As we celebrate Jesus (Xmas) Day...

Hi all!

Christmas is a time of cheer, good tidings and festivities but more importantly it is a day that we remember that God loved us so, so much He gave Jesus to the world.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:17

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Important thing here is also to know that God is not a condemning God, neither should His people be. We are all saved in His name. With that we receive His Truth & Grace.

John 1:17

For the Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

It is in a season where the world says it is better to give than to receive, but in God's economy, it is better to receive first than give. Receive His love, His abundant blessings into our lives, receive His healing, receive His prosperity and of course most importantly before all this, we receive His salvation for the forgiveness of our sins and iniquities.

In the light of this, then, when we give, we will have a revelation of the Father's loving giving heart. We give to be a blessing to others, we give so that our friends, family and even our enemies will see the Light of God's love and the saving grace of Yeshua/Jesus.

Speaking of Light, today is actually the 5th day of Hanukkah, a Jewish festival also called, Festival of Lights or in the New Testament it is mentioned as the Feast of Dedication.

John 10:22

And the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem, and it was winter.

Many Christians have been studying the Jewish Calendar and Feasts and know that Jesus/Yeshua wasn't really born on 25th Dec. Most likely He was conceived during this time of Hanukkah. The Light of the world being conceived during the Festival of Lights. Yeshua was most likely born on the 15th of Tishri, which is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The original Greek word for dwelt here is σκηνόω "skenoo", which explained by Thayer's Definition as:

1) to fix one’s tabernacle, have one’s tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle
2) to dwell

The verse before speaks of Jesus not being born of blood or flesh nor the will of man but of God. I'm sure this verse is a direct reference to Yeshua being born on Tabernacles.

You can read a bit more on the dates and chronology here http://www.messianic.com/articles/dates.htm

There are many other articles on the Birthday of Yeshua but i find this article explains it the clearest. Though the author has some strong comments about the Roman Catholic Church and even the Christian Church (Ekklesia) in general, we can learn from the author's research here. The author is a Messianic Jew, meaning a Jew who has received the revelation of Yeshua as his personal Savior.

There will be many of our friends or other people out there who might challenge the Christian to say that we're celebrating a pagan festival, to celebrate the pagan god of Sol-Invictus, we can safely say NO. Though Yeshua's original B'day is during Tabernacles/approx. Sept, it does not stop the Christian believer in celebrating Jesus/Yeshua anytime of the year! So what if Dec 25th is a pagan festival day? We remember Jesus! You know how your friends and family can always give you a belated birthday wish right? Why can't we do that for our Savior? In fact we can celebrate Him anytime we want! Because we have a GOD that can turn ANY circumstances around for the good!

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

And ALL believers in Christ Jesus are called according to His purpose. Amen!

Be greatly blessed in this season. I pray that you receive YHVH's abundant Grace & Favour for your coming year of 2009! He has already given it ALL! Receive. Amen.

Shalom to one & all,

Emmanuel

God loves you... & only you.

Hi dearly beloveds,

Most of us losely use the term "God loves you", but can you truly say "God loves me" and me personally?

God loves you beyond condition. There's NO conditions to receiving His love. As you love your mother, your father, your child, God loves you more than that!

I recently gave a friend of mine an illustration, that if she and her child was taken hostage, and the kidnapper was pointing a gun and about to shoot her child, what would she do? What would i do? What would YOU do? Instinctively we would give up our own lives to save our darling child. That is what YHVH did. The God of the Universe did just that for you and I. He gave up His own life as Jesus/Yeshua for you and me. The beauty here is this, God the Father came as Jesus and Jesus is also Son of God. Jesus is Father & Son together. Jesus said this in John 14:9-11

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

God in one instant showed His double portion love for you. He gave Himself as Father God to be in a fleshly man to take your sins, my sins and be punished on His body and at the same time giving His Son Jesus Christ in the flesh to take His wrath, the wrath of God on the Cross of Calvary. Why? For what? He gave His Son so that we, His creation, flesh made from the dust of the earth can become His children! Paul says this in Galatians 3:26-29

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Above and beyond becoming God's children, we automatically, in the spirit man become Abraham's seed and become Abraham's heirs according to what God has promised Abraham for his descendants! Hallelujah! YHVH the God of the universe, now is your Father, Abba, Daddy. You are so dear to Him. So am I. So is the rest of the world who can believe that God is a saving God. God is a God of salvation. He WILL save you from wherever you are. That's His promise paid in blood, the final sin atonement, blood sacrifice on the altar. Paid through Yeshua/Salvation. How can it not be more obvious than that? God named His only begotten One, Salvation - Yeshua. YHVH IS Salvation.

