, there is the need to love and to be loved, and a healthy desire for each other. If one does not care about his or her spouse’s desire, it is to deprive or “cheat” them of something he or she has entered into the covenantal marriage for. Fasting and Prayer But there is one exception, if both of them have consented for a limited time, to devote themselves to fasting and prayer.  The sexual relationship is a reality in marriage, but it is not the only and chief reality.  Our relationship with the living God is the most important part.  Christ must be first in our lives; the person we are married to, does not take first place in our lives.  Since that is true, then there may come a time in one’s marriage life when he or she needs to, (in a very focused way, to devote all his or her time and energy), fast and pray.  In such times, both parties will agree to put aside their sexual relationship for a limited time, to concentrate on this spiritual activity - to fast and pray. Take for example, the couple has a child who is wayward and has gone astray.  He has stopped attending church worship and fellowship, and the couple want to spend all their time and energy to concentrate on fasting and praying for the child to return to the Lord.  What do they do when they fast?  They will abstain from eating and drinking, right?  In the same way, they do not want their focus to be distracted by any hindrances, so they also abstain from sexual desires. Consent – But they have to do that with consent, which means both parties must agree.  They must prayerfully discuss this matter, understand the physical and spiritual implications, and agree on the spiritual activity to fast and pray. Limited time – However, it is only for a limited period, for a time.  It cannot be practised for a prolonged period of time.  After they have fasted and prayed, they come together again, which means they resume the normal sexual relationship within the marriage covenant again. Spiritual dangers – Why do they do that?  Because they understand the spiritual dangers, so that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency (or self-control).  The reason why they do not deprive each other for a prolonged period of time is because they have a real spiritual enemy.  Satan will try his very best to destroy the marriage, and they must not behave as if they are immune to the spiritual danger of yielding to temptation. For example, there are some husbands whose wives refuse to give them attention, or have any sexual relationships with them.  Subsequently, these husbands fell into the willing arms of their female colleagues in the workplaces.  The same attention, care and relationship they could not find in their wives, they found it somewhere else; in their secretaries, or female friends, or internet chatrooms, and so forth.  We are not saying they can be excused; they have sinned.  But the point is that Satan is like a roaring lion waiting to devour us if we are not careful. Dear friend, it is good to remain single or married because it is God’s will for you.  If it is God’s proper gift for you, then you must use it wisely. Are you someone who is single and you have not thought of singleness in a biblical way?  You see it as a curse, and you are dissatisfied.  You spend all your time thinking about getting married, and you are jealous and envious of your friends who have gotten married.  You do not see your singleness as part of God’s will, and you do not see your singleness as something good. Are you someone who is married, but you have not lived in sexual faithfulness?  You are unfaithful in your responsibility to your spouse, and you do not care for him or her, and you are just living to fulfil your own desires. Ask the Lord to forgive and strengthen you so that you may live your life to fulfil His ultimate purpose.  To glorify Him in whatever marital state you are in, whether in singleness or in marriage. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~7 min read

1 Corinthians 7:1, 6-7

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Up to this point, the Apostle Paul has been dealing with the sins reported to be known in the Corinthian church.  In the previous chapter, Paul had to deal with all those sins; divisions, immorality, bringing brethren to court, no church discipline, and so forth. From here onward, Paul would be answering a series of questions that the Corinthians had asked him.  That was why one can see the repetition of the phrase, now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me (c.f. 1 Corinthians 7:1a, 25; 12:1; 16:1).  In other words, Paul was saying, “You have been asking me questions, and concerning those things (about singleness and marriage, food offered to idols, head covering in worship, the Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection), I am going to address them.” Dear friend, the church is the place where people come to find answers to their questions.  The answers are found in the Bible!  But there are people who just want the answers for head knowledge sake.  The important thing is that one has to be obedient and submissive to the will of God in the given answers. In this passage, Paul would be answering the questions about singleness and marriage.  Should one remain single or get married?  Is it better to be single or married? It is good to be singleNow concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. (1 Corinthians 7:1) Most certainly, Paul was not referring to a hand shake, or touching as in holding hands.  The phrase, it is good for a man not to touch a woman, was a reference to a sexual relationship.  And surely, he was not referring to a sexual relationship within marriage because that was a good thing; marriage is a blessed union, and it includes a sexual union ordained by God to procreate. Here, Paul was speaking about having a sexual relationship with a woman while in a single state.  If a single person is practising abstinence, and sexual purity, that is good.  And in this sense, it is good to be single. Very seldom would people acknowledge that being single is a good thing?  People tend to follow the mentality of the world when it comes to this matter of singleness.  They feel pressured to be single, and the pressure may come in very subtle ways.  For example, when one attends family functions and the relatives would ask, “When are you getting married?”  Their question presumed that one must get married; it is not a matter of whether one will or will not get married, but rather when he or she will get married.  Personally, I know of some unmarried people who do not want to attend family gatherings or visit their relatives during Chinese New Year celebrations or wedding dinners because they want to avoid all these questions about getting married. The following are some of the misconceptions about singleness; • Singleness is a curse – People tend to treat singleness almost as if it is like a curse; it is a blessing to be married, and it is a curse to be single.  As a result, some had rushed into marriage because they felt that the “singlehood” clock was clicking, “Well, I am forty years old and I am still single.  Life is passing me by, so when someone comes along, I wouldn’t care whether or not it is God’s will.  As long as someone comes along, that must be the one.” • Singleness is loneliness – People tend to associate singleness with loneliness.  Their mindset is, “Oh, it is so sad that she is single.  She must be lonely since she does not have a family.”  But that is not true because she has parents, siblings, nephews and nieces, and ultimately she has the church family.  Others tend to feel that being single, they do not fit into some of the church’s fellowship groups, “Oh, I do not fit into the adult fellowship group or the home care group because the people there are all married, and they have children, while I am single.”  But that is not true because they can attend any fellowship groups and be a blessing to the people.  This idea that singleness is associated with loneliness is wrong because some of the married people are the loneliest people on the face of this earth.  The truth of the matter is that if it is not the Lord’s will, the marriage will not be a good thing but a curse! Dear friend, do you feel strange or weird about being single?  Do you feel that something is missing in your life just because you are single?  Is this pressure that you are feeling coming from the “outside,” (people) or “inside” (within you)?  Ask yourself this question, “If it is coming from the “outside,” why do I need to subject myself to what the people think, and why do I need to conform myself to the mindset of the world?  If it is coming from the “inside,” what is the basis of this pressure?  Is this a physical, emotional or spiritual struggle?  Did I speak to the Lord and seek His will, and am I willing to submit to the Lord’s will to remain single? In Genesis 2:18, God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.  That is generally true for most people, to get married, but some have been called to a life of singleness for one reason or another.  Their singleness does not mean they are less or more spiritual.  Both singleness and marriage are subjected to the will of God.But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. (1 Corinthians 7:6) In other words, Paul was saying, “I speak this by common knowledge or common understanding, through my own life’s experience, and not by commandment.  Verse 7, For I would that all men were even as I myself.  But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.  In one sense, Paul wished that all believers could be unmarried, just like himself.  As a single person, he had the great freedom and independence to serve Christ. Indeed, being single has many practical advantages, for it allows much greater freedom in where and how a person can serve the Lord.  He is free to move around and set his own time and programs.  He does not need to worry about his spouse or his children. One of the most difficult areas of ministries is to be a missionary or an evangelist.  Take a moment and consider this; if God has called one to be an evangelist and he is married with children.  The evangelist is a person who moves from city to city, focusing on the gospel of salvation.  When souls are saved, the new believers would be directed to the local church and the evangelist would move on to another place or another city.  The greatest difficulty that the evangelist would face is that no place is home and at the same time everywhere is home.  Oftentimes, he would have to take his family along; where to send his children for school, where to receive medical support, how to adjust to the living environment, and so forth.  One can imagine the amount of difficulties he would have to face.  But if God has called one to be an evangelist, then that would be his calling, and He will give him the grace, strength and ability to perform his duties faithfully.  Not all evangelists are singles, but some of them are blessed with the proper gift of God to remain single, so that they may serve as an evangelist without hindrances. The Apostle Paul did not expect all believers to be unmarried, for every man had his proper gift of God, whether it was a life of celibacy or a married life.  One has to discover God’s proper gift for him.  If it is God’s gift for you to remain single, accept it without envying or disparaging what He has given you.  Praise God for that blessed gift, and He will give you the grace to remain single. Last but not least, to remain single does not mean one is free to travel around the world, enjoy and indulge in worldly pleasures, and be free from the burdens of being tight-down with children and other chores.  God wants us to use this gift of celibacy to serve and glorify Him.  If it is a proper gift, then it must be used relevantly and reverentially.  In the same way, someone who has been blessed with the gift to preach, teach and sing, and does nothing about it.  He or she would be guilty of not exercising the given gift! With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~6 min read

