Mark 9, Luke 9: 28 - 62, Matthew 17 (21st October) - Vivien

As you read the passages accounted by 3 authors of the Gospel, it will be interesting to know their background which led to their writing style.

We first read from Mark. He was Barnabas’ cousin (Col 4:10). Lifting from my student Bible, he was referred warmly as a son by Apostle Peter (1 Pet 5:13). He accompanied Peter to Rome, where Peter helped him write the Gospel account that bears Mark’s name.
Mark is the shortest Gospel. His emphasis is on what Jesus did, rather than what Jesus said.

Next, Luke was known as a physician and companion of Apostle Paul (Col 4:14). He was highly educated person. He did investigations and conducted interviews with eyewitnesses. Therefore it is one of the more thorough and detailed Gospel. He backdated his account from the birth of John the Baptist!

Finally, Matthew was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples who was the tax collector. According to my Student Bible, the arrangement of the Gospel of Matthew reflected his occupation as a tax collector - systematic, ledger-sheet thinking. He doesn’t tell Jesus’ story chronologically; he groups facts topically. Also, his account included events after the resurrection. [Gospel of John also has an intimate account of events that occurred after the resurrection, as he is one of Jesus’ Twelve]

So we can see that God has arranged it in a way that 4 persons from 2 different time periods and closeness with Jesus would write about the Gospel in different styles for different audiences. Here we see the cooperation of 4 gospels to form a complete Gospel!

Mark 9: 2 – 13; Luke 9:28-36; Matthew 17:1 – 13
The Transfiguration
Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain to pray. Then He transfigured right before their eyes. Moses and Elijah appeared. Jesus has an inner circle of disciples among the twelve, namely the 3 mentioned earlier. When we are so close to God, He will reveal an intimate part of Himself to us. Be part of the inner circle! As written in James 4:8, Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you! =)

Mark 9:14 - 32; Luke 9: 37 – 45; Matthew 17: 14 – 19, 22 – 23
The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matt 17:19-20

Have you ever question God, why can this person can perform such miracle or manifestation, why can’t I? I’ve asked that before, then I would think to myself, oh man…my prayer today got no power… Sometimes we can fall into the trap of self-glorification. Our source of faith must be correct in the first place. I always find that the most powerful prayer that I’ve said is always when I humble myself before God and know that without Him, I am nothing. When our focus is right, with the faith as small as a mustard seed, it can move mountain already!

Matt 17:24 – 27
The Temple Tax
This is unique to Matthew, as he was a tax collector, so he is knowledgeable in this aspect and also money matters.

It doesn’t make sense for Jesus to pay tax, since it was for the temple.
However, as a layman Peter would naturally think that the right thing to do was to pay tax, and Jesus will definitely do the right thing, so he answered on behalf of Jesus.

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?"

However, Jesus chose to take the humble route and chose not to offend them. But He still had the aura of God. He got the money from a fish that Peter was told to catch, and He also provided for Peter’s share! Jesus is really the coolest guy on earth!

Mark 9:33 - 40; Luke 9: 46 - 48
Who will be the Greatest?
There are many paradoxes in Christianity. This is one of them. Want to be the greatest? Then be a servant! Humility is the key to been the greatest, because this prevent you from being an arrogant person. It helps us to focus others rather than ourselves.

Mark 9: 38 – 41; Luke 9:49 - 50
Whoever is Not Against Us is For Us
I don’t think this is much of a problem for us in this era. In fact we are happier that more people are doing the right thing in the name of Jesus. But I think we can apply it on other context. Especially when we identify each other in groups and cliques. We shouldn’t allow such exclusivity be a barrier to our relationship with other Christians, because we are but ONE BODY OF CHRIST.

Mark 9: 42 – 50
Causing to Sin
Jesus viewed stumbling blocks very seriously. If any part of our body causes us to sin, cut it off and throw it into hell! Wah… Serious… Be careful that we don’t be a stumbling block to others. Be at peace with each other.

Luke 9:51 – 56
Samaritan Opposition
Jesus and disciples were not welcomed in a Samaritan village, and John and James actually asked Jesus if He wanted them to call fire down! John was known as “Son of Thunder” and we can see why from here. But that also showed the faith that he had! I guess that’s why even though John wasn’t the best-tempered person, but was chosen to be in the in-group of Jesus. Of course, Jesus rebuked them.

Luke 6: 57 – 62
The Cost of Following Jesus
It seems like a high price. Basically it about being obedient towards God and putting Him first in our lives. Dying to oneself. Can you do it? Not easy, but possible. It’s a matter of your heart condition.

Mark 8, Luke 9, Matthew 16 (20th October) - Li Juan

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
Just like how Jesus was able to multiply 2 loaves of bread and 5 fishes to feed the 5000, He too was able to multiply 7 loaves of bread and a few small fishes to feed the 4000. Jesus had compassion on them; the people who had been following Him for the past three days and were hungry. God will provide if you follow Him. It is amazing how God can provide in ways so miraculous and against the logical mind.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
Like how Jesus warned His disciples to guard themselves against the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, we too need to guard ourselves against any influences of the world; any teachings/acts/social norms which are against the biblical truth. We can be blinded by a seeming ‘truth’ as it is so common in our society nowadays. Yet, it can be unlawful in the sight of God. Today, return to the bible again. Is there anything you are doing which is not pleasing in God’s sight?

Peter’s Confession of Christ and Jesus Predicts His Death
For anyone to say “Yes I believe in Jesus Christ”, he must deny himself; recognize that he belongs to the kingdom of God and not to himself. His body is not his own but God’s, his whole being belongs to God and it is by His grace that we can ever exist in this world with all that we have. He must take up the cross; embracing the truth of the Son being sacrificed on the cross just so that we can live. Come back to the feet of the cross again to remember how we can have eternal life, because of the cross. Follow Jesus; follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the laws/principles in the bible. NEVER continue a sinful life because you see how hurt Jesus is, and repent of the sins before it’s too late.

Mark 7, Matthew 15 (19th October) - Vivien

Mark 7: 1 - 23 & Matthew 15:1 - 20
Clean and Unclean
The Pharisees and some teachers caught Jesus’ disciples not washing their hands ceremonially before eating, and accused them of breaking the tradition of the elders. In the Old Testament, washing was mentioned as a symbol of cleansing and innocence.

GOD spoke to Moses: "Make a bronze Washbasin; make it with a bronze base. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar. Put water in it. Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet in it. When they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the Altar to serve there or offer gift offerings to GOD, they are to wash so they will not die. They are to wash their hands and their feet so they will not die. This is the rule forever, for Aaron and his sons down through the generations." Exodus 30:19

And all the elders of that city who are next unto the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley. And they shall answer and say, `Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Be merciful, O LORD, unto Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto Thy people of Israel's charge.' And the blood shall be forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD. Deuteronomy 21:6-9

This is an outward expression of an inward intention. It is not really the literal washing that made the priests pure and holy, but the knowledge that they are imperfect and needed to be clean by God by confessing their sins, and so the washing served as a symbolic act and a reminder.

Also, washing was mentioned for hygiene purpose.

However the Pharisees have made these symbolic act not symbolic anymore. It became a tradition, a ritual. So that’s why Jesus rebuked them, calling them as hypocrites. Their hearts were not right. They had totally missed the point of ceremonial washing.

Jesus then illustrated that it was not the food that was fed by a dirty hand that cause a person to be unclean. And Jesus stated clearly that nothing outside could make a person unclean by going into him. But what comes out of the man that makes him unclean. And then Jesus actually declared that all foods are clean! Hallelujah! This is why the worst sinner that you can think of can be clean overnight. All it takes is a decision to accept Christ as his Saviour and King.

Vivien Hibbert mentioned this: "In every worship, there should be a change in the people, if not they are just merely singing songs."

Ask yourself these questions; have worshiping during service become a tradition for you? Is there any different emotionally and spiritually every time you worship God with songs?

Don’t let any worship time be a sing-along session for you. If not it will be meaningless.

