Weeks 03 & 04 (11) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Finally the waiting is over and I praise God that He grants me the faith and perseverance to pass the test!

I shared previously that after my 6-month contract came to an end at the end of August last year. I tried looking for another job. I contacted many people I knew – clients, consultants, contractors, …. and I exhausted every possible avenue, and nothing happened, except one good Christian friend gave me a very small transportation job out of kindness!

I was under a fair bit of pressure, because by faith, I have suggested to Kim to resign from her bus & school job in London and join me here in Hong Kong. I knew it is important to do that because it is not wise for us to be separated for too long!

Also by faith, I rented an office space to start the BBC Ministries in November!

Kim resigned from her jobs on 1st November and was planning to join me in December!

Although I had been through the waiting test before, back in 2005, at that time Kim was working and our monthly expenses were not high. This time the monthly outlay is much higher – monthly rental for the apartment, monthly rental for the BBC School and monthly mortgage repayment for our London house!

The test really stretched my faith to near breaking point, and I had to dig deep in my trust in God and tried to remind myself the many victories God had given me in the past!

Then I had a lunch meeting with some old engineering friends just before Christmas and learned that one of the regulars could not join because he was really busy. I registered that in my mind but at the time I was still chasing a couple of other opportunities.

Came the new year, those other opportunities were confirmed dead. So I picked up the phone and call this busy friend. He sounded excited on the phone and hinted that I could relieve him of some of his workload!

The next morning I went into his office for a chat with his boss (the Managing Director) and got an offer to start work the following Monday (10th Jan.). Praise the Lord!!!

The office address is 633 King’s Road and I like it, because [Matt. 6:33] is my signature scripture – “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” And King’s Road to me means the way of the King (Jesus). I knew then the job was from God!

The MD was my neighbour back in the early 80s at Braemar Hill Mansion in North Point Midlevel, where our 2 sons grew up. He kind of knew about my working history and the fact that I left Hong Kong at the peak of my career to go to the UK as a missionary. Hong Kong after all is only a small village. It was a good job that I didn’t do anything bad :).

On the first day of work, the MD invited me to lunch and introduced me to a number of his senior staff. He pointed out that 2 of the ladies (senior architects) were Christians. In the conversation they got to know that I was a pastor in the UK :).

The company is a one-stop building consulting firm and the total staff is over 150, comprising all disciplines of the building profession. I found out that there was a prayer group in the company!

Indeed this is a great opening to minister in the marketplace, esp. when senior management is opened about it. It is a busy practice working on a vast number of small building projects – both private and government. Hence the opportunity to meet many clients, architects and other sub-consultants, plus all the not-yet believers in the company, including my Director friend and the MD……. a huge harvest field!

All in all, I really am grateful to God for His faithfulness and His amazing providence, and for not testing me beyond what I could bear [1 Cor. 10:13] ! But it is more than just financial provision. It is also a ministry!

Yes, let us continue to “Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live……Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them — the LORD, who remains faithful forever. He…..gives food to the hungry. The LORD……lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous…….The LORD reigns forever……for all generations. Praise the LORD. [Ps 146:1-10 NIV]

Indeed our help is from God. “This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." [Jer 17:5-10 NIV]

If you are not a believer in Jesus yet, let me encourage and challenge you with the Word of God. “The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of that country, he endured their conduct for about forty years in the desert, he overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance. All this took about 450 years. "After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul….who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.' "From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. As John was completing his work, he said: 'Who do you think I am? I am not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.' "Brothers…..it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. "We tell you the good news....."Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: "'Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.'" [Acts 13:16-41 NIV]

The Word of God is the bread of life for our soul. Therefore “pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise (the Word of God)…..for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD…... [Prov 22:17-29 NIV]

Amen and amen!

Weeks 01 & 02 (11) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Six students from Brisbane are having their “summer” break in Hong Kong and we came together to pray for Queensland and Brisbane. I led them to pray for God’s mercy in the rebuilding of the devastated region and city!

But the word of Lord came to me in Jeremiah 14. I believe we need to pray differently!

[Jer 14]

1 This is the word of the LORD to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

2 "Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.

3 The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads.

4 The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads.

Jeremiah appealed to God for His mercy:

7 Although our sins testify against us, O LORD, do something for the sake of your name. For our backsliding is great; we have sinned against you.

8 O……Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land……like a warrior powerless to save?

This was God’s response:

10 ……"They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins."

Then God said to Jeremiah:

11 ………."Do not pray for the well-being of this people.

12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry…….Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague."

Jeremiah finally prayed:

20 O LORD, we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers; we have indeed sinned against you.

21 For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it.

22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, or you are the one who does all this.

Some of you may not like what I am going to share, but I sense it is from the Lord. You have the choice of deleting his message now or reading on.

God has been trying to get our attention for a while now – financial crisis, wars and famines, but do not be surprised to see greater distresses around the globe, from 2011 onwards, before the eventual Day of the Lord!

God is just and righteousness. He will not allow injustice and unrighteous to continue forever. His judgment of the world has started.

I appeal to all Bible-believing Christians around the world to get on our knees and pray according to [2 Chron. 7:14]:

[2 Chron 7:14]

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

We need to start with ourselves. God’s people need to repent of our wicked ways and ask God for His forgiveness, yes, for our own sins and wickedness as God’s people. Then God will begin to hear our prayers. God will not listen to prayers from wicked and sinful Christians, me included. Indeed, I pray for God to forgive my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness each day!