1 Corinthians 6:19

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, As we consider this topic, “The Temple of the Holy Spirit,” we have discussed Paul's exhortation to (1) understand one’s union with Christ, and (2) understand what a sexual union involves.  Today, we will consider the last point, and that is, to understand one’s body is the temple. III. Understand our body is the templeWhat? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19) Notice, time and again, Paul had used the exclamation word, what?  It simply implies, “do you not know?”  He expected the Corinthians to know because he must have taught them that the believer’s body was a temple. The temple is a holy place.  It is the place where God dwells and manifests His presence.  If one is a believer, he has the Holy Spirit, the Comforter dwells in him.  The Holy Spirit is the seal and assurance of one’s salvation, and His presence speaks of the reality that he is a child of God.  Romans 8:9, But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.  Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Dear friend, how should we knowing this truth that the Holy Spirit dwells in us change or affect our behaviour?  Is the church-building a temple?  No!  Fundamentally, the building is not the church (ekklesia, the assembly or gathering of called out ones).  Individually, the believer is the temple, and collectively, the believers are the temple. There are some people who will never consider committing sins in the church-building simply because they associate it with holiness, and they will say, “This is the house of God!”  But biblically speaking, the believer is the house or temple of God; for the Third-Person of the infinite Triune Almighty God dwells in him. Take a moment and consider this.  If a believer has been saved at the age of twenty years old, and lives up to seventy, that would be fifty years of a new man in Christ.  God has saved him, redeemed him, both body and soul.  Jesus is His Master and Lord, and he belongs to Him.  The Spirit of Christ dwells in him personally.  God is using him to live as a new creature for the fifty years since his conversion; to manifest His transforming power, and to show to the unbelieving world what He can do to a wretched sinner. He has transported him out of spiritual darkness and into His marvellous light, so that the world may come to believe in the one and only true Saviour.  Intrinsically, God is going to use him to glorify Himself. How can this reality not affect the way we view our body?  Do we not know that our body actually belongs to “Someone” else?  Verse 20, For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s If I may, let me draw an illustration in conclusion.  In Singapore, where I used to live there are government built houses called HDB (Housing Development Board houses).  Each apartment is leased to the occupants for a period of 99 years.  After 99 years, the government reserved the right to take back the apartment.  So, some of the HDB houses may have 80 years left on the lease, while others may only have forty or thirty years, and so forth.  The occupants can only live in those apartments for the number of years left. If we are believers, we belong to God, both body and soul.  One day, the opportunity to live and breathe in this physical body will come to an end.  It will come to an end when the Lord Jesus comes in the cloud, or when death knocks on our doors.  If our bodies belong to God, then we must live our lives (whatever be the remaining years) to serve the purpose for which He has saved us, and that is to glorify Him.  Instead of living our lives in sin and fornication, we live as the true temple of the Holy Spirit.  All to the glory of God! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

