The Pharisee, the Sadducee and the Herodian

Found at this site remarks about the Pharisee and the Sadducee:

The mark of the Pharisee - the ritualist - is that he is always ADDING TO. He is not content with the written Word of God, and with the plain truth of the Gospel. He must start adding his own ideas and ordinances, until religion and salvation are a highly complicated matter.

The mark of the Sadducee - the rationalist - is that he is always TAKING FROM. He cannot accept the written Word of God in its entirety, nor the truth of the Gospel as it stands without drastic deletions. Everything must be tried at the bar of human reason. This, that, and the other thing must be cut out to make faith reasonable and tenable.

The mark of the Herodian - the secularist - he cared neither for adding to nor taking away from. Like the careless Gallio, he "cared for none of these things." The written Word of God, the message of the Gospel were far from his first concern. His prime consideration was the life that now is. What does it matter that a heathen Herod reigns on a throne made crimson with crime so long as material interests are furthered? While the ritualist Pharisee was busy adding to, and the rationalist Sadducee was skeptically taking away from, the secularist Herodian was heedlessly passing by.

Technology makes life more difficult

A friend explained to me why technology makes life more difficult. He gave the example of an accounts clerk. In the good old days, she might only have to do the mundane task of balance the books. When technology replaced her task, she was forced to work at a higher level, and she might not be able to perform.

That reminds me of horses being replaced by cars, painters by photographers. It is actually a very ancient problem. There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Maybe the pace may get faster. But then hastening pace of progress is also not new.

Sex in the Bible and Sex in the City

Sex in the Bible is very simple and very clear. It can only be conducted by a man and a woman who are married. Any other types of sex is sin.

Sex in the City is complicated. It is usually considered as right if it is between consenting adults. Then complications set in when one or both of the consenting adults are married to other parties. And the consenting adults need not to be of different sex.

What happen if one of the adult is not an adult? Woe to the adult! He or she will be considered a paedophile and will be shamed and persecuted by a lot of righteous sinners, though they are adulterers and fornicators, but not paedophiles.

But in other cultures, such as Arabs, it is okay to be a paedophile. Mohammed married Aisha when she was six and consummate the marriage when she was nine.

Many years ago, sex outside marriage was considered a sin in European culture. Now it is okay for consent adults, but no paedophiles allowed, even if the child gives consent. But what of the future? Maybe what is sin today will be the norm again in future.

Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will. (Proverbs 14:9 NASB)

Saved through faith only

Those who thought that their works would save them will plea with Christ on the basis of their works.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:22-23 KJV)

Those who accept salvation by faith are not even aware of their good works.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? (Matthew 25:37-39 KJV)

We have nothing to boast because God had determined that Christ should get all the credit. Our works are the fruits of our justification, created by God for us.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)

Inspired by a sermon on Ephesians preached by Dr Mark Minnick in 1998.

Christ=Truth=Liberty

Christ = Truth
John 14:6
KJV Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
ESV Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
HCSB Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
CUV 耶稣说「我就是道路、真理、生命；若不藉著我，没有人能到父那里去。


Truth = Freedom
John 8:32
KJV And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
ESV and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
HCSB You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
CUV 你们必晓得真理，真理必叫你们得以自由。


Liberty came from Christ
John 1:17
KJV For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
ESV For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
HCSB for although the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
CUV 律法本是藉著摩西传的；恩典和真理都是由耶稣基督来的。


People are not interested in truth
John 18:38
KJV Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
ESV Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him.
HCSB "What is truth?" said Pilate. After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no grounds for charging Him.
CUV 彼拉多说：「真理是什麽呢？」说了这话，又出来到犹太人那里，对他们说：「我查不出他有什麽罪来。

The Power of His Resurrection

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Philippians 3:10 KJV)

Death is the greatest power on earth. Everyone dies. No matter how powerful, how rich, how good or how great. Gautama died. Mohammad died. You can claim to be a god or a buddha or a superman. But when you die, I know you are not what you claim to be. You cannot defeat death. You are no better than me. You are my equal. Death is the great leveller. Death made the saint equal to the sinner. He made me equal to famous men like Mao Tze-tung, Gandhi. He also made me equal to the beggar on the street.

