In giving to God, the primary question often on Christ-followers minds is: How can we give unto God in a manner acceptable to God? While that question may be a fundamental question, God desires us to ask the next level question. A question that will lift the nature of our giving to a whole new realm. The question is: How can we give in a manner that touches God’s heart? In our series on Tithing, we have covered in Part 1: The Biblical Principles and Part 2: Distinguishing Tithes and Offerings. There we laid the biblical basis for tithing and offerings. Now we examine the kind of responses that God desires from us, by answering both the questions posed above. GIVING THAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD Giving obediently God has set out His expectations and hence commands that His people would give back to God what is holy, the tithe (Lev 27:30-32). Mal 3:7-8 reveals God’s view when His people failed to do so. Malachi 3:7–8 (NIV) 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ 8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.” When His people failed to do so, God viewed it as a disobedience (“have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them”) and a robbery (‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.”) After all, we are merely stewards of all that God has provided to us. Hence a tithe is acceptable to God when it is given out of obedience. On the other hand, if we gave because we were forced to such as taxed, whether by church or state – we gave out of compulsion, not willingly, not out of obedience. It is a different matter if we were willingly taxed, because we wanted to be obedient anyway. Giving faithfully Scriptures reveal that God expects tithing to be done as instructed and also regularly, continually. If anyone needed to withhold any portion of a tithe for a season, then God required that 20% be added. Leviticus 27:31 (NIV) Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. There is no excuse before God for being continually inconsistent in our tithing. God expects us to be faithful in our giving. Thus, delayed tithing incurs a tax. It seems God allows for delayed tithing to account for some unforeseen difficult circumstances. Yet God implemented it in a fashion that discourages its continual delay. In essence, there is no excuse before God for being continually inconsistent in our tithing. God expects us to be faithful in our giving. I heard the story about an elderly lady who was devoted Christian. One day during the Sunday morning service, she had a heart attack and collapsed. Emergency services were called and as the paramedics were bringing her on a stretcher to the ambulance, she weakly beckoned her daughter. The tearful daughter bent over close to her as the elderly lady struggled to speak. The congregation held their breath knowing this may be her last words. “In my purse”, the lady gasped into her daughter’s ear, “are my tithes. Put it in the offering bag.” That, is faithfulness. Giving with faith Early in Genesis was recorded the first offerings made to God. It was a watershed moment in human history, leading to the first murder. The story also offers important insights into giving that is acceptable to God. Genesis 4:3–5 (NIV) 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So what made the difference in their giving? Was it because Abel gave animal sacrifices while Cain gave agricultural? A key part of the answer was given in Hebrews 11:4 (NIV) By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. Hence the distinguishing factor was faith. Abel gave with faith, while Cain did not. Yet there were deeper issues as revealed in 1 John 3:12 (NIV) Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. So why did Cain murder Abel? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. It appears that early mankind understood they should make offerings to God. It was the norm that every head of household (any adult male who is responsible for a household) should make such offerings. Abel gave of his offerings with faith, thankful to and trusting in God for his provisions. Abel behaved righteously. On the other hand, Cain did not offer with faith. He was not thankful nor trusting in God for God’s provisions. Instead, he likely made offerings to meet expected societal/family obligations and sought to hide his lack of faith. He was living a lie. That is probably why his actions were viewed as “evil”. Hence, God accepted Abel’s offerings but rejected Cain’s. Giving with faith is a fundamental requirement to be acceptable to God. Are we trusting God for His provision even as we give a significant portion back to God? Hence, giving with faith is a fundamental requirement to be acceptable to God. Are we trusting God for His provision even as we give a significant portion back to God? John Gagliardi illustrated this point powerfully with this story. A deacon told his pastor, “Considering what I earn, and the needs of my family, it’s impossible for me to tithe.” A wealthy businessman in the church overheard the conversation and approached the deacon. “God has blessed me, and I’d like to help,” he said. “Why don’t you give 10 per cent of your income to God, and if you run short at the end of the month, I’ll make up the shortfall.” The deacon was delighted. “In that case, I’ll start tithing right away!” The businessman drove home his point: “You trust me to provide for you, just because I said so. Yet God tells you the same thing in His Word, and you do not believe Him.” God’s fundamental expectation is that we give obediently, faithfully and with faith back unto God. It may be concluded that God’s fundamental expectation is that we give obediently, faithfully and with faith back unto God. GIVING THAT TOUCHES GOD’S HEART There is a giving from our hearts that is the next level, and it touches God’s heart when He sees that. One that goes beyond the fundamentals of acceptable giving. What are some key characteristics? Giving as worship The sacrifices and offerings practiced in the Old Testament were first and foremost seen as acts of worship. As they sought to honour God. The same perspective continues in New Testament times. Paul shared about the Macedonians who gave despite their lack, as an act of worship unto God firstly, then to help The Jerusalem churches during the trials of famine. 2 Corinthians 8:4–5 (NIV) 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. We can intentionally give from our hearts, as an act of worship unto God. We could give obediently, faithfully and with faith and leave it at that point. Or we can intentionally give from our hearts, as an act of worship unto God. We can come with an attitude that says, “We give because of You. We give this to honour you, O Lord! To worship the One who is faithful to Provide. Because we love You!” Perhaps the next time we give of our tithes, we can take a moment to do it prayerfully, as an act of worship to God. God is touched when we give with a worshipful attitude. Giving joyfully 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) 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. Joyful giving arises from a thankful heart and the perspective that it is a privilege to give. Why does God love a cheerful giver? Because it reflects more than a willingness – an eagerness of heart to give. Where does such eagerness spring from? Joyful giving arises from a thankful heart and the perspective that it is a privilege to give. What a privilege to be part of God’s family and to share in the family responsibilities such as giving for His Kingdom. Once a member of our church had sold a piece of land for a significant profit. She decided to give the church a tithe of the profit. It was the single largest amount we had ever received up to that point in the history of our church. As she gave, she expressed her excitement to be able to give this unto God. How much it must have touched God’s heart! Sometimes in our giving to God it can become mundane, since it is done so regularly. Why not spice it up? Take a moment to discover some reasons why you can rejoice in your giving. To consider why you can be thankful to God. Giving lovingly 1 Corinthians 13:3 (NIV) If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. When we give out of a love for God and His Kingdom, it means a lot to God. We give because we care. It matters to us that we can give to help the Kingdom and His people. So many parents love their children and willingly give sacrificially to them. There is a special joy when we see our children willingly and generously give back to us. Not because we demand, but because they value us. Once a father bought his little boy some French fries. Then the father does what all fathers do, he reaches over and takes one french fry to taste it. The little boy slaps his father’s hand and says, "Don’t touch my french fries." The father is grieved at his son’s selfishness. The father knows that he bought the french fries and they belong to him. The father knows that his son belongs to him. The father could get angry and never buy his son another french fry again to teach his son a lesson, or the father could "bury" his son in french fries. The father thinks, "Why is my son so selfish, I have given him a whole package of french fries; I just want one french fry." How grieving to God who lovingly gave the us the best, when we fail to love Him in return by being generous to God. How sad when those we love and have been generous to, fail to return the generosity to us. How sad God must feel when despite all His generosity to us, we fail to be generous back to God. How grieving to God who lovingly gave the us the best, when we fail to love Him in return by being generous to God. Giving sacrificially Jesus was very impressed with the poor widow who gave the 2 copper coins at the temple. Mark 12:42–44 (NIV) 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” When giving hurts, yet we willingly give; God’s heart is touched by the sacrifice. When giving hurts, yet we willingly give; God’s heart is touched by the sacrifice. For some to tithe is comfortable. For some to tithe is a huge sacrifice. For the widow it was giving everything needed to live on. What is equally instructive is that Jesus never sought to intervene in the widow’s giving to make it easier. Jesus did not take away her opportunity to make the sacrifice. Neither did Jesus stop the grateful woman who broke the very expensive alabaster jar of perfume to anoint Him (Matt 26:6-13). The sacrifice in itself becomes a fragrant offering to God. Some have argued that it is not fair to expect the poor to tithe. Yet God placed that expectation. The privilege of the poor is to have the same opportunity to tithe. It is not our place to take that privilege from them. It is our responsibility to care for them in their need. Giving excellently A powerful example of giving excellently was when King David made every possible provision for the future building of God’s temple, even though he will never see it (1 Chron 28-29). With the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, King David made sure detailed temple plans were drawn up and every temple article designed. He allocated all the human resources required to construct every aspect of the temple, including the temple ministers and officials. He also made sure all the necessary materials were provided and budgeted for. Then he gave far beyond from his own treasures. In other words, King David gave of his best, par excellence unto God! Giving with excellence to God means giving with our utmost to bless God Giving with excellence to God means giving with our utmost to bless God. When Abel gave of his offerings to God, he made sure to give the firstborn of his animals and their fat portions burnt for God (Gen 4:4). He gave in a manner that met the code in Moses Law, which came thousands of years later. How excellent is that? CONCLUSIONS God looks at our heart and He sees the depths from which our giving comes. We showed that acceptable giving to God requires obedience, faithfulness and faith in our hearts. However, we can go beyond such fundamental basics to give in a way that touch God’s heart. Let’s consider how we may give with a worshipful heart, with joy or love. Perhaps we could give sacrificially or excellently. God looks at our heart and He sees the depths from which our giving comes. In our next study we will look at the blessings that tithing brings. 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.

