Gender Neutral Parenting

Raising children used to come naturally to new parents. However, parenting in the modern world is complicated by many new trends from the wisdom in this world coming up with many fanciful ideas. Some new parents even attend courses to learn how to be good parents.

Parents of old without the benefits of New Age thinking have been successful in raising wholesome children for generations. This is no longer the case when modern day parents chase after material well-being for the family instead of spiritual and moral well-being of their children. Hence, in many highly urbanized societies, children are left to the care of domestic helpers or day care care givers. The end results are not really pretty which is evidenced in the warning given by the apostle Paul.

2 Timothy 3:2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

If you think parental neglect of children to certain extent due to families having to rely on a dual-income to support the family is tragic, this latest warped idea of raising children letting them explore and discover their gender identities is even worse.

Why I’m Raising My Kids To Be Gender Neutral

Some parents allow their children the choice to discover their own gender and even allow them to cross dress to see if they prefer to be male or female. This is a direct rejection of the God’s ordained calling for the children.

Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

They believe that if there is a God at all, God could have made a mistake with the birth of the child. So they allow little children to explore and experiment to decide on their gender preference in the future. This is folly of the highest order.

Children lack understanding and they must be taught on many things pertaining to this life, including who they are and how to behave as male and female.

1 Corinthians 14:20: Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

Children need to learn and grow and wean off their childishness to become an adult in the future.

1 Corinthians 13:11: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

It is the responsibility of parents to teach and train their children, in particular, concerning the truth in the Holy Bible.

Proverb 22:6: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

For those irresponsible parents who cause their children to become confused and adopt a lifestyle incongruent with their gender, they will reap what they sow. The Holy Bible clearly warns against certain category of people who being effeminate will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

Interestingly, some of those modern false bibles conveniently left out the category of effeminate creatures. No doubt, these are New Age bibles.

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men (NIV)

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, (NKJV)

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, (ESV)

You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, (ISV)

Christian parents should do well to immerse themselves in the scriptures to raise up goodly children for the Lord and not follow some mindless trends in the world.

1 Corinthians 3:19: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

Psalms 127:3: Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Psalms 127:4: As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Psalms 127:5: Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.


The New Piper Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go has caught the world by storm. Two hundred million US dollars were made in the first month.

Pokemon Go – 200 Million USD in the First Month

In many countries, zombies are out on the streets trying to capture these cute little monsters. Young and old risked their lives with this new craze. Of course accidents happened forcing authorities to step in to issue safety warnings.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/07/25/national/pokemon-go-craze-leads-spate-accidents-traffic-offenses-across-japan/#.V6qKifl97rc

Hundreds Motorists Fined in Taiwan After Pokemon Go Launched

Pokemon Go Craze Prompts Police Step Up Safety Warnings

We are living in this present evil world that can be caught up so easily by new fads one after another. The eyes of fallen man are fixed on the things in this world.

The gospel is furthest from their mind. Who needs the gospel when Pokemon Go can keep them happily occupied throughout the day of their waking live?

We are entering a stage where the world can be easily manipulated to follow the piper. And the piper must be paid.

Wait till the real monster shows up. It isn’t funny at all.

Revelation 18:23: And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Revelation 19:20: And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

1 John 5:21: Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.


The Generation of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:1: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Matthew 1:17: So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

The opening verse in the New Testament shows that there is only one generation of Jesus Christ. However, false bibles don’t teach there is only one generation of Jesus Christ; Christ is only indicated as a record of genealogy beginning with Abraham.

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: (NIV)

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: (NASB)

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (ESV)

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: (NKJV)

This a is critical issue because these false bibles destroy the difference between the generations of men in contrast with only one generation of Jesus Christ.

According to Genesis, there are many generations of men and not just one generation born in Adam.

Genesis 5:1: This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

Unlike the Lord Jesus Christ, Adam had more than one generation after him.

The NIV simply shows Adam’s family line instead of many generations of Adam’s descendants.

This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. (NIV)

The NASB and the ESV recorded there are more than one generation of Adam but their verse in Matthew 1:1 does not show the contrast and an important doctrinal truth is lost as a result.

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. (NASB)

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man,he made him in the likeness of God. (ESV)

The NKJV, supposedly much closer to the KJV mentioned only one generation of Adam as though all of Adam’s generation lives happily ever after.

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. (NKJV)

This is not nitpicking. There is an important scriptural truth to be learned where every word of God is pure and there is no mistake in the Holy Bible.

The unfortunate inconvenient truth is this, all the generations of Adam and his descendants died.

Genesis 5:5: And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

Genesis 5:8: And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

Genesis 5:11: And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.

Genesis 5:14: And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.

The oldest man on record also gave up the ghost eventually.

Genesis 5:27: And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

When God wiped out those fallen men born in Adam with a global flood, survivors began with their new generations to repopulate planet Earth and not just one generation alone to keep this commission.

Genesis 6:9: These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Genesis 10:1: Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

Of course, all these generations of men expired accordingly being born dead in trespasses and sins.

In contrast, there is no mention of the generation of Jesus Christ ever died. Why is that so?

John 1:12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:13: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

1 John 5:1: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

1 John 3:9: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

The moment you believe the Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, you are born again into the generation of Jesus Christ.

Should your children likewise believe the Lord and accept Him, they will be born again into the generation of Jesus Christ. There are no grandchildren of God. There is only one generation in Jesus Christ.

