We live in an age where society is simply caught up with accessorizing. Accessorizing is about adorning with accessories, ideally with matching colours, styles and price tags. Not just women, but men as well. The movie “Confessions of the shopaholic” in 2009 with Isla Fisher, captures this addiction humorously. Her obsession to buy just the right green scarf to suit her outfit she is wearing almost caused her to miss her job interview! Apostle Paul had some wise words for the women of those times which would be equally relevant for women today. And perhaps some men as well. 1 Timothy 2:9–10 (NIV) 9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. What can we learn from it? THE MATTER OF EXTERNAL ADORNMENTS What should be our perspective about external adornments? What is the message for us? The deception of accessories In those days, there was a Roman version of the feminist movement. One aspect involved showing off one’s wealth with expensive clothing, jewellery, elaborate braided hairstyles, even hair pieces and wigs, etc. Actually, it still sounds very much like today, doesn’t it? People want to look good, with trendy clothes, hairstyles, accessories. Once upon a time, we used to wear watches to tell us time. Now watches are to tell us time in style! With huge watch faces so everyone can see how trendy they are! All the marketing, the advertising creates this perception that we are not “in” if we do not have the latest, the trendiest. There is a great sense that you are missing out if you do not have “it”. Shopping is even the panacea or cure to the economic gloom. Indooroopilly Shopping Town in Brisbane has huge banners that “Indulge in a little retail therapy”. No money? Feeling depressed? Go shopping! Give your heart a little jingle. At least until the bill arrives! We have to ask ourselves why are we accessorizing? Apostle Paul was challenging their perspectives. And we should be challenged as well. Are we accessorizing into disrepute? We should think beyond ourselves, for we are no longer our own, but belong to Christ. Some women in the Ephesian church were accessorising without realising that it brought disrepute into the church. For the type of liberated clothing they flouted brought comparisons with prostitutes. Before you put rings in your nose, your tongue or belly button. Before wearing Gothic makeup and Mohican haircuts – you should ask yourself if it will help the witness of the church. I am not saying you cannot. But we should ask ourselves, will it cause misunderstandings to ourselves and to the church? Are we accessorizing into disrepute? We should think beyond ourselves, for we are no longer our own, but belong to Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:12(NIV) “Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything. Perhaps we are not accessorizing in a controversial way. Yet why are we accessorizing? Are we updating our clothing, our equipment, our stuff – simply because others are? Are we accessorizing unnecessarily? Does it make us feel good? Does it make us feel more accepted? Why? Perhaps our focus is more on worldly possessions and worldly acceptance rather than our innate worth in God? Do we care more about more we appear externally than how we appear before God? I am not saying we cannot be trendy, nor own beautiful things. We should not be totally out-of-date nor lack appreciation for beauty. After all, God created us to appreciate beauty. Heaven will be beautiful. The issue is our priorities. Do we care more about more we appear externally than how we appear before God? That is why if we are to accessorise, we should aim for: The accessories that matter 1 Timothy 2:10 (NIV) … but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. True faith is reflected by appropriate deeds. The Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesians that the accessories of the godly woman should be her good works. It is not what we possess externally but what good we do externally that is of greater worth in God’s eyes. For true faith is reflected by appropriate deeds. James 2:14-17 (NIV) 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. When we go to heaven, God will not ask us how trendy we have been, but what good have we done. Perhaps the amount of time and finances we spend accessorizing could be better spent helping others. THE MATTER OF INTERNAL ADORNMENTS 1 Timothy 2:11–15 (NIV) 11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. There are 2 matters of concern here regarding a godly woman that Paul raised. The first, most obvious one is the role of women in God’s church. I addressed the controversial topic in my blog “Women In Church: Can They Lead And Teach?” and argued that they can. The second issue, I would like to suggest, is that it is also continuation of the instruction related to the type of adornment that a godly woman should have. As part of Paul’s correction to the wrong perspective of the liberated women, he brought their focus back onto the inner qualities of a godly woman. For it is not the external beauty, but what truly matters is: Inner beauty Hesychia in v11 can properly mean quietness, as the NIV (1984) translates. However, the NIV translates this as silent in verse 12. A better translation is to be consistent and use “in quietness” which was used in the updated NIV. Silence implies not making a sound but quietness conveys the meaning of attitude and demeanour – which is sweet restraint. A reflection of inner beauty. This principle is highlighted more clearly in 1 Peter 3:3-5 (NIV) 3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, Inner beauty is pleasing to God and to others who appreciate it. Indeed, in time, it is the more lasting characteristic. Part of the inner beauty is the attitude of submission to their husbands. The same point that Paul is making in v11-12. While the prohibition to teach and assuming authority over men, I have argued is contextual to the issues, the principle is nevertheless to have an attitude of submission. For rebellion is ugly. Inner beauty is pleasing to God and to others who appreciate it. Indeed, in time, it is the more lasting characteristic. Proverbs 31:30 (NIV) Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Choose inner beauty, because our external beauty has little to do with our heart while our inner beauty has everything to do with it. Choose inner beauty, because our external beauty has little to do with our heart while our inner beauty has everything to do with it. Some spend hours every week to look good. Why not spend hours beautifying our hearts each week? Getting rid of unforgiveness, bitterness. Learning to grow in gentleness, kindness, love, etc. Inner choices In v13-14, Paul referred to the creation account to point out the susceptibility of the woman to deception, as compared to a man. Not because he was trying to prove that women must be silent, but to support his point that women should be in submission to men. Such oversight, he argues, will provide protection for the woman. While I had argued previously that women can take on all kinds of roles, yet that is not to mean that they are best suited to every role. There are some roles that most men are better at and some roles which most women at generally better at. And there are areas of overlap where the reverse of the general observation can be true. Nevertheless, it seems to me that, in general, women should ultimately function in submission to a man. In general, men have certain strengths that can compensate for certain weaknesses in women. The reverse in also true in other contexts. It is also likely that Paul referred to the creation account because there were likely prevailing heretical teachings which probably distorted some elements to elevate the role of women above that of men. In v15, he then concludes that women will be saved by their choices. In the Ephesian situation, he advocated them focussing on their motherly role and effectively contrasting with the heretical view of that day which encouraged throwing away marriage, motherhood and even probably having abortions to maintain their freedom. Paul was stating that their choices were crucial. If they continue in faith, holiness and in doing right before God, they will be saved. This included behaving with propriety or decency and in accepting the role God has given them. What it means to us is that our choices are crucial, just as it was then. Let us choose to continue to faith, holiness and right doing before God. It means that personally, each woman (and each man) should discern what God’s specific role for them ought to be. Whatever the role that God has given unto us, let us accept it with faith and to carry it out with dignity. Whatever the role that God has given unto us, let us accept it with faith and to carry it out with dignity. Proverbs speak about the godly woman, Proverbs 31:25 (NIV) She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. CONCLUSIONS Do we want to be beautiful outside or beautiful inside? Accessories may be beautiful to behold, beautiful to own. But may we never take our eyes away from more important accessories, our good deeds before God! The godly will focus more on inner beauty and inner heart choices that honour God! Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Should women be allowed to teach and lead in the church? Those with a complementarian view argue that men and women were designed for complementary purposes in God. They argue that women should remain silent in the church and must not lead over man. They build the case on passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11–14 (NIV) 11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. This passage is controversial due to its interpretive issues and some churches and denominations have split over it. Those who argue against such views are known as egalitarian, meaning they hold that men and women have gender equality, particularly in church leadership and teaching scope. Addressing whether women can lead and teach Some have taken I Tim 2:11-14 to mean that women should not be involved in public teaching and leadership roles over men. They take the instructions in these passages as universal in application. On the other hand, others argue that the prohibitions are limited in its application to the context of the Ephesian and similar churches. Hence, they do not apply these instructions to women today. Thus, the issue is whether the instructions in the passage is universal or limited in application. I believe the limited application view is correct. The arguments for and against are complex and can be quite involved. I will attempt to simplify to the key elements. How can we reconcile these apparent differences in Scripture? The key lies in our interpretation methodology. Firstly, we must accept that all Scripture are important to understanding biblical principles. Not just the didactic passages over the narrative. It is in contradiction to Scripture itself as Apostle Paul himself declared in 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NIV) 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. All Scripture genre, inclusive of narratives are to be used for deriving teaching or doctrines. Further, Scripture has never distinguished within itself nor hinted in any way whether any particular genre in Scripture is more useful than others. In other words, all Scripture genre, inclusive of narratives are to be used for deriving teaching or doctrines. Further, Scripture has never distinguished within itself nor hinted in any way whether any particular genre in Scripture is more useful than others. Obviously, all Scripture must be interpreted with consideration of its genre. Didactic passages are normally clearer in statements compared to narrative passages which require greater interpretive effort to tease out the biblical principles. However, it is not reasonable to cast aside narrative passages as inadequate to provide the basis for deriving biblical principles. That is an overly restrictive approach. An approach that undermines our ability to adequately exegete the Scriptures and essentially dishonours parts of Scripture as to its usefulness. Hence, consideration must be given to Old Testament narrative passages as well. Are there examples that provide us an understanding of God’s view towards women? Are there evidences within Scripture itself to the idea that women are intended by God to universally be in quietness in the church public meetings or otherwise? Any interpretation based on the Bible must be consistent not only within the context of the epistles but also to the Testament and the entirety of the Scriptures. For God is the ultimate author. A biblical principle is only universal if it is truly universal in every possible biblical case. If exceptions are found, then it cannot be upheld as universal in its application. Secondly, a biblical principle is only universal if it is truly universal in every possible biblical case. If exceptions are found, then it cannot be upheld as universal in its application. It simply means the proposed biblical principle does not fully represent the truth. In addition to 1 Timothy 2:11-14, the universal application view appears to be supported by another Pauline passage in 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 (NIV) 33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, 34women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. However, contrast this with Galatians 3:28 (NIV) There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. It seems that equality between genders is obtained in Christ. If so, why the huge difference allowed for men’s function in contrast to women? Scriptures records the role of key women who appeared to have leading roles, even over men. Further, Scriptures records the role of key women who appeared to have leading roles, even over men. Judges 4:4 (NIV) 4Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. Deborah the prophetess effectively led as ruler over the nation of Israel and there are no hints that she was operating outside of divine order. As judge, she presided over many issues, including national issues. She instructed Barak to go into battle. If God’s principle is that women should remain silent in the public worship or public arena, then why on earth would God appoint Deborah as prophetess and judge over the entire nation of Israel? It must be understood that prophets and prophetess had significant roles in the spiritual life of the Jewish nation. They often spoke and taught on behalf of God, as His spokesperson. It would not make sense to argue that these women prophesied only to other women. Indeed, there were many prophetesses recorded in the Scriptures such as Miriam, Moses’ sister (Ex 15:20), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Anna (Luke 2:36) and even Noadiah (Neh 6:14) who did wrong before God. It is also interesting that Apostle Paul seemingly recognised a female apostle, in Romans 16:7 (ESV) Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. There is some debate on whether it should be Junia (female) or Junias (male). And whether they were prominent apostles or prominent with the apostles. The majority of scholars today hold that it was female. That both Andronicus and Junia were prominent apostles is the most probable translation. Indeed, of the Early Church Fathers in 4th century, such as Chrysostom spoke highly of Junia as a woman apostle. It was only from the 9th century, that some began to consider it as Junias (male). Clearly, a female apostle would have been involved in teaching and leading others. In Rom 16:1, Paul referred to Phoebe, most likely a deaconess in the church. In Rom 16:3, Paul gave prominence to Priscilla, the wife of Aquila by referring to her first over her husband. And Priscilla was involved in teaching Apollos about Christ. Thus, we see the women had prominent roles, even leadership in the Old Testament and in the New Testament church. It may be concluded that a number of Scriptural evidence of women in prominent leadership roles contradicts the idea of universal application. It may be concluded that a number of Scriptural evidence of women in prominent leadership roles contradicts the idea of universal application. The only way to reconcile these evidences of prominent female roles and these passages is to interpret them as having a limited application due to its context. So what is the context? The historical context of “liberated” women Firstly, it must be remembered that the epistles in the Bible were in effect letters written to various churches. They were occasional letters or epistles written to deal with issues. Historical data reveal the emergence of movement for a “new Roman woman” in that era. These women exercised freedoms and participated in public life in a way far greater than previously. Secondly, historical data reveal the emergence of movement for a “new Roman woman” in that era. These women exercised freedoms and participated in public life in a way far greater than previously. These were not all seen positively and led to considerable resistance. In fact, Augustus Caesar tried to issue legislation against it. In some ways, it could be likened to the feminist movement in the 20th century. These women behaved and dressed outside the social norm. And this was particularly significant amongst the wealthy women who had the means to do so extravagantly. It gave the impression of moral looseness. Thirdly, there were heresies occurring within the Ephesian church that compounded the problem of such enlightened women. It is likely that the heresies included that women are now fully liberated, twisting Paul’s teaching in Gal 3:28. The heresy included advocating that women did not need to get married, nor have children and can hold they own against men, not being in submission to their husbands. This probably led to some women exerting their rights in ways which was perceived by Paul to be destabilising to the church community and its witness. Fourthly, the leaders of these heresies were taking advantage of the situation and the amenability of certain women, particularly the wealthy. Thus, Paul was seeking to restrain their influence amongst these. Part of Paul’s response was to attempt to restrain these “liberated women” for he saw the behaviours and dressing of these women as counter-productive to the mission and witness of the church. The controversies it generated would be damaging. Hence, Paul’s strong instructions to the church at that time. If so, then this explains some of the prohibitions that Paul placed upon the women in the church. Fifthly, in 1 Tim 2:11-14, the Greek word translated women can actually mean either wife or woman, while the term “men” could mean either husband or men. The only way to discern its meanings is through context. Many scholars believe the contexts lean towards the husband/wife interpretation. The arguments are too complex for this particular blog to unpack except to observe that the husband/wife interpretation points to specific issues prevalent in some of the Greek churches. Historical evidence points to churches where women and men are usually segregated. Some wives are likely speaking out during worship services to their husbands and hence disrupting the service. Paul is instructing them to be in quietness and be in submission to their husbands in both 1 Corinthian 14:33-35 as well as in 1 Timothy 2:11-14. CONCLUSIONS Scriptures do not prescribe a universal application where women are to be quiet in the church service. Nor does it prohibit women from teaching in the church, particularly to men. It is argued here that the Scriptures do not prescribe a universal application where women are to be quiet in the church service. Nor does it prohibit women from teaching in the church, particularly to men. Some churches do allow women to teach other women and children while denying them this opportunity when men are involved. In other words, we believe that women can teach and lead in the church, even over men as seen in the example of the judge and prophetess Deborah. Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Have you ever wondered why some people seemed to be totally changed by an encounter with God? Even if the encounter did not seem to be dramatic? On the other hand, there are those who seem to experience even dramatic encounters with God, but there is little change in their lives? Have you ever wondered why prayers for some people to come to Christ or to experience God seem to bring about major effects upon their lives? While prayers for others seem to have little effect? We all know that the Power of God is absolute. He can do anything and everything. His power can bring about changed lives. But is that always the case for everyone who encounters God? What about Pharaoh? He saw and experienced God's power through many miraculous signs and plagues, yet his heart remain hardened before God. Why did he not change? Wasn’t he supposed to be changed by the power of God as he had many undeniable encounters with the Almighty God? In this article we will examine Exodus 8v20-32 and look at why sometimes power encounters or God-encounters work, and at times do not! A power encounter is a demonstration of power and authority. In this case, it is God's power. We will discover that power encounters have a limited ability to bring change. In fact, it does not lie with so much with God but actually, with us. God is sovereign but He has chosen to give us choice in our decisions, in order that we may be responsible for our choices. I will also show how some insights of power encounters can be helpful for parenting situations. The context of Exodus 8 is Moses was called by God to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. But Pharaoh refused to allow the Israelites to go worship God. So God began to inflict plagues upon the Egyptians. This was the fourth plague. We examine 3 levels of possible change that can be effected by divine encounters, as well as its limitations. IN DEALING WITH COURSE OF ACTIONS When we examine the entire history of God's confrontation with Pharaoh, one key objective was to change Pharaoh's course of action. God wanted Pharaoh to release the Israelites. So power encounters can bring about a change in actions. Exodus 8:25–28 (NIV) 25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.” 26 But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as he commands us.” 28 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.” It can bring change in course of action A God-encounter can reveal a better way, mission or vision. A God-encounter can reveal a better way, mission or vision. God comes and it is revelation! It is like trying to build a little shack and God shows us a massive mansion! For example, Peter, James and John made a remarkable change in their course of action after having an amazing encounter with Jesus. They left everything behind and followed Jesus. Luke 5:8-11 (NIV) 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Jesus promised that instead of catching fish they could be world changers. They could catch men. I used to dream about building massive engineering structures to my own sense of achievement and glory. But after encountering God, I realised that it is far better to build God's Kingdom to God's glory! So I gave up everything to follow Jesus! Those who change in this way are often those who seek a better way. Such a God-encounter impacts greatly the achievers and visionaries. Some change their course of action because they are simply obedient. They may not understand but simply obey. It may fail to bring change in course of action. Some are stubborn and will only change their actions when the pain level exceeds their stubbornness level. Yet some are so stubborn in certain behaviours, they refuse to change. Pharaoh refused to change his resistance against God despite the plagues. In such times, a God-encounter expresses His displeasure. It is stop or suffer! Yet some are dense or stubborn. They may be slow to realise the consequences of their actions. They just keep on doing the same things unless they are brought face to face with pain and suffering. Some are stubborn and will only change their actions when the pain level exceeds their stubbornness level. An example is Jonah, who ran away from God's command to preach to the Ninevites. But while running away from God in a ship, God caused a whale to swallow him up. Imagine God kidnapping you while running away from His purposes. Finally, Jonah in fear of death cried out in Jonah 2:7 (NIV) “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.” Jonah finally agreed to preach to the city of Nineveh. Have you ever noticed that God uses both the carrot and stick approaches? In the Bible you find God challenging the Israelites with blessings and curses. Blessings if you obey and curses if they disobey. Rewards if we obey God and punishment if we don't? God's example teaches us an important way to deal with those who are immature in their thinking such as children. God disciplines those He loves because He does not want us to go the wrong way. Deut 8:5 (NIV) Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Prov 3:11-12 (NIV) 11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke,12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. When children are too young to understand, they need to grasp a few simple things. Who has authority, what the boundaries are and the consequences of crossing the boundaries. In the same way, if parents truly love their children, they will discipline them. When parents fail to discipline their children properly, the children can become unruly and misbehave badly. This can get worse as they grow older. When children are too young to understand, they need to grasp a few simple things. Who has authority, what the boundaries are and the consequences of crossing the boundaries. As a father, I am responsible to be a representative of God the Father to my children. As a father, I am responsible to be a representative of God the Father to my children. My children will better understand God's authority when they first understand my authority. They will better understand about God's boundaries when first understand about my boundaries. They will better understand God's wrath and judgment when they first understand my wrath and judgment. They will better develop a healthy fear of God when they have a healthy fear of their father. In the same way, they can better understand God's love, mercy, forgiveness, etc when they first learn it from their parents. How can our children learn about authority? When we exercise it consistently and firmly in a godly fashion, with grace, with justice. If we allow our children to step all over us, they will not understand nor appreciate authority. Parents should make the ultimate decisions in the home, not our children. Of course, we should consider our children's feelings, etc but we must make the family decisions. As a father, I made my children understand when my boundaries have been crossed. I don't believe it is healthy for parents to be in a shouting match with the children. Children will stretch your boundaries to the limit all the time. If we only discipline them after screaming until we are red in the face, they will stretch us to that limit every time. When we discipline at that time, it is usually not healthy. We are upset and may over-discipline. Then discipline is not effective because our emotional outburst muddy the reasons for discipline. When my children cross the boundaries I have set, I warn them nicely. If they still persist, I warn them again. Usually by the third time I use my stern voice. If they still persist, I discipline them. Whether by using a wooden spoon, of standing in a corner or staying in their room. So they learn. Break my rules and they are disciplined. Break God's rules and they will be punished eventually. Some pain helps them understand about discipline and about things they should not do. Similarly, encounters with God are meant to change our actions. But the question is this: Will we allow it to change our actions? The next level of possible change lies in our understanding. IN DEALING WITH UNDERSTANDING Exodus 8:20–24 (NIV) 20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them. 22 “ ‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’ ” 24 And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies. God told Moses in v22 that, "I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so you will know I the Lord am in this land." In this passage, it is recorded for the first time that God made a distinction in the way He brought the plagues upon the land of Egypt. Plagues will come upon the whole of Egypt except in Goshen, where the Israelites dwelled. We do not know for certain whether God made this distinction in the earlier plagues. Perhaps He did. But this is the first time that God emphasized it. God's objective is to reveal that God had come upon the land of Egypt. God was impressing upon Pharaoh that God's favour was upon His people the Israelites. And that His wrath was upon the Egyptians. God wanted to make Pharaoh understand that he was dealing with God Almighty. Power encounters can change our understanding of certain things. It can bring change in understanding. Paul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus changed his understanding about who the Messiah truly is. Acts 9:3-5 (NIV) 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. Paul was against Jesus and His followers because he thought they were heretics. But suddenly everything changed when he encountered Jesus! God-encounters can open closed minds. It enlarges our understanding of God. God-encounters can open closed minds. It enlarges our understanding of God. How does it do this? It can help us realise that our view of God is too small. What we thought was impossible, suddenly dawns upon us, is possible in God. Perhaps our view of God is incorrect. A God-encounter can adjust a misconception of God. It can smash our framework of understanding of the purposes of God. A God-encounter can adjust a misconception of God. It can smash our framework of understanding of the purposes of God. Jack Deere was an associate professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, a bastion of conservative cessationist thinking. As far as he was concerned, spiritual gifts do not exist anymore after the apostles. God does not do many miracles anymore. God does not speak directly to believers. Until God turned his life around when he met John White, a famous Christian psychiatrist and writer. And when he experienced the power of God to heal and deliver from demons, it changed his thinking! Matt 16:17-18 (NIV) 17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Those who are open to learn. Who are honest and sincere in seeking God. Their minds are opened by God-encounters. Those who are open to learn. Who are honest and sincere in seeking God. Their minds are opened by God-encounters. That is why we need to pray that we ourselves and others encounter God in ways that may enlarge our understanding of God and His purposes. It may fail to bring change in understanding. On the other hand, encounters with God does not guarantee a change in our understanding. Some may remain steadfast in refusing to change their understanding. Jesus observed in Matt 13:13-14 (GWT)13This is why I speak to them this way. They see, but they’re blind. They hear, but they don’t listen. They don’t even try to understand. 14So they make Isaiah’s prophecy come true: ‘You will hear clearly but never understand. You will see clearly but never comprehend. Rigid perspectives, narrow-mindedness or sheer stubbornness. These cause a person to refuse to accept what they have experienced because it conflicts with their understanding. Why is it some fail to change in their understanding? It is due to rigid perspectives, narrow-mindedness or sheer stubbornness. These cause a person to refuse to accept what they have experienced because it conflicts with their understanding. They filter out evidences that contradict their thinking. The Pharisees chose not to believe despite the miracles of Jesus. They refused to accept that Jesus is the Messiah. A pastor friend shared a story of an elderly man who was diagnosed with brain tumour. The pastor was asked to pray for the elderly man, who was not a Christian. The pastor prayed for the man just before he was taken into the operating theatre. The surgeons did a last scan before they cut the man’s head open. To their shock they could not find the tumour except an empty space where it was in the brain. The man was miraculously healed. Most of the relatives who were there in hospital that day accepted Christ. But the elderly man but refused to believe in Christ. Sadly, the most learned of people can suffer from this problem more than the unlearned. The issue is often pride. So beware if you think you know a lot. That is also why, we can pray for someone and God may actually be moving upon their lives to convict them about sin, but they still do not respond. Something has blinded them. It could be pride, fear of something different, spiritual blindness caused by their association with occultic practices. In such cases we need to seek God to ask specifically about the nature of the hindrances. A God-encounter is meant to change our understanding. The question is this: Will we allow it to change our understanding? IN DEALING WITH ATTITUDES Exodus 8:29–32 (NIV) 29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” 30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, 31 and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. 32 But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go. The deepest level of change is in our attitudes. Because attitudes reflect our character. Power encounters can change our attitudes. In this passage, Moses reminded Pharaoh to change his attitude and not deal deceitfully with God and the Israelites. The deepest level of change is in our attitudes. Because attitudes reflect our character. Power encounters can change our attitudes. It can bring change in attitudes. How can a power encounter change our attitudes? It is the realisation that there is an alternative and better attitude we can have. A godly attitude. Those with sincere and soft hearts will more easily change their attitudes. Peter was a Jew who had an attitude against the Gentiles. That God would not save them. But God intervened supernaturally to change his attitude. Acts 10:11-16 (NIV) 11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four–footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. Immediately Cornelius' men arrived and brought Peter to the Gentile soldier's home. Peter was open to do so only because of the vision he had. At one point in my youth, it dawned on me that I was losing the battle by resisting my parents. That being rebellious and obstinate was not getting me anywhere except for a few extra stripes on my leg. So, I decided to change my attitude. I decided that I may as well learn to work with my parents. In the same way, wise parents realise that authority encounters with their children can help change their attitudes. But it is not the total solution. It requires a combination of approaches. It involves discipline, instruction, modelling, encouragement, correction, loving patience, etc. It may fail to bring change in attitudes. Pharaoh chose not to change his attitude despite the encounter with God. He continued to harden his heart. He refused to change. Although God is Almighty and Sovereign, He has chosen that man should be responsible for his choices. God will not wave a wand to change man against man's will. But God chooses to work with man by persuading man. However when there is pride in our hearts, it hinders God's efforts to change us in our attitudes. Psalms 10:4 (NIV) In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. The challenge is this: Will we allow the God-encounter to change our attitudes? CONCLUSION At the end of our lives, we will be held responsible for all our actions, and our attitudes. For we made our choices. For some the merest whisper, the slightest nudge of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts is enough to change our course of action, our understanding or attitudes. For some even the greatest divine miracles will not bend their hearts. Our encounters with God are meant to change us. The question is: Will we allow the encounter to change us? Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Do you know that we are engaged in a war of heavenly proportions? A way being wage not only over the destiny of humankind but your very own soul? A battle waged not between God and the Devil. Well, the Devil sees it as a battle against God, but God does not. But between the Devil and you. It is in the midst of such a pitched battle that God is calling us to rise up and fight! The Christian believer is not called to be gentle, meek and mild. But we are called to be forceful, godly and full-of faith! In this article we will examine some key aspects involved in helping us to fight the good fight based on 1 Tim 1:18-20. FIGHT IN RIGHT DIVISION: ACCORDING TO YOUR CALLING 1 Timothy 1:18–20 (NIV) Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, What are these “...prophecies once made about you...”? The NASB translates as, “prophecies previously made concerning you.” In other words, these were not just any prophetic words that encourage us. But prophetic words about Timothy’s life. It was most likely prophecies that spoke of God’s purposes or call upon Timothy’s life. The Apostle Paul gave Timothy “instructions in keeping” with these prophecies. Instructions that were in accordance to God’s call upon Timothy’s life. Actually, in the Greek, they were more like “commands”, as the NASB translates it. Now why was Paul giving Timothy these instructions? So that he may fight the good fight! What does it mean, fight the good fight? It is like a boxing coach reminding his protégé, “You have all the makings of a heavyweight boxing champion. That is your destiny. Now you are to remember how I gave you instructions, how I trained you. So that you may fight excellently in accordance to becoming a world heavyweight champion!” A boxer must fight in the right weight division. The heaviest go to the heavyweight. The lightest to the flyweight! So Timothy should fight according to his noble and divine calling. After all, Timothy was an apostolic representative to the churches in Ephesus. Indeed, Timothy was probably an apostle himself. Timothy should pay heed to Paul’s instructions to him in order that he may fight the good fight. To fight the good fight is more than just obtaining salvation at the end of our life. It is also about living according to our calling. To fight the good fight is more than just obtaining salvation at the end of our life. It is also about living according to our calling. The salvation element is highlighted in 1 Timothy 6:12 (NIV) Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. The calling element is highlighted in 1 Corinthians 9:26 (NIV) Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. Therefore, besides the calling as a believer, it encompasses our calling as a minister of Christ. Why the reference to fighting? The fulfilment of God’s destiny for us does not come automatically! Because there is opposition. Spiritual resistance abounds both externally and internally in our hearts. The fulfilment of God’s destiny for us does not come automatically! The Devil is like a prowling lion, out to get us! God has made His grace available to us to fight the good fight. He has provided His Holy Spirit, His Word, the Church. He has provided all the necessarily basis for us to finish the race well. God is saying, “I have given you everything you need, more than enough!” So if we look from the divine perspective, God has made abundant provision for us to finish the race well. He wants us to win! God has made abundant provision for us to finish the race well. He wants us to win! Then we have to look to the believer’s perspective, where we have to apply the grace of God in our lives. We have to make use of it. Appropriate it. That is why the Scriptures exhort us to fight the good fight. We have responsibility to do the fighting! God provides everything necessary for our faith to thrive. What we have to do is cooperate with God. Good parents want their children to succeed at school. So they may provide a good school, perhaps even tuition, encouragement, assistance, support etc. But child has to cooperate by diligently studying. Otherwise, all the provisions by the parents will not come to fruit. God provides everything necessary for our faith to thrive. What we have to do is cooperate with God. In the Hope Church, we seek to have provide everything to help equip members to fight the good fight. We have Next Steps Academy classes to help members learn God’s Word broadly and be equipped for basic ministry. In our wilsonlailing.com are provided many equipping avenues and good articles to strengthen listeners biblical understanding and spiritual walk. Life groups for fellowship and support. Spiritual mentoring to help members mature in life and ministry. Sometimes, some believers might feel that God has not given what is needed to fight the fight. But God has. Question is do we know how to apply it? Are we determined to fight a good fight? If God has called you to be a shepherd, fight accordingly. Spiritual leader, fight accordingly. Christian homemaker, fight accordingly. In the marketplace, fight accordingly. Let’s lift our game according to our calling! FIGHT FAIR: MAINTAIN CLEAR CONSCIENCE 1 Tim 1:19a (NIV) holding on to faith and a good conscience, In a boxing match, the boxers have to fight fair. They have to keep to the rules of engagement – such as no punching below the belt! There has to be integrity in their fighting! It is a matter of good conscience. In 1 Tim, Paul refers to conscience a number of times, and particularly in relation to our faith. 1 Timothy 3:9 (NIV) They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. What is conscience? It is our moral compass. It approves or disapproves our attitudes and actions. Our moral compass is normally set according to the highest standards that we subscribe to. Hence, it is not perfect. Some of God’s laws can be found in our human conscience. Mostly, we form our own laws in our conscience. Romans 2:14 - 15 (NIV) 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) What is the relationship between conscience and our faith? Those with a clear conscience can respond to God with integrity. Titus 1:15 (NIV) To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. Imagine our conscience are like spectacles. When our conscience is clear, it is like having clear spectacles. We can see better and clearer. We can begin to detect what is right or wrong more correctly. Thus, we can respond to God more easily because our spiritual eyesight is clearer. A clear conscience makes for a healthy faith. A clear conscience makes for a healthy faith. If we allow our conscience to get corrupted, our ability to see clearly becomes more and more fogged up. Our hearts are being hardened. Eventually, we will no longer hear God nor respond to His grace. Consequently, we will begin to wander away from His path into the wilderness. A corrupted conscience leads to a withered faith. Eventually, some people’s conscience may become so corrupted or unresponsive to God that it is considered seared. A corrupted conscience leads to a withered faith. Eventually, some people’s conscience may become so corrupted or unresponsive to God that it is considered seared. 1 Timothy 4:2 (NIV) Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. In other words, it is permanently burnt, rendered dysfunctional. Hence to fight the good fight, we should keep our conscience in good shape. Clear it good, pure, clear! How to maintain a clear conscience? You should treasure faith in Christ more than anything else and do what you know is right. Each time you deliberately ignore your conscience, you are hardening your heart. Over time your capacity to tell right from wrong will diminish. As you walk with God, he often speaks to you through your conscience, making clear the difference between right and wrong. Act on those inner tugs to do what is right, then your conscience will remain clear. Watchmen Nee shared about some negative things he harboured about another church member, even though he did not speak it out. But he agreed with what some were saying. At that time, he was trying to publish tracts for evangelising but was facing many obstacles. As he prayed about it God told him to repent and confess his sin against this member. At first, he resisted. He ignored his conscience. After all, he reasoned, I did not say anything bad. Yet his project continued to be stuck. Eventually be repented and confessed to the member his negative feelings. Almost immediately after, the obstacles faded, and his tract project came to fruition successfully. FIGHT TO WIN: KEEP THE FAITH (v19-20) 1 Timothy 1:19–20 (NIV) …which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. Keeping the faith means holding fast to Gospel truth and trusting in Christ for salvation. Keeping the faith means holding fast to Gospel truth and trusting in Christ for salvation. Why is this important? Because believers can lose their faith. It can be shipwrecked! Gk “nauageo” What do we mean by a shipwreck? Have you ever seen a ship that is wrecked, dashed upon rocks and broken up? Such ships are totally rendered useless and no longer salvageable. When applied to our faith what does it mean? A shipwrecked faith means a faith that is totally destroyed. A faith no longer viable. In theological terms, it refers to apostasy. A shipwrecked faith means a faith that is totally destroyed. A faith no longer viable. In theological terms, it refers to apostasy. This is reinforced by Paul’s response to 2 key persons, notable leaders amongst these. It is very likely that these were even formerly elders in the Ephesus church. That is the reason for Paul’s strong warnings against wrong teaching and his specifying qualifications for elders later on. In our faith, we should fight to win the race. To fail is to lose your faith. Some Christians like Calvinists believe that it is not possible to lose our faith. Once saved, forever safe. However, as I studied the Scriptures it is clear that Christians can lose their faith. Scriptural evidence for losing the faith. Let’s examine a crucial passage that deal with apostasy. Hebrews 6:4 - 8 (NIV) 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. To properly interpret this passage, a key question is whether those who fall away were Christians in the first place. Because those who believe that saints cannot lose their salvation try to argue that the passage does not refer to genuine believers. So let’s examine it more carefully. The phrase “once been enlightened” in the Greek actually means “once effectively enlightened”. Who are those effectively enlightened by God’s light? Only believers! The phrase “tasted the heavenly gift” means in the Greek to fully eat or metaphorically to “experience”. Who have experienced the heavenly gift? Only believers! The phrase “shared in the Holy Spirit” means in the Greek partakers in the Holy Spirit. Who have a share in the Holy Spirit? Only believers! The phrase “tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age” can only mean “experienced the promises in God’s Word and the supernatural workings of God”. Who else experiences such things? Believers! In v6, it clearly states, that “if they fall away” – it is impossible to be brought back to repentance. That is apostasy. It is impossible to return to Christ again. Some argue that it was a hypothetical warning. It simply does not make sense to warn about something that cannot happen! What will be result of those who fall way in apostasy? They cannot return again to Christ. “It is impossible for those… if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” Worse, they will be cursed and rejected by God. “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.” However, we should make clear that we are not saying that we lose our salvation simply because we sin. Some Armenians believe that. We believe that the grace of God is long-suffering. But if we continue in sin, eventually our conscience becomes seared. We are no longer responsive to God. The next stage is when we no longer believe in or trust in God for salvation. That is a short step away from rejecting God. That is when we lose our salvation. 2 Pet 2:18-22 also clearly speaks about apostasy of the believer. 2 Peter 2:20–22 (NIV) 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” Were these believers that Apostle Peter referred to? Surely, “they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” must refer to believers. Similarly, “to have known the way of righteousness”, must refer to true believers. What is the outcome for those who “turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them”? Apostle Peter’s conclusion is “they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness.” That captures the description of apostasy. Fight to keep the faith. So how do we avoid the shipwrecking of our faith? Do not get complacent. Fight the good fight of faith. Fight to finish the race. It means we should continually appropriate the grace of God in our lives, making sure we continue to hold on to sound doctrines, keeping our fellowship with God, maintaining a clear conscience. Don’t give in if ever the going gets tough, but persevere in faith, looking to God. At the end of Apostle Paul’s life, he was able to claim in 2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Let’s follow Apostle Paul’s inspiring example. CONCLUSIONS God is calling us to fight the good fight and finish well in our faith. God is calling us to fight the good fight and finish well in our faith. Let’s fight at the level we are supposed to fight. Let’s aim to win the crown that God has reserved for us. May each one of us have the same desire to fight the good fight! Let’s maintain a clear conscience in every we do. Keep the faith that God has given unto us. Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Many Christians may be familiar with the concept of Jesus as our Passover Lamb, who sacrificed Himself in order to save us from God’s wrath towards our sins. Yet many are unfamiliar with the extent of the prophetic details involved in the Passover Feasts. In this series of articles, we unpack a wealth of hidden significance in the instructions that God gave in Exodus 12. In Part 1 we examined Exodus 12:1-5 and in Part 2 we continue to v13 to unveil further truths that apply to us today. PASSOVER LAMB SPECIFICALLY SACRIFICED Specific instructions were given by God about when the lamb was to be killed and by whom. What was the significance? By the whole community Exodus 12:6 (NIV) Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Just as the Passover lamb was slaughtered by the whole nation, it foretold how Jesus was rejected and sacrificed by the Jewish leadership and community at large. Just as the Passover lamb was slaughtered by the whole nation, it foretold how Jesus was rejected and sacrificed by the Jewish leadership and community at large. They handed Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the roman governor (or prefect) over Judea to be crucified. Pontius was reluctant to crucify Jesus because he could not find a crime serious enough to warrant crucifixion and because his wife had a dream that Jesus was innocent. Mark 15:12-15 (NIV) 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. The Jewish crowd was easily stirred, persuaded and perhaps partially bribed to reject Jesus. Are we easily swayed as well to be critical of others? Swayed by the writings of others without thinking carefully about issues? Unfortunately, even Christians are easily swayed by some well-known Christian leaders and authors who very strongly criticise others. Be careful about following such people without analysing the issue carefully. We should not accept everything we read in books and internet. At a specific time Exodus 12:6 (NIV) Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month … slaughter them at twilight. At the 14th of Nisan the lamb was to be slaughtered at twilight. The Jewish clock is different from our modern clock. The day starts at sunset and ends at the next sunset. Thus, their day usually runs from about 6pm to 6pm. Twilight to them is our afternoon. Twilight is from 12 noon to 6pm. It is more complex than that in winter and summer. On the Passover Day 14th Nisan Jesus died at about 3pm, twilight according to Jewish time. In fact, it coincides with the time of the evening sacrifice which occurs between 2:30 to 3pm every day. The last week of Jesus demonstrated the fulfilment of prophecies and typology of Passover lamb. According to my study, Jesus must have died on Thursday afternoon around 3pm. I believe that Jesus had His Last Supper earlier on Wed night. How did I reach such a conclusion? According to my study, Jesus must have died on Thursday afternoon around 3pm. Why not Easter Friday? Because Jesus proclaimed in Matt 12:39-40 (NIV) 39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. How many of us know that Friday afternoon to Sunday morning does not fulfil 3 days and 3 nights? Thursday afternoon does. We have Thur night, Fri night, Sat night. We have Friday morning, Sat morning and Sun morning when Jesus arose from the dead! But Scriptures speak of Jesus dying just before Sabbath commence. This is the reason why most Christians believe Jesus died on Friday afternoon. Because it is assumed the Sabbath starts at sunset Friday. Most people do not realise that during the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, there actually occurs 2 Sabbaths in that week. Most people do not realise that during the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, there actually occurs 2 Sabbaths in that week. Ex 12:16 (NIV) On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat—that is all you may do. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on 15th Nisan, it is a rest day, a Sabbath day. The Scriptures speak of other special days in the Feast of Atonement as a Sabbath day. Lev 23:31-32 (NIV) 31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32 It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.” This is not about the weekly Sabbath, but Feast Sabbaths. So when Jesus was crucified, it was hours from the Unleavened Bread Feast Sabbath. It was followed by the weekly Sabbath. And the day after, which was Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead! God had everything planned out. Isn't God amazing? Consider this. Thousands of years before Jesus was born, God gave a specific prophetic Word about the exact timing and circumstances of Jesus death! Anybody who think “planning” isn’t spiritual and isn’t something that pleases God ought to read more of their Bible! Let’s thank God right now that He’s got all the tiny details right down pat. If you ever feel that things are out of control, remember that here even amid the greatest sacrifice of all time, God was completely in control! God is always sovereign. PASSOVER LAMB SPECIFICALLY APPLIED We discover in this passage that the Passover was applied in a specific way. Why is this significant? Applied blood Exodus 12:7 (NIV) Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. It is not sufficient to know about Christ's sacrifice. By faith, we apply Christ's blood upon our lives when we accept Him as our personal Saviour. By faith the Israelites were to apply the blood on the lintels of the house in a triune fashion. Note none were applied at door threshold so no one walks over Christ's blood. Notice it was not sufficient to simply agree to the blood’s application. It must be applied to the lintels of the door. When the angelic destroyer came that night, he will see the blood and pass over the household and not kill the firstborn. In the same way, it is not sufficient to know about Christ's sacrifice. By faith, we apply Christ's blood upon our lives when we accept Him as our personal Saviour. Heb 9:14 (NIV) How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Since Calvary, God sees Christ's blood and His judgment will pass over us. Since Calvary, God sees Christ's blood and His judgment will pass over us. Consumed body Exodus 12:8–10 (NIV) 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. So when we go through bitter experiences, consider Jesus. God brought good out of it, and He can bring good out of our painful experiences as well. The lamb was eaten with bitter herbs to signify bitter experience. For what Jesus went through was truly a painful experience. So when we go through bitter experiences, consider Jesus. God brought good out of it, and He can bring good out of our painful experiences as well. Rom 8:28 (NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. It was also eaten with unleavened bread to signify purity. It was bread without yeast. For yeast was considered a corrupting influence. 1 Cor 5:6-8 (NIV) 6 …Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. The lamb is to be fully consumed. Leftovers to be totally burned. What a waste! What is the significance? It symbolises that the lamb is available for a season only. After that it is judgment. There will be no more grace available. The salvation value of lamb is more than enough for all who would believe. In fact, there will be leftovers. As Jesus, the Son of God died for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 (NIV) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus is more than sufficient for the whole world.But it is effective only for those who believe in Christ. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus is more than sufficient for the whole world. But it is effective only for those who believe in Christ. Just as a Christmas gift can be set aside for me, but it is only truly mine when I accept it. So we do not teach Universalism which thinks that all sin of the entire human race has been dealt with at the sacrifice. The atoning sacrifice is only effective for those who accept and trust in what Christ did. This is known as unlimited atonement because the provision of atonement is to every human being. Most Calvinist theologians believe in a limited atonement, where Jesus died only specifically for believers. Because they cannot accept that the blood of Christ was wasted in any way. But this contradicts Scripture that teaches Christ died for all, and there are many supporting Scriptures, and also the typology here. His grace for us is often wasted!He provides for us the grace to grow to the fullest potential in Christ. Yet few Christians reach their fullest potential in Christ, because they do not appropriate all of God's provision. And when you think about it, why would God not be willing to allow for His divine provision to be wasted? After all His grace for us is often wasted! He provides for us the grace to grow to the fullest potential in Christ. Yet few Christians reach their fullest potential in Christ, because they do not appropriate all of God's provision. God loves us so much, He lavishes His love upon us, but many times His love is wasted upon us. In the sense that is not always appreciated or reciprocated. That is why I don’t want God's grace to me to be wasted! How about you? PASSOVER LAMB SPECIFICALLY SIGNIFICANT Exodus 12 was to be the first Passover. In fact, many Jews still celebrate it today. A memorial Exodus 12:11 (NIV) This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. Passover was a memorial to the Jews about God's deliverance from Egypt but also an indicator pointing towards the coming Messiah's sacrifice. For Christians this has been replaced with communion which carries many elements of the same symbolic significance. But instead of blood we have wine. Instead of meat we have bread. We take communion as a memorial to remember Jesus the REAL Passover Lamb, who has already died for us and paid the price of our sins. When we take communion, it is not to remember the “Passover” when God’s judgement passed over Egypt, sparing the Israelites. We take communion as a memorial to remember Jesus the REAL Passover Lamb, who has already died for us and paid the price of our sins. That God’s judgement will also Passover us! Signifies God's holy judgment Exodus 12:12 (NIV) “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. On that night, God judged the Egyptians because they did not believe God’s warnings. In the New Testament, God judges all who do not believe in God's Lamb. Woe to those who reject the Lamb of God, because the only the wrath of a Holy God remains. John 3:18 (NIV) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. Signifies God's holy mercy Exodus 12:13 (NIV) The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. The Passover Lamb was God's merciful provision to save the Israelites who believed. God in His holiness must deal with sin. Yet God in His mercy provided a way of salvation to those who choose to trust in God. God's mercy is always evident. In fact, God could have wiped out all the Egyptians from day one. But He did not! After 10 warnings, God could be justified in wiping the entire nation out. Yet He did not. He only wiped out the firstborn. God’s mercy has been provided through Jesus Christ to all who would believe. His mercy has been extended even to the Gentiles. Therefore, we should be thankful to God. And we should never try to take advantage of God's mercy. CONCLUSION The Feast of Passover was not simply a memorial celebration for the Jews. It spoke prophetically of what Jesus the true Passover Lamb would do. God is a holy God who will judge unbelievers. Yet God in His loving mercy has provided the Passover Lamb in order that His wrath will pass over those who have faith in Christ Jesus. Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Why did God introduce the Feast of Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread? Both were introduced together in Exodus 12. Indeed, the Festival of Unleavened Bread commences the day of the Passover. The purpose of the Festival is clearly expressed in Exodus 12:17 (NIV) “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.” The Festival was to remind the Israelites of God’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery. The Passover, however, is to serve a different purpose. Exodus 12:26–27 (NIV) 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ” To remind of the day that the angel of judgment passed over the Israelites homes and spared their lives while decimating every firstborn amongst the Egyptians. The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were types, a prophetic shadow of realities that were to come. Yet it served a greater purpose. As a prophetic declaration of what God was ultimately going to do through the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were types, a prophetic shadow of realities that were to come. Each key element of the ceremony contained seeds of prophetic truth pointing to what would occur with Jesus. It reveals to us how God has planned in amazing detail for your Saviour to be sacrificed for you. In these series of articles, we will examine some major truths about the Passover Lamb. PASSOVER LAMB SPECIFICALLY PREPARED God gave very specific instructions for the Israelites to prepare a sacrificial lamb in Exodus 12. What was the significance of the preparation? Prophetic of a specific time Exodus 12:1–3 (NIV) 1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. In v2, God instructed the Israelites to make that month the first month of their year. Previously, the Israelites had their civil calendar. God instituted a new calendar which became their religious calendar. In this new calendar, the first month is what is now known as the month of Nisan. On the 10th of Nisan, a sacrificial lamb or goat is kept aside. This lamb was to be slaughtered after 4 days, at twilight at the end of 14th of Nisan. Exodus 12:6 (NIV) “Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.” In other words, the Passover meal is eaten on the 15th evening of Nisan because the Jewish day starts at twilight. How did this relate to Jesus? On the 10th Nisan, Jesus enters Jerusalem publicly on donkey. How do we know this? John 12:1 (NIV) Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John 12:12–13 (NIV) 12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus was with Lazarus 6 days before Passover, that is the 9th Nisan since Passover occurred on the 15th Nisan. When Jesus entered Jerusalem it was the next day, the 10th of Nisan. Matching exactly the day which the Israelites are to take a sacrificial lamb and reserve it for Passover. Many of the populace saw Jesus as the prophet of God at His arrival to Jerusalem. However, God saw Jesus as the Lamb who was being kept aside for sacrifice. The Lamb was brought into the slaughterhouse of Jerusalem, yet not touched for 4 days. So the Passover lamb preparation typified what would happen to Jesus, particularly in the last week. God always has His perfect timing. Even in the sacrifice of Jesus. Gal 4:4-5 (NIV) 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law... In the perfect climax of time, God sacrificed Jesus to save us from our sins. In the perfect climax of time, God sacrificed Jesus to save us from our sins. In man's time it was 4 days being set aside. In eternity, the Lamb of God was set aside before the earth was formed. 1 Pet 1:19-20 (NIV) 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Moses had not yet even given the Law. But God is already giving a detailed account of how the Israelites would be forgiven for breaking the Law! Consider this. Moses had not yet even given the Law. But God is already giving a detailed account of how the Israelites would be forgiven for breaking the Law! How amazing is our God? God also has His perfect timing for our lives. We have to be patient and learn to discern what God is doing. The foolish rush ahead of God and make a mess. We have to be patient and discern what God is doing. If God has given you promises, it will come to pass in His time. God has planned it out in detail. A prophetic word was given to one of the senior leaders in our church when she was still a university student. In the prophecy, she was seen ministering to a whole bunch of young children. She was taken aback as she had no interest in children. More than 20 years later, after she had returned to her home country, she participated in a mission trip. During the trip she was given responsibility to minister to a group of children. While the children were running around her, it suddenly occurred to her that this was fulfilment of the prophecy given her over 20 years ago! Sometimes God’s promises may be fulfilled many years later. Sometimes God's promises to you may have conditions, it will come to pass if you fulfil the conditions. Prophetic of a specific criteria Exodus 12:5 (NIV) The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. God set specific criteria of the sacrificial lamb. It was to be firstborn male and without defect. Again this pointed to Jesus. God set specific criteria of the sacrificial lamb. It was to be firstborn male and without defect. Again this pointed to Jesus. Jesus, the Bible explains to us is the Second and Greater Adam. Adam was the head of humanity and representative of the entire human race. When he fell into sin, sin entered the entire human race. Rom 5:12 (NIV) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— Every human being was in Adam in seed form. When Adam sinned, we all sinned with him. From this comes the theological concept of original sin. Every human being was in Adam in seed form. When Adam sinned, we all sinned with him. We are all guilty of sin. Hence no baby is born innocent of sin, even though the baby did not personally commit a sin yet. Some hold to Pelagian's view, or are Semi-Pelagians who either hold to the view that there man is not fundamentally sinful or reject the concept of original sin. Some Arminians hold to this concept. That is not Scriptural. Jesus represents the second and spiritual Adam who brings life. Jesus represents the second and spiritual Adam who brings life. Rom 5:17 (NIV) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the second and spiritual Adam who represents all who fulfil God's holy requirements. 1 Cor 15:45-47 (NIV) 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life–giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. Passover lamb had to be male. It also had to be without defect to typify the sinlessness of the coming Saviour. That is why the Passover lamb had to be male. It also had to be without defect to typify the sinlessness of the coming Saviour. 1 John 3:5 (NIV) …he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. The Saviour had to be sinless because all sinners have to die for their sins. Only a sinless man need not die for his sins and therefore could die in our place. As no human is sinless, the Son of God had to come and become a human. This is known theologically as the incarnation. So Jesus fulfilled fully the typology of the Passover Lamb. Thus, it may be concluded that preparations of the Passover Lamb was prophetic in its timing and criteria to points towards the sacrifice of Jesus as the Lamb of God. In Part 2 we will examine further the prophetic significance of the Passover as it relates to Jesus the Passover Lamb. Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Have you ever noticed that in many Bible narratives, God seems to challenge His hearers as to whether they would believe in what God had said and to act upon it? It is like God was putting His hearers to the test. Have you ever considered that God may at times be testing you when you read His Word or hear the Holy Spirit? Whether you will believe and act upon it? Why is it so crucial, whether we believe or not? Does it matter whether we respond or not? I suggest that one reason God does so is to prod our hearts to reveal whether it is hard or soft, for our own benefit. Let me unpack some key insights about the condition of our hearts, when we believe God or not, from the story of Moses and Aaron’s early confrontation with Pharoah in Exodus 7:1-13. UNBELIEF OF A HARDENED HEART What is a hardened heart? It is a proud and stubborn attitude. Pharaoh was a classic example, one who had a hardened heart and was filled with unbelief. We examine some of these characteristics and its effects. Hardened hearts seek excuses Moses had gone to Pharoah to speak on God’s behalf, pleading for the release of God’s people to worship God (Exodus 5:1-18). But Pharoah refused and oppressed the Israelites even more. Moses and Aaron returned the second time and performed a miracle as God had instructed, to prove they spoke on behalf of God. Aaron threw down his staff and it immediately became a snake. Was Pharoah impressed? Exodus 7:11–12 (NIV) 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. So Pharaoh called his wise men, sorcerers and magicians, not so that they and Moses could have a workshop to learn from one another. Pharaoh called his men because he was seeking for excuses not to believe in Moses' God. Staffs becoming snakes were magic in-trade for those sorcerers. Sufficient proof to Pharoah that Moses’ God was not impressive. Jesus pointed out the wickedness of such a heart condition. Matthew 12:38-39 (NIV)38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” 39He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law seemed to request for some reasonable proof of Jesus' authority as God's representative. “Prove you are from God by demonstrating God's power”. Why then did Jesus come out so strongly against this simple request? After all, Jesus was already demonstrating God's power by healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead! Why not just do more? Hardened hearts do not want to believe but to disbelief. Because their request came from a hardened heart. They were not seeking for God but seeking to put obstacles against believing. Hardened hearts do not want to believe but to disbelief. Jesus contrasted their attitude to the Queen of Sheba. Matthew 12:42 (NIV) The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. The Queen of Sheba came from far off to seek out King Solomon to find the truth about his wisdom. But the Pharisees did not seek the truth about Jesus. Only for reasons to disprove Jesus. Those with a genuine seeking heart will not set conditions for believing but is open to examine whatever evidence God provides. How open are we to examine whatever evidence that God provides? Or are we only seeking to disprove God? Have you ever wondered why God only made the staff into a snake? Exactly the same sort of thing the magicians could perform? I don't believe that it was just some sophisticated parlour tricks, sleigh of hand that occurred. The magicians were not illusionists but truly practitioners of black magic. Through occultic powers they were able to imitate the miracle that God demonstrated! So why didn't God turn the staff into an elephant or rhinoceros? That would be much harder for the magicians. I have discovered that God often does this because it subtly exposes the true condition of our hearts. The truly seeking heart's response will be to seek truth. “This is interesting! I should investigate more into this to find out whether it is the truth.” The Bereans had this attitude. Acts 17:11 (NIV) Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. If God simply overwhelmed with incredible demonstrations of His power, then the hardened heart may reluctantly admit that God is God. Not because they really had faith, but because they had no answer to refute God. Yet the heart condition had not changed. It is still hard! They will find other excuses later on to disbelief or not to follow God. That is why I believe God often uses the more subtle approach. Because God seeks to expose the heart condition. One day when we stand before the judgment seat of God, we will have no excuses. God will point to various incidents and say, “That showed the condition of your heart!” Hardened hearts harden itself God was very gracious and patient towards the Egyptians. When it first started off there would have been zero collateral damage. Moses had made a simple request to Pharaoh. Next there was a supernatural confrontation. The only collateral damage were some magical snakes were eaten up. However, because Pharaoh continued to harden his heart, only then did God began to increase his judgment upon Egypt. The next supernatural intervention damaged the environment and caused the fishes to die and brought discomfort to the Egyptians for a week. Until finally it led to the death of all male Egyptian firstborns. When we consider each step that God took in confronting Pharaoh, God was very patient and gracious. God could have simply wiped out Egyptians from the beginning but He did not. Instead, He gave them every opportunity to give in. Yet throughout it all, Pharaoh's heart became harder and harder. Exodus 7:13 (NIV) Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said. Now, for centuries a theological debate amongst Christian scholars examined whether God hardened Pharaoh's heart or Pharaoh hardened his own heart. One set of Scriptures refer to God hardening Pharaoh's heart. Exodus 9:12 (NIV) But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses. Most scholars who hold to this view believe that God changed the condition of Pharaoh's heart through some supernatural act of God. That God zapped him. Some believe that perhaps God withdrew some spiritual influences that would have otherwise kept Pharaoh's heart soft, so it became hard towards God. Either way, it meant God deliberately hardened Pharaoh's heart, directly or indirectly. Another set refers to Pharaoh hardening his own heart. Exodus 8:15 (NIV) But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said. Exodus 9:34 (NIV) When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. So did God harden Pharaoh's heart or did Pharaoh harden his own? I believe that it was both. I believe the explanation is actually very simple, based on understanding basic human nature. Pharaoh was a proud and stubborn man. God knew that confronting Pharaoh and commanding him to let the Israelites go would simply cause Pharaoh to refuse. To challenge Pharaoh's authority would simply make him mad and become even more stubborn, more determined to resist God. Because God knows the future, God foreknew that Pharaoh's heart would harden. So, when God confronted Pharaoh, God knew precisely that His actions would harden Pharaoh. That is why God said, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart." So God's actions lead to an increasing stubbornness in Pharaoh's heart but the responsibility for the hardness lies with Pharaoh's inherent attitude. Every action of God to set the Israelites free, will be met with an even greater stubbornness in Pharaoh's heart. So God's actions lead to an increasing stubbornness in Pharaoh's heart but the responsibility for the hardness lies with Pharaoh's inherent attitude. In fact, as mentioned earlier, God still graciously provided Pharaoh many opportunities to repent. But Pharaoh rejected every one of those opportunities. Hardened hearts tend to harden itself in unbelief. For pride only seeks to reaffirm itself. Whatever worldview that it has formed, it only seeks to reinforce it. What can we learn from Pharaoh's example? Hardened hearts tend to harden itself in unbelief. For pride only seeks to reaffirm itself. Whatever worldview that it has formed, it only seeks to reinforce it. It seeks to feed the ego to boost its misplaced confidence upon itself. That is why it often hardens itself against anything that challenges its own viewpoint. Hardened hearts reject God The more proud and stubborn a person, the more strongly they will reject God. Regardless of what God may do. Pharoah refused to listen to Aaron and Moses, God's messengers (v13). Pharaoh chose to reject God. The tragedy of the hardened heart is that it rejects God. In fact, the more proud and stubborn a person, the more strongly they will reject God. Regardless of what God may do. When we consider the incredible miracles that God did, Pharaoh should believe. But he refused to. Once I tried to share to a girl who refused to believe in God. After a while I realised that I was not getting anywhere with her, so I asked her, "Would you believe in God if He was to appear right before your very eyes?" To my shock, she replied firmly, "No!" Some people will reject God no matter what God does. They reject God not because God was unable to provide enough prove. They reject God simply because they are too proud to acknowledge God. A couple from Melbourne, friends of mine, once tried to help a dying elderly man. He had a brain tumour and was dying. The doctors were going to bring him into surgery in the last attempt to save his life. But the possibility of success was low and he could die on the operating table or probably become handicapped in some way. They prayed very hard for this friend of theirs and one day God told them to lay their hands on him and believe for him to be healed. They rushed to the hospital the day before the operation. They went to his bed and around him were most of his close relatives. They were seeing him because it might be the last time. My friends laid their hands on him and prayed earnestly. The next day, the doctors took the last X-ray before the operation. To their amazement their could not find the tumour. All that was left was brain fluid in its place. The elderly man lived many more years. Most of the relatives that were there became Christians. But the elderly man refused to. The hardness of heart will lead to refusal to believe, often regardless of evidence. Hebrews 3:12-13 (NIV) 12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Beware if you have a hardened heart. You will miss out. You will miss God! BELIEF OF AN OPEN HEART What is an open heart? A humble and teachable attitude. What are some characteristics of an open heart that we can see from the passage? Open hearts listen for God Exodus 7:8 (NIV) The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, Open hearts are open to listen, to learn and to discover. Because those with an open heart are humble enough to consider who God is and what He has to say. Aaron and Moses were ready to listen to God, because their hearts were open to God. Open hearts are open to listen, to learn and to discover. Because those with an open heart are humble enough to consider who God is and what He has to say. Because they are eager to learn and discover. Open hearts not only listen to God but listen for God. I first became a Christian because I was searching for truth. Nobody pushed me. Nobody begged me to come to church. I asked to come to church. Nobody rammed the Gospel down my throat. I asked to hear the Gospel. I found God because I was open to hear God! Open hearts not only listen to God but listen for God. The difference is this. We listen when God speaks. But those who listen for God, waits for God to speak. Why? Because we want to know God more. Psalms 84:10 (NIV) Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Open hearts choose to believe What did Aaron and Moses do when God told them in Exodus 7:9 (NIV) “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” Aaron and Moses believed what God had instructed them and they acted upon it. There are many Christians who are unbelieving Christians. Oh, they believe in Christ to be their Saviour and are saved. But there are many promises and blessings of the Bible that they do not believe in. They may not believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the supernatural spiritual gifts that God has made available to His church. They may not believe that all the five-fold ascension gifts are still available today, such as prophets and apostles. They don't believe in the Great Commission mandate as applying to themselves, saying it is not for them. They may not believe in the security and freedom that is our heritage from God. When as Christians, we do not believe what the Bible says, we are unbelieving believers. When as Christians, we do not believe what the Bible says, we are unbelieving believers. When we believe, God will consider it as righteousness to us because we did rightly before God. Romans 4:3 (NIV) What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Open hearts experience God Because Aaron and Moses had open hearts and had faith in God. The outcome was that they experienced the power of God. Exodus 7:10 (NIV) So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. When we fail to believe, we often fail to experience God’s power. When we do believe, we often experience more of God. When we fail to believe, we often fail to experience God’s power. When we do believe, we often experience more of God. When I was a young believer, some prophets prophesied that God wanted to give me a prophetic mantle. However, because I was fearful of the responsibility, I rejected the prophecy. For many years I did not operate in the prophetic. Until I finally repented. Then the prophetic gifting eventually was released into my life. That gifting has been so helpful in my ministry since. CONCLUSION Believe or not. It is your choice! To believe God or to choose not to. It is a reflection of your heart! Is yours a hard or an open heart? Let’s choose to have an open, soft heart before God. Ready to believe what God says. Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

I am sure that all of us want to start our lives well and end it well. However, we know that despite good and well-meaning intentions, we may not always end up where we want to be or worse, end up where we do not want to be. In Oct 2005, two Australian tourists used an Avis rental car's satellite navigation system to travel from Christchurch to Nelson. Anthony Hoiberg and Clarinda Mojar flew into Christchurch at 1am on Tuesday and picked up the rental car, using its global positioning system (GPS) to navigate their route to Nelson. They had often used GPS in Australia and thought it would be the safest way to travel. For 10 hours the couple forded rivers, driving through fog, unable to turn around on the narrow road, ending up at a locked gate to a high-country station called Rainbow Station. They ended up stranded on New Zealand's highest public mountain pass. Why? In the GPS, they did not realise they instructed, “avoid urban roads”. The last thing we want to end up is in a dead end in our lives. In this article we examine some of the factors that lead to dead ends. From 1 Tim:1-11, we explore 3 factors. THEORY OF EVERYTHING: WRONG PATH Some theoretical physicists are attempting to formulate a theory known as Theory of Everything (TOE): a theory that fully explains and links together all known physical phenomena. Some scientists think that it is impossible to formulate such a theory, that it is pursuing the wrong path. Yet some doggedly continue that elusive pursuit. 1 Timothy 1:3 (NIV) As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer In Ephesus there were believers who were pursuing the wrong path as far as doctrines were concerned. They were teaching things which contradicted God’s Word. They had got it wrong. They were along the wrong path in their thinking, their perspectives but did not realise it or refuse to acknowledge it. Wrong paths lead to wrong destinations. Wrong destinations are dead ends. Could it be possible, that you too might be going along the wrong path in your thinking, your perspectives? If so, it is a dead end. It will lead you nowhere fast. Wrong paths lead to wrong destinations. Wrong destinations are dead ends. How can people end up on the wrong path? They trusted something unreliable or incorrect. They made wrong assumptions and trusted those assumptions. How can people end up on the wrong path? They trusted something unreliable or incorrect. They made wrong assumptions and trusted those assumptions. In 2008, a retired Pennsylvania couple stranded in their compact car in the Utah desert for four days subsisted on crackers and soda before hiking to safety. Ray and Sue Beard are back home after spending four harrowing days in the desert when the directions supplied by their portable navigation device led them far off the beaten path in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, 1.9-million acres of rugged public land in southern Utah. They assumed that their GPS cannot go wrong, but it did. They failed to check against any maps. Some choose to trust the wrong information or perspective that they received. In Ephesus there were certain men who taught “false” doctrines. These were probably impressive in their knowledge. They sounded like they knew a lot. They used a lot of complex terms and had impressive arguments. Sadly, it is still happening even in the Church today. There are scholars with impressive sounding letters after their names, PhD, ThD, DMin with degrees from some equally impressive sounding universities or seminaries. Yet they are teaching doctrines along the wrong path. As a former research scientist in Australia’s CSIRO, the premier research organisation in the southern hemisphere, I know what it is like in the research world. Scientists make a lot of assumptions and theories, especially in areas that they cannot directly measure consistently under controlled lab conditions. As a scientist I had written a couple of papers refuting and correcting assumptions/theories proposed by leading scientists. And these were in areas that could be directly measured. So when scientists come up with big theories like the Big Bang going back billions of years, theories of evolution going back millions of years – we got to be careful! I have seen the pride, the controversies, the money that fuels these amongst scientists. Some have impressive knowledge, and their arguments can sound impressive but they have got it wrong. They started down the wrong track and refused to admit they are wrong. But instead rationalise and build around themselves reasonings to convince themselves and others that they are right. 