The Scriptures reveal that God has an over-arching destiny for us. That is to be Christ-like. Romans 8:29 (NIV84) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. God will achieve this by taking each one of us on a journey of redemption, of transformation. Step by step, glory to glory. 2 Cor 3:18 (NIV) And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever–increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Yet what does it mean to be like Christ? How does it look like? How would we live it out? In this article we explore these briefly. 1. Think like Christ The way we think is the most fundamental aspect of becoming more like Christ. Our worldview, our perspectives, our values, our frame of reference, our concepts and understandings. The more it reflects that of Christ, the more we will genuinely be like Christ. Rom 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. The way we think is the most fundamental aspect of becoming more like Christ. As our thinking is transformed, we will begin to think in ways more reflective of God. Our priorities will be aligned more with God’s. We begin to focus our lives on the truly important eternal things. For example, we consider more the importance of those lost without Christ. Our hearts will be stirred to reach out to them. God’s Word is the basis by which we can renew our minds. One of the most important means to do so, is to feed ourselves with God’s Word. God’s Word is the basis by which we can renew our minds. Knowledge of God’s Word is the obvious starting point where we begin to know what it declares or instructs. The narratives of God’s dealings with His people throughout the Bible history. A deeper level is understanding, where we grasp the implications of those declarations, instructions and dealings. We have moved deeper beyond the What to explore the Why. Where we begin to see more and more the beauty of God’s ways, the principles by which He operates. 2. Character like Christ It is declared in 1 Pet 1:16 (NIV) “Be holy, because I am holy.” We are therefore to be holy as God is holy. In fact, we are to be as God is in character. But how do we make that journey? Where do we start? What we become is greatly influenced by what we think, the way we think. The key is to understand that as we think, we become! What we become is greatly influenced by what we think, the way we think. Hence the more we think in ways that resemble God’s, the more we will reflect God. Obviously, we will never be able to think fully like God, but every step towards Him is another step towards becoming like Him. Not only are we to think more like Christ. We should really desire to be like Christ, in our mind, heart and character! It requires that our way of thinking has become so ingrained, that it becomes second nature to us. Let me illustrate. When we drive, do we have to think every step of the way? We don’t because it is so ingrained in us. When you are really upset, do you just lash out at others? Do you have to think, “I must be careful not to hurt others in what I say or do? So now I will have to do this and that?” Or is it second nature to you now? When tempted to sin, do we go, “Should I or should I not? What are the pros and cons?” Or is it more like, “No way! God help me!” That is the difference between simply thinking and being! The more we reflect Christ’s character, the more it is reflected in the convictions we develop. The more we reflect Christ’s character, the more it is reflected in the convictions we develop. We have now moved from the WHY to SHOULD BE. We are now deeply convinced that God’s way is the best way, in specific areas. Character and convictions are intrinsically linked. However, all of this cannot come about by only changing our thinking alone. We need to be transformed also by the power of the Holy Spirit. For we need the grace of God! We cannot change by our own strength. That is why we need to remain connected to God! We need to ask God for His help to change our minds and hearts to be more like Him. 3. Act like Christ 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV84) Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. Some Christians eagerly seek to imitate the example of Christ by focussing on actions and behaviours. There was a great campaign years ago with WWJD, What Would Jesus Do? It was a simple challenge to do as Jesus would have done. Yet many sidestepped the thinking and being. Consequently, there is no depth of character. It is but a shell! Our actions and behaviours best flow out of a heart that has been shaped by God. Our actions and behaviours best flow out of a heart that has been shaped by God. That way, it is no longer about behaving according to certain codes and regulations alone. But it flows out of our hearts, our convictions. This is the best way to live. Because our character and our actions align. It is less stressful. Too many try to live to standards and expectations that their hearts do not ascribe to. The greater the gap between character and actions, the greater the stress. Consequently, something breaks eventually. The greater the gap between character and actions, the greater the stress. I have also discovered that when we live close to God, when we are communion with Him, His Spirit overflows into our hearts. We begin to sense His heart more and our motivations are shaped by His leading more. This overflows into our actions and behaviours. We are doing more as He would do, because His Spirit is leading and empowering us more. Conclusions God is bringing us on a journey to be more like Christ. We have been called and that is our destiny. Will we pursue it? To resolve to let our minds be renewed that we may think more like Christ? To desire to be shaped in our hearts, our convictions that our character may be moulded more and more into His likeness? To determine that our actions should overflow from our transformed lives? The more we walk this journey the more we will be Christlike. This journey towards Christlikeness is only possible by the grace of God. We need the Holy Spirit working deeply in our lives. Only in Christ, can we become more like Christ. 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.

Everyone needs hope. Hope provides an inner motivation to keep us moving on. Yet what type of hope do we have? Many see hope as some wishful desire, a dream, an illusion. It is not real. When such hope fades, many give up. Australia has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world. Because these kids lost hope. What are we Christians placing our hope on? Is there reality in our hope? How can we be sure? Ours is not some desperate clinging on to a faded dream, a dead hope. Just like a desperate dying man clutching at straws. But it is a living hope, founded on reality. We discover this truth in the epistle of 1 Peter. The epistle was written in a time of much persecution by Apostle Peter to remind the Christians of the greater and better hope that they have in God. A hope that will help them live their lives with purpose and with dignity. In the same way, if you truly understand the hope you have in Christ, you too will begin to live your lives with purpose and dignity. I hope this article will help us better understand the foundation for our living hope. We can glean 5 major reasons from 1 Peter 1:3-5. 1 Peter 1:3–5 (NIV84) 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. GOD: MERCIFUL GIVER OF LIVING HOPE (v3a) "In His great mercy he has given us …" What can we understand from these words? God is the only source of living hope. "…he has given us…" You are only able to give what you have. God gives living hope, so He must have living hope available. Indeed, the Bible is very clear that God is the only source of living hope. Salvation is to be found only in God. Acts 4:12 (NIV) Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” There is only one key to open the door to salvation and that is through Jesus alone. Some other faiths may claim there are different ways to salvation.  But the Bible is very distinct in claiming there is no other way.  There is only one key to open the door to salvation and that is through Jesus alone. John 14:6 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. We must realize that God is the source. If we want eternal hope, we must go to the source. God is the merciful giver. "In His great mercy…" We have heard before that God is a giver. God loves to give. Yet He does not give indiscriminately. He does not give out of a whim or fancy. Unlike us, who may act on impulse at times. This is captured by a TV advertisement for a women’s perfume called Impulse. The advertisement showed a young woman applying that alluring perfume and walks out into the streets. As she passes by a young man, the perfume rouses an impulsive action to buy her a beautiful bouquet of flowers! Surely the marketers hope that the advertisement will stimulate young women to buy the perfume impulsively too. God on the other hand, does not give impulsively, wastefully. For God's giving is principled, it is considered. So when God gives to us who are undeserving, it wasn't because He just happened to feel like it at some moment of generosity in eternity. Rather it was principled, it was considered. Now God knew how desperately depraved we were. God knew how utterly stuck we were in our sins. God knew we were all absolutely deserving of judgment. Yet God exercised mercy and provided an opportunity for hope for each one of us. During the Revolutionary War there was a Baptist pastor Peter Miller in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. A friend of General Washington. In that town resided Michael Wittman, an evil-minded man who did all in his power to abuse and oppose this pastor. One day Michael Wittman was involved in treason and was arrested and sentenced to death. The old preacher started out on foot and walked the whole seventy miles to Philadelphia to plead for this man's life. He was admitted into Washington's presence and immediately begged for the life of the traitor. Washington said, "No, Peter, I cannot grant you the life of your friend." The preacher exclaimed, "He is not my friend--he is the bitterest enemy I have." Washington cried, "What? You've walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in a different light. I will grant the pardon." And he did. Peter Miller took Michael Wittman from the very shadow of death back to his own home in Ephrata--no longer as an enemy, but as a friend. (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited) No matter how undeserving we are, God's mercy is greater. Rev Peter Miller exercised mercy like God! No matter how undeserving we are, God's mercy is greater. No matter how deep the hole we are in, God's merciful arm is long enough to pull us out! God's mercy is great! Let us be thankful to God who is the merciful giver of living hope! NEW BIRTH: THE ENTRANCE TO LIVING HOPE (v3b) "…new birth into a living hope..." As mentioned previously, God mercifully offered us salvation. Yet in return we need to respond to accept this gift of salvation. How can we respond? Acts 20:21(NIV) I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. What is repentance? The Greek word for repentance is metanoia. It means to have a change of mind or heart. Really it means to change from following ourselves to following God. When we repent and place our trust in Jesus, something happens. There is a new birth in our lives! Repentance and trust in Jesus bring a new birth. Jesus spoke about this in John 3:3-5 (NIV) … “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” 4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Jesus was talking about the work of the Holy Spirit who brings about a transformation that occurs in our hearts. It is like we started afresh. It is a new birth! One moment we were dead in our sins. But when we repent and place our trust upon Jesus, God comes in and brings about the new birth. If you truly got saved, you begin to discover your perspectives change! There was once a casino manager who got saved and he began to see the world around him in a new light! Over many years he had grown soul-weary and looked at the world with jaundiced eyes. But when God touched his heart, he began to appreciate with fresh eyes the beauty of this world. He could see hope again of people. At the same time, it began to dawn on him how much gambling was destroying people's lives. He was beginning to see what God saw. Unless we are truly born again, we have no hope! By being born again, we now are born into God's family and into His Kingdom. Regardless of our past, we now have a new start. A new life with God! We now have true hope! This new birth is the entrance into the living hope found in God. This is the key. Unless we are truly born again, we have no hope! When we have truly experienced God's hope, we understand why we should share that with others! Bring it to our families, friends, and colleagues. So they too may experience a living hope. RESURRECTION: REASON FOR LIVING HOPE (v3c) "…through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…" The resurrection of Christ gives us true hope on 2 major counts. Evidence of living hope. One of the Christians main elements of the living hope we have is that Jesus Himself is alive! That is why there is no grave of Jesus, no dead body to be found. All other founders of great faiths have a grave. But not Jesus! The Bible records for us how it happened. Jesus’ crucified body was guarded by a troop of elite Roman soldiers, placed in a sealed tomb with a large rock closing the entrance. Yet the body disappeared! Jesus resurrected! The resurrection is so fundamental to the Christian