1 Corinthians 6:16-18

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In dealing with the sin of sexual immorality, the Apostle Paul had stressed that one had to understand his union with Christ (c.f. 1 Corinthians 6:15). Then, he moved on to speak about understanding what a sexual union involves - what it meant and what it could do to the person. I. Understand what a Sexual Union IsWhat? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. (1 Corinthians 6:16) The question, “What”, was very revealing. The Corinthians were expected to know, but sadly, they did not understand. They saw the sexual relationship as no big deal; it was no different from meats for the belly, and the belly for meats (v.13). In other words, just as one may have physical desires for food and may seek to satisfy those desires, likewise he would have sexual desires and would seek to satisfy those desires too. It is natural and physical, and thus permissible. Is a sexual relationship just something physical, like eating a meal? Most certainly not! Tragically, that is how the world thinks of a sexual relationship! In Singapore, where I came from, there is a suburb called Geylang. It is infamous for being a red-light district. But at the same time, it is also famous as an eatery location with many restaurants. On one side, there are the brothels, and on the other side, there are rows and rows of restaurants. To the world, when one has a physical desire for food, he hops into the restaurant, and when he has a sexual desire, he hops into the brothel. You have physical desires for food, so you satisfy those desires, you have sexual desires, so you satisfy those desires, in their thinking, it is all the same. If it is natural, and it is just physical, it is permissible. Is sexual relationship just something physical, like eating a meal? That is certainly how the world thinks about sexual relationships. It is the same thing, just a desire! The Bible teaches us that the sexual relationship is a union, know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body. In a sexual relationship, there is a union that has taken place. This union when it is done in the proper context, as in a marriage, is blessed. But when it is done in a sinful way, it is a curse. Within marriage, the sexual relationship is a blessed union, while outside of marriage (whether pre-marital or extra-marital sex), it is a cursed union. It is common for some husbands who have committed adultery to say to their wives, “Yes, I may have committed the act of a sexua l relationship, but I do not have any feelings or emotions for her. It is a ‘nothing’ relationship.” It is not a ‘nothing’ relationship because he has just taken something that has been designed for marriage (the two shall be one flesh, one body), and perverted it (by joining himself to someone else). If one thinks of fornication only as a physical relationship, consider 1 Corinthians 6:17, But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Salvation has united the believer to Christ not just in the physical realm but in the spiritual realm (both body and spirit/soul, he is one with Christ). When he engages himself with a harlot in fornication (which is a physical act), he is behaving as if there is no relationship with the Lord spiritually. When a man commits adultery, he is not only unfaithful to his wife, but most vitally also to the Lord.Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18) Sexual sin is unique (in a bad sense); there is something different and unique about sexual sin, unlike other sins. Paul was not trying to play down on the other sins. Sin is sin; it is a transgression of God’s law. But there is something unique about sexual sin. 1. Sexual sin is unique because one is sinning against his own body. If one is guilty of gluttony, he is taking some food from outside the body and hurting himself with it. If one is guilty of drunkenness, he is taking the alcohol from outside the body and hurting himself with it. If one is guilty of stealing, he is taking something that belongs to someone else. But when it comes to sexual immorality, he is using his own body in a way to destroy himself; that is what it means sinneth against his own body. 2. Sexual sin is unique because it is a sin that affects the person internally. It has the psychological, emotional, physical and spiritual effect upon a person unlike any other sins. On top of that, it destroys relationships, and there are the sexually transmitted diseases that come with fornication. One feels the effects of this sin in a very deep and personal way. In most marriages, the couple would be able to forgive each other, most of the time, like if one of them told a lie, or said something hurtful, or gambled away some of their savings in bad investments. After some mediation and counselling, reconciliation would take place. But it is different with fornication or adultery because the effect of this sin is very deep, and hurts like no other sins. It is a sin that involves a union, and within one body, one flesh, which involves a forbidden union with a third party. Therefore, it affects deeply and internally! When a third party is involved, there will always be a sense of betrayal, mistrust, bitterness, jealousy, anger and so forth. But it does not mean that sexual immorality cannot be forgiven. When the sinful party genuinely repents, the offended party must forgive. But one must never underestimate the destructive nature of this sin. It is so destructive that the Bible exhorts us to flee (run) fornication. Do not entertain it, or allow the mind to think about it, but rather, run from it. Someone gave an apt illustration of what it means to flee. There was a king who lived at the top of a mountain. Every day, he had to travel down the mountain. The path would take him along the curves of the mountain, and one wrong turn would mean the car would plunge about a thousand feet down the cliff and cause his fatal death. One day, he wanted to employ a driver to ferry him down and up the mountain. He asked the first driver, “How close to the edge can you get without falling over the cliff?” The first driver replied, “I could get as close as one foot.” He asked the second driver, “How close to the edge can you get without falling over the cliff?” The second driver replied, “I could get as close as one inch.” Everyone was impressed with the skills of the first two drivers! Then the king asked the third driver the same question. Of which the third driver replied, “I would get as far as I could, away from the edge.” Which of the three drivers do you think the k ing would employ? 1. Maybe, while you are surfing on the internet you accidentally click on the wrong address and something obscene and immoral pops up. What would you do? Would you linger and behold? No! The command to you is, Flee! Run! Get as far as you could from it! 2. Or let’s say you are a frequent traveller because of work commitments. When you are overseas, you may be approached by people who offer immoral services. What would you do? The command to you is, Flee! Run! Get as far as you could from it! 3. Or you may be a young girl or boy being pressured by your peers to be engaged in immoral activities. What would you do? The command to you is, Flee! Run! Get as far as you could from it! But you do not just flee to nowhere. You run from fornication, and you run to the Word of God! Psalm 119:9 says, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. How can a young man live a holy and sanctified life? By obeying what the Word of God says! Dear friend, the only way to flee fornication, and keep our ways pure in the world that is desperately wicked, is to obey the Word of God. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~6 min read

1 Corinthians 6:14-15

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Do you realize that what we do always has to do with our thinking? We do what we do because we think it is alright to do it. We behave the way we behave because of what we think. The same thing goes with our sins; whenever we sin, it is because we are not thinking right. Perhaps, it could be because of our rebellion against God’s Word, or our lack of understanding, or our misunderstanding of what the scripture says. So, there are some people who have this wrong thinking that leads them to their sinful behaviours. They think that when God saved them from eternal damnation that only has to do with the soul or spirit, and it has little or nothing to do with the body. Or they may think that the soul is good, but the body is evil, so as long as they live in this body, they would sin and thus it is alright. Therefore, the Apostle Paul had to correct that misconception and wrong theology, and he said in 1 Corinthians 6:14, And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Dear friend, when Christ saved us, He did not just save our souls, He saved the body as well. Jesus died to redeem the whole man, and one day, there is going to be a resurrection of the body. If the body is not important, then God would not have raised Jesus from the dead. The fact is that God had raised the Lord from the dead, and He will also raise us up as well. Here, in this passage, the Apostle Paul was speaking about sexual immorality, and to deal with this sin; firstly, one has to understand his body. The believer has to (2) understand his union with Christ, (3) understand what a sexual union involves (what it means and what it can do to him), and (4) understand his body is a temple. Understand our union with Christ 1 Corinthians 6:15, Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. Some of the Corinthians in the church were visiting prostitutes (most likely the pagan temple prostitutes), and they were engaging in fornication. In a sense, Paul was saying to the Corinthians, “Do you not understand that when Jesus Christ saves you, He unites you to Himself? By virtue of the indwelling Holy Spirit who has taken residence in your heart at the point of your salvation, you are connected and united to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Head, and each individual believer is a member of His body, the church. How then can you be united with a prostitute? May it never happen!” Every individual believer is united with Christ, but he must understand what part he has to play in the body of Christ, the church. Christ is the head of the church, whether he is the limp, hand, leg or one of the vital organs, he is a member of His body. It is vital for every believer to remember that. The only relationship in this entire world that talks about this oneness; one flesh, one body, is the marriage between a man and a woman. It is worthy to note that in the Bible, God used marriage as an illustration of our union with Christ. When a man and a woman are married, they become one flesh, one body. In fact this union is so unique that when God made Eve, He used one of Adam’s ribs to make her, she was literally part of his body, and He said, the two shall be one flesh. That was why Ephesians 5:28-30, So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord of the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. The point Paul was making about this union with Christ is that whenever the believer is engaged in fornication, he or she is in some way involving the Lord in it. If he is a believer, then he is a member of Christ’s body (Christ is the head), so how can you ever take the members of Christ, whether it be the leg, or the hand, or the foot, and make it a member of the prostitute. One pastor aptly asked, “Will you walk into adultery with your wife beside you? Your wife may not be with you all the time, but you know that you are one flesh and one body with her. The ring you wear on your hand is a reminder of that union. How much more the Lord Jesus Christ who is always with you? He is the Head of the body and you being a member, the Holy Spirit indwelling in you is a reminder of that union. How can you walk into adultery with no consideration for Him?” Oftentimes, when a church member falls into adultery, people would speak as if it is only about the shame brought to the church, “Do you know so-and-so in the church has committed adultery, what a shame?” That person is not only affecting the church (which is the body), he is affecting the head that is Christ. It was such a horrific thought that Paul said, God forbid, which is emphatic, which means, never, may it never be. However, this does not mean that Christ is made impure by the believer’s sin. Christ is perfectly holy and He remains that way for all eternity. One can never tarnish His purity, nor His testimony or reputation. Here the point is that it is most horrifying to take something that belongs to Christ, and then to abuse, misuse and defile it. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in the next pastoral chat)