No one in the generation of Jesus Christ is recorded to have died spiritually because they are not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. None that is born of God will ever die.

Ecclesiastes 1:4: One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

As far as fallen man born of Adam is concerned, each generation will pass on but this is not the case for the generation of Jesus Christ.

Psalms 22:30: A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

The false bibles destroy this important doctrine of eternal security of the believer in Christ.

John 11:26: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Have you been born again into the generation of Jesus Christ?

Or are you still lost being born into the generations of the flesh where all died and will one day die?

You can become a member of a chosen generation in Jesus Christ if you would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from sin and hell fire.

1 Peter 2:9: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Time is not on your side. Tarry not!


Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother

2 Timothy 3:1: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 Timothy 3:2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Among the characteristics of End Times conditions in society are men shall be lovers of their own selves and being disobedient to parents. The world has undergone tremendous transformation in recent years entering the digital age with a bang where nowadays even young kids are often glued to their mobile devices. There has not been a greater disconnect between the young and old during our time where the young wakes up to all sorts of excitement everyday and views the world as their oyster while the old walks into sunset years confused and fearful of what future awaits.

The recent referendum in UK to leave Europe pitted the young against the old in a fairly consistent pattern. The young voted to remain in Europe while the old voted to exit Europe. Many young people were angry with their parents after the result of the polls. They were angry that these elderly folks were out to ruin their future.

http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/generation-eu-how-brexit-pitted-old-against-young/

Young People have a Right to be Angry at Brexit but not at their Parents

The dichotomy between the young and old is one of the manifestations of the End Times conditions. It is not uncommon to observe the young showing disrespect towards the elderly in day to day activities. It is rather common to see children talking back rudely or screaming at their parents when they couldn’t get their way. It is an embarrassing sight but unfortunately, some parents simply take such disobedience and disrespect nonchalantly in their strides without correcting the children. These children will grow up someday and the consequence is not pretty.

In recent time, parental neglect has become an issue. Parents have been abandoned by their children and some are living out their sunset years in destitute. This will become a more acute problem with the coming silver tsunami where ageing population is going to place greater strain on the younger population to support the elderly.

The Maintenance of Parents Act was enacted during the nineties in Singapore to address this issue of children having a duty and responsibility to care for their aged parents. While it is true the State cannot legislate filial piety, it is nonetheless, an important legislation to ensure delinquents do not pass their duties towards their parents to society.

Parents Compel their Children to Support them

When Parents and Children Fight over Money

Maintenance of Parents Act

The time-honoured commandment from the Bible to honour parents is not a unique commandment for the children of Israel. Society at large adopts such a virtue where parents are to be honoured.

Exodus 20:12: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Deuteronomy 5:16: Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

This commandment given to the children of Israel is among the Ten Commandments given where observing this specific commandment brings blessing of longevity. The rest of the commandments are to be obeyed failing which punishment is certain and no promised of blessings is pronounced to those who keep those commandments.

So by right, the children of Israel should be motivated to keep this commandment to honour their parents. Unfortunately, honouring parents require more than lip service; it cost time and money as well. Some found ingenuous ways to get out of this obligation to honour their parents using Jehovah God as their excuse by gifting away the portion for their parents. Hence, when the Lord Jesus Christ showed up on earth, He condemned those who schemed their ways out of honouring their parents.

Matthew 15:4: For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
Matthew 15:5: But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
Matthew 15:6: And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

Mark 7:10: For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
Mark 7:11: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
Mark 7:12: And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
Mark 7:13: Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

For the New Testament Christian, honouring parents is still an active commandment whether the parents are saved or lost. It is still a commandment that comes with a promise of blessing to those who keep it.

Ephesians 6:2: Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
Ephesians 6:3: That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

The burden of caring for parents belongs to the children and not the Church or the State. It is not just the children’s duty and responsibility to care for their elderly parents, it is the right thing to do and is acceptable before God.

1 Timothy 5:4: But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.

Honouring parents does come with a caveat though. It is the Lord who commands believers to honour parents. However, there might be occasions where honouring parents would dishonour God and thus appealing to a higher authority in heaven is the proper avenue.

The God fearing king Asa had an idolatrous mother. For the honour of God and for the sake of his subjects, he had to remove his mother from being queen. In addition, he destroyed her idol and made her an example to prevent his people from falling into idolatry and incur the wrath of Jehovah God.

2 Chronicles 15:16: And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

1 Kings 15:13: And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.

Idolatry is a serious offence. King Asa’s mother could meet her Maker much earlier had the law of Moses been applied to her. That was as much as king Asa could do to honour his mother.

Another example would be the Lord’s attitude towards His own mother and siblings while He was busy ministering to the people.

Matthew 12:46: While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
Matthew 12:47: Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
Matthew 12:48: But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
Matthew 12:49: And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
Matthew 12:50: For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

The Lord was surrounded by the crowd of disciples eager to listen to Him. Someone told Him His mother and siblings were waiting outside to speak with Him. Just when the crowd expected the Lord to make His way to see His family members, He did the exact opposite. He questioned who were His family members. He then stretched out His hands towards His disciples and honoured them as much as He would honour His family. The Lord affirmed those who do the will of God are considered part of His family.