In our first study on tithing “Tithing Part 1: The Biblical Principle”, we surveyed the crucial place that tithing unto God had amongst the Israelites and expounded why it should continue to be important to believers today as a principle. In order to delve deeper into the topic of tithing, it is important to address the confusion that often exists between what is tithing and what is offerings. In this second study we will untangle the instructions and purposes of the various types by delving carefully into the Scriptures. TITHE FOR GOD This tithe was examined in the previous study on “Tithing Part 1: The Biblical Principle.” This is the tenth that is holy unto God (Lev 27:30-32). This is the tithe that should be given to God first. It is this tithe that God gave to the Levites because the Levites served in the temple and did have their own land to live off nor other sources of income, unlike the rest of the Israelites. Numbers 18:13–14, 20-21 (NIV) 13 All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the LORD will be yours… 14 “Everything in Israel that is devoted to the LORD is yours. 20 The LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites. 21 “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. When the Israelites were faithful in their tithing the priests had sufficient. But when the people failed to tithe, then the priest would lack. This was why God specifically instructed the Israelites to faithfully support the Levites. Deuteronomy 12:19 (NIV) Be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land. We should support God’s work by giving faithfully unto God our first tithe. For that reason, we should support God’s work by giving faithfully unto God our first tithe. TITHE FOR PERSONAL RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES Besides the first tithe to be given to God, the Old Testament also required a second tithe. Deuteronomy 14:22–23 (NIV) 22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. When we examine God’s instructions carefully (also Deut 12:5-18), we discover that this tithe is intended for a different purpose. The first tithe was to be given to the priest. But this tithe is to be enjoyed by the people personally at the place of worship and feasts that God will reveal to them. Subsequently, God revealed that this place was to be in Jerusalem. Notice that this tithe was not considered as holy or sacred unto God. There were no divine judgments pronounced upon those who failed to fulfil this tithe. There were 3 annual holy Festivals or Feasts to be celebrated called the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover or Pesah), the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost or Shavuot) and Feast of Booths (Tabernacles or Sukkot) where the Israelites were expected to congregate in Jerusalem. For that reason, these are also known as the Pilgrimage Festivals. During the Feasts, it was a special time of community-building, religious instruction and worship. Deuteronomy 16:16 (NIV) Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed: The entire Lev 23 is devoted to the purpose of these Feasts and how it was to be undertaken. Briefly, the Feast of Passover and Tabernacles each require 7 days while it is uncertain how many days the Feast of Weeks is to last though today it is over 3 days. Effectively, it represents less than one-twentieth of the year but have at least double the amount of food set aside. If we assume that the annual produce of the land is sufficient for their food in a year. Then a tenth of annual production should provide for at least 36 days. Truly a feast! There is no indication of these practices before the Mosaic Laws. Though Jesus did participate in those Feasts. The full significance of the first 2 Feasts were realised in the Gospels and the book of Acts with Jesus sacrifice at the cross (Passover) and the giving of the Holy Spirit in power (Pentecost). Yet there were no indications from Jesus nor the Apostles whether the principle of those tithes would continue. In fact, Apostle Paul states in Col 2:16 that these Festivals are shadows of the reality of Christ. Meaning there is no compulsion nor need to celebrate these Festivals any longer. By association there is no need for tithes for such festivals too. However, the principle behind the tithe in Deut 14:23 “so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always” should be maintained. Therefore, the principle of setting aside funds to provide for our personal religious activities should continue. Using a tithe as a benchmark. These should foster community-building amongst God’s people, instructions in the faith and worship. Practically it may mean setting aside funds for Christian conferences, retreats, equipping, etc. If this tithe principle was maintained faithfully by Christians, many more would be refreshed, relationships strengthened and better equipped for ministry. TITHE FOR THE POOR AND NEEDY A third tithe was commanded in the Old Testament with the intention to care for the poor, needy and marginalised. Again, there is no mention that this tithe was holy or sacred unto God. Nor were there pronounced any divine judgment upon those who failed to fulfil this tithe. Deuteronomy 14:28–29 (NIV) 28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. A third of a tenth was to be set aside each year to help the poor and needy. In other words, a third of a tenth was to be set aside each year to help the poor and needy. However, no mention of this tithe was made in the New Testament. Nevertheless, the principle and practices of caring for the poor, needy and marginalised was strongly emphasised in the New Testament (James 1:27, Gal 6:10, 1 John 3:17). It is obvious that throughout the Old and New Testament, God sought for generous and caring hearts to provide for the poor and needy. Any rebuke was against the lack of generosity rather than the lack of observance of this tithe. It may be argued that in many developed nations, the income tax is used partially used by the government to support social welfare and social services which are intended to help the poor, needy and marginalised. This could account for more than 3.33% of one’s income. Nevertheless, we should not approach this in a rigid fashion but remember the principle is to care for those who genuinely struggle to care for themselves. OFFERINGS Offerings are what is given above and beyond the tithes. Offerings are not compulsory in the Old Testament but is freely offered to God. It is important to understand the difference between tithes and offerings as described in the Scriptures. Tithes refer to the 3 types of tithes described above. Offerings are what is given above and beyond the tithes. Offerings are not compulsory in the Old Testament but is freely offered to God out of gratitude, thanksgiving, worship or to fulfil a vow. The Old Testament lists a variety of offerings that were made. For example, many gave freely to Moses in order to build the Tabernacle for God’s Presence. God also asked for the Israelites to give freely offerings during the Festivals but never set any guidance. This included vow offerings. Exodus 35:4–5 (NIV) 4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; Deuteronomy 16:10 (NIV) Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you. Deuteronomy 12:11 (NIV) Then to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the LORD. Hannah made a vow offering of her firstborn son unto God if God would open her womb. 1 Samuel 1:11 (NIV) And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” We all know the rest of the story with Samuel becoming the greatest priest-prophet because Hannah fulfilled her vow. CONCLUSIONS The tithes for personal religious activities and for the poor and needy do not appear to be in the same category of holy expectation as the first tithe which is holy unto God. We surveyed the Old Testament to show that there were 3 types of tithes that God commanded in the Old Testament. However, the tithes for personal religious activities and for the poor and needy do not appear to be in the same category of holy expectation as the first tithe which is holy unto God. We recommend practicing the first tithe in principle using a tenth of our income as a benchmark, to honour God. For the remaining tithes, we recommend observing the principles behind them as best we can, with a heart to align with God’s heartbeat. Offerings are to be given freely as we desire. But if we did make a vow regarding it, then it is important we keep it. In our next study we will look into the heart conditions God desires in our giving. 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 found yourself in difficult, even desperate circumstances? Perhaps like the woman in Mark 5:25-26 (NIV) 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. Imagine this woman in agony and weakness due to the continual pain of her bleeding plus the embarrassment of being considered constantly unclean, according to the Jewish religious custom (Lev 15:25-33). It meant she was considered untouchable for the past 12 years! Consider the deep sense of rejection by society because of her unclean status. Further, she had spent everything she had trying to find a cure yet only worsening in her condition. Her problem was not only difficult and desperate, it was unsolvable. What am overwhelming sense of hopelessness she must be living under. What would you have done if you were in such a situation? Yet in the midst of her immense difficulties, she met God. God delivered her from her situation. The same God that set her free can set us free as well. The key in her situation was her faith in God. An active, dynamic faith. The woman’s faith enabled her to encounter God and receive healing. Faith is an essential element in a Christian’s life. Yet possessing an active faith that leads to a divine intervention often requires a process. We will unpack 5 principles that helps us develop that kind of active and dynamic experiential faith. HEARING AND BELIEVING THE RHEMA WORD Mark 5:27 (NIV) When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak… We do not know exactly what she heard about Jesus. But whatever it was, it stirred something in her heart. The woman did not only hear but she believed. She believed that Jesus could heal her. What we hear can be a seed for faith in our hearts. Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. This is hearing the rhema word. An active, dynamic word spoken by God to us. What we hear can spark faith. Or destroy it. That is why we should not allow ourselves to absorb and be filled with negativity. Don’t listen to negative people, for they rob you of faith. Perhaps in the morning, we may have had a great devotion and heard from God. We may feel like Muhammad Ali, floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee! Then we receive a phone call oozing with thick slimy negativity. Sucking away at your faith. By the time you put down the phone, you float like a 10-ton truck and sting like a butterfly! That is why we must read and absorb God’s Word. Pray and listen to God. Allow God’s written Word and spoken rhema word to impact us and stir up faith in our hearts. The rhema word that we hear must be complemented with a choice. A choice to believe the Word. If we do not choose to believe, the rhema Word results in a big fat zero! Nothing. The rhema Word is like a spark that must find fuel. The fuel is our decision to believe. Then we ignite faith! But when we choose to believe the rhema Word that we heard, faith will arise! The rhema Word is like a spark that must find fuel. The fuel is our decision to believe. Then we ignite faith! Our faith level will no longer be at the level of a grasshopper, but at the level of an eagle! Do you want to be a people of faith? Spend time in His Word and with Him. Learn to hear His voice! CONFESSING THE RHEMA WORD Mark 5:28 (ESV) For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” Something significant occurs when we step out to express the faith in our hearts. Our faith is crystallized, made more tangible by expressing it outwardly. Noticed the woman expressed her faith outwardly. One of the keys for our faith to become effective is to express it verbally. A silent faith is an incomplete faith! Something significant occurs when we step out to express the faith in our hearts. Our faith is crystallized, made more tangible by expressing it outwardly. When God wanted to form the earth what did He do? He spoke! And it came into being! When Jesus wanted to heal, what did He normally do? He spoke the healing! Power to heal was released! At times, to those who sought healing, Jesus wanted to hear their faith confession. Matthew 9:27–29 (NIV) 27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”. So what kind of confession do we have? A faith-filled confession? Confessing our faith is so important. Romans 10:9–10 (NIV) 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. In 1540, Frederick Myconius, Martin Luther’s great friend and assistant was dying. He wrote a loving farewell to Luther. Luther immediately wrote back. “I command thee in the name of God to live because I still have need of thee in the work of reforming the church .... The Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead, but will permit thee to survive me. For this I am praying, this is my will, and may my will be done, because I seek to glorify the name of God.” Myconius completely recovered and outlived Luther by 2 months. That is an effectual prayer of faith. Our requests to God shows what we are believing for. Are our prayers of the “If you can” variety or the “You have promised”? VISUALIZING THE RHEMA WORD Mark 5:28 (ESV) For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” Woman saw herself as healed as soon as she could touch even Jesus’ clothes. She saw in her heart first. She visualized it. To visualize is to be able to see it in our heart before it happens. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Visualizing is an important step in the faith process. For faith requires seeing what is not yet. Visualizing is an important step in the faith process. For faith requires seeing what is not yet. God helped Abraham visualize for his offspring. Genesis 15:5-6 (NIV) 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. We ought to believe to the extent that it grips our imagination! We must think and even dream about it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Before Lai Ling and I even came to Brisbane, I had visualized the church in my spirit. In fact, I have seen a much greater size of congregation. In my heart I have believed for thousands. I saw a multitude of cultures! Now I must qualify this carefully. It is not simply generating some visuals in our hearts. It is a co-operative act with the Holy Spirit. We may come with a desire or a request, but it is when the rhema word comes to life in our minds eye, that faith rises to the next level. So often, we can only have what we can see in our spirit. ACTING UPON THE WORD Matt 5:27 (NIV) When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, We must act upon the rhema word so that the faith that stirs in our hearts will bring forth fruit. The woman believed, confessed, visualized and then she acted! She went and touched Jesus’ clothes! We must act upon the rhema word so that the faith that stirs in our hearts will bring forth fruit. The Scriptures reveal to us that Abraham, the father of faith, acted upon his faith in Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV) 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. All the men of faith acted upon their faith and received the fruits of their faith! Hebrews 11:32-34 (NIV) 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. If we truly have faith, then our works should reflect our faith. James 2:17 (NIV) In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. Apostle James then reinforced the principle by illustrating from Abraham’s life. James 2:22 (NIV) You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. What kind of faith do we have? God is pleased when He sees our action measures up to our faith. God is not pleased when we say we believe for something, but our actions are half-hearted towards it. But if you have sincerely tried your best, then God will not ask for more. In 1853 Hudson Taylor acted upon his faith and went to inland China when most missionaries dared not venture in. Yet he formed China Inland Missions, the most effective missionary organization of his time into China. What are you believing for? What is God saying to you? PERSEVERING IN THE RHEMA WORD Mark 5:27 (NIV) When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, This dear woman pushed and worked her way through the crowd until she reached Jesus. She persevered in getting through. She was desperate enough to break the Mosaic Law regarding uncleanness for all who touched her unintentionally would be ceremonially unclean. She did not let it stop her. When we persevere, it reveals our convictions and our determination. God appreciates when we are persistent in our cries for answer to our prayers. Often, before we get the answer to our faith, there are many obstacles, many hindrances, and a season of waiting. But if we persevere, it will come. When we persevere, it reveals our convictions and our determination. God appreciates when we are persistent in our cries for answer to our prayers. Mark 7:25-30 (NIV) 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 "First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 28 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29 Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter." 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. Even when we have faith, there can be set backs that test our faith. Our faith goal fall short, our projects seems to have ground to a halt, our dreams seem to be stuck in the mud. Yet through it all we must persevere! Perseverance will bring its just reward in due time. CONCLUSION What was the outcome of the desperate bleeding woman’s faith? She was completely healed in Mark 5:29 (NIV) Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. What was Jesus’ response? Mark 5:34 (NIV) He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” The woman was healed not because she touched Jesus, but because she touched Him with true faith. God is touched when He sees our faith. Let’s develop our faith through hearing and believing the rhema Word, confessing, visualizing, acting upon and persevering in it until we obtain God’s answer. 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.

