A few days/weeks ago, I had a talk with my manager. She kept telling me that I can do it, to act like adults, and to give feedback always, stretching myself more, doing planning, etc. Strangely, I thought I have been like this, been telling myself for years, and even advising others of that. Yet, God has been convicting me through all these too. I keep hearing that I have not been growing up and treating myself as one with already all the conditions given me. Imagine the hurts through these, but because it is better to hear convictions of the Lord from others beside you, whom meant no harm at all and who must have seen a side of me that is a blind side of mine, I humbled down to face God. As I self-introspect, I begin to think again if my time is wasted in areas where I dwell into small areas (even taking care of people who do not really need God at their timetable, etc), and not praying ahead. Growing up understands the emptiness of debates and the time to clear things up.

My car ran into problems with the hybrid battery my car is using after helping a sister jumpstart her car about a month ago. I finally went to let the technicians take a look at the battery. They charged me nothing. It was a small matter to me, and the battery is still having some problems, yet when I think back, I find that my heart felt very much more grateful to God than if He gave me some spiritual insight. My life system in me had treasured spiritual things as dearer over many other things, but yet, it seems that when I can put down a matter lingering in my heart whenever I see the problem at least once daily when I drive, the heart felt more comfortable. God is telling me that growing up means having things really concretely and practically being done up, and not just putting great and noble thoughts.

When Jesus was on earth, He healed the sick, the lame, deaf, blind first, and also many especially of those where they could not manage anything at all, and these are the demon-possessed. He was the Son of God. Though spiritual problems are indeed larger and more important than the physical, the illnesses crippled them totally. (If someone has a spiritual problem only, he still can manage things of life, and the world can still go on.) Yet, why did the Lord healed them practically and concretely first upon seeing them having a faith that satisfied Him? I believe the faith that He looks for is not great faith, but just faith in the life-giver. Though spiritual problems are larger, Jesus left them later on to deal with them. Jesus had something in mind. Spiritual healing cannot be forced. Faith cannot be suddenly created. Jesus was patient and loving enough to let the conscience and ego of a person respond to be willing to deal with the spiritual problems in them. And finally, of course, total holistic healing comes when a person’s spiritual problems are solved and he restored faith himself. Growing up means understanding the connection between the importance of physical pain and spiritual/emotional pain.

Growing up means gradually not escaping the environment God has placed you in, putting away the childish ways, thinking bigger rather than smaller, looking up rather than looking down, considering the greater group rather than the self. The one who grows up takes what he or she has confirmed and tested to be true, and does not change. He or she then takes the promise as fixed perspective, and takes it as the truth. If it is the truth, it has the greatest power already. And growing up means, even though there are cases of discouragement, setbacks, slowness, they continue faithfully in the promise. The one who looks at themselves with importance grows up fastest.

How did Jesus Christ grow up, start calling disciples, and minister so concretely and practically at the age of 30? He was unmoved as He ministered to other ministers, the elderly, the married and those having children, even He had none of these conditions in the first place. In simple words, He believed that He was the Son of God, and took it upon Himself that He was blessedly called to fulfil the purpose of God on earth. He spoke with authority AS IF He knew all kinds of men. Growing up means: to do everything AS IF I am called to be the servant of God.

<John 14:12> “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

<Php 2:3> “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves”

What is the Spirit of Christ that we may learn from a pastor? Where can the fully-equipped gospel be found?

When the Lord Jesus is born, He was born amidst the genealogy of Israel. From birth, He entrusted His earthly parents take care of Him, no matter even if they were earthly beings. From young, He entrusted Himself to the priests in the temple, even though some might be Pharisees, Scribes or Sadducees. Till only 30 years of age, He waited patiently treating everything given Him as the best, even though it was a carpentry job, He treated as if it is the best job in the world while perhaps, His cousin John The Baptist had already gone into serving the Lord with much fruits.

Before Jesus went into ministry, He Himself was baptized by His earthly cousin and entrusted Himself to those around Him, seeing them being used by God greatly so that He can be blessed. He was led into temptation by the Holy Spirit, and went through what all men would have to go through. He grasped onto God’s word and received the Holy Spirit’s convictions to know deeply how each of the three temptations faced by men can be 100% overcame. With that, He went into ministry. At the Last Supper, He washed His disciples’ feet, and told them to do the same for one another. He was misunderstood, but He learnt and showed love and righteousness even more.

Yes, we need the message and the shepherding of a pastor, but even he receives messages from His brethrens, treating His brethrens as vessels of God, instruments of God, treating them better than he himself, to receive the message from God.

The treasure of God is nowhere to be found. Christ died for the church because love and messages come from His bride. Do we treasure our brethrens to take them as God’s messages to us? They are the ones who will give you the messages needed for the era! They are the ones who when you love them till the end, they will also submit and follow with you in the Cross of Christ. This is the mystery of the Holy Spirit descending on one person, and the mystery of how the Holy Spirit can descend on a group of believers in fellowship.

Abraham let go of many things in his life. He let go of his hometown and was born again. He also let go having two masters in his life, and learnt to believe the only one Master. He also let go of Lot, his fellow born-again Christian, of God wanting him to pastor him.

Next, God caused Abraham to let go of Ishmael. Ishmael represented the labor, zealousness and serving to God. No matter how you work hard at and even gain fruits through it, one day, you will find that you need to let that go and start from zero again.

Finally, God caused Abraham to let go of Isaac. Isaac represents a fruit that is borne out of believing in the promise and covenant of God. It is a fruit borne out from true belief. Have you known why God wants you to even let go of Isaac?

You got to let go and believe that what has been given you from God is the best. The best set of conditions, church coworkers, brethrens, family and work are what made you today, and are a shadow of the things God has planned for you. Start believing in the promise, pass through the promise, pass through the promise, and move on. It is not about whether you have obtained Isaac, but whether you believe in the promise, that God is with you, and that made your every day bright, beautiful and full of love, so that the days of your family and loved ones, the people around you, and the world will swiftly be gospelized by the zealous hand of God.

God Anoints People Differently

In my years of yearning for perfection, yet having a competitive spirit, comparing with people always, I had even played with categorizing different people in my church in 4 categories in accordance to the 3 types of tribes of Israel that remained after Babylonian capture, and they all receive different time-tested anointing:

Tribe of Levites (Moses) – They are made for serving as full-time ministers in the church. They are preachers and pastors who pray for the lives of people in the church. They always say something extraordinary to lead Israel through their establishment. One day, through even running away, or because situations forced them to, they can’t run but become a pastor that can shepherd and intercede for the church. They are born to be full-time ministers, not by their own choosing.