So the Lord does not give blood ties priority over the spiritual things of God. Blood ties and kinships count little as far as God’s kingdom is concerned. It is the Lord who commands His people to honour their parents but however, if honouring parents takes priority and supersedes or comes into conflict with spiritual truths, then such honouring of parents is misplaced.

The children of Israel were commanded to honour their parents who were supposed to be people of Jehovah God which should not be any issue. But for the New Testament Christians, they may have unsaved parents where they are still obligated to honour them. There will be times of dilemma where these unsaved parents would demand them to perform certain undertakings that would come into conflict with biblical teachings. Then honouring them on that matter would bring dishonour to the Lord.

Some issue could be more treacherous and would result in eternal consequence not to be trifled with. If a child of God is teaching his children the way of the Lord and his unsaved parents come along to contradict and confuse the children, then he has to put a stop to such devilish attempts to damn the children to a Christless eternity. It is better to honour such parents by caring for them without living with them under the same roof for the sake of the souls of the children.

Some damnable influence from unsaved people will become insidious and poison the minds of the young ones a little at a time. It might be too late to wake up to the horror of losing the children to the devil for honouring the parents above honouring the Lord. Why give the devil opportunity to turn unsaved parents to become a horrific offender deserving the worst punishment for offending the little ones?

Matthew 18:6: But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

The tragic downfall of Eli serves as a good example of putting blood ties above the Lord.

1 Samuel 3:13: For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

1 Samuel 2:29: Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

When God finally dispensed judgment, Eli and his two rebellious sons as well as his daughter-in-law died that day when Israel was defeated before the Philistines. Honouring family members above the Lord has serious consequence.

Nevertheless, it is still the obligation of a Christian to honour his parents in ways that do not dishonour the Lord.

Ephesians 6:1: Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Ephesians 6:2: Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
Ephesians 6:3: That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

In honouring parents, Christians are to obey their parents in the Lord, not above the Lord. Of course if parents are unsaved, much interceding for them before the throne of God is paramount and living out a good testimony before them is an utmost necessity.

May the Lord grant wisdom and peace to those who honour their parents acceptably before the Lord in this wicked and perverse generation.


Live Streaming Murder

Live streaming murder, especially mass murders is a new trend in our digital age. Such audacious crimes shocked the world.

The recent incidents in Orlando and near Paris brought much soul-searching on how to contain this modern day evil.

Facebook Cooperating – Police Couple Aattack by Islamic State

Terrorist Live Facebook Streamed Attack

Orlando Shootings Posted on Facebook before and during Attack

What do you expect when fallen men no longer hold God’s words in high esteem!

Exodus 20:13: Thou shalt not kill.

Genesis 9:6: Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Numbers 35:30: Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.

Numbers 35:31: Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.

Today, men are violating God’s law with impunity, especially with the foolish liberal western nations that have abolished death penalty for murderer.

They reject God’s commandments and wonder why terrible things happen in this world.

It will only get worse and not better. The apostle Paul called the world we live in the present evil world for good reason.

Galatians 1:4: Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

As men continue to indulge in gory live stream of evil, the day is coming when the whole world will be even more shocked at an event in the future during the time of Jacob’s Trouble.

Revelation 11:3: And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation 11:4: These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Revelation 11:5: And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Revelation 11:6: These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Revelation 11:7: And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Revelation 11:8: And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Revelation 11:9: And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Revelation 11:10: And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

The whole world will watch and rejoice in the gory murder of these two witnesses from the Most High God. They will be able to observe their dead mutilated bodies in the street. It will be a time of merrymaking over this heinous crime.

What is even more shocking and horrifying is the live streaming of their resurrection.

Revelation 11:11: And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Revelation 11:12: And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

These witnesses’ ascension back into heaven will be observed by the world. This would be the epitome of all live streaming thus far where men love live streaming of all and sundry under the sun.

Another grand event would be the glorious return of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Christ making His triumphant entrance into this world to take possession of all the kingdoms in this world.

Revelation 1:7: Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Revelation 11:15: And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

What kind of live stream do you prefer to watch?


Helping The Poor

Matthew 26:6: Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

Matthew 26:7: There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

Matthew 26:8: But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?

Matthew 26:9: For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

Matthew 26:10: When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.

Matthew 26:11: For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

The passage here concerns a woman doing something good to the Lord that seems to be excesses to His disciples. The disciples were indignant. They deemed the gift was too costly and it was a terrible waste of resources. The gift bestowed upon the Lord was unjustifiable and could have helped the poor instead.

To add insult to injury, the Lord not only told them to let this matter pass, He added that they had the poor with them always but they won’t have the Lord with them always. This would be something politically incorrect to say and will not endear one to the masses.

If the Lord Jesus Christ is not the Creator of the universe who deserves the utmost adoration and offerings from His subjects, then He must be a charlatan indeed. But the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the Lord of glory where unfortunately His disciples being so familiar with Him failed to recognize. This was utmost disrespect and severe underestimation of the worth of the Lord.

Helping the poor is always a good platform to propel one into the forefront of politicking and eventual ascendancy unto power. Once at the apex of power, helping the poor no longer becomes a top agenda but only a sideshow with some appeasement for the downtrodden masses from time to time in order to remain in power. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon didn’t heed the advisors from his late father’s cabinet to ease the burdens of his subjects and this led to his downfall losing ten out of the twelve tribes that split the nation of Israel.

