WOUNDS OF DENIAL (John 18:15-27)

The Docetists - heretics who rejected the traditional understanding of the Incarnation. The Docetists taught that in the incarnation, the second Person of the Trinity did not take upon himself human flesh: he only appeared to have become a human being. The Docetists therefore affirmed the deity of the incarnate Son, but rejected his humanity. Because they believed that God could not suffer, the Docetists also rejected the claim that the Son suffered for humanity on the cross. It is to combat this false teaching that the Apostle Creed was born to bear witness that believers believe in the deity and the humanity of Christ. That he indeed can be wounded, not just physically, but inwardly as well.

John 18 is a chapter shrouded in darkness, Judas had come with a bunch of people in the cover of the night to arrest Jesus with a kiss. Disappointed with the Kingdom Jesus had come to bring, he was willing to betray him. In addition, despite his many protestations of his loyalty to Jesus, Peter was to fail the Lord in the High Priest's house. All the disciples deserted the Lord, all equally cupable to inflict wounds of betrayal on Jesus. In particular, the betrayal from Peter was hard as he had made promises to the Lord that he will stand firm even if everyone should fall away. So Peter's denial was to hurt Jesus so much more. Would you inflict wounds on Jesus?

Palm Sunday reminds us of the fickleness of man. The crowds that welcome Jesus into the city who utter "Save, help us!" was to be replaced by the same crowd who would later shout, "crucify him."

We are quick to say we will not deny Jesus. But we actually do the opposite when we:

• are fearful to offer a meal prayer with our colleagues at lunch
• driving on the expressway and are filled with a spirit that is not of God
• worship and preach only about Jesus' resurrection but neglect the fellowship of his sufferings (Phil 3:10-11).
• emphasize his divinity and reject his death. "While i  understand that each Sunday is a mini-Easter of sorts, but the choice of the songs reflects (to me) a deficient Christian hymnody and a somewhat lopsided triumphalistic emphasis on the resurrection that relegates the passion, suffering and death of Jesus to a footnote!" We must remember not to eclipse the sufferings of Jesus, his crucifixion and his death and simply focus on his triumph, his resurrection in our observance of Lent. There can be no resurrection
• without the passion and suffering of Jesus,
• without the death of Jesus
• without Good Friday.

Let's not deny Jesus in all we do and sing. Ray Boltz has a song where he muses on the suffering wounds of Jesus:

If Jesus suffers on Calvary's tree, can he still feel the nails every time we sin? The events of the passion week is not to be repeated but the song writer writes about the gravity of sin and one's desire to make changes in response so as not to cheapen his sufferings and what he has done for us at Calvary.

Let us live each day under the shadow of the cross.

Reflection Questions:

1. How have I been fickle in my devotion to the Lord Jesus?
2. How have I continually wound Jesus in my relationship with him?
3. What are the changes that I will make in response to the sufferings of Jesus?

DISCIPLINE 1 Thess 1:2-3

Sermon by Romans Wong (BB Enrolment Sunday)

The Objective of the Boys' Brigade is the advancement of Christ's kingdom among boys and the promotion of the habits of obedience, reverence, discipline, self respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness.

Discipline is a form of training to become better by following a set of standards he/she believes in. Discipline can only happen between two persons when it is not forced and both parties have agreed to be in such a relationship and share the same convictions about the usefulness of discipline.

God disciplines us personally, purposefully and prudently so that we may be filled with his wisdom and become his children and bring him glory. Many situations in our lives therefore do not happen by chance. But it is God who has engineered those events to train us. He tailors the situation to each of our needs.

Why do we fail to notice God's discipline?
1. We are not conscious of the presence of God in the busyness of our lives.
2. We choose the easy way out, every time the Lord wants to discipline us.

Discipline in the Bible has emphasis on the relationship between the one being disciplined and the One who disciplines.

Heb 12:5-11
"⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,    “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,  and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
 ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. "

The Lord disciplines the one he loves. The relationship between the Father and the Son makes discipline sensible. Discipline is an important means for us to deepen our relationship with God.

When we reject discipline we are saying to the Disciplinarian, "Lay your hands off me."  Paul shares with us that there are people who reject God's discipline in Rom 1:28 "²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. " Do you want God to lay his hands off you or do you want God to transform you so that you can become a better person for His glory? When he does that then it's a sad situation because that itself will be the way God shows his wrath upon us.

Prov 29 is a chapter that talks about discipline - choosing God's ways rather than our ways. In verses 15 & 17 are the words:

 ¹⁵ A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
   but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.
 ¹⁷ Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
   they will bring you the delights you desire.