Mark 7:24 – 30 & Matthew 15: 21 - 28
The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman
It is advisable to read the 2 accounts for better understanding. It took me quite a while to digest them. I was kind of taken aback why was dog used as an analogy of the woman. But I guess it is a cultural and time difference. But that wasn’t the main point.

Let’s focus on Jesus first. You’ll get a better picture reading Matthew’s version. The first lesson to learn from Jesus is prioritising. Jesus was very focused, and He prioritised that the people of Israel should be first is the line. The second lesson to be learnt is be flexible and merciful. Jesus wasn’t rigid; He made room for those who desperately needed Him.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8

By the way, we are all God’s favourite and priority, and this is only possible for God to do it, because He is God! Why did Jesus need to prioritise then? I believe He is capable to pay equal attention to everybody. But being in human form, He has chosen to limit Himself to the capability of a man to lead by example how man should behave. So don’t think that there is a line for you to queue up, God is always available for us.

Let’s switch our focus to the woman now. 2 lessons to pick up too. First, be desperate. Reading James 4:8 again… “Come near to God and he will come near to you”
Second, be humble. Look at the way she replied to Jesus! She knew that she wasn’t at the top of the priority list, she also knew that Jesus is compassionate and merciful! It was her faith and humility that had saved her daughter. Know who God is, then you will know that there are many blessings that we can ask of God, because He is a God who love us.

Mark 7:31 – 37
The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man
As Jesus continued His ministry, a group of men brought Jesus a man who was deaf and mute. Jesus brought him away from the crowd and healed him. Then Jesus told him not to tell people about it. But it spread to many people.

Matthew 15: 29 – 39
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
Jesus has did it once again! It is not about how much resource we have. It is about the Source. It doesn’t really matter if we have 5 or 7 loaves, 2 fish or a few fish. The point is that we allow God to be glorified through our limited resources, so that layman can see how amazing God is.

John 6 (18th October) - Li Juan

With just 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish, Jesus was able to feed 5000 people with them. Jesus was able to walk on water, to the boat his disciples were on. These show how miraculous our God is.

Jesus is the Bread of Life, and whoever believes in him will have eternal life. We do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life; and that is to believe in Jesus. For us believers, we can still check our hearts today. Repeating the sinner’s prayer for umpteen times every Sunday, do we truly mean what we say in our hearts? Or were we merely repeating after the pastor? Thank God for Jesus, mean it with all your heart.

Mark 6, Luke 9: 1 - 17, Mathew 14 (17th October) - Sylvia

John the Baptist Beheaded

John's time had come. He was jailed for standing up to his values and not being afraid of it and killed because of a king's pride.

Isn't it a shame when sometimes we sin or go the wrong way simply because we don't want to lose face or due to peer pressure?
Don't be afraid to stick to your values and not go the ways of the world. Set an example for the other younger believers in faith.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Even when Jesus was mourning for the loss of John, He still remembered the needy and had compassion on them to heal the sick. As He spoke to the crowds, it got late and everyone was hungry in an ulu place where shops were closed.

Thank God for the miracle Jesus performed. Feeding the thousands with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Awesome!

Jesus Walks on the Water

Jesus walks on the water and ended up beig mistaken for a ghost by his own disciples. As He invited Peter to join Him, initially Peter was able to walk on the water. However, facing a distraction, He lost faith and began to sink.

Often, we enter into things with such huge faith but our faith level gradually comes down as we meet with obstacles or distractions etc. Look to the Lord in all that we do such that we do not need to fear anymore.

Matthew 9 - 10 (16th October) - Sylvia

Matthew 9

Jesus heals a Paralytic

Jesus continues to heal the sick and gets so many criticisms from the Pharisees. They claim to know the law - they teach it. Yet the Pharisees do not believe in the Son of God and do not have an intimate relationship with God.

The Calling of Matthew

Jesus saw Matthew and told him to follow Him. That was how Matthew became one of his 12. He was willing and obedient to follow in Jesus's footsteps.

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

Jesus is so compassionate and merciful that He wants to save the sinners so that they may have eternal life.

Jesus questioned about fasting

15 Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

There is a time to fast. e.g.: We fast when we have something urgent to seek God or when we have to make important decisions when at crossroads of our lives.

A Dead Girl and a sick woman

The woman who had been bleeding had the faith that just by touching something that belonged to Jesus, she would be healed. It was her faith that healed her. How many times have we been disappointed or didn't receive healing due to our lack of faith?

v23-25 When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

Jesus had to call for the crowd to be put outside as they were a distraction and were being negative which may shake the ruler's faith. The crowds symbolises obstacles or sin that i spreventing us from being healed. So in order for healing to take place, we need to focus on Jesus and remove unsightly/unholy things from our lives.

Jesus heals the Blind and mute

Jesus continues to heal the sick and needy, yet the Pharisees are so disbelieving that they went to the extent of calling Jesus the prince of demons who has the authority to command his demons.

We must stand up for our faith whenever people make fun or speak against our God.

The Workers are few.

37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

This passage is a call for us to rise up and outreach to people. It starts with a small gesture of love even before evangelising. There are so many people out there who have yet to hear of Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, lets be shining stars for Jesus, to magnify God's glory and love through our lives.

Matthew 10

Jesus sends out his 12, giving them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness by His name. So healing and chasing demons is not limited to just Jesus, because by His name, we can anything. But don't anyhow do it or else we may end up being spiritually attacked if our faith is not strong.

Jesus gives His disciples words of wisdom to guide them as they go round blessing people. He even warns them that they may face persecution for what they are doing but as long as they stand firm to their faith , they will receive their due rewards..

37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

40"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Lesson to learn: Love God among all things and surrending ourselves to Him, trusting that He will help us lead our lives in a manner pleasing to Him and not us going our own way.
Loving the needy and our fellow christian brothers and sisters.

Mark 4 - 5, Matthew 8: 14 - 34 (15th October) - Junming

Mark 4-5

The parable of the sower - The four kinds of soil

1.Footpath
This talks about hard-hearted people. When God's word is sown, Satan immediately comes and take it away.

2.Rocky place
People who receive God's word but have shallow foundation, and they fall away immediately when trials come.

3.Thorny ground
People who are choked by too many issues concerning their lives, and as a result become unfruitful.

4.Good soil
People who receive God's word, accept it, and produce a crop. Multiplication

I believe many of us fall in the 3rd group. While we all love God, there are just too many distractions around us. Studies, work, hobbies, relationships.. Reflect on them. Is God glorified through them? Or is God at the backseat? Prioritise.

A lamp on a stand
Looking at it in the context of the previous parable, Jesus is the lamp. So when he comes into our lives, where do we put him? People in the 3rd group would be the ones to put him under the bed. Yes, Jesus is still in the room, but His light does not shine and brighten your room.

People in group 4 would put him on a stand, so that his light fills the room, such that even people from far away can see the bright and lighted room. God's word is meant to be disclosed to the world. And whoever works towards it will get his reward and more=) But whoever does not, what you have will be taken from you. Looks like there's only one choice no?

The parable of the growing seed
This parable talks about the mysterious power of the seed to grow by itself. Yes, it sprouts then it germinates, or vice-versa then it somehow grows. I didnt ace my biology. Hated it. But God created all those processes. There lies the similarity to His kingdom. Once sowed, it grows, as long as we water it. Then we harvest it when it is ripe. Those who wants to draw close to God but you just don't know how, start with getting close to His word. Commit yourself to reading and talking to Him. The seed will grow. Mysteriously.

The parable of the mustard seed
Everything starts small. But God will make a small seed grow into a huge tree, where it will provide shade and rest for your cat, the squirrels, some bats, many kinds of insects and soldiers training under a hot sun. If God has put something into your heart, do not think that a small step forward is insignificant. The first step is always the toughest, but with God, He's going to carry you the rest of the journey till you see fruits. And the creatures taking shade under you.

Jesus calming the storm
Reminds me of the verse Exo 14:14. ''The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.''
Jesus can calm any storms that you are going through. Just give them up to God.

