The First and The Last

Who has the credential to say that he is the first, and he will be the last? Can the first and the last be the same person in a race? What about someone claiming that He is the Alpha and the Omega, that He is at the top ruling over everyone? He is none other than God alone, the Creator and Perfecter of our Faith. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. When we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. This is our God. Even as sinners, we deny Him, like Peter, but our status as the sons and daughters of God will remain forever. Therefore, it's all about God's grace. Repentance requires a move. Repentance requires taking in a whole new point of view; looking at it God's way. It is about believing and trusting God the one and only one to overhaul us, to transform us, and to forgive our past sins. However, being a Christian doesn't mean our sinful nature will be gone, but trusting God that through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and by His strength, we will be able to overcome temptations. Christianity is more than a religion, a practice, a culture perhaps, etc. It is a walk of life, where the intimate relationship with God takes place, experiencing the love and the grace of our God, it is all about Him. He is the theme, the crux, the cornerstone, the One.

A passage from the book of Matthew 20 says:

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5So they went.

"He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'

7" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered.
"He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'

8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'

9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'

13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Verse 16 appears a few times in the books of Gospel. In Luke 13 where Jesus talks about the Narrow Door,

The Narrow Door

22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"

He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'

26"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'

27"But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

28"There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."

So what does this verse mean? Who will be first and who will be the last? Is there a reversal? The rich become poor? The poor become rich? A leader plummets and a newbie rising?

Analyzing different contexts, we can conclude that Jesus is telling a message that in the kingdom of heaven, there are many reversals, and the day of judgment will bring many surprises.

Surprises? What are they? Well, it can be someone who think they can earn a way to heaven, or perhaps mundane church goers - those who attend church service on Sundays as if attending a function, watching performance, to criticize the preachers, to meet up with friends, to spend a day in a Holy place to 'holify' himself, or perhaps because mommy says so. Or perhaps the surprises can be you and me, once was lost but later was found, but then took His grace for granted and was lost forever. Or those who do not keep watch, who shatter in their faith, who curse, who lead a life just like anybody else, who are proud, who are selfish, adulterers, dirty-handed businessmen, rotten politicians, slaughterers, etc.

We have to be aware that being born into a Christian family doesn't mean we inherit a place in heaven. Christianity is not a heredity. It is a personal conviction, personal faith, personal decision, personal relationship with God and his people. Once we receive Jesus into our heart but soon we are dwindling away, where the faith is fading away, finding that we start trusting ourselves more than committing to God.

Bros and Sis, for those who have been running the race, lets run with great passion, do not be distracted along the way, do not let go, for we know the rewards in the Kingdom. For those who are still wondering who He is, its never too late.

1 Peter 1:24-25 says,

"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you."

Isaiah 40:7-8 says,

"The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever."

Blessed Christmas. Have an encountering day!

1 > 7 Wonders of the World

The 7 wonders of the world initially were the walls of Babylon, Phidias' statue of Zeus, the hanging gardens of Babylon, the colossus of Rhodes, the pyramids of Egypt, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the temple of Artemis in Ephesus.
However, the old has gone and the new has come. In fact, 6 of the old wonders were either destroyed by earthquakes, fire or other causes and the 7 New Wonders of the World made the history of humankind.

Picture above is the accumulation of the new 7 wonders of the world. However, let me introduce you the greatest wonder of the past and present, someone that is not confined to time and medium, someone that you and I will never ever get to fathom but to gaze and adore.

His name is JESUS. Psalm 89:11 says 'The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.'