It is tough to try to discipline ourselves and those under us. But don't give up. It is inconvenient to discipline. Do we postpone discipline now simply because they look cute at this point? What if the army boy was your son, your brother, it is no longer fun to see this article.

Sir William Alexander Smith (October 27, 1854 - May 10, 1914), the founder of the Boys' Brigade 

observed how restless asnd bored children were during the Sunday school classes especially the senior boys. He believed that the methods and discipline he had used at the Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers could be more effective and appropriate when dealing with them and so the birth of the Boys' brigade. He believed that to grow God fearing adults, we have got to start when they are young persons. He wanted the boys to look to Jesus as their hero and draw inspiration from Christ how to be a godly man. BB companies have always been connected to the church so that they can come in touch with many good male models. The Role of the BB is to build a Christianity that can become a part of young people's lives.

Officers, rather than abusing your power, discipline yourselves  to let God work in your lives so that you will impact the boys when you love and care for them. Parents don't give up on dsciplining your children. Let's take courage from Paul's admonition in Rom 5:1-5 says, " ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. "

Reflection Questions

1. Why do I shun the discipline of my parents, my school teachers? Why do I shun the discipline of God?
2. Why do I fear disciplining my children? Is it because of the hardship involved in exercising the discipline? Or am I just plain lazy?  See 1 Sam 3:13-14.
3. What are some fruits of righteousness that has been borne out of discipline in your life? Who are some of the people who have impacted you. Give thanks to the Lord for them.
4. Can you become more involved in the Boys' Brigade? How can you impact the boys with your life?

WOUNDS OF SCORN (Matthew 27:39-42; Isaiah 53:2,3)

    Sermon by Rev Helen Hoe

When Jesus grew up, the bible described him as  “increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man.” There was no hint that Jesus was despised and rejected. But that was the pre-ministry days. It was when He began His mission that men turned away from Him.  

The sufferings Jesus endured:
John 1:11

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

Mathew 27:39-42

³⁹And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

 ⁴¹In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying,  ⁴²He saved others; He cannot save Himself He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

Isaiah painted a picture of Jesus:
Isaiah 53:2-3
He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
    ³He was despised and forsaken of men,
         A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
         And like one from whom men hide their face.  He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.     

 Applications:

(a) Dealing with the wounds

Have you been down this road of being scorned? when you did something good, tried to walk the path of obedience, but was mocked instead. At one point or other we have experienced being put down. Sometimes you feel ostracize by a group, maybe friends or peers; in your growing up years or even now, you felt so small, so inferior...

Some just brushed it off and moved on. Others are still living with the hurts. And the wound cuts deeper when they came from people closest to you (spouse or parent).

Bishop Kroeber says: "One of the marks of a true mature Christian is the willingness to take risks, get wounded, work through the healing process and then become vulnerable again."

Are you willing to surrender your wound to Jesus? To take the risk of loving and being wounded in the process?

(b) Dealing with the People who Wounded us

How then do we relate to the people who mock us and hurt us?

Identifying with people

Jesus was mocked and taunted. If it was me, I’ll be tempted to come down. But Christ know his mission, he came to reconcile us to God. To do that, he identifies with us, Incarnation is the ultimate identification with man.

That is why despite the wound of scorn that they inflicted on him, he prayed: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

When we are being hurt, usually we think of our pain first. But Jesus thought of us. He took pity on us who did not get it.

Jesus knew that men do not fall at His feet and worship Him until they have had a radical change of heart that comes through a spiritual birth. "Unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." The cross of Jesus Christ is always a scandal to the unregenerate man. Jesus knows, that is why he prayed; Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing

In some of the ministries experiences that I had, that I heard, there are always people whose weaknesses bring much pain to our lives.

2 Temptations:

1.      Leave for another pasture : Today Christians are too quick to leave their church, organization, small grup, friend or spouse when the going gets tough. People would rather split and start afresh elsewhere rather than go through the frustrations of working through the issues/problems. 

2.      The other temptation is to disregard them, write them off. Some leaders gave their members this message: “if you do not agree on the direction we are taking, you are welcome to find another group”.

But we cannot do that if we are the family we claim to be. Can you tell your family members that they are not welcomed because they regularly get upset with what’s happening in the family? I suppose this happens today, but that is not the Christian understanding of family

Would you surrender that right to be angry with these people, and pray that God will bring about a change in heart in their lives?

c) When we are not the victims but the Perpetrator

We are not always like Jesus on the cross, sometimes we are at the opposite side, more like the chief priests, the soldiers, the passing crowd…

We may think, "no lah, since when do I mock at people?"

