The Gospel According to Yeeks

"Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it ? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit ? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit. And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her ? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’ And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’ And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people." (Deut 20:5-9) When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will e

 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever .’ (Daniel 7:17-18) “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom ." (Luke 12:32) -- The four beasts represent Babylon, Medo-Persians, Greece, Rome. Amidst all these powerful empires it is the saints who receive the kingdom.

A great excerpt from Chloe Sun in " Devotions in the Hebrew Bible ":

Reflecting on the recently concluded DS series on Chronicles: http://english.gracebaptistchurch.sg/blog/post/chronicles-for-the-church

For Paul, the Gospel is about Freedom vs Slavery. Sons vs. Servants.

So much happened but I figured I better jot a few things down to process and recollect at some point in time. Sermons quick summary: 1) Wen Pin preached from Isaiah 6. A new insight I gained from this text is the definition of what it means to have "unclean lips". Wen Pin expounded from the text that "unclean lips" could also refer to our silence. Unlike the Seraphim, we do not give God His honour or praise His holiness. 2) Second sermon, from Leviticus - about Nadab and Abihu. The sermon rightfully points out the folly of not approaching God on His terms. Holiness is also not the end point. We pursue holiness ultimately to draw near to God. 3) Third sermon, the contrast between false and true holiness. An insight I gained from this is what it means to have a "healthy eye". Having a healthy eye means gazing at the lamp, Jesus Christ. 4) Fourth sermon, Living as Holy People. I was struggling a bit with my energy levels with this last one. Still I e

Ezekiel 37 probably contains one of the most vivid gospel message one can find in the Old Testament - God declaring to a valley of dry bones to come alive. Was pleased to learn on Sunday that there is in fact a song that captures that same vivid imagery.

I have recently begun reading Galatians with another brother and wanted to jot down an insight I never had before about the passage. Paul seems to spend a surprising amount of time describing how he never interacted much with the other apostles (he didn't go to Jerusalem; when he did, he saw only Cephas and James, etc.) following his encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,  was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.  But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother.  (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) - Galatians 1:15-20

It sounds so beautiful

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you;     your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;     your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's cub;     from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion     and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah,     nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him;     and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples." (Genesis 49:8-10) The past few years, God seems to be teaching me a lot from Genesis. Today I thought I'd document down another one of those all so familiar texts but have so much more than meets the eye. The phrase in v10 - "until tribute comes to him", I have since learned can be translated as "Until shiloh comes" (not to be confused with the Old Testament location, Shiloh). Walter Kaiser Jr argues in his book, "The Messiah in the Old Testament", that the langua

Some day I will perhaps use "V for Vendetta" to illustrate how words itself need context to see what is their "true" meaning. In the movie, the first few lines of the poem "The Fifth of November" are cited: Remember, remember!     The fifth of November,     The Gunpowder treason and plot;     I know of no reason     Why the Gunpowder treason     Should ever be forgot! The purpose of citing these lines were to incite a spirit of rebellion against the neo-fascist regime of the day. The poem in its original form however is actually meant to DETER people from following Guy Fawkes, i.e., we are meant to remember the Fifth of November so that we would never commit the same treason. Here is the poem with a few more lines of the original added:    Remember, remember!     The fifth of November,     The Gunpowder treason and plot;     I know of no reason     Why the Gunpowder treason     Should ever be forgot!     Guy Fawkes and his companions

I shared this with our youths (not so clearly) and our Discipleship Seminars classes (a bit more clearly) recently. One can see the "Gospel in Genesis" if we pay attention to the life of Judah: Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, in Genesis: Birth (Genesis 29:31-35) When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “ This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called h

I do not read much of Joshua. So it was to my pleasant surprise that I noticed a theme recurring within this book that perhaps adds some perspective to the offense of the Cross to a Jewish person. In the Book of Joshua, upon completing conquests of certain parts of the land, the Israelites would then hang Canaanite Kings on trees. This described the "cursed" state of the Canaanite Kings in Deuteronomy 21:22-23 “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree , his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God . You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. It is thus somewhat surprising to see that this law was applied not to Israelites, but to the Canaanite Kings. First the King of Ai in Joshua 8:28-29: So Joshua burned Ai and made it for ever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day. And he hange