21/04/2019

‘Ruth,’ ‘Relationship,’ and ‘Redemption,’ are the three ‘R’ words that enable me to understand the essence of the book of ‘Ruth‘ in the Old Testament. Whereas, I also have had three ‘R‘ words that have impacted my walk of faith forever since that day when my husband and I attended the Campus Crusade for Christ (1) retreat in Batam, Indonesia for supporters, 25-years ago. Rev. Henry Tan, one of the keynote speaker, gave three ‘R’ words that are ‘Relate,’Repent,’ and ‘Rely on‘ for us to reflect on our lives as Christians.

I was then a toddler Christian, new to Singapore. I was confounded by the thoughts of how to Relate who Jesus is ? What does ‘Repent’ mean? And how to Rely on Jesus in all things? It was by the power of God’s Holy Spirit that I was called in to study and serve in BSF (International Bible Study Fellowship). One of the structures of study in BSF is to recount God’s attributes in every leaders’ training session. And the Spirit would have constantly convicted me, and found that I tripped all the times and fell short of HIS glory. Soon I found a little grace and comfort in the book of One John1: 9 (2). But I was always insomniac on my part of ‘Rely’ upon.

After 13-years in BSF, I was called to study the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). It’s a 5-years (it took me 6-years at the end), intensive, full-time course study and practical training. As a matured student, it was impossible for me to study without having God’s sustaining power to carry on. It was the result of my entire reliance on HIM that I was led to see the light of faith and thereon to be able to see HIM in all things. It was by HIS grace that I was able to obtain my local practice license. It has been more than 8-years, and now, more than ever, I have to rely on HIS wisdom and discerning spirit to treat my patients at the local charitable TCM clinic.

What about the part of ‘Repent’? As long as I know that ‘Repentance’ often involves an act of confession of a sinful acts or wrong doings to God and ask for HIS forgiveness. But what if all my past, present and future sins were nailed to the Cross, would more the passage of 1 John 1:9 sound like giving people license to sin? In 2008, we were called to leave IBC (International Baptist Church), our home church for more than 17-years. Although we have missed our friends there, in faith, we took heed and to make an immediate transfer to attend the New Creation Church (NCC) .

The Senior Pastor, Joseph Prince would often point us to the Greek root of (metanoia) to expound the true meaning of ‘Repentence‘ that involves a personal commitment to change our mind sets. Pastor Joseph Prince further contends that when much are forgiven, much would love. Whenever we sin either intentionally, or unintentionally our confession to God is not to ask HIM for forgiveness, but to confess that we have hurted HIS feeling and ask to be enable not to hurt HIS feeling or sin against HIM again. It’s so true that if we have ever grasped how deep is the love of Jesus, we wouldn’t want to sin against HIM to hurt HIS feeling.

It doesn’t mean that I will sin no more, but at least that I have learned and understand what ‘Repent‘ is all about from the teaching of Pastor Prince, a preacher of Grace. Without feeling too comfortable for too long, I was put into a challenge situation that I have to face a test on the part of my ‘Rely on.’ A few weeks ago, it was the Sunday morning 10/03/2019. As usual, I put my phone on a silent mode, to attend church, without knowing that Beatrice, my sister was frantically calling me from Taipei, Taiwan, as Elysia, my niece was having complication to deliver her baby girl in the hospital.

Finally, I managed to talk to Taipei, Beatrice kept me well informed with all the painful details. The embiblical core was around the baby’s neck, and she came out almost with no heartbeat, after resacitation, but in vain so the little baby died at 3-hours-old. The young father was sobbing so hard, and refused to let the doctor taking the baby away from him. I was also crying bitterly on the phone. Then Beatrice asked me to talk to Elysia with words of comfort. And I didn’t know why I couldn’t find anything to come out from my mouth.

I disdain myself for not being able to comfort Elysia and only giving her the to-do list, such as to continue with her one-month confinement rest and eat all the nutritious food to regain her strength but not too eager to trim off the weight, which she gained during the pregnancy. I was feeling very down for almost two weeks. Then I felt in need of log-on to the media power of Tokyo Union Church, which is our church when we are in Tokyo. I was always able to have the timely validation that I need via listening to Pastor, Johana Symington’s spirit-led sermons, especially as I was an out-of-towner.

I had my shares of asking God ‘Why‘ in agony during this difficult time. I was totally stunned to note that the title of the sermon was ‘Do Bad Things Happen To Bad People.’ Superfluously I was much being ministered to by the sermon. Thankfully, my sister, Beatrice is also a born again Christian. Soon we have started to Relate the goodness of our dear God to this tragic incident with our thankful hearts. I was ulterly convicted to ‘Repent‘ of self-condemnation and not to exercising my faith more.