But the area of your strength is often the area of your danger zone: pride. For eg: people who sees big picture, how do you regard those who never sees the forest but the trees or worse, only the leaves and branches?

I have to confess that God dealt with this area in my life recently “spiritual pride”. 

Are there people in your lives that :

-         we look down, belittle?

-         People we do not take their words seriously, start to switch off when they talked?

-         You roll your eyes and think, why can’t they get it?

-         When we talked down, every point we want to rebutt?

The bible said: "And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him."

Because there was nothing outwardly beautiful or compelling about the Messiah, mankind's reaction was to withdraw from Him, to despise Him, and hold Him in low esteem. This shows that men value physical beauty and charisma far more than God does, and when we don't see it, we reject the ones God accepts and invalidate what Christ has done for us on the cross.

Reflection Questions

1.       Have you experienced the wound of scorn? Being put down? being belittled for who you are? You felt so small, so inferior, would you surrender your pain and receive restoration? The mark of a true mature Christian is the willingness to take risks, get wounded, work through the healing process and then become vulnerable again.  Are you willing to tell God: yes I’m willing to take the risk of loving and being wounded in the process.

2.      Are there people in your lives that keep putting you down? People whose words always upset or hurt you – would you pray “God, help me to forgive them, bring about a transformation in their lives so that they truly know God.  

3.      Would you also pray humble yourselves in the presence of God, ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart, is there spiritual pride in you? Are there any areas that you show contempt to fellow believers, whether outwardly or in your heart? As the Holy Spirit brings conviction to our hearts, let's confess and repent, and plead for His forgiveness.

WOUNDS OF APATHY (JOHN 12:37-40)

Sermon by Rev Tan-Yeo Lay Suan

APATHY : a deadness to spiritual things; spiritual carelessness, neglect.

Ancient and monastic response to avoid this deadness is to reflect daily on the workings of one's heart and from this examen to learn the solutions to life's challenges and temptations.

For us today, we have no explicit and systematic spiritual formation. As long as we don't do and think what harm others, we think we are doing ok. Spiritual practices are now considered optional extras for an eccentric few. At the top of the list of excuses are "I have no time for that sort of thing" which simply means not having enough hours in the day or not having the inclination. Helping people to overcome spiritual carelessness is one of the key tasks of the church today.

Can God be wounded by our apathy?
The Scriptures give us glimses of God's desire to see come to pass what he does not sovereignly command, a freewill positive responsiveness in his children.

1. Matt 23:37-39 - Through Christ, we see God openly expressing his broken heart for the people that he has just condemned. Rather than hating the hypocrites, he had longed to gather them and save them from eternal peril. But would not come to Him. The picture of the hen gathering her chicks can also be found in the Old Testament e.g. Exodus 19.
2. Luke 23:26-31 - As Jesus staggered along the Via Dolorosa, his words in v 28 startled them when he wept still for them and directed them to the severity and tragedy of their rejection of Him. He did not want them to pity him, but rather that they turn in repentance, faith, obedience and cross bearing.
3. Ezekiel 18:30-32
4. Hosea 11 (particularly v 8) - A man commanded to take a prostitute for his wife and to suffer her repeated unfaithfulness. The betrayed lover is God also when we neglect our relationship with him, when we would go and worship other gods the rest of the week.
5. Luke 15 - the picture of the compassionate father and how he must have hurt while his son stayed away from home.

We are often fearful of the full investment that God demands of us.
A quote from Rev Wilbur Rees is worth thinking through: "I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please - not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant worker. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of a womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I'd like to buy just $3 worth of God, please."
Don't go away thinking that God is contented so long as we're spending time and money on him on Sundays, even if we continue serving our other gods for the rest of the week.
Are we, as Ben Witherington says, only wanting "acceptance as we are, not repentance so we can be who we ought to be." Think on these things.

Do we have a correct view of Jesus? Why did the crowd finally turned their backs on him, demanding his blood and his death?
Daniel Myers shares with us that "Jesus was much more than meek and mild. He was more than a poetic philosopher. Jesus was the Light of Heaven hitting a darkened earth like a meteor blast. He made claims and demands that left people undone. He named realities that others sought to bury. He broke barriers and battered bastions no one else had the nerve to assault. He called for the utter dismantling of the way things were and the new creation of something so much better. Jesus was not politically correct. He was not religiously pious. He was not socially tame. Jesus was a dangerous man because he was, and is, the God who is dangerously good. "  That's the reason why he often introduces his call in terms of leaving parents, getting out of safe boats, selling possessions etc. not that there is anything wrong with these. He simply wants us to decide if we would define and pursue these values in the way of the world or pursue them in the way of the Lord, the Kingdom's way.