The Lord’s definitive statement about the perpetual existence of the poor is a biblical and historical fact. Ever since the fall of Adam, the earth is cursed and man has to toil for a living and some will certainly fall under unfortunate circumstances. What the Lord said about the poor has also being told to the children of Israel by Moses. Had they learned about the Bible and not lightly esteemed the Lord, they would not be offended with this woman’s act of charity.

Deuteronomy 15:11: For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

It is not the Lord does not care about the poor, for the Lord has enacted laws for the nation of Israel how they should care for the poor in their midst. The self-help initiatives need not be run by large organizations under the auspices of the State where bureaucracy would eat up a sizeable portion of the donation for the poor. As individuals they were required to care for their downtrodden brethren among them.

Leviticus 19:10: And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 23:22: And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 24:19: When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.

In addition, the seventh year is a year of rest where the poor could enjoy the fruits of the fields where the land is not to be harvested to increase the coffer of the well to do citizens of the nation.

Exodus 23:11: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.

Besides all those measures to help the poor during those years of hardship, the Lord also puts in place a policy to reset the economy of the nation every fifty years. Those who lost their lands could return to their possessions and those who became servants due to hardship were required to be set free. This will ensure the poor will not remain poor forever while the rich becomes richer all the time.

Leviticus 25:10: And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

Leviticus 25:11: A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.

Leviticus 25:12: For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.

Leviticus 25:13: In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.

The Lord does understand the plight of His people and thus instituted laws to ensure equitable distribution of wealth among His chosen people. If only nations in the world take a leaf of out the economic principles given to the children of Israel, this world would be a much better place.

But greed however, would not allow nations to adopt such economic blueprint. Even the children of Israel failed to keep this economic master plan and together with many heinous provocations against the Lord, they were eventually destroyed and carried away to Babylon to let the land rest and the poor enjoy the fruits of the land.

Leviticus 26:31: And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.

Leviticus 26:32: And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

Leviticus 26:33: And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

Leviticus 26:34: Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.

Leviticus 26:35: As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

So while the Lord Jesus Christ may seem callous to remark that the poor would be here to stay and while He clearly deserved the best, the Lord’s care for the poor cannot go unnoticed. Those who care for the poor will certainly be blessed.

Psalms 41:1: Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

Psalms:112:9: He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

The same promise is also given to the New Testament Christians.

2 Corinthians 9:9: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

The Christian Church is commanded to remember the poor, especially to the household of faith. They are exhorted to be active in charity work.

Galatians 2:10: Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

Galatians 6:10: As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Romans 15:26: For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

In fact, the poor are in a privileged position as far as the reception of the gospel of Christ is concerned.

Mark 10:23: And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

James 2:5: Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

Hence, Christians are admonished to be involved in good works, especially in the area concerning helping the poor.

1 Timothy 6:17: Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

1 Timothy 6:18: That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

1 Timothy 6:19: Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Titus 3:8: This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Titus 3:14: And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.

Charity work should come naturally for a Christian. However, Christians must be careful not to think that participating with some charity organizations to perform charity work is inline with biblical exhortation. Some organizations could be a front where subversive elements could be present to undermine the government of the day.

The gospel of John also presented the same case concerning the act of this woman. Insidious agenda of one crafty character championing for the plight of the poor is revealed.

John 12:3: Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

John 12:4: Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,

John 12:5: Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

John 12:6: This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

John 12:7: Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

John 12:8: For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

Judas Iscariot who outwardly seemed to be very concerned about the poor turned out to be a thief and a traitor as well. He knew how to be politically correct and endear himself with the people. He knew how to position himself and to exact maximum effect for his agenda. Moreover, he was in charged of finance for the organization he was affiliated with. He was saying all the right thing as a front but he had some ulterior motives.

Very often, those shout the loudest about helping the poor might turn out to be thieves. The abuse and excesses of top management of some charity organizations are quite astounding. Sometimes only a small portion of the donations is trickled down to those really in need because the bureaucracy has already eaten up much of the funds meant for the poor.

Non-profit organizations can be very profitable for certain people. It is quite easy to tug at the heartstrings of people to help the poor in order to lighten their purses, especially for those who believe that such good work will earn them merits on judgment day and accord them salvation and an entrance into the pearly gates having rejected the free gift of eternal life from the Lord.

Should Christians wish to be involved in charity organizations, they should do it in their personal capacity and not as Christians, lest they found to be fools when the organization they are serving in turned out to be fraudulent. It would be worse if such organizations have been infiltrated by characters with subversive agenda to cause trouble for the State.

Helping the poor is a biblical commandment for Christians. The left wing liberals are hijacking this biblical commandment for their own agenda to pressure the State and cause trouble to those in authority. Look at the refugee crisis in Europe where nations descend into chaos in the name of helping the poor and their citizens suffer as a result. Let no Bible believing Christians join hand with such organizations and be found to be at ought with the State where Christians become a political threat and a force to be reckoned with in the political arena. This is not what the biblical commandment for helping the poor is meant.

Titus 3:1: Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

It is much better for Christians to be obedient to the words of the living God to be charitable helping those in need quietly in simplicity. This will ensure all his sacrifice would go directly to the needy and not to some middle man trying to facilitate the charity work.

James 1:27: Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Let your good work be done in simplicity away from the limelight of the world. Your charity will not go unnoticed in the highest court in heaven.

