scorpion

Scorpion is a venomous insect. I caught a big one at a mini zoo, as big as my palm, I dare not to keep it, because it comes with a sting at its tail.

A group of singer called themselves, "Scorpion," and cars owner sometime put on sticker of "a scorpion" on their cars; It is well mentioned in the Old Testament and New Testament, in Ezekiel 2:6

"And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house."

And then in the New Testament, Luke 10:19
"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." Jesus Christ said this to his disciples.

Luke 11:12
Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

But at the end times....we must not forget scorpions!
Revelation 9:5, They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

Scorpion, nearly every week I see it ....

Multiply and barren

There are 2 pastors in a small town, each of them have
8sons and daugthers. Why they raise a big family like that?

They told the congregation why, that according to the Bible, God wanted human to multiply on earth...so both pastors bear many sons and daugthers, to increase the number of Christians on earth...the pastors qouted Genesis 9:7, "As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."

But then in another place, at the later time, in New Testament, the Bible say in...Luke 23:29
"For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!"

Galatians 4:27
For it is written: "Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband."

Whenever I see them, I will think about the number of children, I will also keep on thinking about these few verses in the Bible.

Wondering...wondering..wondering...the pastors' application...how to increase the number of Christians on earth..

The Old Machine is started

A South Korean friend was leaving the country, so he sold his Mercedes Benz to the local, a "Masterpiece," very cheap, it is about 20,000 bucks. The car was a nice looking and comfortable, prestige and well build car. I liked it in black.

But the Mercedes Benz has a bigger engine capacity, so it's road taxes and insurance are higher than a smaller capacity vehicle. I rather buy a smaller, low powered car, than this bigger, gasoline consuming car. We know Mercedes is still a good car for some rich men.

But compared with Mercedes Benz, the local made, "VPP" car is not so good, because it has a huge engine, broom, broom, broom, with a lower energy output. This is not economical for us. Rather I stick to my home made CUV, than pursuing a bigger name tag, with a higher cost of keeping the VPP. Headache ?

Stop buying this kind of huge car, like the "VPP!"

Buy a smaller car like the "CUV".....in stead!

The wicked teachers

I see there is another great evil under the heaven, there are teachers who are racist and money minded, they treated their students according to their skin colour. Yellow, brown and black....They, in fact, do not like to teach at all, let me explain like this...

These coloured face racist teachers, usually do not go into their classes to teach, they skip classes, for they wanted to venture into their own window shoppings, home carvings, eatings, meetings, chit chatings and time wasting with many excuses.

In the classes, the students are left behind without the teacher. These teachers at the end of the month, will open their mouths, food will be slapped into their mouths, and money being put into their pockets, and they will smile with a greedy face. These teachers are a kind of money minded and at the same time also racist, this is great evil done under the flag of education. They induced hates and racism into these students.

The students are oppressed like these day in day out, so much so, to follow up the courses, the study and the syllabus, their parents have to pay money to bring them, the students to tuition's classes. Great evil done by these wicked teachers, time is near, that I see the fallen angels being punished for their wrong doings, that the share holders will throw away their shares, until the share composite index to be cut into half, so that they will repent from these wickedness.

One day, one of them, the wicked one, a racist headmaster is being tested, some one asked him about the poor result in the examination, and the wicked headmaster told us, "The student's poor result is nothing to do with the teacher's absent in the classes..." This saying is a strong sign of their wickedness, they are deeply indulged in their evil and blinded ways, but they still say they had the truth in their hands, they never regret a bit for what they done to the students. Something will be changed, the world system will be changed, and the education evil must be dealed with.

This time the teachers, the headmasters will be caned publicly. How long these wicked and lazy teachers will wake up and be stopped from murdering the students?

About the VPP teachers, I hope they will not skip classes, continue to teach right doctrines, rather I hope they will skip the VPP lessons in their syallbus, and not to teach the Verbal Plenary Preservation any longer. Do not corner their students. Let the students learn what they should learned. Why induced hates into their young hearts? Who will be blamed, when fundamentalists failed to attract followers?