The death of 2000 pigs
I always like this story. I see the funny side of how 2000 pigs just rushed themselves off a cliff into a river. Those who watched Ice Age, it reminds me of the Dodo birds. Ha. But Jesus drove out a legion of very powerful demons and probably tricked them into killing themselves. The villagers who saw it were probably fearful. A powerful man was in their midst, and he might kill the rest of the pigs in their land. So they plead with him to leave. If only they knew who he was. And the person who had been demon-possessed was instructed to tell of God's goodness back home, which he did. Those of us with unsaved families, please check your own behaviour at home. It is God's intention to save your family through you.

A dead girl and a sick woman
Jesus heals! By faith, claim his healing powers.

Matt 8:14-34

The passages are similar except for one which was not recorded in Mark

The cost of following Jesus
Reminds me of the parable of the sower. Those of us who truly want to follow Jesus, check your priorities. Everything else we do is for the glory of God. We cannot serve 2 masters. Nor can we serve 284352.93 masters, as some of us are doing. Do not crowd Jesus out with all the other commitments we have. Pick your commitments wisely.

Luke 8, Matthew 13 (14th October) - Li Juan

The Parable of the Sower
There’re 4 analogies made here, which is you? The environment in which the 4 types of seeds fell at is similar to the conditions of your heart. Tell yourself today that you want to be the seed which fell on good soil, hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop, yielding a hundred times what was sown.

Perseverance is the key to see God’s promises coming to pass, God’s work completed. With the mere 2 months left in 2007, will u persevere; at the same time put that little faith in God, trusting that any unfulfilled goals are still possible to be reached?

The Parable of the Weeds
Though being sown on good soil, the evil one would have come along the way to plant some weeds (worries, deceitfulness of wealth etc) in our paths, disturbing our growth. We must be careful not to let these weeds choke us and make us unfruitful. They will eventually be pulled out by God’s angels, burnt and destroyed. Today, check your heart. Has it be overwhelmed by the things of the world which crept in so unknowingly that you weren’t even aware of? Rid those weeds.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
Are you willing to lay down all that you have to enter into the kingdom of God? It is equivalent to what was mentioned earlier, it can be your wealth, or a habit or lifestyle, or something dear to you, but it is unpleasing in the sight of God. Are you able to exchange it for the entry pass into heaven?

The Parable of the Net
The good fishes will be separated from the bad fishes. The faithful will be separated from the unfaithful. The obedient will be separated from the disobedient.

Also, from Luke 8:26-56, it accounted how Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, casted out the demons in several places. And in Matthew 13:58, it is written “he did not do many miracles there (Jesus’ hometown) because of their lack of faith.”

Are you asking for a miracle? Exercise the mustard seed-like faith and trust God.

Luke 11, Matthew 12: 22 - 50 (13th October) - Junming

Disciple: ''Lord, teach us how to pray.''
Jesus: "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.''

This is the ''model'' prayer, something singaporean students would love. A formula to memorise and to ace in. Jesus loves Singapore=)

But of course, Jesus is teaching us that when we pray, we give glory and praise to God, then ask for God to fill us, forgive our sins (but first we forgive others for theirs) and to keep us from temptations. I believe most of us know this. THEN verse 5 begins with the word(or discourse marker), ''then''. So the passage from verse 5 till verse 8, and even from verse 9 till 13, are all in response to the disciple's request to Jesus to teach them how to pray. So not only do we pray the above items when we pray, but there're more to ask of God.

From verse 5 till 8, God tells us to ask out of boldness, and because you are bold, you will be given. Note, in verse 6, the person who asks is asking for bread not for himself, but for his friend who has come to visit. The bold guy wasnt seeking to bless himself and to meet his own needs, but the needs of others. And because of his boldness, God will bless him.

We all know ''ask and it'll be given, seek and you'll find, knock and the door will be opened''. But in the context of the previous passage, God reminds us. Ask BOLDLY and it'll be given, seek BOLDLY and you will find, knock BOLDLY and the door will open. Be bold! Unfulfilled goals for year 2007? Ask big now!

That said, if there were times that you asked boldly and it wasnt given, you sought but couldn't find and when you knocked, either the door didnt open or it opened into your face, check your heart. Do we ask for ourselves to be blessed or for ourselves to be a channel of blessing?

Well, yes, if we ask for ourselves to be blessed, God loves you, he does bless us with the things that we want, as is mentioned in verses 11-13. But if we keep doing that, then it becomes greed. We store up treasures in our earthly homes and grow fat.

Or maybe it's just the right thing, but at the wrong time.

Between verse 14-26, Jesus talked about driving out demons. Jesus is indeed stronger than all demons and even Satan himself. If everything in your life is going wrong, there is still hope in Jesus=) But the important thing that God reminds us is that after we repent or are cleaned, continue to keep Jesus in your heart. Do not let your guard down, for Satan and his devils can come back again even more strongly.

The rest of the chapter talks about the sign of Jonah, where Jesus prophesied to the hard-hearted Pharisees about his resurrection. They are blind to the light that they are already seeing. God says that we don't need a sign from God. God is always here with us. We need good eyes to see Him working around us. Soften your heart.

Then Jesus gave 6 woes. Can you imagine Jesus woeing you? Not woo. Woe. That's pretty depressing. But yes, if your heart is stubborn, then uh.. woe to you. But you can repent. Woo.

Matt12:22-50
Essentially similar to the passage in Luke. Note verses 33-37 though. A good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit. Watch your heart and watch the words that you say. It might not even be vulgarities. It might be jokes that go too far, comments that are insensitive. ''For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.''

Matthew 11 (12th October) - Sky

In this chapter we see the first official “conversation” of Jesus and John.

As John was suffering unjustly in prison, it’s no surprise that he sought answers from Jesus. Jesus answer was intended to give reassurance: the miracles he performed gave evidence he was indeed the one who is to come.

Strangely Jesus quoted, those leave in the kingdom of heaven will be greater than John. Jesus affirmed bother the greatness of John the Baptist and the greater privileges kingdom citizens enjoy. Great as he was, John served only as a forerunner who announced that the kingdom was near. Under Christ’s new covenant, we enjoy the fullest benefits of kingdom life.

Later in the chapter we see Jesus denouncing the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed. Their hearts were still heavy.

As chapter 11 ends with rest for the weary, we always come back to the truth that we have to rely on HIM. For HE yearns it and it’s for our own good. As his woke is easy and burden is light.

Luke 7, Matthew 8: 1 - 13 (11th October) - Sylvia

The Faith of the Centurion

This master had a heart of mercy for his servant that he sent people to look for Jesus to heal his servant. Not long after Jesus was making His way to see him, the centurion sent word that Jesus had only need to give a word to heal his servant, and not take the trouble to travel.

Such great was his faith that Jesus did not have to lay his hands upon the servant and pray or anything. The Centurion simply believed that Jesus had such great power and could perform long-distance miracles!

Remarkable lesson to learn: Its our level of faith that determines how far we would be able to go

Jesus Raises a Widow's Son

Jesus had a heart of compassion for a widow. Imagine how heartbreaking it is to lose your husband and next lose your son. Jesus emphatised. Thus He brought the dead man back to life and he and his mother were reunited.

Jesus and John the Baptist

John hears about Jesus and wants to know if He is the Messiah. Jesus speaks to the crowd about the good works that John has done. John is a prophet who prepared the way for Jesus. He is a super devoted man of God who doesn't eat bread or drink wine.

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

Jesus teaches an important lesson - not to look down nor judge a person who willingly comes to the feet of Jesus, laying down her pride to wash his feet with her hair, splurging on perfume (we can guess how expensive they were those days)

47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

We are no worst then a sinner would it not be for God's love thus sending Jesus to save our sins. Dear Family, shall we learn how to forgive others that we may be forgiven?