There are many today who promote the philosophy that all love is good. As long as there is love, that is good. As long two persons love each other, their relationship is to be supported. As long as there is love, it justifies the actions. Yet that is not how God views it. For God is clear on what love ought to be. A love that is meant to be holy. Love is not some mushy sensibility. Love is not just couched within a set of good intentions. For God is clear on what love ought to be. A love that is meant to be holy. In this blog article series, we examine several unholy lovers based on 2 Tim 3:1-5. In Part 1 we showed the dangers of an unhealthy, unbalanced self-love. A self-love that is not anchored upon a love for God will eventually lead to self-centredness and self-indulgence. Christians are not immune to such distortions. Indeed, often we carry this in from the world and from our carnality. Instead, we ought to be aware of its insidious nature and actively weed it out from our own hearts. In Part 2 we continue to examine one more aspect of unholy love. SELF-ENTHRONED In 2 Tim 3:4-5 it makes clear that an unholy lover is characterised by “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.” In effect, these attitudes lead to self-enthronement, the lifting of self above God. How is this so? In the following, let’s unpack some key thoughts. They are not lovers of God In v4 it is made clear that they are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” These are not truly interested in seeking after God. Though on the outside they may appear so. The primary reason why they do not truly seek God is because of their self-centredness. What seems to be the seeking of God externally is actually the seeking of self. They will seek whatever of God as long as it furthers their self-interest. Titus 1:16 (NIV) They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. Saul was prime example of someone who wanted the appearance of seeking God, while actually enthroning himself. When Saul won a battle, he set up a monument to himself, rather than God 1 Samuel 15:12 (NIV) Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” When the prophet Samuel corrected Saul for disobeying God, Saul was more concerned about the “worship of the people” than the correction of the Lord. Instead of repenting, he asked Samuel to worship with him in front of the people. 1 Samuel 15:30 (NIV) Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.” Sometimes we may declare that we want to leave a legacy for Christ but in reality, we want to leave a legacy of ourselves. Sometimes we may declare that we want to leave a legacy for Christ but in reality, we want to leave a legacy of ourselves. Such as a minister who wants to build their own ministry rather than helping others be what God has called them to be. Sometimes we fail to see our own self ambition. We see ourselves as serving God, but we are really only asking God to bless our ambition! Many times, some might say “I want to be a famous singer for God” what do they mean “for God”? What does the businessman mean when he says he wants to make millions of dollars “for God”? Timothy Keller in his book “The Prodigal Son” told this story. Once upon a time there was a gardener who grew an enormous carrot. So he took it to his king and said, “My Lord, this is the greatest carrot I’ve ever grown or ever will grow. Therefore I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you.” The king was touched and discerned the man’s heart, so as he turned to go the king said, “Wait! You are clearly a good steward of the earth. I own a plot of land right next to yours. I want to give it to you freely as a gift so you can garden it all.” And the gardener was amazed and delighted and went home rejoicing. But there was a nobleman at the king’s court who overheard all this. And he said, “My! If that is what you get for a carrot—what if you gave the king something better?” So the next day the nobleman came before the king and he was leading a handsome black stallion. He bowed low and said, “My lord, I breed horses and this is the greatest horse I have ever bred or ever will. Therefore I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you.” But the king discerned his heart and said thank you, and took the horse and merely dismissed him. The nobleman was perplexed. So the king said, “Let me explain. That gardener was giving me the carrot, but you were giving yourself the horse.” Beware lest we be like the nobleman. We may rationalise that we are lovers of God when in reality we love ourselves more. When we are lovers of self in that way, we provide the foundations for the next phase. Enthroning of self V5 states that such lovers of self were “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” In the specific context of the 2 Timothy epistle, what these unholy lovers are seeking to achieve is the appearance that they are godly, that they can speak on behalf of God, that they know what God wants. Yet they deny the power of the true God. In fact, they sought to make God in their own image. They have effectively sidelined the one true God and replaced it with the god of their preference. The have denied the life-giving power of God’s message and replaced it with a shallow imitation. They sought to make God in their own image. They have effectively sidelined the one true God and replaced it with the god of their preference. When god is me, we can make our own rules to suit our self-centredness. Legalistic and licentious people either swerve to formulas or indulging in pleasures. However, both of these types replace true intimacy with God with the poor substitute of self worship. When god is me, we can make our own rules to suit our self-centredness. During Jesus’ time, the teachers of the law and Pharisees studied the scriptures diligently and appeared to have a form of godliness. They would memorise scriptures. Some even memorised all the books of Moses! Yet they missed the author of the scriptures – Jesus. Even crucifying Him in order to protect their own image in the eyes of the people. Even today some people can criticise genuine servants of God to build up their own reputation or promote their own theology. I did an experiment once to see if I could find a well-known preacher or minister who escaped criticism. There is always some author or blogger with a critical attitude seeking to dis-credit them in an effort to prove themselves more correct. No one can exalt himself and God at the same time! It can be very dangerous when we get an overly inflated sense of our self-worth. When we start exalting ourselves, we start to lose our heart for God. No one can exalt himself and God at the same time! Let me illustrate from a well-known movie, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. It follows the journey of Anakin Skywalker as he slides down the path to the Dark Side. Anakin, an incredibly talented Jedi Knight in training, chafes at the restraints placed on him and tests authority at every turn. Early in the movie, Anakin enters the lavish chambers of the gentle Senator Palpatine, who is actually the Dark Lord in disguise. His insidious whispers are all too familiar: "You don't need guidance, Anakin. In time you will learn to trust your feelings—then you will be invincible. I have said it many times that you are the most gifted Jedi I have ever met. I see you becoming the greatest of all the Jedi, even more powerful than Master Yoda." The senator's seemingly encouraging words take root in Anakin's heart, and he yearns to become the greatest Jedi ever. Later, as Anakin was brooding over his mother's death. His girlfriend, Padme, comes and graciously confronts him. For the first time, he shows his true heart. Anakin: "Why did she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I know I could have." Padme: "You're not all powerful, Anakin." Anakin: "Well I should be! Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever. I promise you." Self-enthronement leads to God-dethronement. Unwilling to surrender the things he values most, Anakin chose the path of self-enthronement. Consequently, Anakin gradually descent into the Dark Side. The Devil can fool us by encouraging us to imagine that we can be the best judge for our own actions. That we can be gods to ourselves. Self-enthronement leads to God-dethronement. The Scriptures exhort us to avoid such unholy lovers, and those who propagate it (v5b), “Have nothing to do with such people”. To keep out of their influence. For not only have they gradually brought themselves out of the Kingdom, they will drag others away from the Kingdom as well. This is not referring to non-believers in general but about those who claim to know God, having a form of godliness yet in reality unholy lovers of themselves. Let us never fall into the trap of self-enthronement. CONCLUSIONS We live in terrible times. We see evidence of many unholy lovers in the world today. For they do not know better. They have not been impacted by the Good News. They have yet to become aware of the destructive self-centredness they are in. That is why we must pray for them, reach out to them. At the same time, we must pray for ourselves. That we do not remain self-centred nor become so. That we will not fall into the trap of self-indulgence. That we will not elevate our self-love above our love for God. Instead, that we will love God most. That we will ask God for His help to grow in a holy love. 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.