Tribe of Judah (Caleb, David, Daniel) – They meet with lots of trials, exile and even sin in their life, of course after being born again. Their lives have a lot of emotions, ups and downs, some of which flesh-blooded ones caused them the discipline of God. But they sacrifice all their lives to the point of death but receive the greatest crown through it. I think Peter belonged here, too. Pioneers belonged here too.

Tribe of Joseph/Benjamin (Joseph, Joshua, Paul) – They are successful in the world before being called to ministry. They live a most passive life with no motives, even being influenced by the world but not actively following them, and it seems they even sleep during sermons, but one day, they are called, and their eyes opened, and whatever they were successful about became their disgust, but God called them to convert their talents into anointing that can be used by God. Their perspectives can produce effective contributions, works and publications that concretely and practically reach till the ends of the world.

Since there is no inheritance for Levite, and e.g. Samuel’s father, a Levite living in Ephraim is called a Ephrathite, I made this conclusion myself: there can be 4 types of people:

1) A Levite living in Judah

2) A Levite living in Benjamin

3) A Judahite

4) A Benjamite

The thing is, I also discovered that those of tribe of Joseph/Benjamin admire those of Judah; and those of Judah admire those of Joseph/Benjamin. I saw a church where the pastor saw greater crown on the elder, and the elder saw greater crown on the pastor, both willing to die for each other – a beautiful sight in Christ. But, one thing the Lord has showed me: none of them is willing to let go of their position because it is God’s unique calling for them.

Which tribe do you think you are in? I think I belong to Judah, a life full of sacrifices and obedience that amounts to compassion. My wife belongs to a Levite living in Judah. All through our life, we are accepting more and more that this is the way of life that God has planned for us to receive His inheritance, and it is the best God has ever designed and planned, without which, we won’t know His great measure of love.

Do you love what God has made you to be?

Bearing children

Recently, God convicted me that there could be a child who is filled by the Holy Spirit from young, just like Samuel or Jesus, so that he can live an unwasted life from young. Then, a very blessed sister told me about two very blessed younger brothers of hers in Penang. Both of them hear the word of God from young daily from their pastor mother, and they even hear the voice of God too. They are still different, but I am just glad God made it true that there are such remnants being raised up in the promise of God. And I also hear some children in our church slowly can hear the Lord’s voice. I really anticipate for such children in our church!

Can we pray for such babies / young children who can hear God’s voice to be raised from young?

1) One like Samuel or Jesus who hears the word of God, and is taught by God from when they are at a young age. They even impress and bless their parents and turn them to God from young. They can make disciples having the Holy Spirit, through the original foundation revealed by God because they grow up in a church from young.

2) One like David (or like Isaac?) taught by Samuel who is filled by the Holy Spirit, loves to pray and praise God, prepares the temple, and praises so that people can just get the Holy Spirit and unites the 2 kingdoms. He gathers a lot of workers of Christ together.

3) One like Paul or Moses (even Jacob or St Augustine) taught by Jesus through visions and other disciples, but is able to fix up the theology and systematic doctrines to disciple up the original meaning of what Jesus meant to people like Timothy. They went through a great deal of sanctifications in their life, and called themselves the worst of sinners before being called to be a servant of God.

4) One like Joseph, Daniel, Solomon or Luke, or the prophets, who shadows a part-time minister or an anointed leader, but because they receive wisdom through the covenant being passed down from fathers and believe them wholeheartedly, they are able even to receive visions and prophecies, influencing all their fields, conquering the whole world.

When you bear any of the above children, you still have to pray for them with promise, and teach them daily with God’s word from a young age. Some of them may have an unwasted life from young, but some may need to go through a cycle to experience failures first, but none will be wasted if you start to pray for them from young. We can definitely pray for children with unwasted life, and even treat their life failures as God raising them up as Paul or Joseph.

This year 2012 is the year of dragon in the Chinese zodiac. Many will be born this year, but who has the vision to bear a child that eats up the old serpent, dragon of old? Pray for me J

Perseverance

Confirm that the Lord will demonstrate His love for you in order that the heart of your eyes may be opened. Test and approve His plan for you with whatever faith you have, as the Lord is with you with His unconditional promises even in your timetable right now.

Many people have successful meetings with God, but they fail by looking at outward appearance (but the Lord looks at the heart) <Mt 5>. Many have successful prayers, but they fail by worrying for insufficiency <Mt 6>. Many have successful fruits, but they fail by not putting into practice the words of Jesus they hear (not building their house on the rock) <Mt 7>.

If you have confirmed, tested and approved the perfect will of God, don’t waver. Persevere! The Spirit of perseverance gives the greatest joy <Ro 12:12> <Ja 1:2-4>.

Inspirations versus Starting to live Emmanuel

Does the perfect will of God seem like treating defeats as some moral victories (Ah-Q mindset)? Does it seem like accepting something not that joyful? Surely carrying my own cross is the most joyful only road if God is a God of promise?

What motivational or inspiring quotes do best is that they passively confirm our identity so that we feel freed out from accusations. It’s like, we want to hear positive and encouraging words only. Why not just rather be humble, repent on accepting accusations (because His perfect will never fails), and be trained to take control of your life to catch the mystery of “how to see God confirm my identity”? Yes, grace finds us, but if grace is really all around us, why not rather be able to see grace finding me since grace is so near me?

Christ living out through me has 3 steps:

1) He lives through me = He has known me already through all my current conditions, and what I was made to be.

2) He lives through me = His divinity lives through and manifest beyond my thoughts and ability, because He is God.

3) He lives through me = I live and talk as if I am today’s Christ, taking upon the role of the Prophet, Priest and King even now.

Since 3) Emmanuel is the truth, and our Emmanuel message uses the perspective of “I am with Emmanuel”(I am with “God is with me”) to meet, converse and walk with God, I shall use the Emmanuel perspective to receive another set of convictions of “Christ living through me”:

1) So how do we take inspirational quotes? For the inspirational quotes that come my way, I will of course overwhelmingly give thanks, because I can see all the love of God to me! But I will go one step further to confirm that I am blessed by Him, not the other way round.

2) Yet, if God is with me without any strings attached, even better, as I can hold on to the promise and seek the answer in my spirit on how to see the love of God with my conscience even in circumstances that are not positive. (Through Christ, these are important answers that the weakest of people who love the Cross need.) He lives beyond my conditions and abilities in this way.