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV) For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They did not pay attention to the signs and evidence that they were on the wrong track. In the first story shared, the Rainbow Station manager David McEwen said the road could best be described as "a shingle goat track". "To say they're following their GPS quite frankly doesn't wash with me. They've gone past signs that said `Road Closed' that are 6ft high and 3ft wide and are illuminated." Ignore the warning signs at our own peril! Is it possible that some assumptions, some perspectives, some doctrines in our lives are incorrect but we are blindly trusting in it? It may lead us to a dead end! What we need is truth. God’s Word contains truth. In fact, it is the Truth. John 17:17 (NIV) Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. When we properly follow God’s Word, God’s Truth, we will be better equipped to keep on the right path. Psalms 119:104 - 105 (NIV) 104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. With the truth, we can begin to walk along the right path. You see, truth reveals. It illuminates so that we may understand the reality before us. With the truth, we can begin to walk along the right path. When we begin to do so, we can begin to experience life as God intended. John 6:63 (NIV) The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. God does not want us to end up in a dead end. That is why He has given us His Word to guide us. Think about it, could you be going along the wrong path in your thinking and perspectives? If so, it could lead you nowhere, heading towards a dead end. What we need is truth, God’s Truth. TRIVIAL PURSUITS: WASTE OF TIME 1 Timothy 1:4–6 (NIV) 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. Some believers were caught up in trivial pursuits. Investigating myths and endless genealogies in the hope that it will unravel some secret, previously unknown truths. 1 Timothy 1:6 (NLT) But some teachers have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time arguing and talking foolishness. Waste your time and you waste your life. It was a sheer waste of time. It also generated controversies. Could you be too caught up in little things, trivial matters, when there are much more important, essential matters of eternal consequence? Waste your time and you waste your life. Your time is literally your life. What might we be wasting our time on? It could be as simple as too much time on computer games and getting caught up in social media. It could be as big as your life goals that are going in the wrong direction and you will find it a grand waste of time eventually. There are actually articles written called, “Is Your Ladder Up the Wrong Wall?” Because many have exerted all their energy to run up a ladder of career or lifestyle only to find it was on the wrong wall. For many of us, it could simply be spending a lot of time on things which are not very productive. Things which have no eternal significance. What we need is correct priorities. There are priorities and there are correct priorities. God is the ultimate judge of what are correct priorities. There are priorities and there are correct priorities. God is the ultimate judge of what are correct priorities. If our priorities are right before God it will be rewarded. 1 Corinthians 3:12 - 14 (NIV) 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. The Greatest Commandment (Matt 22:37-38) and the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20). These should form the backbone of our priorities. That is why we need to go back to the Bible and discover what they are. The Bible speaks about the Greatest Commandment (Matt 22:37-38) and the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20). These should form the backbone of our priorities. Are our priorities loving God and others? Are our priorities making disciples? Is it time to get our priorities right before God? PHARISEES: STUBBORNLY WRONG 1 Timothy 1:7–11 (NIV) 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. 8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels… and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. Pride makes people full of themselves. Consequently, they do not listen to others Some believers confidently proclaim the Mosaic Law as if they understood what it was all about. But in reality, they failed to understand its purpose. Yet they continue to push their point of view stubbornly. The problem lies in a stubborn pride. Pride makes people full of themselves. Consequently, they do not listen to others, even despite repeated attempts. Pride blinds them to their own errors and make them think others are wrong, when in fact the problem lies in their own hearts. They refuse to see the dead end even when faced with it! The Pharisees were stubbornly proud. They refused to accept the truth that Jesus brought. Mark 3:5 - 6 (NIV) 5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. The end result of pride is destruction. The end result of pride is destruction. Proverbs 16:18 (NLT) Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Let us be honest before God. Are we stubborn towards God in any areas of our lives? Could we be headed towards a fall? What we need is humility. Jesus made a strong point about the need to be humble in the parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector. The tax collector was justified before God because of his humility, unlike the Pharisee. Jesus concluded in Luke 18:14 (NIV) “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Pride can be hidden. External humility is not what God is looking for. Inner humility is what He desires. “Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil's reach as humility” wrote Jonathan Edwards. Satan was so consumed with pride and it that caused him to be in an eternal struggle with God. We must always be watchful less we fall into the same trap as Him. The interesting thing is this: Satan wants us to be in the same situation as he is! Stubborn pride blocks us from facing the truth and acknowledging the truth. Stubborn pride blocks us from facing the truth and acknowledging the truth. Many years ago, I mentored a young man who recently turned to Christ. He tried to share with his housemate about Christ. But his house mate would outright reject anything he had to share. This frustrated him very much. So I said to him, “Why don’t we pray together? Let’s ask God to break through to your housemate.” I also encouraged him to pray regularly for his housemate. A few weeks after we prayed, my young mentee shared to me that his housemate had a nightmare. In the nightmare, he was chasing after a girl he liked in school. But no matter how hard he tried, the girl kept rejecting him. Finally, out of desperation, he asked the girl why she was rejecting him. The girl looked at him in the eye and said, “Because you are so arrogant!” He woke up in cold sweat. The next day, his housemate came to him and admitted to him, “I just realised how arrogant I am.” Shortly after, my mentee asked his housemate to come to church. The week after, the housemate came to church and accepted Christ! A few weeks later, the housemate invited his girlfriend and she too accepted Christ! Humility opens our hearts to the truth. If we truly humble ourselves then God promises to lift us up. Luke 1:52 (NIV) He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. No matter who we are and what we think we know, humility will bring us unto the right path. Humility is a choice. There were times when I was faced with situations where I could have responded with my rights. But God reminded me to respond with humility. So I chose to respond with humility. I have experienced that humility releases the blessings of God. No matter who we are and what we think we know, humility will bring us unto the right path. CONCLUSIONS Are you headed for a dead end? If you are to be a true disciple, make sure you avoid the dead end. Consider what path you are on now. Is it the right path? Let the truth of God’s Word reveal it to you. Are you headed for a dead end? Consider where your time is going. Is it into matters of eternal consequence? The Great Commandment and the Great Commission? Don’t make the mistake of being like the Pharisees, stubbornly wrong. Be humble and discover the truth that God wants for you! Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

God desires to burn His divine purposes into our hearts. That it may provide deep motivations in our hearts for His purposes. From the story of Moses encounter with God at the burning bush we discover some keys by which God will burn such purposes in our lives. In Part 1 we examined how God’s divine call establishes the conviction in our hearts of His purpose and begins to stir a divine urgency in us. In Part 2 we further examine 2 other aspects that God uses to burn His divine purposes into our lives. These aspects provide greater clarity on what is involved and also deeper assurances of His divine calling. All these elements together cement the divine purpose upon our lives. BURNING WITH DIVINE INSTRUCTIONS Exodus 3:16–18 (NIV) 16 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 18 “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.’ Imagine if God told Moses, "I told you the vision, now work out all that needs to be done!" God did not just give Moses the call and left him to sort out everything else by himself. Rather, God helped Moses by giving some key instructions about the approach to deliver the Israelites from slavery. For Moses was inexperienced at that point. We should never ignore God's instructions. We do that at our own peril. The sense of divine purpose usually comes with some divine instructions. It may be in the sense of a goal or certain key tasks. It may come immediately like for Moses, or it may come progressively or later like for Abraham. When God instructs us to undertake something, we can rest assured that God has the bigger picture in mind. God is aware of much more than we ever are. We may only see the pieces of the puzzle, but God is the one who joins them all together to form a beautiful picture. With each set of instructions, God is moving us closer to His overall plan. We should never ignore God's instructions. We do that at our own peril. Our job is not to question God but to obey. Obedience is a lot easier for us when we have a trusting, loving relationship with God. Our job is not to question God but to obey. Obedience is a lot easier for us when we have a trusting, loving relationship with God. Knowing that He has a greater plan for us and His kingdom. When we trust in God’s good intentions for our long term eternal welfare we are motivated to obey. Rom 8:28 (NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. There was once a wife who had a harsh husband who demanded lists of chores for her to do and she used to obey out of fear of being punished. Then the husband died, and she later re-married to a loving husband. One day she came across the old list and began to cry because she realised she was now doing all old chores and more, not because of fear but because she loved her husband. She enjoyed doing the chores because her motivation was different. Similarly, doing God’s will is not a chore when we love Him. God has chosen to work in partnership with us. He provides us, fallen people, with the wonderful opportunity to be involved in His plan of redemption. It is when we trust God enough to walk with Him and to serve Him, step by step, that His wonderful purpose for us is revealed to its full extent. His guidance will be provided as He sees appropriate to help us, as He did with Moses. BURNING WITH DIVINE ASSURANCES Receiving divine assurances strengthens our conviction about our divine purpose. When God imparts a divine purpose into our hearts, He will give us divine assurances along the way. Receiving divine assurances strengthens our conviction about our divine purpose. In the example of Moses, we notice some of the assurances that were given. Divine influence Exodus 3:18 (NIV) “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.’ God gave to Moses the assurance that God will cause Moses to have the necessary influence to move God's plans forward. The elders of Israel will listen to Moses. Remember, the elders of Israel had no reason to listen to Moses. For Moses was not known to them. Besides, who was Moses to confront Pharaoh? Whatever God calls us to do, He will cause us to gain the necessary influence in due time to carry out the task. Whatever God calls us to do, He will cause us to gain the necessary influence in due time to carry out the task. Never think that we are too insignificant or too small to do the will of God. 1 Cor 1:27 (NIV) But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. It is not how strong or wise we are, but how humbly available we are. If you dare to believe the purposes of God that He reveals to you, be assured that He will open doors of opportunity. He will give you influence. God is in-charge. Gideon was a nobody, an insignificant person in an insignificant clan. Judg 6:15 (NIV) “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Yet when he responded to God's call his influence grew exponentially. Judg 6:34-35 (NIV) 34 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. A nobody became a somebody in God. God can cause your influence to increase according to His calling and purposes for your life. No matter how insignificant you may seem now. Divine empowerment Exodus 3:18–22 (NIV) 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. When we respond to God's call with faith, God will provide us the necessary empowerment to get the job done. God assured Moses that God will demonstrate His power to Pharaoh through Moses. Hence, God empowered Moses to bring God's message. In the same way, God will empower us as we step forth in faith. When we respond to God's call with faith, God will provide us the necessary empowerment to get the job done. God empowers His messengers! 1 Cor 2:4-5 (NIV) 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. When God first called Cindy Jacobs, she felt like she was little more than a housewife just faithfully serving in her church. Yet the calling of God to be a prophet to the nations burnt strongly in her heart. God began to give her strong accurate prophetic words and others began to recognise her anointing. God brought along others such as Peter Wagner who mentored her and opened platforms for her to minister. As we walk with God faithfully, deeper and deeper into the purposes of God, we discover that God progressively increases His empowerment to our ministry. So that we may get the job done! When we first started Hope Church, we struggled to share the Gospel due to our inexperience. Now we have effective skills and anointing in impacting many with the Gospel. When we first started, we had absolutely no influence in our community. Today, we have an excellent reputation within the community. When we first started, we lacked the supernatural power, such as in healing. Today we have many and increasing testimonies of God's power at work in our midst. God empowers us as we faithfully step out to serve Him. Divine success Exodus 3:21–22 (NIV) 21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.” God assured Moses that his task will be successful. The Israelites will be released and will not leave empty-handed. In fact, this was fulfilled as recorded in Ex 12:35-36 (NIV) 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians. God will grant us success as we choose to follow His purposes faithfully. We will not be left empty-handed. Instead, God will fill us with abundance of blessings. God will never short-change us. If we invest into God's Kingdom with faith, we will reap the wonderful blessings many times over! Success will come to the faithful because God wants His plans to succeed! Do it God's way, and there will be success! Josh 1:7-8 (NIV) 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Success will come to the faithful because God wants His plans to succeed! CONCLUSION How can we connect with God's divine purpose for our lives? Go to God with open and humble hearts. Seek God and serve God faithfully in whatever your hands finds to do. In the midst of that God will begin to speak to you! He will begin to reveal His call upon your life. God will begin to provide us the instructions we need. He will provide us the assurances we need. Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Have you ever woken up in the morning and felt like, "Why do I bother to get up? There is nothing to look forward to today or this week?" Have you ever taken a hard look at your own life only to recognize that you don't really know where you are headed in your life? That you have been going around in circles or has simply been spinning your wheels? Perhaps you have look at those who have an enthusiasm for life and secretly envy their certainty, their clear direction in life? Do you wish that you could live a meaningful, purposeful life? A life that you know makes a difference. In this article, we will discover how our lives can be filled with a clear burning purpose. A purpose that will be worth living for. A purpose that will define our lives. A purpose that is of God! We will unpack Exodus 3:10-22 to discover how Moses began to be burnt by a divine purpose and apply it to ourselves. BURNING WITH A DIVINE CALL The sense of divine purpose comes firstly from having of divine call upon one's life. A sense that God Himself has called us specifically. In Exodus 3:10-15 we discover 3 key components that contribute towards a deep sense of a divine call. Divine selection Exodus 3:10–11 (NIV) 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” God made it absolutely clear. God had specifically chosen Moses. Why is that important? Because that became a stirring motivation in Moses' life. That he has been called of God. How can being selected and sent mean so much to us? Imagine if a Sunday school kid that you hardly knew, selected us, and sent us. "You go and get my teddy bear from the room!" It will mean very little to us. We would not be motivated to respond. But if Prime Minister of Australia personally selected us and sent us on a special mission to represent him. Or someone you love, admire and respect. Surely, you would respond with much more enthusiasm. How much more, when God chooses us specifically to represent Him or to fulfil a special commission. Would you go, “Wow, God chose me!” In fact, God already has. Jesus declared in John 15:16 (NIV) You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. God chooses us to a mission that is line with what He has designed us to be and do. On a deeper level, we may realise that God never chooses randomly. In fact, because God is our Maker and all-wise, God chooses us to a mission that is line with what He has designed us to be and do. During my Engineering PhD, I developed a numerical modelling software which was designed to simulate multiple fractures propagating in certain types of materials. I fully understood its capabilities and limitations. Hence, I would only apply it for the purposes it was designed for. To use it in other situations would result in nonsensical results or possibly crash the software. Once we grasp the fact that God our Maker has called us according to who we were meant to be, we realise that God's call is about our destiny! Our life purpose! What we were meant to be or do. That is why God's selection can be such a life-changing, life-long motivation of our life! For the Apostle Paul, this became a defining motivation for his life-long ministry - that God called specifically to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles and Jews. Acts 9:15 (NIV) But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” In the same way, I knew that Lai Ling and I have been sent by God to Brisbane to establish and develop Hope Church as an Antioch church. Do you have a sense of God selecting you for a purpose? Do you realise that God has already chosen you to bear His fruits? Divine authorisation Exodus 3:12 (NIV) And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Not only was Moses chosen to be sent, but God Himself backs it up by providing His authorisation. The sense of divine call increases another notch when there is a sense of God's stamp of authorisation. For sending will not amount to much if there was no accompanying authorisation. Imagine a company director sending someone to represent him at a Board meeting but tells him that he has no authority to do anything! This representative would be little more than a secretary taking notes. For the person sent to properly represent, they must be given authority to act on behalf of the sender. In fact, the word "send" is the Heb "shalach". From this is derived the Jewish legal concept of "shaliach", who is a legally authorised representative. An old Jewish legal maxim puts it this way, "the-one-whom-a-man-sends is like the man himself." God never sends us on His mission without accompanying authorisation. God never sends us on His mission without accompanying authorisation. Jesus has sent us into the world to impact it with the Good News and through good works. To make disciples and plant churches. Jesus assures us that He backs us up fully! Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Have you experienced God’s authorisation? Divine representation Exodus 3:13–15 (NIV) 13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. Moses struggled to explain who he was representing so he asked God for His name. In ancient times, it was known that deities would have a unique special name to represent its authority. God gave His name as "I AM WHO I AM". What an odd name. Actually, through His name, God gave to Moses a revelation of His nature. "I am who I am" speaks of God eternal who is forever "am". Whose very nature is not derived from anything. God exists. God who has been, is and will be forever. Some scholars consider this the secret name of God. It was the first and only revelation of God's name in the Old Testament. This name was considered so sacred later on in Jewish history that no one was allowed to pronounce the name of God except the high priest once a year. The anglicised name is spelt YHWH and pronounced Yahweh. Note that in Hebrew, there are no vowels. Jesus used the name of God, "I AM" and applied it to Himself. John 8:58-59 (NIV) 58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. It was for that reason the religious leaders condemned Jesus for blasphemy. Moses was given a deep revelation of who God is. The giving of one's special name has special significance. It usually reveals a special relationship between the sender and one sent. We need to know who sent us so that we may adequately represent him. In the Great Commission of Matt 28:18-20 it is clear that Jesus sent us to go forth as His representatives. Indeed, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV) We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. When there is a sense of God selecting us for His mission, of His authorisation and to represent Him - it helps brings about a burning conviction of God's call upon our lives. When there is a sense of God selecting us for His mission, of His authorisation and to represent Him - it helps brings about a burning conviction of God's call upon our lives. BURNING WITH DIVINE URGENCY Exodus 3:16 (NIV) 16 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. Essentially God instructed Moses to go and to go immediately! The Kairos (or divine moment) timing of God was now, God made it clear that he had heard the cry of the Israelites and now was the season to fulfil his promise of deliverance. ‘Go’ is a verb that carries an urgency to act upon God’s instruction. God was commanding Moses to go immediately. The matter was urgent to God. When there is urgency to the call it usually heightens one's sense of purpose. Not only is the mission important, but it is also so important and so urgent that one is compelled to act immediately. When God speaks clearly into our hearts, it can burn in our hearts so strongly that we cannot let it lie. Jeremiah 20:9 (NIV) …his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. Belle Wolter, one of our key leaders had this testimony. When I first got saved, I used to work as a lowly admin assistant in a prestigious law firm. After a couple of weeks of becoming a Christian, I had started a prayer meeting, regularly gathering in the senior solicitor’s office and I was leading lawyers and even a senior head partner in prayer. On the remaining lunch times I helped feed a homeless guy and prayed for the sick. By the end of my time there, my boss and the senior Partners noticed a difference in my work as well. This all because I had fire burning in my heart to see the lost saved. No one taught me to do this it just seemed the natural thing to do; I could not help but serve God. Eventually Belle and her husband became missionaries in Africa. Sometimes God will require us to wait upon him but on this occasion, God was prompting Moses to act immediately without delay. We have had similar experiences. When we first started the church, it was challenging to reach out to various people because we hardly knew anyone in Brisbane. One day God inspired Lai Ling to apply to be involved in a host scheme. We were given a name of a University of Queensland overseas student but when we called the address, we discovered that he had gone home overseas for holidays. Some weeks later the Holy Spirit prompted Lai Ling that we should visit his rental place immediately. As in those days there were no mobiles phones yet hence it was not possible to try to contact him in other ways. We went to his home that evening and he was there! He had just returned from holidays and was planning to move out the next day. We would have missed him, if we did not come at that time. He later joined the church and eventually became one of our senior leaders. We must learn to be quick to obey. Procrastination is a sign that we do not appreciate God's timing. We must learn to be quick to obey. Procrastination is a sign that we do not appreciate God's timing. In other words, we pride ourselves in our own sense of timing. Let us instead resonate with God's urgency in our hearts. When God’s purpose starts to burn in our hearts, it is often accompanied by a burning urgency as well. CONCLUSION In Part 1, we learned about how God’s divine call can occur in our lives and lead to a burning sense of urgency to carry it out. In Part 2, we examine why we need to heed the divine instructions and why we need the divine assurances as we journey into our destiny. Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

We may be thoroughly convinced that tithing should still be practiced today, and that our giving attitude can truly touch God’s heart. Yet a big question often remains. How do we practically tithe today? The economic system today is vastly different from the Old Testament and most of us no longer deal in terms of bulls, sheep, wheat, fruits and such. Instead, we have complications such as shares, dividends, inflation and so on. As part of our on-going series on Tithing, we address these practical issues by unpacking the biblical principles involved and translate it into our modern context as best we can. What we outline are suggestions as we must remember that we are working on the basis of principles rather than requirements. Hence, the recommendations we make here is to help bring clarity, rather than to espouse any rules. At the end of the day, it is a matter of faith and personal conscience before God. Even on that note, it does us well to remember Luke 6:38 (NIV) Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” The generosity by which we give will be the generosity by which God may well measure back to us. To gain the full context of our Tithing series, the full series are: Tithing Part 1: The Biblical Principle Tithing Part 2: Distinguishing Tithes and Offerings Tithing Part 3: Giving From Our Hearts Tithing Part 4: Blessings of Giving Tithing Part 6: Tithing in a Spiritual Network (a coming article) PRACTICAL TITHING FOR PERSONS (INDIVIDUALS OR FAMILIES) Following are some key recommendations. Recommendation 1: Tithe out of gross income The biblical principle is based upon Leviticus 27:30–32 (NIV) 30 “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 32 Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord.” The tithe is to be given from the gross product, the gross increase. We should note that God requires 10% of everything that is produced from the land, flock and agriculture because all of these belong to God. God did not state that the tithe was to be given after payment of taxes, debts and other liabilities, etc. In other words, the tithe is to be given from the gross product, the gross increase. We should tithe out of our gross income, which should consider all our sources of income. Most of us are employed with a salary or income. Therefore, it is a relatively simple matter to sort out. We should tithe out of our gross income, which should consider all our sources of income. Whatever part of our income that is cash, or liquid asset, we should tithe out of that portion. In situations where our income includes non-liquid assets such as shares, see the Recommendation 2. Recommendation 2: Tithe on the non-liquid assets only after it has been converted. How do we deal with non-liquid income, perhaps in the form of shares? Let us consider Lev 27:32 (NIV) “Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod…” Notice that only every tenth animal is taken, usually counted as the newborns birthed in that year or season. God did not expect that if there were 19 newborns, that 1 and 9/10th of an animal be given. Only 1 newborn was given as tithe. Tithes of non-liquid income (such as shares) should only be made when it is converted to liquid form such as cash. Having understood the above practical approach taken by God, we recommend that tithes of non-liquid income (such as shares) should only be made when it is converted to liquid form such as cash. That is, at the point of sale. I believe this is important practically as some have taught that we should tithe of our shares. But if we have shares worth $100,000 where would we find $10,000 cash to give? It is not always possible to sell a portion of those shares to give as tithes. Now let’s deal with a nit-picking issue. Consider the above example of the shepherd who had 19 newborns in year 1 and then 27 newborns in year 2. How should he tithe? He could have tithed 1 newborn in year 1 and 2 newborns in year 2 and fulfilled his obligations. But he could say, “The Lord has blessed me with 46 newborns in the past 2 years so I will tithe a total of 4 newborns.” Which is right? What your conscience and generosity say before God. That is how we could approach this aspect because surely in this modern world it can be quite complicated. Recommendation 3: There is no need to tithe again on the same items. Tithing should be done only once for any produce or increase in wealth. It may seem obvious that tithing should be done only once for any produce or increase in wealth. But practically it can be confusing at times. Let me offer an insignificant example which probably occurs frequently. Consider a devoted Christian family that tithe faithfully from their gross income. The parents then give to their little children every Sunday a few dollars for them to give as tithes in their Sunday school. Tithes has already been given for the monies that the children received. There is no need to tithe upon it again. Of course, the parents are trying to teach their children the principle and habit of tithing. Their intent and generosity are commendable. In Christian families where income earners (such as parents) give their dependents (such as children or dependent relatives) pocket money or income, if we assume that the income earners have already tithed faithfully, there is therefore no need for the dependents to tithe their pocket money. Though again, it is up to the dependents whether they would like to tithe of what their have received. It is a matter of their personal generosity and conscience before God. Now consider the situation where we tithed out of our gross income and put some of the amount in our superannuation funds. Upon retirement, when we withdraw the funds, there is no need to tithe upon those funds but perhaps only upon the component of increase in value. However, if the contributions to our superannuation were not tithed upon previously then it makes sense to tithe out of our withdrawals. Hopefully these examples make it clearer to think through these practical situations. But remember, we are working with principles. We should not become petty like the Pharisees and count every grain, as God sees the heart foremost. Recommendation 4: There is no need to tithe from our income producing assets What if we have assets such as our car which we use as a taxi, equipment we own and require for our trade or investments, whether it be shares, investment homes used for rental, etc? Should we tithe of those as well? Consider again Leviticus 27:30 (NIV) “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” Notice that it is the produce, the increase in wealth that God asks for a tithe. The fruits are tithed but not the tree. God has no expectation that we chop off a tenth of a tree to give to God. There is no expectation that we tithe out of those income-producing asset itself. We only tithe from what it produces. Therefore, there is no expectation that we tithe out of those income-producing asset itself. We only tithe from what it produces. Otherwise, we may compromise our ability to keep producing more. Furthermore, if we had already originally tithed of our income faithfully and used the remainder to purchase the income-producing assets, then it has already been fully accounted for. Recommendation 5: Tithe with consideration of inflation In the Old Testament times, there were minimal inflation hence instructions on the value of certain items could be done in terms of an assumed unchanging value of the shekel. Exodus 21:32 (NIV) “If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.” However, today’s economy is confronted with inflation which can be very significant at times. The outcome is that the price of everything increases over time significantly. Though its real value, compared to other things may not. Now let’s consider some present world examples. Consider that you own a house you lived in for 20 years and upon selling it, the price has doubled. Should you give a tithe out of the increase? A key principle to consider is Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. It is good to tithe out of the profit after taking inflation into account. The key question is did the increase in house price actually lead to an increase of your wealth? Due to accumulated inflation over 20 years, it is quite possible that the doubling of the house price may have led to a decrease in wealth. Because to buy another similar house, with everything else equal, may cost more than price you sold your house for. However, say you did something smart financially perhaps renovated the house, rezoned or sub-divided your land. Now the price has tripled or more. Then it is obvious that you increased your wealth. In such a case, it is good to tithe out of the profit after taking inflation into account. Let’s now apply this to shares. Let’s say you bought some shares in a company. Remember Recommendation 2 where we recommended giving tithes on its profits only after it has been sold, not while it is still in your portfolio. Over the past decade its value has tripled and you sold it to realise the gain. If that is more than the inflation over the past decade, you could consider it a profit and tithe out of the profit after deducting for inflation. Or alternatively, you could compare it to the stockmarket average index. The idea being that to purchase new shares, the prices has increased (or decreased) over time at a different rate to inflation. You are thus comparing like to like just as you did for house to house. Again, it is important not to get excessively caught up in minutiae of details. Our heart should be to honour God by tithing out of the increase of our wealth. Recommendation 6: There is no need to tithe out of gifts. God required tithes from the produce, the increase in overall wealth. If a person gifts to another 10 sheep, God