Discovering the Deeper Meaning of Bible Verses - Luke 10:17,20

There are methods which we can learn and apply that we may one day be as good as the best of the Bible commentators for our growth and sharing in the knowledge of the Bible.

Good preachers are able to see things that we don't see in our reading of the Bible. What secrets do they have that we don't? Consider Tim Keller's "Messengers" sermon on Luke 10:1-21, we will discover many revelations that we failed to see though we have read it through many times. For a short post like this one, we just consider

• Luk 10:17  The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ...
• Luk 10:20  Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 

What was the seventy-two rejoicing about?

They were rejoicing that they had power over the demons.

There is nothing wrong with that. If I were them, I would do the same too!

But there is something very wrong here that I failed to see in my many readings of Luke until Tim Keller pointed it out.

They were not rejoicing about the people who were set free from the bondage of demons!

So, we now can see that the Seventy-Two were very self-centered and also their desires were "Power" or "Influence" over others. They were celebrating their power and success. They did not rejoice with the people set free.

A better answer will be "Lord, many people are healed and set free from demons in Your Name!". That answer will show that the focus is on Jesus and on the others. We should rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn (Rom 12:15) as with Paul.

The Secret of Deeper Understanding:

1. Consider the wider context, the total situation.

In the situation, the people involved were Jesus, Seventy-Two, Cities, People - who receive, People who reject, sickness, demons, etc. Then the instructions were given to them etc.

2. Consider What are said and What is not said.

We understand from reading what is reported. We must also ask what and why were not reported.

In the above example, they were excited about their power but not about the people healed and freed.

3. Make the Right Interpretations and Get Support from the Context of the Passage.

Any interpretation is subject to our own biasedness and could be wrong. It is always good to check again especially using other text from the same context of the passage. 

We find 10:22 that Jesus told them something else is more important than having power over the demons.

Luk 10:20  Nevertheless, 

• do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, 
• but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 

We can see that "My Names in Heaven" is BETTER than "My Power over Demons"

Why?

Names in Heaven is about a community of people with God externally,
My Power is a self-centered dominating over others desire. It easily will lead to using God as our means to do the things we want. God could become our Genie and we become god the very reason for Eve's deception and the fall of Satan. 

So we see Jesus' words endorsing our earlier interpretations that the Seventy-Two were not rejoicing rightly.

As we try to learn and understand from the good preachers, we hope one day we could also see the deeper, more meaningful truths that we could grow and share with others too.

Lim Liat (c) 9 Feb 2018

How Good is Our God to Us? Psalm 84

God empowers us to succeed in life - receiving favor and honor.

Psalm 84 tells us how good is our God to us. We should read the whole psalm to see and enjoy it. But in particular, I want to point out verses 11 & 12:

• 11a  For the LORD God is a sun and shield; 
• Sun: our guide. God leads us and shows us the ways we should walk.
• Shield: our protection. As we walk in the righteous paths, there evil and wicked will want to attack us. God foresees and protects us from them.
• 11b the LORD bestows favor and honor. 
• favor: we are given all the grace and power, wisdom, and abilities to do the things that He leads us to do.
• honor: We achieved and become successful. We receive honors. God's glory is revealed through our honor and success. Can you see it? He gives us the abilities so that we become successful and He is happy for us.
• 11c No good thing does he withhold
• God withholds nothing good. If we have not received anything; then the thing must not have been good for us or it is not the right time for us to have it yet.
• The devil, however, wants us to think that God keeps the best and don't want us to have the best. He told Eve, "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  Eve fell for it. Will we?
• 11d from those who walk uprightly.
• God is a just God. There is a condition for the blessings of honor and favor. We must walk in His righteous ways.
• 12  O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!
• The Key issue has always been, "Do we trust God?"

Prayer:

May we put our full trust in God and we always walk in His Ways. We believe that He does not withhold the best from us. He guides us and as we walk in His ways, his protection shields us from the attack of the enemies. He gives us grace and abilities to accomplish great tasks and receive honors that His name may be glorified through us. May we always remember that it was His grace that empowers us to succeed. May we always are grateful and never be proud thinking that we did it by ourselves.

Lim Liat (c) 6 Feb 2018

The Distortion of Bible Translations - A Study on Proverbs 17:8

A reading of Proverbs 17:8 on different translations give different answers. Which one is right? It is a good illustration of how our biases or corrupted minds, even with a group of experts, could get the translation wrong. It is important that we read different translations of the Bible carefully.

Proverbs 17:8

(ESV)  A bribe (H7810) is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.
(ISV)  A bribe works wonders in the eyes of its giver; wherever he turns he prospers.
(NASB)  A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers.

Some translations find it odds, and hence translate as:
(GNB)  Some people think a bribe works like magic; they believe it can do anything.

(KJV)  A gift(H7810) is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

So, some translators translated H7810 as bribes and some as gifts. The following translated it as wages.

(ABP+)  wage G3408 is a favorable Instruction to the ones employing it; and wherever it shall turn, the way shall be prosperous.

The Issue - The Meaning of H7810

The Strong's Concordance gives:

H7810 שַׁחַד shachad shakh'-ad

From H7809; a donation (venal or redemptive): - bribe (-ry), gift, present, reward.

Total KJV Occurrences: 23

• reward, 7 : Deu_10:17, Deu_27:25, Psa_15:5, Pro_21:14, Isa_5:23, Isa_45:13, Mic_3:11
• gift, 6:Exo_23:8 (2), Deu_16:19 (2), Pro_17:8, Pro_17:23
• gifts, 4:2Ch_19:7, Pro_6:35, Isa_1:23, Eze_22:12
• bribes, 3:1Sa_8:3, Psa_26:10, Isa_33:15
• present, 2:1Ki_15:19, 2Ki_16:8
• bribery, 1: Job_15:34

We can see of the 23 occurrences, bribes only occur 4 times where as gifts occur 12 times (including present 2 times) and rewards 7 times.

The Differences of Gifts, Bribes, and Rewards:

Gifts have a neutral or positive meaning. It may be just a show one appreciation for some work or help or just for nothing but being there.

Rewards are repayments for work done. It is like wages or incentives.

Bribes, however, is negative and considered bad.

Which One is Right?
We should go by the context of the verse. In the whole of Proverb 17, H7809 appeared twice.
The first in verse 8 and then the second one is many verses later in verse 23.

Pro 17:23  A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment. 

If I am the writer, I will make sure that my readers do not misunderstand me. I would not write something odd and then explain it many verses later.

So, I would say that the KJV is right in using Gifts or even Rewards in verse 8 but not Bribe. It is very misleading to use bribe as if the author endorses the behavior.

Verse 23 is fact tells us the true definition of a bribe - a gift with the wrong use of distorting the truth. That is clearly to be condemned. The use of 'wicked' makes it very clear.

The Best Interpretation:

Ironside (Ironside's Notes on Selected Books) interpreted 17:8 as:
A gift presented as a token of pure affection and respect will be highly valued by its possessor. It will pave the way for a deeper relationship. He who would find love should be a giver, not just a receiver. Jonathan’s gifts to David cemented their friendship by expressing the love that was in his heart (1 Samuel 18:3-4).