Matthew 5 - 7 (10th October) - Ivy

Matthew 5

Beautitudes
Picture this: Loads of people are following Jesus wherever He preaches. Man and woman. Young and old. Amongst them maybe the broken hearted or despised. And Jesus begun teaching by saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit! What a great line opener! What? Say again? Blessed are the poor in spirit? Me? And Jesus continues’ ‘For theirs is the kingdom of heaven!’ Wow!! Can you imagine how many souls were comforted by the word of Jesus that day? How many hearts were healed because of His preaching? Jesus ended with: Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
God always comforts the poor. Let us be reminded to always bless the poor yeh?

Salt and Light – NACl &
Let us take a look at some meanings of salt:– noun
1. a crystalline compound, sodium chloride, NaCl, occurring as a mineral, a constituent of seawater, etc., and used for seasoning food, as a preservative, etc.
2. an element that gives liveliness, piquancy, or pungency:
3. to cure, preserve, or treat with salt.

Light:
1. an illuminating agent or source
2. the radiance or illumination from a particular sourceI got these meaning on dictionary.com.

Therefore! What? You and I are called to be PRESERVATIVES and be the element that gives LIVELINESS and PUNGENCY! To CURE AND PRESERVE!! We are PRESERVATIVES of the truth of the Gospel! Not forgetting being that illuminating agent to lead the way for the lost! Don’t play play ah!

The Fulfillment of the Law
Jesus made it very clear to the people who are debating over his preachings. Some may find it controversial or contradicting. But Jesus made it very clear here that He came to fulfill them! He loves and forgives, but that does not mean that the people are free from the 10 commandments!
Then Jesus goes on to talk about Murder, divorce, oaths, eye for an eye, love for our enemies.
Is there any reconciliation you need to do? Have you broken a promise before God? Is there someone you wronged? Is God prompting you to love an ENEMY? Obey the word of God and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Ivy10:10 God will bless those who eats the humble pie.

Matthew 6
Giving to the Needy
I wonder if you were in the era where you had to raise funds using the Charity Elephant envelope. Did you ever boast to your friends how much you rose? I think I did. But God tells us here to do the acts of righteousness not openly and publicly so that people will praise us. Perhaps you are required to fulfill certain hours of community service.

Reflect: Do you do it out of compassion? Or just to get it over and done just to get your points? Let’s bless the needy from the bottom of our hearts and not intentions.

Prayer
Have you ever marveled at some very long and seem to be very chim prayers? Need no marvel. Even if your prayer is simple, God will honor because it is from your heart. Jesus also reminds us that we need to forgive others in our daily prayers. I believe there are bound to be people who get on our nerves from time to time? But God reminds us that we need to forgive ours just as how he forgives us.

Fasting
I noticed prayer and fasting almost always comes together. Prayer coupled with fasting puts us in a humble position to seek God’s hands upon a situation.

Let’s see Ezra8:21-23
There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

But what was the attitude behind the fasting and prayer? Humbleness. Do you have a situation you are praying for? You may want to fast and petition to God and HE WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYER!!! This is God’s promise!! Woohooo!

Treasures in Heaven
Where is your heart today? What has it set upon? Korean drama? Clubbing this weekend? That new dress at Far East or Takashimaya?? New PS?? What does the word of God say?
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Are these worthy to be your treasures? Time to set your heart on treasures that will not fade away! We cannot serve 2 masters. Where have your heart been? Who are you serving today? Wholeheartedly?

Do Not Worry
Tell me! Who don’t worry? How not to worry? But God is right also! ‘Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?’
How much can we achieve by freaking out and worrying? Why not PRAY! Praying will get you a higher chance of having your prayers answered but worrying…. Well eats into you and decays your soul. Not worth it. So better pray. Then what is God’s promise? ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’

What are you worrying about today? I believe this not only relates to finances. It maybe your career path, studies or family situation? But God promised: Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness and all that you worry about and all that you pray for, WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU! Let’s thank God now!

Judging Others
Yes yes, do not judge we all know. But how not to judge. Now imagine this. You may comment on this person. Aiyoh cannot make it, how can he XXX. Next time when you do the same act, the same measurement is actually applied to you. However if you are gracious to others, in the same way, others will be gracious to you too. Don’t compare. People are just different and God made them that way.

Ask, Seek, Knock
Everyone loves this verse! Yes! Ask and it shall be given! Seek and you will find! Ask for the wrong things and you will receive! Because the mind wants it! Therefore be careful of what you ask for!! For those of you who have asked, trust the Lord to give it to you. If it is with accordance to His will, surely he will answer! Just ask lah!

The Narrow and Wide Gates
Sometimes the easiest way out may not be the best way in. The difficult way in could be the best way out.

A Tree and Its Fruit
The Tree here is our heavenly father and the fruits are the fruits of the spirit. We all know that we are the child of God. But do we have the fruits of the spirit that God will recognize us?

Galatians 5:21-23 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Wow…the word of God is strict. If we live like ‘this’ we would not inherit the kingdom.
Repent repent!

The Wise and Foolish Builders
Don’t you love the words from Jesus? They are so pictorial and so vivid! So therefore brothers and sisters, what are your building your life’s foundations on? The story of the 3 little pigs. What is your life built upon today?

I pray that you’ll grow deeper in love with Jesus and long for His presence in your life. Continue to build your life’s foundations on things that will not wavier. Which is God’s love.

Mark 3, Luke 6, Matthew 12: 1 - 21 (9th October) - Sylvia

Jesus addresses the issue of Sabbath. When questioned about his healings on the Sabbath which was deemed unlawful, 9Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"

The Messiah's power overrules the olden day laws. Sabbath should not be a time where we totally completely stop what we are doing and ignore the poor and needy. It is after all still doing God's work.

Love for enemies
27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.

We have been reminded of these countless times. Need i say more?

Judging others
37"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven

41"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

It is not for us to judge fellow believers nor non-believers for all will be judged on Judgement Day when Jesus comes back to earth to reign as king. If we judge others, we ourselves will be judged.

A Tree and its Fruit
45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

We are what our heart is. As we have more ugly thoughts, we will become ugly inwardly and outwardly. As our characters are more aligned with Jesus, lo and behold, such a beautiful sight.

so the secret to being beautiful and handsome is to be a godly Christian =p

The Wise and Foolish Builder
48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

We need to get out Christian values and foundations right lest we stumble during tough times.

Jesus and Beelzebub
22And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub[c]! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."

Either the Messiah or the ruler over demons have the power to command the spirits. Rather then believing that Jesus is the Messiah, the Pharisees chose to blasphme and called him Satan

John 5 (8th October) - Sylvia

Jesus healed an invalid out of compassion yet He got persecuted for it simply it was a 'Sabbath' whereby according to the Jews, no work was supposed to be done. They even wanted to kill Him for equalising himself with God.

So Jesus gave them a very chim yet wise explaination:
" 19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.
21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him "

Jesus is so obedient and his intimate relationship with God shows:

"30By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me."

There have been many testimonies about Jesus's great work all around. He doesn't need and won't boast. So humble.

Sabbath is like a breather period for us to set ourselves apart, take time off our busy schedules to rest and wait upon God. It does not mean that we stop outreach altogether. Touching people's lives is an everyday thing that should not stop.

Mark 2 (7th October) - Vivien

Mark 2 – 耶酥, 帥呆了 !
Jesus heals a paralytic

A familiar passage to most of us. After Jesus has returned to Capernaum, the people were excited to hear the Word from Him, and so there was a crowd. There were a group of men who also heard of His coming, and brought a paralytic to Jesus. Due to the crowd, they took an alternative route, which was the rooftop! Can you imagine the amount of effort needed to carry a man to the roof and lowering him to Jesus? Jesus was impressed by their faith and determination and so He healed the paralytic. Was there a time when you are not sure if you can pull through a difficult period in your life, but the people around believe in you and were always supporting you, and encouraging you? Take a moment to thank God for such people that exist in your life.

What happened after that was some teachers of the law were very unhappy about Jesus forgiving sin, but Jesus just shut them off by commanding the paralytic to get up and take up his mat to leave, and immediately he did it. 帥呆了 ! haha… everyone there was amazed!

