In Everything Give Thanks

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV)

How can we give thanks for everything, both good and bad? Because we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV)

Principles of Decision Making

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. (Matthew 4:1-11 NASB)

In his book "Man in the Mirror", Patrick Morley used the three temptations of Christ to derive three principles of effective decision making.

The first principle is to live by the Word of God (Matthew 4:4). Being familiar with the word of God is very important in our decision making.

The second principle is not to put God to test (Matthew 4:7). We should not put ourselves into a position whereby only a miracle of God can save us. "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies; and he said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the company which is left shall escape (Genesis 32:7-8 NASB)." He used the means that he judged to be the best under the existing circumstances, and I believe that God intends us always to use our best wits and judgment, and then to fall back upon him in confiding prayer just as if we had done nothing at all. Do everything as if God were not about to help you, and then trust in God as if you had done nothing at all. An Arab said to Mahomet, “I let my camel run loose, and trusted it to Providence,” but Mahomet replied, “You should have tied it up first, and then trusted it to Providence;” and Jacob was very much of that mind and a very sensible mind it was, not at all inconsistent with the very best of faith (Expositions by C. H. Spurgeon on Genesis 32).

The third principle is worship God and serve Him only (Matthew 4:10). We must always question our motives to see if our decision would glorify God.

Only two religions in the world

When classified by method of salvation, there are only two religions in the world. One is of grace, the other of works.

The religion of grace believes that we are saved by the grace of God. Though we do not deserve it, but God in His great mercy, saves us by providing a substitute for our sins. Jesus came to the world to save the sinners by dying for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, as the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (Isaiah 53:4-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 1:4; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:1-2.)

The other religion believes in salvation by our own good works, our merit. We are saved because we are good. It is meritocracy.

The Mechanics of our Salvation

How are we saved?
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1 Corinthians 15:3), the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; (1 Peter 3:18), Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (1 Peter 2:24).

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21), who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father (Galatians 1:4).

The Bronze Serpent

Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.
The people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food."
The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live."
And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. (Numbers 21:4-9 NASB)

Fiery serpents bit the people and many people died, but anyone who were bitten looked to the bronze serpent shall live. First, the people were bitten by the fiery serpent and they realized that they will die. They requested for a solution and were told to look at the bronze serpent. Those who believed, looked, and were saved.

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. (John 3:14-15 NASB)

When fiery serpents bite you, you know. But you may not know that you are a sinner. Those bitten by the serpent looked at the bronze serpent and they can see that they are healed from the bite. But when you know you are a sinner, you believe in Jesus, how do you know that you are saved?

So the difference between being saved from snake bites and saved from sin is that snake bites are physical and obvious. When you are bitten by a snake, you are bitten by a snake. When the snake bite healed, it is healed.

Sins are spiritual and you continue to sin in your flesh after salvation. While your belief changed your standing with God, it may not be so obvious to you that you are already saved.

The Blood on the Lintel and Doorposts

You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you (Exodus 12:22-23 NASB).

Every first born in the land of Egypt shall die. How could any first born be saved? There must be the blood of the lamb on the lintel and door posts. When God sees the blood, He will pass over the house. Any first born in Egypt at that time who believed and do exactly the same shall be saved. It does not matter if he is a Hebrew or an Egyptian. Any house without the blood, the first born shall be slain. It does not matter if he is a Hebrew or an Egyptian. This salvation is also available to the Pharaoh, but he did not believe.

Noah's Ark

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith (Hebrews 11:7 KJV).

God's Will and Jonah

Everyone does God's will. Some do it willing, others unwillingly. There are those who do it by opposing it, and there are those who do it unknowingly.

Daniel and Paul did God's will willingly and against great odds. Jonah did God's will unwillingly. Satan is doing God's will by opposing it. Most people in the world do God's will everyday unknowingly.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD (Jonah 1:1-3 NASB).

But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; (Matthew 12:39 NASB).

God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach. Jonah disobeyed God and went in the opposite direction from Nineveh, to Tarshish. Jonah is not doing God's will, or is he? If he did not flee from the presence of the LORD, he would not be swallowed by a big fish for three days and three nights. If he was not swallowed by the fish, there would be no "sign of Jonah the prophet" for our Lord Jesus to quote.

Life Bible-Presbyterian Church wins suit against FEBC

Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers? (1 Corinthians 6:1-6 NASB).

A difference in doctrines over VPP led to a dispute between the Life Bible-Presbyterian Church and the Far Eastern Bible College, which had shared the same premises in Gilstead Road since the 1960s. The dispute led to a court battle when the church filed a suit in 2008 against the directors of the college to evict the school. On 30 June 2010, High Court judge Judith Prakash ruled in favour of Life B-P Church. Justice Prakash ruled that the college was a separate entity from the 1962 one as it had a different constitution which mentions the new VPP doctrine. She noted that the courts have recognised that doctrine is fundamental to the character of a religious charitable body. So the 2004 college cannot benefit from the funds that were raised in the names of the church and the original college. The claims of the FEBC Board of Directors against the Church were dismissed with costs. Adapted from this article from Singapore Law Watch.

Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you (Proverbs 20:22 NASB).
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD (Psalm 27 :14 NASB).
Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it (Psalm 37:34 NASB).
Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. But Samuel said, “What have you done?” (1 Samuel 13:8-11 NASB).

Waiting on the Lord can be very trying. But if you do not wait, you could become like king Saul, doing the wrong things for a right cause.