~4 min read

1 Corinthians 6:13

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, We have since considered the first two points in regards to the theme, “Not all things are profitable.”  As Paul was focusing specifically on sexual immorality, the points he made were (1) sexual sin is not profitable for us, and (2) sexual sin controls us.  Today, we will ponder the last point. III. Sexual sin corrupts us 1 Corinthians 6:13, Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them.  Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. It is true that both food and the belly (or the stomach) were created by God.  Hence, the Corinthians tried to use this truth as an analogy or slogan to justify their sexual appetites, “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats.”  In a sense, they were saying, “Sex is no different from eating; just as the stomach was made for food, thus the body was also made for sex.  Just as God has given to us certain appetites for food, He has also given to us certain appetites for sexual desires.  Therefore, just as we go out to find something to eat, to satisfy our hunger, in the same way, we go out to behave immorally, to satisfy our hunger for sexual immorality.” If I may put my words and thoughts into verse 13a, Paul was like saying to the Corinthians, “You always say, meats for the belly, and the belly for meats, but I say to you, it is true that the food and the belly were made for each other, but it is also true that that relationship is purely temporal.  One day, their purpose would be fulfilled, and God shall destroy both of them.  That relationship will come to an end when we die, when death comes, there will be no more desire, no more craving, no more appetite that relationship comes to an end.” The problem with the Corinthians was that they were only thinking about temporal things, like eating physical food, and they even tried to use that as an analogy for sexual sins.  But they had forgotten that what was important was that which was spiritual and eternal. Paul went on to say, Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.  Why did God create you?  Did He create you just for the purpose of eating?  Did He create you for the purpose of fornication?  Most certainly not! It is sad how some people would live solely for the purpose of eating.  But it is even more tragic how some people would live solely for the purpose of fornication (sexual immorality).  God did not create us for the purpose of fornication, rather He has created us to honour, worship, serve and glorify the Lord with our body.  That is what man is created for.  Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 1, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever!”  There will always be people who will honour the Lord with their bodies, while others will dishonour Him.  One day, they have to give an account for the way they have treated this body. Like the Corinthians, some people may think, “Well, the body is temporal, and it is going to die anyway.  It will be destroyed (as in it will be buried and reduced to dust), so what we do with bodies, it does not matter.”  Most certainly not!  Paul went on to say, And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power (verse 14).  In the same way, God has raised the Lord Jesus Christ, He will also raise up us by His own power. How we deal with this body has a lot to do with our eternity?  As a believer, while we are still alive, we want to glorify God with this body, thus we take care of it so that we may have the strength to serve Him.  We will not want to corrupt this body with anything that will dishonour the One who gave us this body, and redeemed it with Christ’s precious blood (c.f. 1 Peter 1:19). With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~3 min read

1 Corinthians 6:12b

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, As we consider the theme, “Not all things are profitable,” we learnt that Paul was speaking specifically about sexual immorality and why it was so serious and harmful.  Last week, we began with Paul’s first reason that (I) sexual sin was not profitable, All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient (1 Corinthians 6:12a).  Today, we will continue to look at his second reason. Sexual sin controls us 1 Corinthians 6:12b, all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. One of the things sin would do to our lives is to control us, be brought under the power.  The more we indulge in it, the more it controls us.  Often, it begins with very small indulgences, and gradually, it leads us to greater ones, and then to horrendous sins.  Finally, we are captured or controlled by it. When the Corinthians proudly said, “All things are lawful for me,” they were actually saying, “I have the authority to do all things!”  So in a sense, Paul was saying to them, “This is what you say, but as for me, I will not be brought under the authority of any of that.  I can claim to have the authority to do some things, but if it enslaves me, and becomes my authority, then something is terribly wrong.  It should never be that way because Jesus is my Master and the sole authority of my life.” Most of the time, we think that we are in control of ourselves.  We think that we are perfectly in control of our thoughts and actions, simply because we are always doing what we want to do.  We would say, “See, I am doing whatever I want to do, therefore I must be in control of myself.”  But the truth is that our desires and passions are telling us what to do, and we are just going along with it, controlled by it.  We are not the masters of our desires, but instead we are willing slaves.  Our flesh is controlling our minds, and we are brought under the power of the flesh.  The flesh tells us, “I want to do that,” and we simply follow.  We have no strength to fight against the power of the flesh! This may apply even to non-essential matters, but if it enslaves or controls us, then it has to “go.”  For example, some people love jogging, walking, cycling, going to the gym, and so forth.  Exercise is good for your health, but it should not be the main focus of your daily activities. Or if you miss one exercise, you would feel so restless, agitated and uncomfortable.  Or if it has affected your quiet time with God, you would rather miss fellowship meetings to go for exercise, in order to achieve your goals to reach a certain number of steps of your “fitbit.”  Something is wrong, don’t you think?  You have been brought under the power of that thing, which is exercise!  Hence, though exercise may be a good thing, but when it starts to take control of your life, then you must be able to recognise it, and let it “go.” The same principle may apply to television shows.  Not all shows are bad.  Let us say, you love a particular TV program, and most of the drama series will end with some kind of suspense, to make viewers come back to watch the next show.  Thus you stay up late and watch through the night, and then you have great difficulties waking up for work the next morning.  Your mind keeps thinking about the suspense so much that your job and relationships with others are affected, and you become so grumpy the whole day.  Even if the TV program may be educational and it is about family life, when it starts to take control of your life, then you must be able to recognize it, and it must “go.” Dear friend, if we are really passionate about living for Christ, and glorifying Him in our body and in our spirit, then, we must stop and consider, “Even if this thing is lawful, but is this thing in control of my life, or is Christ in control of my life?”  Am I able to recognise those things which have taken control of my life?  It could be some sports like playing golf, or some hobbies like fishing or gardening, or some social activities, or going for holidays.  Am I able to say “No, I will not be brought under the power of any of these things?” In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in the next pastoral chat)