Finally, when I realized that nothing I can possibly do to the situation, it was by Pastor Symington’s sermon via the tube to move me into a prayer of Relinquishment, which I reckon it that’s my part of ‘Rely Upon.’ I know that it would take a long while for me to finish my race on this world. But I can’t image if I didn’t have the three ‘R’ words to live by. It would be sad that with years of study God’s Word, yet not knowing the God of the Word. It’s also like to be able to pass the exam and yet to fail the test.

Matthew 19:26

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this this impossible; but with God all things are possible . ESV

1. https://www.washiingtonpost.com/…/campus-crusade-for-christ-changes-name…cru..
2. 1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to gorgive us our sings, and to cleanse from all unrightesousness. ESV
3. Tokyo Union Church Media Player http://www.tokyounion.org…

14/04/2019

My recent book study was the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. It’s the book that forever familiar to many Christians. With the Cinderella ending, I know that many God-fearing, God serving single sisters in Christ would specifically pray that one day they would meet with their Boaz as their partners in life. I remembered how the story of Ruth, in the Bible mesmerising the 5-year-old kids in my Sunday school class, many years ago, especially the girls who were doing the class role play for Ruth and Naom

‘I will go wherever you go, your people be my people, and your God is going to be my God. Where you die, I will die.’ Ruth 1:16-17 (roleplay dialogue)

Would Ruth meet Boaz by a quirk fate? Did she just by chance to work in his field? How would Naomi, a Judahites from Bethlehem find out that her family was related to Boaz? Did the story end it with Boaz marrying Ruth all by chance? Superfluously, the invisible hand of God was the master-mind to bring all these things to pass, especially when we think of that King David and Jesus, Himself, as the Son of Man descended from Ruth.

If I were to do the homiletic for this entire book, three ‘R’ words would come in handy. In addition to ‘Ruth’ the second ‘R’ word is ‘Relationship,‘ the relationship among Ruth, Naomi and Boaz and the final ‘R’is the ‘Redemption,’ as Boaz was the Kinsman Redeemer. Although the book is named after Ruth, but we can’t over look Naomi and her role in the whole story. Being a woman, a widow lived in the country of Moab with her two sons and their wives of the Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah were their names. In the midst of famine, Naomi’s two sons also died.

Why would Ruth decide to cleave to Naomi to settle in a foreign land? To begin with, I think that Naomi must have wholeheartedly welcomed two of the Moabite women into her family. Amid famine, lost everything and she had no root of bitterness, but still had the welfare of her two daughters in mind; the separation was heart-wrenching for three of them. From the scriptures, the mother/daughter-in-law relationship was intimately close. It’s heartwarming that Naomi to share beauty-tips with Ruth before she guided her how to present herself under the feet of Boaz.

Would any woman do as what her mother-in-law told her to do? Would her reputation be at risk? Immediately, I recalled how Jesus praises the woman who kisses and anoints His feel with tears and expensive oil (Luke 7:36-50). But Ruth took heed and said that “All that you told me I would do.”(Ruth3:3). The scripture didn’t give any clue in terms of how long Naomi had lived with Ruth. However, Naomi must have loved Ruth dearly and impacted her life significantly. And both of them have showed case what it calls the ‘real Sarah’s daughter with the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit‘ (First Peter 3).

I attend the Chinese BSF class here in Singapore. Last week, homework question asks us to expound the Chinese character 贖 (Shú), which means Redemption. I was intrigued to note that the Chinese charater is the make-up of three identical parts/radicals. It has the word of 貝 (Bèi), the shell on the left that’s the currency for trade in ancient China; on top is 士 (Shi) the nobleman/ gentleman/scholar and the word of 買 (Mǎi ) buy/atone for, at the bottom. Profoundly I am grateful to be able to understand the deep scriptural meaning of redemption in the filter of the etymology of the Chinese word.

Currently, the Chinese authority starts to voice their concerns on what if any foreign religious movement would be contradictory to either the Chinese tradition or the value system? First of all, many Chinese main lander don’t know that Christianity is not a Western Religion, and it is also not a phisophical Religion but is of a Relationship between the Heavenly and His people on earth. Secondly, China has had an unbroken history for 5000 years, it has had many folk religions that are more like the traditional veneration of saints or ancestors throughout. 

Most amazingly, deep within, Chinese people, in geeral, all have believed in an unnamed supreme divinity that calls 老天爷 (Lǎotiānyé), which is the God who lives in heaven. Take for example, there’s no idol found inside the Temple of Heaven (天壇 – Tiāntán), Beijing, China, where the emperor would go to worship annually in the old days. Thus, it’s not far fetched to believe what it has been said that the Hebrew God in the Old Testament time was probably also in ancient China. In fact, many Chinese traditions are perfectly in tune with the Biblical truth, but is not for me to expound them here now.

Psalms 19:1b

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” KJV