In a famous novel by Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859) the famous opening sentence went, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” Have you ever considered about the times we live in? We have such great possibilities with the great advancement in technology and living standards. Yet what is happening in our society? What we see in the news and read about in the papers? Have you asked yourself why bad things seem to be happening more and more? Some of the reasons are found in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. This passage of Scripture talks about those who love, but with an unholy love. A love that is not pleasing to God. A love that is so prevalent in our society today. A love that is also permeating the church of Jesus Christ. A love that we must resist. These may be referred to as the “unholy lovers” because they have a love that is unholy. To better understand this passage, we need to look at the context of what the Apostle Paul was referring to when he states in v1, “There will be terrible times in the last days.” What did Paul mean by the words, “in the last days”? For example in Hebrews 1:1 - 2 (NIV) 1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. Since Jesus started speaking to us in His ministry on earth, it means the “last days” already started when Jesus came. The last days refer to the period of time between the first coming and the second coming of Christ. Further, in Acts 2:16 - 17 (NIV) 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. When did this occur? Since the Day of Pentecost. Basically, the last days refer to the period of time between the first coming and the second coming of Christ. These Last Days will be terrible times. The word “terrible” or chalepos in the Greek means perilous or dangerous. It will be dangerous times for those seeking to follow Christ because these unholy lovers may influence and corrupt the Christ-followers and throw them to the wrong path. Now many casual readers of Scriptures think that it is talking about the corrupt world that will be full of unholy people. That is only partially true. For there are other parts of Scriptures which talk about that. But if we read this passage careful in its proper context, it is warning us of those within the church who may lead others astray. In v6 it points to these unholy lovers worming their way into homes of weak-willed women and influencing them. The kinds of problem that the Ephesian church was confronted with, even back in 1 Timothy. The culprits were people within the church, even some leaders in the church. The world is full of unholy lovers but the church is not immune. What is the implication for us? The world is full of unholy lovers but the church is not immune. Because it is not just about persons with unholy love, but of possessing the very characteristics of unholy loves. It is so much easier to point to others, but is it possible that we may have those very characteristics in our own hearts? We have to watch our hearts in order that we do not bring in an unholy love from the world we live in. What are some characteristics of such an unholy love? SELF-CENTRED The foundational characteristic of those unholy lovers is clearly self-centredness. It is a: Misdirected self-love Self-love overboard is a love that elevates self above God and the things of God! It is a misdirected love. In (v2a) “People will be lovers of themselves...”. Here, self-love overboard is a love that elevates self above God and the things of God! It is a misdirected love. It is not about having a healthy self-esteem, but a love centred upon oneself. When we direct our love to ourselves, over God – we begin to act out of self-will rather than towards God’s will. And that is how Adam and Even fell. Because they believed that they too can be as God and acted out of self-love. Self-love is best gained through experiencing God’s love. For God’s love demonstrates true love as it should be. The danger in some churches today is to over-emphasise on gaining a positive self-image, having a love for oneself, etc but neglect to have it anchored upon a love for God. Some claim that it is not possible to love God without first loving himself rightly. Yet self-love is best gained through experiencing God’s love. For God’s love demonstrates true love as it should be. It is when we experience love shown to us, it is when we discover how valuable we are to God, that we begin to love ourselves rightly. Charles Krauthammer made this observation in Time (June 28, 1993). "The reigning cliche of the day is that in order to love others one must first learn to love oneself. This formulation--love thyself, then thy neighbor--is a license for unremitting self-indulgence, because the quest for self-love is endless. By the time you have finally learned to love yourself, you'll find yourself playing golf at Leisure World." Love has turned inward and distorted itself! First love God with all that we are. That is the highest priority. Then love our neighbour as we love ourselves. The correct priority was given by Jesus Himself in Matthew 22:37 - 39 (NIV) 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ So, first love God with all that we are. That is the highest priority. Then love our neighbour as we love ourselves. In The City of God, Augustine wrote, “Two cities have been founded by two loves, the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God. The heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glorifies itself, the latter the Lord.” We should examine our own hearts carefully and honestly. Do we love ourselves more than God? If so, we need to repent of this misdirected love and turn our love to God instead. Otherwise, we may find ourselves amongst the unholy lovers. Evidence of self-centredness The Scriptures then begin to expound some characteristics exhibited by the self-centredness in v2-4 “…boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited...” Now, it is not to say that all who are self-centred show such characteristics, because it is a question of degree here. The more self-centred people are, the more such qualities will be evident. One major evidence of self-centredness is pride. Scriptures speak of those “boastful, conceited”. They think very highly of themselves, of their opinions, of their perspectives. Not too long ago in Australia, we just had a Prime Minister whom many working close to him claim that he did not listen to their views. Do we find ourselves thinking so highly of our own opinion, perspective, etc that we fail to carefully consider what others are saying to us? If so, we are in danger of too much pride in our hearts. How many of us, while driving, have brushed aside attempts by our passengers to give us directions to a place, confidently claiming, “I know the way!” Only to be proven wrong. That is just a glimpse of pride lurking in our hearts. Another major evidence is having little consideration of others. Scriptures here speak of those who are “abusive, without love, ungrateful, unforgiving, slanderous, brutal, treacherous” etc. They could not care much about others because they consider others of lesser value, compared to themselves. If they mistreat others on their way to getting what they want, so be it! Are we showing some signs of such neglect of others? Could it be we consider others of lower value than ourselves? Then we need to move away from such self-centredness. For God will judge the proud. Proverbs 16:5 (NIV) The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. SELF-INDULGENT The self-centred become self-indulgent, spending more and more on themselves for themselves. V4 refers to “lovers of pleasure” and v2 refer to “lovers of money”. A further development amongst those who are self-centred is self-indulgence. The self-centred become self-indulgent, spending more and more on themselves for themselves. If we look at where society is headed today, we see clearer the extent of self-indulgence. In 2021, Australians spent about $22 billion annually on beauty products. Women spent about $15 billion with men making up the rest. Some men today spend more on cosmetics than the average woman. We are a self-indulgent society that is splashing billions of dollars each year in looking good, in cosmetics, in clothes, etc. Now I am not saying that women (and man) should not spend anything on looking good! But the issue is whether we are becoming over-indulgent in our spending. And the marketing people will continually stir us to buy, buy, buy. As God’s people, we must be careful not to be trapped in the cycle of self-indulgence. The self-centred focus on gaining more, that they may gain more for themselves. The more they have, the more they want because it means there is more self-indulgence. As God’s people, we must be careful not to be trapped in the cycle of self-indulgence. We should carefully examine our spending patterns and ask ourselves if we are slipping into self-indulgence. When we indulge ourselves in such ways, we have much less to invest in what truly counts, God’s Kingdom. Instead of helping the needy, we help ourselves. It is good for our soul to sometimes live in simplicity. Lai Ling and I do not wish our children to grow up with a self-indulgent perspective. They should not have more when it is not necessary. Too many toys, too much entertainment is not healthy for their soul! Second-hand stuff is ok. It keeps us humble. I mostly own and drive second-hand cars because it makes more economical sense. I have lots of second-hand furniture, some second-hand clothes even. It keeps us humble and helps keeps us from self-indulgence. I get tempted too by all those advertisements, but I always ask myself whether we need those things. I am not saying we cannot enjoy ourselves and spend on ourselves. But it has to be appropriate, balanced by godly desires. Let us not become self-indulgent! CONCLUSION There is a love that is unholy. A love that is not of God. A love that is caught up with self and not with God. Such love is manifested in self-seeking actions that often puts oneself above others, devaluing others. It leads to self-indulgence. Christ-followers must be discerning of such tendencies and reject it from our own hearts. Instead let us focus on loving God and others. In Part 2, we continue to examine another unholy love. 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.

Creating a high-performance workforce or team is increasingly important in today’s world of uncertainty, turbulence and rapid change. Leaders are challenged to raise staff the go beyond doing their duty per se. I believe transformational leaders can instinctively achieve this. Transformational leaders are those who: Have a compelling vision and dream that readily inspires, with a distinct magnetism. Share quality insights in the vision they plainly embody, compels a following. Readily engage and empower mentees to find themselves and their vision, utilise their unique talents and share their ideas. Foster quality, connected, relationships of deep mutual trust with others as partners. Bring an atmosphere of powerful testimonies fuelling radical enthusiasm & optimism. Who can become such a transformational leader By default those that feel transformed establish transformative culture. It’s your own transformation that pulsates in you, that you role model, that moves people. By default those that feel transformed establish transformative culture. It’s your own transformation that pulsates in you, that you role model, that moves people. Spirit or heart is foundational to this, not just great attitudes or skills which are essential. Leonardo da Vinci said, “Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” God’s word feeds the UPGRADE in spirit to release the transformational-leader in us. (See Isaiah chapter 55, verses 4-13.): Upgrade your belief about yourself Firstly, do you see yourself as a leader or influencer? Isaiah chapter 55 verses 4 & 5 says, “see I have made him(Messiah) a witness to the peoples, a ruler a commander….” In Christ you have that seed of a transformational leader & influencer like King David. People will come running. David helped the miserable to become mighty. Believe and confess this despite how you may feel. Upgrade by seeking a difference within to make a difference Seek God, he’s waiting for you. Seeking Him about what’s going on inside makes a difference inside. Jacob was troubled and sought God and wrestled with Him. He knew God was the source of his destiny. God made a difference in Him calling him Israel from then on. “Seek the Lord while he may be found.” Upgrade today, not tomorrow We procrastinate to seek him. Nothing changes. Spiritual thirst, like physical thirst should lead us to take immediate action. The world needs you now, not in twenty years’ time. Verse 6 “call ye upon him while he is near:” Our Father in heaven likes having you near to Him. Draw near so Holy Spirit can make you a thirst-quencher for others. People will come running as you do television with substance, visual arts with rare beauty, sports as an iconic role model, wealthy creation that kills poverty, health care with potent relief and healing capability, and the list goes on to every field of endeavour. Upgrade your seating “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord..” In other words God is implying we are better than that lowly sinful state! Rid yourself of ways contrary to his, by returning to his right ways. Avoid the worst seat. We must get serious to maintain God’s presence in our lives, ridding whatever it takes. We must get serious to maintain God’s presence in our lives, ridding whatever it takes. Moses knew this. He knew only God’s presence could distinguish people before nations, in Exodus Chapter 33. God elevated him to get his best seat; as His judge and ruler. Upgrade your value of His Mercy Don’t get stuck in blame or you’ll stay the same. “…and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Turn and repent, because you expect blessings, not bashings! Healing comes through receiving divine pardon. Saying sorry will remove the worry. The disappointments, repeat-failings and past guilt and shame to bring will find closure. Receiving abundant pardon catapults you forward in His abundant love! Don’t get stuck in blame or you’ll stay the same. Slaves have no liberty. You are a son. Upgrade to higher thinking His superior thinking leads to superior results and character. Get your seed of your vision in His word. Value his ideas and ways over your own wisdom. “8 … as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”….my word be that goeth forth… it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please….” His superior thinking leads to superior results and character. Get your seed of your vision in His word. The Spirit makes it grow. Upgrade to joy and peace Repentance means realigning your heart and your business to his ways. Zacchaeus in the bible did both. Jesus upgraded him from his feeling of smallness to tallness, from insecurity to unspeakable joy and peace in God. “12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace…” Transformed to transform God’s goal is to transform thorny places of our hearts into lush and flourishing places. “13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree …and it shall be to the Lord for a name…” God’s goal is to transform thorny places of our hearts into lush and flourishing places. It happens as we turn to him and forsake our old ways. We honour Him for the liberty he gives in Christ. This is the most true foundation to effect life-giving transformation. Transformational leaders are Christ’s salt and light to the market place. The picture attached is of my oil painting which was accepted into the prestigious Camberwell Art show in Melbourne. I call it MCG beauty. I see the MCG reflecting the beauty of God’s holiness. Friends, unprecedented times call for unprecedented leaders to arise. I invite you all to the upcoming, Hope churches “Mountain Mover” conference at the ‘LaunchPad’ in Richmond, Melbourne, Australia on August 23(PM) -24(AM), 2019. More details forthcoming. All welcome. Jesus spoke of our faith moving mountains…” Come and get launched into your destiny! (First published by Mark Rusic in Christian Today Australia) Copyright©️2023 by Mark Rusic. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgment is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Is it possible that when one’s life has been burnt to ashes, that a new fire will be relit? Is it possible that after the fire has gone out, to be given fresh fuel to restart the fire? Is it possible when one has nothing left to give, to find a fresh reservoir to pour out from? That is the miraculous story of Moses. A has-been is transformed in to a man of the moment. A failure becomes a success. Because God came into the picture. In part 1, we shared how Moses’s trajectory was changed by an encounter with God at the burning bush. In the same way, we may need a fresh encounter with God to relight our fire inside. This encounter with God led to a fresh revelation of God. We too can receive a lifechanging fresh revelation of God. In part 2, we continue unpacking the impact of Moses’ encounter with God to reveal 2 other key elements that enables our hearts to burn anew with a holy fire. FRESH VISION FROM GOD (v7-9) Exodus 3:7–9 (NIV) 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. We all need divine vision. Without divine vision, we wander aimlessly in our lives. Without divine vision, we live far below our God-given potential. Without divine vision, we lose motivation and dry up. God began to impart a fresh vision into Moses' heart that defined the rest of his life purpose. Vision is critical in our lives. Prov 29:18 (KJV) Where there is no vision, the people perish… We all need divine vision. Without divine vision, we wander aimlessly in our lives. Without divine vision, we live far below our God-given potential. Without divine vision, we lose motivation and dry up. Do you have a divine vision stirring in your hearts? If not, you need a fresh vision from God. You need to be burnt anew! What does divine vision stir in us? Divine cause to champion (v7) “…"I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying ….. and I am concerned about their suffering.” After 40 years in the desert, Moses had probably given up any hope of helping his enslaved people in Egypt. His personal vision had withered and died. But now, God visits him with a fresh vision. Not Moses' vision but God's. Every divine vision contains a moral cause to champion. It starts with a divinely-inspired insight into a situation that cries out for a deliverer. Every divine vision contains a moral cause to champion. It starts with a divinely-inspired insight into a situation that cries out for a deliverer. An insight that is like an arrow that has pierced our heart and burns it afresh into our spirits. Moses got an insight into how God saw the situation “that the people were in slavery, in misery and need of freedom from their slave masters”. Such insight stirs us into holy discontentment. It will grow and grow in us as we let God nurture it in our spirits. Nehemiah had holy discontent when he saw the state of the wall and the plight of His people. Neh 1:3-4 (NIV) 3 They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. We will not be able to sit still, with holy discontent burning in our hearts! It will stir us into action and provide divine purpose in our life. You cannot remain directionless. A key reason why I got involved in the Hope movement was because I was dismayed at the general state of many churches I saw around. Where people were not being discipled, Christians were not being envisioned for the Great Commission. Consequently, many Christians were largely pursuing their own ambitions. Today God is looking for people to champion the cause of His Kingdom. Will you be one of those? Divine partnership (v8) “So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land…” When God inspires vision in us, He is inviting us to join in a divine partnership with Him. For the task would be so great that unless God is involved, we cannot accomplish it ourselves. God makes it clear to Moses that God Himself will be involved in rescuing His people from the plight they were in. When God inspires vision in us, He is inviting us to join in a divine partnership with Him. For the task would be so great that unless God is involved, we cannot accomplish it ourselves. When it is God's vision, He will be involved. He will back us up all the way. So how do we know that God is with us? Look for signs of favour. Jonathan and his armour bearer were in a divine partnership with God to take the Philistines in 1 Sam 14. They rightly discerned God's sign of favour. That led to an overwhelming victory where 2 men initiated the defeat of a whole army. Is God involved in what your church does? Can you see signs of His favour upon you that confirms that He’s involved in the vision that you pursue?? Is God's favour upon what you do? A fresh vision from God gives us a divine cause to champion and brings us into divine partnership. Let God's fire burn anew into us. Divine glory established (v8b) “..into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey - the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.” The chief end of any God inspired vision is to bring glory to God Himself. The ending was meant to fulfil the promise that God had given to Abraham and establish God on the throne of His chosen people. We find the fulfilment in Joshua’s time. Jos 24:11 (NIV) "Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.” A great test of our motives is whether we are willing to give all the glory to God and to receive none for ourselves. The fulfilment of the vision was not about elevating Moses or Joshua but elevating God. A great test of our motives is whether we are willing to give all the glory to God and to receive none for ourselves. Yet when God is glorified, it also leads to our personal satisfaction and rejoicing. FRESH CHALLENGE FROM GOD Exodus 3:10 (NIV) So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” God challenged Moses to rise up and deliver the Israelites. When we encounter God, it will often come with a fresh challenge. For God will not visit us just to give us goose bumps and a wonderful testimony. God will challenge us to rise up in faith to the call of God. God will give you the steps but we must step out of our place of comfort. You might not feel ready. It was the same with Moses. You might not want to confront the Egypt of your life. But you can and you will have victory with God on your side! Moses wasn't fully ready when the call came to him to get involved. He had to learn a lot along the way. Yet when Moses rose to the challenge, it set a whole nation free! Smith Wigglesworth was an uneducated plumber. In the early years of his marriage, it was his wife Polly who was the evangelist who preached in many meetings. While he was contented in his plumbing business, even though he helped many people. The first time he preached was because the leaders of a church prodded him into getting onto the pulpit to preach while they attended a conference. Smith only did it because he thought someone else would volunteer to preach before the day. 15 people got saved and a man on crutches got healed. No one was more surprised than Smith. That started his healing ministry where many thousands were healed including raising the dead. CONCLUSION Come and seek God today. Come and be burnt anew by God. Let us seek God together that we might encounter God in a fresh way. That we might receive a fresh revelation of God. That we might receive a fresh vision from God. That we might receive a fresh challenge from God. All of which can relight our fires. O God, burn us anew 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.

Have you ever felt dry, uninspired, perhaps even directionless in your Christian walk? Remember Moses who forsook his dream of setting his people the Israelites free from slavery to the Egyptians. He ended up working in the backside of a mountain as a shepherd for 40 years? Do you feel like Moses that you have been doing the same things for the last 40 back-breaking years with little to show? What you need is what Moses had. Moses' life was totally turned around by God's visitation. A life that had turned to ashes was now burnt anew by God. A new fire was sparked leading to revival. Our lives can be turned around and new life breathed. What we need is to be burnt anew by God. A burning bush experience. From Exodus 3:1-10 we discover some key elements that lead us to being burnt anew by God! FRESH ENCOUNTER OF GOD Exodus 3:1–4 (NIV) 1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” To be burnt anew by God, we need a fresh encounter with God. A fresh encounter revives our spirits. A fresh encounter infuses us with new vigour. A fresh encounter strengthens our connection with God. Right here we see the amazing story of how Moses encountered God. To be burnt anew by God, we need a fresh encounter with God. A fresh encounter revives our spirits. A fresh encounter infuses us with new vigour. A fresh encounter strengthens our connection with God. In this story, we discover 3 key factors that help us encounter God. Willingness to be around God's presence (v1-2) "…came to Horeb, the mountain of God." God tends to visit or dwell in places where there is strong and particularly on-going worship of God. Moses came close to the place of God's visitation, known as the mountain of God. Why was it known as the mountain of God? Because God meets people there. He manifests His presence there. It was at this special place that God visited Moses. There are many indications that God tends to visit or dwell in places where there is strong and particularly on-going worship of God. The Scriptures reveal to us that God will inhabit the praises of His people. Psa 22:3 (KJV) But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Many Scriptures point to God's presence and anointing during times of worship. For example, worshipping God aids the prophetic unction, because God manifests His presence. 2 Kin 3:15 (NIV) While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha … The exercise of prophetic gifts is enhanced by worship. It is not music but worship. Music aid worship by helping us focus intensely on God. 2 Chr 5:13-14 (NIV) 13The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, 14and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. Just imagine everyone flat on their faces in temple! Because the kabod or weighty glory of God was upon them. Do you want to meet with God? Do you want a fresh encounter with God? Be where He tends to be! Are you around when God appears? When does God tend to appear? During praise & worship, prayer, preaching/teaching or fellowship? The presence of God is usually most intense during praise and worship or prayer. Usually less so in fellowship times. During conventions and conferences where a large group of people have set aside a couple of days to seek God, to worship Him and sit under His Word, these are usually times of visitation from God! Other key times are like Sunday service, prayer meetings, even care group times. We are not limiting God by saying these are the only times. But certainly, these are key times. Revival tends to break out from such times rather than from committee meetings! I have never heard about any revival breaking out in the midst of committee meetings! Willingness to seek (v3-4a) "I will go over and see this strange sight…". Moses' reaction to the burning bush reveals more than just a curiosity. Moses' knew this was God's mountain. To enter into God's territory takes courage. It reveals a willingness to seek God. This willingness to seek God can make a huge difference to whether we encounter God. Why is it that one Christian can come into a Sunday service and encounter God while another can sit right beside him and encounter nothing except a pesky fly? One is focussed on God, experiencing God’s kabod glory and perhaps weeping, repenting, rejoicing, strengthened, and so forth. While another is just focussed on getting rid of a pesky fly. The more intensely, the more desperately even, we seek God, the greater the likelihood of encountering God. The Scriptures assure us that if we seek God wholeheartedly, we will find Him. Jer 29:13 (NIV) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. The more intensely, the more desperately even, we seek God, the greater the likelihood of encountering God. Imagine if there exists a seekometer, an instrument that measures how intensely you desire to seek God. What would the reading be for you today? Willingness to respond (v4b) "And Moses said, Here I am". Moses responded positively to God when God called him. He did not run away! If you were on a mountain and saw such a