~3 min read

1 Corinthians 6:12a

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Today, we want to embark on the theme, “Not all things are profitable.” Oftentimes when people fall into sin and commit terrible things, they would try to come up with all kinds of reasons for doing those wrong things, sometimes they may even give theological excuses for their sins.  Some would say, “But you know that I am not perfect, and no one is perfect, that is why I fall into this sin.”  People would try to be “clever” to justify their sins.  The Corinthians were no different. The Corinthians lived in a society that was awfully sinful and immoral.  In fact, having a sexual relationship with a prostitute was so common in Corinth that the practice was known as “Corinthianizing.”  The situation in the Corinthian church was so bad that one of their members had been sleeping with his own stepmother.  The church not only did not do anything about it, but on top of that, they were proud of the fact that they did not do anything about it.  Perhaps, they were accommodating that horrendous sin in the name of love or Christian liberty. Many of the Corinthians had been formerly involved in all kinds of sexual sins, like fornication, adultery, homosexuality and so forth.  It was very hard for them to break away from their old ways and hence easy for them to fall into those same sins again.  So, there was always this tendency for them to come up with excuses or reasons whenever they fall back into those sins. The whole passage in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 was about sexual immorality.  The word fornication, or harlot, sometimes translated as sexual immorality was used a total of five times.  Here, we are going to learn how Paul gave three reasons why sexual immorality was so serious and harmful.  Firstly, sexual sin is not profitable for you! Sexual sin is not profitable for you. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: (1 Corinthians 6:12a)** “All things are lawful unto me” appears to be a common Corinthian slogan that the people would quote whenever they fall into sexual sin.  That is a troubling statement because we all know that all things are not lawful.  There are many things in this world that are sinful. Interestingly, Paul took that common Corinthian slogan, turned it around, and used it on them.  It was as if he was saying, “You Corinthians always say that all things are lawful unto me, but as far as I am concerned, as a believer, every sin that I commit is forgiven in Jesus Christ, but I say to you, all things are not expedient.” In a sense, believers are free and no longer under the penalty of the law (c.f. Romans 8:1), and so all things are lawful unto them because nothing they do will ever bring them unto condemnation again.  But the price for committing certain sins can be extremely high and unprofitable.  Sin never profits, and it always generates loss, especially sexual sins! Dear friend, sexual sin is so destructive that it has broken marriages, devastated families, caused heartaches and diseases, and destroyed more lives than alcohol and drugs combined together.  When someone falls into sexual sin, it is inevitable that he would lie, cheat, steal or even kill, and it would cause bitterness, hatred, betrayal, slander, gossip and unforgiveness. The word expedient means profitable or beneficial.  In other words, not everything is profitable or beneficial.  As this whole passage refers to sexual immorality, the question is, “How can sexual immorality be profitable or beneficial?  How do sexual sins help us to be the man or the woman God wants us to be?  How do sexual sins help to serve God’s purpose for our lives?”  It not only does not help, but it actually hinders God’s purpose for us. As believers, we know that we are bought with a price (the precious blood of Christ), and therefore we should glorify God with our body and spirit which belong to Him (c.f. 1 Corinthians 6:20).  Can sexual sins help us to glorify God?  Most certainly not!  It is unprofitable! When a believer goes out there to visit the prostitute, he then tries to evangelize to the people.  If he tries to evangelise to those who do not know what he has done, that would make him a hypocrite.  If he tries to evangelize to those who knew what he has done, that would make him a stumbling block.  Either way, it will not help him to glorify God through his testimony.  Will the husband or wife be encouraged when he or she knows that the spouse has violated the wedding vows?  Of course not!  Will the children be encouraged to follow the Christ they profess to love with all their hearts when they know that the parents are engaged in sexual sins?  Of course not!  It is unprofitable! God is not against sex; for He created it and blessed it.  When sex is used exclusively within marriage, as God has intended, it is beautiful and satisfying, and the product of it is the creation of children which is a wonderful gift from God. The Bible’s advice for avoiding sexual immorality outside marriage is simply; stay as far as possible from the people and places most likely to get you into trouble.  There are two classic examples in the Bible about fleeing from sexual sins and the serious consequences we would face if we fail to do so; 1. The example of Joseph – When Joseph was repeatedly enticed by Potiphar’s wife, he refused not only to lie with her, but he even refused to be with her. When she tried to force him into adultery and grabbed his coat, he immediately left his garment and fled. It was not the time for argument or giving reasons. Flee! 2. The example of David – David was a man after God’s own heart and was greatly used by God. But he was not exempted from the serious consequences of his sexual sins. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and she became pregnant. He then arranged for her husband to be killed in the battle field and later he took her as his own wife. David had to face the consequences of those sins almost every day of his life; several of his sons were so rebellious and his son Absalom even tried to kill him and take over his kingdom. His whole family life was shattered. Though David repented and the Lord forgave his sins, the consequences of his sins were so devastating. Dear friend, some people may have fallen into sexual sin in the past, but by the grace of God, their marriages did not end in divorces, their families are still intact, but there are painful memories and consequences that they have to face.  It may take years to heal those wounds.  Indeed, God has forgiven our sins, and as believers, we will not be condemned.  But deep down in our hearts, we know that all things are not expedient. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in our next pastoral chat)