faith. Jesus alive is proof of our hope! That is why our hope is a living hope. It is not a dead hope! Imagine if someone told you that a cure has being discovered for all kinds of cancer by a scientist. And you are so excited you want to meet this scientist. And your friend tells you that he died last month from cancer! What sort of hope is that? That is why the resurrection is so fundamental to the Christian faith. Jesus alive is proof of our hope! It proves our hope is founded on reality! That is why we should not be deceived by the fictional works of Dan Brown who invented the Da Vinci Code story. It has sought to masquerade as truth, when it is little more than a colourful tale designed to confuse the facts with fiction. Instead, we should look at books such as Josh McDowell "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" which looks at the facts. Josh McDowell was a high calibre student and student president in his university. His view was that Christianity was garbage. And that Christians were walking idiots. He imagined that if Christians had a brain cell, it would die of loneliness. You can imagine he was rather proud and arrogant. So when some Christian challenged him to prove the resurrection was not true. He resolved to prove them wrong. But the more facts he dug up, the stronger became the case for the resurrection. In the end he accepted Christ and wrote this and many other books to defend the Christian faith! Now, not only is the resurrection evidence of our living hope. It is also the basis. b. Basis for living hope. In v3 it says that "through the resurrection…" we now have a living hope. In other words, it provides us the basis for hope. Why? Because the resurrection of Jesus blazed for us the route to heaven. Because those of us who have committed ourselves to him will share in this new life. We will participate fully in the glorious new nature in the future. Since Jesus has overcome death then it will not overcome us as well. You see, since Jesus has overcome death then it will not overcome us as well. Death has lost its sting. For the resurrection of Jesus from the dead refers to the fact that He has risen from the dead and was given a glorious new body! There is a big difference between what Jesus experienced and that of others who were brought back to life through prayer. Jesus has a glorified body! What is a glorified body? It is a body that has been transformed so that it is eternal, it can no longer die. It is a glorious body, not the deteriorating body we have now. 1 Cor 15:42 (TLB) 42…our earthly bodies which die and decay are different from the bodies we shall have when we come back to life again, for they will never die. 43The bodies we have now embarrass us, for they become sick and die; but they will be full of glory when we come back to life again. In resurrecting Jesus, God has demonstrated that death is not the end for us too! For we too will join with Jesus and be given a resurrected body! That is why I am not afraid to die, but welcome it when Jesus calls me home. On my tombstone epitaph should be written, "Wilson is not here. Look for him in heaven." Instead of fear, we can approach death with certainty. The certainty of entering into a glorious new phase instead! For us, death in merely the beginning of something better! INHERITANCE: PRIZE OF LIVING HOPE (v4a) "…and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade …" We have an incredible inheritance awaiting us in heaven. A part of that inheritance is the glorious new body we will receive. We will also receive crowns of glory which will reflect our faithfulness in God's service. In fact, the Bible declares that we are joint-heirs with Christ! Rom 8:17 (NIV) Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co–heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. We will share in Christ's glory and His inheritance! This inheritance will never perish, it is permanent, assured, guaranteed for us. It will not spoil or be corrupted. In other words, it will remain morally pure. It will not fade or wither up. Unlike the paper receipts we often get from the shop that fades within a year. Our inheritance is kept in the trust bank of heaven. No one can steal it from us. However, we could give it away like Esau. Heb 12:16 (NIV) See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Live your life with purpose because there will be great rewards in heaven awaiting you. Don't short-change yourself. Don’t forfeit your inheritance. Don't give it away to gratify yourself with some pleasures and short-term gain. I have determined to live my life for God and resolved never to throw into jeopardy the inheritance that awaits me! Live your life with dignity befitting a child of God! Live your life with purpose because there will be great rewards in heaven awaiting you. GOD'S POWER: KEEPING OUR LIVING HOPE (v4b-v5) "…kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power…" How can keep our hopes alive in our hearts? We need to realize firstly, that we are protected by God's power. We are assured that our inheritance is personally kept by God's awesome power. No one can steal it, spoil it or delay it. No force on earth or heaven can touch it! God's power is also available to keep the hope in our hearts! How is this hope kept alive in our hearts? It is through faith! It is accessed by our faith. Do you just have wishful thinking, or do you know that God is able to sustain you through any difficulty, any temptation, any trial, any success, any failure? When we have full expectation or assurance or saving faith, we literally tap into the actual power that keeps our faith. It’s like drowning in the ocean and having a life buoy thrown to us. We can suppose it can save us, rationalise it can save us, believe it can save us, but unless we stop struggling, we can’t embrace the buoy. It’s only when we have embraced the buoy that we can be dragged to safety! So too with salvation, it’s when we actually embrace God’s promise and totally rely on Him that we start to truly step into the grace that really sets us free. Many of Satan’s schemes are to turn our trust away from God and either onto ourselves or onto something (or somebody) else. This is exactly what we have to be careful of. It is when we “let go” of our total dependence on God, that we open our self for trouble. We must take responsibility to exercise faith and trust in God! Then we can remain in God's protection. Psa 94:22(NIV) But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. It is like God has provided us an incredibly secure fortress where we have safety. Yet unfortunately, there are Christians who ignorantly and foolishly walk out without realising they have walked out! Should you ever feel like losing your grip? Turn to God and trust Him! CONCLUSION We have a sure and living hope. Its source is found in God Himself. While He shows us mercy, we must respond in repentance and faith to enter this living hope. The reason why we can have such an assurance of the living hope is because Jesus has demonstrated it by being resurrected from the dead. His resurrection shows we too will overcome death as well, by the power of God. We have an incredible inheritance - do not give it away! 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.

INTRODUCTION Our past experiences can broaden our views, open doors into vistas that others may not consider and generally offer the potential to be a better version of ourselves. On the other hand, our past can colour us in ways we don’t always appreciate. It can colour our perspectives, our responses, our preferences in a negative way. Our past can colour us in ways we don’t always appreciate. It can colour our perspectives, our responses, our preferences in a negative way. In this 2-part article entitled Faith To Deal With Our Past, we begin to examine some of the negative impacts that our past can have upon us. It can lead to repercussions upon our life and ministry. In this second part, we unpack some keys towards which we can resolve our past in order that we can move beyond it. That it no longer needs to hang around our necks like a dead weight. So that we can find a liberty God wants us to have. A key part of that is the grace of God that we need to operate within our lives. And the faith to appropriate it. We continue expounding the passage from Exodus 4 where Moses was confronted by God for his past error. From the actions of Zipporah, Moses’ wife, we discover some key principles to deal with our past. RECOGNITION OF SKELETONS FROM OUR PAST Exodus 4:24-25 (NIV) 24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. The starting point to deal with our skeletons in our closet is identifying and recognizing it for what it is and its effects on our present. Recognizing the true nature of our skeletons Moses had neglected to circumcise one of his sons and Zipporah had to do it to save Moses' life. The exact reason for his neglect is not given and we can only speculate. Possibly, Moses had circumcised the first son and Zipporah had objected to him circumcising their second son. She might have seen it as unnecessary. Remember that while Jethro his father-in-law worshipped God, he was not an Israelite. He was a Midianite and not subject to the rite of circumcision. Circumcision was a seal of the covenant between Jehovah God and the Israelites. Gen 17:11-14 (NIV) 11You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, … My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” Possibly, Zipporah objected and Moses gave in to that demand when it came to his second son. Perhaps Moses even rationalised that he was an outcast from the Israelites anyway. Whatever the reason the outcome was Moses neglected to obey God's command. A very important command. That was the nature of his skeleton from the past. It wasn't until God visited Moses in judgment that Moses began to recognize the nature of his skeleton before God! Who would have thought that neglecting to circumcise a child would lead to God's wrath? The starting point is always to recognize the true nature of our skeleton from the past. To recognize the root issue. God was long-suffering with Moses' neglect but now God had to deal with it because Moses was to represent God and lead His people. To be spiritual leaders of high stature, we need to walk even more circumspectly, to a higher standard, before a holy God. In the same way, the starting point is always to recognize the true nature of our skeleton from the past. To recognize the root issue. A girl I knew struggled with her sexuality and was a closet lesbian. When she became a Christian, it was still a struggle. One day God showed her that her parents had wanted a boy very badly. And they had considered aborting her when she was still in her mother's womb. This strong sense of rejection of her gender had occurred back that far and perhaps had continued to some extent in her early years. It was that sense of rejection that had affected her. Once this was revealed, she was able to understand why she struggled with the fact she was a girl and was able to overcome her confusion over her sexuality. That is why one key in discovering the root is to seek God for answers. Recognizing the effect of our skeletons What was the effect of Moses' neglecting to obey God? A death judgment. God probably struck him with an ailment that nearly took his life. He was too weak to even circumcise his son. Some of the repercussions of our past may be like an emotional death sentence or life imprisonment. It is when we recognise the gravity of our sins, the ugly reality of our past mistakes, that it wakes us up to the fact we need to address it. It is when we clearly recognize the effect that the past has on ourselves or our loved ones, that it will more urgently stir us to deal with it. It is when we recognise the gravity of our sins, the ugly reality of our past mistakes, that it wakes us up to the fact we need to address it. Usually, women sense this more quickly than men. Men tend to be more, "She'll be right mate!" Mothers should watch over the affairs of her household, not just the logistic but the emotional and spiritual state. Prov 31:27(NIV) She watches over the affairs of her household… Mothers often can take a key role of praying and interceding for the family. I met an elderly lady who prayed consistently for her family. Every day she would intercede. How blessed we are to have such mothers. I have read many times of authors who have dedicated books to their praying mothers! Because they realise the effect of their mother's faith upon their own lives. RESOLVING OUR PAST Exodus 4:25-26 (NIV) 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.) Once Zipporah realised that God's judgment was upon Moses because of his neglect, she immediately took action to resolve the neglect. She circumcised her son as Moses was probably too ill to do anything at that point. She chose to overcome her own repulsion to the rite in order to save the life of her husband. This is reflected by her statement, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me" which carried a sense of her repulsion to the rite. We can overcome the obstacles to dealing our past through faith in Christ who helps us be overcomers in Him. We can overcome the obstacles to dealing our past through faith in Christ who helps us be overcomers in Him. Facing our past Whatever the mistakes or issues that occurred, we have to face up to it. Whether we made the mistake or others made it to us, we must have the courage to address it. Whatever the mistakes or issues that occurred, we have to face up to it. Whether we made the mistake or others made it to us, we must have the courage to address it. Perhaps