The calling of Levi

Jesus and his disciples went to Levi’s house for dinner with tax collectors and “sinners”. The Pharisees saw them and commented as if eating with the “sinners” was detestable. And what happened?
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” v17b
The first time I read this passage, I was utterly impressed by Jesus respond! Haha… Cool right?!

Jesus questioned about fasting
John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, but Jesus’ didn’t, and some people questioned why. Without knowing the history and culture, it will be kind of difficult to understand Jesus’ respond. Basically, why they were not fasting was because, God in human form was with them, so there is no need to fast to draw close to Him. They would start to fast when Jesus was taken physically away from them.

Do visit this website for a commentary about it: http://bibletools.org//index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BS/k/740

Lord of the Sabbath
On Sabbath, Jesus went through the grainfields and picked some heads of grain, and the Pharisees were upset, as they have broken the law on Sabbath. Jesus replied using David as reference that the law was made for man, and not the other way around. We are God main subject.

John 2 - 4 (6th Oct) - Weiling

John 2 records the first miracle that Jesus performed. It was the turning of water into wine at a wedding. The wine ran out at the wedding, which was not really a matter of life and death. Jesus also added that “[his] hour has not yet come”. But it shows God cares about even the little things concerning our lives and just the crucial bits. It also shows that Jesus had authority over nature and the natural state of things. What is more, we see that Jesus 很有水准. His wine was not just any average old wine. It was so good that the headwaiter commended the groom for it. So He is not just a utilitarian God who cares only about the bare necessities, who says “enough can already”. Indeed, He is a God of the so much more!

In John 3 we find one of the core verses that every Christian should already know – John 3:16. But the verse that caught my attention in this chapter is verse 17, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him”. Jesus came, not in a position to spot faults and levy punishment. He is not like the inspectors who go around giving “summons” to people who park illegally, nor is he like the driving tester who catches all your mistakes and gives you demerit points. Jesus came in a position seeking to save. He came for the purpose that you and I may be saved. He came in a position of love. He wants to see people saved. Today, ask yourself what your perception of God is. Do you see Him as a loving God who is for you and wants the best for you? Or do you see Him as a forbidding God with a checklist waiting to catch all your mistakes and sins?

An unusual scene unfolds in John 4. A Jew talking to a Samaritan in that time was unheard of. But Jesus did not merely chat with this Samaritan woman. He saw her, for who she is, He knew her past and probably her heart aches. He asked about her husband knowing her dilemma. She had five husbands before (perhaps they passed away) and acknowledged that the man she lived with was not even her husband. And because of that revelation of knowledge from Jesus, (v.29) she believed that Jesus is the Messiah. And because she testified, many Samaritans believed in Jesus too. We see also that when the Samaritans heard for themselves (v. 41, 42), even more of them believed. Therefore, we learn here that we should tell people about the goodness of God in our lives, so that they may hear and believe. But we know that what is even more powerful is when they hear from God themselves and receive a personal touch. We can do this by praying for them, by inviting them to church and also by releasing the word of knowledge or wisdom that God gives you for them!

John 1:15-51, Matt 4, Luke 4-5 ( 5th October) - Crystal

John 1:15-51, Matt 4, Luke 4-5

The first parts of the chapters summarized the event that came after Jesus’ forty days fast. Formed as a man, Jesus was hungry. As satan came and tempt him asking him to turn stones into bread and jumping off the temple, Jesus rebuke satan with the word of God. Whenever we are tempted by satan’s works and voice, be bold to stand up in the name of Jesus. Therefore, we too have to be equipped with the sword of the spirit to be able to withstand and fight off satan.

Through this event, it has also taught us that we should not only be fed with solid food but spiritual food to be able to stay strong. Do not put God into test. Do not worship anything except God alone.

Just like us, Jesus came in human form and was tempted by satan. But he showed himself as an example to all and tells us that we are able to withstand temptation if we choose to walk right with God. Nothing is impossible.

After the fasting period, Jesus took off to his mission to preach the word of God. He went off firstly to be baptized and John recognized him as the messiah, the Son of man. Jesus did not take the chance to show off himself among the crowd but to be baptized just like others.

Jesus went on healing the sick and weak. On his way, he found his disciples, Andrew and Simon (known as Peter). Jesus did a miracle for the fishermen, he bless them with so much fishes that they sink the boats. However, Jesus call on to those who response to him and are willing to give up everything to follow him.

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Are you willing to sacrifice everything in your life now to follow Jesus?

In Luke chapter 5:17-39, there are a few examples that describe the beliefs and the way of lives of the Pharisees. Jesus came to change the way of their thinking and to correct and warn us about how we should live our lives as a true Christians and not the Pharisees. 31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Therefore, we should make Jesus as our example to be people oriented. Not only to the believers, but more importantly to the pre-believers who require guidance and light in their life. The purpose of us being in earth is to spread the word of God, the good news that has given to us. No point waiting to go heaven alone without accomplishing what God has given you. After all, the only thing we can do on earth and can’t in heaven is to spread the word of God.

Mark 1, Luke 3, Matt 3 (4th Oct) - Benjamin

Responding to the call of John, many came forth to confess their sins and were baptized in the Jordan River. In Matt 3, we see that judgment is upon those who live in denial that they think they are the children of God and can live the way they prefer. (Matt 3:8-10)

Sometimes we may become complacent of our positions in life, our achievements that we have made thus far and live in a way that does not honor what the Lord has blessed us with. However, it is said that if we do not ‘produce good fruit’, we will be cut down and thrown into fire to die. Dying in flames is definitely a painful experience, thus to prevent such a painful punishment to be upon us, we have to live as we are called to.

John was able to recognize that what he was doing of baptizing the people is a duty given to him. But he knew that a greater being (Jesus) will come and he will humble himself before Jesus. When we are placed in areas of responsibilities that capture the attention of many, are we able to humble ourselves and submit to higher authorities when they come? Or will you feel apprehensive and feel bitter that the attention is taken off you? I hope that you choose the former, if not, ask God to give you a humble heart and repent.

Here in Mark 1, we see Jesus gathering his disciples, driving out evil spirits and healing people who came to him. 2 things came to my mind about this chapter.

Firstly, when we are called to serve, do we response immediately? Letting go of how we are used to be living, all the riches we have, and be an obedient child and go forth to serve? Not easy for many, but trust that when you go forth in faith, blessings beyond your carnal mind will be able to decipher will come.

Secondly, when we experience God’s blessings, be it healing, prayers answered etc, do we go out to the world and spread the word and share how mighty is our God? Or do you hide in a corner and just pray and give thanks to God? Worse still, you receive and think nothing of it, not even giving thanks!! I hope your choice is the first option for many will come to know the Lord as they hear of miraculous works and will want to experience it themselves. These will be great testimonies we can use and touch the lives of those who do not know the Lord. So I encourage all of you to share the blessings you have experienced thus far, big or small, to people around you.

Matthew 2, Luke 2: 39 – 52 (3rd October) - Sylvia

Having heard of Jesus’s birth from the angels, the Magi (Wise Men) wanted to go and worship Him, at the same time alerting Herod who became fearful for His position as King thus giving the order for all boys in Bethlehem who were below two years to be killed.

Joseph and Mary had to run to another town to protect Jesus. That’s how they ended up in the town of Nazareth.

Jesus knew at a young age that He was God’s child and He was obedient and eager to learn about the teachings of the word of God. As He grew up, He had favour in the eyes of God and man.

Matthew 1, Luke 2:1 – 38 (2nd October) - Sylvia

The passage gives an overview of Jesus’s family tree.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus Christ – this is indeed a miracle of the Holy Spirit. Thank God for sending angel to speak to Joseph if not he would have divorced Mary.