does not require a tithe of 1 sheep from the gift. It does, however, implicitly assume that a tithe was previously given from the previous owner. Hence, if no tithe was given previously then it may be argued that a tithe may be given now. Yet there is no Scripture that directly or indirectly references that aspect. So our recommendation is that there is no need to tithe out of gifts. However, you may wish to. Again, it is up to your generosity and conscience. Recommendation 7: Tithes should be given to the local church Tithes should be given to where we received our spiritual covering. Just as the Israelites would give their tithes to the local Levites where they received religious instruction and spiritual/pastoral care. If we wish to give towards missions and other Christian organisations, it should be out of our offerings. When we give of our tithes to the local church it should not be designated giving. When we give of our tithes to the local church it should not be designated giving. Just as tithes were given unto God and passed on to the Levites, no Israelite were to specify how it is to be used. Tithes were to be given wholly to God and it was the Levites responsibility to use it wisely for the ministry. If we want to give towards missions, building or other specific purposes, it should come from our freewill offerings. If we want to give towards missions, building or other specific purposes, it should come from our freewill offerings. Recommendation 8: Tithing and debt A question that arises is when a person is in debt. Would it not be better to first pay off the debt before giving of tithes? Tithes are holy unto God and we cannot give what is holy to others, including our creditors. When we search through the Scriptures, we find no options provided to any person to pay off their debts with tithes. For tithes are holy unto God and we cannot give what is holy to others, including our creditors. It seems that God expects us to give our tithes to Him first regardless of other circumstances in our lives. In fact, in God’s laws, if a person is unable to repay the debts, the person can become servitude to the creditor. In other words, the Old Testament circumstances is perhaps even more difficult than what it is today. Really, it is finally a matter of faith and obedience unto God. PRACTICAL TITHING FOR CHRISTIAN COMPANIES Principle 1: Treat companies like a corporate person. Companies should be treated like a corporate person who should tithe unto God as well. In the Old Testament times there were no companies and corporations. For everything is owned by an owner or family. This is not so today where considerable wealth can be owned by corporate entities. Hence, it is only logical that companies should be treated like a corporate person who should tithe unto God as well. However, it is a bit more complex due to the nature of this corporate person. The corporate person gains a gross income which may be calculated as the profit after deducting all expenditures including salaries, before tax. A tithe could be given out of that gross income. Principle 2: Tithe should not be given out of liabilities. When giving the tithe, it should not be taken out of the portion that rightfully belongs to employees, creditors, stockholders, government, etc. For example, if a business has an employee fund set aside, the tithe should never be taken out of that fund. Possible approaches Some Christian businesses have chosen to give partial ownership to the Lord. The idea is that as the business prospers, so does the Lord's portion. Another option if there is stock involved, is to create a foundation for Christian work. And give a tithe of stocks and dividends to it. These are attempts to honour God in practical ways and to give towards the Christian work. Since most companies do not have tangible spiritual covering, it is up to the owners or directors to determine the best way to give the tithes. Many choose to give it towards a wide spectrum of Christian organisations. CONCLUSIONS Our present context can be considerably different from the Old Testament, and this does complicate how we apply tithing practically. Yet as we carefully discern the biblical principles, we can work out practically, for the most part, how we can tithe and honour God. It is crucial not to be lost in the details of the recommendations but to always remember that tithing is a principle and that our giving should be from our hearts. It is our faith, obedience and generosity that matters the most to God. Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

The principle of tithing is such a crucial part of our discipleship and walk of obedience before God. When properly understood and applied in our lives, it releases blessings both promised by God and indirectly upon our life and ministry. In this article, we will examine the key promises and its benefits for every believer who applies it. This article is part of a Tithing series which includes “Part 1: The Biblical Principle”, “Part 2: Distinguishing Tithes and Offerings” and “Part 3: Giving From Our Hearts”. PROMISED BLESSINGS FROM GOD The Scriptures reveal blessings promised by God when we are faithful in our giving. Malachi 3:10–12 (NIV) 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty. God promised overflowing blessings to be released from heaven when we are faithful in our tithes unto God. Three specific blessings are mentioned in v11. Although God applied it to the immediate and relevant context of agricultural produce for the Israelites, the principle of the blessing continues today. Blessings of protection (such as protection from pests), fruitfulness (such as full yield of crops) and prominence (such as other nations calling Israel blessed). Broadly speaking, that is God’s heart. To bless those who are faithful to Him. Blessing of Protection When we give from the outcomes of the work of our hands because we trust God, God has promised to protect the outcomes of our work. When we give from the outcomes of the work of our hands because we trust God, God has promised to protect the outcomes of our work. Have you ever experienced the disappointment of investing into your work, what you produce, only to suffer loss because of poor outcomes? God is saying, “If you will trust me with by faithfully giving part of your income, I will protect your source of income.” I do not wish to broaden this promise beyond what God likely intended. God did not say that the crops would not encounter pests but that the pests would not devour the crops. Setbacks may occur, but we should not face loss because of God’s protection. Since the early days of my Christian faith, I determined to tithe faithfully unto God, even in my student days. In all my years, I found that God blessed, provided and protected me in all my employments. During my university days, God provided engineering trainee jobs beyond what was needed. It provided for my educational experiences and financially. Even as I was completing my doctorate engineering studies, God provided for me a research job in CSIRO which I did not even seek out. I was head-hunted, even before I completed my doctorate. That was highly unusual. Until even today, I have the unusual distinction of not having to apply for nor compete for a job. This included every leadership role, every directorship role. This is my unique faith journey. Blessing of Fruitfulness When we faithfully give of the fruit of our work unto God, God will multiply the fruitfulness of our hands. In the promise “the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe”, God is essentially promising the Israelites a full harvest. It is a blessing of fruitfulness. When we faithfully give of the fruit of our work unto God, God will multiply the fruitfulness of our hands. I will qualify here that what God blesses in return is not always like for like. It is up to God the manner in which He blesses. In 1990, when God challenged us to be involved in pioneering a church in Melbourne, I had to make a tough decision. Because I had a cushy part-time job in the research division of BHP, while still completing my doctorate. This job helped provide for us as my doctorate scholarship had basically run out. I knew I could not possibly hold this job while helping pioneer a church. By faith, I let it go. Miraculously, God worked another provision for us. A couple of months later, my professor and I received approval for a research grant which my professor converted into a research scholarship for me. It covered the income I would have received from the part-time job for nearly 2 years. Further, the research grant was to undertake research that I had already planned to do anyway in my doctorate. Basically, I was getting paid to do nothing extra! At the same time, God also blessed the fruitfulness of our student ministry while pioneering the church. We gave unto the Lord, of our finances, of our time, of our dedication and the Lord blessed us with abundance! Blessing of Prominence God’s blessings will lead to prominence because of the quality of the fruitfulness. God’s promise in Mal 3:12 (NIV) “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land” is a promise of prominence. God’s blessings will lead to prominence because of the quality of the fruitfulness. Not only does God promise to give beyond what we had given, He will give of a higher quality in return. Just as in the wedding at Cana, when the servants trusted Jesus, He turned the water which was given to Him into the best wine (John 2:1-10). This help sets the stage for prominence. In my previous story, I mentioned that I received a research grant. From that research, I was able to publish 4 scientific papers in some major international journals. Unknown to me for many years, they became prominent papers that have since been cited some 900 times to this point (as per Google Scholar). And they are still being significantly cited some 30 years later! My research contribution in that particular field of engineering became prominent. I never imagined it would happen. But with God’s blessings, it did! I did publish many other scientific papers from my doctorate and research scientist work. But almost none come close to the prominence of those papers. In fact, the total citations of the other 20+ papers are about half of those 4 papers. Experience God’s provision 2 Corinthians 9:6–8 (NIV) 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. When we are faithful in giving to God, God will be faithful in providing for us. When we are faithful in giving to God, God will be faithful in providing for us. God will not leave His people in want, who are faithful unto God. God desires to provide for us in order that we can abound in every good work. That is the general principle by which God operates. When we decided to pioneer the church in Brisbane, we knew it was a matter of time before I would go full-time. We were prepared never to own our own house. Yet God provided for us. A few years into our church plant just as I was preparing to go full-time, we had a sum of money due to our savings from our very frugal early days of marriage plus some help from our parents. Yet in the area where we were searching for some possibilities, we could not afford even a small 10-year-old house. Then Lai Ling came across a piece of ridiculously priced land. We managed to buy the land and build a brand-new house cheaper than a 10-year-old house in that area! We managed to pay off the mortgage in about 5 years. It was only possible with God’s provision. INDIRECT BENEFITS OF GIVING Learn To Be Faithful Stewards It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that most of what we have, or perhaps even all, is the result of our hard work. Tithing reminds us that all we have is actually God's. Psalm 50:10–12 (NIV) 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. It also reminds us that as stewards, we are to be faithful with what God has entrusted to us. It reminds us that God owns all and the privilege we have in giving back to Him a tenth. In doing so, it also reminds us that as stewards, we are to be faithful with what God has entrusted to us. Once we have given our tithe, we would have 90% left of our income and this ought to force us to be more careful in how we spend it. When people have in abundance, they tend to be more carefree in their spending. The danger is we end up spending on frivolous or unnecessary things. But when we have less, we tend to be more frugal and careful. It helps us distinguish between what we need and what we want. I grew up in a lower middle-income family. We were always careful with what we spent our money on. The frugality taught me the importance of discipline in the use of money. In the early days of our marriage, we lived very simply because we had a lower and uncertain income. I even salvaged a thrown-away 20 year old fridge from a front yard and made shelves from wire mesh. It served us for another 5 years before it finally died! Often, having a little less can provide great life lessons compared to simply having more. I have discovered that having learnt to live with less, we can gain more later on. The perspectives and disciplines we learn as faithful stewards will serve us well for the rest of our lives. Realigns Our Priorities Heavenward. Jesus taught in Matthew 6:20–21 (NIV) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. For where our treasure goes, there our focus tends to be. Wherever we lay our treasures, there our hearts will be. If our priorities are to be heavenly minded rather than worldly minded, there is where we ought to direct our resources, monies included. Such giving for God's Kingdom helps sharpen our focus on the impact of our giving. If we need some help to realign our focus, we should intentionally choose to give for God's Kingdom. For where our treasure goes, there our focus tends to be. I have found personally, when I have to save up to make a significant purchase such as a new lounge set or car, or to pay off our house mortgage – it focuses my priorities. In the same way, when I determine to set aside, to save a certain proportion for God’s purposes focusses me on those heavenly priorities. There was once a non-believing businessman whose Christian friend encouraged to support a Gospel endeavour. At first, he gave reluctantly. Then he began to read of the tangible impact it had in changing lives of many young people. Eventually he began to give regularly to this "community work", as was his perspective. After some time, he decided he must personally check out this endeavour to ensure his money was well spent. As he followed the Gospel endeavours, he began to be confronted with the Gospel itself and eventually came to Christ. His heart followed his treasure, and his treasure led him to Christ. Will Be Refreshed Proverbs 11:24–25 (NIV) 24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. There is a definite sense of encouragement and even fulfilment in knowing our giving led to others being helped and blessed. When we give faithfully unto God, we bless by investing into God’s Kingdom. God’s church is supported, ministry is enabled, church workers are provided for, missions is advanced, outreach into the community is sustained, etc. Much blessings are released as a result and more people are blessed. Such blessings also return in some form to us. There is a definite sense of encouragement and even fulfilment in knowing our giving led to others being helped and blessed. Our church has invested into a free annual Christmas event for the local community. We have held it for over 20 years. In this event there are all manner of fun activities for children from face-painting, stall games, petting animals, rock climbing, laser shootouts, tug of war to dances, performances and carols. Food and drinks are provided for every visitor. Every child receives a significant Christmas present with opportunities to win many special prizes from the games and activities. It is a huge investment of finance, resources, volunteer hours, etc. What has blessed my heart all the time is to see the hundreds of happy faces. The times when grateful parents came up to thank us for our efforts because otherwise it would be another tough Christmas for their family. John D. Rockefeller was the world’s richest man. Yet at 53 years old, he developed an unusual but serious ailment. He was given a year to live based on his doctors’ prognosis. Earlier in his life, he had been ruthless in acquiring his wealth. But this shocking prognosis changed his heart and he decided to give much of his fortune to churches, schools, hospitals, educational institutions, etc. He even enjoyed giving dimes to children when they approached him. He miraculously recovered from the life threatening ailment and lived to 97 years old. Break The Cycle Of Materialism The world we live in today, continually draws us towards materialism with its endless, even hypnotic marketing to buy and buy even more. It paints the picture that the possession of certain products will immediately improve, even elevate our lives. Choosing to set aside a portion of our income for God and His Kingdom, helps us die to our fleshly wants and break the cycle of selfishness. Choosing to set aside a portion of our income for God and His Kingdom, helps us die to our fleshly wants and break the cycle of selfishness. To avoid the trap of consumerism and materialism by giving more focus to heavenly priorities. 1 Timothy 6:17–19 (NIV) 17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. CONCLUSIONS When we give faithfully unto God through tithes and offerings, God is pleased, and He will bless us in a variety of ways. There are also additional key benefits in giving generously and faithfully. Which is why, giving is such a blessing to both the receiver and giver. Copyright©️2023 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.