~5 min read

1 Corinthians 6:11

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, In our last pastoral chat, we had considered what sin will do to us.  Paul said to the Corinthians, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  Then he went on to say, And such were some of you (v.11a).  In other words, some of the Corinthians were fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, drunkards, homosexuals and so forth.  But that was in the past, because he said such were some of you (past tense).  Something had happened to them supernaturally that transformed them to be radically changed. I. We want to understand what salvation will do to usAnd such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (v.11b). What is salvation? Firstly, salvation is a new life. Salvation is not a reformation but transformation.  In a sense, Paul was saying, “As a child of God, this was who you used to be, but it is not who you are anymore.”  The reason was because you were washed from all your sins. The word washed speaks of a new life - they were regenerated.  Titus 3:5 said, We were saved, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.  When a person is washed, he becomes a new creation, the old must go, and the new must come.  There must be a radical change to his life, and he cannot go on living a life that is characterised by his old sins. When someone says, “The believer, so and so, is still the same.  He has not changed.”  That is a very serious matter and cannot be taken lightly.  One has to ask, “If I am a believer, I am a new creation.  But why am I not living as a new creation?  Why am I still living in the old man?” Secondly, salvation speaks about being separated. Ye are sanctified, which means made holy, purified, set apart unto God.  The believer has been taken from the kingdom of Satan and set apart unto the kingdom of God.  He or she has been taken out from darkness and set apart unto God’s marvellous light. Thirdly, salvation speaks about being forgiven. When one considers those sins (c.f. v.9-10), and how he or she had engaged in some of those sins, it can be a most painful experience to ponder.  Dear friend, you may have committed the sins of fornication, adultery or even homosexuality, in the past, and you are grieved by the memories of those sins.  But here is the good news, you have been forgiven, because ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.  Which means you are declared righteous; all your sins are forgiven, washed away by the precious blood of Christ, and when you believe in the name of the Lord Jesus, you are clothed with His righteousness.  Therefore, when God sees you, He does not see a fornicator, or adulterer, or homosexual, or drunkard, but as His beloved child through the salvific work of His Son and convicting work of His Spirit. Finally, salvation is a supernatural life. It is a life found in Jesus Christ, through the wonder working of the Holy Spirit.  It is a life indwelt by the Spirit, and as one lives in the Spirit, he will manifest evidence of his salvation in all the decisions he makes, the challenges he faces and the things he does.  Three times, the Bible used the word but which emphasized a contrast which caused him or her to change 180 degrees. Dear friend, if your life were to end tonight, what is the assurance that you are a child of God, and what is the assurance that you will be in heaven?  Assurance is when you know in your heart the joy of a real work of salvation that God has done in your soul.  Romans 8:16, It is the Holy Spirit itself that beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.  One of the ways in which the Holy Spirit reveals to us that we are indeed God’s children is through the transformation of our lives.  We are living a new life in Christ; it is a separated life, a forgiven life and a supernatural life, producing the fruit of the Spirit. As one theologian explained, “How do I know if you are a true Christian?”  His response is, “Well, apart from me professing to you what I believe, and who I believe in, stay a little while longer with me, and you will be able to see the fruit of the Spirit in my life.” Sadly, there are some people who have deceived themselves into believing that they are saved, but in reality, they are lost.  They have this misconception, “As long as I have professed that I believe Jesus Christ, it does not matter how I live my life.  It does not matter whether I worship, pray, read the Bible and live a transformed life.  I can go on living the life of a fornicator, idolater, adulterer, homosexual, thief, covetous person, drunkard, slanderer, extortioner (or robber), and still be a believer.  Paul said, “Do not be deceived….you are not saved, because such shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”  People who are characterised by these lifestyles, do not have the Holy Spirit.  One cannot profess faith in Jesus Christ, and yet sin does not grieve his heart, and he continues to live in habitual sins. Can this be said of you, in the past tense, such were some of you?  Or is it still in the present tense, such are some of you?  This is not a trivial matter that one can joke about, because it hinges on one’s eternity.  If it is still in the present tense, and there is no change in one’s life, and he is still living in sin, he can profess all he wants, but the Bible says, “Do not be deceived, for the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God!” In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