it requires forgiveness on our part, perhaps letting go of hurts and bitterness, perhaps owning up to our past and making restitution or facing its consequences. Ps Terry Walker from "Tribe of Judah Motorcycle Ministries" used to be a violent criminal. Once he got saved, he turned himself into the police, he went to court, and confessed his crimes and was given a much lighter sentence, because even the judge could see the genuine conviction within Ps Terry of the seriousness of his repentance. Now Ps Terry ministers to other hardened "outlaws" and helps reconcile them to Jesus as well as reconcile them to their past, Reconciling our past Zipporah not only faced up to the issues of the past, but actually dealt with them. Something terribly missing from our justice system these days is the concept of “restitution”. God instituted a system of restitution so that sins can be forgiven by God and society can deal with the affects to sin. Ex 22:1 (NIV) "If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. Also, by reconciling our past, we are able to deal with the root causes of our sin. The Bible doesn’t just say to “stop stealing”, but teaches us to deal with the root reasons why a person steals. Eph 4:28 (NIV) He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. We learn that the root sins of a thief are laziness and selfishness. Too lazy to work for what the thief wants, and too selfish to care that what they steal belongs to somebody else. So in order to deal with our past stealing, we need to deal with both the laziness by “working with our own hands” and with the selfishness by “sharing with those in need”. If I have borrowed your car and smashed it, I should pay to get it fixed. Otherwise, you won’t lend me your car again, but nobody else is likely to lend me their car, and you won’t likely lend your car to anybody again! But by paying for it I demonstrate that I am serious about wanting to make right what I have done. Even if I have to pay it off over time. The effects of this restitution are not only restored relationships, but restored trust and opportunities for others. Often, reconciling our past will truly open the way ahead for our future. Often, reconciling our past will truly open the way ahead for our future. Just like how Lance’s mother made him face the people he stole lollies from, and work for them until he had paid back what he had stolen from them. Lance worked so hard that he was able to eventually get a part-time job through it! They could see that he was serious about making restitution, and that he had learned to work hard. Later when Lance made enough money from his new job that he could buy more lollies than he could ever eat, and give them to his friends! We must humbly go to God and repent of our past sins. Then do restitution if appropriate. Also to ask for God’s grace to lift the burden of guilt from our hearts. REWARDS OF RESOLVING OUR PAST Exodus 4:27-31 (NIV) 27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform. 29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. Once the past was resolved, Moses was able to proceed in his ministry unhindered. He was able to move forward without the past hanging around his neck. He was able to make the journey back to Egypt without fear. He was able to be reconciled and accepted by his own people and its elders. The favour of God was upon Him and the people believed his message from God. When Ps David Yonggi Cho finally forgave the Japanese it opened the floodgates for him to plant churches there. Until today there are many thriving churches in Japan planted by Yoido Full Gospel Church. The rewards of resolving our past are a lighter heart, peace within oneself and with others. And a greater freedom to grow as a person, in our life and ministry. The rewards of resolving our past are a lighter heart, peace within oneself and with others. And a greater freedom to grow as a person, in our life and ministry. Also, the blessings of God will flow much more. It is like a pipe has been unblocked. Blessings will flow. What a joy it brings to many mothers when they see such blessings flow in their family! Zipporah must have been filled with joy to see Moses rise to his full potential! CONCLUSION We need faith to deal with our past. Faith that God can empower us to address it. It is when we address and resolve our past, we can move forward in a greater way! 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.

INTRODUCTION Our past can have a tremendous impact upon our present lives. It can provide a foundation to propel us forward positively or become a chain that drags us down. My friend Lance once stole some lollies and chocolates from a local convenience store when he was 9 years old. His mother found out and made him confess to the shop owners. They worked out a deal where he had to work for them for free to repay for the goods he took. It helped him understand how hard they had to work for a living and how such stealing affects them. To this day Lance values how hard small businesses work. Such seemingly small misbehaviour can lead down a road to greater criminal activity. Instead, the wise mother turned a potentially negative situation into an invaluable lesson. Our past makes a huge difference in how we approach our present. Including our walk with God. Having dealt with numerous Christians over decades of pastoral leadership, I have observed that our past does impact upon our on-going relationship with God, our freedom to serve Him and other general areas of our life. Your faith can make a significant impact upon how you deal with these. People of faith approach their chequered past with faith and resolve to deal with their past in order that they can move forward unhindered. Your faith can impact greatly upon the emotional and spiritual healings that occur in your life and that of your family. In the story of Moses’s encounter with God in Exodus 4 on the journey back to Egypt, we discover 4 key aspects about dealing with our past. We will call this the 4Rs of dealing with our past. At that point, Moses had accepted God’s burning bush call to set the Israelites free from Egyptian slavery. So he set out from Midian with his family towards Egypt. Only to find God confronting him on an unresolved issue in his life. So can we learn from it? REPERCUSSIONS FROM OUR PAST We either deal with our past or our past will deal with us Skeletons in our closet, skeletons from our past can great impact negatively upon our present and future. We either deal with our past or our past will deal with us. It can present: 1. Constraints to moving forward Exodus 4:19-20 (NIV84) Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand. Moses was once a star in Egypt, a prince. Yet he ended up a lowly shepherd in the backside of the desert. His life was stuck in limbo because of his fear of being caught by Pharaoh for a manslaughter he committed in an act of anger (Ex 2:11-12). He could not move forward for 40 years because of his fear. Sometimes, our past can constrain us from moving forward in certain areas of our lives. Fears developed in our past can cause us to avoid certain situations or people. My fear of heights would cause me to avoid being in tall buildings, or at least looking out from tall structures for many years. A friend of mine, Martin, has a fear of heights that caused him not to enjoy flying on aeroplanes. What about the fear of trusting others? It can occur due to past bad experiences of those who abused our trust. Unfortunately, the fear of trusting others will hinder us from deep meaningful relationships. Bad experiences from the past can also narrow or colour our perspectives and thinking. Ps David Yonggi Cho shared about his harrowing experiences of the Japanese Occupation of South Korea when he was growing up. That left a lasting bitterness in his heart for the Japanese. This bitterness scarred him and he could not reach out to the Japanese. Once he was invited to minister to a group of Japanese pastors in Japan. When he got up to the podium to speak, he froze. When he looked at all the expectant Japanese faces, he was brought back to his childhood memories of the Japanese soldiers that persecuted his family. At that point, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that he had to forgive the Japanese for the hurts they caused his family and his people. In tears he admitted to the Japanese pastors that he struggled to minister to them because of the bitterness in his heart. Then he asked for their forgiveness and asked them to pray for him that he might forgive them. Together they cried and hugged one another. That day forgiveness welled up in his heart towards the Japanese. Later, Yoido Full Gospel Church was able to plant churches in Japan. Our past can cause an unhealthy preoccupation. For example, unforgiveness and bitterness can cause to focus on taking revenge. Joab did not forgive army commander Abner for killing his brother Asahel in the heat of battle. Although Abner was a righteous warrior, Joab schemed against him and murdered him through deceit (2 Sam 2:8-3:27). Instead of focussing on good noble things, Joab became preoccupied with revenge. Consequently, he fell from grace before King David and before God. Fears can set up walls in our hearts. Prejudice can set up blockages in other areas. Addictions or unhealthy preoccupations pull us down certain directions. Fears can set up walls in our hearts. Prejudice can set up blockages in other areas. Addictions or unhealthy preoccupations pull us down certain directions. These and other issues from our past can impose a life imprisonment upon us. 2. Consequences catching up Exodus 4:24 (NIV) At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. Moses had sinned against God and the consequences of that sin had finally caught up with him. We may be able to escape from some consequences from our past, but we are unlikely to escape from it all. Especially when it is a sin against a Holy God. God in His mercy did not immediately judge Moses for some time but finally judgment arrived. Joab's sin of murdering Abner finally caught with him at the hands of King Solomon who had him killed for his deceitful schemes (1 Kings 2:31-34). I knew a pastor who was not wise in his financial dealings. He failed to listen to godly advice. Unfortunately, he ended up in large debt. He had to run for his life because of fears his creditor will kill him. Consequently, his ministry was cut short and his family suffered due to his unwise decisions. The consequences caught up It is far better if we can resolve some of these issues before the consequences catches up with us. Matt 5:25 (NIV) Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. God does not want us to be constrained by our past. God does not want us to be constrained by our past. He wants us to be set free from such constraints! He wants to help us address the consequences from our past. Rather than fleeing our past, we can face our past. Apostle Paul wrote to Philemon about his slave Onesimus who had run away but who became a Christian under Paul's ministry. Rather than fleeing our past, we can face our past. Philem 1:10-12 (NIV) 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. Paul knew Onesimus had to face his past and sent him back to do just that. Parents can play a very important role with our families. Sometimes some members of our family can be faced with repercussions from their past. You can play a key role to help them deal with the past otherwise the past will deal with them. At the very least you can encourage them to find help. Wise parents discern when certain bad experiences have caused emotional scar to our children. We can help them by trying to talk it through with them and helping them not to be scarred by the experience. Mothers, in particular, have a special role as mothers love their families very much. Let this love stir you, like Zipporah, to help your family get beyond the past repercussions. Sometimes, it may mean getting past our own past as well. So that we can help our family! CONCLUSION Our past can cause repercussions. It can constrain us from moving forward. It can lead to consequences catching up to us. Hence it is wisest to face our constraints from the past and addresses it as soon as possible. Even though it may be painful. This way we minimise its consequences from derailing us. For we can never avoid its consequences forever. In part 2 of this article we will unpack the remaining 4Rs. 