Lent is the season when Christians take courage to look down at their feet and examine the line they've been walking, the investments they've been making and the loyalties they've been dividing in order to start walking in a different way.
Where have you placed your feet? Are you still trying to stay on the fence, happy with just $3 worth of God?

In 2007 we did the 40 Days of Purpose and we know that God intends for us to move inwards towards the center of the concentric circles. When our lives become focused on living out God's purpose, establishing his rule over our lives, our collective lives in the church and all those within our circle of influence.

Apathy using this picture of the concentric circles would be to stop moving towards the center, to keep at the same spot, indifferent to the various invitations of the Lord Jesus Christ to become more and more committed to him.

Why do we avoid following Jesus?

We avoid from a failure of intellectual nerve, unwilling to investigate and take a risk with God. E.g. my disbelief in football is based upon my not caring anything about it and not caring enough to do anything about it. Is this your reason for avoiding Christ? Will you choose to care? Will you choose to stir from your unwillingness to invest more and more in following Jesus?

When we diligently follow him, it will mean knowing the difference

• between the holy and profane, and moving on to do something about it.
• between righteous living and ungodliness, and moving on to do something about it.
• between the truth and hypocrisy, and moving on to do something about it.

This will be the outcome of the one who puts behind his apathy.

The Consequences of Staying Apathetic

To continue in our apathy is to hurt ourselves deeply without even knowing it. There was a time when people didn't know about germs. We lived in blissful ignorance. Then the day came when we learn about germs and the ill effects that they can have upon us and we changed and became more demanding in terms of hygiene. Similarly, our apathy [refusal to learn more about God, refusal to investigate the claims of Christ, refusal to take a risk in deepening our relationship with God] will cause us to become blind to the dangers and the eternal outcome of staying that way. 

Sir Francis Drake, explorer and naval pioneer during the Elizabethan era offers a challenging prayer that we can use in response :

A Prayer for Disturbance

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new Earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope and love."

WOUNDS OF BETRAYAL (PSALM 41:9; MARK 14:10; LUKE 22:47-48)

Sermon by Dr Kwa Kiem Kiok

Betrayal is to be given over to an enemy by a friend (Ps 41:9): someone with we had shared bread together. The pain is great because it done by a friend.

Why does betrayal happens? Why did Judas betray Jesus, a master with whom he had lived with for 3 years?
Even though Scripture tells us that "Satan entered Judas", that doesn't absolve him from the betrayal that he did to Jesus.

Judas had 2 main interests:
1. As a zealot, he had been challenging the establishment of a Jewish state, independent of the Romans.
2. To be loyal to Jesus Christ. Yet this loyalty is questionable since we are told too that he often helps himself to the common pool of money that they share as a team, over which he had been placed in charge.

When approached by the High priests, he weighed those 2 interests and found (1) to be more important than (2). In fact, he felt that Jesus would undermine the possibility of an independent state. So he decided to betray Jesus and protect his interest (1).

Another part of betrayal is denial. To deny someone is to claim that we don't know him, we turn our backs on him. Denial happens e.g. when a colleague claims credit for what you have done, when a friend does not acknowledge you. This is hurtful and painful.

Jesus experienced both: Betrayal by Judas Iscariot and Denial by Peter. So it was more than just the physical wounds that Jesus experienced but also the emotional ones inflicted by dear friends.

Peter also had 2 interests:
1. Self-preservation: it was unsafe to be associated with Jesus
2. Loyalty to Jesus
Peter weighed them and gave Jesus up for self-preservaton.

What happened to these 2 men who inflicted such pain on Jesus?

• Judas Iscariot: he returned the 30 pcs of silver (the price for a slave) and committed suicide
• Simon Peter went through dark days till the day the resurrected Christ absolved him.

Jesus suffered because he was crushed by the 2 men who were his disciples.

Lent is a time to reflect on what the Lord had gone through, how he had bore in addition to his physical wounds (of crucifixion), he had to contend with the emotional wounds of betrayal. Lent is a time to become more mature as followers of Jesus.