3) And if the promise of God is really with me, regardless of my timetable, regardless whether I think I am equipped enough or not, I will just live as if I hear the emphasis of the word of God as I meet all things in life as no coincidence, love as if I am a humble servant of God to find compassion in people without a shepherd and shepherd them, and take upon the whole world, church or company as if I am the saint to take every step Holy Spirit filled and influence them in the spiritual realms (as an intercessor and in believing the importance of my role, even if it is the least. Even the person having less faith can bless the one with more faith, because it is said “The last will be first, and the first will be last”<Mt 20:16>).

Importance of Evidence

Without evidence, there is no faith. Before being born again, without God revealing to you first, you cannot believe Him. After being born again, without evidences coming into the heart, our faith cannot grow. Without confirmation that God is with us in all things 24 hours regardless of conditions, we cannot be healed. The greater blessed evidences are found, the quicker faith grows.

I had a very bad nature as an elder. I kept only laboring for what is in accordance to the Lord’s word and teachings without asking anyone or anything in return. But I discovered that believing Emmanuel or truly believing God as living, or truly believing His promise on me means my nature of not seeking for evidence must be healed. A true belief confirms and reconfirms for evidences, and continues to test and approve God’s very own heart.

Therefore, seek for Emmanuel that is above all conditions. Living together with brethrens protects. Admire and aim to form a joyful atmosphere in the family. Plan a fresh, bright and quiet study room that allows lots of Holy Spirit convictions to flow. Pray for a blessed loving marriage so that you will understand why there are 10 folds of quicker blessings that can happen than one person alone can (I saw this in the past few years). Honor your father and mother, for their blessings for you (believer or non-believer blessings – I see this recently) give you 10 times longer assurance and courage than a message can. Teach your children without exasperating them, for they will give you 10 times more refreshing joy (I saw this in others).

When you ask God for Emmanuel evidences, to be seen in your life and in the ones you are concerned of, you will see a pattern about God blessing His children when they set themselves apart as holy and love the Lord. If you get that pattern, you catch how the living Holy Spirit works.

There is a movie called “The Last Station” that I saw a few weeks ago. It’s a Leo Tolstoy movie. He wrote many books and took Jesus’ words on the Sermon on the Mount literally. Then, there were 3 types of people who were closest to him. His wife, his coworker, and his disciple. Who has grasped the essence of Tolstoy in the end?

His wife: She says she knew his husband, surely everything he talks about is relationship and the love from God and to the one closest, enjoying life as God has made, and of course, family is the most important. She holds on to her husband’s works as the sole copyright for her family’s good – surely her husband did not mean to give everything up.

His coworker: loved his works so much, that he, together with Tolstoy, planned for spreading Tolstoy’s works at all cost, so he thought of giving the works to the Russian government, after Tolstoy’s death, so that it could belong to the country and then be best managed and spread. He even made Tolstoy into a figure that seemed unblemished, for the sake of spreading the novels and works of Tolstoy.

His disciple: he was a guy who admired Tolstoy and read about his books. He applied to become his secretary, noting everything in his life. He came to see all the conflicts from Tolstoy’s wife and coworker, but he received direct “shepherding” and concern from Tolstoy himself, as he gives timely paradoxical answers to questions timely in his youth, not to be bounded by the words in his novels, but to seek for the essence in the surrounding life conditions itself. After Tolstoy’s death, he also went and became a great novelist, probably becoming like Tolstoy himself, but maybe not as famous as Tolstoy himself.

At the end, the Tolstoy died, and not anything was said whether he lived a worthy life and entered death satisfyingly. It leaves to the audience: did Tolstoy pass the essence of his “novels” down? The movie gave me thoughts: Is my life centered upon relationships, ministries, OR discipleship? Or is my life centered upon relationships, ministries, AND discipleship? What Spirit in the Word of God do you want AND are actually giving to your children, your disciples, or the later generations? We all know that relationship with God / men comes first, then ministry, and then blessings (spiritual and all – disciples are the greatest blessings), and all of these are actually needed as a package. Can all of it happen satisfactory in one person? Our senior pastor in America raised many disciples, but they are a bit different in receiving it. My pastor in Singapore has three children and he recently said that while he gives the same teaching to his children from the same DNA of their parents, they all receive the essence differently. I hear the pains of the father, the teacher and one giving testimonies.

There is no shortcut. We can be biased in our days on earth. We are easily pushed and pulled about in our flesh and our thinking of what the Spirit is, is always influenced. The measure of how much I have the Word of God and the Spirit of God embodying fully into myself, the measure of how much people can receive the “TRUE Spirit of God” from me. We are actually already giving the people around us “something”, and that “something” is your life.

We have to build the temple in our hearts

This leads us: there can be no All things practical/daily/always + 24 hours Emmanuel (God’s word, Holy Spirit with me) understanding unless I get into the process of being able to continue to totally repent, deny myself, take myself apart, destroy all my humanly non-Emmanuel life in me, then regeneratively newly establish the root and foundation of God’s core, and build up with His only purpose, and all answers through learning, praying and evangelism. In other words, to live and do and be led naturally like what Jesus did, I have to continue to totally destroy and newly rebuild the temple in my life.

Will building the temple really bring hope? Why have I build and rebuild and I still live like a slave? Where is this all going to?

There is a very good read here on what happens during the era of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi:
http://www.templemount.org/0240.html
It is a very important turning point during the 400 years of quietness between then and the first arrival of Jesus Christ. The Israelites were all into renewing themselves, inside and outside, with the background of 70 years of being enslaved by Babylon, Medes and Persia. Everything that they did, they kept having hope of healing through rebuilding, but Persian powers went into the Greek powers, even going into being shamed by the Old Testament Antichrist “Antiochus IV Epiphanes“, and going into the great empire of Rome. Did what they build, rebuild, and re-rebuild actually add to their healing? Is it really for hope? Many times, we felt like we equip again and again, and God gives us problems and challenges one after another. Will we really be healed even if we have the best message?

YES, we definitely have the complete answers through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit!

<Romans 7:21-8:4> says

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

At the end of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, was a prayer to keep on restoring the very truth. The prayers were answered, and the start of the New Testament began! The New Testament is embodied by three: (1) the coming of Messiah Jesus Christ (Hallelujah!), (2) the Pentecost where the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ descends, and (3) the Ekklesia Church who is made up of the Spirit-filled called out spirits (a congregation embodying Christ’s heart/Spirit). If we keep on totally destroying and newly rebuild, and keep on praying on that, we will (1) meet Jesus (Messiah’s coming), (2) receive Jesus (His Spirit descents <Acts 1:8>) and (3) be like Jesus (Church). We will definitely be there, and we already pleased God if our hearts acknowledge we need to continue to keep building the temple spiritually in the Christ Life Church.