And I pray that the students will skip those VPP classes, and absent from these VPP classes, rather let them venture into Orchard Roads, there are some clowns waiting and dancing like me at the end of the road! Lets go out and see for yourself...who is the actual clown in town!

Methodist and the Word of God

TRAC President's Message (December 2008)
THE ESSENTIAL MELT-DOWN

If there is one thing that we must learn from the current meltdown in the financial markets, and a shaking of the world’s economy, is that we cannot trust the various systems of this world. Our trust must be in our God. It is ironic that the starting point of this turmoil started in a country where the dollar note states “In God We Trust.” Yet that is exactly what we did not do. Instead we have placed our faith in money, and man’s ability (or rather clearly revealed now, his inability) to manage it.

A ‘melt-down” is probably the most accurate word to use. Before we can get pure gold, the ore has to be melted down in liquid form, and from this we will be able to extract a very refined state of the element. Our trust in the world’s system has melted down, and it is the correct time for us now to extract from this situation the pure kind of realities we need in order to overcome.

In the light of eternity, our money and material wealth are worth nothing, and cannot be carried forward into our future. Most of us know this for a fact. Yet, when it comes to living day by day, our worldview is framed by what we see in this world and what we work with in this world, even though we know that they will not last for eternity. We become dependent and in a large way have placed our trust in money in order to survive, even though we say we trust God.

What will last in eternity are the things of God, especially the Word of God. The Living Word of God is God Himself. In communicating to us, this Living Word comes to us in the written Word. God has allowed Himself to be understood in the written words of Holy Scripture. However, these written words are not to be understood only as coloured words printed on a white sheet of paper. Neither is it to be understood only as English, or any other human language. The Word, in written words, is more than just what we see on the pages of the Bible. They commit to us the very truth of God. The words in the Word are the truths of God, truths that last for eternity. When we believe these truths, we receive eternity into our lives.

For us to arise out of the ashes of the crumbling world systems, we must construct our lives now with these eternal elements of God’s truth. They are not tangible to our physical senses, but they are eternal realities just as cash is what we can feel when we rub them between our fingers. The truths of God are real, not imaginary. They are not simply even thoughts or ideas we have conceived in our minds. They are spiritual realities. They are the very substance that make up and shape our eternal destiny. When our bodies turn to ashes and all our cash as well, what remain of us are the eternal realities that we have received into our lives.

Hence, if our financial stockpile has vanished, what will see us through is the truth of God that says, “I will open the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessings that there will not be enough room to receive it” (paraphrasing Malachi 3:10). The blessings that we will receive from this heavenly storehouse will come to us as tangible earthly substance we can use here in this material world. Yet the source of where it came from is eternal spiritual heaven. Heavenly realities were transformed to produce material that we can need here on earth. But for that to happen, we must meet the terms and conditions of that written word in Holy Scripture to “bring all the tithes in the storehouse (of God) that there may be food in My house” (Malachi 3:10, italics mine).

God’s eternal word is that we must trust. That word is what will see us through. That word is recession proof, unchangeable, and it is activated by our faith in it.

This Advent season is a reminder to us of how God did just that more than two thousand years ago. The Christ Child came into this world in a similar process. The baby (earthly being) was conceived when the Holy Spirit (eternal reality) came upon the virgin, through the eternal Word (another eternal reality) announced by Gabriel, and received in faith and submission by Mary (Luke 1:26-38).

It pays eternal dividends to know God’s Word, and receive it by faith.

Have a very blessed Christmas, and may all the eternal realities that the Christ Child came to bring on earth, be yours to enjoy as well.

Shalom

Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup

TRINITY ANNUAL CONFERENCE (TRAC) SINGAPORE
copied from http://www.trac-mcs.org.sg/index.cfm?GPID=61

Revelation Chapter 2, the Ephesus with VPP

2:1, Ephesus was a big sea port, it was a business and religious center. Paul founded a church there. There was a pagan Goddess and her temple in Ephesus. Paul nearly being killed by these opponents.