The BKC Bible Knowledge Commentary:
The commentators know that translating 17:8 as bribe gives rise to problems and so added much explanation:

• This verse does not encourage bribery, which is condemned in Pro_17:23; Pro_15:27; Exo_23:8; Deu_16:19; Deu_27:25 (see comments on Pro_6:35). Pro_17:8 of Pro_17:1-28 is simply speaking from the giver’s perspective; a bribe “works like a charm.” To say bribes are effective (cf. Pro_18:16; Pro_21:14) is not to approve them; it simply states the way things are.

All these extra explanations are actually unnecessary if the verse has been translated rightly in the first place.

Modern Day Meaning:

17:8 in modern context actually means use rewards and incentives to motivate people to work for you! Nothing about using bribery to smooth your path. Using 'money' to distort the truth to gain an advantage is called bribery and it is wrong. Using 'money' as incentives and motivations to get people to the right thing well is wisdom.

How our corrupted mind could distort our understanding is clearly seen here. (Titus 1:15-16).

Lim Liat (c) 30 Jan 2018

Making Better Use of Concordance & Finding the True Meaning of Words

What are the differences among the similar words like wisdom, understanding, and knowledge? What are their definitions from the Bible? The right way to use concordance will show you.

Because we don't understand the original languages of the Bible, we have to rely on concordances to get a better understanding of the original words. However, the true meaning of the words in the original language is difficult to know for foreigner despite the concordances. This is because concordances give many similar words, more like a thesaurus rather than a good definitive dictionary.

Let take an example Proverb 2:2-3,5 in KJV+

Pro 2:2  So that thou inclineH7181 thine earH241 unto wisdomH2451. and applyH5186 thine heartH3820 to understandingH8394;
Pro 2:3  Yea, H3588 ifH518 thou criestH7121 after knowledgeH998 and liftest upH5414 thy voiceH6963 for understandingH8394
Pro 2:5  ThenH227 shalt thou understandH995 the fearH3374 of the LORDH3068, and findH4672 the knowledgeH1847 of GodH430.

Here we can find the original Hebrew words for wisdom, knowledge, understanding used and look up Strong's Concordance for their meanings:

wisdom H2451 חָכְמָה chokmâh khok-maw'
From H2449; wisdom (in a good sense): - skillful, wisdom, wisely, wit.

understanding H8394 תּוֹבֻנָה    תְּבוּנָה    תָּבוּןo tâbûn    tebûnâh    tôbûnâh
taw-boon', teb-oo-naw', to-boo-naw'
The second and third forms being feminine; from H995; intelligence; by implication an argument; by extension caprice: - discretion, reason, skilfulness, understanding, wisdom.

knowledge H998 בִּינָה bı̂ynâh bee-naw'
From H995; understanding: - knowledge, meaning, X perfectly, understanding, wisdom.

knowledge H1847 דַּעַת da‛ath dah'-ath
From H3045; knowledge: - cunning, [ig-] norantly, know(-ledge), [un-] awares (wittingly).

You can see from the above that understanding, wisdom, knowledge and other similar words were used interchangeably and thereby losing their precise meanings.

So, what do we differentiate wisdom, understanding, and knowledge?

Use the Context - Where Used:

To understand the exact meaning of the words, we shall invert the process, and find the verses where that particular words are used. Using the different contexts where the same word is found, we can infer a more exact meaning for the word.

Let take a simple one, the word knowledge H1847.

H1847 דּעת da‛ath  Total KJV Occurrences: 93

knowledge, 82

• Gen_2:9, Gen_2:17, Exo_31:3, Exo_35:31, Num_24:16, Job_15:2, Job_21:14, Job_21:22, Job_33:3, Job_34:35, Job_35:16, Job_36:12, Job_42:2-3 (2), Psa_19:2, Psa_94:10, Psa_119:66, Psa_139:6, Pro_1:4, Pro_1:7, Pro_1:22, Pro_1:29, Pro_2:5-6 (2), Pro_2:10, Pro_3:20, Pro_5:2, Pro_8:9-10 (2), Pro_8:12, Pro_9:10, Pro_10:14, Pro_11:9, Pro_12:1, Pro_12:23, Pro_13:16, Pro_14:6-7 (2), Pro_14:18, Pro_15:2, Pro_15:7, Pro_15:14, Pro_17:27, Pro_18:15 (2), Pro_19:2, Pro_19:25, Pro_19:27, Pro_20:15, Pro_22:11-12 (2), Pro_22:17, Pro_22:20, Pro_23:12, Pro_24:4-5 (2), Pro_30:3, Ecc_1:16, Ecc_1:18, Ecc_2:21, Ecc_2:26, Ecc_7:12, Ecc_9:10, Ecc_12:9, Isa_5:13, Isa_11:2, Isa_32:4, Isa_33:6, Isa_40:14, Isa_44:19, Isa_44:25, Isa_53:10-11 (2), Jer_10:14, Jer_51:17, Dan_12:4 (2), Hos_4:1, Mal_2:6-7 (4)

know, 4

• Job_13:2, Pro_29:7, Isa_58:2, Jer_22:16

unwittingly, 2

• Jos_20:3, Jos_20:5

cunning, 1

• 1Ki_7:14

ignorantly, 1

• Deu_19:4

knew, 1

• Isa_48:4 (2)

knowest, 1

Job_10:7

unawares, 1

• Deu_4:42

We can read a few verses where "knowledge" is used and infer the meaning. The meaning seems to be "knowing some things such as good and evil and facts". What is more interesting and fruitful is to look up the verses where the meanings seem to be in conflict with the earlier ones.

e.g.

unwittingly, 2

• Jos_20:3 That the slayerH7523 that killethH5221 any personH5315 unawaresH7684 and unwittinglyH1097 H1847 may fleeH5127 thither:H8033 and they shall beH1961 your refugeH4733 from the avengerH4480 H1350 of blood.H1818
  
  Here we find H1097 with Knowledge H1847. We look up H1097
  H1097 בְּלִי belı̂y bel-ee' From H1086; properly failure, that is, nothing or destruction; usually (with preposition) without, not yet, because not, as long as, etc.: - corruption, ig[norantly], for lack of, where no . . . is, so that no, none, not, un[awares], without.
  
  It is without. Using together, it means without the knowledge or unknowingly.
  It confirms our initial understanding of knowledge as "knowing something"
  
• We can find such in ignorantly, unawares etc.

Cunning:

1Ki 7:14  HeH1931 was a widow'sH490 sonH1121 of the tribeH4480 H4294 of Naphtali,H5321 and his fatherH1 was a manH376 of Tyre,H6876 a workerH2790 in brass:H5178 and he was filledH4390 withH854 wisdom,H2451 and understanding,H8394 and cunningH1847 to workH6213 allH3605 worksH4399 in brass.H5178 And he cameH935 toH413 kingH4428 Solomon,H8010 and wroughtH6213 (H853) allH3605 his work.H4399

Here we see wisdom, understanding and cunning being used to describe the person. So, the 3 words, know similar, are actually 3 different strengths that the worker has. Their meaning should be different. The word cunning is not a bad word in this context but rather a deep knowledge of the skill of brass processing. It is skill knowledge.

What then is understanding and how does it differ from wisdom?