Imagine all the ridicule and hardship Mary had to go through, a young girl, unwed and pregnant.
Thank God for sending Jesus Christ who would soon be the Messiah of Jerusalem =)

Luke 1 & John 1: 1-14 (1st October) - Kelvin

Before the Lord Jesus came onto this earth, a series of miracles had to happen. One of which was the birth of John the Baptist who would prophesied on the Son of God. The way God works often give His people the element of surprise.

Zechariah did not expect himself to talk to Gabriel the angel of God and for a moment he did not believe what Gabriel said - that Elizabeth and him will bear a newborn even at an old age. On the other hand, Mary was not expecting herself to talk to the angel of God as well and even question on how the Lord is going to make her pregnant as she is a virgin.

As a result, Zechariah was tongue-tied by God and could only display hand signals on what he had encountered to others and his wife. I guess many of us do not expect ourselves to be in such situations like Zechariah and Mary who were definitely stunt by what God was doing in their lives.

But always remember that whenever God wants to do a work in your lives, expect something extreme to happen to you. It may be something that you really do not wish to have or you may be in a circumstance that spells trouble. Nonetheless, God is saying He will transform you with the situation that you are in because God is able to do all things - For example: as long as God wants a newborn, no matter how old a woman is, He will ensure that the child is born through her ( Just look at Sarah and Elizabeth). Thats the extend of boundary that only God can do for us. Therefore, be prepared to see the incredible things in your lives if you want God to work something out of for you.

Malachi 1 - 4 (30th September) - Andrew

Malachi 1
“…’Truly, the Lord’s great power reaches far beyond our borders!’” - Verse 5

How many times have we read from the bible that our God is great in power and He can do the impossible, the things men can’t do, He can do?
If anyone of us feel that we can’t do something, wait… our God whom we depends upon and with His great power, He can turn the things we can’t do to the things we can do.
If anyone of us got some problems, emotionally or physically, let us not focus on how big our problems are, but let us focus on how big our God is because His power “reaches far beyond our borders”.

This part is directly from my bible (NLT version).
“The Lord Almighty says to the priests: “A son honors his father and a servant respects his master. I am your father and master, but where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have despised my name!
“But you ask, ‘How have we ever despised your name?’
“You have despised my name by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar.
“Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’
“You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t it wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor and see how pleasing he is!” says the Lord Almighty.
- verse 6 – 8

Scary isn’t it when God talks in this way? God wants us to be clean from inside out and not be like those animals which are either blind or crippled and offered to the Lord. We are a living sacrifices to the Lord, thus let us encourage one another and help each other to be righteous before the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Malachi 2
The Lord warned the priests as their guidance is not from God but it’s by their own strength, thus causing people to stumble into sins. And the Lord made a call to faithfulness.

“For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “It is as cruel as putting on a victim’s bloodstain coat,” says the Lord Almighty. “So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife.”
- verse 16

Enough said.

Malachi 3
The coming day of Judgement – In the end, the Lord Almighty will come and judge each one of us according to what we had done, good or bad.

“I am the Lord, and I do not change…”
- verse 6

Wonderful isn’t it? Our God Himself told us he do not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

“Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him.”
- verse 16

Let us fear Him. Fearing Him does not mean fearfully fear Him, but rather staying close to Him and His words. Don’t we all want to have our name written on the scroll of remembrance? Then fear God.

Malachi 4
The coming Day of Judgement – God spoke about the coming Day of Judgement.

“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”
- verse 2

Oh… don’t we want to be like someone leaping with joy and feeling so free during the Day of Judgement?

Nehemiah 11 - 13, Psalm 126 (29th September) - Andrew

Nehemiah 11
The leaders of the people were living in Jerusalem, together with a tenth of the people from the other towns of Benjamin and Judah.
And then the list of the names of the provincial officials who came to Jerusalem precedes…

Nehemiah 12
The first part of this chapter lists down the name of the priests and Levites who had returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the high priest.
Followed on is the list of the decendents of Jeshua the high priests.
And then comes the dedication of the new wall built in Jerusalem. Nehemiah himself led the leaders of Judah to the top of the wall and organized two large choirs from Jerusalem to give thanks unto the Lord. Some of the priests played trumpets and others played the other instruments. When I was reading this part of the chapter, I can almost paint in my mind the picture of that is going on by the description of it. And its so awesome and marvelous to see them coming together, playing musical instruments and singing praises to God. How beautiful isn’t it?

Nehemiah 13
Eliashib the priests who had been appointed the supervisor of the storerooms of the Temple of God and who was the relative of Tobiah, converted a large storage room and gave it to Tobiah. This room had previously been used to store the grain offerings, frankincense, Temple utensils and tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the special portion set aside for the priests – all of these are for the works of the Lord. And when Nehemiah realized what Eliashib had done, he became very upset and threw all of Tobiah’s belongings out of the room and he purified the room and brought all the things that were once in the room back.

Summary: Nehemiah was a faithful man. A man walking very close to God and His words
(For example, He did not let any men work during the Sabbath day and did not let the men of Judah intermarried women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.).

Psalm 126
This psalm is a praise of psalm to the Lord.
“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.”
- verse 5 - 6

Yes. Continue to perservere on the works of the Lord. Continue to serve Him faithfully and by the end of the days, you will be surprised by the blessings you will get from Him.

Nehemiah 8 - 10 (28th September) - Sylvia

Ezra Reads the Law

Background: Ezra was a scribe who was very well versed in the Book of Law from God. Scribes then were very rare as they had to have well -qualifications to be able to read and also teach the word of God - being able to explain to others.

The Book of Law was read for seven days on the seventh month where was great celebration.

The people had to find joy in the Lord - NO one was allowed to grieve as it was a sacred day.

The Israelite Confess Their Sins

There was a day when the Israelites came together to confess their sins and their father's wickedness. They set themselves apart to confess, repent then worshipped the Lord.

It is quite heartening to know that brothers and sisters are able to come together gathered in one place and just cry out to God to seek forgiveness, to confess their sins and no one judges each other for we are all sinners, only saved and made whole by God's grace.

The Agreement of the People

The People agreed together and signed something like a contract, binding them to their promises to which they would be cursed/punished should they break the promise.
It is good that the oath was made in front of everyone thus everyone can support each other and help each other not fall to temptations.

Many things to agree to:
-obedience to commands, regulations, decress of the Lord
-marriage obligations
-Sabbath
-different types of offerings: grain, burnt, sin etc
- tithing - 10% of what you have

**i must emphasise on the importance of tithing. even if you are not working. 10% of pocket money also can. Being in the working world now, i all too understand the "heart pain" of giving 10% of my meagre pay to God - i am left with veri little you know. But because we give willingly, God will bless us with more. He is storing our treasures in heaven =)

Nehemiah 6 - 7 (27th September) - Sky

Nehemiah 6

As Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall, further opposition and false persecution was against him.

Bu in this whole passage he only prayed 4 words.
“Now strengthen my hands.”

Such a simple prayer and yet it’s a prayer of faith. He didn’t plead to GOD for strength. He yearned it! Not today or tomorrow but now. Prayers are not about flowery and bombastic words, or just words of wisdom and encouragement. It takes faith and Spirit.

In the same chapter the wall was completed. Something interesting is that the surrounding nations soon realized that Nehemiah’s work had been done with the help of GOD.

Nehemiah 7

This chapter states the genealogical record of those who first returned.

GOD accomplished several things by bringing these people together:
1) Leadership was shifted from the city rulers to the tradition heads of the family clans.
2) Key leaders were named to popular Jerusalem and restore its credibility as a capital city
3) Impurity in the priesthood was cleaned out
4) A new national identity was established
5) Funds were raised for work

Nehemiah 1 - 5 (26th September) - Junming

The book was written in a time when the Israelites were being driven to exile(scattered to many places)by the Kingdom of Babylon. Nehemiah was a cup bearer for King Artaxerxes of Persia(Neh 1:11) His job involves tasting the King's food and wine before he serves them to the king. As such, this is someone that the king must highly trust, as chapter 2 actually shows. Powerful man.