The problems that you are having? It has already been Saved! By Him! Don't feel loved? Look to Him, the Sacrificial Lamb. Spotless, blameless. To take all that is burdening you, condemning you, the guilt that's been eating you from inside, ALL that has been paid for! You are now the redeemed of the LORD!

Psalms 107:

2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

He has redeemed you from the defeat in your life to a place of Victory!

So what kind of Victory do we have, do YOU have? 1 Corinthians 15:

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Death in ALL areas of your life has now been swallowed up by Victory. Our Spirit is now Eternal. We no longer die in the spirit, we also have victory over our flesh, sickness and disease dies in the name of Jesus!

Now we know that death's sting is sin, and the venom of sin is the law! So be free from the laws of do's and don'ts, be free from atoning your sins by yourself, be free from religiosity, receive the Bread of Life. In Him we receive Life and Life more abundantly.

Jesus Bread of Life

John 6:
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Life more abundantly
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Receive your overpayment of love today. He wants YOU to call His own. You are loved as His child, the God of this universe. He numbers the very hairs on your head. Mine too. Jesus said this,

Luke 12:7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

God values you. You are not His servant, you are His child. We serve Him out of the abundance of His love, not serve Him to get blessed by Him.

So my friend out there, receive His abundance of Love, Grace & Mercy.

Shalom,

Emmanuel

While You Were Sleeping... A Christmas Praise.

What is Love?

Hi dearly beloveds,

How loved are you by God? Does God's love for me require me to be in His servitude? Is His love for me contingent on my good deeds? Will He ever curse me should I be disobedient to Him?

I'm sure these are some very valid questions to some of us out there.

The answer we seek is the Cross of Calvary. Please watch the short music video first before reading on.

"I See Love" by Third Day, soundtrack of The Passion.

I truly see Love on that rugged cross.

Can God love you so much that He gave His very best to be punished in your place? Yes because He is God. And HE can because He is a God of love.
We can use a phrase from the world to describe this: Love is not love till you give it away.

Can you and I do the same to our own child? To our own beloved flesh and blood? To punish your beloved one for someone else's sin?

This love is so amazing and incomprehensible that Paul called it a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks.

1Corinthians 1:
22 For the Jews ask for a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom;
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness.

We declare to the world that Jesus Christ was crucified and rose again on the 3rd day conquering death, satan and hell, rising victoriously for us!

All that God has done for us was summed up on the cross, ALL His love for us was summed up on the cross, ALL His forgiveness, ALL His mercy, ALL His judgment was summed up on the cross. I used the word was because now we're living in the IS of God. He IS our Refuge, He IS our Shelter, He IS our Hiding place, He IS our Healing, He IS our Provider, He IS our Prosperity, He IS our Righteousness, He IS our Holiness. We're now IN Christ. Whatever GOD IS so are we!!! Amen! Hallelujah!

Now, that is love isn't it? UNCONDITIONAL, IRREVOCABLE, ETERNAL.

ALL that GOD IS, IS us now, the believer in Christ Jesus. He paid His own price of Judgment on His beloved Jesus.

Blessed ones, now Rejoice!

Psalms 13:
5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation(original Hebrew: Yeshua/Jesus).

Blessed is he who sees, blessed is he who hears.

Thank you Father that you hear me always! Father I rejoice in Your Yeshua!

Shalom Shalom,
Emmanuel

I am the First and the Last, I am He.

Hi dearly beloveds,

I've been praying over what would the next entry be for this blog. God said, "Look for me in between the lines."

So i did.

Pastor has been sharing a lot about Aleph-Tav down through the years. And i went back to the bible looking for the word "ET" or written in the Hebrew would be Aleph-Tav:
את

There's about 185 occurences of "ET" in the OT. Most of us know that Aleph-Tav represents Jesus because Jesus said in Revelation,

1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

And the original Hebrew equivalent is "I am Aleph-Tav."