2:2, To know, weather a truth we heard is true or false, weather a prophet is real or fake, or weather a teaching is correct or not, all these must take time and gone through many testings.

John wants us to test, test the spirit, weather the spirit is from God or not. (1 John 4:1) Paul even taught this in 1 Thess 5:21. This apply also to Verbal Plenary Preservation.

2:4, "The love at first." Where is your love at first, at the moment you came to believe the Lord. Where is it now? This is more important than tracking the first century MSS!

Now, we are self content, and self contend, we are proud about ourselves, we had lost the vitality, the depending, the pickup, the zeal.

That first love had been replaced by a routine, some dogmas, some creeds, like the humanists, we must repent from this coolness, we are suppose to say we had lost the love toward mankind and Christ.

2:5, we may say, we do not know what is that "the love at first."

LET US DO SOMETHING TODAY, IN CASE, TO SAY WE LOVE THE LORD CHRIST, LET US GO BACK TO THE BASIC, THE CROSS, SACRIFICING IN THE MINISTRY, AND CONTINUE TO WITNESS AND PREACHING IN ZEAL. If not the lamp stand may be removed from us. The church will becomes a skeleton.

2:6, there was a group of people called, the Nicolaitans, these are those called themselves Christian, they were compromisING with the world, they worship the idols and live in lusts. They were in the church in Ephesus, they had rejected the gospel truth, their characters and behaviours were clearly seen. And some of them were teaching in the church. (rf. Rev 2:15) How can this be?

2:7, Christ is speaking to the church, through the Holy Spirit. Even until today. He wanted us to overcome. How? DEPEND ON THE RESURRECTED CHRIST, TO OVERCOME OUR INNER WEAKNESSES. AND TO OVERCOME OUR OUTER TEMPTATIONS.

You are promised,

1. to eat the the fruit on the tree of life. (2:7)
2. no more second death. (2:11)
3. given the hidden manna and a new name on the white stone. (2:17)
4. given the authority and the morning star. (2:27-28)
5. to wear the white robes, and name written on the book of life. (3:5)
6. to be a pillar in the temple of God, God's Name written on him. (3:12)

7. All of those who overcome, they will sit together with the Christ Jesus, and they will enter the heaven to enjoy the eternity with Him.

The Christians who served the Christ with zeal, they are promised a perfect and complete salvation. At the end, he will not be separated from God, like in the garden of Aden, he will live with God, and live in freedom and peace. All these promises, are to be claimed by us, only through Christ, we can receive these promises. No other way!



Thoughts for today,

We must test the teaching of Verbal Plenary Preservation. Right or wrong?

What is the important of the first love, comparing with the perfect scripture text to Ephesians? Which is more important to them?

Why Paul mentioned the first love, why he did not mention they had lost the autographs, the first hand writing manuscripts?

Who are those called Nicolaitans? What they were teaching actually?

How Christ speak to us today?

What He commanded us today, did He command us to seek the first century, the perfect, the 100 %, the autographs, and print it out ? So that we can out print the NIV, ESV, CUV...? Think about this, seriously Today!

Christ commanded us to overcome, to conquer what?

Did Christ promised us a perfect KJV?
Did Christ promised us a perfect underlying text?
Did God promised us a perfect Bible version?
Did God promised us a perfect hand copied Bible? No.
Did God promised us a perfect machined printed Bible? NO!
So...
Where is our first love?
Where is our first Bible?
Answer is......