Psalms 112:9: He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

Psalms 140:12: I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.

Psalms 9:18: For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.


Christian Lawyers Fighting Against Death Penalty

It is fashionable to become anti-death penalty advocates in these days where you will attract a following for joining this righteous cause and of course become respectable in this modern world to be associated with such activist movement. However, should Christian lawyers join this bandwagon?

Fighting such cause is usually the hobbyhorse of left wing bleeding heart liberals seeking to challenge the established norms of society since time immemorial. Many western countries have since abolished death penalties and victims of murders and other serious crimes do not get justice due to them where criminals are allowed to live when they actually deserved death for their crimes.

Some Christian activists go into emotional spasm claiming sanctity of life and dignity of death to champion the cause of criminals and their rights but conveniently forget about the rights of victims of crimes committed against them and their family. They have this half-baked romanticized notion quoting scriptures out of context to justify their noble cause.

They claim Jesus forgave the thief on the cross so we should likewise forgive criminals. What they failed to realize is that the repentant thief did not escape capital punishment but he received salvation where Jesus told him this:

Luke 23:43: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

It is tragically pathetic that highly educated Christian lawyers lack spiritual insight. They can’t distinguish the difference between God forgiving sins of a sinner and the State executing punishment on a criminal where the sinner has to face the consequence of his crime.

The gospel of Christ is not designed to save a sinner from physical death but to grant him forgiveness of sin that comes with the free gift of eternal life.

You might probably have heard these lawyers quote the gospel where Christ came to save sinners so criminals deserve a second chance. Again they fail to understand Christ came to save sinners from their sins and not to justify their crimes and to avoid punishment mete out by the State.

They would also quote the Lord’s teaching on the sermon on the mount as though they have solid biblical justification for their righteous cause to give murderers second chance for sanctity and dignity of life which is precious according to their opinion.

Matthew 5:38: Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Matthew 5:39: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

There you have it. So the Lord Jesus Christ came to abolish retribution?

Why stop at verses 38 and 39? Why not quote the next three verses?

Matthew 5:40: And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Matthew 5:41: And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Matthew 5:42: Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

So you death deserving murderers, please don’t just ask these left wing Christian lawyers to spare your lives, ask them for their wealth too. Better still murder their loved ones and ask them to champion your cause to avoid the death penalty.

These foolish activists keep insisting that life is precious and should not be taken away but what about the life of the victims? Aren’t they precious too? They claim that if we take the life of a murderer, we are no better than the murderer. This is humanism in all its glory!

You just can’t believe their ridiculous logic to justify the life of murderers but do nothing to the victims and their family. In fact, since they adopt such cavalier attitude towards murder victims and their family, it would be a great idea for murderers to test their resolve by raping and murdering the loved ones of these foolish activists and see whether they continue to sing the same tune and dance to the gallery.

When the Lord preached the sermon in preparation for the coming Kingdom of heaven, those commandments were meant for individuals to adhere and not the State to comply. These left wing Christian lawyers hell bent on riding the hobbyhorse to champion anti-death penalty know not the scriptures and whereof they affirm. They think they know better than the Creator of the universe on how to govern men on earth with their misplaced compassion.

Let’s take a quick survey on the evolution of the justice system on earth since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden.

The first murder took place where Adam’s eldest son Cain murdered his brother Abel. Instead of taking away the life of the murderer immediately, God spared his life and even protected him from human retribution.

Genesis 4:10: And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Genesis 4:11: And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
Genesis 4:12: When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
Genesis 4:13: And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Genesis 4:14: Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
Genesis 4:15: And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

So Cain the murderer lived on till he expired many years later. Unfortunately, without the deterrent of death penalty, life on earth didn’t get better. When you think men governed by their own conscience should know how to get along with each other when there was no death penalty, it got worse.

Genesis 4:23: And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
Genesis 4:24: If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

Lamech the murderer justified his crime and claimed the long laid down principle of the justice system without death penalty and so he abused it. So criminals didn’t need any left wing liberals to champion their cause during those days. It was by default they could get away with murder. It was a great era for criminals where murderers got away with murder scot-free and lived on on earth. Of course God’s justice system prevails with horizon that stretched far beyond this present sun. The sinners that sinned will die whether now or in the future and there is more to physical death thereafter.

So without death penalty during that Age, violence took over the whole world and God had no choice but to destroy the world and perform an ultimate reset to the world justice system.

Genesis 6:12: And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Genesis 6:13: And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

So the Age where human conscience that was supposed to guide human affairs failed miserably. Without death penalty to restraint the raging madness of fallen men, that world came to a tragic end.

After the global flood, eight survivors from the previous world were given the commission to repopulate the world. The justice system from the previous world has to evolve because human conscience failed to govern men on earth.

Genesis 9:6: Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Capital punishment was then introduced to keep fallen men in check and prevent the recurring raging madness of violence that plagued the world before the flood. This is a universal law found in all known nations in the world where murderers are put to death for their crimes.

This law was further codified in the penal code for the nation of Israel when they received the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:13: Thou shalt not kill.

Numbers 35:31: Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.

It is the responsibility of the State to execute criminals to maintain social order in society. Capital punishment serves as a deterrent as well as a retribution to potential criminals which prevents society from descending into lawlessness. This time proven God ordained law is now being challenged by ignorant and foolish men trusting their fallen mind to govern men in this world that have not changed and will not change since the fall of Adam.