The late Dr. S. M. Lockeridge, a pastor from San Diego, California said these words in a sermon in Detroit in 1976:

My King was born King. The Bible says He's a Seven Way King. He's the King of the Jews - that's an Ethnic King. He's the King of Israel - that's a National King. He's the King of righteousness. He's the King of the ages. He's the King of Heaven. He's the King of glory. He's the King of kings and He is the Lord of lords. Now that's my King. Well, I wonder if you know Him. Do you know Him? Don't try to mislead me. Do you know my King? David said the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is the only one of whom there are no means of measure that can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of the shore of His supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing. He's enduringly strong. He's entirely sincere. He's eternally steadfast. He's immortally graceful. He's imperially powerful. He's impartially merciful. That's my King. He's God's Son. He's the sinner's saviour. He's the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He's honest. He's unique. He's unparalleled. He's unprecedented. He's supreme. He's pre-eminent. He's the grandest idea in literature. He's the highest personality in philosophy. He's the supreme problem in higher criticism. He's the fundamental doctrine of historic theology. He's the carnal necessity of spiritual religion. That's my King. He's the miracle of the age. He's the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He's the only one able to supply all our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He's available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He's the Almighty God who guides and keeps all his people. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharged debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek. That's my King. Do you know Him? Well, my King is a King of knowledge. He's the wellspring of wisdom. He's the doorway of deliverance. He's the pathway of peace. He's the roadway of righteousness. He's the highway of holiness. He's the gateway of glory. He's the master of the mighty. He's the captain of the conquerors. He's the head of the heroes. He's the leader of the legislatures. He's the overseer of the overcomers. He's the governor of governors. He's the prince of princes. He's the King of kings and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King. His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you . . . but He's indescribable. That's my King. He's incomprehensible, He's invincible, and He is irresistible. I'm coming to tell you this, that the heavens of heavens can't contain Him, let alone some man explain Him. You can't get Him out of your mind. You can't get Him off of your hands. You can't outlive Him and you can't live without Him. The Pharisees couldn't stand Him, but they found out they couldn't stop Him. Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree about Him. Herod couldn't kill Him. Death couldn't handle Him and the grave couldn't hold Him. That's my King. He always has been and He always will be. I'm talking about the fact that He had no predecessor and He'll have no successor. There's nobody before Him and there'll be nobody after Him. You can't impeach Him and He's not going to resign. That's my King! That's my King! Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Well, all the power belongs to my King. We're around here talking about black power and white power and green power, but in the end all that matters is God's power. Thine is the power. Yeah. And the glory. We try to get prestige and honor and glory for ourselves, but the glory is all His. Yes. Thine is the Kingdom and the power and glory, forever and ever and ever and ever. How long is that? Forever and ever and ever and ever. . . And when you get through with all of the ever's, then . . .Amen!


One that no one can deny. One that no one can disown. His words bring life and His truth stands forever. He is my King and so yours. He is the real life hero and He is bigger than anything!

The Seed

You never can tell when you do an act
Just what the results will be
But with every deed you are sowing a seed,
Though the harvest you may not see.
Each kindly act is an acorn dropped
In God's productive soil;
You may not know, but the tree shall grow
With shelter for those who toil.

ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

Leader O Leader

A leader is not born overnight. It requires training, perseverance, refinement of character, and all the qualities of being a leader. Being a leader in God's house requires a deeper understanding of being a leader, that's where spiritual maturity and a Christ-like disciple click on.

Recently, so many things took place. At one occasion, I broke down, completely. When you want people to understand you, first we need to understand ourselves. I thank God for the people around, esp her. Thessalonians mentions about building up one another and in other part of the Bible it touches on being one body in Christ, concluding on how we should assist, encourage and build up each other.

First, God can only rebuild us when we go to Him with a contrite heart, a heart that is totally humble before Him. I confess that at most times, I am a stubborn fellow, refusing to give in and hugging on strongly to my stance. In fact, true disciple and leadership come from true humility likewise Jesus humbled down himself before the world. Humility is where love can be found so sincerely and profoundly. It is where love can be felt so naturally. It is where people can drawn to Him so naturally when they discover the power of humility. Without humility, Love is absent.
Lets be uber transparent before God because he knows our struggles and he looks at our heart.

To be lifted up by God to a higher place, we must first willing to start low. In Matthew 19:30, it says that ''But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.'' How true is that! Stop comparing with each other, knowing that God has a perfect call in every single one of us and believe that he will raise us up to the right position according to His timing.

Being patient with God and use all the opportunity to glorify Him instead of being comfortable with the current, waiting to be called. Remember that everyone, no matter how confident, outstanding and perfect they may seem to be, that they have their own set of problems and defects in some areas of their live. Sort it out, be open to God. Pack up all the defects and bring to Him to be examined. WE will see revival.

