new word alive

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

- Isaiah 55:8-11 (NIV)

new word alive was absolutely amazing. from the teaching of don carson, john piper and terry virgo to the corporate worship led by stuart townend and soul survivor; from the array of afternoon seminars on offer to the after hours performances by keith & kristyn getty and phatfish, the conference centred on preaching Christ crucified and the power of the cross.

a call to spiritual reformation indeed.

rehab

like once mainline opening moves in chess which have since fallen out of favour with theoreticians, my views on various theological views are continually being rehabilitated through discussions with friends, reading/listening to sermons and ultimately, the work of the Holy Spirit.

may the Spirit of truth guide us into all truth.

*****

the whole KJV vs other "modern" translations of Scripture debate:

from a historical perspective, the KJV is the most accurate and uncorrupted set of Scripture which is available today. at the same time, i believe there is merit in using other "modern" translations of Scripture and we should not necessarily have to stop using them. as a casual observation, don carson uses the NIV, john piper the ESV and john macarthur the NASB.

while the KJV captures the meaning of certain verses (such as Hebrews 2:16) more clearly, other "modern" translations of Scripture capture the meaning of other verses more clearly - at least in the present day. on my part, i'm quite happy to continue using the NIV and refer to the KJV (or other "modern" translations of Scripture for that matter) as the need arises.

divine sovereignty and human responsibility:

after intense reflection, my view on predestination and free will has been refined, subtly but substantially. this warrants a post in itself, but suffice to say that i no longer hold that our free will is in accordance with the will of God. this is because we do not have free will to begin with. rather, our free choice is in accordance with the will of God.

renew

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

following 11 of the most convicting chapters in the whole of Scripture, this is one of the most electrifying exhortations in the whole of Scripture. at new word alive, Romans 12:1-8 was the last reading in the evening series on treasuring Christ.

living sacrifices, not dead works!

restart

i've come to the end of my travels for this Easter. having visited so many different nations, what strikes me is how so many different people are yet to hear the Gospel being preached to them.

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"" - Romans 10:14-15 (NIV)

my travels have also led me to think about where my home really is, where my treasures really are. when i'm out on the streets of europe, my home feels like my hostel. when i'm back in my hostel, my home feels like york. when i'm back in york, my home feels like singapore. after all, i am a citizen of singapore, having completed 1 year and 10 months of national service.

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." - Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)

after all that has happened this Easter, summer term is just around the corner. back to more of the same, only different.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)