自不自量

小弟写这部落格写到此刻，此时真感到自不自量。

为了辨论 VPP 的错误，还是写完他再说。

Martin Luther on Justification by Faith

有關16世紀“人文主義 humanism”的正確定義是繁複的，它與今日我們所瞭解的“人文主義”定義不同。Timothy T. Wengent指出16世紀人文主義的特徵，是一種注重文獻（text）與藝術的運動，它強調歷史、修辭學與古典語文的研究，例如希伯來文、希臘文。Alister McGrath認為16世紀的人文主義是一種文化與教育的運動，主要是關心怎樣有效地通過傳講及書寫去闡明或說服別人的觀點。

Far Eastern Bible College, 远东神学院讲师和教授，我想大概已掉入16世紀“人文主義 humanism”的运动里。

请读 Timothy T. Wengent, Philip Melanchthon's Annotations on Johannen in Relation to its Predecessors and Contemporaries (Geneve: Libraivie Droz S.A., 1987), p.121.

Alister McGrath, The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation (Oxford:Basil Backwell, 1987), p 33.

從哲學的觀點而論，16世紀的人文主義可分為兩種︰北歐與南歐的人文主義。後者是指義大利文藝復興的人文主義，它是西方人文主義的泉源，它是屬世的。最傑出的佛羅倫斯代表人物包括Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola and Leone Ebreo。G. Boas認為以上人物都是備受新伯拉圖哲學所影響。Feldmeth解釋，南歐的人文主義對人的理智能力與文化上的成就充滿信心。Michael Rogress認為16世紀的人文主義屬於一種生命哲學，它過度榮耀人性的美善，例如人理會的能力及自由意志。另一方面，北歐的人文主義傳佈於阿爾卑斯山以北的國家，N. Abbagnano認為，雖然北歐的人文主義對人性的看法與南歐類同，但前者較傾向以神為中心，引發出中世紀後期的神秘主義與敬虔主義的思想，它的代表人物為以拉斯母。

请读 Michael Rogness, Philip Melanchthon: Reformer without Honor (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1969), p.2. N. P. Feedmeth, "Humanism," in New Dictionary of Theology, eds., S. B. Fergrson & D. F. Wright (Ill: IVP), p.322. N. Abbagnano, "Humanism," in Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. Paul Edwards (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1976).

然而，路德指出，聖經教導我們，亞當以後的人在每一個範疇都被罪惡影響，活在罪惡之下（《羅》3：9），以致人所做的善工都不足以為自己製造多餘的功德去彌補其它的罪行（註6），人需要的是完全的改造，否則在上帝的眼裡，“沒有義人，連一個也沒有。”（《羅》3：10） “所以凡有血氣的，沒有一個因行律法（的善工）能在上帝面前稱義。”（《羅》3：20）換句話說，人無力拯救自己，不能靠自己所作的獲取神的義，只有透過信心才能稱義。

路德說：“這（神的義）是透過信心藉著歸算（imputation）而得以成就的，按此，我開始緊緊抓住基督；基於基督的緣故，神把不全的義看為完全的義，把罪看為不是罪，縱使罪確實是罪。因此，他強調要向所有的信徒教導十誡，並要他們遵守十誡。他更說明那些遵守十誡的人必蒙上帝悅納，並且他們的信心必得著堅固. 由此可見，路德並非否定善行在信徒生活的重要，他只是強調善行是得救者必然流露出來的果子，卻非引致得救之不可缺乏的原素。

為什麼信徒的得救與生活都必須憑著信心呢？路德解釋當人因信被稱義以後，有兩個不可分隔的效果發生。第一，神的義會加諸於人，人的罪或過錯因而得著上帝的赦免；第二，人將會成為新造的人，與上帝破裂的關係將會和好，由不信轉化為信，由不順服轉化為順服，由無知變為對上帝有正確的認識。以上兩個稱義的果效都是憑相信基督耶穌而引發的，所以世人未曾因信稱義以前，他的“善工”絕不被上帝視為美善。

很可惜，差不多五百年後的今日，羅馬天主教仍然未能對路德所提出的指責，加以檢討；依然守著中古時期的傳統，誤以為若要得著上帝的義，人必須依靠神的恩典，然後再加上人的善行。這觀點與聖經所說的福音（單靠神的恩典而得救）大相逕庭。