~4 min read

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Ps Paul Cheng

Dear Bethelites, Have you ever tried to minister to a homosexual, and he or she says to you, “Well, I was born this way. I was born a homosexual, and it is in my genes or DNA, and I cannot help it. Just like if you are born Chinese or Indian, and you cannot help it”? We want to tell the person that it is not true, no one is born a homosexual, but everyone is born in sin. Homosexuality is a sin, and just like all the other sins, he or she can be delivered from it by turning to Jesus Christ to deal with that sin. How wonderful it would be if we can find a testimony of someone who was previously a homosexual, and by God’s grace, today he has been transformed by the power of the gospel! We want to show to the person that it is possible to be delivered from such a sin. In the year 2014, there was a documentary video released in the United States about former homosexuals. The video featured interviews with many former homosexuals, and they testified how they no longer considered themselves as homosexuals, nor were they attracted to the same sex anymore, all because they were transformed by their relationship with Jesus Christ. What is so amazing about the video is that it was inspired by this passage that we want to consider for our pastoral chat. The name of the documentary was, “Such were some of you.” Dear friend, if you ever want to find any biblical testimonies of transformed homosexuals to show that it is possible to be delivered from such a sin, you do not need to search any further. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 is the passage, as the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, such were some of you; they were not only homosexuals, but they were also fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners. But that was in the past, before their conversion, and at the time of Paul’s writing, they were washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. This is a most encouraging passage especially to those people who have been ensnared by the sin of homosexuality. We want to tell them that the power to change is freely available to them today. The key to finding this power is to acknowledge that homosexuality is a sin, and once they are able to recognise that it is a sin; then they will turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. But if they keep on insisting that they are born this way, then they will never be able to change because they do not think that they have a problem. There are two things we want to learn from this passage in 1 Corinthians 6:-9-11; firstly, we want to understand what sin will do to us, and secondly, we want to understand what salvation will do to us. I. We want to understand what sin will do to us Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The Corinthian church, due to their spiritual pride, had misconstrued the idea of Christian liberty. They had become so insensitive to sin that they were able to tolerate the sin of a member sleeping with his own stepmother. When the floodgate of sin is opened, all kinds of compromises would take place. Notice the kinds of sins that Paul had to address here. They were horrendous sexual immorality. Apparently, the Corinthians were beginning to embrace these kinds of sins in the church, including the sin of incest. People had become so complacent and comfortable with the things happening around them that they were able to tolerate the very things that were hateful and abominable to God. The word unrighteous is a reference to the unbelievers (similar to the word used in verse 1 which was translated as the unjust). It does not mean that we will not fall into any one of those sins, but what it meant was that those people whose lives are totally characterised by such sins are not saved. Here the list of sins is not exhaustive; it simply represents all the major types of moral sin. In a way, Paul was saying to the Corinthians, and it applies to us as well, “Why do you keep living like the unrighteous, the unsaved? Why do you keep going back to the ways of your old life, the life from which Christ has saved you? Do you not know that those who practise such sins are the unbelievers, and they shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not deceive yourself.” And he went on to give a list of those sins that characterised the unbelievers. Let us briefly look at those sins; 1. Be not deceived: neither fornicators – Fornication has to do with sexual immorality in general. When someone has a sexual relationship outside of marriage or engaged himself or herself in a sexual relationship when he or she is not yet married, etc. Let us pause and contemplate, does the world today consider fornication as a big thing? Most certainly not! To a large extent, the world has no issue with fornication, and it is an accepted practice especially amongst the younger generation. Forty years ago, it was a big deal. People living together while they were unmarried! No way! Certainly, some people did it, but it was generally unacceptable by the vast populace. Now fast forward forty years later, by and large, it has become an acceptable practice. The idea of remaining a virgin, and abstinence before marriage, is considered unrealistic. Not only young people but also adults, think it is unrealistic. Thus in 2017, doctors in Victoria were allowed to prescribe the contraceptive pill to students as young as 12 years old in government schools. Can you imagine that? 2. idolaters – The word idolatry not only refers to those who worship any false gods or false religious systems, it is a very broad term. In Colossians 3:5, the Apostle Paul connects covetousness with idolatry. In other words, when one is covetous, and he is always desiring for more, and envies what others have, he is an idolater. When one values, gives priority, or places his confidence in things and people more than God (whether it be his work, relationships, wealth or material things), he is an idolater. Basically, the root problem of idolatry is that one’s relationship with God is not able to satisfy him; that is why he is not content with God’s will for his life. And whatever he thinks can satisfy him; that becomes his “God.” In a sense, everyone in this world is a worshipper, one either worships the one living and true God, or he worships something else in His place. 1. adulterers– Adultery is to be sexually unfaithful to the person one is married to. The world tries to trivialize adultery. They joke about adultery, make movies out of it, and write books about it. For those people who love to watch dramas and soap operas, they would be able to tell you how much adultery is involved in those shows. The question is, how can God’s people find that entertaining? Have we become so comfortable with sin, that what God actually hates, has become our form of entertainment? God forbid! What about spiritual adultery? For example, the lust of the eyes; when one covets someone who is not his wife or her husband. Jesus clearly said, whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart, which means to entertain and fantasise a relationship with someone, and to have sexual thoughts, was adultery in the sight of God. Then Paul moved on to say, 1. nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind– The literal meaning for effeminate means soft, and it refers to men who willingly submit themselves to homosexual acts. Some theologians view these two descriptions as the passive and active part of homosexuality. The Bible is absolutely clear that homosexuality is a sin; it is a sin that calls for the wrath of God. Homosexuality is condemned throughout Scripture. In the Bible, there were these two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, which were known for their wicked sins, especially homosexuality. It was so characteristic of Sodom that the term “sodomy” is a synonym for that sin. The men in the city of Sodom were so perverted in their sexual desires that on one occasion in Genesis 19, they surrounded Lot’s house and demanded that the two angels (who had come in the form of men) be sent out so that they could have homosexual relationships with them. God completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because their sins were exceedingly grave/serious. During Paul’s time, homosexuality had been rampant in Greece and Rome for centuries. In his commentary on this passage, William Barclay wrote, “Socrates was a homosexual, and most probably, Plato was a homosexual because in his writing on love, he glorifies homosexuality, and it is likely that fourteen of the first fifteen Roman emperors were homosexuals. Nero, who reigned close to the time when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, had a boy named Sporis castrated in order for the boy to become the emperor’s “wife,” in addition to his natural wife. After Nero died, the boy was passed on to one of Nero’s successors, Otho, to be used in the same way.” What about our modern time? One pastor aptly said, “Before 1967, the act of homosexuality was a crime known as sodomy. Then in 1967, it was changed to a mental illness. Subsequently, in 1973 it was removed from the list of mental illnesses due to pressure from the gay community. In the 1980s, homosexuality was attributed to environmental conditioning. In the 1990s, it was promoted as an alternative lifestyle. Today, it is considered as the preferred way of life, it is an expression of the highest form of a loving relationship, and it is the best means of population control.” Today, same sex marriage has been legalised in 27 countries around the world, of which Australia is one of them. In a matter of fifty years, homosexuality has moved from being a crime to being a celebrated relationship. What will become of our children’s time in another ten or twenty years’ time? We dare not even think about it! What about the church? There was a time when the church dealt with this sin, but slowly, she has grown to accept this sin. Today, there are ordained gay ministers, and homosexual weddings have been solemnised in the church, and there are many churches defending homosexuality, and accepting it as genetic, as a matter of nature. Do you think God will punish someone because of something genetic? Do you think God would say, “I am going to punish you, and you shall not inherit the kingdom of God, because I have made you to be homosexual”? Most definitely not! People who commit the sin of homosexuality would often argue that they are born this way. That is a hopeless excuse! Notice in this passage, the sin of homosexuality was placed together with eight other sins. It shows that each of us has different sinful tendencies, and we are tempted differently. If we yield to the temptation, we end up sinning against God. One person may be easily tempted to steal whenever there is an opportunity to steal, but he has the responsibility to resist the temptation to steal. Another person may have no problem at all with stealing, but he is easily tempted to drink. Whenever he sees the bottle, he struggles hard to resist the temptation and sometimes ends up getting drunk. Supposing one day, the thief says, “It is just too hard to keep up with the temptation not to steal, and in order to justify his habit of stealing, he says, “I am born this way, and therefore I can never change.” Or the drunkard says, “It is just too hard not to drink, and in order to justify his habit of drinking, he says, “I am born this way, and therefore I can never change.” Can they be absolved of all responsibility just by saying, “I am born this way”? Surely not! The same thing must then apply to all the rest in this list, including homosexuals. There are those people who argue that homosexuality is not a sin, because it is genetic. Take a look at the list; fornication is a sin, idolatry is a sin, adultery is a sin, stealing is a sin, so are the covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners, they are all sins, but tucked in between them, homosexuality, and, “Well, that is not a sin, that is genetic!” Does it make any sense to you? The truth is that they are all sins! 1. Nor thieves, nor covetous – Both relate to the same basic sin of greed. The covetous person desires that which belongs to someone else, while the thief takes it, either by deception, force, or by illegal means. In other words, one desires to have it, and the other actually takes it. We live in a time where there is stealing everywhere; some steal from shops, others steal from their income taxes, yet others steal funds, stationery and time, from their workplaces. The spectrum is so wide! The root problem is greed, and Christians should not be characterised by greed! In this regard, we must remind ourselves not to steal from God, in our tithes and offerings, as Malachi 3:8 said, Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 2. nor drunkards– To be a drunkard is to be affected by alcohol so much so that you are not yourself. When I was serving my National Service in Singapore, I had army buddies who were generally quite timid, and they were afraid of trouble, and kept to themselves most of the time. But the moment they started to drink alcohol, all of a sudden, they had the kind of false courage that would cause them to challenge others to fight and get themselves into all kinds of trouble. They were never like that when they were sober, they were not themselves, and we would always say, “That is alcohol guts!” The harm that alcohol does to individuals and to families is beyond what one can imagine. 3. nor revilers– These are the people who destroy with their tongues; those who gossip, slander and abuse with their words. Some people think that this is not a very serious sin, after all, they are just words. But God considers this sin to be very serious because those words come from a heart that is full of hate, and they cause much pain and misery in the lives of those they attack. 4. nor extortioners– These are the robbers who steal indirectly, or take advantage of others for their own financial gains. Indeed, these were horrendous sins, but they were not unpardonable sins. How do we know? We will discuss that in our next pastoral chat! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng (To be continued in the next pastoral chat)