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 many reasons, changes are changing society faster than we can blink! Adapting is not an option if we are to remain relevant. Remaining relevant in our work, our skill set, our ministry approach, communication methods etc… is also tantamount to our livelihood. Think of Kodac who remained processing film, instead of pursuing digital photography. Overnight one day there were drastic repercussions. They no longer provided a relevant service. They were left behind. Unfortunately, we too can all make the same mistake. How does irrelevancy sometimes manifest so we can nail it? Despite working really hard we can feel a God-abandoned feeling. Needs are not being met. People can’t connect. Joy is absent. Resources and man-power are drying up. Our fellowship shrinks. I want to pass on what I sense God wants to impart to our faith, so are proactive to remain relevant. Relevancy requires being changed to become changers. Here are some foundational ideas. Lessons learned from the life of Noah are consistent in many parts of scripture. Firstly, Noah was led of God, and also “warned of things to come” by God. He knew how things would change. So, he changed. Read about the trends. But, build on divine vision & God’s leading. Be in synch with the one who makes trends! It never rained in Noah’s day and God said build an ark. Isn’t that the height of irrelevance!? But, God’s ways are higher! Interestingly, “as violence filled the earth,” Noah could have followed along, but instead sought to change the culture into one of safety. With tensions and conflict erupting around us people will seek safe people and the church of safe haven. Cultural relevancy ensures lasting relevancy. When it finally rained, a big ark was the pinnacle of relevance! That is God’s heart always. Total relevance. Doing culture well makes us relevant. From the beginning he told man, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” God blessed man as he was made in his image. He gave man the cultural mandate. One of the reasons churches and believers become irrelevant is when there is little to no cultural engagement. This means we are to bear God’s image and represent Him in government, business, music, in all areas of human endeavour. One of the reasons churches and believers become irrelevant is when there is little to no cultural engagement. That is a recipe for cultural irrelevance and demise. On the other hand, total embrace of culture without being salty, committed believers, will also make us irrelevant. We do well to learn from past believers. Yohann Bach from from 1685-1750 is renown as the greatest composer of all time till today. He said, “The chief end of all music is to glorify God.” His music came out of his devotional times with God. We must remain salty in culture and society like many past believers. We have a situation today where huge numbers of believers may live in a region, yet the statistics for crime, poverty, exploitation etc…are the same as places without large Christian populations? We are not influencing or relevant to our culture. We have missed Jesus’ command to salt. True relevancy requires being revived. During the great flood, the ark was in the waters and was preserved, which was a type of being baptised into Christ (See 1 Peter Chapter 3 Verse 20-21). The old was put to death symbolized by the ark being immersed in the waters of judgment. Afterwards, there is a picture of resurrection as the waters subside. Then, a dove came to Noah to rest on the ark. Similarly, the spirit of God seeks a place to rest on us. We cannot impact our culture without being born again and the spirit resting on us. Zecharia chapter 4 speaks of a man asleep before the lamp stand, with oil feeding into the lamp. We need a revelation of this, that we are the lamp stand for God. To shine, we need a steady feed of oil of God’s spirit. The dove is seeking a resting place in our lives. It is not enough to know God’s principles alone. Principle cannot be understood unless we have his presence. It is not enough to know God’s principles alone. The principle cannot be understood unless we have his presence. The dove is returning to his church in this generation. Only when the spirit is in us and upon us will we have the power to mimic Noah’s example. “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his (Noah’s) faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” In these troubled times, the world needs an ark sized witness to the Lord’s goodness. It will be through our culture. God doesn’t want our church venue to become a monument to former era of God’s move. Johann Bach influenced his generation. He was of the former era. However, God promises that, “The latter house will be greater than the former.” Let us walk with God like Noah so we are positioned for relevancy. May God super-charge our witness for the sake of the lost. We must ask ourselves how is our ministry culturally relevant? How is our motive to glorify God? How is our devotional life feeding our passion to serve God and shine for him in our work? How are we pressing into God to know the glory of the latter house; Christ in us. The spirit of God is seeking to rest upon us, to help us build an ark of refuge in this time. (First published by Mark Rusic in Christian Today Australia) Copyright©️2021 by Mark Rusic. 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.

INTRODUCTION In this 2-part series we are asking ourselves whether we are building our lives for eternity? Too often our focus in on the present or near-future only. As a result, we place little emphasis on eternity. Consequently, we place far too little importance in building for eternity. Our own eternity. Many will one day be dismayed to discover that they gained too much earthly success instead of eternal success. In part 1 of this series, we showed firstly why it is crucial to build our lives around Christ the Cornerstone. In part 2, we discover that there is more beyond being built around Christ. Too many teach an incomplete Gospel. Neglecting the full truth of God’s redemption plan. To build for eternity, there is more. The second key to build for eternity is when we are… BUILT WITH BELIEVERS, THE LIVING STONES (v4-5a) In what ways can we be built with other believers? Becoming living stones in Christ (v4a) "As you come to him, the Living Stone —rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones…” We become living stones because we come to Him. The Bible does not say that we come to Him as living stones, but rather we become living stones because we come to Him. We are not inherently, in ourselves, capable of becoming living stones. It requires us first coming to Christ, the one true Living Stone and putting our trust in Him. Christ, the one true Living Stone and putting our trust in Him. Formerly, we were dead in our transgressions and lifeless. But now we receive a new fresh life. The life, the living waters, that is found only in Christ will flow through us as we accept Him as Saviour and Lord. This life will flow freely when we allow Jesus to manifest His Life through us. This occurs when we learn to exchange our weakness for His Strength, our limitations for His Power, our prejudices and biases for His Love and our disappointments for His Promises. It is when we choose not to live our lives our own way but allow Him to truly live in and through us. Then God's life will flow through our veins. Becoming a spiritual house (v5a) " are being built into a spiritual house..." It is not God's intention that we only become living stones. That is not the end of the journey for us. To look like beautiful bricks. For a brick by itself is not very useful and will fall far short of its potential. When the builder was building my house, there were lots of excess bricks lying on the ground beside the house. Though the bricks looked perfectly fine, they had no purpose. Simply lying around waiting to be taken away or tossed out. Rather, we are to be built together. Eph 4:11-16 (NIV) 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ… 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Believers are to be joined to believers. Joined together until we form a spiritual house of worship. Bricks can be turned into wonderful buildings, providing safety, warm, sanctuary. It can also be majestic and glorious. It starts with bricks being put together intentionally! As believers, God never intended us to be lone rangers. Rather we need each other. It is the synergy, the joining of our hearts together, our talents, our resources that will bring about something incredible in God. An ant by itself is not significant, it is not powerful. But a whole army of ants can be very significant. In South East Queensland in Australia, we have a major fire ants problem. We have been combating against them for over a decade to control and even eradicate. Why is it so critical? Because these ants will kill other insects, even some animals, to take over whole territories. The reason why they are so dangerous is because they multiply into the millions, even billions. Together we can reach a greater maturity, greater heights, greater purposes in God. Don't just be a stone, be built into part of a spiritual house. Together we can reach a greater maturity, greater heights, greater purposes in God. Don't just be a stone, be built into part of a spiritual house. Life groups is where we do life together, God’s way. What will help us build together into a spiritual house? Learn to work in unity with others. Don’t become isolated! That is why every believer must get involved in community. Be committed to life groups. In Hope Church, our life groups are not just for Bible study. That is why we do not call them Bible study groups. Life groups is where we do life together, God’s way. It is our opportunity to learn and grow together, to speak into one another's life, like a family. The eternal impact and glory of you as an individual believer is far, far less than the eternal impact and glory of a community of believers. The glory of a single brick is far, far less than the glory of a building. The eternal impact and glory of you as an individual believer is far, far less than the eternal impact and glory of a community of believers. BUILT FOR HIS PURPOSE (v5b) "…to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." As we seek to build God's house, it is critical that we understand its purpose. For its glory lies not just in its existence but in its fulfilling God’s purposes. What are some of its purposes? Nurturing a holy priesthood (v5b) "…a holy priesthood…". When people first enter God's Church, they may be battered, crushed, dysfunctional. Yet God seeks to nurture, heal, restore until they are fully functional. That their true worth is multiplied. God's desire is His Church will be a place where a holy priesthood, a functional priesthood is being formed with His people. The word "holy" really means set aside for God's purposes. The church is where God processes His people, to clean them up! When people first enter God's Church, they may be battered, crushed, dysfunctional. Yet God seeks to nurture, heal, restore until they are fully functional. That their true worth is multiplied. Just like the poem “The Master's Hand”. Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to spend much time on the old violin, But he held it up with a smile. 'What am I bidden for this?' he cried, 'Who'll start the bidding for me? A dollar - one dollar: then two - only two; Two dollars are bidden; say three 'Three dollars once: three dollars twice: Going for three!' But lo! From the back of the crowd a grey -haired man Came forward and picked up the bow. Then, wiping the dust from the old violin And tight'ning the loosened strings, He played a melody passing sweet, The kind that haunts and clings. The music ceased, and the auctioneer, With a voice that was soft and low, Said, 'Now what is bid for the old violin?' And he held it up with the bow. 'A thousand dollars: who'll make it two? Two - two thousand: say three. Three thousand once, three thousand twice, Three thousand - gone!' said he. The people cheered, but some exclaimed, 'We do not quite understand What changed its worth:' and the answer came, 'Twas the touch of the Master's hand. And many a man with soul out of tune, And battered and scared by sin, Is auctioned cheap by the thoughtless crowd, Just like the old violin. But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd Never can quite understand The worth of a soul, and the change that is wrought By the touch of the Master's hand. Myra Brooks Welch Will we allow the Master to retune our lives? Allow God to nurture us! Imagine if our desires align with God's! Wouldn’t it be great to set ourselves aside to be such a priesthood of believers? If that is your heart, we need to set ourselves aside in our lives. 2 Tim 2:20-21 (NIV) 20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. If we want to be useful to God, we need to allow God to do some spring cleaning in our lives! Clear out the junk! What a difference it will make in our lives. Offering acceptable spiritual sacrifices (v5b) "…offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." Nurturing of the priesthood is about becoming, while offering spiritual sacrifices is about the doing. Nurturing of the priesthood is about becoming, while offering spiritual sacrifices is about the doing. In what way can we offer spiritual sacrifices? Through our praises. Heb 13:15 (NIV) Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. Through our good works. Heb 13:16 (NIV) And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Through our giving. 2 Cor 8:7(NIV) But just as you excel in everything—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. Through our service. Rom 15:16 (NIV) to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God... In fact our whole live can be a spiritual sacrifice. All the above will be acceptable to God as we offer it through Christ. In other words, it is our attitude that is crucial. When we are doing these first of all as an offering to God. The eternal impact and glory of the community of believers in far greater when together, we live out God’s purposes. The eternal impact and glory of the community of believers in far greater when together, we live out God’s purposes. As a priesthood offering acceptable spiritual sacrifices in and through our lives. CONCLUSION We can build our lives and our church to last for eternity. If we choose to build our lives around Christ the chief cornerstone. In every significant decision, let us consider what God would want us to do. If we want our lives to have eternal significance, let us build together with other believers to have multiplied effect. If we want to see the church fulfil God's purposes, we should offer spiritual sacrifices of our lives! 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.

