Ever heard of a 3rd Space Christian? Neither have I until 19 November 2008, when Rev Dr Kong Hee spoke on it at the inaugural Asia Conference held at Singapore Expo.
In gist, for the longest time, Christians have remained within the four walls of the church, practising a culture of separation and ended up isolating themselves from the world. Truth be told, they are of the world yet not of this world. Nonetheless, the First-mover, God Himself, so loved the world that He sent His only Son to redeem it.
Thus, Christians are not to love the things of this world in their present state which in many aspects run contrary to God's moral laws. At the same time though, Christians are to move out of the four walls of the church into the marketplace of education, business, government, mass media, and the arts/entertainment. So as to redeem them and make God's way of doing things operative in the marketplace --engaging the culture of our days and becoming a 2nd Space Christian.
Once a Christian makes his Christianity relevant in the marketplace where we spend most of our time anyway, the barrier between what is secular and spiritual will be torn down and we will no longer lead a double life; hyper-spiritual on Sunday and downtrodden from Monday to Saturday.
And, we will begin to see that "The Message is sacred but the methods (of conveying it) are not." So, a Christian can dress trendily and live it up everyday without compromising his faith and morality,and reach out to people who are rejected, lost, poor, weak, and hurting.
Also, he will, with God's favour and power, excel in his work and come up higher in all the works that his hands shall lay upon. When he become recognised as a succesful person in a marketplace, he can then find favour with men and be called to be amongst the leaders of the marketplace.
In effect, he becomes a 3rd Space Christian. This was what happened to Paul in Acts 17:19 where the learned philosophers of Athens "took him, and brought Him into the Aeropagus" --where the leading and infuential Athenians would gather; this apex of society is what we call 'The 3rd Space).
Paul was relevant in the 3rd Space and was 'invited' to have an audience with distinguished folks. Paul began by praising them for their devotions and build a bridge, so too speak, before introducing Jesus Christ.
Now, if only more Christians realise that they are do excel in the marketplace and to excel in what they do everyday. To know that it matters to God so that we can take our cities for Christ.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Love Man
Today (20/Nov/2008) will go down as one of the super-duper day for me. I felt energetic and tackled every piece of work which came my way, and it was like 'everything which my hand shall lay upon will prosper'. The reason?
All thanks be to God, I would attribute it to God's ANOINTING which breaks the yoke -- that which is burdensome. You see, last evening I plugged into one of God's powerhouse -- the inaugural Asia Conference 2008 held at Singapore Expo. We touched base with God with undivided body, soul and spirit; received His word; presented our monetary offering; prayed; and prayed some more till we were in sweet communion with Him.
In times past, I had also experienced the spillover effect of God's anointing into the days following a resounding time of communion with Him. Jesus Himself needed the anointing of God the Father with the Holy Spirit in order to do what He did.
Consider: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath ANOINTED Me to preach the good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;" (Isaiah 61:1; KJV)
Best of all I received a fresh revelation to really live out the slogan 'Love people fervently'. I see the depth of it all -- that God is pleased when we treat people right; that we treat people just like we are prepared to treat God Himself.
So, I made the conscious effort to take well to and also respond well to people, and steer clear of hurting them through my words, ugly attitude or disposition. I begin to see myself as a potential love man -- full of God's love and seeing people as God would see them; ever so compassionately and graciously.
Won't you be a love man or woman starting today?
All thanks be to God, I would attribute it to God's ANOINTING which breaks the yoke -- that which is burdensome. You see, last evening I plugged into one of God's powerhouse -- the inaugural Asia Conference 2008 held at Singapore Expo. We touched base with God with undivided body, soul and spirit; received His word; presented our monetary offering; prayed; and prayed some more till we were in sweet communion with Him.
In times past, I had also experienced the spillover effect of God's anointing into the days following a resounding time of communion with Him. Jesus Himself needed the anointing of God the Father with the Holy Spirit in order to do what He did.
Consider: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath ANOINTED Me to preach the good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;" (Isaiah 61:1; KJV)
Best of all I received a fresh revelation to really live out the slogan 'Love people fervently'. I see the depth of it all -- that God is pleased when we treat people right; that we treat people just like we are prepared to treat God Himself.
So, I made the conscious effort to take well to and also respond well to people, and steer clear of hurting them through my words, ugly attitude or disposition. I begin to see myself as a potential love man -- full of God's love and seeing people as God would see them; ever so compassionately and graciously.