Understanding H8394

understanding, 38

• Exo 31:3  And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 
• Exo_35:31, Exo_36:1, Deu_32:28, 
• 1Ki 4:29  And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. 
• 1Ki_7:14, 
• Job 12:12  With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding. Job 12:13  With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. 
• Job_26:12, 
• Psa_49:3, 
• Psa_147:5, Pro_2:2-3 (2), Pro_2:6, Pro_2:11, Pro_3:13, Pro_3:19, Pro_8:1 (2), Pro_10:23, Pro_11:12, Pro_14:29, Pro_15:21, Pro_17:27, Pro_18:2, Pro_19:8, Pro_20:5, Pro_21:30, Pro_24:3, Pro_28:16, 
• Isa 40:14  With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? 
• Isa_40:28, Isa_44:19, 
• Jer 51:15  He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.  
• Eze 28:4  With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: 
• Hos 13:2  And now they sin more and more and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. 
• Oba 1:7  All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him. Oba 1:8  Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? 

discretion, 1

• Jer 10:12  He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. 

reasons, 1

• Job 32:11  Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your reasons, whilst ye searched out what to say. 

skillfulness, 1

• Psa 78:72  So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands. 

wisdom, 1

• Psa_136:5 - by 'wisdom' makes the heavens.

We can see that understanding is about making, creating, reasoning, guiding and teaching. It is one level higher than knowledge. It is the application of knowledge of facts & principles to make and invent things.

What then is wisdom?

H2451 chokmâh Total KJV Occurrences: 149

wisdom, 145

• Exo_31:3 (3), Exo_31:6, Exo_35:26, Exo_35:31, Exo_35:35, Exo_36:1-2 (2), 
• Deu 4:6  Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
• Deu_34:9, 
• 2Sa 14:20  He did it to place the matter before you in a different light. But you are as wise as an angel of God, and you understand everything that happens among us!"
  In the context, the lady was appealing to King David to give and do the right things.
•  2Sa_20:22, 1Ki_2:6, 1Ki_4:28-30 (5), 1Ki_4:34 (2), 1Ki_5:12, 1Ki_7:14, 1Ki_10:4, 1Ki_10:6-8 (3), 1Ki_10:23-24 (2), 1Ki_11:41, 2Ch_1:10-12 (3), 2Ch_9:3, 2Ch_9:5-7 (3), 2Ch_9:22-23 (2), Job_4:21, Job_11:6, Job_12:2, Job_12:12-13 (2), Job_13:5, Job_15:8, Job_26:3, Job_28:12, Job_28:18, Job_28:20, Job_28:28, Job_32:7, Job_32:13, Job_33:33, Job_38:36-37 (2), Job_39:17, 
• Psa 37:30  The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. 
• Psa_51:6, Psa_90:12, Psa_104:24, 
• Psa 111:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.  
• Pro_1:2, Pro_1:7, Pro_2:2, Pro_2:6, Pro_2:10, Pro_3:13, Pro_3:19, Pro_4:5, Pro_4:7 (2), Pro_4:11, Pro_5:1, Pro_7:4, Pro_8:1, Pro_8:11-12 (2), Pro_9:10, Pro_10:13, Pro_10:23, 
• Pro 10:31  The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. 
• Pro_11:2, 
• Pro 13:10  Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. 
• Pro_14:6, Pro_14:8, Pro_15:33 (2), Pro_17:16 (2), Pro_17:24, Pro_18:4, Pro_21:30, Pro_23:23, Pro_24:3, Pro_24:14, Pro_29:3, Pro_29:15, Pro_30:3, Pro_31:26, Ecc_1:13, Ecc_1:16-18 (4), Ecc_2:3, Ecc_2:9, Ecc_2:12-13 (2), Ecc_2:21, Ecc_2:26, Ecc_7:11-12 (3), Ecc_7:19, Ecc_7:23, Ecc_7:25, Ecc_8:1, Ecc_8:16, Ecc_9:10, Ecc_9:13, Ecc_9:15-16 (3), Ecc_9:18, Ecc_10:1, Ecc_10:10, Isa_10:13, Isa_11:2, Isa_29:14, Isa_33:6, Isa_47:10, Jer_8:9, Jer_9:23, Jer_10:12, Jer_49:7 (2), 
• Jer 51:15  He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
  The world was decided to be built by wisdom(decided, judged) and stretched out by understanding (know how)
• Eze_28:4-5 (2), Eze_28:7, Eze_28:12, 
• Eze 28:17  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
  This was a description of Satan. Corrupted widsom= Evil. 
• Dan_1:20

wisely, 2

• Pro_28:26, Ecc_7:10

skilful, 1

• 1Ch 28:21  And, behold, the courses of the priests and the Levites, even they shall be with thee for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with thee for all manner of workmanship every willing skillful man, for any manner of service: also the princes and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment. 

wit’s, 1

• Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
  i.e. Lack the wisdom to do the right thing.

We can see that "wisdom" is related to judgment, just, right and wrong, commandments, and the opposite of wisdom is evilness. So wisdom is about knowing right and wrong and deciding and doing the right things.

Summary:

Knowledge is about knowing things(such as their properties and behaviors) and facts. It is about what. What happened?

Understanding is about knowing the working, and reasoning, of things and is the application of knowledge to make and create new things. It is knowing how. It is the interpretation and use of knowledge.

Wisdom is about the discernment of right and wrong and the application understanding and knowledge to do the right things and the right time to the right people. Just, right, fair, are the consideration of wisdom.

So to understand any particular word, we should study all the verses where the word was used and find the best fit and the meaning for all the verses. 

One keyword is grace, and it is misunderstood widely by people with good intention. Let see what the true meaning is in "Grace is Unmerited Favor" - This Common Definition is wrong.

Lim Liat (c) 14 Jan 2018

A Checklist for Church Leaders & Members - Preventing Abuses & Malfunctions

Crimes and abuses of members in religious organizations are happening and reported globally. Such abuses happened a long time ago too. In Ezekiel 34, we can find God judging the evil shepherds and pointing to the coming of the good shepherd and his work. We can derive a checklist for leaders and set up a system to prevent such abuses and crimes from happening.

The Sins of the Evil Shepherds:

1. Feed themselves the best and starve the flock.
2. Did not care for the weak, sick and injured.
3. Did not search and rescue the lost. Actually, verse 4 disclose the reasons for their wandering away, "you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty"
4. Did not protect the flocks from attack by wild animal (5 & 8)

Greatest Evil: They don't just take the best but also damage the rest so that others could not enjoy them! (18-19 Eze 34:18  Isn't it enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest?...)

The Duties of a Good Shepherd:

1. Search & Rescue the Lost.
   34:11-13 ... I will find My sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.  I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations.
2. Feed
   34:13b-14  Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills.
3. Protect
   Eze 34:15  I Myself will tend My sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace.
4. Heal
   Eze 34:16 ... I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak.
5. Judge
    34:16c But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice! 17  "And as for you, My flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to His people: I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, separating the sheep from the goats.