So I searched on my e-sword for "first and last". The Lord led me to Isaiah 41:4 which makes both the mention of He is the first and the last and He is HE. And by the way this is the first mention in the bible about GOD being the first and the last and in the OT.

Isa 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

The first mention about GOD being the beginning and the end in the NT is in Revelation which is the verse above.

Interesting to note that Isaiah has 66 chapters and this represents the entire bible. So with this foreknowledge i looked up Mark which is the 41st book of the bible. Read up Mark Chapter 4 since the verse in Isaiah is 41:4, i took the 4 as a chapter.

Something absolutely cool and wonderful was shown to me by the Lord!

The ending part of Mark 4 was about the disciples and Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee enroute to the Gadarenes before Jesus delivered the demoniac. So, anyway Jesus was sound asleep when the waves started beating the boat. The disciples of course got worried and asked the Lord, "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" (Mark 4:38)

Next moment Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea, "SHALOM! Be still!"(Mark 4:39) The winds ceased and there was a mega calm.

Jesus then asked His disciples. "Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?" (v.40)

The best part was this, even though the disciples encountered God's working miracle power over the elements, they still could question who was Jesus!

Mark 4:41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

So where's their answer? Look to Isaiah 41:4 again, right at the end.

"... I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he."

Isn't it such a Hallelujah moment?! As the disciples questioned the Lord in the future, the answer has been given in the past by prophet Isaiah.

Also interesting to note is the uncanny mirror image of the chapter and verse numbers 41:4 & 4:41 respectively for Isaiah and Mark.

This is not all. Let's confirm whether Isaiah was really talking about Jesus. We now have to look at the original Hebrew:

ד מִי-פָעַל וְעָשָׂה, קֹרֵא הַדֹּרוֹת מֵרֹאשׁ: אֲנִי יְהוָה רִאשׁוֹן, וְאֶת-אַחֲרֹנִים אֲנִי-הוּא.
4 mî-fā‘al wə‘āśâ qōrē’ hadōrwōṯ mērō’š ’ănî yəhwâ ri’šwōn wə’eṯ-’aḥărōnîm ’ănî-hû’ (the original Hebrew will be read from right to left)

4 Who hath wrought and done it? He that called the generations from the beginning. I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

The highlighted in red Aleph-Tav there has the Strong's numbers of H853. And it has been losely translated into the English language as "and with" highlighted in bold above.

But even in the original Hebrew "ET"-
את is still not translatable into any fixed word.

But we know by the Word, that in Revelation 1:8, Jesus revealed Himself as the Alpha and Omega/Aleph-Tav.

So, we can read Isaiah 41:4 as "...I the LORD, the first (Aleph), (את) (Jesus/Yeshua) the last, I am he."

Hallelujah! It's all there!

You are the Beginning and the End. The author and finisher my faith.

Hebrews 12:2

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Thank you Jesus! Thank you Lord that now even without me being in that boat with your disciples, I KNOW who You ARE!

I hope those of you that have read this will be greatly blessed by this entry.

You are greatly blessed, highly favoured and deeply loved!

Shalom,

Emmanuel.

The Good, The Bad & The Dung...

Hi dearly beloveds,

Recently i was struggling with my new career. Well not recently, it's been months already. I left a profession that i was good at for the past 7 years. Did well, earned decent money, but somehow or rather deep down inside i knew it was something i couldn't do long term. Made a switch to another career path that was drastically different. I did really well for the first 9 months or so, then i had a huge performance slump. And man, was this a really long slump. Started in Feb this year and finally recovering from it now, which is already October.

All this while i was thinking of quitting and going back to what i was really good at. And all this while, ALL the people around me that really loved me told me to stay, hang on and not quit 'cos i have a bright and promising future in this career. But deep down inside i didn't really believe it. Still trying to struggle through and psyching myself up to do better, to look for that lost fighting spirit that i always had. That gung-ho spirit, that leadership training that i had during my national service, that mental focus that i acquired through martial arts training, basically all the positive life experiences that i've accumulated all these years. But somehow or rather all these didn't help.