Won't you be a love man or woman starting today?
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Build to Last
Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to meet one of my college alumni. Together with his team of fellow track and field athletes, he stole the thunder from our arch-rival despite starting off the block as the underdogs. Notably, he triumphed in the 800m and 4x400m.
Even after all these twenty-plus years, their victory remains vivid to me. How can I forget the cheers of my cohorts, so electrifying that we could not hear our own voices. Add to that, we were soaked in the rain and kept cheering till our canvas shoes were washed clean and our uniforms had dried out.
Fittingly, our principal got them to do a lap of honour around the school track on the following day. Good runs of memories are made of stuffs like these.
I think life is like that, too. We need to train hard, get the right equipment, listen to our coaches, focus on improving ourselves and aim to finish well. Let this then be encouragement -- we are not alone; many have gone before and many are coming along in this race of life.
We live a life of faith in God by being born again and becoming a temple for God to dwell on the inside of us. We can build our spiritual house in a manner that will be even more glorious than our present lot of achievements on earth. And, we do it by the word of God which endures forever.
"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God." 1 Peter 1:23 (NLT)
Stay tuned to the word of God.
Even after all these twenty-plus years, their victory remains vivid to me. How can I forget the cheers of my cohorts, so electrifying that we could not hear our own voices. Add to that, we were soaked in the rain and kept cheering till our canvas shoes were washed clean and our uniforms had dried out.
Fittingly, our principal got them to do a lap of honour around the school track on the following day. Good runs of memories are made of stuffs like these.
I think life is like that, too. We need to train hard, get the right equipment, listen to our coaches, focus on improving ourselves and aim to finish well. Let this then be encouragement -- we are not alone; many have gone before and many are coming along in this race of life.
We live a life of faith in God by being born again and becoming a temple for God to dwell on the inside of us. We can build our spiritual house in a manner that will be even more glorious than our present lot of achievements on earth. And, we do it by the word of God which endures forever.
"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God." 1 Peter 1:23 (NLT)
Stay tuned to the word of God.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Money-Wise (#2)
Yesterday afternoon, after I had just withdrew some money from an ATM, I turned around and was surprised by a man who appeared in front of me suddenly and said, "When I look into your face, I see that you are a lucky man."
My antennae went up, eventhough I haven't quite caught the whiff of a fish yet, and I did the rude thing of walking away and ignoring his, "Excuse me!". I would rather be safe than sorry.
If something is too good to be true, it probably is. I have heard of hard-selling marketer who promises branded electronic items for attending their talks only to find that the free stuffs were substandard. Their justification for their deceit: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Then there are the famous scams telling you that you have an inheritance or won a prize. But, the catch is that you have to wire some money first for the incidental costs and so forth. The more daring ones would try to pull a fast one by telling you that your loved ones have been kidnapped for a ransom.
There is a myriad of great stories out there telling you how people have made it in life; loosely translated to mean making their first million and more. Then the following herd would jump on the bandwagon with the belief that they can copycat another person's financial success.
It's mind boggling to see how marketing gurus as well as life coaches are enriching themselves so much and so quickly by selling their success stories and formulae to intelligent people. For sure, what they say would have their merits, but I have my reservations that the attendees can carry out the resolved to form the new habits and develop the character for that kind of success story. Please, attending a seminar would NOT change one's life; it's not worth spending your money on it.
Every person has to discover what best works for himself or herself, and zoom in to develop those areas regularly on our own steam. As we become better and better in tacking our sailing boats to the wind of our life's situation and circumstances, we shall be able to circumnavigate that bit or much closer to our goals.
Not everyone will find success as a financial planner, businessman or golfer. You can be a butcher or shoe repairman with a small fortune to boot. You just have to find your elements and be the best in your area of work or play.
My antennae went up, eventhough I haven't quite caught the whiff of a fish yet, and I did the rude thing of walking away and ignoring his, "Excuse me!". I would rather be safe than sorry.
If something is too good to be true, it probably is. I have heard of hard-selling marketer who promises branded electronic items for attending their talks only to find that the free stuffs were substandard. Their justification for their deceit: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Then there are the famous scams telling you that you have an inheritance or won a prize. But, the catch is that you have to wire some money first for the incidental costs and so forth. The more daring ones would try to pull a fast one by telling you that your loved ones have been kidnapped for a ransom.