In chapter 1, as Nehemiah heard stories of what happened to his fellow countrymen and his homeland in Jerusalem, he wept. But not stopping at only that, he sought God, and decided to do something about it. Using his position as the King's cupbearer, he decided to seek help from the Persian King.

Chapter 2. He gives the king a =( face, which prompted the king to ask him what was wrong. This is unusual for a master and slave relationship, but it shows a little of the extent of the favour King Artaxerxes had on Nehemiah. Nehemiah then daringly asked the king(in the presence of the queen as well) to go back to Jerusalem where he would rebuild the city wall.

Such was his faith, he even asked the king for resources to rebuild the wall! In a more modern context, that involves asking your boss for permission to leave the company for a long period of time to start your own company, and at the same time asking your boss for money to start your own company. We could be sacked, Nehemiah could have been executed! But Nehemiah had the faith that God would always provide, and he had the desire to serve and lead his own people. Eventually, with the King's blessings and resources, he went. Upon checking the condition of the wall, he immediately gathered his people and allocated them their job scopes, which is listed in chapter 3.

Chapter 4 and 5 talks about the problems Nehemiah faced. In chapter 4, while rebuilding the wall, he faced external pressure, where enemies threatened to attack while the Israelites were busy with rebuilding their city.

Most of the time this is true of our lives. As we are busy serving God, setbacks happen. Our confidence waver, and we complain and give up(Neh 4:10-12). But Nehemiah stuck close to God. ''Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.''(V14)

He then made the Israelites work while carrying their weapons! Not an easy task to clear rubble, move boulders up a wall and at the same time carry a spear or a bow with a quiver of arrows! But that was what the Israelites did. While giving our best for God, do not lower our guard. Keep your weapons and armour close to you, stay firmly rooted in God's word.

Chapter 5 talks about the internal problems that Israel faced while building the wall. Even while building the wall, the Israelites were struggling to pay taxes in the season of famine. The tax collectors among them were still profiteering from their fellow countrymen. But they were willing to listen to Nehemiah and return all the money and property they collected.

Nehemiah really had the favour of the Lord upon him. God raised him to lead Israel when they needed leadership, God gave him courage and boldness to ask from King Artaxerxes, wisdom to allocate and distribute the task, patience and confidence to deal with the internal and external problems he faced. Indeed God favoured him, but he also chose to be used by God, and he took the first step to volunteer himself. Let it be so for our lives, and we will see God use us in ways we never imagined. Got a wall to overcome in your life? Look to Nehemiah and learn=)

Ezra 7 - 10 (25th September) - Li Juan

Ezra was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, and the king had granted him everything he asked for because the hand of the Lord was upon him. It is written, whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Truly, whatever we are to work at, let us do it with a heart of gladness and with diligent hands, without complains.

For whatever we do, let us work at it with all our heart, as working for God and not for men (Col 3:23).

The gracious hand of our God will be on everyone who looks to Him, but his great anger is against all who forsake Him. Just like Ezra who led the men back to Jerusalem, they fasted and petitioned to God for His protection, and God answered their prayers. God protected them throughout the whole journey.

The people of Israel inter-married others from other tribes, and it was a great sin as it was the corruption and pollution of the holy race. Similarly, we believers should never be together (as in BGR) with people who are not of God as it is seen as a defilement to God. Just like the people of Israel, if you are guilty of this sin today, make a confession before God and separate yourself from him/her (ezra 10:11).

Esther 6 - 10 (24th September) - Li Juan

Esther 6, 7 – Mordecai honored, Haman Hanged

The king wants to give honor and recognition to Mordecai for the deeds he had done, exposing 2 of the king’s officers who had conspired to assassinate the king. Similarly, our Father in heaven will reward us accordingly to what we have done for Him and obeyed Him. Haman suggested a grand royal plan for the man the king delights to honor as he thought it would be himself. Yet, he was commanded to get all these done for Mordecai. During the banquet with Queen Esther, the queen revealed Haman’s adversary to the king, and eventually, he was hung. What is done in the dark will eventually be revealed in the light.

Esther 8, 9 – The King’s Edict in behalf of the Jews, Triumph of the Jews, Purim Celebrated

Mordecai was appointed over all of Haman’s estates after Haman was hung. The king also granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves, to destroy any armed force that might attack them and their families, and to plunder the properties of their enemies. It was a time of gladness and honor for the Jews. They held a joyous celebration to feast and celebrate their happiness. Many people of other nationalities became Jews as there fear that the Jews would seize them. No one could stand against them, and Mordecai became more and more powerful.

There are countries in the world where women are denied the rights to vote, the poor are neglected in the social welfare system, and there is corruption in the government etc. Let us continue to pray for the peace and authority of our Lord to be evident in these countries.
Mordecai wrote to all the Jews in every province to have them celebrate annually on a particular day of a month, as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies. The month was when their sorrow was turned into joy, their mourning into a day of celebration. The days were observed as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

Esther 10 – The Greatness of Mordecai

Mordecai was held in high esteem by his fellow Jews as he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews. We need more Mordecais in the world. In your own marketplace, are you willing to be the Mordecai? Fighting for what is right and just?

Esther 1 - 5 (23rd September) - Vivien

Esther 1
In this chapter, it talks about Queen Vasthi was deposed. As I was reading, I remembered 2 learning points. Why are Queen Vasthi deposed? She refused to obey the command of the king. Yesterday, at Stanley’s and Madeline’s wedding, Pastor Chan gave 2 pieces of advices to the newly wedded, 1) Husband, to be faithful to the wife; 2) Wife, to respect husband.

Pastor Chan, mentioned that as a wife, she need to respect her husband especially when they are seen publicly. Then the husband will have “face” or 面子. From Proverbs 31, a wife of a noble character is someone who the husband can have full confidence in her (v11); who brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life (v12); who adds on to the reason for others to respect him (v23).

So what Queen Vasthi did was deadly to her marriage. She is not just an ordinary woman, but a queen! The king had lost face in front of nobles! Also she could influence the nation’s women. By not obeying the king, it was possible that this value would be passed down to the people. Therefore the wise men advice to depose the queen was the best choice.

The second learning point is our action can influence others. For Queen Vasthi, she was a queen then, so her actions would influence the women of her nation, which is a huge influence! As for us, not matter how much influence we have, we are still capable of influencing others! So we need to always be conscious of our action, so that we don’t stumble others.

Esther 2
In Chapter 2, Esther, who was an orphan, was made queen. The process was tedious. It reminded for those Hong Kong drama series, where girls were put through a long process of training before meeting the king to be appointed as concubines. Esther has found favour with the people that she had contact with, which was one of her secrets to success. Obedience and respect. Of course, God was in control of the whole situation, to save His people.

The second part is about how Mordecai and Esther continued to gain favour from the king, by rescuing him from an assassin. Your authority might not be a Christian, but still assist him/her, unless it is against God’s principles.

Esther 3 – 4
A plot was set up by Haman to destroy all the Jews in the provinces, because of his hatred for Mordecai. That’s how wicked man can be. Doesn’t this seem terrible? An edict was passed out to have a race wiped out. How can such a thing be reversed? Was this the end of the Jews?

How would we react when something terrible in our lives befall, which doesn’t seem reversible?

Esther was the only hope for Mordecai. So he went to her for help. And of course it would be a very stressful moment for Esther, as it concerns her life and conscious. In the end she decided to not go against her conscious and fast and pray to bet on her life. And if she dies, she dies.
Many times, we struggle within ourselves, but usually not life-and-death issue. Should be go against our conscious and just get that temporary benefit? Don’t go against our conscious! If we do, then we will be numb towards things that we used to know that is not right.

Esther 5
In this chapter, Queen Esther went ahead with her plan to rescue her people. She had the favour of the king, and the king was glad to see her, even though he didn’t summon her. And things were going smoothly.