THEN, the answer to my problems came when my boss asked me out for lunch and blessed me with a fantastic treat at his club. Well, the answer isn't the food of course but the conversation that transpired. I was sharing with him that the reason i felt lousy about myself was that i couldn't find that same fighting spirit, gung-ho-ness, mental focus and whatever else that i had to excel in my previous occupation and translate that to the new career that i had. And this really bugged me and made me feel lousy, worthless and just feel like giving up.

He asked one question that rocked my faculties and initially i didn't really understand what he was saying. He said, "Is that a bad thing?" Meaning me losing all my positive abilities that i had that brought me success previously. Initially i was like, yeah! of course that's a bad thing! It affects everything in my life! Then he reminded of Paul. Paul was a Pharisee. The best of them. Trained in all the ways of the Law. Trained to be the elite. Pushed to the limit where he became a persecutor/murderer of Christians. But we all know what happened to Saul right? Saul became Paul. The persecutor to the preacher!

Paul after being born again in Christ became a radically new person! He was not the same person anymore. He was transformed inwardly and outwardly. And this is what Paul said about all his previous training and know how...

Phillipians 3:

4... If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:

5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;

6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as dung, that I may gain Christ

This inward revelation that Paul had about being born again gave me new meaning to 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

What it means for me now being born again in Christ is that ALL of me that WAS me, GOOD or BAD has passed away. God is setting me up for bigger blessings, better things, a newer toolbox of skills. It is only when we have lost all our strength that His strength is perfected in us. All our self will, self effort, self-motivation and know-how are like dung. All our previous good experiences, good knowledge, intensive training are also like dung. Because eating from the Tree of the knowledge of Good & Evil brings death, but Life flows when when we eat from the Tree of Life! Behold Jesus and what He has done. Behold Him who have made ALL thing new!

I'm so blessed to have a boss that not only can help me build a career but also lead me spiritually to higher grounds.

I hope this little sharing here can bless you for your time of need.

God bless, be in His Shalom,

Emmanuel.

The Healer. The Song by Michael Guglielmucci & his restoration.

Hi Dearly Beloveds,

I recently was informed by a friend of mine about Michael Guglielmucci's public confession that he is not suffering from cancer for the past 2 years, but all that was a cover up for his 16 year addiction to pornography.

If you had not heard the song which he wrote during this time of trial for him, check it out here.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e8b6192a4ee92841d761

Heard that Hillsong & Planetshakers are trying to get this video off the net. So catch it fast.

I know to most of us this comes as a rude shock. I'm sure most of our initial reaction is to somehow have a condemning eye over Michael. But as for me, I think it is his first step to recovery, his first step to victory and walking in faith of his Salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I was very touched by this video response about Michael's confession. Here it is.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9fbe279b0bb93f34be99

After reading Michael's public statement and his father's response, I watched the live worship video of The Healer song again. This time, i could see and emphathise with Michael as he was singing the song. I could see his hurt, feel his pain and anguish in his heart knowing that he was a pastor, a man of God but living a life in bondage to the sin of pornography. God gave him the strength to come out with the truth, to seek help, to receive healing.

All that we have learnt in church is summed up in this moment. What would you do or say to such a man?

I say we look to the Word.

Romans 5:20-21 (Amplified Bible)
...But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God's unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded,

21So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favor) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord.

Also, Ephesian 1:7

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

This is the defining moment, where the rubber meets the road.

I ask all of you, brothers & sisters in Christ to stand with me in prayer for Michael. Pray for his speedy recovery, pray for his family and loved ones. Pray for them to have the strength to go through this challenging journey with him.

I thank you Father that You have given Michael the courage and the strength to walk in faith and receive his healing.

Be greatly blessed by Michael's song. Your worship is unto Jesus. That song glorifies Jesus!!!

It has inspired me, it has inspired hundreds and thousands of believers round the world. Let's keep singing that song!

Hallelujah, praise you Jesus for you are magnficient!

Shalom one & all,
Emmanuel

Have you received your Peace today?

Hi Dearly Beloveds,

Are you under stress? Worried about tomorrow? Personal inward struggles that's holding you back from reaching greater heights in life?

Well, Peace is your answer. Whose peace? Jesus'.

John 14:27

Peace (Shalom) I leave with you, my peace (Shalom) I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Have you received Jesus as your Saviour? Then you have also received His Peace!