There is a myriad of great stories out there telling you how people have made it in life; loosely translated to mean making their first million and more. Then the following herd would jump on the bandwagon with the belief that they can copycat another person's financial success.
It's mind boggling to see how marketing gurus as well as life coaches are enriching themselves so much and so quickly by selling their success stories and formulae to intelligent people. For sure, what they say would have their merits, but I have my reservations that the attendees can carry out the resolved to form the new habits and develop the character for that kind of success story. Please, attending a seminar would NOT change one's life; it's not worth spending your money on it.
Every person has to discover what best works for himself or herself, and zoom in to develop those areas regularly on our own steam. As we become better and better in tacking our sailing boats to the wind of our life's situation and circumstances, we shall be able to circumnavigate that bit or much closer to our goals.
Not everyone will find success as a financial planner, businessman or golfer. You can be a butcher or shoe repairman with a small fortune to boot. You just have to find your elements and be the best in your area of work or play.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Keep Walking
Are you disheartened with your daily walk of, say, going to work? Facing the humdrum of life and longing for a getaway?
Sure, take a break whenever possible. Have a Kit-Kat or Whatever (a real soft drink). And, go get yourself a vacation.
But, in the here and now, you gotta keep going. Johnny Walker would be smiling at you. Look around a bit as you disembark from the subway train and you will notice that not everybody is equally blessed for walking. Quite a number would be ambling along with some pain. One would be limping, another walking sideway, and a solitary figure on wheelchair could be seen heading for the lift.
It gets bleaker in the evening. When I do work late occasionally, it hurts me so to see senior citizens, who are mainly working as cleaners of toilets or food courts, making their way home, too, after work. It's sad to see that retirement is a remote reality for them. So, you oughtn't hear me complain about my humble lot.
Just this evening,around 11:30 p.m. I saw a slightly bent-over gritty old lady carrying folded card boxes, presumably to sell. Her determined and uncomplaining look inspired me to walk tall, and fight the battles of life.
Come to think of it, she is the same lady whom I have seen before in the morning coming back for more newspaper from the man who distributes the free copies just outside the train station. She did not get her seconds as the bulldog of a man scolded her judiciously.
My guess, with hindsight now, is that she intends to sell her cumulation of newspaper to the recycled- paper collector eventually for small change, which for all we know, would mean so much for her.
I think living life without complaints is a reasonably good policy. We don't have to wait till we are enlightened by the plight of others.
It's truly more blessed to give (out of what we have) than to receive (that which we do not have). But, that's another story for another occasion.
Sure, take a break whenever possible. Have a Kit-Kat or Whatever (a real soft drink). And, go get yourself a vacation.
But, in the here and now, you gotta keep going. Johnny Walker would be smiling at you. Look around a bit as you disembark from the subway train and you will notice that not everybody is equally blessed for walking. Quite a number would be ambling along with some pain. One would be limping, another walking sideway, and a solitary figure on wheelchair could be seen heading for the lift.
It gets bleaker in the evening. When I do work late occasionally, it hurts me so to see senior citizens, who are mainly working as cleaners of toilets or food courts, making their way home, too, after work. It's sad to see that retirement is a remote reality for them. So, you oughtn't hear me complain about my humble lot.
Just this evening,around 11:30 p.m. I saw a slightly bent-over gritty old lady carrying folded card boxes, presumably to sell. Her determined and uncomplaining look inspired me to walk tall, and fight the battles of life.
Come to think of it, she is the same lady whom I have seen before in the morning coming back for more newspaper from the man who distributes the free copies just outside the train station. She did not get her seconds as the bulldog of a man scolded her judiciously.
My guess, with hindsight now, is that she intends to sell her cumulation of newspaper to the recycled- paper collector eventually for small change, which for all we know, would mean so much for her.
I think living life without complaints is a reasonably good policy. We don't have to wait till we are enlightened by the plight of others.
It's truly more blessed to give (out of what we have) than to receive (that which we do not have). But, that's another story for another occasion.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Humble Ourselves
Very often we are too busy to set aside time to pray. My take is that we are so busy that we cannot afford not to pray.
When we are too busy for God, it only goes to show that we have a superiority complex and running on our own power generator. Sadly,
"O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer."
On the basis that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4; KJV) we do well to pause and reflect upon the word of God or we will end up in a mess -- burnt out; fuming mad with everybody and life in general.
As we be still and know that He is God, we may yet learn to: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." (Proverbs 3:5-10; KJV)
Has not God said, "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."(2 Chronicles 7:14; KJV)?