On the hand, Haman was very boastful about his achievements and boasted about the banquet that Queen Esther invited him to. And in his mind, all he wanted was to get rid of Mordecai…

Zechariah 1 - 14 (21st and 22nd September) - Alvin

Zechariah was a prophet in the time of Haggai, the first group of Jews who left Babylon to return to Israel. It is believed that Zechariah is younger than Haggai and it was evident that his prophetic ministry was very different from that of Haggai. Whereas Haggai’s messages seemed to be very direct instructions from God, Zechariah tended to speak in visions. Hence, God is able to use different people to speak to us with different means about the same message, as both Zechariah and Haggai’s messages were directed to the people to encourage them to build the temple of God.

When we read the prophetic books, it is important to read each prophecy separately. As in the case of Zechariah, we recognised the different prophecies through timelines, eg: In the eighth month of the second year of King Darius, through these timelines given, we can separate the different messages that God was speaking to His people, instead of reading the entire chapter or book in one continuous flow, which sometimes may become confusing.
Hence, I’ll look at Zechariah, one prophecy at a time.

Zech 1:1-6
A Call to Repentance
God calls His people to return to Him, and His promise will be that He will return to them. This is the grace of God, God accepts us even when we sinned. However, we need to make the effort to first draw near to God. The confidence we have however, is that as we draw near, He desires to draw near to us too, and this is most clearly demonstrated in the death of Jesus; to make drawing near to God possible.

Zech 1:7-6:15
This whole vision mainly speaks about the promise of God’s blessings, presence and protection for His people (remember, they are a people who just returned to their desolate land and are now working on the temple). In the vision we also hear about the coming Messiah who will come and remove the iniquity of the people in one day. However, all these will happened not by human means, but through God, as it is not by power nor by might but by His Spirit.

Zech 7-8
The people of God questioned Zechariah on fasting and God spoke and said that obedience to His Word is much more important than the outward rituals and fasts that the people do. And because of the disobedience of their forefathers, judgement came to Israel. And God’s Word to His people in chapter 7:8-10 shows the heartbeat of God. He is a God who remembers the forgotten people of the land and He is the one who loves them and will care for them and He wants His people to do the same.

“Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘ Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother.10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’

Think about it, do we remember these people, “the widow, the fatherless, the alien and the poor” God remembers them. The Word of God though Zechariah however, promises blessings and mercies, as God determines to do good to His people if they will heed His Word. And more than that, He promises a revival in which people will grab a Christian and ask to go along with him/her because they know that God is with him/her!!

Zechariah 9-14
In this long vision, it is very hard to understand or interpret exactly what Zechariah means. We only know that it is a prophecy of the future which speaks about God’s judgement upon Israel’s enemies, against the shepherds who misled the flock and of other things to come. But in the vision, there are many clear pictures of the reign of the Messiah and of His work. There is a picture of the coming King that will ride on a donkey(which was fulfilled in the of Jesus) and of great mourning for the Pierced One, when Jesus died.

Haggai 1 - 2 (20th September) - Alvin

The prophets Haggai and Zechariah were part of the first group of 50,000 Jews, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, to return to Israel after their captivity of Babylon. There were sent back by King Cyrus to rebuilt the Temple of God (the symbol of God’s presence) as prophesied by Isaiah.

The people of God went back with enthusiasm and were provided with the resources for the project by the king. (read Ezra)

However, after reaching Israel and embarking on the rebuilding project, there came disruption and opposition from the people who remained in the land during the exile. This put a stop to the construction works and brought great discouragement to the Jews. They then turned to focus on their own necessities and became disengaged with the work of the Lord and began to care only about their own lives. This went on for a period of almost sixteen years.

It was after sixteen years had passed since work of the temple was stopped, that God raised the prophet Haggai to speak to the people.
And God’s agenda for His people was clear: “Build My House”

There were four prophetic utterances of Haggai. However, the amazing thing about the prophecies of Haggai was that they all took place within a very short span of time, yet they brought about tremendous results and encouragement from and for the Jews.

First Prophetic Utterance:
2 “Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built.”’”
3 Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple[a]to lie in ruins?” 5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!
6 “ You have sown much, and bring in little;
You eat, but do not have enough;
You drink, but you are not filled with drink;
You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
And he who earns wages,
Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

7 Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the LORD. 9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the LORD of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11 For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

First a wake-up call from God, telling His people to consider their ways of which their excuse of not building God’s house was because it was not the time yet. And then, to consider their spiritual and physical poverty and dissatisfactions, which were a result of them neglecting the work of God and focusing on their own lives.

Isn’t this very much an image of our own lives at times? We start off excited about the work God wants us to do, but along the way there comes discouragement and opposition. But instead of treating it as a form of trial which in turn trains us to persevere (Read James 1), we quit. And we began to put off God’s work till a later time, a “better” time. And we focus on our own lives, not realising that only causes us to lose God’s blessings. (Matt 6:33)

So God tells them to work again. And commands them to go to the mountains to get wood to build the temple, since they used up the wood for the temple for their own houses. If you think about the work that God wants them to do, it was very difficult. (try climbing a mountain, chop wood, and then transport it down again) However, amazingly the people listened and obeyed God, and in less than a month they started work again!! It was at this point that God spoke through Haggai again and encouraged them (remember, this was a group of discouraged people) that He was with them. What a loving God.

Even in our own lives, it’s the same. The moment we choose to obey God, God’s assurance to us will be that He is with us. And with that we do not need to fear.

Second Prophetic Utterance:
1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying: 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple[a] in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? 4 Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the LORD; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the LORD, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the LORD of hosts. 5 ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’
6 “For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations,[b] and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts. 9 ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

This took place sometime after the people had begun working on the temple again. The people got discouraged again as they saw the temple that they were building and realised it cannot be compared at all to its former glory, the temple of Solomon, which was one of the greatest architecture marvels of the ancient world.

God continues to assure the people that He was with them, and they do not need to fear. But rather be strong and continue to work. More importantly He promises them a greater glory of God to fill the temple and peace will reign in the temple.

This prophecy was fulfilled in the time of Jesus. Though the temple could not be compared to Solomon’s temple in its physical appearance, it was the temple where Jesus, God Himself in all His glory visited. And in the temple, the Prince of Peace Himself appeared.

For us, it is a reminder not to let our past glories discourage us from our present work. Do whatever God tells you to, even if it seems that it may not amount to much, because no labour for the Lord will ever be in vain. And when we are working for the Lord, He promises always that He will be with us, so that we can be strong and not fear. The gold and silver is His, God doesn’t look for the magnitude of what you can do for Him, He only looks for obedience from His children.

Third Prophetic Utterance:
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 11 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, 12 “If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?”’ Then the priests answered and said, “No.”13 And Haggai said, “If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?” So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.”14 Then Haggai answered and said, “‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the LORD, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.15 ‘And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the LORD— 16 since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty. 17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,’ says the LORD. 18 ‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider it: 19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.’”

God not only desire that we serve Him, but that our service to Him is holy. A corrupted and sinful service to the Lord, caused by evil intents and motivation, or by hidden sins in our lives, robs us from the blessings of God, and worse still, corrupts everything else in our lives. With the illustration that Haggai gives, it is clear that one holy act does not make everything else in our lives holy, but yet one sinful act, causes everything else to be defiled. That is the seriousness of sin.

Are there areas in our lives that we have yet to allow God to deal with? Do not wait for a “better” time, like the message of Haggai, do it now! Know that God can and will forgive us and He wants to bless us. And He will, the moment we come back to Him to offer up to Him our holy services, but more than that, our lives, as holy sacrifices before Him.

Fourth Prophetic Utterance:
20 And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying:
‘ I will shake heaven and earth.
22 I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms;
I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms.
I will overthrow the chariots
And those who ride in them;
The horses and their riders shall come down,
Every one by the sword of his brother.

23 ‘In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the LORD, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

The last prophecy was about Jesus. In that Christ will come again to judge the earth. And the prophecy was also a special promise for Zerubbabel, because, he became one of Jesus ancestors. When we are obedient to the Lord, the Lord remembers and honours those who honour Him, and He will reward in His time. Therefore lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matt 6:20).