The Cause of Abuses: 

Comparing the two list, the sins of the bad shepherds and the work of the good shepherd, there is only one key that is missing - the Judgement. The discernment and judgment for the goats that abuse the sheeps in the flocks. In any modern organization, including the religious organization, there is a Board of Directors or Elders who are elected to represent the members and shareholders to make sure the executives, especially the CEO, does not exploit the organization for his own benefits. In a church context, however, the board members have the erroneous thinking that they were there to support their pastor and hence became the yes men that endorse the pastor. They forget their prime responsibility and accountability are to the members and not the pastor. Instead of holding their pastor to the upright behavior standards set by the Bible and correcting their pastor, they become the arms and legs of the abuses against the members!

In the name of love, many have swept the evil under the carpets and tolerate the abuses. Under the misguided teaching and abuse of "Touch not Gods anointed.", pastors and elders were never corrected and allowing the abuses to continue and even increase. Using "Judge not that we may not be judged" members turn a blind eye to sins.has

The Bible teaches us differently.

• 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
• James 5:19-20 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
• Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
• Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

A Successfully Run Church:

• Peace & Safety
  Eze 34:25  "I will make a covenant of peace with My people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear.
• Showers of Blessings
  Eze 34:26  I will bless My people and their homes around My holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing.
• Abundant Growth
  Eze 34:27  The orchards and fields of My people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety.
• Freed from Slavery & Bondage
  When I have broken their chains of slavery and rescued them from those who enslaved them, then they will know that I am the LORD.
• Freed from Harms
  Eze 34:28  They will no longer be prey for other nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them.
• Rich & Famous
  Eze 34:29  "And I will make their land famous for its crops, so My people will never again suffer from famines or the insults of foreign nations.

All the factors must be there. A Malfunction church can be rich and famous but be abusive of their members. A church can be so large that becomes inhuman. Check up Francis Chan | Why I Left The Megachurch I Created!

Summary:

As leaders, we should search & rescue the lost, feed them with healthy food, protect them from erroneous teachings and harms, care for the weak and injured, and also be discerning and to confront and correct the evil in our midst.

Lim Liat (c) 11 Jan 2018

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom Revealed

While "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" is clearly stated Proverbs 9:1, the meaning of each pillar is not clearly stated. Hence, there are many different views about what these seven pillars are. Here is an in-depth study of the different views and to arrive at a possible revelation of what those seven pillars are.

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom:

• Proverbs 9:1 Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.  

Proverbs 9 does not explicitly tell us what the seven pillars are even though it starts with the statement that the personified wisdom has built a house with seven pillars. It describes wisdom as sending out invitations to attend the meal she had prepared. The meal reminds me of the "marriage supper of the lamb" at the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. We will find that Wisdom, the best of which, is in fact, Jesus Christ - the Word (See for example Proverb 8 that speaks of wisdom being involved in the creation).

Since Proverb 9 is not specific about the pillars of wisdom, there are many views being offered as to what they are. Here are some from google search.

James 3:17 Wisdom From Above:

Because we are not familiar with the original Greek and Hebrew words, and there are translation problems, you will find many similar words are used such as understanding, knowledge, insights, counsel, etc further confusing the issues. See The Seven Pillars of Wisdom | The Institute for Creation Research

So here are some translations of James 3:17:

• (KJV) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 
• (NASB) But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. 
• (NLT) But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 
• (YLT) and the wisdom from above, first, indeed, is pure, then peaceable, gentle, easily entreated, full of kindness and good fruits, uncontentious, and unhypocritical.

We can consolidate them to arrive at the seven pillars of wisdom as:

  1. pure
  2. peaceable
  3. gentle
  4. reasonable - yielding to others, friendly, easily entreated
  5. merciful with good work - kindness, helpfulness
  6. just - impartial, fair, unwavering, no favoritism, uncontentious
  7. sincere - unhypocritical, truthful

The Beatitudes: 

The post, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, says it is the beatitudes. I just summarized the seven keywords here:

  1. Poor in spirit- Humble
  2. Mournful - Hates evil
  3. Meek - Gentle, Prudence
  4. Righteousness
  5. Merciful
  6. Pure - free from corruption
  7. Peacemaker

The Wisdom in Proverbs:

Someone says it must be in the book of Proverbs. So she gives the following seven:

The House Friends of Wisdom:

This "Seven pillars of wisdom" says the previous chapter, Proverbs 8, describes Wisdom dwelling together with Prudence, Knowledge etc as in 8:12-14. So he gave the seven pillars as:

1. Prudence
2. Knowledge and discretion
3. Fear of God
4. Counsel
5. Sound Wisdom
6. Understanding
7. Power

So, who is right?

I am a believer in letting the context tells us what a particular sentence means. No one writes a sentence and then don't try to expound and explains it in the same paragraphs. The author of Proverbs 9 could not have stated it and then don't explain it. So I believe the answers should lie close to Proverbs 9, I,e. Proverbs 8-10, taking into consideration that the chapter and verse breakdown were added later and not by the original author.

So I would accept that Proverb 8 list is a good list, though I do not fully agree with the list. My list is shown in the mind map below:



This does not mean that the others are wrong. They are all correct in describing different aspects of Wisdom. It is just that they are not the seven pillars. You can find many overlapping attributes of wisdom described. They are all useful.

Discovering the Seven Pillars within Proverbs 9:

To discover the pillars in Proverbs 9, we need to use some extraction and deduction to decode the hidden codes.

Pillar#1 Creativity - The Great Plan for the Salvation of Men and the Universe in Jesus Christ


Pro 9:2  She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table.

Wisdom has planned and completed the preparation of a great meal - meat, wine, and seating.  It is the marriage supper of the lamb! So we can see that "Creativity" and more specifically, the Creation and the Restoration of Men and the New Heaven and New Earth.

Pillar#2 Love - Sharing - The Gospel Invitation


Pro 9:3  She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town,

The invitations are sent. Good things must be shared. That is the heart of love and of God. It reminds us of the parable of Great Banquet in Luke 14:16-24. All are invited. The young women are attractive and energetic. They call from the strategic positions in town. We, the believers, who bring the good news of the gospels should be equally attractive in our testimonies and do them in strategic locations and positions.

Pillar#3 Insights & Understanding for living 

Pro 9:4  “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says,
Pro 9:5  “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.

Pro 9:6  Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

The meats and wines are the substance for our living. Wisdom provides us the insights and understanding of how to live a good and successful life of joy, peace, and a long-life too. We are born without wisdom. We are to learn and acquire wisdom.

Pillar#4 Exposing Wickedness - Choose Your Audience - Persuade not the Wicked

Pro 9:7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

Pro 9:8a Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;

This is a reminder of  Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

While wisdom and the gospels are good things, we cannot force them unto people that do not want them.   We must attract like in Pillar#2 invite rather than force. We cannot be kinder than God too. Jesus often did not respond to the Pharisees who wanted Jesus to perform miracles to prove He was Son of God. But Jesus knew their heart. They did not want proof but excuses to nail Jesus. They accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of a demon! No matter what you do or say, they would be used against you rather than be touched and converted by your testimony! No point trying to convert Satan but by all means save the victims of evil. 

Going deeper, why does correcting a scoffer ends up in violence? Because wisdom exposes his wickedness. He is angry that he is found out and hence will want to eliminate the light that exposes him. Consider Cain‘s killing of Abel. Abel set a higher standard and exposed the insincerity of Cain's offering.