Let's weed out our pride and honour God consciously with all our being and substance. Yes, even when we feel downtrodden --down to seeing ourselves as a grasshopper or a worm.
Hear then the word of God which is Life and Spirit, ".. for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." (1 Peter 5:5b~6; KJV)
When we are too busy for God, it only goes to show that we have a superiority complex and running on our own power generator. Sadly,
"O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer."
On the basis that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4; KJV) we do well to pause and reflect upon the word of God or we will end up in a mess -- burnt out; fuming mad with everybody and life in general.
As we be still and know that He is God, we may yet learn to: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." (Proverbs 3:5-10; KJV)
Has not God said, "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."(2 Chronicles 7:14; KJV)?
Let's weed out our pride and honour God consciously with all our being and substance. Yes, even when we feel downtrodden --down to seeing ourselves as a grasshopper or a worm.
Hear then the word of God which is Life and Spirit, ".. for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." (1 Peter 5:5b~6; KJV)
Sunday, November 9, 2008
What to look for in a husband (#1)
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A HUSBAND
First up, and first things first: Why do you want to marry a husband?
Is it so that he can keep you entertained with jokes, anecdotes, a little bit of history, assume the role of Romeo, come to rescue you from your distress, or whatever else you may fancy on a whim? If you think hard enough, I would half-jest that a TELEVISION would suffice. The added plus-factor is that the remote control is at your full command.
Perhaps it's because marriage is more or less still a norm and one kinda expect it to be a rite of passage in life. Companionship is a plausibly good reason and ranks up there with procreation -- the power to create (Ummh, I think women do enjoy other forms of power as well aside from their power suits and Porsche.)
Inspite of their nobility, nary would a woman marry because of what they learn in Sunday School that it is not good for a man to be alone. This ball is in the man's side of the court to initiate a serve.
So, why get married to a husband? I think it would be to find greater fulfilment as a woman -- be a wife, mother-to-be and the whole gamut of things that cometh after the courtship, wedding, honeymoon, and blah-blah-blah.
And, oh yes, for love. The first man was delighted to see the first woman, naked and unashamed. According to Genesis 2:23 (KJV), "And Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.'"
Well, if you have not found or have not been found by your man yet, fret not, he is out there somewhere.
First up, and first things first: Why do you want to marry a husband?
Is it so that he can keep you entertained with jokes, anecdotes, a little bit of history, assume the role of Romeo, come to rescue you from your distress, or whatever else you may fancy on a whim? If you think hard enough, I would half-jest that a TELEVISION would suffice. The added plus-factor is that the remote control is at your full command.
Perhaps it's because marriage is more or less still a norm and one kinda expect it to be a rite of passage in life. Companionship is a plausibly good reason and ranks up there with procreation -- the power to create (Ummh, I think women do enjoy other forms of power as well aside from their power suits and Porsche.)
Inspite of their nobility, nary would a woman marry because of what they learn in Sunday School that it is not good for a man to be alone. This ball is in the man's side of the court to initiate a serve.
So, why get married to a husband? I think it would be to find greater fulfilment as a woman -- be a wife, mother-to-be and the whole gamut of things that cometh after the courtship, wedding, honeymoon, and blah-blah-blah.
And, oh yes, for love. The first man was delighted to see the first woman, naked and unashamed. According to Genesis 2:23 (KJV), "And Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.'"
Well, if you have not found or have not been found by your man yet, fret not, he is out there somewhere.
Money-Wise (#1)
King Solomon, the richest man who has ever lived, made this observation in Proverbs 5:13 (KJV), "There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt."
To say that the truly wealthy are filthy rich smacks of envy and covetousness. Money in itself is amoral; it takes on the character of the steward. How we use our money is the true determinant of whether we love money for money sake to our own hurt.
Some people takes the moral high ground that they do not need more money for themselves and their families. Little did they look beyond their small domain by extending their vistas to see the abundance of good works that they can do with their excess money for the good of humanity and our environment.
The likes of William Colgate, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and many others besides, truly know how to be smart in handling their money by their givings. Poor us may think that it is to their losses, but they are blessed in return by their generosity.
Add-on (Source: The Straits Times 21-Dec-2008):-
Terry Gou, a Taiwanese bilionaire, has donated a sum of NT$15 billion (S$670 million) in a collaboration with the National Taiwan University "to do something for Taiwan's medical and bio-tech sectors". Most of the money will be used to build a hospital specialising in treating cancer.