Lord, in this end times, help us be encouraged to keep on building the temple, till Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit come into us. There may be intermarriages, rises up of Pharisees and Sadducees, and they are seemingly uncontrollable in the process of us restoring, and they are done in order to protect what we think is the essence of the bible (we may go “a little” wrong in the way). Yet God tells us that this cannot happen. Because God is a living God Who lives up to His promise, and this is in our hearts.

Formatting

There are 8 visions in the first part of the book of Zechariah, and I have formatted them as such – these can also be said to be in the Old Testament. This are what happened from Abraham till Malachi. This can also be said to be the life experiences of a blessed believer.
1) 蒙拣选 Chosen as children of God for gospelization
2) 蒙恩 Shown Grace in a life of sin
3) 蒙召 Called by God to be an ambassador to witness and preach
4) 蒙洁净 Sanctified/Washed by eating and drinking the flesh and blood (laws) of Christ
5) 蒙得圣灵 Holy Spirit-ualized
6) 蒙得凡事上有神的话/美意/声音 Seeing the Word of God, Perfect Will and Voice of His Spirit in all things
7) 蒙得警醒得光照 Alerted in the end times through being enlightened / anointed
8) 蒙得医治（凡事回复爱）Receiving Healing by restoring everything in love and righteousness

400 years of Prayers — middle part of Zechariah:

There are 6 accomplishments in the latter part of the book of Zechariah, and I have formatted them as such – these can also be said to be in the New Testament. These can also be said to be the believer starting to evangelize, pastor, disciple, sending people.
1) 耶稣基督的初临 First embodying of Jesus Christ (Living a Gospel instead of Religion)
2) 耶稣基督的救恩 Shepherding and saving people out of their illnesses and darkness
3) 耶稣基督的受苦 Sacrificing, serving and ministry (suffer unto the peoples)
4) 耶稣基督的得荣耀 Anointing and glorified
5) 耶稣基督的福音的广传、带着患难而来 As the gospel doors are opened, tribulations come with them
6) 耶稣基督再来、永远的圣城 Second coming of Christ, which brings the eternal holy temple and city to come

Discipleship Training

As we enter into expanding the kingdom of heaven, we need discipleship training:

Is it possible to train a person into a disciple in 3 years? If one year has 45 weeks available (including missed meetings out of a total of 52 weeks in a year), there are a total of 138 weeks in 3 years. If we have 36 lessons (36 weeks) and Bible Overview weekly, it means we need to cover the whole bible overview in 99 weeks.

But who can keep to the timeline and variance of the people being discipled and disciplined in the process?

The message gives the Spirit, and the message of the movement will give the Spirit. But all these can only be given through a Holy Spirit filled teacher. Finally, the process has to be led by a father who gives timely answers to life-giving problems, not only a teacher. The message, the teacher and the father will tell the followers not be able to go wrong with that message. The temple is not only knowledge (knowledge kills), the Spirit is not only feelings (feelings confuse), and the exemplification of Jesus Christ is not only relevance (performing well prides), then what?

The message delivery is done through the hand of the Trinity God! The message, teacher and father can have some errors in the beginning, but the hand of God will see to it that it is Him Who is more zealous than anything or method. (The pastor is not God, God allows him to make mistakes so that people will seek after God alone.) What I mean is: Who gives the message? Who guides the teachers? Who loves the fathers? Is it not God Himself? If so, we all have to cowork to bring “God-driven” to restoration as much as possible.

Absolutely God-driven

1) Careful in Keeping Emmanuel (Confirm the Holy Spirit)
The reason our prayers did not get answered is because we have changed our blessed perspectives. (When we are born again, the love of God compels us purely to love God and love all men).
Emmanuel – a Child of God is the person whom God is with him, nothing else
Emmanuel – God Himself is the promise to rely on to do everything
Emmanuel – moving (walking) with God in all things 24 hours
Therefore, we need Holy Temple / Holy Spirit to see Emmanuel in all the above.
Why the Emmanuel message? Because we do not want to be affected, rely on or do any other human thing, any conditions, anything other than God, any worldly things, any evil things. We make altar to Emmanuel, not wanting to leave Him. There is no coincidence in anything, but even in our weaknesses, God’s promise is in it, all for building the temple up.

2) Flee from non-Emmanuel (spirits without the Holy Spirit) (Keep the rein on the flesh)
How do we know we are entering into dangerous realms? Joshua gives warning at the end of the book of Joshua saying that if they only compromise a little bit, they will go astray all the way.
(1) Are we putting out the Spirit’s fire? 消灭圣灵的感动? If there are danger signs, do we ignore the Spirit’s plea?
(2) Are we grieving/worrying the Holy Spirit? 叫圣灵担忧? Do we go on in ignoring the Spirit, making Him worried?
(3) Are we not relying on the Holy Spirit? 不依靠圣灵的? Do we not want to rely on the Holy Spirit’s voice in drifting further away?
(4) Are we not submitting to the Holy Spirit to do all things? 不顺着圣灵而行? Are we outrightly doing things opposing the Holy Spirit?
Flee from
(1) Money – no self-restraint
(2) Women – flesh
(3) Fame – compromising with the world

3) Do the right things = build and live the temple (Renew)
Beware of studying in depth of each era and history, as they have no essence in themselves at all, but they are all for the sake of exalting Jesus Christ. (As I write just a little more academically, it is all meant to prove and lead people to seeing and loving God and loving men.) If, say, there are sheep who needs your help more than your work in loneliness, can you be filled with the Spirit and give the timely answers through the Word of God? Of course, if there are no much sheep needing your help, it is God’s perfect will to equip more in quietness and in step. I really wish to touch more lives, but it seems the communicating part has problems.
Since God even bear to let Israel be destroyed for 70 years just to build the temple, and 400 more years to get the true temple right (Jesus Christ temple <Jn 2:19>), the things to do right can only be one, and this is renewing the temple to get the Holy Spirit.

What symbolizes the Holy Temple ? 圣殿的预表? (So that we can do right)

Sure, we have to know God, but we have to know Him inside of my conditions, our conditions and our expanding conditions.

