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So sian man.. Going to sleep.. think I’ll be so tired tomorrow. Another night.. and again no work done.

Pastor Mark Gilmore stayed over to catch his flight the next day. Remember his small kid? Dunno if I mentioned him before

Anyway I ate noodles at night for hte first time in a long time.. haha.. so nice! double egg.. cos the egg so small. Spent a couple of minutes making redscale film after that. Pull all the film out, cut, flip over backwards, stick back, roll everything back in.

Oh yes, I saw uncle sam and aunty cecilia today at ikea! what a small world!

I have this sneaking suspicion that quite a sizable portion of “gone-case” people people who quit church secretly feel that they are un-redeemable. Of course, there are the really gone case people who were never saved in the first place. Its just a suspicion. Not saying anything I said is true.. just.. well.. one of those moments Gods love shows me needs that are inside a person who is behaving in an ungodly manner. Nobody deserves to be looked at through God’s lens of Love and that is exactly why we must.

Was at after Christina’s 21st for just a while and I managed to sit down with her bunch of friends to have a chat over beers and stuff at reddot (them, not me.. haha..). Not everything was particularly clean, PG or even NC-16 but as I talked longer and longer with personalities I personally abhor out of self righteousness (Sometimes I think: “hey, I did the exact same things before.. why am I pretending to be so self righteous with myself”) I started to wonder to myself whether these people were real.

Some of the questions went like this. What do they do in real life? Do they look as good when they’re not dressed up in their pretty dresses and sharp looking shirts? Do they laugh and play like this out of real joy? What’s this irritating poser looking guy really like if I catch him during a quiet moment by himself? Are these people mocking God or are they just blind to their own plight? Why do they drink? Why does this guy NOT drink althought it has nothing to do with religion? Why does he encourage her back to church when he is just as unsaved?

I must share that this thinking is becoming more and more common for me. Sometimes to the point I wonder whether I am “abstaining from every appearance of evil” when I meet them on their turf and whether loving them requires reaching out to them or must they come by themselves. Surely God initiated and we responded right? Am I to do the same?

I am honestly afraid sometimes (and it has crossed my mind) that this behaviour starts to smell of throwing out the doctrine in favour of “Love” like I hear with regard to churches that minimize sin and magnify “love and grace”. Still, how foolish that previous statement is.. for if we can choose one (love) and negate another (judgement) then it makes the entire bible a Joke and a buffet where we pick and choose what we like.

These churches that minimize sin and magnify so-called “grace” are not teaching grace and love at all! Blah! How can we appreciate (as in the sense of understanding) grace if we do not fully understand and accept the sin condition we are in that it so greatly covers! Partial truth is not the truth at all for omitting parts of the truth is completely unbiblical. This is one of those things that is completely polarized.. either all (the bible) or nothing at all.

Similarly on the flip-side slamming on the judgement and sin is not going to win anybody without love. Its just as unbiblical as embracing sin. It may look better but its just as deadly.

I really hope to understand and learn how Christians are supposed to understand and respond to the ungodly world around them. Realising that they too came out of it.

Pastor Gillmore is staying my place tonight! haha.. though I’d never see him again.

Babysit-ed her for a while today. I realise entertaining a baby is about learning how to do it. Haha.. I broke out all the bright colored pens and gadgets for her to play. Then I got a video of her and the laser pointer.. thought why not make a video? haha.. Music is Tokyo Kosei’s “The Syncopated Clock”

I’ve been fascinated by a small phrase by Joann in the middle of this paragraph until now since I read it in the afternoon.

“I have walked into that same office many times this year and many times, the news that greeted me is one of great magnitude and gravity. But I know that God walks into that room with me everytime. What a comfort amidst the raging storm to know that God is not only with you but He is the one to command the storm to stop.” – Nov 6th

Like John Yate loves to, this is one of those “phshweeeew..” moments. God walks with me into the exam hall, God walks with me into many moments of “doom” I have felt in my life. Haha.. Where has God walked with you recently? And did you notice and acknowledge him?

So late.. sigh, messed up my body clock again after trying to set it straight for 3 days. I’m going to sleep now after some reading.

Let me bring you for some mental exercise. If everyone seems to be singing this tune on all sides and we still have so many disagreements, somebody is faking it or the bible is seriously wrong. Haha.. of course the bible is not wrong. So somebody is faking it. Faking it doesn’t mean it is intentional either. Could be fake oneself already then now unintentionally faking other people thinking it is the right thing to do. But who can really know who is faking? Maybe that person is really faking, or maybe your lens is tinted and your heart is black thats why you think people faking it. Both ways there is no absolute conclusion unless you are as omnipotent as God or it is supernaturally revealed to you (think prophet Nathan style who knew that David was faking his innocence..)

