Blessed Steps

Righteousness is... Right relationship with God Right relationship with people _______________________________________________ Jesus says to Peter, and then says to the church (us) that: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Meaning we are given the key to his kingdom. To be able to loose and bind things on earth (as it will happen in heaven). We can open up the door to his kingdom and let people come in. We do that through telling people about Jesus, inviting them to Alpha, journeying with them through their addictions and every kinda bondage and also through forgiving them. Because true forgiveness sets people free.  Forgiveness is one of the keys of the kingdom. May we, the church, use those keys to unlock the gates of Hades and set people free. -Nicky Gumbel BiOY-

Today in Old Testament lecture, we learnt about Imprecatory Psalms ( Psalms used to curse enemies)  E.g. Psalm 137 "Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones     and dashes them against the rock!" What are the usage of this kinda psalms?  It is often used to comfort the troubled.  Imagine if you have just lost your loved ones in the most atrocious ways. It would be a lie if you are not angry about it.  People use this psalm to pray and cry out to God.  It is only through lamenting and pouring out that they can be released slowly from the hurt and anger that they are feeling.  C.S. Lewis:   The imprecatory psalms remind us that the absence of indignation(anger) may be an alarming symptom of the decline of righteousness and moral conviction. In other words, don't hide nor fake your anger. Come to Him just as (broken, angry, hurt, confused, disappointed...) you are. Be real to God.  We learnt that: ...

Food for thought: Rituals can provide continuity with the past, enabling us to appropriate the faith of the past and to pass it on to future generation (e.g. Creed, sacraments, ordinances, gospel book) Without creeds and other ritual acts,  a faith community looses its identity and starts to ground its self-understanding in the surrounding culture. "If you don't know who you are, you don't know where you are going!" LKY "and the Word enters through the ears to strike the heart, so that the rite itself enters through the eyes to move the heart" Philipp Melanchthon Rituals are something we can see, experience and take part in.  E.g. baptism (being in water and coming out of it) , holy communion (eating, drinking) ...

One of my new year resolution is to be completely healed emotionally from the shipwrecked year I had in 2016. I still have a lot of questions and doubts. Thoughts that get entangled in my mind, feelings that is uncertain. I was afraid of relationships all over again. Afraid of making mistakes, afraid of getting hurt again. The 'formula' I had for life seemed to have fallen apart and my step towards Singapore this year is a sign of TOTAL surrender and submission to God. I have nothing left of my own to hold on to except  to hold on to God. My plans for life seemed to have made a turn towards where I have never imagined myself to be. But that is how it is, isn't it? Abraham did not know where he is headed to when God asked him to leave Ur, his hometown. Where Lord? "Just go, and I'll show you" Abraham did not understand when God said that he is going to have a child at that old age How Lord? "Just believe, and I'll show you" Abr...