Genesis 8:21: And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

It is a terrible shame for Christian lawyers to take a different position from the God of the Bible who concluded that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Hence, capital punishment is a necessary evil without which, the entire world would be wiped out once more like the flood before that.

Left wing liberals tend to rationalize away evil and offer sentimentalized solution believing this will do greater good for mankind. They could not be more wrong. In fact, the prophet Daniel saw it coming more than 2500 years ago that men in the last days will attempt to overthrow God’s ordained law and reject the Almighty’s mode of governance on earth.

Daniel 7:25: And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

It is escalating fast and furious these days as we see the coming of the Lord draws nigh. This is especially the case when Christians being in the legal profession or otherwise, join in the choruses of left wing activists to champion abolishment of death penalty for criminals. These self-conceited Christians fail to realize that the institution of the Church is not ordained to replace the institution of the State. In fact the State is ordained by God to govern men on earth while the Church serves a different function running in parallel with the State on earth. The Church concerns the spiritual realm while the State governs the physical domain on earth.

Romans 13:1: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Romans 13:2: Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Romans 13:3: For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Romans 13:4: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Romans 13:5: Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

Some specific members of the State are ordained by God to execute vengeance on evil doers on God’s behalf on earth. Even members of the Church are subject to the powers that be concerning matters on earth. Are Christians so foolish to challenge God’s ordained ministers and seek to influence, coerce and repudiate these ministers with their own opinions and conceited views on punishment of evil doers based on their own sentimental emotions and faulty logic?

If these foolish Christian lawyers still think it is their prerogative to champion the prevailing winds of change in the legal landscape that is sweeping across the western world, let them take note of what the apostle Paul has to say concerning capital punishment.

Acts 25:11: For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.

Paul was accused of many things by the Jews and he went through the whole legal process available to him as a Roman citizen during his days. He acknowledged and confirmed the validity of the death penalty and he submitted himself to the legal process and if he be found guilty, he was willing to die. Are Christians lawyers going to challenge Paul on his view on capital punishment?

It is not just the apostle Paul who recognized the God ordained functions of the State, even the apostle Peter exhorted Christians to submit to these ministers serving in the physical domain because they are indeed God-sent ministers to punish evil doers and this obviously include capital punishment to be meted out to criminals where there is justifiable cause that commensurate with the nature of the crimes committed.

1 Peter 2:13: Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
1 Peter 2:14: Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

Before the advent of the Church Age, human governments have been institutionalized to govern the affairs of men on earth. Even with capital punishment in force, this however, did not stop men from killing each other. Capital punishment serves to certain extent as a deterrent to prevent a repeat of what happened prior to the flood.

Foolish Christians argue that since capital punishment could not prevent murder, so it should be done away with. God is not going to allow these self-conceited Christian activists to bring back the violence that plagued the previous world yet. There will come a time where all human restraints will be removed during the time of Jacob’s trouble when the Church is removed and these self-conceited fools will receive their just recompense of rewards living on earth to experience unspeakable violence then. The Age of conscience failed to govern fallen men on earth and human governments will eventually fail as well.

With the arrival of the Church Age, this does not in any way abrogate the institution of human governments. The Church and human governments run in parallel and they serve different functions on earth. The Church Age is a window period where sinners while living out their lives on earth as a probation may have a chance to hear the gospel and obtain salvation and eternal life in Christ. As we survey the spiritual landscape looking at the current state of the Church, we know the Church will likewise fail as well. The Church cannot and will not prevent men from killing one another so that men may live peacefully ever after.

But when you look forward to the Kingdom Age where the Lord Jesus Christ will return and reign on earth and you think death will be a thing of the past, you would be badly mistaken. Rebellion will still be present and punishment on earth will be meted out which includes capital punishment.

Zechariah 14:17: And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
Zechariah 14:18: And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Zechariah 13:3: And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

Isaiah 65:20: There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

Even during the Kingdom Age living under a perfect human government with the Lord Jesus Christ on the throne and Satan banished for a thousand years, men will still fail and rebel. This will culminate in a grand final rebellion at the end of the Kingdom Age where all rebellions will eventually be put down and become history in the Eternal Age.

Revelation 20:7: And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Revelation 20:8: And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Revelation 20:9: And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Revelation 20:10: And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

There is very little hope that scriptural proofs will convince some of these Christian activists from championing the removal of death penalty. Some not only champion removal of death penalty, they even champion the rights of perverts to practise their perversion and deviant behaviour. This is an affront to the thrice Holy God, the Creator of the universe who governs the affairs of men in all Ages and will never overlook sins of men.

Numbers 14:18: The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

A Christian may choose to forgive the trespasses and transgressions of a criminal, but he has no business interfering with the law of the land to prevent justice to take its course. Like the repentant thief who believed the Lord and received pardon and salvation, he could not escape capital punishment due to him. His physical body may be lost but his soul is saved.

Christians activists championing abolishment of death penalty brings the Church into disrepute. Such acts implicitly demand compliance from the State and the Church may suffer backlash for intruding into domain that does not belong to the sphere of influence of the Church. The principle of separation of the Church and State must be strictly upheld otherwise this may invite the State to meddle with the spiritual affairs of the Church.