INTRODUCTION On Boxing Day Dec 26 2004, a massive undersea earthquake occurred with its epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The resultant series of massive tsunami waves hit the shorelines of several countries. Some 228,000 people were killed in 14 countries. The force of the wave tested the construction strength of every impacted building. Those that were well built survived while those who were shoddily built were swept away. Have you ever considered whether what you are building in your life will last? After all, we invest so much time and effort into our studies, our work, our family, our relationships. Will it last? Will it be worthwhile? Will what we have been doing in our lives have significance in our lifetime and beyond? The Bible likens our lives to a spiritual building, a place where God dwells. How do we know if the we are building our lives in a way that will last for eternity? In a way that will have significance for eternity? In 1 Pet 2:4-8, Apostle Peter lifts the eyes of the recipients to understand the greater purposes for which God builds them together into His spiritual house, the Church. From this passage we will discover 3 keys on how we may build our lives for eternity. We examine the first key in Part 1 and the remaining in Part 2. BUILT AROUND CHRIST THE CORNERSTONE (v6-8) This is a quote from Isa 28:16. A prophecy made about 700 years ago before the birth of Jesus about what the Messiah will become to God's people. Christ the Chosen and precious Cornerstone (v6a) For in Scripture it says: "I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone…" Now what is a cornerstone? Today, the foundations are built quite differently from Bible times. Today, a cornerstone is a ceremonial or symbolic stone marking the establishment of a building. But in the Bible times, it has a much more significant role. Eph 2:20-21 tells us that the church is "…20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. " In those days, a building is usually built by starting with a chief cornerstone. The purpose of this cornerstone is to provide alignment for the whole building. It must be precisely laid, as it locates the whole building. It must be precisely shaped because the angles of the building are usually taken off it. It also has to be strong, because it forms part of the foundation of the building. God is building His Church and He has specially chosen Jesus as the main cornerstone. Every person has to make a decision in relation to this cornerstone. There are only two possible choices. Trusting upon the cornerstone (v6b-7a) "…the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious." In Bible times, whenever a builder seeks to build a building, he will carefully inspect the various cut rocks at his disposal. When he finds one that he thinks is appropriate to the task, he then places his trust upon the integrity of that piece of rock. In fact, the builder would often engrave his mark on that stone to indicate his confidence in that cornerstone. From that cornerstone, the builder will begin to measure off the whole building. When the appropriate cornerstone is chosen, the building will be well built. And the builder will not be shamed by his choice. In the same way, every person has a choice to make in relation to Jesus the Cornerstone. If we choose to accept Him as the cornerstone, if we choose to place our trust upon Him, then the Bible says we will never be put to shame. The critical truth is this: we must build our lives around the cornerstone. It is pointless to have a cornerstone and ignore it. Imagine a building’s cornerstone has been laid, then the foreman comes and tries to build the rest of the building without the cornerstone. The building will not be properly located or aligned. Jesus the cornerstone is already laid. Every aspect of our lives should be built around this Cornerstone. In the same way, Jesus the cornerstone is already laid. Every aspect of our lives should be built around this Cornerstone. In effect the house of our lives should be build, with Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives! Every decision we make should have Christ at the very centre. We take our alignment from Christ. How do we do that? The 2 keys are: our relationship with Jesus and obeying His Word. Every significant decision we make; our choice of career, marriage partner, our studies, our finances, parenting, lifestyle choices, where we live, our dreams, etc. Are we aligning with the principles revealed in Gods Word? Are we going to God, asking for His guidance? Or are we simply making our choices, and then asking for God's blessings? How certain are we that we have truly built our lives around Jesus Christ as our cornerstone? An indicator of where we have placed our trust is revealed by our fears. Our fears are often revealed when we are in great danger of losing something truly important to us. Perhaps your education or your health. Your spouse, your family, your good reputation, your ministry, your friendship, your possessions or sense of control in your life? When faced with such a situation, will we still trust in Christ? Truly trusting God means trusting Him with the outcomes in any situation. Truly trusting God means trusting Him with the outcomes in any situation. All too often we find it easy to trust someone when we can clearly see an outcome that we agree with. But will we trust God even for an outcome that we may not want? Psa 112:6-8 (NIV)6 Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. 7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. 8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. Some years ago, a young lady in our church lost both her parents suddenly in a car accident. It was devastating for her. Yet through her grief she did not blame God nor lose her trust in God. It blessed my heart to see her faith remain solid through the tragedy. So how are we building our lives today? Are we building around Christ as our Cornerstone? Are we making decisions in life that helps draw us into a greater intimacy with Christ and into alignment with His purposes? Or are they taking us further away from Christ? The question is how much will we build off this cornerstone? V7a helps us to understand that the more we value Christ, the more we will rely on Him and build our lives around Him. The church must also be built around Jesus the cornerstone. The church must also be built around Jesus the cornerstone. That is why a key core value of Hope Church is "Christ-centered". We believe Christ must be central to who we are and what we do. We are passionate about our relationship with Christ and submit to His Lordship. That is also why in Hope Church we honour God's Word greatly. God's Word contain the blueprint for His Church and we will do all we can to build it according to God's principles. That is why one of our core values is "Bible-based". We are a Bible-believing, Bible-based and Bible-teaching church. We emphasize expository preaching and sound practical teaching from the Bible. This is a particular uniqueness and strength of our Hope churches. Our dream should be to build a glorious Church that the Bible speaks about. That our churches will be full of quality people that know God, walk with God and fulfils the purposes of God. A church that will impact lives, impact our community, our city and beyond. It will come to pass if we continue to put Christ as the cornerstone of our lives and of our church! Rejecting the stumbling block (v7b-8) "But to those who believe, The stones the builders rejected has become the capstone,” and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." A builder must make choices about each rock. Will he choose to use it as the chief cornerstone? In this passage is highlighted the unusual qualities of this cornerstone. For men shall stand or fall according to their choices in relation to this cornerstone. The analogy is intended to emphasize the importance of the right choice in relation to Christ. Those who choose wisely, will be receive rewards both here on this earth and in the age to come. Those who reject Christ, will suffer the consequences. Rom 2:8 (NIV) But for those who are self–seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. Christ is not only the cornerstone, but also the capstone, the crowning glory and authority. For the very stone they reject, Psa 118:22 as quoted in v7, reveals it has now become the capstone, the pinnacle stone, the final top stone. Christ is not only the cornerstone, but also the capstone, the crowning glory and authority. He will sit in authority and glory over the Church and all of creation! It is important to note the key quality required to build upon the cornerstone. Faith to believe in Christ. For those who do not believe, they reject the cornerstone. Why do some reject the cornerstone? One of the reasons is because the message is too radical, too confronting. That is why v8 says that it "causes men to stumble". Some people look at the Gospel and see it as a stumbling block. Because they are not comfortable with the truth. It is inconvenient to them. The truth is inconvenient because it reveals the true condition of their hearts. Because it would mean a change in their priorities and lifestyle. It is far too inconvenient, uncomfortable. Convenient Christianity is a compromised Christianity. How many Christians pay lip service to Christ the Cornerstone but align their lives according to convenience rather than the Cornerstone? That is why I am uneasy with too much comfort, too much convenience. It often leads to compromise. Convenient Christianity is a compromised Christianity. How many Christians pay lip service to Christ the Cornerstone but align their lives according to convenience rather than the Cornerstone? The Bible warns us in 2 Tim 4:3-4 (NIV) 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. CONCLUSION Let us choose today to align ourselves with Christ and His Word. Let’s build our lives and our churches upon Christ the Cornerstone. That is when we build for eternity. 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.

