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.