1) Me 我 – God Who lives in me – God is Himself the Promise given to me
(1) 同在 His Presence is in me – He has not left me but He has always been with me in all my conditions past background and future hope, I can rely on Him being by my side, praises abound for His Presence around me. He is with me first by waiting and protecting me for my timetable..
(2) 保护 His Protection is in me – closes one eye even when I do not know all, wakes me up to safety when I go dangerous ways of being numb so as to avoid disasters and harm, keep my heart convicted lively and practical towards God as a heart of flesh and not of a stone. I am not perfect, but He always leads and guides me back to His fold again and again..
(3) 引导 His Guidance is in me – two laws in me waging showing His guidance, I find that I love more and more the righteous and the loving kindness ways and deeds instead of the evil lazy and wasteful ways, surely he guides me towards quiet waters and the righteous ways of God’s kingdom – all these are prayers answered – yes, no and wait. If there is the promise of prayers being answered, the most wonderful is that I see His guidance in me rather than getting material blessings. A discovery that His guidance are made possible by Him providing at every step..
(4) 供应 His Providence is in me – He provides me amidst more problems with the understanding that they are the root problem of man separating sinning and sataning with God telling me to deny myself and seek His perfect will in the problems, the hunger and in awe for His great mystery of love and learning His righteousness in me and my lifestyle continually increases by His grace so that I desire to submit and obey Him in every step, more gospel doors are opened and so are lessons learnt and gospelized through tribulations that accompany the doors. His providence are the most authoritative and most powerful thing in the world. Who can receive the most providence from God except the one who submits most to God, as He vouches everything if we just follow Him? He is the one who understands what “God’s accomplishments” are..
(5) 成就 His Accomplishment is in me – when all evidences point to the fact that I continue to need Him and I can truly believe in Him, that I am able to continue to repent and love His proverbs and build them into my understanding of Who God the temple and the Holy Spirit really is and be a changed wise Holy Spirit filled man, I become a person who always fall into blessed meetings with nothing coincidental: well-liked and loved by conditions meetings people and especially blessed lives.

2) We 我们 – love and righteousness between us
I find that I am quite weak in this. That is why God has to move us into the perfect will because souls are intertwined. Tolstoy went to the other extreme of focusing just on the Sermon on the Mount, criticizing the Eastern Orthodox Church for only talking about faith and the contents of it without building up answers from the very life of Christ Himself especially using submission and love to win over enemies, using that emphasis as an excuse over morality. I should say that both are equally important, but in real essence, if the belief system is built up perfect, the lifestyle system will equally happen.
配偶 Spouse (become one, complement)
儿女 Children (teach, don’t embitter)
父母 Parents (filial, receive favor)
弟兄姐妹 Brothers and sisters (peace, help)
肢体 Brethren (peace = same heart, minister, intercede, cowork)
同事亲友 Colleagues, relative and friends (loyalty, testimony)
I intend to write more on 我们, but for now, it seems I am still building the temple in the above. Frankly speaking, without this temple, there will be no church that can be laid up and built, because people’s problems are interpersonally real.

3) Expansion 扩张
耶稣基督来的时候The coming of Christ
圣灵五旬节降临 Pentecost Holy Spirit’s descent
120 – 3000 Church raised
整个耶路撒冷 lay the Headquarters / 36 lessons / ordination of the reverends elders deacons / setting up the theological center
犹太全地 knowing and coworking with other christ life churches
撒玛利亚 spreading to other churches of this era
安提阿 sending missionaries to regions
小亚细亚, 马其顿 knowing and grasping the culture and timetable of the foreign regions
罗马 go right into solving the core of the era – the capital city of the great power empire
整个欧洲 spreading into all areas of the great province of God
美国, 然后来到亚洲 and in each era that supercedes the previous era, we not only have to expand the message, but to revamp the message.
China is a place where we see the need for good workers, more workers and workers that can continue persevering in good health on the ground for years. But beware of building a temple that compromises the church with politics – 312AD Constantine took church and politics together to unite a big Roman empire, and though the church’s council made several important decisions, the puritans were getting fewer. Yet, if the Lord tells us to go, we have to take His lead, and learn along the way.

May God show us the need to save, and the need to pray and the need to go.

This is a long overdue post that I intended to post 1 year ago back in July 2010 (yes, it is that long), and some thoughts/voices of an elder.

I was so busy at work 1 year ago, that I began to think about the darkness of the Era that affected me. Every progressive era went on to further greater darkness, and we all know that this century is the time where information gets everywhere and social, so that everyone becomes more of a flat hierarchy, are all mentally and emotionally affected, and it becomes a necessity to deal with EQ and self-actualization and self-realization now.

However, the Emmanuel God definitely did not abandon us. Each era did not destroy the work of God, but actually advanced the progress of the understanding of the gospel and spurred it to greater heights. I began to do some little research and prayers on what happened in the history, and why God made them happen for the greater opportunity of the remnants. Indeed, it is all for the sake of bringing the gospel to a higher calling. I knew my busyness caused by this dark era had a reason, and this is to bring the next progress of the gospel spiritual understanding and this is Emmanuel. No wonder everything is going so fast through the easy information highway of internet, duo/quad/etc core processors coming up, green technology to tell people to work even more efficient than before, and everyone talking about re-evaluating ways of working, and everyone talking about transformation. This will of course make people die (including believers), but a breed of blessed believers will rise up reaching the unreached in all of us. Yet, how many will know that this is a calling of God not to live their lives for the purpose of gaining riches on earth, but to live a life seeking after the assurance that God is pleased with our love for Him and the sheep He has left to us to tender?

I just attended a Singtel M2M event that has a innovation speaker speak very well on how to know and ride on the era of ready markets to transform solutions and services (for all the other speakers who are locals, I was trying to keep myself awake). People are starting to re-evaluate about good-looking spreadsheets that do not absolutely point to a good business. People are also saying failures teach us the most (they make us remember the most lessons), so they are thinking of how to fail more, but more cheaply and quickly. These are, suspiciously, values that are brought down from the Western Christian culture. Yet, they are used now in all business models and all walks of life. In fact, it is so confusing now in this era that our messages sometimes have to remind people that we are not doing psychology on the pulpit when we talk about the heart. This era is really a confusing era, and we really have to grasp the cross message, differentiate the spirits, and enjoy Christ.