Pillar#5 Nurturing & Develop the Willing

9:8b reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

Pro 9:9  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

For those that are willing to believe in God and receive the Gospels, we must develop nurture them. It is like the mother nursing and taking good care of her babies and children.

Pillar#6 Fear of the Lord - The Standards of Right & Wrong and Our Obedience

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Pro 9:11  For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.

Pro 9:12  If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

All wisdom must be based on the belief of a Wise and Good God. We are to learn of Him and of His ways so that we also can become like Him since we are created in His image. Paul prayed and worked that Christ may be formed in believers. Right and Wrong are defined by Our Creator God and not by our own understanding. We are to follow and obey His Words and not by what we feel or think is right.

Pillar#7 Yield Not to Temptation - Turn-away from Evil & SIns - Prudence

Pro 9:13  The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing.
(vs Wisdom - A Good Meat & Wine with Insights)
Pro 9:14  She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
(vs Wisdom - Young Women who go and call and not sit at the door. For folly, you don't have to do a thing. Just be lazy.)
Pro 9:15  calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way,
Pro 9:16  “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense, she says,
(The call of Folly is "It is simple and easy and effortless - Just enjoy")
Pro 9:17  “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
(Sin is attractive for the short-term but has heavy prices to pay.)
Pro 9:18  But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

( The price is death and hell! )

Wisdom is able to discern temptations and be not fooled. She will see the dangers hidden within the outside appearance of attractiveness. Wisdom is able to shed light on the darkness and evil of sins. Wisdom gives us a wake-up call that we may turn away from our sins.

The Combined List
We can combine all the above lists and we can discover that they are the various subsets of 7 Pillars. It is like Paul defining what Love is and the nine aspects of the same spiritual fruit.



What do you think?
And more importantly, what have you learned about the pillars of wisdom that will cause you to change for the better?

May God bless and give you insights.

Lim Liat (c) 9 Jan 2018

See also The Seven Pillars of Wisdom Revealed - Part 2 The Seven Spirits of God
and Building Your Life on Wisdom's Pillars - Proverbs 9:1-18

How the Good Things Cause us to Lose the Great Thing - Luke 14:16-24

We are always busy for the legitimate and good things of life such as career and family. So busy that we easily lose sight of the most important thing of life - our eternal destination. We are so busy about this life that we neglect to prepare for the next life that is eternal. This Christmas Season is a good time to reflect on life and find the not just good but the greatest thing in life.

Bible Reference: Luke 14:16-33

The Invitations are Sent Out - You are invited

The Excuses - I'm too busy now - no time for you.

1. I'm Building My Business or Career - Luke 14:18
2. I'm Getting Married and Bring-up Family - Luke 14:20
3. Am I invited? Is there space left? Luke 14:20-23
   The invitation is not by your work by purely by the love of God.
   Jesus said he came for sinners, not the righteous Luke 5:32; for the sick and not the healthy Mark 2:17. There are no pre-qualifications. Everyone qualifies. You are invited.
   Heaven can contain everyone.

Evaluate and See: Luke 14:28-32

Jesus tells us to evaluate, count the costs.  Are we able to complete a building before we start? Are we able to win before we start a war? He is teaching what I learned from Sun Zi's Art of War too.

The Art of War 4:15 是故胜兵先胜而后求战，败兵先战而后求胜。
Hence, winners plan first to win and then start a war. The Losers start a war first and then hope to win. 

Decide for Jesus: Luke 14:33

What is the outcome of the comparison?

Mat 16:26  KJ21 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Luke 9:24 NIV For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

Welcome to the banquet. 

What is your decision after the evaluation?

Sun Zi will calculate and compare and made his decision for Christ.

What about you?

Revelation 19:9 (ESV) And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

May I meet you there.

Lim Liat (c） 24 Dec 2017

Healing On a Sabbath - The Purpose of Rituals

Rituals that supposedly help us may at times cause us to overlook the real needs of the people. We have to be reminded often with a key quote from Jesus, "Sabbath is for man and not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27). Confucius also reminds us exactly the same teaching - rules are for people.

Bible Reference: Luke 13:10-17 Healing of a Woman bound

Commentary:

• 10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
  Jesus taught in the synagogues. He was accepted as a Rabbi. 
• 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.
  Despite her sickness and the difficulty, she came to worship God. Most people would just stay at home. Her long period of suffering, 18 years, is specifically mentioned. The people there must have been aware of her long-suffering too.
   
• 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”
  She did not ask for her healing. Jesus took the initiative. Jesus has compassion for her. Jesus has compassion for you too. What is your difficulty? Know that Jesus cares for you. 
• 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
  Jesus pronounced her healing first, for her and for all others to know and then did the laying of hands. Hence, there is no question as to who did the healing. She was healed immediately and she praised God to confirm her healing. Her healing was obvious to all too. A bent back straightened. This drew the attention of all even more.
   
• 14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”
  The ruler of the synagogue felt he must make a stand and condemn Jesus for breaking the Sabbath Law of rest.
  Rituals are for People not People for Rituals？
  Why not another day? Why not now? If you encounter someone you are able to help, then you must help immediately rather than delay it.
   
• 15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?
  
  A public rebuke must be answered publicly too.
  Jesus pointed out the key error - hypocrites.
  They themselves are breaking the Sabbath Law of rest to work to feed their healthy flocks in the Sabbath but now they are condemning a healing of a sick lady of their own people. Is she less valuable than ox or donkey?
• 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”
  Watch the argument. She is one of you and yet you are not kind to your own!
• 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
  The crowd were not fooled, showing the evil of the leaders.
  Will the church people be discerning enough not to be fooled by false and manipulative preaching?
• A similar incidence is recorded in Luke 14:1-6

Confucius' Teaching 

《论语·八佾》人而不仁，如礼何？人而不仁，如乐何？

Confucius is known among the Chinese as the one promoting the Codes of Conduct or Rituals 礼 the most. Even him, correctly pointed out that rituals without love is useless. External harmony, like music, without the true inner love, also has no meaning.

Take Away:

Have we committed the same sin, of putting rules and regulations, above the true needs of the people? Yes, every organization must have rules and policies to work well. But we need to do them with love and consideration for the people. Because the very rules and policies are for the benefits of the staff working in the organization.

Lim Liat (c) 22 Dec 2017

True Giving is Without Rewards - The Way of God

Are your gifts truly gifts for this Christmas? Know the giving of God. The Ancient Chinese also tell us that true giving is without any acknowledgment and without returns.

Bible Reference: Matthew 6:1-4

• Mat 6:1  “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 
• Mat 6:2  “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
  Mat 6:3  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
  Mat 6:4  so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.   

The Season of Giving:

Christmas is a time of giving. Most of us give for the pleasures of blessing others. But we also give as a form of returning others' gifts, a forced-to kind of giving. If we give to gain recognition or seek other forms of returns then we are not really giving at all. It is but a business transactions and we may be burden by it. How many of us are dreaded by the number of gifts we "have to" buy because it will be impolite not to give back? So, are we really giving? The way of God is giving to benefit the recipient without expecting any return. Even better still, the recipient does not know who the giver is.