INTRODUCTION In this 3-part article series on Living On The Borderline we are addressing the dangers of living with both feet in the Kingdom of God and this world. We may think we are smart to straddle both kingdoms. But in reality, we are setting ourselves up for a major fall. Part 1 addresses our choices over God’s choices. Part 2 tackles complacency. Part 3 examines the dangers of compromise by looking at the life of Balaam through the lens of Joshua 13:22 (NIV84) In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination. Balaam son of Beor was a prophet but not a godly one. Balaam definitely heard from God, but he misused it for money. In his greed, he would sell his services for money. He prostituted his gift. So when Balak the King of Moab and the Midianite elders wanted to curse the Israelites, they sent for him and promised him much money (Num 22). But no matter how much Balaam wanted to, God would not permit him to curse the Israelites. Let’s consider the various ways Balaam compromised God's gift and its consequences. COMMERCIALISING GOD'S GIFT God gives us supernatural gifts to bless His Church. Not to commercialise it for personal gain. God gives us supernatural gifts to bless His Church. Not to commercialise it for personal gain. Ministers should not become millionaires through using the spiritual gifts God has given them. If they were already millionaires, it is another matter. Or if they made some smart investments, etc. But it should not be through commercialising their spiritual gifts! Don't misuse the gifts God has given to us! I am not saying that God’s servants cannot receive any compensation from their ministry. 1 Cor 9:9-11 (NIV) 9For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? There is a legitimate right to support for the ministry. And I believe we should take good care of God's servants and bless them. But there is a big difference between support, blessing and making them very rich! I like Rick Warren's approach. When his books became best sellers and sold millions, he made millions of dollars. What did he do then? He gave back to his church all 20 plus years of salary that he was paid! Don't misuse God's gifts. For it is to misuse God's grace! If we do not honour God properly with the gifts He has given us, we will face God's discipline one day. Gal 6:7 (NIV84) Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Those who made millions by commercialising their spiritual gifts, they will receive little rewards in heaven because they have gained all their rewards on earth already! I loved what my first senior pastor, Ps. Richard Holland did after he retired. He travelled to smaller churches to minister and bless them. He was not seeking to be blessed, nor self-gain. But just to be a blessing to God’s people. You may not be a prophet or even a minister. But as long as you are a child of God, He has given you special gifts. Are you using them in a way that honours God? CORRUPTING GOD'S GIFT Joshua 13:22 (NIV84) In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination. Balaam went beyond commercialising his spiritual gift. He corrupted it by enticing others into sinful practices and even ended up dabbling in the occult. Balaam advised King Balak to have their Midianite women seduce the Israelite men and lead them to idolatry. In Num 25 is recorded their success in causing Israelite men to sin with those women. Consequently, God judged them with a plague. God’s disgust at his actions are given in Rev 2:14 (NIV84) Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Here was a prophet who heard from God, yet also was greedy and unrighteous, who also practiced divination and sorcery. He corrupted the gift of God! How could he be a prophet? Maybe he was a prophet who compromised his allegiance to God and later dabbled in demonic sources as well. Perhaps in his greed, he wanted to have more power and influence which he would not get from what God had gifted him in alone. I have seen similar things happen to some Christians gifted by God who somehow went for other spirits as well. 1 Tim 4:1 (NIV84) The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Do such people retain God's supernatural gift to them? Some believe that in Rom 11:29 (NIV84) for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. In other words, even when these ones go off the track, their gifts still remain. I am less certain. But certainly, God's gift does not appear to immediate disappear when they go off track. God is long suffering. However, in the end God judged Balaam and he was killed for his terrible sins, as recorded in Num 31:8. Those operating supernatural gifts do not always mean they are in right standing with God! What lessons can we learn from this? Those operating supernatural gifts do not always mean they are in right standing with God! We need to discern the fruits of their lives! So don't just follow everything they say or do. The Word is the standard! Just because we are operating in supernatural gifts does not in itself mean we are fine with God! Even if most of your gifts are not supernatural, consider whether you may be corrupting your gifts through worldly perspectives and values. Consequently, you may be using these gifts in the wrong way, in an unrighteous manner. Don’t live on the borderline! Let us decide today to use our spiritual gifts in a God-honouring fashion. And keep our hearts right before God! HOW TO AVOID COMPROMISE 1. Understand God’s Word Ignorance is the Devil’s best tool to get us into compromise. You don’t know what your spiritual compromise is unless you know the standard in God’s Word. Ignorance is the Devil’s best tool to get us into compromise. Ignorance is simply an inexcusable excuse. If a traffic police pulls you up for breaking a road rule, you cannot claim ignorance. 2. Renew your mind and heart continually Unless we develop convictions that align with God’s Word, we will not be able to overcome the cut and thrust of this fallen world. Besides knowing God’s principles, we have to let God’s Word renew our minds and hearts (Rom 12:2). Unless we develop convictions that align with God’s Word, we will not be able to overcome the cut and thrust of this fallen world. For more insights, view or read my leadership podcast on Building Deeper Convictions. 3. Be in godly company Godly, mature Christ-followers are able to better discern between godly and worldly pursuits which we may be less aware of. They can alert us if we start to wander down the wrong path. Godly, mature Christ-followers are able to better discern between godly and worldly pursuits which we may be less aware of. They can alert us if we start to wander down the wrong path. Our willingness to be accountable to these friends will be a strong safeguard for our choices. Further, when we amongst them, their faith, values, convictions and spiritual experiences can impact us significantly (Psa 1:1). I had benefited greatly having lived in amongst households with godly housemates who inspired my spiritual growth. Interacting with other godly leaders have also inspired my vision and spiritual leadership. 4. Rely upon God’s grace Avoiding compromise is so challenging it needs us to rely upon God’s grace each day. Avoiding compromise is so challenging it needs us to rely upon God’s grace each day. We are unable to do it by our own strength alone. We need to come to God each day asking for His strength and guidance. 5. Acknowledgment and repentance If we did compromise, it is crucial to realise it and name it specifically. We have to identify the compromise, the sin and the situation leading to the sin. By doing so, we begin to understand why we compromised. Then we should repent before God. Not only to be sorry about it but to serious resolve not to fall into that compromise again. 6. Set boundaries Very few of us can face continual temptation and pressure to compromise without falling in some way. To reduce such situations, we must develop appropriate boundaries to keep us further away from compromising situations. Just as all recovering alcoholics with Alcoholics Anonymous must determine to keep away from all alcohol. We must recognise that we have certain weaknesses that too frail otherwise. CONCLUSION The prophet Balaam compromised his prophetic gift and turned from God. It led to God’s judgment. Compromise is a persistent danger we all face. Pride, self-centredness, ignorance or even neglect can lead us down this path of compromise. Hence, we need to be determined not to compromise. Not our spiritual gifts, not our decisions, not our lives! 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.

INTRODUCTION In this series Living on the Borderline based on Joshua 13:8-33, we address the tricky issue of trying to live in both worlds. The Kingdom of God and this world. So many choose to live right at the border in hope of tasting the best of both worlds. Little do they realise that in fact, they will lose out on both. In Part 1, we examined the dangers of Choosing What Seems Good yet misses God. In Part 2 we address the problem of complacency. Now God had clearly instructed the Israelites that they were to totally drive out the inhabitants of the land. Num 33:55 (NIV84) But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. But they did not! They were too complacent! What is complacency? It is a self-satisfaction, usually in an unreflective way and without being aware of possible dangers. What can we learn about the danger of living with complacency? FORMS OF COMPLACENCY We notice in Josh13:13a (NIV84) "But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah…". There was a complacency to fully follow through with God’s instructions, to fully drive out the inhabitants of the land. Complacency can take many forms. It can be complacency with the things of God, His Word, His purposes. An attitude that says, can't be bothered about my wrong attitudes or sins. It will be right, mate! The Scriptures show that God will judge complacency. Zeph 1:12-13 (NIV84) 12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’ 13 Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. They will build houses but not live in them; they will plant vineyards but not drink the wine. It can be complacency with our family life. “My wife and children should be OK”. We can take things for granted. Being a very busy person who travels a lot, it is easy to just close my eyes and ignore my family's needs. But I must not be complacent. I have to do my part to nurture my children in God's way as they grow up! Please don't neglect our families despite the busyness of life! It can be complacency for our finances too! “I have an OK income. I should be right!” Don't be complacent. Think about your future and your family too! So I place my trust in God to help me financially as I make plans to invest in savings for the sake of the family as the Scriptures teach. It can be complacency in our work! “As long as I put in the hours!” Can I suggest that there should be an intention to improve and develop in our skills and knowledge at work. Similarly in ministry, we should seek to improve! Both aspects can complement the other. When I was a research scientist in CSIRO, I continued to learn more and hone my leadership, project management and interpersonal skills in a secular setting of a large organisation that also worked with industry. I intentionally learnt more about human resource management, occupational health and safety and so forth. Because I could see that the potential value of such knowledge in the church setting as well. I was not complacent. RESULTS OF COMPLACENCY As a result of the complacency of the half tribe of Manasseh, Reuben and Gad, the people of Geshur and Maacah (v13b) "… continue to live among the Israelites to this day." What happened when the Israelites complacently allowed the people of Geshur and Maacah to remain? The Maacah people later rose up to oppose the Israelites in the time of David, by joining the Ammonites. 2 Sam 10:6 (NIV84) When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David’s nostrils, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with a thousand men. Complacency invites corruption and deterioration. When I was complacent with my garden, the weeds eventually took over! Complacency invites corruption and deterioration. When I was complacent with my garden, the weeds eventually took over! When we are complacent, things that should not begin to take root and grow and get out of control! In can be in our hearts with wrong or sinful attitudes. It can be in our family when our children go the wrong way. Or financially when we discover resources became depleted due to our lack of proper financial management. Or when we discover our work or ministry is no longer fruitful. The cost of complacency is always pain later on! Relax now, and much regret later! The cost of complacency is always pain later on! It allows us to slip to the border easily. Don't live on the borderline! It is better to be alert and effective now. It costs a little more pain more, but we reap the rewards later! Relax now, and much regret later! Pain now, much gain later! THE INVISIBILITY OF COMPLACENCY Complacency can be easily hidden behind other strengths and accomplishments of a person. The challenge of complacency is that it is not often obvious. For the complacent person is not necessarily the same as a lazy person. Complacency can be easily hidden behind other strengths and accomplishments of a person. Consider that rich man who had a tremendous sense of self-achievement and self-satisfaction because of his good fortune. Jesus taught in Luke 12:16–21 (NIV84) 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ However, he was complacent about the most important thing - his relationship with God. While we can accomplish to all kinds of things, we should ask ourselves where we are in relation to God. For success in life can fill our senses and attention and cause us to ignore the need to relate with God. One reason people fall into the trap of complacency is because they fail to have a balanced priority in their life. They tend to become over-focussed on a few areas and neglect important areas in their life, particularly the spiritual area. The wealthy man could have thought to himself that now he had enough for a comfortable life, he could focus more on spiritual matters. But he did never did. Hence, we often think that things are OK when in reality they are not. But because we fail to realise that, we end up doing nothing and not addressing the issue. Consequently, we eventually suffer loss. Often the issues appear insignificant at first, just like the little foxes in Song 2:15. Yet these foxes destroy the vine. Scriptures also warn us that the Devil is like a prowling lion waiting to devour people (1 Pet 5:8). When we are complacent, we are not alert and easily fall victim to the Devil's schemes. HOW TO AVOID COMPLACENCY Following are some key steps we can take: 1. We should determine to be alert and have self-control. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV84) Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. For the Enemy will find it much harder to devour us when we are alert to His schemes. To be alert, we need to be spiritually sensitive to God. We need to be conscious of things which may not be right before God and how it could affect us in due time. 2. We should be willing to listen to others when they point out some areas of concern in our lives. Small areas of problem can grow to be big problems, just like yeast that very soon spreads through the whole (Matt 16:6). That is why we need to be accountable in our lives. This allows others to point out to us potential problem areas in our lives (Pro 9:9). 3. We should learn lessons from others who may have made mistakes in the area of complacency so that we can hopefully avoid the same mistakes. How do we discover that? By relating to wiser, more experienced people. By having mentors. By reading widely in relevant areas, particularly about potential pitfalls. CONCLUSION Complacency can be deceptive because it is not always obvious. It is often hidden behind our areas of strength and accomplishments. We may be deceived to think that because of the myriad of things we are working on, surely we are not complacent. Yet when there is imbalance in our lives, it is easy to neglect key areas, to be complacent about it. The result is always greater pain later on when the area of complacency develops into a significant problem. This is particularly important in spiritual areas and our relationship with God. 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.