To say that the truly wealthy are filthy rich smacks of envy and covetousness. Money in itself is amoral; it takes on the character of the steward. How we use our money is the true determinant of whether we love money for money sake to our own hurt.
Some people takes the moral high ground that they do not need more money for themselves and their families. Little did they look beyond their small domain by extending their vistas to see the abundance of good works that they can do with their excess money for the good of humanity and our environment.
The likes of William Colgate, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and many others besides, truly know how to be smart in handling their money by their givings. Poor us may think that it is to their losses, but they are blessed in return by their generosity.
Add-on (Source: The Straits Times 21-Dec-2008):-
Terry Gou, a Taiwanese bilionaire, has donated a sum of NT$15 billion (S$670 million) in a collaboration with the National Taiwan University "to do something for Taiwan's medical and bio-tech sectors". Most of the money will be used to build a hospital specialising in treating cancer.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
A Time to Reflect
We are defined inter alia by how we spend our time. What we spend our time most on will shape and influence our priorities and sense of what is precious.
Inspite of our busyness with the business of life, we do well to nourish our soul with reflections. To be at rest, and try to make sense of what we are living for and determine how we can we live our life even better.
A working adult may make his pile and retire ahead of schedule by far relative to his peers. What comes next? Vacations and even more vacations, for some. That's good. What's next? Take good care of one's health and review financial plans to last, say, till 100 years old with an inheritance set aside for surviving loved ones to boot. Excellent! What's next?
Guess, that it would be: A Time to Die. Question is: Would one be prepared then? Or, ought not we be prudent and prepare for it in advance. Moses, a man of God, prayed this prayer in Psalm 90:12 (KJV), "So teach us to number our days, that we may have apply our hearts unto wisdom."
Socrates opined that, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Ladies and gentlemen, we don't have to be a student to take exams as we are all in the University of Life!
Let's keep on learning and obtain fresh revelation to make a change and live a more abundant life. Cheers to you, my readers!
Inspite of our busyness with the business of life, we do well to nourish our soul with reflections. To be at rest, and try to make sense of what we are living for and determine how we can we live our life even better.
A working adult may make his pile and retire ahead of schedule by far relative to his peers. What comes next? Vacations and even more vacations, for some. That's good. What's next? Take good care of one's health and review financial plans to last, say, till 100 years old with an inheritance set aside for surviving loved ones to boot. Excellent! What's next?
Guess, that it would be: A Time to Die. Question is: Would one be prepared then? Or, ought not we be prudent and prepare for it in advance. Moses, a man of God, prayed this prayer in Psalm 90:12 (KJV), "So teach us to number our days, that we may have apply our hearts unto wisdom."
Socrates opined that, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Ladies and gentlemen, we don't have to be a student to take exams as we are all in the University of Life!
Let's keep on learning and obtain fresh revelation to make a change and live a more abundant life. Cheers to you, my readers!
New Man On The Blog
This is my first blog. Late, but never too late! Was wowed and won over by Marshall Brain's blog recently and the rest, as they say, is history.
It's always exciting to start on something new -- not necessarily a voyage of a thousand miles or a trip round the world. Blogging on a regular basis would fit nicely like a relaxing cuppa into my schedule, I figure, with some persistence and/or ingenuity in time creation.
Oops, got interrupted a while ago -- my wife needed help to get rid of a full grown flying cockcroach. Completed the execution with a newspaper under 1 minute after a short chase in the kitchen.
Well, it's twice exciting to start on 2 new things in a day -- a family friend had taught me how to get started on Sudoku earlier on this evening.
All in all, an eventful and satisfying night. Suits me snugly like a night cap which I once had on a wintry night in Yokohama.
Good night.
It's always exciting to start on something new -- not necessarily a voyage of a thousand miles or a trip round the world. Blogging on a regular basis would fit nicely like a relaxing cuppa into my schedule, I figure, with some persistence and/or ingenuity in time creation.
Oops, got interrupted a while ago -- my wife needed help to get rid of a full grown flying cockcroach. Completed the execution with a newspaper under 1 minute after a short chase in the kitchen.
Well, it's twice exciting to start on 2 new things in a day -- a family friend had taught me how to get started on Sudoku earlier on this evening.
All in all, an eventful and satisfying night. Suits me snugly like a night cap which I once had on a wintry night in Yokohama.
Good night.
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