There is no conflict between the State and the Church on the matter of capital punishment and in fact, capital punishment is a direct commandment from the Holy Bible. Unless these Christian activists are apostates where the Holy Bible has no use to them, Christians must never sing and dance with activists seeking to abolish death penalty. After all what has a Christian got to fear about death penalty? Is death penalty interfering with their Christian faith?

Convicted serial-killer Morin Stephen Peter who became a Christian while in prison withdrew all appeals after pleading guilty to capital murder. His conviction and genuine Christian faith could teach these self-conceited Christian activists something on capital punishment.

Capital Punishment for Morin Stephen Peter

The wisest man ever lived concluded that the malady of this sin cursed world is not because of the administration of capital punishment by human governments. It is precisely because of the lack of speedy execution of God’s laws on criminals that is responsible for evil to breed and allows wickedness to flourish.

Ecclesiastes 8:11: Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

It is indeed tragic that Christian lawyers who are so well versed with the finer points of laws of the land and are professionally acquainted with the inner workings of court proceedings but are so spiritually blind to the laws of God and His wills for men from the Holy Bible.

Are they wiser than Solomon? Are these Christian activists greater than the words of the living God? God may perhaps arrange for them or their loved ones to experience some horrible crimes to befall them to help them see the truth and then they may sing a different tune.

Capital punishment will be here to stay for a very long time until the dawn of the Eternal Age, which is at least a thousand years away. So why waste time and fight against God’s explicit commandment?


Serve the Lord or Yourself?

Luke 10:38: Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
Luke 10:39: And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
Luke 10:40: But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
Luke 10:41: And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
Luke 10:42: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

The context here shows two ladies who were sisters one being very busy while the other simply kept her focus on the Lord. It is pretty obvious one was doing a lot of work while the other was seemingly idling. The overworked sister complained to the Lord to compel her sister to help her with the work she thought would be important in her view on serving the Lord.

From a human standpoint, this was really unfair. One was shouldering all the load while the other was rather carefree. Based on Martha’s complaint, Marry seemed to be a shirker of duty. Looking through the lens from a human worldly point of view, Martha’s request was justified and Marry should not be allowed to indulge in her own ways.

Unfortunately, the Lord has a penchant of interpreting labour, effort, motives and spiritual quality of a person differently from man’s point of view. Not only the Lord did not accede to Martha’s demands, she was even told her priority was all wrong. Martha’s outburst got her no where.

Martha was actually quite rude laying some blame on the Lord for not taking notice on how she was left on her own to serve Him. Due to her familiarity with the Lord, she took for granted this entitled her the privilege to charge the Lord for being unfair and guilty of favouritism in how the two of them were treated.

How did Martha get to this stage of a burnout? There was no question she had been busy and doing all the work. The trouble was she was doing everything in her own view was the way the Lord should be served. It was purely her own opinion and she expected her sister to adopt the same.

No where did the Lord tell her how she ought to serve or what she had to do in serving Him. Her labour was not commissioned by the Lord and this added no value to her soul in serving the Lord this way according to her own understanding and on her own terms. Worse still, she demanded her sister to follow suit laying such bondage upon others according to her own foolish understanding.

As such, very quickly she lost her joy of serving the Lord because it was all done in the energy of the flesh. Had she succeeded in her endeavour, she might probably glory in her effort instead of giving glory to the Lord. The focus was on her labour and effort and not on the Lord. So how would you expect the Lord to respond?

Mary was right. Her focus was on the Lord giving the Lord all her undivided attention in which the Lord truly deserved. Her attention was on the Lord and not on some work and she was rightfully commended. But for Martha, her own work took centre stage and became her object of glory. It is dangerous to take satisfaction in human effort in serving the Lord, especially work based on human understanding where the Lord was not part of the entire equation.

The episode on these two sisters is instruction here. How often do you see Christians running hither and thither where in their own mind and own view , they were serving the Lord and then they burned out along the way? Some fell into the same category of Martha. They murmur and complain why the Lord is so unfair and allows others to slack while they serve all on their own.

This is the result of not getting their orders from above and they start to run around in circles thinking they were actually serving the Lord. To make matters worse, they start to look around sideways and complain why others were not as zealous and faithful like them in serving the Lord according to their own opinion and understanding.

The Lord clearly came to promise rest to our souls. For the Lord claims:

Matthew 11:29: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Matthew 11:30: For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The moment anyone felt his effort and labour became too heavy in serving the Lord like what Martha experienced with lost of joy, then the Lord has no part in such service. The apostle Paul also at times felt weary in the work of the Lord physically yet there was no hint of murmur or complain or lost of joy in the Lord’s work.

If the work we do for the Lord is commissioned from above, then there is no room for murmuring and complaining and looking at others wondering why they are not doing what we are doing. Should the work we endeavour for the Lord is based on looking at what others are doing, then there is great possibility of burnout because we thought we were serving the Lord but we were actually serving to please men and to covet the praise of men. We are simply imitating what others are doing and not doing what the Lord wants us to do. Serving the Lord is not a competition with fellow Christians to see who serves more and who serves best.

The primary work for the Lord is to spend time on the words of the living God and seek the Lord in prayer much like what Marry was doing and was commended by the Lord. Spending time sitting at Jesus’ feet is important otherwise how do we know what the Lord wants us to do for Him? This is really the one thing that is needful so choose the good part to spend time with the Lord like Marry. There is no point following the footsteps of Martha running ahead of the Lord without knowing what the Lord delights in and then fall into self-pity and discouragement and even despair.