Peace is not just a state of mind. It is all encompassing in its "Shalom" sense.

Jesus said," Shalom I leave with you, My Shalom I give to you." Besides giving us Shalom in its general sense, He gives us His own Shalom.

When Jesus was scourged, striped, pierced with a crown of thorns on His temples, was He at peace? NO! He willingly gave up His own Shalom for me, you and the rest of the world!

Have you received His Shalom Peace in your life, today? It is TODAY, that you receive His Shalom. HE is a very present, very now Shalom. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, He IS your Peace.

Shalom in its Hebrew context described in the Brown-Driver-Brigg's Hebrew Dictionary means:

1) completeness, soundness, welfare, peace
-1a) completeness (in number)
-1b) safety, soundness (in body)
-1c) welfare, health, prosperity
-1d) peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment
-1e) peace, friendship
---1e1) of human relationships
---1e2) with God especially in covenant relationship
-1f) peace (from war)
-1g) peace (as adjective)

Sounds like a lot of good stuff isn't it?!

Have you received all this yet? Yes LORD, I want and I receive Your Shalom in my Life now! Thank you Lord Jesus for this amazing Gift that you left me. I am complete in Your Shalom Peace.

Amen.

Well Brothers & Sisters, receive your inheritance. It is NOW your blood bought right to have the Peace of the Son of God in your Life. His Living, indwelling breath of Peace flows through your being right now.

Thank you Abba. I am Greatly Blessed, Highly Favoured & Deeply Loved by You!

Your most beloved son,

Emmanuel.

The Supreme GOD whom we call Abba.

Hi Dearly Beloveds!

I wanna start by saying Shalom Shalom to one & all. He came to give us His peace so that we can eternally rest in the truth that we are righteous by His righteousness.

How often have we gone to God and called Him Abba? Some of us often and some of us rarely. But the fact that we can now call the GOD of the universe Abba is truly astounding and for some even blasphemous. But one thing we know as believers of Christ Jesus is that He came to reveal GOD to us as Father.


Luke 10:22
All things are delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son will reveal Him.


John 14:9
Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father?

How do we know who this Father is? Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."

So, we just look at all the gospel anecdotes of Jesus and what He did during His ministry and we will have a glimpse of the Father's heart working in our lives.

He always has His best and does His best for us.

Praise God.

Thank you, Abba.

Christian I am, Malay I am too. Interesting Email Banter.

Hi Beloveds,

I just received an interesting email from a Muslim Brother. He posted it up as a comment on my first blog entry. I hope this email will be helpful for any Muslims, or for that matter any others who happen to bump into this blog. Below, i've posted both the email sent by this Brother and also my reply. I'm sure you will be blessed by reading this entry. : )

Shalom Shalom.

Emmanuel.

Zaharan's Email-------------------------------

Hi, I'm a Malaysian Muslim. I have no wish to judge you. At the risk of being thought of as putting my foot in your door, let me raise a few questions. One, almost everybody seems to be anonymous here. Is this because you are afraid of being persecuted, ostracized or oppressed by some people? This anonymity may make some people wonder if you are a poseur, a non-Malay Christian pretending to be a Malay planted here for some secret agenda.

Even if you are a Malay and a Christian why belabor it and wear it on your shirt sleeve while at the same time hiding behind anonymity? A bit clashing, if not overcooked, don't you think? I apologize if I sound judgmental there.

Before becoming a Christian have you done any window-shopping and looking at catalogs of various beliefs like Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Rationalism, Islam itself deeply enough and then decide to buy product A and not B or C? Have you studied comparative religions?

I'm not trying to throw a spanner into your mindset but just to share a common interest, assuming we do share a common interest - religions.

Coming a bit closer to your case, have you read any books touching on the subject of Islam-Christianity such as Ahmad Deedat, the story about Khatijah's cousin who was a Christian when he "anointed" Muhammad, the case about how Islam accepts Christianity but Christianity rejects Islam? I'm not defending or attacking either religion or any other for that matter. My standpoint is always one of impartiality when discussing inter-religious matters. My faith in Islam is a personal thing and it is not a standpoint in order to judge others. I don't believe religions more so God for that matter needs defending like he is your kid sister or can be "attacked" as God by definition is beyond such presumptuous human activities.

