Lightness of being #30 Purge (25th Dec 2013)
Dear....
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Mark 14:38
My flesh was indeed weak last night. My constitution is not made for expensive meals, for after an expensive French affair, I spent most of Saturday night and the wee hours of Sunday morning getting acquainted with the toilet bowl.
Much as it was a purging of a stomach gone awry, it was also a symbolic cleansing for me, to be made ready before I was to lead worship the next morning at 7.30am.
Thanks be to God, much as my stomach remained wobbly, I was able to hold steady at worship, and not be compelled to visit the familiar haunt of the past twenty four hours.
"What a friend we have in Jesus," this seemingly simple yet very powerful truth that so many of us forget in our daily struggles. The privilege granted to all believers to come to our Lord Jesus Christ in prayers. We know that prayers asked in a His will, God will answer.
But what is God's will?
I know what is not the will of God. On that Saturday night, I had let anger and judgment take center stage in my life. This was clearly not in line with the fruit of the Spirit.
I had opened the door to a spiritual attack by my folly, and suffered the consequences of my act of disobedience. Much as we ate from the same place, I was the only one in the family of four to be struck by diarrhea. The purging, which started at 11pm, only stabilized at 3am but I have never doubted that our good Lord will ensure that the repentant me will be able to lead worship in Church the next morning at 7.30am.
My confidence rested on the fact that much as our Lord allows an admonishment, He will forgive if we truly repent. And when His Spirit convicted me of my sin, I repented without any hesitation, for time with our Lord through the years have taught me to obey from His perspective. My prayers with our Lord was less about my stomach stabilizing, but more about being able to deliver the prayer at worship that I truly believe our good Lord has guided me on.
Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Mark 15:43
The word "purge," takes on a more sinister tone in the annals of political intrigue. While its origins way predates the Communist era, the acts associated with the word "purge," is closely associated with the draconian communist regimes of the 20th/21st Century. This is because the absolute monarchies of the Western world has ceased to exist by the end of World War 1, and democracy provides less room for blatant mass purging, not that it does not exist in more subtle forms.
The Soviet dictator Josef Stalin used to consign his enemies and dissidents to the harsh clime of the Gulag in Siberia. The late Chairman Mao, whose hometown I made a foray to last month, conducted his mother of all purges with the Cultural Revolution back in 1966.
Those were yesteryears, but thanks to the repressive North Korean regime, the world gets to relive the term "purging." Did the supreme leader Kim Jong Un execute his uncle out of insecurity or because he did not like to hear the truth that this utopian dream that his late grandfather created, his deceased father propagated and that he now reigns over was about to go the way of the Berlin Wall?
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psalms 103:2
With all the social networking platforms like Facebook and Instagram, it will be difficult to lose sight of one's friends and not be kept current on their activities. And this being the vacation period, we see many people posting snapshots of their footprints in exotic locales. This is quite a change from the 1970s when for most of us, a 7 days West Malaysia tour organized by Nam Ho Travel was an experience. Most of my vintage might have forgotten, and for those of younger make, such knowledge do not exist in their black box.
What about the grace of God in our lives? In the midst of plenty, have we also consigned to the deep recess, the gratitude we once felt when His Spirit lifted us out of the pits?
It is time to refresh memories that have faded with time and wealth.
As Christians, the world will see Christ in us when we speak and live the truth. Will you be willing to carry the cross?
And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion,
and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy,
even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion,
and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof
by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
Isaiah 4:3-4
God blesses
Eng Hieang
25th Dec 2013
An afternote - Walk-about Kyushu with our Lord
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
Mark 16:20
By His grace, I find myself back again in Kyushu, the Southernmost part of mainland Japan. It was just in Oct that I was last there, and much as this time is a family vacation, it was wonderful to experience God's grace in this ministry ground.
Spiritual challenges is not about our circumstances, but more about one's manner of response. On day one, my traveling partner lost his IPad at the Singapore immigration scanning machine, and we also lost and recovered one traveling bag. Thankfully, the carnal reaction of frustration and anger was not as intense nor lingered too long.
And the resulting delays led us to almost miss our train to the next location. But God placed an angel in the form of an English conversant Japanese man who happened to be back from Singapore to visit his family. This kind gentleman took time to guide us through the train ticketing and we made the train with barely a couple of seconds to spare.
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
1 Chronicles 16:8
And it was with joy to have this attached photo 1 taken by my son of me, at the Onsen that we stayed in. A symbolic reminder and reassurance that light of Christ, as represented by the indwelling Holy Spirit is with us, the believers who seek Him.
But we must want to respond by walking in the Light of our Lord.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
And it was lovely to see a nice rainbow as we drove along the lovely coast of Southern Japan. Rainbow, an affirmation of God's grace upon the faithful.
But as a reminder that there is not just Heaven but hell, a visit to the 8 hells located in Kyushu is a symbolic warning to all, including those like me who might still walk wrong, much as we have seek to be right with our Lord. See photo 2.
Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
1 Chronicles 16:12
And as we close off this trip in Japan with spending Xmas here, it is a little strange as one sees the decorations, yet the more muted festive mood as Xmas is not a holiday here. But more importantly, the unfamiliarity with the message of love and salvation.
There was an article in the newspaper on Japanese mums who formed a street choir in Tokyo to sing Xmas songs. The reporter stated that gospel hymns were started by blacks who being excluded from White churches in America, sang outside the churches.
In the midst of such ignorance, the article also reported on the joy experienced by the many women in the choir, who are not Christians. And indeed, the love of God transcends all understanding.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
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