spectacularly strange sight of a bush burning but not being consumed. Then a strange voice calls your name out of the bush, what would you do? Run away? Keep quiet? God tends to visit those who are humble and responsive to Him. Why would God waste His time on those who are disinterested or indifferent? Moses was willing to respond. Are we responsive to God? Are we soft in our hearts when God comes calling? God tends to visit those who are humble and responsive to Him. Why would God waste His time on those who are disinterested or indifferent? Just consider this. If you were a soccer fan watching the World Cup Soccer finals on TV live. Both teams are even at 1-1 and they have gone into overtime. The atmosphere is totally tense and suddenly a forward gets the soccer ball and dribbles past every defender and is right in front of the goal. The goalkeeper is the only person left who stop the forward from a game winning goal. Then God suddenly appears in front of you. Do you (a) cry out in frustration and tell God to come back later or (b) fall down to worship God? Our responsive attitude makes a lot of difference whether God would visit us. Our responsiveness makes all the difference. FRESH REVELATION OF GOD Exodus 3:5–6 (NIV) 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. Moses came to know God more through this encounter. A fresh encounter with God often leads to a fresh revelation of God Himself. We all need a deeper revelation of God. There are 2 aspects that we can have a fresh revelation of: Revelation of what God is (v5) "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”. What is the significance of holy ground? The ground was not special in itself. But the mere presence of a Holy God made that area holy! Hence, Moses was instructed to take off his shoes because it was an act of humbling oneself to revere a Holy God. When we encounter God, God may reveal some aspect about His nature. When we encounter God, God may reveal some aspect about His nature. What He is. Those qualities that make God what He is. God may choose to reveal His majesty, His omniscience (All knowing), omnipresence (All-present), omnipotence (Almighty), etc. For example in Isa 6:1-4 (NIV) 1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Isaiah was in awe of the holiness of God! At a level he never had before. Revelation of God in that way can help us more deeply appreciate how Holy the God we serve is! When we realise how pure and holy God is, we will be ashamed to compromise with unrighteousness. That is why such encounters can change our lives. Revelation of who God is (v6) "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." When we truly encounter God, we usually gain an increased understanding of who God is. We may come to know more about His love, mercy, faithfulness, purity, forgiveness, etc. God revealed Himself as the God of Moses forefathers. This gave Moses continuity in understanding who God is. In the same way, when we truly encounter God, we usually gain an increased understanding of who God is. We may come to know more about His love, mercy, faithfulness, purity, forgiveness, etc. Years ago, I was in a camp where we encounter God’s Presence in a powerful way. Practically no one was left standing but almost everyone was weeping on the floor. In that encounter I was deeply impacted by a revelation of God's mercy. It helped me appreciate how merciful God is to me despite my sins. It helps me to be merciful to others as well. Once we have been to the throne of God, we will never be the same again! How deeply do we want to know God? One of my heart desires is to know God more in terms of His heart and His thinking. What does God feel about certain things? What is God's perspective and thoughts about certain matters? Fresh encounter, fresh revelation of God! Conclusion Perhaps we have been running dry for some time. It is about time we put ourselves physically into the right places before God. It is about time that we get our attitudes into the right place before God. Be where God is. Be eager to seek and be responsive to God! Let God reveal Himself to us in a fresh way. What He is about. Who He is. Let those revelations impact us deeply and change our lives. In Part 2 of this article, we discover 2 other elements that helps us encounter God and be burnt anew. Copyright©️2022 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 Sabbath-keeping teaching of some Christians are dangerous because it leads those who adhere to it down the path of works to keep in right standing before God. They have failed to understand the implications of such a path which begins to move them beyond the sufficiency of God’s grace. In Part 1, we began to show how these teachings are in error because they inadequately interpreted the Scriptures or ignore clearer portions of Scripture. In Part 2 we further look into the confusion about Sabbath that contributed to their incorrect teachings. 1. It confuses Sabbath as a principle with the Sabbath as a seal in the Mosaic Covenant. An in-depth study of covenants reveals that God made various covenants with man. However, there are different types of covenants. Some are conditional while some are unconditional. Some are everlasting while some are temporal. Detailed explanations on these are found in the wilsonlailing.com blog article “Covenant In The Bible (Part 1): Its Purposes”. The Abrahamic and New Covenants are everlasting while the Mosaic is temporal as it was superseded by the New Covenant (Gal 3:23-25; Heb 7:12, 18-19). Further, it is important to understand that God requires 3 elements for a covenant to be fully established (see wilsonlailing.com “Covenants In The Bible (Part 3): God’s Covenants With Man”): Words of the Covenant – These are promises of blessings and/or curses (what God does), and the terms of agreement (what man needs to do to remain in covenant). Blood/sacrifice of the Covenant – this rectifies the covenant as valid. The payment to make God’s covenant valid has to involve the shedding of blood, a sacrifice. This is because of the sacredness of the covenant vows. For example, Jesus had to sacrifice Himself to make the New Covenant valid. Seal of the Covenant – this is the ongoing tangible sign to the authenticity of the covenant. It serves as a constant reminder that the covenant is in operation. In modern day terms it is like the wedding ring that married couple’s wear. It is also described as the sign or token of the covenant. Sabbath was a seal of the Mosaic Covenant. It is an everlasting requirement for those keeping the Mosaic Covenant, ie the Israelites. Sabbath was a seal of the Mosaic Covenant. Therefore, breaking the Sabbath day meant breaking with God’s covenant. It is an everlasting requirement for those keeping the Mosaic Covenant, ie the Israelites. Exodus 31:14–17 (NIV) 14 “ ‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ” But it is not an everlasting requirement to those who are NOT required to maintain the Mosaic Covenant. Mosaic Law are only for Jews and those who choose to be under it. Romans 3:19–20 (NIV) 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. Christians are saved and justified on the basis of the New Covenant and hence we have no obligations to the Mosaic Covenant. Christians are saved and justified on the basis of the New Covenant and hence we have no obligations to the Mosaic Covenant. Paul argued clearly against any obligations to the Mosaic Covenant and its Law (Gal 2:15-16). In fact, The Mosaic Law are now obsolete. Hebrews 8:13 (NIV) By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. Further, the New Covenant through Jesus has elevated any significant Old Testament requirements to its higher spiritual purposes (see also wilsonlailing.com “Covenant In The Bible (Part 5): How The Old Connects With The New”). After all, many Old Testament practices were shadows of the truths more fully described in the New Testament. For example, even the seal of circumcision in the Abrahamic Covenant was stated as an everlasting requirement. A forever covenant between God and all descendants of Abraham. Remember, all Christians are spiritual descendants of Israel. Genesis 17:7–14 (NIV84) 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you… 9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” If we followed the interpretation methodology of the Sabbath-teachers, then we should logically also have to be circumcised. But the New Covenant dispensed with all of these as Paul clearly explained. Then how is this possible to be an everlasting Abrahamic covenant? It is possible because while the Abrahamic covenant of faith is everlasting, God has elevated the physical requirement of circumcision to its true spiritual requirement. That is circumcision of the heart rather than flesh as explained by Paul (Rom 2:28-29). In the same way, the physical requirement of a 7th day Sabbath of the Mosaic Covenant has been revealed to point to the greater spiritual truth of Sabbath-rest that is found only in Jesus. The principle is finding rest in Jesus. 2. It confuses Sabbath as a principle with the Sabbath as a legalistic commandment from the 10 Commandments. It is argued that the 10 commandments were not part of the Mosaic Law because it is ethical commandments which transcends the Old and New Testaments. Yet that is an artificial distinction resulting from an inadequate understanding of the role of the 10 commandments and its place within the Mosaic Law. It is crucial to understand that the 10 Commandments were part and parcel of the Mosaic Covenant. It was given to Moses all together with the bulk of the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai. It cannot be separated from the Law. In fact, the 10 Commandments summarised the essential principle undergirding hundreds of laws in the Old Testament. Jews hold this view. As some rabbis put it, the 10 Commandments are the first 10 laws out of 613 laws that God gave. It has also been argued that the 4th commandment of Sabbath keeping preceded Moses since it was practiced by God Himself. Thus, some argued that Sabbath-keeping was an eternal law in itself. If so, why is it that God never instructed nor insisted that other godly followers before Moses kept Sabbath? Especially if it was a command that is seemingly so important to God? Yet it only occurred at Mt Sinai when God gave many The Mosaic Law (see Ex 20 to 23 and 25 to 31). In the New Testament when it stated that we are no longer obligated to the Law, it includes the all the 10 Commandments. This is why in the New Testament when it stated that we are no longer obligated to the Law, it includes the all the 10 Commandments. Some Christians get confused here as they try to separate out the 10 Commandments as special moral laws, as if it was not part of the Mosaic Law, then get stuck with the 4th. What we are to observe are the principles behind these commandments, not the Law themselves. Principles which are contained in the Law of Christ. As explained in Part 1, the Law of Christ do contain many elements of the 10 Commandments but modify it to principles, which often lifts it to a higher standard. The difference between the form and principle is minimal for the most part of the 10 commandments, except the 4th commandment of the Sabbath day. (For a more detailed explanation see “Covenant In The Bible (Part 5): How The Old Connects With The New”). This difference was alluded to by Jesus and more clearly explained by Hebrew as detailed in Part 1. Some may further argue that Sabbath should transcend because it was practiced by God Himself since He rested on the 7th day. God practised the principles of Sabbath, that of rest. God also expects His people to practice rest. But the true rest is not found in a day, but in a Person. It is error, to confuse between principle and the form given by the 4th commandment. Conclusions The problem of the Sabbath-rest teaching is that it elevates Old Testament practices above the clarity of New Testament teachings. They have tried to argue that the 10 Commandments especially the Sabbath day cannot be lumped together with the religious ceremonies because the 10 commandments are eternal commands unlike the ceremonies. Yet the New Testament is very specific Sabbath day is a shadow of the spiritual reality to be found only in Christ. No longer are believers to rely upon what they can do religiously for salvation is purely by God’s grace. We only need to believe by faith. The problem of the Sabbath-rest teaching is that it elevates Old Testament practices above the clarity of New Testament teachings. The interpretation issue is that they have given more weight to the Old Testament using their own understanding as opposed to the clear teachings of in the New Testament. They have applied incorrect interpretation methodology which confuses between the principle of Sabbath, which is finding rest in Christ with that of observing a given day of rest. New Testament is very specific Sabbath day is a shadow of the spiritual reality to be found only in Christ. It also shows a distinct misunderstanding of how God operates. God has shown that He operates by eternal principles and expects His people to learn to operates likewise. Though He did apply in the Old Testament times more legalistic requirements and practices as “shadows” pointing to the spiritual realities and principles. This is because the hearts and minds of the people then were not ready to comprehend and appreciate the spiritual truths which we now have in the New Testament. If we are to take Sabbath observation as a requirement of God today, then logically we should do likewise with the other Law as well. Firstly, the 10 Commandments cannot be separated from the Mosaic law. Secondly, once we require more than Christ’s sacrifice alone for salvation, we totally undermine the sufficiency of God’s grace alone through Christ. Hence Paul’s point in Galatians 5:2–6 (NIV) 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. Therefore, we should avoid the Sabbath-keeping teachings as it binds believers back into a legalistic requirement. Instead, Christ has set us free from all those requirements to bring us into a higher and greater obedience motivated by love and empowered by the Holy Spirit. A useful reference: Why observing the Sabbath is not applicable to the Christian https://redbarnchurch.com/why-observing-the-sabbath-is-not-applicable-to-the-christian/ Copyright©️2022 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.