Finally I hope you can see this uninvited discussion of mine as an interesting and stimulating view that can only add rigor and vigor to whatever choices you make.

Thank you for your indulgence.

My reply------------------

Shalom Brother,

Hmmm, first question is, who's being anonymous? Emmanuel's my baptism name. Are you referring to the other people who have left comments? I've no control over that Bro. If you have read all my entries, i have not made any attacks on any religions. With my very first entry, any mention about Islam was always my personal experience and possibly not representing all Muslims. I respect every man for his beliefs but i am also here to share the Good News. Also to think that i'm a non-Malay Christian being planted and pretending to be a Malay Christian for some "secret agenda" is a bit far fetched for me lah. Think you've been reading too many spy novels. I'm as straight up as that. I just like to share what i've learnt and insights that God has revealed to me and to share it with whoever is interested.

In reference to your 2nd paragraph... I am proud to tell the world that now i need a Saviour and His name is Yeshua, "YHVH is Salvation". I am proud to say that I am weak and His strength is made perfect in my weakness. I am proud to say that no matter how much good deeds i do, it will never measure up to what He has done for me. And now I am righteous before God Almighty because He has given me the GIFT of Righteousness. It is really not blaring my horn but HIS. Back to anonymity again... Told ya, my baptism name is Emmanuel, "GOD is with us". Clashing... overcook... if you're here NOT to judge me, then i believe you have some really strong and harsh vocabulary for somebody who's not out to judge me.

3rd paragraph... Yes, i've done the "window shopping" bit. In fact, that was a very interesting phase of my journey Home. After doing so, i realized that what i believe in now is NOT religion. It is LIFE itself. Jesus said in John 14:6,
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

I now no longer fall into the category of religion. Religion is following a set of Laws, then being judged based on your deeds on Earth and ensuring there's enough points for me to obtain favour with God so that He can allow me to go to Heaven. But what i have now is undeserved, unmerited favour with my Father because of what He has done for me. Jesus, who's Jewish name is Yeshua, IS a Gift from my Abba Father.

The word "Gift" by definition in the Oxford dictionary is: "a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present."

So, GOD (YHVH) never did want us to do anything for Him but just believe in Him that He IS our Salvation and He has done it through Yeshua. Yeshua completed His mission for His Father, who is now my Father. How? Too simple for any man who is a student of religion to understand... By being punished brutally, then dying on the cross for our Sins and then conquering Satan and death itself and rising victoriously on the 3rd day. For who's benefit? For me.

Here is an excerpt from Paul. Paul a persecutor of the Jews, who was previously known as Saul a Jew, who killed and murdered Jews for the Roman Empire. Remembering now that Yeshua was a Rabbi during His ministry. So, obviously Saul was out to kill Yeshua too. But see how GOD can even use a persecutor of His people to do mighty things for Him. Saul had a direct encounter with Yeshua, the Light of the World, which literally blinded him but afterwhich his life was tranformed and made him God's vessel of His good news. Here is that defining moment in the book of Acts chapter 9:1-15,

1And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
10And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
11And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

After this moment, Saul became a mighty vessel for the Lord. And he preached the Good News everywhere he went. One of the most powerful messages that Paul preached was this, Jesus is THE Gift from GOD. Here we see in the book of Romans chapter 5:15-21, Paul talks about Jesus is our Gift from GOD and because of that we have righteousness before GOD, eternal life and His grace reigning through our lives. Lets take a read here, Romans 5:15-21,

15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

We can also see in v.20 that with the law, surely offence will abound. So, how? Well, when there's sin, GOD's grace SUPER abounds!

The Greek manuscript for v.20 for these words, "...did much more abound" is:

ὑπερπερισσεύω

huperperisseuō
hoop-er-per-is-syoo'-o
to super abound: - abound much more, exceeding.

Therefore, i am rest assured that no matter how i falter in this life on earth, His Grace will Super Abound to Save me. I'm sure this will be a point of contention because some will say that we can go "havoc" and still go to Heaven. I'm sure with the Love of GOD in our hearts and Spirit, He will also keep us in check and not go "havoc". It is so comforting to know that my Abba has given me so much. And for what? Because when He made us, He made us in His image and on the day He made us He was well pleased. Only after He made man did He say creation was "VERY GOOD". Prior to creating man, everything was just "good". Read through Genesis 1:1-31.

