Feed... feed...feed the sheep

 

Obed (is black and white in Hokkien )

While on an errand, I was passing by a florist stall by the roadside and saw that gorgeous bundle of green gold lying on the pavement. I remembered my friend Obed at Punesvaran's Farm. I stopped and picked up the bundle, brought it to the farm and gave Obed a great feast. He enjoyed it immensely. What a joy when your labour of feeding is valued and appreciated; thanks, Obed.

Proverbs 12:10 “Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel."

John 21 KJV
15 ¶So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 ¶He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 ¶He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

"Feed... feed... feed..."

To do otherwise, e.g. entertaining them, is wicked; it's a sacrifice of fools.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 KJV — Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

"... BE READY TO HEAR." 

Tradition and Idolatry

Is "Scriptures Alone" just a shibboleth to you? 

#tradition
#idolatry

Loongsie
Do you agree that holding onto the words of men and books is also a form of idolatry?
=======
The so-called reformed people are notorious for this; they adore men and incessantly quote their words instead of the Scriptures, rightly dividing them. Just visit some  "Reformed..." groups on Facebook and you will confirm this observation.

Mark 7 KJT
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. See less

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Bill
Sadly appropriate for many who have made an idol of the organization they believe is the "one true church."

Sing F Lau
Bill, I have come across not a few such adherents; not belonging to their organisation renders one outside of that "one true church"!

Bill
Sing: And some, like me, have been set at nought and cast aside from their organization. We are still servants of the Most High God, though, dear brother. Not afraid of men's meritless assumptions.

Reggie
An Idol.
What is it?
What is the purpose of it?

These two questions can help us navigate through the many accusations men make and receive.

Fred

“Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬, ‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

A debilitating disease called "arrivalitis

Grow up, son. 

#Arrivalitis
#PressingTowardTheMark

Apostle Paul's wise words of counsel...

Phi 3 - KJT
15 ¶Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Individual believers and churches are at different points of spiritual development; thus, to be different/otherwise minded is normal and to be expected.

"... be thus minded..." refers back to verses 12-14... the mind of "... I have not arrived... I must press on."

12 ¶Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Who should be thus minded - those who think themselves "perfect" - mature. The "perfect" ones are the most susceptible to a debilitating disease called "arrivalitis"; such think themselves of having arrived, and have no need to progress further.

Brethren, may our gracious Lord save us from this dreadful disease in our brief journey through this world. Amen.

Cherish the wonderful promise, "... God shall reveal even this to you" stated at the end of verse 15. Our heavenly Father has many more things to reveal to them who press on toward the mark for the prize of our high calling.

"GOD is revealed first to the Jews of the East - the Chinese" - a fable

On Nov 8, 2014, at 3:33 PM, Uncle Teoh wrote:

"GOD is revealed first to the Jews of the East, the Chinese in the land of Sinim, China, in their language, and then to the Jews of the West, the Israelites, in their history."

======

Uncle Teoh,

For all that the "giasu" and "giasi" Chinese wish to claim, here are some sober statements of the Scriptures.

Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

[Salvation is of the Jews... NOT NOT NOT of the Chinese!]

Romans 3 3:1 ¶ What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

[To the Jews were the ORACLES of God committed, and NOT NOT NOT to the Chinese!!!]

Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

[Any believer in Jesus Christ who claims some kind of superiority based on race has just repudiated the truth of the reconciling/redeeming works of Christ that put all the redeemed on the same level.]

So, for all this deluded claim that God is revealed first to the Jews of the East (and why can't we call the Chinese just plain Chinese, and not "the Jews of the East" ???) ---- that's a very false claim, actually. It WAS NOT God revealing to the Chinese first; it was merely the ancient Chinese, happened by God's providence, to permanently incorporate the fact of ancient biblical history into their iconographic language, so there was NO SPECIAL revelation of God to the Chinese involved, like he had done to the Jews.  THUS such a claim is a FALSE claim.

The Scriptures alone is our sole guide and authority... not some racial sentiments!

adik sing in penang

=======

On Nov 9, 2014, at 9:44 AM, uncle teoh wrote:

Adik sing ah,
Very interesting, don't know who is right, only God knows. Refer to Isaiah 49:12. Believe final Word will go to China, Sinim, before conclusion of the Gospels.

Uncle Teoh,
That's a whole world of difference from saying that God was revealed first to the Chinese... then to the Jews.

Of course the gospel HAS ALREADY GONE, NOT "will go", to the Chinese, for many hundreds of years ago!

adik sing

Sacrifice of Fools

 Don't be a fool

 

Sacrifice_of_Foooooooools
#Be_more_Ready_to_Hear

Ecclesiastes 5

1 ¶Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

The above Scriptures give a solemn warning: that people may go to the house of God with the great intention of worshipping Him BUT actually end up offering the sacrifice of fools. But fools are those who say that there is no God. Why would such go yo the house of God?

Psalm 14:1 KJV — To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Those spoken of in Ecc 5:1 are no fools; they believe in God and even go to the house of God to worship Him. In that sense, they are no fools.

However, they do behave like fools when they have come to the house of God; they behave as though God has not given specific instructions on acceptable worship; in this sense they deny God, thus acting foolishly. They do what seems right in their own eyes; they are just like Cain. And God rejects such acts of worship as sacrifice of fools.

Gen 4 - KJV
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 ¶And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Ecc 5:1 exhorts, "... be more ready to hear..."
Hear what? Choir? Band music? A show? Some sermonettes?

If they are to be more ready to hear, then someone must be more ready to say things that need to be heard by them.

2Tim 4 - KJV
1 ¶I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

May the Lord grant understanding. Amen.