~11 min read

1 Corinthians 6:2-8

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 6:1

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 5:8-11

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 5:6-7

Ps Paul Cheng

Sis Jerinah Orgasan; Rev Dr Jose Lagapa

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

Ps Paul Cheng

Pr Donald Dela Cruz

1 Corinthians 4:18-20

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 4:16-17

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 4:14-15

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 4:11-13

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 4:9-10

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 4:8

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 4:7

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 4:6

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 4:3-5

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 4:1-2

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 3:18-20

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 3:14-16

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 3:12-13

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 3:10-11

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 3:4-8

Ps Paul Cheng

Selected Scriptures

Rev Biak Lawm Thang

1 Corinthians 3:3

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 3:2

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 3:1

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 2:14-16

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 2:10-13

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 2:7-10

Ps Paul Cheng

1 Corinthians 2:6

Ps Paul Cheng

Selected Scriptures

Charles Spurgeon

Dear Bethelites, Charles Spurgeon preached a plethora of New Year’s sermons during his pastorate at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. For Spurgeon, the arrival of a new year was a time that brought forth thinking on the Lord’s faithfulness and the Christian’s right response to the Lord in the new year. Five sermons preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle highlight Spurgeon’s understanding of what the Christian was to do with the new year: Humbly approach the Lord in prayer. Find security in God Himself. Wait expectantly for God’s mercy. Proclaim the gospel to yourself and others. Worship the living God now and forever. Humbly Approach the Lord in Prayer Spurgeon’s first evening sermon of 1871 was on Psalm 10:17, declaring, “Lord, thou hast hear the desire of the humble; thou will prepare their heart, thou wilt so use thine ear to hear.” For the Prince of Preachers, this text laid bare “a very blessed fact” that the Lord hears the desires of the humble. For the New Year, Spurgeon exhorted his parishioners at the Metropolitan Tabernacle to not forget their need of God. Spurgeon found great hope in holding a posture of humility in prayer before the Lord because “…it will be a fact all through this year that God will hear the desire of the humble.” But, what is a humble desire? “A humble desire,” Charles stated, “is one which leaves everything in God’s hands.” But, the deeper reality experienced by the humble, whom the Lord hears, is that the Lord “will prepare the heart of the humble to receive Christ [and to]…receive more of Christ.” Charles understood in prayer, “God will prepare our hearts for [the Christian’s  service in the New Year].” In the New Year, approach the Lord in humility, and he will hear you and prepare your heart for the days to come. Find Security in God Himself On January 6th 1867, Spurgeon preached addressing the Lord’s ever-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful care for his people from Moses’s statement in Deuteronomy, “The eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.” Spurgeon preached this text that the people of the Tabernacle would know that God is not merely aware of them; deeper still, he knows and cares for his people in all things. According to Charles, “[1866] was, perhaps the most gloomy of our lives,” even describing the newspaper headlines as prophetic scrolls of lamentation. And looking to the New Year, Spurgeon reminded his congregation that no one could know what 1867 was to bring with it. But the Prince of Preachers could find solace in trusting that “[t]he eyes of the Lord are upon the [his people], not to merely see them but to view them with complacency and delight; not to barely observe them, but to observe them with affectionate care and interest.” Deeper still in Christ, Spurgeon declared there was a “blessed meeting of eyes,” in which, “the Lord declares, ‘I love thee,’ and [Christians] answer, ‘We also love thee, O our God.’” In this text, Spurgeon saw not merely the Lord’s omniscience but the saving and sustaining power with which he holds his people, even after the worst of years. Christian, in 2021 find your security in God. Wait Expectantly for God’s Mercy From a sick-bed, Spurgeon wrote an exhortation from Jesus’s parable of the barren fig tree in Luke, particularly the planter’s intercession to the vinedresser on behalf of the fruitless tree. The Prince of Preachers distilled that the Christian ought to have an expectant heart for the work and mercy of God in the New Year. Spurgeon explained that the “also” in “This year also” is a retrospective statement of the owner of the fig tree acknowledging, “there had been former years of grace,” in which the vinedresser did not cut the tree down. “This year also,” according to Spurgeon, “makes some of us remember years of great mercy, sparkling and flashing with delight…[and] some of us our years of sharp affliction.” But Spurgeon recognized, “God was doing great things for us…Did we rise from the bed more patient and gentle, weaned from the world, and welded for Christ?” As Spurgeon urged, look to the mercy of God demonstrated to you in all circumstances that you may live from that mercy in the New Year. Proclaim the Gospel to Yourself and Others On New Year’s day 1885, the Prince of Preachers brought forth a message from the declaration in Revelation 21:5, “And he that sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Spurgeon highlighted that the newness of the year ought to bring excitement, but, “we ought not, as [those] in Christ Jesus, to be carried away by a childish love for novelty, for we worship a God who is ever the same…” But, as the New Year is the commencement of another “year of grace,” so the Christian ought to, “think about the great and needful change of conversion…[and] press forward into the center of his new creation, that we may feel to the full all the power of his grace.” Spurgeon prompted his congregation to behold their conversion as the Heavenly Father looking at his people and declaring, “Son, thou art ever with me and all that I have is thine.” But the Prince of Preachers also noted that the newness Christians experience daily through the gospel must be proclaimed to those lost in their old, dead selves for, “the Lord can convert those dear friends about whose souls you have been so anxious.” Let the New Year prompt you to declare the once-for-all and daily newness of life in Christ for those who believe. Worship the Living God In a sermon intended for January 1st 1893, Charles Spurgeon wrote on Psalm 115:8’s declaration, “But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord,” as the springboard of doxology which the Christian is to jump into the New Year. In the verse’s context, Spurgeon recognized, “during the past year some have been numbered with the dead,” and the pain death brings with it. But, in worshipping the Lord, Christians “take a blessed revenge on death,” and “as God helps us…each of us [is able] to become double what we formerly were in the service of our Master[!]” Despite the pain brought by the former year, Spurgeon declared, “We will bless the Lord.” Spurgeon also saw that Christian worship is both present and eternal. “When is the time to begin to praise God? Now, brethren, now,” declared the Prince of Preachers; he explains further, “…the expression, ‘We will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore,’ means that our praise shall have no end to it.” In the New Year, believer, join the right now and forever song of worship to the Lord. A blessed new year! In Christ, Pastor Paul Cheng

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Charles Spurgeon

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