INTRODUCTION Have you ever tried to have the best of both worlds only to discover that you lost both? Sometimes as Christians we want the heavenly and the worldly at the same time. Sometimes as Christians we want the heavenly and the worldly at the same time. We want to be in the Kingdom of God yet be so close to the border to the Kingdom of the world. Because we still want to taste the worldly allure. We want to live in the thin border between both worlds. Living on the borderline is a rather dangerous spot to be. Because we can easily tip over to the wrong side. Further, it can end up being a rather uncomfortable place to be. Ever tried to sit on a thin wooden fence? In this series of 3 articles, I will share on 3 key areas that we can live in the grey, on the border. Areas that we need to watch our hearts and be alert about. In this series, we will examine the story of Joshua 13:8-33. CHOOSING GOOD BUT NOT GOD When we look at the story of how the Israelites divided up the Promised Land, we can see some of these attitudes. God had promised the Israelites land basically on the western side of the Jordan River. Yet we find in Joshua 13:8 (NIV84) The other half of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received the inheritance that Moses had given them east of the Jordan, as he, the servant of the Lord, had assigned it to them. The Reubenites and Gadites had seen that the land was suitable for their livestock and requested Moses to let them have it. Num 32:1, 4-5 (NIV84) 1The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock… 4the land the LORD subdued before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. 5If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.” Notice the last sentence where they pleaded with Moses. Basically, they did not want to enter into the Promised Land which was on the western side. Instead, they wanted the eastern side of the Jordan River. In the end Moses gave in to their requests. Sometimes, the "good" can be the enemy of the "best". Sometimes what we define as good is actually "second best". Or worse, it conflicts with God's choice! On the surface it might seem like a reasonable choice and request. Yet what may seem good is not always so. Sometimes, the "good" can be the enemy of the "best". Sometimes what we define as good is actually "second best". Or worse, it conflicts with God's choice! Was the choice of these 2.5 tribes good? When we examine their motivations for the decision, it begins to look very similar to Lot's choice (Gen 13:10-13). Let me point out the characteristics of their choices. SENSE-DRIVEN RATHER THAN SPIRITUALLY-DISCERNED. In Num 32:1, they "saw that the lands…were suitable for livestock". Similarly, in Gen 13:10, "Lot looked up and saw…" Lot feasted his eyes on the well-watered plains of Jordan. And he thought to himself. “This is it! It looks beautiful! Everything that I need for my flocks! It feels right, it must be right!” And so he made his choice. Similarly, the 2.5 tribes made their decision. Hollywood keeps telling us, “If it feels right, it must be right! Don’t think, let your heart guide you!” How many of us do exactly just that? We let our hearts guide us! But at the expense of our heads! If we were only deciding which flavour of ice-cream – that would be fine! But too often major decisions of our life are driven by our hearts. It is absolutely unbiblical to let significant decisions be driven by our hearts. The Scriptures never teaches us to make decisions that way. Prov 19:2 (NIV84) "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way." The wise will stop and analyse the situation and its consequences, before deciding. I am not saying we ignore our heart. It has a place, but a secondary role. The wisest will think things through and more. They will seek God. Prov 3:6 (NIV84) "in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Lot failed in his choice because he was driven by his senses. The 2.5 tribes made the same mistake. On the other hand, Abraham was blessed because his choices were spiritually discerning. He sought not earthly attractions but heavenly promises. In Gen 13:15-16, it showed Abraham’s focus was on the promise of God. The writer of Hebrews explained Abraham’s perspective. Heb 11:10 (NIV84) "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." When we make spiritually discerning choices, it lifts us to a higher level. We can begin to live for a higher purpose. When we make spiritually discerning choices, it lifts us to a higher level. We can begin to live for a higher purpose. Instead of living for the moment, we begin to live for the eternal. I know Ps Mark Edwards who leads CityHope Church, a significant church in Ipswich, a town adjacent to Brisbane on the west. His father was Sir Llewellyn Edwards (deceased), a famous and influential Queenslander. Sir Llew was once Deputy Premier of Queensland, Chancellor of the University of Queensland and was director on many public listed companies. Mark was a successful lawyer and could have followed his father’s footsteps or worked in their large family business RT Edwards. Instead, he gave it all up and chose God's business. Because he saw its greater value. Will you be guided by your good senses or God-sense? Will you be guided by your feelings or spiritual discernment? Is there more excitement in your senses than in the Spirit? SELF-CENTRED RATHER THAN GOD-CENTRED. In Num 32:4-5 the concern was for their livestock. Their greater concern was to feed their own flocks than to take the Promised Land. It was more self-centred than God-centred. They sacrificed God's allocation for their own choice! Similarly, when Lot made his choice, he did not put in any consideration for his uncle Abraham. Out of respect for his uncle, he could have given the better option to his uncle. Instead, he chose it all for himself. Lot was greedy. Grabbed what he wanted first. The irony is he thought he got the best. But in the end he got nothing, and even worse, lost almost everything in the process. It iswhen we trust God enough to make Him central in our decisions, that we can be in the centre of His will. It is then that we are at the centre of His blessings. On the other hand, Abraham was so generous in his graciousness. He did not get excited about the lovely plains but trusted God. His attitude was, “Whatever Lot chooses, I will trust God for the His best.” It was only after God revealed His choice of land, that Abraham made his choice. For Abraham was more concerned about choices that pleased God. It iswhen we trust God enough to make Him central in our decisions, that we can be in the centre of His will. It is then that we are at the centre of His blessings. What are some characteristics of self-centred choices? Haste more than prayer. There are much more "I" concerns than "God" concerns. "I" tend to benefit quite a bit more than "God's Kingdom". Not saying that we will never benefit, we could. But not significantly, at least not obviously to ourselves. How do we know that the decision of the 2.5 tribes was not so good? These tribes were the first to be conquered and carried off into exile because of their unfaithfulness, as recorded in 1 Chr 5:25-26 (NIV84)25But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile... They were in the wrong place that exposed them to greater influences of idolatry. You may ask, then why did Moses or God allow them to occupy those land? Because they wanted it so bad! When Israel wanted their own king so bad - God finally let them have their own king but warned them of the dangers. At times, God allows it because He knows they will force their own way anyway. Better that He at least set some parameters rather than them rebelliously making their own, even worst choices. Sometimes God allows us to get what we want, not because it is best for us. But because we throw a tantrum about it! So He lets us get it in order that we may learn our lesson. CONCLUSION Are we choosing what we view as good? Above God? In our haste we may fail to discern what God’s preference is. In our self-centredness we may run towards what seems good and ignore what is of God, which may not look as good initially. Let’s determine to look to God like Abraham did and trust Him for the best. Let’s live squarely in God’s will. Don't live on the borderline! 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.