Regarding spiritual gifts, as I was pondering over the views and encouragement from different individual, I realized something. It is more than God's timing. I believe that God is every ready. It's all about whether we are ready or not.

1 Corinthians 13 speaks to everyone. It says:

¹If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Faith Hope Love, the greatest one is Love. Without love, everything is nothing. What is love?

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails.

That is God's standard of love, and that's what I need to possess. A leader in the making...

29/8/09

Sometimes when we judge the society, we reveal corruptions.
Sometimes when we look into an organization, we see loopholes.
Sometimes when we dig into a church, we discover imperfections.
Sometimes when we stand a foot closer to a person, we feel the difference.
Sometimes when we take a halt and make a pause, we realize peace and tranquility are just inches away.
Sometimes when we examine ourselves, we know what we are lacking of.
Sometimes we just break into tears without reason.

God says,

If we never felt the pain, how would we know that He is a Healer?

If we never had to pray, how would we know that He is a Deliverer?

If we never had a trial, how could we call ourselves an conqueror?

If we never felt sadness, how would we know that He is a Comforter?

If we never made a mistake, how would we know that He is a Forgiver?

If we never were in a trouble, how would we know that He will come to the rescue?

If we never were broken, how would we know that He can make us whole?

If we never had suffering, how would we understand what He went through?

If we never went through the fire, how would we become pure?

and If He gave us all things, how would we learn to appreciate them?


Everyone is called to a stand. He keeps us in His hands, knowing exactly where we will be heading to. He calls us to a church that we can be a blessing to the people around. But life is more than that. The world can divert us; the temptation will keep knocking. Stand strong and stand through. He will walk through the fire with us. Let His will be done. But lets fixed our eyes upon what's unseen rather than what is seen, for the unseen is eternal and what is seen is temporary. In His hand...

Breaking down once is always good. It keeps you growing, leading you to the higher inner court when we tune to Him, waiting to be pruned and blossom. It simplifies the complicated. It examines the heart. It seals the pain. It restores what we lost. The time has come.

The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20

I learnt this poem few years back in high school. It still resonates in my mind. It talks about the choices that we have to make in life. The future is far beyond what we can see, only God knows. Every decision incurs a cost. We refer it as opportunity cost. Each option leads to specific and different experience. Every decision is an once-off event. You cant turn back. Let doubts take no foothold. We wonder. Assurance is what we seek. Let Faith take flight and look beyond the fathomable.

Bible says, Proverbs 14:12 (New International Version)
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

The journey to eternal life is full of challenges, tests, obstacles and failures. But in Him we stand firm. Good deeds will not assure us a part of the God's Kingdom. Believe. Lets climb the staircase together, by the strength and power from our Heavenly Father. Good thing never comes easy.

Reflection...

In less than 24 hours I experienced two things that I never tried before in my life – Paintball and Rock Climbing. They cost quite some pennies as being a sponsored student, but they were totally worth to try. Both were fun. The first was indeed paint-full and painful. The armour that we wore was really disgusting due to improper clean-up after being worn by previous players. There were missions to complete, men to hunt down, protect your runner, obey your commander, hit down the target and storm across the enemy defence. The second was challenging. I came to realize that I won’t be good in everything. It requires high level of fitness and physical strength, not to forget the appropriate gear and technique. There were lessons to be learned.

No man is an island. Every human needs to be dependant. It is so real. In fact, the bible tells us so. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, it says that

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

¹⁰ If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

In rock climbing, there must be a pair working together. One holds the rope as the other climbs. Trust is meant to be built. It works mutually. Two are better than one. We can’t live alone or else we will go crazy! Can you imagine yourself being the last man on the earth? In fact, the bible teaches us precious life lessons. For example, lets look at the structure of a football team. There must be a manager, strikers, midfielders, defenders, goalkeeper, and even the substitute players. Without strikers, the team will lose the striking force. Without midfielders the team will not be able to advance. Without defenders the team will be vulnerable to concede goals. Without a manager the team will be disorganized. To be more specific, every player has different abilities and skills. Some are right footed; some are left footed. The existence of everyone is important. Everyone has a role to play. When everyone contributes what they possess, they team is intimidating. When a player is sent off, the team is weakened.