另外，天主教所謂“相信”而稱義，是指相信自己的善工必為自己成就救恩，與聖經所教導單相信耶穌而稱義乃截然不同。保羅在《加拉太書》指責天主教的看法，他說︰“義若是藉著律法得的，基督就是徒然死了。無知的加拉太人哪！耶穌基督釘十字架，已經活畫在你們眼前，誰又迷惑了你們呢？”（加2：21-3：1）”。

然而，有些人卻是聽不明白保羅在《加拉太書》的教導，也忘記了路德對“因信稱義”的正確詮釋，路德認為這教義是神的教會的“唯一堅固的磐石”（註13），“若這教義保持純正，基督教世界將會在這美麗的和諧中保持純正，並沒有任何分裂；然而，若這教義不能保持純正，我們便不可能逐退任何錯誤或異端之風”（註14）。路德此言實在真確，盼今日的基督徒在一片教會合一的運動聲中（註15），仍能明白“因信稱義”之理念，並堅守福音之真相。

今日的世界信義會聯合會（Lutheran World Federation）、世界衛理公會協進會(World Methodist Council）及羅馬天主教於2006年7月23日在南韓漢城簽署了《因信稱義聯合聲明》文件。此聲明被譽為具有歷史性的“合一的新標誌”。羅馬天主教主管合一事務的樞機主教Walter Kasper認為這簽署是“合一對話的重要成就”，並引用教宗本篤十六世的話，認為這是“信仰裡完全可目睹的聯合”（full visible unity in faith）。世界信義會聯合會總幹事Ishmael Noko指出：“這聲明為日後合一關係打開了大門。”然而，《因信稱義聯合聲明》的重點只表示各方面在理解上達成協議，但並非在"因信稱義"的教義上彼此接納。

http://www.gospelherald.com

Jerome and Augustine

耶柔米

耶柔米在西方教會中獨樹一格，在拉丁教父中，極少人像他這樣熟悉希臘文與希伯來文。他是首屈一指的聖經學者，寫作許多聖經註釋，翻譯希臘教父的著作成拉丁文。他捲入不少爭議，對敵人毫不留情；在靈命品格來說，他不如安伯若修與屈梭多模。但是，他作為學者與聖經翻譯者而言，對西方教會的貢獻與影響是長遠的。

奧古斯丁在北非

《懺悔感恩錄》卷首說到：人被造的目的是為了認識神與愛神，所以我們的心“沒有安息”直到在他裡面得到“真正的安息”。人犯罪遠離神，墮落在錯誤導向的愛中。如此的彎曲悖逆，深藏在人內心裡，甚至人自己都意識不到。所以，要校正此墮落的心，是人自己無能為力的，甚至連選擇悔改的心願，也是全然喪失。所以，唯有神的主權恩典與慈愛，奇妙的運作在罪人之心（超乎人所能意識與理解的），才能改變悖逆之心，將人心奪回使之都順服基督，重新歸正愛神，唯有如此，人心才能真正得到永遠的平安。

奧古斯丁於32歲悔改信主，33歲受洗，37歲受聖職，41歲按立為主教，43至46歲間寫下《懺悔感恩錄》傳世不朽的名著。這是他人生下半場的開始。他在希坡主教職位上任重道遠，在面對“多納派之爭”與“伯拉糾派之爭”，駁斥摩尼教，寫作《三位一体論文集》等各方面，都忠於聖經持守真道。

奧古斯丁的中心信念，正如《懺悔感恩錄》所表明的：“人的罪與神的恩”，使得他一生都是“唯獨神的恩典，只為神的榮耀”。16世紀的改教家路德與加爾文，都是歸回奧古斯丁所持守的救恩真理；今日我們這些“宗教改革”的子孫焉能數典忘祖呢？

作者現在北加州灣區聖經歸正教會（ http://www.biblerc.org/ ）牧會，並在基督工人神學院兼課。

Revelation chapter 1 and VPP

Chapter 1

1:1, to reveal the second coming of the Lord. A semaino, a sign.

1:2, the Word of God is OT and NT. They are one, a whole book is the Word of God..