“The fields are white, but the workers are few – Lord, send me.” I just cannot escape thinking about being a full-timer. I was told to find my own inheritance as soon as possible, and this was told to me even while back in year 2003. From then on, I kept searching for what my role is. 8 years has passed and I become an elder in the local church with a life full of sufferings (sanctifications). My senior pastor told me that his convictions for me never change, and this is to find my specialization in this era, and like an elder who can support the church and missions. Do I have convictions? Slowly, over the years, I have surrendered. Yet, every time I go to work, I find motivations, technologies, continual learning, and business transformations more and more meaningless. I wonder how I could go from there. In the past, I announced I was okay with being a contractor. Slowly, I loved being a contractor (I do not belong to the world). One day, the company has to choose between me and another colleague for conversion. I was chosen, I tried to decline and pass it to my colleague, but was rejected based on experiences and which you can call it the grace of God. I am still not a full-fledged regular IBMer, but I got used to it even less than 1 year. I told people around that I still feel like a contractor. I learnt a lot of things in the church, and have gone through creating the church’s website http://lcm.zftp.com (some of you might remember) everything else, everything from managing church leaders to visions to preaching to the lowest form of support work in church. I bumped into many things, failed and re-align myself. I got bullied by the pulpit and gulped down every misunderstanding from the words of the pulpit, always calling out to God to make justice, yet acknowledging that God has every right to humble me, if I only could grasp the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ like Paul. Did I totally die and resurrect? Somehow, I went from dying and resurrecting, but was hinted many times that I have not totally died and have not totally resurrected – the elder’s spiritual battle. Recently, I got to know that the teachings that my father listened over Christian radio at night are taught by an elder. Hey, an elder is not only someone who is stupid enough to do secular jobs and be a slave to the church, but he can teach! He can pastor. What is the best elder? Is he the one who earns the most? If God plans so, I am all for it. Is he the one who loves sheep and keeps thinking of them day and night? If God plans so, I am of course, more for it. Yet, everything has God’s timing and plan. He knows best. I am not God. If you are feeling injustice though you know a lot, you must know that man is not God, not even the pastor. It is from this fact “my senior pastor is not God” that I begin to pray seriously and treat God as my God, and take His promise as my promise, and face the limited 70 years on earth. The kingdom of God belongs to those who desires and works the hardest to enter it, and it belongs to those who can enjoy evidences of the kingdom of God most. To this, I repent.

Now, our church is in need of another full-timer. Her name is Huijun. She is so old now (young of course, but only a few years younger than me), but what I mean is that the recent church messages kept me worrying for her pastoral career ahead. We are one in a bond of love, one community of destiny. Years ago, I agreed so much to a childcare center done by our church. Why? I had a motive. When my child is born, I hope to have him taken care of by a childcare center who have teachers knowing the Emmanuel Message. Even if you have the 36 lessons, if you do not have someone who embodies the 36 lessons in Word and Spirit, it will be worse than if you do not have the 36 lessons (the curse of the Pharisees given by Jesus Himself, and the curse of the fake gospel written by Paul himself in Galatians). My child (don’t know where it is now) will affect me positively or negatively, and our future, and the descendants lie on the Emmanuel childcare center. Every era always depends on the youths. The youths make up the culture of the society and the world. We need to take care of the youths, and we need another full-timer pastor. Her plight is my family’s plight. If I do not pray and be careful with my life, to keep it in holiness, it will affect the whole church. The church/brethrens are interconnected. Do I sound calculative? But it just melts me to see her trying her best to keep her intimacy with God and her faithful cares on her small group members. I wish for the best for her and a future.

A very practical question now comes. In Singapore, we have taxes, but we also have our CPF taken away from the government monthly. Yet, frankly speaking, the government told employers to pay into our CPF account too, and we use that money to buy flats and we live in them. Do we live in flats for free? Compare that to rental rooms that use cash. Do we give tithes of our take-home pay, or do we give tithes of our full salary (before the 20% entered into CPF), or do we give tithes of our full salary plus what the employer will be forced to give into our CPF account? If we have tested our hearts, and have known that in our timetable of faith that we have been a good and faithful servant of the Lord, we would not be paiseh (ashamed/fear/cannot pass our own conscience) of handling receipts to the treasurer for claims of the church. May it not be that we keep thinking whether we are wicked and lazy servants! I cannot live in peace with that thought. Another thinker to CPF and tithes: in the bible, it is shown that a full timer Levite can come out and be fully supported by 12 persons, i.e. a full-time minister can be raised from 12 persons (yes, there is this perfect will. The nation of Israel or the church needs pastoral/discipleship care in the ratio of 12:1, or else the church won’t be taken well cared of). Yet, there is no mention of the rental amount for the place of worship, needed for the ministries by Levites. David himself prepared everything – in riches and also in spiritual – for the temple of Solomon. For the Israelites led by Moses in the wilderness, their place of stay was all around the tabernacle. Now, who paid for the rental premise of the tabernacle when they stayed at a position for e.g. 3 years? If there are already 12:1 tithes given, where does the resource come from to rent the tabernacle? In a certain sense, the church at Citimac is part of our place of stay, but we go and use the place for free, thinking that tithes are enough just for the full-time people. If we take pay away from the full-time people, they might rely on other sources of offerings and they would pray less for the church therefore. The ones who are at the very most disadvantaged would be the very layman of the church. In real life, no churches can give full 10% tithes, perhaps maybe 70-80% of the congregation would do tithes. Yet, a colleague told me that their church can buy a four-storey high commercial building as their church, and most of the church’s income actually comes from a few people who gave much more. Frankly speaking, perhaps the 20-30% that never pays tithes is all covered up by some of the 70-80% of the congregation who gives more than their tithes. Will not my actions affect the other brethrens as an elder? If I am single, it would be easy. I am married, it is harder. For those who have children and elderly parents to take care of, it is even much harder – to pass off the conscience, to entrust everything to God’s hands, and to find the perfect will of God.

This world is very practical. Some elders in the church are ordained just because they are some important figures in the society. It might not be totally wrong. The more I serve and do secular work, I find that the higher people climb in career, even though there is great temptation and darkness our there in the world (People in the secular world are more or less affected by the worldly values.), their willingness to remain committed to the church vision in offerings and attending meetings more or less shows that they have passed the test. (Of course, there are many other areas needing testing and approving.) Moreover, those who hold more important positions or manage projects in the company would need to handle people and think about the big picture always. Their parallel experiences would actually remove some mind blocks and obstacles when welcoming and taking care of new-comers. Their experiences would also help them display relevant wisdom when leading on the pulpit. (Of course, this can only happen if that person is already born again and knows God’s covenant for him for lifetime, else handling church would be a wrong business way.) Recently, I became more bold to ask God to give me more faith and insights, 10 times better than the next leader below me, just for the health of the church. If God is willing, an idea of expanding and going into a specialization or business would be a good testimony to give to the universal church. I saw that when opportunities are given to me to lead responsibilities in job, they really lead me to think about how to accomplish a task and positively overcome a task. This is sometimes very much connected to expanding the works of gospel through practical works after prayers. I can think of many stages in my life where I slowly know what is meant by prayers and practical actions. It never occurred to me that seeking for people of good soil would be the first action after praying for doors of evangelism. No matter how I prayed, no answers came. It was partly because of my maturity in life as I never sought for such practical answers. Family background hindered me to think in the positive active form. Did not the bible already said to find people of good soil first? Yes, but if there is no incarnation, or some things seeable, learnable and explainable, there is no way I could understand it, let alone live it out. This answers why God allows the world of practicality and relevance, because when the remnants see “evidences” and “workability”, their level of understanding just differs.