But here is a power greater than death, the power of Jesus's resurrection. Jesus conquered death, being the only man who ever rise from the dead. This power is made available to us Christians. We have a power greater than death and we shall not see the second death (Revelation 20:14).

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6 CSB)

Polycarp and Rony Tan

POLYCARP
Bishop Polycarp of the Church of Smyrna was caught by the Roman authorities for being a member of a cult called Christians, who refused to worship Caesar and other Roman idols, seriously undermining the peace and unity of the mighty Roman empire. (Note: Romans considered Christians to be atheists because they did not worship Roman idols.)

The proconsul was quite nice to Polycarp. He had considered Polycarp's age and tried to release him by persuading him to a deny Christ.

Proconsul:
Have respect to thine age, swear by the genius of Caesar; repent and say, Away with the atheists.

Polycarp:
Away with the atheists.

Proconsul:
Swear and I will release thee; - reproach Christ.

Polycarp:
Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?

Proconsul:
Swear by the genius of Caesar.

Polycarp:
If thou supposest vainly that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as thou sayest, and feignest that thou art ignorant who I am, hear thou plainly, I AM A CHRISTIAN. But if thou wouldest learn the doctrine of Christianity, assign a day and give me a hearing.

Proconsul:
Prevail upon the people.

Polycarp:
As for thyself, I should have held thee worthy of discourse; for we have been taught to render, as is meet, to princes and authorities appointed by God such honor as does us no harm; but as for these, I do not hold them worthy, that I should defend myself before them.

Proconsul:
I have wild beasts here and I will throw thee to them, except thou repent

Polycarp:
Call for them: for the repentance from better to worse is a change not permitted to us; but it is a noble thing to change from untowardness to righteousness.

Proconsul:
I will cause thee to be consumed by fire, if thou despisest the wild beasts, unless thou repent.

Polycarp:
Thou threatenest that fire which burneth for a season and after a little while is quenched: for thou art ignorant of the fire of the future judgment and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. But why delayest thou? Come, do what thou wilt.

Polycarp was burnt on Saturday, the 16th of Nisan.

RONY TAN
It was reported on 9th February 2010 in the Straits Times that the Internal Security Department (ISD) has called up Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism after receiving complaints about online video clips that show him making insensitive comments about Buddhism. This had threatened the peace and unity of the small Singapore Republic. Following his interview with ISD, Pastor Rony Tan posted the following statement on the church’s website, apologising for his insensitive remarks.

Urgent Message From Pastor Rony:
"I have received a number of emails from people who have been saddened and hurt by the testimonies of an ex-monk and an ex-nun. I realized that my presentation and comments were wrong and offensive. So I sincerely apologize for my insensitivity towards the Buddhists and Taoists, and solemnly promise that it will never happen again.

When we have received those emails, we immediately removed the video clips from our website. I urge those who have posted those clips on the YouTube to remove them as well.

After reading the frank views from those emails, I was also prompted to tell my members not only to continue to love souls, but also to respect other belief and not to ridicule them in any way, shape or fashion.

Let’s put our goal to build a harmonious Singapore a top priority."

Pastor Rony Tan is still the pastor of Lighthouse Evangelism as at today.

三八妇女节

Today is International Women's Day (三八国际劳动妇女节). So the Bible verse of today is Genesis 3:8, which is about Adam and Eve.
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden (Genesis 3:8 NASB).

Church Reaction to persistent call for Religious Harmony

The church and state is separate. This is good because they have different goals. However, there are times when they could be on a collision path. During the time of the Roman Empire, the state insists that everyone acknowledge that the emperor is divine. This the Christians cannot accept and many were martyred. Most modern democracies practise religious freedom. However, some, like Singapore, makes religious harmony a law. They insist that all religions should not criticise each other.

Christianity is an exclusive religion. If Christianity is true, all other religions are false. This is written explicitly, implicitly, clearly and unambiguously in the Bible. Jesus is the only way (John 14:6) and there is no other way (Acts 4:12). There is only one God (Exodus 20:3-5, 1 Timothy 2:5) and there is none else (Isaiah 45:22, Isaiah 43:11), in the past, in the present and in the future (Isaiah 43:10). Thus Christianity cannot be harmonise with other religions, monotheistic or otherwise and runs the risk of breaching the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act. So what can a Christian in Singapore do?