Concrete is strong in compression and weak in tension. Therefore, reinforcement with steel mesh or fibre is often applied in construction. Deformed bars or fabric gives 10% more strength than smooth bars. Different types of reinforcement contribute to different degree of the ultimate concrete strength. Concrete reinforcement allows the building to withstand greater force. When there is no reinforcement, the concrete cracks and breaks easily. Composite materials are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure. The different materials work together to give the composite unique properties. The greatest advantage of composite materials is strength and stiffness combined with lightness. By choosing an appropriate combination of reinforcement and matrix material, manufacturers can produce properties that exactly fit the requirements for a particular structure for a particular purpose. In short, when each substance brings their unique property together, they form a body that has much better properties.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Apostle Paul advised the Thessalonians to assist each other and to stay knitted. When Paul wrote the letters to the Thessalonians, he was on his first missionary journey. The majority of modern scholars believe Paul wrote this letter from Corinth, although information appended to this work in many early manuscripts (e.g. Codices Alexandrinus, Mosquensis, and Angelicus) state that Paul wrote it in Athens after Timothy had returned from Macedonia, with news of the state of the church in Thessalonica (Acts 18:1-5; 1 Thes. 3:6)

Take a look at the mortar brick. Bricks are arranged in different course. It can be a soldier course, a stretcher bond, a Flemish bond, an English bond and etc. Different bond has different arrangement. But every bond needs mortar to bind the bricks together and to provide strength to the whole brickwork. Lets imagine the bricks represent us while the mortar represents God. We are meant to be knitted together in Christ. Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life says that we are all formed for God’s family. The entire Bible is the story of God building a family who will love him, honour him, and reign with him forever. Because God is love, he treasures relationships. A family doesn’t exist if there is no occurrence of relationships among the members. Bear in mind that our spiritual family is even more important than our physical family because it will last forever. We are all shaped for God purpose. God’s five purposes for our life are worship, ministry, discipleship, evangelism and fellowship. Therefore, it is important to understand our purpose on this earth. God puts you and me on this earth not just to be consumers, but contributors.

We need someone that we can be accountable to. We need someone that we can trust. We need someone who has greater experience than us. Relationship takes place when we acknowledge someone’s importance in our life. It happens when we commit ourselves to be part of another person’s life. We need to learn from each other, to build up each other, to criticize healthily, to correct, to remind, to encourage, and to advice. Everyone is unique and has different abilities. Therefore, there is something that we can learn and pick up from each other. The great barrier to the matter of trust and readiness to learn from someone is pride. The key to develop trust is humility. An open heart and willingness to learn are ultimately important. Jealously and underestimation should be kept out of the door. A relationship is a two-way traffic. Each member must pour in commitment to ensure the relationship works. It requires effective communication. The frequency is adjustable. When it is time to give way, give way. Be sensitive, be ready.

In 1 Peter 4:7-11, it says that

⁷The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. ⁸Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. ¹¹If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength. The second is to love our neighbour as ourselves. Look at the life of Jesus. For his sacrificial love for all the sinners of the world including you and me, he carried the cross, being humiliated and spat, endured all the pains and agony, yet he chose to surrender to God and died a horrible death for you and me on the Calvary. Roman 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. We are all justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. If Jesus did not die for you and me on the cross, our life will be without hope. There will be no salvation; there will be no eternal life.

To conclude, when we live, we live for Christ; when we die, we die for Christ. But first, lets build a strong relationship among the brothers and sisters in Christ. We are the body of Christ, and ech one of us is a part of it. Remember that when one part suffers, every part suffers with it. And when one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Are we ready to redefine our statement of faith? Are we ready to shine? Are we ready to bring an impact to the world? Are we ready to stand up, leave our old selves behind and be renewed in God? Nothing is impossible with God. God is ever ready. He is calling. He is waiting for us to pick up the phone.