1:3, this book has 7 blessings, here is the first. The rest is at 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7,14. By faith we received the prophecies. The time is near !

1:4, the writer is John. And his caller is the LORD, Jahweh, in Exodus 3:14, He had called Moses. "I am who I am" He is eternal. He is the Only One, Universe Controller. The Judge is at the door.

The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit, The triune God. The trinity is forever and ever.

1:6, those years, God had made a covenant with him at Sinai. A kingdom belongs to priesthood and holiness. (Exodus 19:6) Jesus Christ is our King. We are His nations and His servants.

1:7, Those Jews and Romans will see Him. They had crucified Him on the cross. Amen. This is truth.

1:8, Alpha and Omega, He is the beginning of the world and He is the ending of the world. Jesus Himself confirmed this in Rev 22:13.

1:9, there are "tribulations" with the "kingdom" and "patient" is needed. "The End" is coming. He will come to restored His kingdom on earth. The difficulties and tribulations are a must for his followers. The conditions are becoming worst and worsen. Because of Immanuel, the follower lived in peace. God gave the power to endure.

The church was persecuted, the more the persecutions, and the more the Word becoming real to us, and the revival comes. Even John saw visions.

1:10, The Lord's day. The first day, the Sunday. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is on this day. They did not followed the Sabbath day, the Saturday, like the Jewish brothers any longer. They changed the habit of Sabbath day, from Saturday to Sunday.

They changed it to the first day, to remember the salvation and resurrection of the Lord. (Act 20:7, 1 Cor 16:2) The Word of Sabbath is still in the OT, and also in NT, but the meaning of keeping it already changed. The meaning is more important than mere word! John heard the sound like a trumpet, what does it means?

1:11, Seven churches were mentioned. They were in a circle. Jesus Christ is in the middle. The center!

1:12-14, seven lamp stands are seven churches. John saw a figure looked like a man. He is the Glorious Jesus Christ. He is wearing the garment like a priest. He is living, resurrected, highly saluted and worshipped. (Daniel 7:9) He has wisdom, reverence, and eyes like a fire, in His hands are the seven stars.

1:17, when John saw this scenery, he fell down. God revealed Himself to John. He is in fear and happiness. "Do not fear, do not afraid to die." He overcomes death. No matter what happened in our surroundings, He gives us a brighter tomorrow. A bigger hope.

1:19, John said he saw, and he wrote what he had seen. The things in the future. In the vision. Those things must happened.

1:20, seven stars, what does it means?


Thoughts:

The word of God is a sign in this book. What is that sign?

The time is nearer, but Jesus only mentioned two words, Alpha, omega in Greek!

The word "sabbath" is sabbath, a perfect word is a perfect word, what does it means, is more important than mere word it self.

The sound of the trumpet, what doest it means?

Seven stars, what is this means to us?

Seven lamp stands, where they are?

Conclusion, even we had the perfect manuscripts in our hands we dare not to interprete this chapter according to our understanding,
the meaning is more important than the word!

I hope the VPP theologians are very sure about the meaning of each word.

The Brown War.

And there is a war coming forward, the brown will fights and makes war with the brown and then there is a repentance from his racism after that. I called this as "The Brown War."

God, God, God...

One day a man goes up to see his God, he asked God for his rewards, where is his rewards after he bombed, murdered, killed, cheated, lied, and bullied many human beings on earth.

He say to God, "God is great, God is surely great, I had done so many things for you, I had preached your truth, I had done so many good deeds in your name, and I had fasted in your name, I had prayed in your name, I had done what you wanted me to do, and I had followed you whole my life. Show me what is my rewards for all my works."

On that great Day, God the merciful will be in heaven, and His Son will probably tell the man, "Go away, you terrorist, I do not know you, you are not one of my disciple. I do not asked you to murder from the begining, but to love. You had done nothing for God. Go away into the eternal damnations."

Many will try to go into heaven but many are refused. There are wars on earth, but the terrorists had fight the wrong wars for wrong reasons, but it is too late for them to know it even until the end of this world.