This is the starting point.

We can then pray for the sins of the people of the world and for their salvation.

I appeal to all Christians who believe in Jesus as the Lord and Saviour to do likewise.

This is my prayer. “O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies. Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers…... [Ps 141:1-10 NIV]

This is a word of warning from the Lord. “'This is what the LORD says: "'When men fall down, do they not get up? When a man turns away, does he not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle…..The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have? "'I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them.'" [Jer 8:4-6,8,9,13 NIV]

Another word of warning is that, going forward, we will see great persecution of the true church of Jesus Christ, not unlike the Early Church. “Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead-whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."…….They….had them flogged…..Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.......Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. [Acts 5:27-42 NIV]. We need to do likewise until The End.

Be assured to know these - “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good…….The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him……The LORD detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness…..Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD — how much more the hearts of men!....Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil…..The LORD tears down the proud man's house but he keeps the widow's boundaries intact. The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him……The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous……The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. [Prov 15:3,8,9,11,16,25,26,29,33 NIV]

Amen and amen!

Weeks 51 & 52 (10) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

As we enter a new decade in 2011, major cities around the world welcome it with firework displays that symbolise optimism and expectations, hopes and dreams.

That is a right attitude which reflects a positive human spirit. Man in all generations look forward to a better future each year, without change. But it is change that will bring about a better future.

Ironically, as we celebrate the birth of a New Year, Hong Kong mourn the death of one of Asia's leading democracy advocates, Szeto Wah.

Mr. Szeto has worked for decades to establish, preserve and protect Hong Kong people's democratic institutions, freedom and human rights.

A core member of the Democratic Party, Mr. Szeto first came to public prominence as a long-time leader of Hong Kong's largest teachers' union. Time Magazine named him one of the 25 most influential people in Hong Kong, calling him "Democracy's Foot Soldier." Known to the people of Hong Kong simply as "Uncle Wah," he was one of Hong Kong's earliest elected representatives, and continues to be one of the Special Administrative Region's most popular and admired politicians.

Mr. Szeto has long devoted himself to the development of democracy in Hong Kong. In 1973, he formed the Professional Teachers' Union, one of the earliest pressure groups in Hong Kong to fight for the interest of teachers. He served as its president from 1974-90 and as its vice president from 1990-96.

In 1985, Hong Kong had its first functional constituency elections, in which Mr. Szeto was elected to represent the Education professionals in the territory. In the same year, he served as a member of the Basic Law Drafting Committee, the body appointed by Beijing to draft Hong Kong's post-1997 constitution. Following his condemnation of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, he withdrew from the committee. He is also the chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movement of China, the organization formed in 1989 to support the democracy movement in China.

In late 1996, Szeto Wah led a public challenge to China to make its appointment system for the selection of the Chief Executive more democratic, transparent and accountable to the public. In this campaign, he ran as the Democratic Party's nominee for the "Shadow Chief Executive" and secured over 100,000 signatures in his endeavor to educate the public about their rights.

Szeto Wah's dedication to freedom of expression and human rights has been recognized worldwide. In December 1997, the Czech Republic presented Mr. Szeto with its distinguished "HomoHomini" Human Rights Award.

Mr. Szeto was also devoted Christian and the Christian faith had reinforced his life-long goal of fighting for a more democratic Hong Kong and, hopefully, a more just and fair society.

The God that Christians worship considers “righteousness and justice as the foundation of His throne” [Ps. 89:14]. Hence Mr. Szeto’s Christian faith is correctly expressed when he pursued justice and fairness relentlessly. In this regard, Mr. Szeto has my greatest respect!

The new decade is a decade of change, yes, rapid change. It will be faster than Apple changing its i-phone models. :)

Behind that change is a hidden agenda that is more sinister than what appears to the undiscerning. It is a new World Order that moves the nations towards greater co-operation in economics, religion, green issues etc......paving the way for the inevitable!

It was the same spirit of co-operation that led to the building of the Tower of Babel in the early human history [Genesis 11:4]!

As Christians, we hold onto God’s promise that He will one day restore His rule and reign on earth, which will have righteousness and justice as the foundation. It is only then when the dreams of so many like Szeto Wah and others who have gone before him and come after him would be realized. Let us “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods…Give thanks to the Lord of lords….to him who alone does great wonders….who by his understanding made the heavens…..who spread out the earth upon the waters….who made the great lights……the sun to govern the day….the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever. [Ps 136:1-12 NIV]

It is time to seek the Lord, when His grace and mercy are still on offer. "If you will return….to me," declares the LORD."If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, 'As surely as the LORD lives,' then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory." This is what the LORD says to the men ……"Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts….., or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done — burn with no one to quench it……'Sound the trumpet throughout the land!....So put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us……..[Jer 4:1-9 NIV]

Just before Jesus was crucified, “...Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face……..When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" [John 19:1-12 NIV] The same Jesus who was crucified 2000 years ago will return in glory and power to judge the world. Anything (and anyone) that is unrighteous and unjust will be thrown into hell and be burned for eternity!

If you pursue righteousness and justice, you will not be disappointed, because “The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked……Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot…..The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked…..The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment…..The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment……What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted. When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever…..The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil……...[Prov 10:3,6-7,11,16,20-21,24-25,28-32 NIV]

Amen and amen!