Your giving may be in secret

Here are some quotes from the Ancient Chinese Classics that show how the Way of God or the Dao.

中庸 12v1 君子之道，费而隐。  
The Book of Centrality 12:1  The way of the wise gentleman is board and precise at the same time. 

That is the interpretation in the context of the chapter. However, if we go by the specific meaning of the words, we find a specific example of what board and precise means. 

费 is spending or giving things/money generously or widely
隐 is hidden or secret that could not be seen or known.

Hence, the true giving of God is giving without knowing one is giving nor threcipientnt know the person who is giving. 

In Lao Zi's Dao De Jing, you will find many verses about the Way of God:

道德经

• C02 生而不有，为而不恃，功成而弗居；
  Giving birth and yet not possessing. Serving and yet not demanding. Accomplished and yet not claiming credit.
• C10 生之蓄之，生而不有，为而不恃，长而不宰，是谓玄德。
  Giving birth and naturing it. Giving birth and not possessing. Serving and yet not demanding. Growing and yet not forcing. Such is the Way of the Great Virtue.
• C51 生而弗有，为而弗恃，长而弗宰，是谓玄德。」
  Giving birth and not possessing. Serving and yet not demanding. Growing and yet not forcing. Such is the Way of the Great Virtue.
• C08 上善弱水，水善利万物而不争
  The best goodness is like water. Water benefits all things and fights with them not.

The Chinese Masters agree that such high standard is not attainable even by the Saints.

中庸 

• 12v2 夫妇之愚，可以与知焉，及其至也，虽圣人亦有所不知焉。夫妇之不肖，可以能行焉，及其至也，虽圣人亦有所不能焉。天地之大也，人犹有所憾。故君子语大，天下莫能载焉，语小，天下莫能破焉。
  
  The common man and woman in their simple mind can understand some part of the Way. However, for the thorough knowledge of the Way, even the saints still have much that they know not. The common man and woman, even sinful, is able to do what the Way teaches. However, to do completely what the Way demands, even the saints could not. The greatness of the heaven and earth cause people some regrets and disappointments. Hence, when the wise man speaks of the greatness of the Way, the whole world could not contain it. When the wise man speaks about the smallness. the details, the specifics of the Way, the whole world is not able to divide or split it.

We can see that anyone can follow part of the requirements of the Laws but we will fail the high standards of the Laws. Consider what Jesus said in 

• Mat 5:27  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 
• Mat 5:28  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

So we can see that the Ancient Chinese Masters agree with Paul's Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

What the Saints Could Not - Jesus did it for us.

• Rom 7:24  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 
• Rom 7:25  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
  So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh, I serve the law of sin. 

The greatest gift of Christmas is Jesus, the Son of God, Himself giving His very own life for us. Completing what man could never have done. His purpose is simply the salvation of our souls. 

Will you receive Him now?

Lim Liat (c) 21 Dec 2017

All Will Be Revealed - So How Shall We Live?

Jesus in Luke 12:2 tell us that all things will be revealed. And further in Luke 12:40 He warns that Christ will come at the hour we do not expect. How then shall we live such that we can be ready anytime and all the time? The Ancient Chinese teaching of "慎独" "Be Careful when Alone" gives us additional light.

Bible Reference: Luke 12:2-3; Luke 12:35-48

All Will Be Revealed:

When we want to do bad things we will go to some secret places that no one knows thinking that we would not be found out. We may also put up a false front to cover our evil intention inside. But Jesus tells us that all things will be revealed.

• Luk 12:2  Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 
• Luk 12:3  Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

How then shall we live?

Be Ready All the time so that He can come anytime:

In Luke 12:35-48, Jesus gives the parable of a wise steward. He is ready all the time so that the Master can come anytime and he would be found to be faithful. Sun Zi's Art of War tells us that the best defense is not counting on the enemy not attacking but in having the confidence that we have already prepared for him to attack anytime. (The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. 故用兵之法，无恃其不来，恃吾有以待之；无恃其不攻，恃吾有所不可攻也。). That is precisely the attitude we must have in waiting for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Luk 12:43  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing (awake, dressed, lamp burning, ready to serve) when he comes.
• Luk 12:40  You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Ancient Chinese Wisdom - 君子慎独 The Wise Gentleman is Prudent even when alone.

Confucianism has a teaching on 慎独 Preduence when Alone gives us additional understanding.

《中庸》：是故君子戒慎乎其所不睹，恐惧乎其所不闻。莫见乎隐，莫显乎微，故君子慎其独也。”
Book of Centrality: Hence, the wise gentleman is careful even when no one is watching and he is fearful even when no one is hearing. Because the hidden may be revealed and the little may be enlarged and seen. Therefore the gentleman is careful even when he is all alone.

The gentleman is careful not to do any bad thing, even if little, because however little, it will reveal to himself even if others don't know. A gentleman must be true to himself irrespective of whether others know about it or not.

《大学》第七章："所谓诚其意者，毋自欺也。如恶恶臭，如好好色，此之谓自谦。故君子必慎其独也。小人闲居为不善，无所不至，见君子而后厌然，掩其不善，而著其善。人之视己，如见其肺肝然，则何益矣。此谓诚于中，形于外，故君子必慎其独也。"

The Book of Great Learning Chapter 7: What is integrity? Not to deceive oneself. If one hates the bad smell or if one love the lovely, that is just being humble (humility is about being true to oneself). Hence a gentleman must be prudent when all alone. The villain does all kinds of bad things when free. When they see gentlemen then they are shocked and so try to cover their bad deeds and to show off their good deeds. However, others can see into internal of lungs and liver, there are no advantages. The inner integrity is revealed in the external behavior. Hence, a gentleman must be prudent even when all alone.

We may be able to hide from people but we can't hide from God and neither from our own conscience.

The lesson for Today:

Count not on won't be discovered but be ready all the time, such that we may found as"the good and faithful servant" when Christ comes again.

Please see also:

• Preparing for Christ 2nd Coming
• Preparing for Christ 2nd Coming - Part 2
• Bible Study 2 Peter 3 Living in End-Times

Lim Liat (c) 20 Dec 2017

Let Your Light Shine & How with the Doctrine of Centrality

True believers are lights. They are to let their light shine out to make the world a better place by setting the examples. Luke 11-34-36 reveals the secrets. It resonances with the Ancient Chinese Doctrine of Centrality 中庸 which gives us additional guides. See how you can be the light of the world.

Bible Reference:  Luke 11:33-36 (KJV)

• 33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light
• 34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
• 35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
• 36 If thy whole body, therefore, be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

Let Your Light Shine:

Jesus begins with a common sense understanding that we put a light, in this case, a candle, at a prominent place, the candlestick, to light out the whole place. 

He then proceeds to show us that how we can have light in our body and ends with our body full of light just like the candle he started with.  We are to let our light shine out.

This also tells us that we never live alone. Neither can we separate ourselves from the world. Living the life of a hermit is not biblical. We are to engage the society and more importantly shine our light and make a good testimony.

How to Have the Light?

It starts with our eyes. The input to our body, or more accurately to our mind and heart. 