Heb 4:15-16 says, "¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. "

Whatever pain you've gone through, Jesus understands the hurt inflicted by friends. When our days are dark and lonely, we can be sure the Lord draws near for he has been through those darkest moments as well.

Betrayal is wrong and none of us should ever do it. When given 2 options, choosing an option that suits your best interests, your ideals, your jobs and Jesus, would you ever deny him?

Lent is a time to weigh our priorities and values, take stock about putting God first in our lives rather than choose the easy way out. God does make demands on us, would we be like Judas and Peter, choosing rather to uphold our own interests?

We deny Christ everyday when we:

• do not acknowledge one another in the community.
• gossip in the name of sharing Prayer items.
• make public statements about being a christian (via sticker on car, wearing of crosses etc.) by do not live up to it.

How can we pick up the cross daily and follow Jesus? When we think of these issues, how can we be strengthen?
That's where the church community is so important.

Suggestions how the church community can strengthen us to pick up our cross and follow Jesus daily

1. Practice together showing gratitude to the Lord and extending God's forgiveness. This works particularly well in small groups. When we are constantly grateful to God and reminding each other of God's goodness in the community (e.g. in a prayer meeting), that helps to strengthen our bonds. You will notice how the Psalmists often invite others to join him in showing gratitude to God for his blessings, even the simple act of saying grace is a constant reminder of God's provision.
2. Sharing answers to our prayers in the community also reminds us of our priorities and God's significant place in our lives.
3. Practice forgiveness when there are times of failure. We need to learn to forgive just as Jesus forgave Peter the terrible words of denial. Forgiveness is something we do when we are reminded of the costliness of forgiveness. Through the monthly practice of Holy Communion, we have the opportunity to forgive the hurts that we have caused each other, praying for forgiveness intentionally. This can also be done corporately within the family as well.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Have you experienced the pain of betrayal? Meditate on Heb 4:15-16 Jesus has gone through the worse of these betrayals, he invites you to come to him because he understands and cares for you. 
2. Have we betrayed Christ in any way? Is it time to seek the Lord to ask for his forgiveness? Do not run away, he waits for you the way he waited for Peter.
3. How can you strengthen your loyalty to Jesus with the help of the community? What are some of our competing interests and priorities that need to be straightened out?
4. How can you participate in the community to grow in appreciating God's faithfulness and goodness? in learning to exercise confession and being forgiven?

WOUNDS OF ABANDONMENT (Mark 14:50; Matt 27:46)

The worship service was deliberately arranged in a guided reflection format.

Scripture Reading: Heb 4:15-16; 5:7-8
Introduction: (Straits Times 2 Apr 2002) The mother who threw her eight-year-old daughter down a rubbish chute from her fifth-floor flat was sentenced to 2½-years' in jail yesterday. The maximum sentence for her offence, culpable homicide, is seven years' jail. Imagine the child in the chute, among the rubbish, in the darkness of the chute and the surrounding stench.

What does it feel like to be abandoned, to be excluded and nobody stands with us?

Nearing the arrest of Jesus, he was alone bearing the weight of anguish at the Garden of Gethsemane, his closest companions: Peter, James and John, could not share in the hour of prayer. They fled at his arrest. While hanging on the cross, Jesus experienced separation from God His father. There was no one to comfort him as he tasted the full wrath of God on his own. His cry of abandonment was real. It wasn't just the brutal physical separation, but a profound spiritual separation from God because He is holy.

1. Sin separates us from God, He does not take sin lightly. God has forgiven us because Jesus had been forsaken by His father, carrying all of our sins. When we consider the depth of what Jesus went through, do we then continue to cheapen the grace he has given to us? When we think that we can come before God without confession, we are presumptuous and belittling God . Do we just worship with our lips, will we come before God to confess our sins before him? Will we, could we continue to break God's heart through our disobedience. Grace is given to enable us to walk away from our past and start again in a totally new direction. Have you misunderstood the grace that you have received?

2. Jesus remained faithful to the Father's Word even when no one was with him, when no one understood what in the world he was doing, submitting himself to be crucified, when nobody appreciated his sacrifice. Will we be faithful to the task and call that God has given to us when no one understands, when no one thinks the same way?

Questions for Reflection:
1. God has forgiven us and pardoned us from sin. What's our attitude towards sin? Do we belittle God, are we presumptuous when we come into his presence?
2. In trying to be faithful to God, do you feel at times, all alone, abandoned? Remember these times when you were in despair and hurt when no one stood by you? Jesus understands these moments well, he wants to draw close to you. Will you tenaciously hold on the way Jesus held on to his call and mission?