So, GOD has only intentions of GOOD in our lives. He loves me, you, so, so, much. Can you receive that Love? Besides all this Love that i'm getting from my Daddy God... I get a huge bonus! I get to go to Heaven!

I am also assured of a place in Heaven because of what He has done for me. Jesus says here in John 14:1-4,
1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And where I go you know, and the way you know."

So, about throwing spanners in my mindset, how about knowing that i have a Nut called Jesus that's really holding my life together and being blessed every moment by my Daddy GOD. Just an interesting trivia for you... If you do have any friends who are pilots and have gone through some kind of helicopter training, they will know that there is this 1 NUT that's holding the main propeller blades together. Without this nut, you'll probably not get a flying helicopter. Guess what this nut's name?... It's called the Jesus Nut. Haha! Funny right? It's ok for me to laugh at this 'cos it's a good illustration of who He is to me. Just Google "Jesus nut" and you'll probably get a lot of information about it.
Jesus was truly a nut case if you read the gospels. He shouted at the high priests of His day and called them hypocrites!
Ate with all the unsavoury characters of His day, tax collectors, prostitutes etc.
His rag tag team of preachers were a bunch of smelly, uncouth fishermen, but by the Grace of GOD, they became powerful ministers of His Word.
Finally, He willingly gave up Himself to be punished in our place. Jesus was NOT murdered. He WILLINGLY gave Himself.

So, i do have a Nut for a Saviour.

Yes, coming back to this email...

Paragraph 5... Yes i have read Ahmed Deedat's rhetorics about Christianity. Very famous man indeed. Famous in the Islamic comparitive study circuit. However, any scholar would know that to get an objective view of anything, we have to look at the situation from both sides of the story. Have you, Zaharan, personally read any books on Christianity written by Christians? Have you personally picked up a copy of the Bible and read it for yourself? Any good judge in court would always look at both the defence evidence and also the prosecuting evidence. I'm sure you will be a very good judge coming from such a scholarly background and a student of comparitive religion. I'm not sure how you see that Christianity rejects Islam. Within the Bible, no where does it state that it rejects Islam. GOD gave Jesus so that we all can come back to Him, clean, spotless and blameless.
You speak of not attacking any religions, beliefs, and also impartiality, yet you mention Christianity rejects Islam. I'm not quite sure of your intentions Brother.
I am also very sure, just as you are, that GOD needs no defending. He's the best defender there ever will be!
I am just here to blow His horn. I am here to Worship Him, Glorify Him, Sing Praises to Him and say that HE IS my GOD, HE is also my Abba.

Finally Brother, i hope with your permission, i can pray for your Shalom Peace, Abundant Blessings in your life, Supernatural Health coupled with a long fulfilling life. Amen.

Shalom, GOD bless,
Emmanuel

Jesus, YHVH Saves! Jesus my refreshment!

Hi dearly beloved,

Sorry i've been inactive for quite awhile. The past few weeks i have been distracted by work and other things which pull my time away from the Lord in these wee hours of the night.

I've been feeling drained lately from being kept awake at night by my darling baby. It's alright you know. Part of being parents. My wife goes through the same thing and it's tougher for her 'cos she's the one actually feeding baby. Through it all, daily, physically i feel really tired. But i realised something happening in me. I started praying in tongues more frequently lately. It's amazing after those few minutes, I feel truly refreshed! He truly is my refreshing.

John 7
:37 And in the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
:38 He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
:39 (But He spoke this about the Spirit, which they who believed on Him should receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Jesus spoke about this refreshment of the Holy Spirit. Those who listened to Him during that feast could not enjoy this drink. But now we can!

It amazes me that no matter how tired or moody or lethargic i feel, whenever i speak about Jesus to someone, i always feel so awake and alert during and after!

Jesus saved us from many things. He also saved us from our tiredness, lethargy and emotional down times.

Jesus is saying, "Use Me!" If all that He has done and gone through for us can't even give us our energy back in our daily lives, then i think we have not seen the revelation of His finished work and how complete it is.

Thank you my Yeshua! You have given me the best isotonic drink ever!

God bless one and all and have a blessed Sunday!

Emmanuel