It must be single. Focus on the right thing in contrast with the evil eye in the second half of verse 34. Not double minded wanting this right thing but also not willing to forgo the evil thing. Confucius teaches us 子曰：非礼勿视，非礼勿听，非礼勿言，非礼勿动。意思说，See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil (do no evil)。

Titus 1:15 reveals more light to us.

 ◄ Titus 1:15 ► To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

We must guard our input - What have we been watching and reading?

We are to take heed,  to develop our character, such that it contains no evil and no darkness.

It also reveals to us that we can tell the inside, the character of a person, by what he reads and how he interprets events. 

This also applies to us. We must reflect on the types of books, tv, movies, videos that we watch.

Shining the Light

We shine our light by our behavior. The words we speak and write and the things we do. Are our words edifying? Are they encouraging? Or are we gossiping and bad-mouthing others? Do we act according to what we preach? Do we deliver our promises? Are we helpful? Are we generous? Are we forgiving? Do we point out the right and wrong and make our stands or we just hide away and let the evil propagates?

The Teaching of the Doctrine of Centrality

As I was meditating on the verses, I was reminded of the words that I read earlier in the Book of the Doctrine of Centrality.

《中庸》13v1  子曰：「道不远人，人之为道而远人，不可以为道。」
The Way of Dao is not far from men. Men who pursue the Dao and yet distance themselves from others are not following the Dao.

Here we find Confucius supporting Jesus' let your light shine and not keep it in a secret place.

   《中庸》13v3 “忠恕，违道不远，施诸己而不愿，亦勿施于人”，

Confucius explains what the Way of Dao looks like. It is about "what you don't like what others do to you, then you don't do it to others." It is empathy. It is about considering the interests of others. Whatever we do, we must have consideration for others. This is one form of the Dao. Confucius in Analects gives a positive version of this Way of Dao 己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人 We must first build up ourselves and then help build others. We must be successful and then help others to be successful too.

Or in the Bible, we must love others as ourselves. Loving God is seen in loving others. 

◄ 1 John 4:20 ►If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Be Single-minded for God and Shine your light in this Christmas Seasons.

Lim Liat (c) 19 Dec 2017

From the Peace of Christmas to Success in Life

There are two kinds of peace and one will lead to other. It is the foundation of a meaningful and satisfying life.

The Relational Peace of Christmas

Christmas brings us a relational kind of peace. The peace that reconciles men back to God through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we receive Jesus into our hearts, we enjoy the peace with God, and we also have His peace within us.

• Luk 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  
• Luk 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
• Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Personal Peace Within Us from Jesus

• John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

His peace given to us is the one that surpasses our understanding, that enables us to remain calm, without anxieties, in the to face of all challenges. It is very unlike the peace of the world, which is very fragile and depends on all things running smoothly. When there is trouble or a problem, we tend to lose our peace. We need to guard and let this peace of Jesus rules in our heart so that we can discern and make the right judgments and follow up with the right action.

The Peace Needed for Making Wise Decisions
This relates well to the calmness that Sun Zi tells us in his Art of War book. While we should consider the emotions of people affected in any project, we should never be emotional in our decision-making. We must be calm and objective so that we can think and decide well. Never make any decision when we are not at peace. Sun Zi reminds us that the enemy trick, the devil, is to get us to be emotional, either angry and therefore make impulsive decisions to cause our failures or fear that we fail to do anything to move us out of our trap. He will also exploit our desires to get us to sin willingly.

This is the great and good news of Christmas.
The relational Peace from Jesus enables His peace to be in us, to be our peace and our ruler, that we may live well in peace, with good judgment to make all the right decisions and achieve good success for our lives and loved ones and extend those in need.

Lim Liat (c) 16 Dec 2017

Learning from What is Said & Not Said - The Magi in Jesus Birth & the Message

When reading an article, we not only have the get the facts right but also get the right interpretation to really benefit from it. We take an example from the birth of Christ about the magi from the East to illustrate.

An article like this one Christmas Timeline of the Biblical Account shows us how poorly our reading of the Bible is. It clarified many misunderstandings we have about the Christmas story such as:

1. How many magi/wise men/kings from the East came to worship Jesus?
   Not three. But at least two and maybe more than 3. It was not stated in the Bible.
2. How old was Jesus when they saw him? Not a baby. But around 1+ years old. 
3. Was Jesus born in a stable? etc.

Let's go deeper into the interpretation.

Matthew 2:11 

And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The Facts:

1. They - so there should be at least 2 and likely more but the exact number is not stated.
2. the 'Child' - Jesus was not a baby at this time.
3. the 'Gifts' - gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Interpretations:

The number of wise men was not stated but the specifics of the gifts were. It shows that the author wanted his readers to pay more attention to the different types of gifts rather than be curious about the number of wise men. Our understanding of the gifts is more important than the number of people, or, the attributes are more important than the number. The wise men and their gifts are important to our understanding.

The wise men --- from afar, took them many months to find Jesus, showing they came from far away. Then they were wise - people who seek and have an understanding of the coming events and then prepare for them. A wise person will try to understand and plan for the future but do not worry. In Matthew 6, Jesus told us not to worry but did not tell us not to plan; because in Luke 14:28 Jesus told us to count the cost to see if we have enough money to complete the building first. It was re-emphasized again in Luke 14:31 to estimate whether we could win a war against a larger enemy. 

The good news of Jesus' birth is to be shared far and wide. People from all over the world will want to receive this good news of Jesus' birth. There is a reference to Isaiah 60:6  A multitude of camels shall cover you,  the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

The gifts:

A quick check of some commentaries will give us the following interpretations:

1. Gold - represents the King. Jesus was the King of Jews whom the wise men came to seek.
2. Frankincense - the ingredient for incense to give out the fragrance, showing Jesus as Priest and Jesus himself even as the sacrifice, the frankincense itself, to be offered and burnt up for us to God.
3. Myrrh - the ingredient to preserve a dead body. It has a meaning of bitterness. It represents the suffering Son of Man.

So we can see that the gifts are a foretelling of the mission of Jesus, as King to be a fragrance sacrifice to God for the atonement of men's sins so that men may be reconciled with God through Jesus. The gospel of salvation is about making dead men alive to be children of God through Jesus.

So, the number of wise men is not the issue. The meaning of the gifts is the main theme. It is the story of the life of Jesus - as King but offered as the incense to make dead men alive in Him.

Lim Liat (c) 3 Dec 2017

What is faith? How is faith related to hope?

Faith never gives up in face of obstacle but find ways to fulfill its hope.

What is faith? How is faith related to hope?

I have been troubled by this:

Mat 15:26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Mat 15:27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” 
Mat 15:28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Most of us will think that Jesus was being nasty to the woman. But it is a story to show the meaning of faith.

Faith never gives up in face of obstacle but find ways to fulfill its hope.

Jesus was leading and triggering the woman's faith to break the normal norms of blessings to the Jews first.

Have you given up lately because of some objections or obstacles? 
Keep the goal but find new ways to achieve it.

Now can we see the meaning of this famous quote of Hebrew 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

Faith insists that the Hope is realized!

Lim Liat (c) 30 Nov 17

Word Alone is Insufficient - The Process of Faith

Believers today had the Word of God, but many are just like the Old Testament people, they are not fruitful. How come? Because they believe not and obey not the Word. So having the Word alone is insufficient. There need complete it with the process of faith.