There are teachings by Christians who believe in the necessity of observing Sabbath day since it is seemingly an everlasting command of God. Since God Himself practiced Sabbath by resting on the 7th day and it was contained in the 10 Commandments, which they argue transcends the Mosaic Law. In other words, it is still operative today. However, is this teaching truly biblical? We refute these teachings in these 2-part articles to reveal the inconsistent and erroneous interpretation of Scripture. The big issue is the approach to interpreting the Scriptures. When incorrect approaches are taken to interpreting Scripture, it can lead to all kinds of incorrect doctrines. In any analysis, whether it be scientific, economic, medical, relational etc including theology – the analysis must be based upon the most proven, certain, and significant facts. It must be understood that even when some facts are proven, it may not always be significant facts. For example, analysis of economic trends must be based upon proper statistical economic data not on anecdotal data. And while the statistical data on employment rates of PhD graduates may be totally reliable, it is not a significant indicator on the overall economic trend. Understanding of the relative weight that should be given to each economic data is crucial to proper analysis. In interpreting Scripture, the following must be given its appropriate emphasis: Clearest Scripture should be given precedence over less clear Scripture. New Testament teachings should be given precedence over Old Testament teachings and historical narratives. This is because The New Testament represents and encompasses the New Covenant within which we are saved. The New Testament provides the clearest expression of God’s purposes. For that reason, the New Testament should normally be used to interpret the Old Testament, while the Old Testament should inform the New Testament. There is a famous Augustinian saying “The Old is in the New Revealed, the New is in the Old Concealed” Without the Old, we cannot understand the New, and without the New, we have an incomplete understanding of the Old. The most significant doctrines clearly derived upon Scripture should be given the greater weight. All Scripture never contradicts itself. Thus, all doctrines derived from Scripture must fit together and not contradict each other. Hence, all of Scripture should be carefully weighed up. There are a lot more principles involved in good interpretation of Scripture, but we will not elaborate them here. The Christian sabbath teachings are in error because of the following reasons: 1. Apostle Paul made it very clear that salvation is by grace alone, not in observation of ceremonies or special days. Firstly, we are saved solely by the grace of God, not by our human efforts. Not by observing ceremonies and special days. Not by any human merit on our part. Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. We are saved purely because we responded by faith in God’s grace to provide Jesus Christ as our Saviour. There is nothing we can do to earn this salvation. Not by attending church, doing good, following the bible teachings or observing Sabbath or Sunday as holy days. Paul was very clear against the Jewish Christians who were advocating the need to continue with circumcision to be acceptable to God. Because it meant negating relying solely on the grace of God. If believers also needed circumcision, then it means it is not purely by the grace of God that we are saved. Galatians 5:2–6 (NIV) 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. If we believe that we need to observe circumcision rather than solely the grace of God, in would mean we should obey the entirety of the Law too. Paul explained that there is no value anymore in circumcision, a religious requirement in the Old Testament. For the same reason, there is no value in observing Sabbath or any other religious acts, as far as our earning our salvation is concerned. In fact, far worse, if we believe that we need to observe circumcision rather than solely the grace of God, in would mean we should obey the entirety of the Law too. Because grace is no longer sufficient. This would apply also to observing Sabbath too. All the religious ceremonies including Sabbath day are a shadow, indicators of the spiritual realities to come. Secondly, Paul made it explicit that all the religious ceremonies including Sabbath day are a shadow, indicators of the spiritual realities to come. That the reality of the truths contained in seed form within all these ceremonies, are to be found in Christ. Colossians 2:16–17 (NIV) 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. For the significance of all these religious practices are intended to point towards Christ, the Saviour. 2. The true eternal Sabbath-rest is found is Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus used precisely the following words in Matt 11:28-30 (NIV) 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” For true rest is found in Christ alone. This is reinforced by Jesus also in Mark 2:27-28 (NIV) 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Jesus Christ basically declared Himself as the Lord of Sabbath, for He is the creator of Sabbath and the ultimate expression of Sabbath. Now we need to understand that only when Jesus died at the cross was the New Covenant enacted. Before then, the Mosaic Law requirements such as the 10 commandments were still operative. Hence Jesus still supported observation of Sabbath amongst other ceremonial requirements. In the Gospel we will find therefore that Jesus observed all religious requirements expected of Jews, not just the Sabbath. The writer of Hebrews brought up the issue of finding Sabbath-rest. Hebrews 4:9–10 (NIV)9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. True sabbath-rest means resting from our self-effort to gain salvation from God, that is peace in God. How do we enter that rest? Hebrews 4:2–3 (NIV) 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest… Sabbath-rest is found through continually trusting in Jesus Christ until its ultimate fulfilment when we return to God. Sabbath-rest is found through continually trusting in Jesus Christ until its ultimate fulfilment when we return to God. We are now saved by God’s grace alone and not through human effort. Jesus served as a lens to refocus the weekly sabbath on its eternal principle: True Sabbath is resting by faith in Christ. Jesus is the ultimate reality of the truth of Sabbath (Col 2:17). As Christians we are to continue in this Sabbath rest by living in continual trust in God’s provision. 24/7 and 365 days in the year. True Sabbath is resting by faith in Christ. Jesus is the ultimate reality of the truth of Sabbath (Col 2:17). 3. The Mosaic Law were fulfilled in Christ and no longer applicable. Jesus declared in Matthew 5:17–19 (NIV) 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. This passage has to be carefully and properly interpreted. Firstly, Jesus emphasised that the Law and Prophets are not to be abolished by Him. Indeed, it appears that every tiny aspect of these Law and Prophets would remain until everything is accomplished. He further reinforced that by pointing out that those who practiced these Law and Prophets will be called great while those who fail to, will be called least. The status of the Law and Prophets. It is not a question of whether these are to remain or to be removed. Rather it was about their fulfilment through Jesus Himself. The intent that the Law and Prophets continue, but in a different form. A new form anchored in Christ. Secondly, Jesus clarifies the status of the Law and Prophets. It is not a question of whether these are to remain or to be removed. Rather it was about their fulfilment through Jesus Himself. We may understand the prophecies awaiting fulfilment, but Law? This brings into question the nature and purpose of the Law. Is the Law meant only to provide commands to live by or has a higher purpose? The Mosaic Law was intended to also point to a righteousness found only in the Person of Christ, as pointed out in Romans 10:4 (NIV) Christ is the culmination of the law. The NIV translation is the better translation and captures, I believe, the intent that the Law and Prophets continue, but in a different form. A new form anchored in Christ. Jesus fulfilled the Law by obeying the law perfectly and by fulfilling the requirements of the sacrificial system. Thirdly, Jesus declared that He had come to fulfil the Law and Prophets. Since Jesus came to die at the cross and then return to heaven, it implies that the fulfilment of the Law and Prophets occurred at His death. It further implies that “everything is accomplished” by that time. This gives greater significance to Jesus’ last utterance in John 10:30, “It is finished.” Jesus fulfilled the Law by obeying the law perfectly and by fulfilling the requirements of the sacrificial system. The Law have become obsolete since Jesus has effectively met every requirement of the Law to be fully righteous. Jesus has now made that righteousness available to all who would trust in Him. Fourthly, since the Law and Prophets has been fulfilled, what significance do the Law and Prophets hold today? The Law have become obsolete since Jesus has effectively met every requirement of the Law to be fully righteous. The obsolescence of the Mosaic Law is confirmed in Hebrews 8:13 (NIV) By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. Jesus has now made that righteousness available to all who would trust in Him. Romans 10:4 (NIV) Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. In conclusion, the Mosaic Law have been fulfilled by Jesus and is no longer applicable to Christians. 4. Christians are to live under the Law of Christ (or the Law of the Spirit) rather than by the Mosaic Law. As stated earlier, Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets and has altered its form to be embodied by Himself. Now, it is expressed to us in as the Law of Christ or the Law of the Spirit. Galatians 6:2 (NIV) Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. The Law of Christ is a law of love and empowerment by the Spirit in our hearts in such a way that it brings life. The Law of Christ is a law of love and empowerment by the Spirit in our hearts in such a way that it brings life. This contrasts with the Mosaic Law which while it brought awareness of sin, it brought death because it provided no power to overcome sin. Romans 8:2 (NIV) because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. When Matt 5 is studied as a whole, Jesus began to unpack the implication of His statement in Matt 5:17-19. Notice Jesus first tackled the 6th commandment in Matt 5:21-22 and He elevated it to a higher standard. In other words, the Law of Christ now examines the heart intent. He then continues with the 7th commandment on adultery in Matt 5:27-31 and again elevates it to the condition of the heart. Jesus then addressed the 3rd commandment in Matt 5:33-37 on making oath by broadening its scope to an issue of integrity which again is a heart issue. In effect, Jesus was introducing the Law of Christ’s new, higher perspective upon the 10 Commandments. In conclusion, Christians are now to live under the law of Christ which is a higher law, a law of love and empowerment by the Spirit. Conclusion We have shown the error inherent in the Sabbath-keeping teachings as it has ignored or misunderstood the significance of clear New Testament teachings. Our standing before God is not based upon our performance, particularly our observance of religious ceremonies and days. It is by the grace of God alone through Christ. Specifically, our true Sabbath is found in Christ, no longer in observing a special day. This is further sported by the fact that the Mosaic Law is now obsolete and not applicable to Christians. Instead, Christians are now to live by the Law of Christ which is a law of love and empowerment by the Spirit. Continued in Part 2 Copyright©️2022 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 live in an age of rampant deception by the Enemy who is seeking to turn this world away from God. One of the Enemy’s schemes is through counterfeit powers which are designed to confuse and deceive the undiscerning. The Christian must not remain ignorant of these but be wise as serpents yet innocent as doves. In this short series, we examine 4 effects of counterfeit powers and how it can be addressed. We unpack insights extracted from Exodus 8:1-19 when God, through Moses, and Pharoah had a supernatural clash of wills. In Part 1 of this article, we examined the first effect. In Part 2, we examine the rest of the effects. UNDERMINES GOD'S PURPOSES Exodus 8:9–15 (NIV84) 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.” 10 “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” 12 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 14 They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. 15 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. As a result of the sorcerers' magic, it gave Pharaoh the belief that God's power is similar to his sorcerers. Hence, Pharaoh could take his stance against God. This deception helped Pharaoh to further harden his heart against God. A primary objective of counterfeit powers is to undermine God's purposes. It achieves this by a myriad of ways. Distract God has a plan and call for each one of us. However, the Enemy continually distracts us from what we are called to do. He can distract us to be too busy on non eternal matters. He can distract us with worry or anxiety etc. C.S Lewis illustrated this tactic in his famous Screwtape Letters about an experienced demon instructing a younger demon to distract a young believer who started reading his Bible. It is always important to make sure we have time to realign our goals and priorities with God’s word and plan for our lives. Have we been derailed by unnecessary distractions? Internet? Hobbies? Even good things can get out of balance! Doubt In the Garden of Eden in Gen 3:1(NIV) Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” One strategy that Satan uses is to throw into doubt what God said. In fact, some of the most rational sounding thoughts in our minds can be an attack of doubt from the Enemy. Doubt can be subtle, yet it can be the deadliest because it saps our faith and we often fail to notice its insidious work. One of the most powerful attacks from the enemy is to throw doubts to shipwreck our faith. We are called to extinguish these attacks of the enemy. We need to recognize when we are being attacked this way. Doubt can be subtle, yet it can be the deadliest because it saps our faith and we often fail to notice its insidious work. We need to know the perils of a hardened heart. The secret is to recognize the source of our doubt. Sometimes it can sound like our own rationalizing. We need to return to the Scriptures when in doubt. Deceive False prophets influenced many Israelite kings. This deception drew the kings away from God's purposes. The Enemy will use 99% truth and 1% error to just begin drawing us on the wrong path. That 1% may seem insignificant initially but it builds up over time. Just imagine the astronauts flying towards the moon. If their trajectory is 1% off and they fail to detect it to make adjustments, by the time they travel the distance to the moon, they would have missed it by many hundred thousands of kms. Destroy John 10:10(NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; The final aim of the Devil is to destroy our lives. We should be alert of the Devil's schemes and not fall into it. 2 Cor 2:11 (NIV) For we are not unaware of his schemes. INFERIOR TO GOD'S POWERS Exodus 8:16–18 (NIV84) 16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” 17 They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 18 But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals. When God unleashed the third plague of the gnats that were formed from the dust, the Egyptian sorcerers could no longer imitate it. At that point, even the sorcerers finally admitted defeat. They admitted that it must be the hand of God that has brought this plague. Counterfeit powers are inferior to God's power. Their powers are limited in extent. Counterfeit powers are inferior to God's power. Their powers are limited in extent. God had just started warming up and the demonic spirits are left behind. There is no other power in the universe that can compare with God's power. God is the Almighty. He is all powerful. The power of the Devil pales in comparison. Psa 89:6 (NIV) For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings? Fear is a tool of the Enemy to oppress us. But when we trust in God, fear will have no hold. Hence, we should never be afraid of demonic powers. Fear is a tool of the Enemy to oppress us. But when we trust in God, fear will have no hold. Ps Yonggi Cho shared a story about his intent to start churches in Japan and reaching the people. One night when he was in Japan, a demonic spirit woke him up and appeared in his room. The demon threatened him. “You think you will save thousands of souls but tonight I will take your soul.” Yonggi Cho broke out in cold sweat at the terrifying presence. Fear gripped his heart but then he remembered who God is. Immediately, He invoked God’s name and rebuked the demon. The demon continued to threaten him but backed off. So Yonggi Cho rebuked the demon again and finally the demon left. God is all powerful and we can turn to Him for protection and deliverance. ENSNARES THE IGNORANT Exodus 8:19 (NIV84) The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said. Although God's power has been demonstrated to be superior to whatever the sorcerers could conjure, yet Pharaoh's heart continued to harden. He had already been ensnared into the path of resisting God. Ensnaring through deception Counterfeit powers are used to ensnare the ignorant through deception. Initially, the counterfeit powers may appear to be good, beneficial or even innocent fun but later trap participants. Counterfeit powers are used to ensnare the ignorant through deception. Initially, the counterfeit powers may appear to be good, beneficial or even innocent fun but later trap participants. Yet as a person progressively gets more involved the outcome is a progressive ensnaring. People are ensnared gradually. 1 Tim 4:1 (NIV) The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. The Devil is the master of lies and deception. He will mix falsehood with truth as long as it succeeds in ensnaring us. The Devil is the master of lies and deception. He will mix falsehood with truth as long as it succeeds in ensnaring us. John 8:44 (NIV) You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. There was a young girl we helped. One day she asked for help because she would have bad stomach cramps during church services. Another leader discerned she had a demon wrapped around her like a snake. The demon had been tormenting her for a while and even telling her to commit suicide. We found out that she had started reading about occultic practices out of curiosity. But it opened the door for her to be ensnared. She had to be delivered from demonic forces. Today she is fine. The Devil often ensnares people using seemingly innocent baits. Just like the anglerfish that have a glowing worm-like tentacle which they use to attract fish. When a small fish swims towards the glowing tentacle, the anglerfish eats their pery. Ensnaring practices Following are some counterfeit practices that ensnares the unaware. · Astral projection (out of body travel) · Occultic games such as Ouija board, Light as Feather, Automatic writing etc. · Seances, trances, channelling, spiritual guides · Fortune telling, divination, tarot card, palm reading. · Witchcraft, sorcery, black or white magic. · Mental telepathy, Silva Mind Control, Transcendental meditation · Yoga meditations · Astrology, horoscopes · Dungeons & Dragons, violent games, etc. · Amulets, crystals and charms · Some martial arts · New Age philosophies · Non-Christian religions · Christian cults such as Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Christian Science, Scientology etc. To break away from such ensnarement, it is important to renounce these associations. We can break it in Jesus name and repent of our association with it. And ask for God to break every link. CONCLUSION Counterfeit powers are from the Kingdom of Darkness and seek to deceive and ensnare us with its deception.Its purpose is always to undermine God’s purpose in our lives. We must break all associations with demonic powers! Copyright©️2022 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.