Also, the other factor is everyone thinks their interpretation is right (including me.. why would I believe something I believe to be false? hahaha.. thats stupid) but sometimes my way leads to death and I don’t know it.

So, what is the point of this little mental gymnastic exercise? Like I said before, Someone saying something right (like me or anyone else) is probably really saying something right. Just that the life doesn’t match or follow and therefore.. this confusion ensues.

So, is my sister’s abovementioned point about fitting your view to God’s pointless since we will never know if we are really fitting ourselves to God’s will or whether it is just “xing li zhuo yong”? I think not.

God didn’t leave us alone to decide with our own minds and opinion. He gave us the Holy spirit to show us and give us discernment. We can call on him to show us hidden sin, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hey wait… to show us OUR hidden sins right.. uh.. doesn’t say anything about other people’s sins. Before you go over to the “You will know them by their works” verse I request some patience on your part. Reading is tedious and the whole idea cannot be presented instantly.

Well, as far as I have seen. All the verses with the “You will know them by their works” kinda idea is always presented in the context of false prophets. My goodness, I feel like this is a neverending rabbithole. Still, the next question ot tackle is what is a false prophet. Patience young padawan.. I’m getting to the point.. I think..

Prophet, is one who speaks for God. In agreement? False indicates.. well.. fake or countefeit. Now I must ask you to excercise your own opinion to continue downwards.

I find it difficult to establish the degree of falsehood. How false must something be before you can really say someone is a false prophet? Before you jump to say “Its either true or false what” you must realise that statement you just made is absolutely true. Things are black and white to God. However, man without perfect knowledge is unable to know all black and white. Thats why we think there is such thing as grey and God conceeds that in principles like the meat offered to idols and all. I digress..

Anyway, one can adopt a hardcore view of false. Meaning, if its contrary to the bible, its false and this guy is a false prophet. Now don’t shoot me down yet. That again is totally true. But.. the weak link here is man and his opinion again. Men have come up with hundreds of opinions about doubtful things and elevated them to a level that is far above the importance assigned to it by God. Unless you are God himself, you will never perfectly understand the bible. You can do your best, God likes that and he will send his spirit to help, but you will never understand fully.

I, however, would like to lean toward the view that anyone who preaches a false gospel, is a false prophet. Now.. false gospel is wider in scope than what you might think. Its not just about the gospel story, requirements and results. Its about the presumtions one must make in order to understand and fully accept salvation.

You must assume to be true the following in one way or another to be saved:

• God became fully, 100% man.. in the form of jesus. Nothing amazing he did on earth was due to his Godhood (other than the transfiguration I think) (Jesus didn’t cheat when he lived a perfect life)
• virgin birth (Jesus was free from Adamic nature)
• real physical death of christ (Christ paid the physical and spiritual death to satisfy God)
• real spiritual seperation from God at the cross (Jesus experienced hell, ie. seperaion from God)
• Payment of sin and doctrine of sin (If sin does not damn, then no need salvation)
• So many many more

Why is all this related to the gospel? It is! If you try and take away any of the above, you have no salvation left.

So, are our 3 favourite mega churches in singapore headed by false prophets? I’d go out on a limb and say no. I would say that there is a greater adherance to the word they can manage but.. no.. they are not herectic to the point that I would conside them false prophets worthy of the actions prescribed in the bible, some of which are pretty extreme.

Phew. I’m sure I’ve left something out but I guess you could fill it in with some study.

1 Corinthians 13:7

Wah, really awe inspiring. Cos me and ZG were reading Joseph and talking about how he reconciled with his brothers and his life so detailed in the way it was recorded down to the feelings and emotions and actions. We were also talking about the stupidity of David in believing Saul had really given up trying to kill him saying “my son my son..” 2? 3 times?. Haha. No, of course I’m not serious (about David being stupid) he was very wise. Which brings me to the verse mentioned above. David was not stupid and undiscerning with regard to Saul’s intention, he had grace, love and wisdom in his actions. Lets see.

Love:

Bears all things
Bears up in spite of all things evil, and is not overcome. This is the idea of beareth. Love bears up against the tide of evil, as the rock against the waves.

Believes all things
Is not distrustful and suspicious.

Hopes all things
Is hopeful instead of despondent, and hopes for the best. How hard for the loving mother to give up hope for her recreant son!

Endures all things.
Endures patiently persecution and suffering. The cardinal quality of fortitude, hardihood, unyielding persistence is meant.

Nice..