The Old Testament gave us some very sad stories of unbelief, disobedience, idolatry, rebellion, and destructions. They had the Law of God. They even had God's prophets. But the outcomes were not pleasing to God. They clearly show that God's Word alone is insufficient. They are other important things that must be tied in with the Word of God. What are these?

Let take one successful example of Joshua and his people that entered, conquered, and inherited the promised land. The instructions for victory and success are clearly given by God at the very start. The key verses are:

• Joshua 1:8-9 (NKJV)
  8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The key words are:

1. The Word - this Book of Law
2. Read and Speak the Word.
3. Meditate on it all the time.
4. Obey - do according to the Word.
5. Outcome - Success over a period of obeying in action.
6. A reminder - to courageous to do and obey the Word.

A mind-map incorporate the parable of the Sower are shown below:

The key to success and victory is to complete the Word with the act of faith. The hearing of the Word is just received in the mind. It must be meditated on day and night for it to enter into our heart as faith. The desire of the heart, enriched by the Word, will cause to want to act on it. Acting on the received Word is called obedience. It is the expression of our faith. Acted faith will bring forth the good success of increase and abundance and our own growth in faith.

Lim Liat (c) 12 Nov 2017

How do you know which Religions or Worldviews is the right one?

Which one is right is only possible when we have a set of tests to discover and validate them. We look at the worldview test proposed by Ravi Zacharias.

People may ask you, "With so many religions in the world, how do you know yours is the right one?",  "How do you know there is a God?" etc. The famous Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias asked us to define our worldview and gave us some tests to validate them. Here is a mind-map that captures his various posts on this worldview topic.

The mind-map on Worldview and its validation:



The references:

1. ASK Group Leader Introduction | RZIM
2. Think Again – Deep Questions | RZIM
3. How Should We Analyze a Worldview?

Now is your turn to fill in the answers and validate them to find out.

Lim Liat (c) 5 Nov 2017

The Secret of Effective Prayers and How God Answer Prayer

The Lord's prayer gives us the guidelines and the sequence for praying effective prayers. A key point not usually highlighted is God answers our prayer according to the decisions of the spiritual court of heaven where the devil, the accuser, is blocking and attacking our prayers. Knowing the promises and the work done by Christ for us becomes our foundations and faith for our prayers in the Courts of Heaven.

Bible Reference: Matthew 6:5-15

The Template for Our Prayers - The Lord's Prayer
For a detailed discussion on the Lord's Prayer, please read The Right Way to Pray Effectively from the Lord's Prayer and An In-depth View of The Lord's Prayer - Learning from Tim Keller.  The template is summarized as follows:

1.  Pray to our Heavenly Father based on the father-child relationship.
2.  Worship and Praise the Father first.
3.  Discover the Will of God - read the Bible and listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit for this specific moment and issue.
4.  Present Our Requests - Our daily needs and the empowerment of authority and resources to accomplish His will for us and through us.
5.  Intercession for others. Empathize and take on the positions of the people we are praying for. Confessions of their sins if applicable as if we are the sinners. See Daniel's example.
6.  Spiritual Warfare - Yield not to temptations, delivered from evil, and overcome evil with love. Know the operation of the Courts of Heaven.
7.  Giving Thanks and Praise to God for His power and glory that all will be answered to glorify God.

The Courts of Heaven

Consider the 2 verses following the Lord's prayer that Jesus specifically pointed out for our attention:

Matthew 5:14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

For those of us who are in the healing ministry, we encountered many cases of healing happening when the sick person chose to forgive those that hurt them. If they could not, we asked them to ask Jesus to enable them to forgive. Healing comes after forgiveness. We can then understand these two verses better. Even though forgiveness is given to us when we accept Christ as our Savior, the spiritual blessings could be withheld if we don't follow the teachings of the Bible, the rules of the heavenly courts. God is the righteous Judge and God cannot violate his own rules. We need to act on the Word of God to receive the blessings and promises from His Word.

These two verses also link us back to 6:13 "Deliver us from the evil one". The best protection is to stay and act within the boundary of God's Word.

In the book of Job, we can see such a Court in operation when the devil must have the approval of God to harm Job.

To know more about the Courts of Heaven, please see The Courts of Heaven | Cornerstone Community Church and Principles for the Courtroom of Heaven.


Lim Liat (c) 24 Oct 2017

See also:

• How to Pray and See the Result - A mind-map Abstra...

Does Grace free us from the consequences of sins? Jeremiah 7 in Modern Times

Grace is given to us freely through Jesus on our request to empower us to live the life we should. But some have mistakenly considered grace as forgiveness of our sins and abuse it as the license to sin, sinning without the penalty.  That could not be so as we can see how God would treat His people in the time of Jeremiah where they have the His Temple with them. God changes not and in the New Testament, we have Hebrew 12:6 "the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son".

In the time of Jeremiah, there was the Temple of God, showing God's acceptance of the people.

The people proudly proclaimed the power of their God (Jer 7:4)

• Jer 7:4  Don't trust deceptive words like these, and say, 'The Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD,' 

and made sacrifices there too (Jer 7:21-23).

• Jer 7:21-23  This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat the meat. Indeed, when I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I didn't speak or command them about burnt offering and sacrifice, 23  but I did give them this command: Obey me and I'll be your God, and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you so it will go well for you. 

But at the same time, they continued to do evil in the sight of God, trusting their temple and their sacrifices to save them(7v9-10).

• Jer 7:9  Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear by false gods, burn incense to Baal, follow other gods that you don't know, 10  and then come to stand before me in this house that is called by my name and say, 'We're delivered' so we can continue to do all these things that are repugnant to God? 

But God through Jeremiah warned them to change or else He would destroy them including His Temple(7v14).

• Jer 7:14  Just as I did to Shiloh, I'll go to the house in which you trust and which is called by my name, the place that I gave to you and your ancestors. 

But if they only repent, He would let them stay (7v3,5).

• Jer 7:3  This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: "Change your ways and your deeds, and I'll let you live in this place. 
• Jer 7:5  but rather, truly change your ways and your deeds. If you truly practice justice between each person and his neighbor, 

Even so, God will be merciful and give us many chances to repent (7v13).

• Jer 7:13  Now, because you have done all these things," declares the LORD, "I spoke to you over and over again, but you didn't listen. I called to you, but you didn't answer. 

However, there will be a time where it would be too late. Hence, wake up and change our way now.

Replace the word "temple" with "grace" and read Jeremiah 7 again. As they trusted in the Temple as we do with Grace today, we are to heed the warning of God. The consequences of our sins, the discipline of our Lord, are to awaken us to the evilness and the harms, to ourselves and to those related to us, of our sins.  If God just removes the consequences of our sins, we will have a distorted view of life, of right and wrong, and we would not be able to live rightly and realistically. We are not loved but spoiled, to become like a devil!

Repent and seek the Lord for the true grace that empowers us to live the life that we should.

See also:

•  The Secret of Effective Prayers and How God Answer Prayer on The Courts of Heaven
• "Grace is Unmerited Favor" - This Common Definition is wrong.

Lim Liat (c) 16-9-17