For a long time, there were many that did not believe in spiritual matters, particularly in Western civilisations. However, in the past few decades, more and more people are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with this perspective. Because they find a spiritual vacuum inside. Many have turned to spiritism and New Age philosophies, etc. Some Christians may knowingly or unknowingly become involved in such practices before they convert or even after becoming a Christian. We must realise the impact of being involved in such practices. Sometimes we may think it is innocent, but often it is not so. The Bible speaks about counterfeit powers and warns us to beware of them. From Exodus 8:1-19, we discover some effects of counterfeit powers. The context is that the Israelites have been in slavery for generations in Egypt and God sent Moses to set them free. But Pharaoh and his officials hardened their hearts to resist God. As a result, God brought plagues of judgment against the Egyptians. This passage records the second and third plagues that occurred. We will examine 4 effects of counterfeit powers. In Part 1 of this article, we examine the first effect. DECEIVES THE UNDISCERNING Exodus 8:1–7 (NIV84) 1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. 3 The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. 4 The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.’ ” 5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. 7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. The plague of frogs is the second plague that God brought upon the Pharaoh and the Egyptians because of their stubbornness towards God. When Aaron stretched out the staff over the waters of Egypt, God caused frogs to come out of all the waters to cover the land of Egypt. Millions of them! The frogs went everywhere. Imagine your house simply filled with wet slimy dirty frogs! The power of God was demonstrated! But hold on, Pharaoh calls his sorcerers again and their imitated what God had done! Yet these are counterfeit powers, not the power of God. What can we learn from the occurrence of such counterfeit powers? Counterfeits Deceive Exodus 8:7 (NIV84) But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. The Devil always imitates and corrupts the original which comes from God. The magicians or sorcerers used occult powers to imitate what God had done with the frogs. They made some frogs come out unto the land as well. In fact, the Kingdom of darkness has been counterfeiting the Kingdom of God for a very long time. The Devil always imitates and corrupts the original which comes from God. A counterfeit derives its greatest impact from successfully deceiving people to think it is the real thing. For example, counterfeit $50 bills succeed only when people think it is the real thing. Nobody counterfeits Monopoly money because everybody knows it is not real money. Hence the existence of counterfeit implies the existence of the genuine. The Bible clearly tells us that counterfeit powers exist in many forms. 2 Cor 11:13-15 (NIV84)13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. Just as there are genuine apostles and genuine prophets, there will be false apostles and false prophets. Just as there are real angels, there will be false angels. Just as there are divine miracles, there will be false miracles. Just as there is Christ, there will be false Christ. And so forth. Matt 24:4-5, 24 (NIV84) 4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many… 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. Counterfeits exist to deceive the undiscerning. Those who lack understanding are more easily deceived. Counterfeits exist to deceive the undiscerning. When people think that these counterfeits are of God, they will pay attention and follow. Those who lack understanding are more easily deceived. There was a Christian undergraduate seminary student, Jay, who was struggling. He went to see his seminary professor. Whenever he sits down to study, he gets prickly sensations all over, his arms involuntarily move and his vision gets blurry. He just cannot concentrate. He can't even read his Bible. The professor asked about his walk with God. "Oh I have a very close walk with God", he boasted. He shares how God would lead him every day on where and what to eat for lunch. Usually, he hears a thought like Burger King and the voice leads him to a Whopper. Then the professor asked him about church attendance. He goes every Sunday to wherever God leads him. The last 3 Sundays was to a Mormon church. Jay was sincere but God was not leading him to a Mormon church or to eat Whoppers. He was listening to his own thoughts and opening the door to the Enemy because he could not distinguish the voices in his mind. He had also become convinced that he is one of the 2 prophets in Revelations! We cannot stop spirits from whispering into our ears. For God does not talk to us continually about the tiny little things in our lives! Further, the Kingdom of darkness does not just imitate God's servants. But it also seeks to offer counterfeit alternatives. Hence false religions offer an alternative to God's way. Fortune tellers and mediums take the place of God's prophets. New age healing takes the place of divine healing. Communications with spirits take the place of prayer. The infilling by spirits takes the place of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Gurus take the place of God's teachers. The primary objective is to deceive people to think that it is the real thing. To imagine that it is good source of spiritual power. When in reality it is the kingdom of darkness disguising itself in different forms. The Devil does not care what forms it takes, as long as it finally deceives. Counterfeits Cannot Undo God's Power Exodus 8:8 (NIV84) Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” Counterfeit powers are not as powerful as God's power. Counterfeit power cannot undo God's power. Although the sorcerers could imitate the release of frogs unto the land, they did not have the power to take away the frogs released by God. Counterfeit powers are not as powerful as God's power. Counterfeit power cannot undo God's power. In fact, it should be noted that when God removed the frogs, He removed ALL the frogs (v13-15). This would mean even over those released by the counterfeit powers. Hence God can undo the counterfeit powers. Once a friend of mine, who lived in Malaysia was annoyed by a Deepavali procession that was held outside a street in front of his house. Those in the trance walked in a procession outside his house. He prayed against the demonic powers. The next day, he read that many of those in trance collapsed as suddenly they started bleeding and were in pain. The Hindus thought perhaps there was a strong spirit nearby that had disturbed their devotion to their deities. God is more powerful than any other spirits! Whenever I come across fortune tellers and other spiritists practicing their craft in markets, I would under my breath pray against the demonic spirits. I would bind those spirits and ask that God confuses the demonic spirits and cast them out. Counterfeits Discerned Exodus 8:7 (NIV84) But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. The sorcerers had secrets art. Demonic arts that were secret, unknown or undiscerned by others. If counterfeits manage to imitate God's servants and God's power, should this mean we become confused and fearful of every spiritual manifestation? Should we be so fearful of the counterfeit that we reject even the genuine? No. We don't throw out the baby with the bath water. Nor do we throw away our $50 bills just because counterfeits exist. The key is to learn to discern, to recognise the counterfeit. How can we recognise counterfeits? Jesus told us in Matt 7:15-20 (NIV84) 15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Some claim to be servants of God but do not have godly fruit in their lives, we should beware of. If someone claim to be a miracle worker for God or a prophet or a servant of God, but is full or pride, or lust, or greed - beware! Counterfeit powers usually have one or more of the following characteristics: It promises power on demand. It declares, “If you just have faith, it will be yours. If you just do this, it will be yours.” That is occultic in philosophy. For we cannot demand anything from God. God is not our servant, but we are to be God's servants. God cannot be manipulated. It teaches us techniques to access the spiritual realm. “Just say this prayer, just follow this pattern!” That is occultic and not of God. It reduces spiritual power to impersonal forces. That is not of God. True spiritual power comes from a relationship with Jesus as we walk in holiness with the Holy Spirit. Any kind of unbiblical channelling of spiritual power through physical objects and rituals. The use of special acts and rituals, special times and seasons is occultic in nature. God is accessible through faith in Jesus Christ alone at any time and in any place. It rejects the reality of the material world and elevates the higher reality of the spiritual realm. That is not of God. For God made both the spiritual and natural worlds and He will redeem even the physical world. It teaches we can create our own realities by using spiritual laws or powers. Any approach to faith that does not genuinely lead to greater knowledge of or dependence on the person of Christ and His atoning work on the cross, is a counterfeit. Once we prayed for a girl who practised a Chinese art of foot manipulation for health. She had just become a Christian recently. She was struggling with various emotional problems. When we started praying for her, she manifested and fell to the floor and started moaning and wiggling. What was interesting was her foot soles just kept contorting in all kinds of ways as if someone was manipulating her soles! We casted out the demons! Those who may have been involved in any of the above practices with those characteristics should seriously consider renouncing and rejecting them. CONCLUSION Counterfeit powers always seek to fool the undiscerning and ensnare them into a connection with the demonic. It requires wisdom and discernment to expose these counterfeit powers. It is wise to stay away from such practices. Copyright©️2022 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.