Pray for:
1. Yourself and your relationship with God.
2. People you know who is experiencing these moments of abandonment.
3. Charis' Leaders whom you know struggle to be faithful to the task God has given.

Scripture Reading: Heb 5:7-8

CHRIST POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS 2 COR 12:1-10

Sermon by Prof Lionel Lee: Snippet:

Introduction: When a bulletin is but off target by a few inches at the rifle range, there is no telling how far wrong that bullet can go 10 miles down the road. It is important to be alert to false teachings that may be 95% sound and 5% wrong as it can wreck a congregation. Paul the Apostle, was anxious that the Corinth church be alerted to the insidious teachings that were infiltrating the church.

3 erroneous teachings were:
1. Visions and Revelations v 1-6: the false teachers were boasting of their visions and supernatural spiritual experience. The man he mentioned who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven was probably himself. Yet even though he alluded to it, he spoke of it in the 3rd person and still did not disclose the contents of that encounter with the divine. It was a private encounter to be kept for his own edification, not for public exposure.

• Today there are still many who are quick to authenticate their ministries by prefacing their sharing with "The Lord told me..." and surround themselves with supernatural aura by boasting of their miracles and visions. This parade of spiritual power and spirituality not only puffs up the one who does the boasting, it also harms others in a negative way. Those who hear are inadvertently relegated to being of a different class who never ever have these experiences.

2. Healing v 7-8: Paul never share with his readers what this could possibly have been. But clearly it was a torment. He prayed in earnest for his torment to be taken away 3 times, but the Lord did not answer his prayer. He was able however, to see beyond the thorn that God is working to keep him dependent on God always, rather than upon himself. Today there are many who believe that if the Kingdom of God has truly come, then not only the soul but the body will be made whole. There is also teaching that God does not want anybody to be sick. Here is an instance that Paul shares with us how his prayers for healing were unanswered and he continues to live with that tormenting thorn.

• Today there are still people who deny the face of suffering in the Christian life. Yet the reality is that God, quite often as in the case of Paul, choose not to heal no matter who many times we impose on him in prayer. This sort of teaching leaves behind a trail of despondent wrecks who are told, perhaps you have unconfessed sin, there is a curse in your family etc.

Besides the theology of healing, there is alongside the theology of suffering. Suffering is also an instrument that can bring glory to the Lord. There are some things that will remain unhealed and it behoofs us to follow in the steps of Paul, to go behind the loving purpose of God in allowing the thorn to remain.

3. Success (v 9-10) : The super-apostles led the Corinthians to associate Christian leadership with power and prestige which is inconsistent with the servanthood of Church. Corinth was a buzzing city much like Singapore. It was easy for believers in such environment to succumb to the false teaching that the evidence of God's blessings on faithful believers is success and power in society.

look up to strong men and women and measure them in terms of the visible rewards that they enjoy: high position in society, wealth etc. It is easy to mistake material blessings as a badge of our own spirituality.

J I Packer in his book "Re-discovering Holiness": "Now, you don’t hear a lot from preachers today concerning holiness, repentance and total surrender to God. It’s not because you don’t find a lot of information about these in Scripture. The Bible is loaded with information about these topics.

Most likely, the reason you don’t hear anything about these topics is that it’s not very popular to speak on holiness, repentance and surrendering to God. Sadly, the Christian church today seems to prefer hearing about success and positive feelings, getting health, wealth, freedom from care, good sex and happy families. "

What do Christians preach and teach these days? What do we value in our leaders and teachers? We no longer value their sanctified lives or their holiness but their gifts, skills and resources. If we don't have these things, then our faith is weak, God is not happy with us, we did not pray hard enough, we did not serve him enough etc. In today's church, the fullness of Christ may be demonstrated by achievement of success and wealth. But Paul says, "No." He wanted them to understand this Christian paradox: "For when I am weak, then I am strong." Paul boasts about his weakness that He might talk about the strength that God provides because Jesus is ready to draw near and supply divine strength and grace to help us in our weakness.

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.

I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things.

I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy.

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

Written by: Unknown Confederate Soldier, aka The Creed for the Disabled

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

1. Can we tell if a "teaching" is 5% off the mark? Why not? What can you do to grow in wisdom to separate truth from error?
2. What are the measures you use to measure one's spiritual standing? What would Paul say about them in the light of this passage?
3. Do we walk the talk is what authenticates our spiritual lives? Have we been faithfully and intentionally doing that?