It is important to know what the Lord expects from us and not what some church leaders expect us to do. If you have been so busy running your life around the church calendar and neglected to spend time on the words of God and with the Lord in prayer, don’t be surprise when you end up like Martha wallowing in frustration living out a meaningless and joyless existence deceiving yourself you are in the Lord’s service.

This will not only cost you lost of joy, it may bring trouble on your loved ones especially when you think you are serving the Lord revolving your life around the church calendar and then your family gets neglected along the way. It is not the Lord’s will to break your family in order to serve Him. It is the Lord’s will for you to keep your family in good spiritual health so that your church life will be fruitful and are able to edify one another in the Lord.

Always ensure we do what the Lord wants us to do for Him and not what others expect or think what we should do for the Lord. How we serve the Lord is none of the business of others be they church leaders or otherwise. The tendency to compare with what others are doing for the Lord is very common, even the apostle Peter was guilty of such weakness.

John 21:20: Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
John 21:21: Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
John 21:22: Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

Don’t ever benchmark your service for the Lord based on what others are doing. What others are doing for the Lord is none of our business. Be yourself and do your best for the Lord. You have your unique role to play to be a blessing to others and to be useful for the Lord’s work. Your rewards will be sure.


Will You Marry Your Self?

The advent of digital cameras, in particular on mobile phones, make it very easy and cheap to take pictures at any moment in time. Gone are the days where taking pictures are expensive having to buy rolls of films where you have to think twice before snapping away on your cameras, not to mention costly fees required to process the rolls of film and hopefully the pictures come out fine.

Who won’t want to capture a beautiful image especially with yourself in the picture too. In the past, you would need someone to take such a picture for you. Today, you could just take your own picture with the secondary camera on your mobile handset. With the aid of a selfie stick, you could take pictures of yourself at a greater distance which is even better.

Unfortunately, taking selfie is contributing to untimely deaths and injuries for some so engrossed in such acts of self importance and grandeur to capture the perfect moment in time for posterity and future self-exultation. Narcissism becomes popular and sometimes not cheap, even deadly.

List of Selfie-Related Injuries and Deaths

With the popularity promoting platforms like facebook and instagram, narcissism is taken on to a whole new level of indulgence. Spending time showing off and bragging about stuff on facebook coveting affirmation and adulation can become an addiction, especially those who set out hoping to get many friends and “likes” on their facebook page a life mission.

If you think that is not enough of self-love, self-praise and self-centeredness, you can even marry your own self if you so wish. You can fall in love with your own self and marry your self just like a normal wedding with a huge party following. This trend is going to pick up just like any foolish fashion in this world that will pass away.

No Need Husband – Women Can Now Marry Themselves

When you think this is narcissism gone mad, this is not something unexpected actually, scripturally speaking.

2 Timothy 3:2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Haven’t we been warned about the last days’ conditions? Indeed men shall be lovers of their own selves literally. This is perhaps the grand finale of narcissism in all its glory.

This is good news actually because we are not far from the end of times.

Hopefully some will wake up and share the sentiments of the psalmist who exclaimed:

Psalms 39:5: Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.


Desiring the Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:16: And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Revelation 13:17: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 13:18: Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Such strange and cryptic pronouncement seems farfetched, especially hundreds years ago. Christians in the past must have great faith to believe such revelation beyond their wildest imagination.

Fast forward to our day and age, such technology is already here and has been used on animals for quite sometime now for tracking and data analysis. It is progressively being used on humans and inevitably, it is becoming desirable to receive the mark in the body by certain people for reasons best known to them.

Recently, some diehard soccer fans in Argentina are clamoring to have microchips implanted in them so they can literally carry their beloved club inside of them. This microchip, also known as the Passion Ticket, will allow them to enter the gates of the stadium by scanning the chip in their hand. For the moment, this chip doesn’t have a GPS tracker to track the members but just serves as a record of their membership data and subscription. Check out the news here and think about the not too distant future.

Argentine Club Launches Microchips For Fans

One thing is sure. Receiving a mark is going to be popular and even desirable. There are many good reasons to justify having a mark literally where your identity cannot be stolen. It is also very convenient to have all your information with you in the chip and you don’t have to carry cash with you and a whole bunch of credit cards and membership cards as well. Better still, have all your medical records in the chip which would be very useful during an emergency.

However, this is inevitably moving in the direction where global control of the human population during the end times becomes possible. Absolute control by the antichrist and his system will ensure these recipients forfeit their chance of salvation and eternal life.

Revelation 14:9: And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Revelation 14:10: The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Revelation 14:11: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Revelation 16:1: And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Revelation 16:2: And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Receiving the mark is not so harmless after all. It is not just a trade off for convenience and security but a deception to worship the antichrist. World trend on the popularity and desirability to receive the mark of the Beast will seal the doom for many.

2 Thessalonians 2:9: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2 Thessalonians 2:10: And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2 Thessalonians 2:11: And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2 Thessalonians 2:12: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

It is definitely getting exciting but nonetheless, terrifying for those left behind when the Lord calls His bride, the Church, home. This is when the nation of Israel will take centre stage again to be purified during the times of Jacob’s trouble just prior to the Millennial Kingdom of peace and rest under the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.