Yet, before this kind of practical Emmanuel faith can come, there has to be a sort of self-realization and self-actualization. The Emmanuel message is about what God is doing right now. If we can see Him transforming our hearts, we can decipher what the Holy Spirit is telling us. E.g. There are always two perspectives to a problem – one is that it is a challenge, the other one is that it is going to destroy you. We don’t try to ignore the latter to live a better life, but self-realizing this message will make you understand that this information has come to you to make you have advantage over both the two perspectives already. You see, we can never self-actualize unless we have some “information” in our minds. Some academic sense is needed to make a lasting impression so that the experiences of “evidences” and “workability” instruct us to self-actualization. The Diploma or University education that we receive is an intense course-work which normally presents no practicality in the later society work. However, the research and study put in makes the lasting impression of a particular subject work.

Recently, I wrote a blog on the four parts of Theology. It’s for my own equipping, but I found God’s perfect will for me to keep on being diligent. I have been searching as to what I can do meaningfully for my part-time ministry, my role and what I can do to prepare for God’s usage. We have a vision not to keep us looking into heavens, but to keep ourselves focused on deeper prayers to love God and love men. I have two small groups now at evenings, one night for completing the Bible Overview Notes, one evening of time for my wife, one evening for time of preparation of small group. For the daytime, I cannot just work like a robot and finish the work. Each day, I got to see the Emmanuel God’s kingdom expanding. I cannot just have lunch with people in the company, find no doors of evangelism, then become numb in that area, which means, having no more hope in lunching with colleagues but just talk about latest things in the world. Yet, I find that the darkness of the world is really difficult to overcome for the part-time minister. We can be careless sometimes, but with the person really in the secular work, we can be careless a lot of times, easily tricked by Satan, and finding hard to return to the Lord. (It becomes faster over time, but the way has to go through alternating repeats of success and failures in life.) Practically speaking, you are handling two or more things at the same time, but we only have got one heart. We can multi-task in our brain, but can we split our heart? I got to find a role that fits everything and I have been trying to find one for months (or maybe years). Probably no one can understand and I got to stand on my toes. I cannot live each day and see what could come by. It has been more than a month since the church camp. What has changed? We cannot keep ourselves thinking that everything is alright but there is no assurance that God is touched with our lives with our diligence right now. God gave me an answer: to diligently do Project-Based equipping and deliverables. Since I am an introvert (the web says that an introvert is a person who is more energized by being alone and whose energy more is drained by being around other people. It does not mean they are anti-social, but they get more tired playing around with people. I, however, don’t bind myself as to what people thinks of me but of what Jesus Christ has made me), perhaps I can start with some academics, and then use it to serve the Holy Spirit in my heart.

We are not focused on Theology and Historical knowledge, but academics really give lasting impression. So here goes in my blog of what happens in the 21^st Century.

What I have written below may not be totally accurate, but it seems a good reference? I am back to watching some documentary videos lately, but not for long. It’s a project based learning, anyway. The thing to learn is Emmanuel.

Egypt (precious life of VIPs, whole lifetime of slavery labor to construct pyramids, and the concept of afterlife (pyramids/great structures made by mud bricks and hard labor/ship beside pyramids/mummies) -> under these circumstances, Abraham formed the understanding of Ge 12:1-3, the life of circumcision (set apart from the world), and 4 gospelizations heaven and hell to make a difference in after death, thereby, even treating burial places and the bones of fathers as carrying the very covenant of God)

=> Canaan inhabitants to conquer (disturbance in living -> forming the need of the static and mobile tabernacle and the need to walk with God in inheritance so not to surrender, not to compromise, but to overcome Canaan as the land flowing with milk and honey)

=> Egyptians, Phoenicians (Tyre and Sidon), and the smaller “Ammonites, Moabites, Philistines, Edomites” (3 main types of paradoxical unbelievers – Egyptians: having political and military power, Phoenicians: having great economical power, and persecutions (Ammonites: sneering the weakness of Christian faith, Moabites: comparing similarities between the results of unbelievers and believers, Philistines: always tempting believers, Edomites: always having fits of anger and jealousy towards blessed believers because they grew up as peers before) = appear right, but in fact wrong -> forming the carbon-copy belief in Northern Israel as compared to Southern Judah, who made it a point to worship the right God by building a temple of God. In the rise of the kingdom of Israel, their riches were actually used to build the first holy temple. In the fall, they became a constant thorn to discipline Israel -> the concept of the “kingdom of God” was born)

=> Assyria (cross-borders/intermarriage/assimilation -> though a barbaric nation that bullies, Israel is tested to love even the enemies as themselves in the book of Jonah: Israel is to be a blessing to love all nations, whether Israel knows the love of God as deep as how God loves His creation)

=> Babylon (grandness and power -> the gospel must be understood not in external grandness but in the fruits of having a heart of stone turned into flesh, so that the Jews were even exiled, the likeness of total demolishment and rebuilding = total death and resurrection, in order to be utmost gentle to hear the voice of God)

=> Persia (a kingdom that rediscovers brotherhood, generosity and beauty that brings seductively fierce united powers –> King-linage Zerubbabel to return to rebuild a second temple of Israel, priest-linage Ezra to reseat back to God’s covenant to uncover back the lost scribes of the laws of Moses, prophet Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem to join together all breaches that failed Israel, in the hope to restore the promise of God)

=> Greece (gods, culture and language, each property has a spirit behind, and combining spirits will give birth to sons and daughters of a more powerful spirit/god, all on Mount Olympia; two schools of thoughts/education: Spartan (strict nobility, morals and never bowing down to weaknesses = simple, obedience and war) and Athens (using compassion and spirits to conquer = dwelling into creativity, education, arts, sciences), but Athens wins at the end; deep philosophy requires understanding spirits and gods behind attributes that are in the human world. A preview here: The Olympians are a group of 12 gods who ruled after the overthow of the Titans. They lived in Mount Olympus:

(1) Sky (Zeus = King of the gods, lord of the sky, the rain god, thunderbolt, married to Hera but is famous for his many affairs; punish those that lie or break oaths)

(2) Marriage (Hera wife and sister of Zeus = goddess protector of marriage and takes special care of married women

(3) Seas (Poseidon brother of Zeus = god of the seas)

(4) City (Athena daughter of Zeus = goddess of wisdom, the city, handicrafts, and agriculture)

(5) War (Ares son of Zeus and Hera = god of war, murderous, bloodstained, coward)

(6) Earth (Demeter = goddess of the harvest, fertility of the earth, the seasons, harvest, sanctity of marriage, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death)

(7) Visions (Apollo son of Zeus and Leto = god of the Sun, theatre, music, playing a golden lyre, archer, healing, light, truth)

(8) Chastity (Artemis son of Zeus and Leto = goddess of Hunt – chastity, wilderness, fertility, protector of the young, resides over childbirth)

(9) Engineering (Hephaestus son of Zeus and Hera = god of Fire – technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes; only god to be physically ugly)

(10) Beauty (Aphrodite daughter of Zeus and Dione = goddess of love, desire and beauty; wife of Hephaestus)

(11) Measurements (Hermes son of Zeus and Maia = Zeus messenger, fastest of the gods, god of thieves and god of commerce, guide for the dead to go to the underworld, invented lyre, pipes, musical scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, care of olive trees)

(12) Pleasure (Dionysus = god of wine and pleasure)

* Underworld (Hades brother of Zeus = god of underworld; not included in the 12)

* Healing (Asclepius son of Apollo = god of medicine & doctors)

The culture of Greece went on to plays forming the foundations of movies and cinemas, only men acted in Greek Plays, Oracles are female portals to advice gods’ voices, temples are built to hold gods’ spirit, not for worship, Athens became the first democracy in the world, the centaurs are half man, half horse, Acropolis means "highest city" = Citadel (English) -> Ancient Greece gave rise to Olympic Games, Art, Architecture, Science, Mathematics, Literature, Drama (Theatres), Study of History, Religion (Organized development through teachings of myths and legends) = birthplace of western civilization (U.S. Supreme Court, US Capitol, similar to our Singapore “National Museum Building”, “Supreme Court”, “Parliament House”). Greek philosophy and the basic teachings of Socrates and Plato: Justice, right/wrong, what to teach the young, lover of wisdom, philosopher. Socrates “The unexamined light is not worth living”, arguing with people on sidewalls, question and method of teaching, reasoning purpose is not to get to the point but to sympathize with people, sharp tongue, brought to trial which he refused to stop questioning people. Plato, most famous disciple of Socrates born in 428BC when Parthenon already built, wrote many books including “The Republic” exalting Socrates, yet first 23 years witnessed the rage of wars between Sparta and Athens (Peloponnesian War), philosophized nature of right conduct and the ideal political state: Utopia, an imaginary and perfect world, where everyone gets one job for life, designed a social ring, no war because philosophers are kings, children are only allowed to hear heroic and uplifting tales, started school called “The Academy”, best student Aristotle, who tutored Alexandra the Great. Alexander the Great 325B.C conquered everywhere he went from age 22 till west of India, wanted to be a god, died at 33

-> the basis empowering the thought of Jesus Christ the manifestation of God, Son of God, Spirit of God, having the weak winning the powerful = the Holy Land is profaned by the abomination that causes desolation till the point that the Son of God bearing the Holy Spirit is and must be born. This will tell us to really appreciate the manifestation of God in the Son of Man Jesus Christ, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at the Pentecost)

=> Rome (has no culture of its own, but added/absorbed even more provinces/gods/wisdom and seven roads for all culture, mainly Greek culture to be spread to all the world -> birth of the concept of church, and the spread of Christianity, even till making Christianity the national religion in 312, when Caesar Constantine was converted, and started calling councils in 325. This makes it possible to canonize the 27 books of the New Testament at the Council of Hippo (in Roman Africa) in AD 393. Translation was made possible too. St Augustine (354-430 AD): first system/theology came out.)

=> Europe (identified by fall of Roman Empire in 476 AD. Middle Ages (from 5th to 15th Century): (1) Early Middle Ages (5th to 11th Century ), (2) the High Middle Ages (till 13th century?) = the "flowering" of medieval culture/society, castle-building/magnificent cathedrals, material culture, feudalism, (3) the Late Middle Ages (till 16th century?) [dark ages = barbarians = wars/fights/return to naught, return to spirituality = monks and monastery -> renaissance)]

-> Wars vs Christian monks -> live in peace and simplicity vs high-ranking pursuits -> arts vs reformation (restoration of essence of the word of God) -> science – printing press vs Calvanism clear theology forming a good foundation of the bible so that God is okay to allow bible to be distributed -> European world exploration and colonization vs missions -> engineering vs denominations of church came up to purify and engine the church)

=> America (world wars, industrialization, leaning/efficiency/productivity, outsourcing, entrepreneurship, globalization and the internet <-> missions, discipleship, charismatism in packaging the system in meaning and in form)

=> China (not in the steps of economic giant Japan but slowly learning all of America’s industrialization, pirating and learning everything, going out at all costs, basis of infrastructure/hierarchy/economy, people-power, yet very relational, on deep logical thinking, and on uncovering heart -> see Rhema of God’s temple, hear Spirit of God’s original heart in parallel, 24 hours in all things Emmanuel compassion and wisdom, but the greatest is love)

As you can see above, history has gone through its length of many things (I only chose the history of mankind with the chosen people of God, since God centers history on them.) It is a history made by God.

- Transcending Being of God (Mesopotamia/Sumerians)

- Knowing heaven and hell (Egypt)

- Need of walking with God (Canaanites)

- Need of Holy Temple in our hearts (Israelites’ enemies)

- Blessings to all nations (Assyria)

- Death and resurrection (Babylon)

- Restoration of the pure covenant (Persia)

- The power of language to theologize systems into perfect will (Greece)

- The church (Rome)

- Missions and culturalization (Europe)

- Engineering Discipleship (America)

- The Heart and the Holy Spirit (China)

As we go through building a local church, I wonder how many of you have seen that we have gone through and experienced the whole history of mankind. It is therefore inevitable that our secular work and even the church pastoral work now are not as simple. We are facing the 21^st Century now with the immense measure of mental problems but also with an opportunity to be totally set apart and give the Holy Spirit in His whole practicality and relevance. May God help us pass the Holy Spirit to our descendants in a greater measure than what we have received.