What pressures are assailing you? Has wear and tear due to trials been causing distinct emotional fatigue and cracks? Difficulties due to your finances, marital issues, kids, covid19, ministry dead ends, etc...? We must learn to walk crack-free by applying our authority in the new man in Christ. Maybe you have been wondering, ‘How can this be happening to me?’ Why me? More sleep, exercise, right diet do profit. However, things maybe outside our immediate control. We must understand God allows pressure tests. They bring us to a higher place. Importantly, we must learn to walk crack-free by applying our authority in the new man in Christ. A crack-free life is a witness for Christ. We take note that the disciples were astonished by Jesus’ witness. He was undaunted by storm-pressures in Mark chapter 4. In 2 Kings chapters 6 & 7 we read about Israel under siege. A severe famine resulted. The situation became so dire some people even resorted to cannibalism to survive. But Elisha saw possibility despite pressure. No cracks appeared due to any fatigue unlike others. Importantly, what pressures appear to be wearing you down now? God’s divine blueprint for advancing crack-free God was testing his king and cracks were appearing everywhere. What’s the lesson? The king saw the dire situation, watching helplessly as women ate each other’s sons! He hid his sack cloth under his robe. He didn’t cry out to God publicly. He wasn’t sincere. He bottled things up. He blamed Elisha the prophet for everything and wanted to kill him. He became full of evil suspicions and mistrust. He felt abandoned by God and became fatalistic. The king said in 2 Kings, chapter 6, verse 33, “The disaster is from the Lord, why wait for the Lord any longer.” This says a lot about his heart. Cracks appeared. Extreme pressures revealed his extreme self-reliance. He was blind to the fact he needed God more than ever. The purpose of the test was God-reliance to showcase God’s glory. Practically, how can we apply God’s divine blueprint to pass our pressure test? 1. Stop feeding our emotional dump master. Break the downward spiral by finding hope in God afresh. No matter how you feel, he’s on your side! We need to air out ‘garbage feelings’ wisely. This is so we don’t lose all our friends or overwhelm our spouse! Talk to God sincerely about what is going on to find grace. Seek him about what he wants us to learn. Break the downward spiral by finding hope in God afresh. No matter how you feel, he’s on your side! 2. Careful not to blame shift. No matter how hard, and despite others being at fault, don’t blame shift! What is our contribution? By blaming others, we negate our own repentance. If we turn to God, his superior peace can arrest the storm. We are tested like the disciples of Jesus. The disciples blamed Jesus as their boat began to sink, saying “Don’t you care?” He said, “You calm the storm!” 3. God never sees a dead end, only a highway leading forward. The kingdom of God is not limited. “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” One meaning of shalom or peace is wholeness. God’s healing and divine order helps us go from the cracks to crack free. I have seen people delivered from extreme panic attacks and mental torment. They took practical steps forward as they warred according to the prophetic words on their life. (See 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 18). When they minister in God’s presence today, freedom and deliverance break out powerfully! We can learn from Elisha who releases the superior authority from heaven. Pressures? Press into God’s secret counsel The word of the Lord came to Elisha, “By this time tomorrow, the famine will lift.” Wow, no more famine, the economy can get better by the morning. Elisha tapped into kingdom authority. The faithless king’s hand would “see it but not partake in it.”Elisha’s prophecy was bang on. What was his secret? Elisha knew God’s heart is not for our defeat and devastation. He sought God and knew the father’s secret counsel. He prophesied it and the famine lifted! Similarly, Jesus knew the father’s will to ‘cross over the lake.’ He was authorised to trump the storm with heaven’s peace. A legion of demons was no match. What is your special assignment today? “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. The glory of kings is to search it out.” Where does God want you, what is his assignment? The secret things of the kingdom of God belong to his children. Every child loves playing hide and seek! As we declare God’s words of the kingdom his peace will carry us forward. And it opens the door to God’s unexpected intervention. Interestingly, in this story in 2 Kings chapter 7, the lepers arise as a game-changer. They realised that if they stayed where they are they would die. They took a risk and went to enemy camp. Pressures give way to prospects The lepers discovered God had won the battle for them all. This is a type of the new covenant. God has already won our battle too. We too must learn to take back what the enemy has taken. The lepers gathered the plunder and determined to spread the good news of God’s victory! Align to the great commission (Matthew Chapter 28) to share the gospel of the kingdom to have authority. And as we ‘wait’ on God we will receive fresh power for our assignment. Doors will open up despite Covid hindrances or anything else. And be blessed. Where has the pressure test has revealed the deepest cracks in your life? That is where in the new man we are going to minister the greatest victories in other’s lives to calm their storm. (First published by Mark Rusic in Christian Today Australia) Copyright©️2021 by Mark Rusic. 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.

INTRODUCTION Unlocking the connection between the Old Testament and New Testament connection can be likened to piecing a jigsaw puzzle together. In the previous article in this series “How The Old Connects With The New” we showed Jesus is the key to unlocking the connection between the Old and the New Testaments. The correct explanation must be consistent in its applicability throughout all of Scripture. In this article, we apply the Jesus-key to demonstrate its consistency. The critical matter to grasp is that it is all about the eternal principles. When Jesus functions as a filter, what eternal principle was upheld when Jesus fulfilled aspects of the Law? When Jesus functioned as a lens, what eternal principle is the focus behind specific requirements or practices? When Jesus functioned as an elevator, what is the more fundamental or higher eternal principle that is operative? With the above in mind, let us consider what changed between the Old and New. Here are some changes in key areas. Weekly Sabbath to Sabbath-rest in God The 4th commandment is stated in Exodus 20:8–10 (NIV84) 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates..” The Hebrew word Sabbath means rest and it was intended to mean to rest in God. The Jews zealously followed the form to take the Saturday rest in every week as a rule. When Jesus came, Jesus filtered out the form of observing a day. Jesus served as the lens to refocus sabbath to its true intent. Mark 2:27–28 (NIV84) 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.” Sabbath was made for man, to find rest. In whom? In the Lord of the Sabbath. Hebrews 4:9-10 (NIV84) 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. How do we enter that rest? Hebrews 4:2-3 (NIV84) 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest. Jesus served as a lens to refocus the weekly sabbath on its eternal principle: True Sabbath is resting by faith in Christ. Through believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 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. 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. So we no longer need a weekly rest? The external form still useful guide. Having a day to rest from hard work and to spend about God’s business is always good for our body, soul and spirit. 10 Commandments: From Rules to Principles Many are confused about the 10 commandments. Some say, “Since the Mosaic Laws no longer apply, neither do the 10 commandments”. Others say, “Jesus has fulfilled the Mosaic Law but not the 10 commandments since it is moral laws”. Does that mean we have to obey the Sabbath day commandment? Others claim that Jesus affirmed 9 of the commandments and therefore should be retained. But did He really? And there are many other ideas. Principles contained within the Old Testament pass through Jesus as filter/lens/elevator into the New Testament. Consequently, the eternal principle is retained but the outer form can be changed. The key is to understand that principles contained within the Old Testament pass through Jesus as filter/lens/elevator into the New Testament. Consequently, the eternal principle is retained but the outer form can be changed. The 10 commandments in itself is a form of regulations. The form is often close to the principle, sometimes the same. Let’s now consider the first 5 commandments in the Table. The first 3 commandments are very close to the principle, as shown in the Table. With the 3rd commandment, Jesus expands upon it in Matthew 5:33–37 (NIV84) 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. In effect Jesus was saying that if we were to swear an oath by something on earth, or heaven, it is still in effect swearing upon something which belongs to God rather than us. We are therefore misappropriating God’s name. We are using God’s integrity, God’s honour to buttress our own. Jesus here acted as the lens, re-focussing on God’s honour. Hence, we not to misuse God’s name by using it for our own purposes. In fact, we should have the integrity not to need to swear an oath upon anything. We cannot treat the 10 commandments as one complete set, to be moved in the same fashion across to the New Testament. Rather each should be processed uniquely through Jesus. The 4th commandment is treated differently from the first 3 commandments, as was explained in detail earlier. The most obvious reason is because the 4th commandment was given in a form of an external religious practice, rather than an eternal principle. Thus, we cannot treat the 10 commandments as one complete set, to be moved in the same fashion across to the New Testament. Rather each should be processed uniquely through Jesus. The 5th commandment is virtually the same principle. Jesus explicitly affirmed the 5th to 9th commandment in the narrative about the rich young ruler who wanted to gain eternal life. Matthew 19:17–19 (NIV84) 17 …If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” So Jesus affirmed the commandments are important to obey. He sums up with “love the neighbour as yourself” which generally includes all the 5th to 10th commandments as these all relate to how we treat our neighbour. The 6th and 7th commandments, Jesus elevated it to a higher standard, as shown in the Table below. It is obvious that Jesus moved the focus from specific behaviours to the condition of the heart. The 8th and 9th commandment apostle Paul brought out the principle more clearly. Again, like Jesus, Apostle Paul refocussed them from specific behaviours to the condition of the heart. The 10th commandment Jesus brought a clearer focus on the principle behind it. It is fantastic if we can work from eternal principles to determine what is acceptable to God or not. Otherwise, we can fall back on the commandments itself. Because for the most part, the form is a good indicator of the principle. Except the 4th commandment on the sabbath day rest. Indeed, we find a similar approach amongst the New Testament writers. At times, the New Testament writers used the form and at other times revealing the eternal principles behind them. It appears to depend on the context. It is like driving on the road. For simplicity we could say, “Just follow the road rules.” Or for more advanced and safer driving we could teach the driver principles of safe driving and ask them to apply the most appropriate principles to safe driving. Circumcision of flesh to circumcision of heart Circumcision of the flesh is an outward form, given in the Abrahamic covenant where the male foreskin is cut off. But the eternal principle is circumcision of the heart. Romans 2:28-29 (NIV84) 28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God. Physical circumcision conveys the principle of removing the flesh of our hearts graphically and symbolically. Our fleshly self-reliance is to be removed so we are left totally relying upon God. Just as circumcision is physically done by someone else, the circumcision of the heart is done by someone else, the Holy Spirit. Different expression, same eternal principle. God did hint at this back in Leviticus 26:41–42 (NIV84) 41…then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham.... Levitical priesthood to believers’ priesthood In Old Testament times only the Levite tribe can be priests. When Jesus died on the cross, He changed the priesthood. Jesus became the High Priest in Heaven while all believers became priests unto God. 1 Peter 2:5 (NIV84) you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The eternal principle: All God’s people are to serve His Kingdom and personally approach His throne as priests. In the Old Testament priesthood was limited to a minority but now it has been broadened to all. The eternal principle: All God’s people are to serve His Kingdom and personally approach His throne as priests. That is why we don’t call our pastors priests. That is why we encourage every believer to serve God, because it is our priestly duty. There is no special hierarchy of leaders who stands as intermediary to Christ. Ceremonial sacrifices to living sacrifices In the Old Testament, all manner of sacrifices were given to God, both animal and grain by the Levitical priests. In the New Testament we give spiritual sacrifices through living for God. Romans 12:1 (NIV84) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Animal sacrifices has been elevated to sacrifices of the heart in the New Testament. The eternal principle: God seeks sacrificial living that is holy and pleasing to God, a sacrifice from the heart. Animal sacrifices has been elevated to sacrifices of the heart in the New Testament. The eternal principle: God seeks sacrificial living that is holy and pleasing to God, a sacrifice from the heart. Central Pattana is by far the biggest and most sophisticated developer and operator of shopping centres in Thailand. They operate 45 premium shopping centres, hotels and office buildings. Kobchai Chirathivat ran and grew the family business for many years. He was President and CEO as well as Director. Despite being a very busy businessman, he served God with great passion and dedication. He and his wife started ACTS church in Bangkok, one of our HIM churches. It is a large church today with many business people. Even though he is now in his mid-60s he is still as passionate about building God’s church! That is living a sacrificial life! Conclusion God is the God of covenants. God is the author of both the Two Covenants: The Old and new Testaments. Within these Testaments are conveyed God’s heart and purposes. Although the way it is conveyed can seem quite different, yet they all contain the same eternal principles that we can live by, be inspired and find life. Through it all we discover that God is seeking our hearts to be in the right place before Him, far more than our outward behaviours. 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.