First, we have the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to obey. Then we have the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act that forbids us to criticise other religions.

Let us heed the advice given by our Lord Jesus Himself, "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16)." We do not have to criticise other religions in public gospel meetings. We just tell them that Jesus is the only way. It may be offensive to some, but we do not criticise the other religions directly. The hearers can form their own conclusions.

When we share the gospel with our friends, we can do it with more liberty. But if we share it with strangers, we have to do it with discretion, asking for wisdom from our Lord. But for our own church members, we should educate them on the error of other religions. We can do a comparative study of Christianity with the other religions, highlighting the differences. We have to do this on the basis of Bible teachings. We cannot criticise them flippantly, but scripturally and logically. Since our religion is true, our ground is sure.

We have to "sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15 NASB). " We have to pray "for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (1 Timothy 2:2 NASB)."

However, when we have to make a choice between the Church and the State, we have to follow the example of Peter and the apostles, who answered to the authorities of their day, "We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29 NASB)."

Giving

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. (Mark 12:42-44 KJV)

If Bill Gates were to give a million dollars, he would still give less than this widow. Thus it becomes very difficult for men to judge our works. First we must know what gifts God had given us and how much are given. Then we have to know how much of our gifts we have is being offered to God. Thus when someone offers much, he may be just offering a small fraction of what he was given. When another offer little, he may be offering all that he has.

Spiritual Lessons from New Camera

Yesterday I bought a new camera. I am not such a good photographer and probably will not be able to make full use of all the features of the camera. But a good photographer would probably be able to do much more with my camera.

Likewise, we may be talented. But we may not be able to make full use of our talents. If we yield ourselves fully to the Holy Spirit, He will be able to make full use of our talents.

Three levels and four positions

There are three levels and four positions. The best level is doing nothing to get everything. That is Grace. The next level has two positions, doing nothing to get nothing and doing something to get something. That is Justice. The worst level is to do a lot of things to get nothing. That is Stupidity.

Jesus and Paul were listed as the 3rd and 6th Most Influential Persons in History

In 1978, Michael H. Hart's wrote a book, "The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History". In this list (revised in 1992), Jesus and Paul were listed as the 3rd and 6th Most Influential Persons in History and Muhammad was ranked number one. Moses was ranked number 16.

In his book, Michael Hart explained why he did not choose Jesus as Most Influential Person in History, "Since there are roughly twice as many Christians as Moslems in the world, it may initially seem strange that Muhammad has been ranked higher than Jesus. There are two principal reasons for that decision. First, Muhammad played a far more important role in the development of Islam than Jesus did in the development of Christianity. Although Jesus was responsible for the main ethical and moral precepts of Christianity (insofar as these differed from Judaism), St. Paul was the main developer of Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and the author of a large portion of the New Testament."

This is the precise point. In all the world's great religions, the "single founder" is instrumental in its success. It is the Glory of the Man, who is the Founder. Christianity is the only religion who gave God the Glory. It is impossible for a Man to write the Bible. It is impossible for a Man to start Christianity. Though Christianity had a greater influence on the world than Islam, the success of Christianity cannot be attributed to a Man. It was a collaboration of many men, who acted via the influence of the Holy Spirit, that bring forth Christianity. There is no single Man who was "responsible for both the theology" and "its main ethical and moral principles", "in proselytizing the new faith, and in establishing the religious practices" and "the author" of the scriptures.

The sun rises on the evil and on the good

"for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45 KJV)."

Many had interpreted the mercy of God as amoral nature. Lao-zi (老子) in his book, Dao De Jing (道德經) chapter 5 (第五章) said, "Heaven and Earth are not humane, and treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs; (天地不仁，以萬物為芻狗。)" Obviously Lao-zi realised that God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. The just may not be rewarded and the unjust may not be punished. Buddha also realised this, and attributed the bad things that happened to good people were caused by the bad things done in their past lives.

But the Bible tells us that God "is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)."

Many who cries out for justice assumed that they were righteous, not knowing that in the sight of the holy and sinless God, "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23 KJV)." Except they repent, they shall likewise perish (Luke 13:3, 13:5).

Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts. "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. (Malachi 3:1-2 NASB)"