Author andrewong2024

Living Above Reproach for Christ

andrewong2024 2 Comments

With the spate of scandals that we see coming to light everyday in the media, we can observe that the world is paying close attention to accountability of organisations and their leaders.

Nonetheless, we know that accountability is not something that is easy to do or adopted even though we see its importance.

As for me, being brought up in a family background where my parents were mostly not around and at work, I was pretty much left to do what I wanted to do as I liked. And many of those things I did then, landed me into trouble.

At 14, I gained even more independence after my parents divorced, so I can say I grew up with almost no understanding or practise of accountability.

Me, I and myself 

AccountabilityI was a lone ranger. I did what I like and I did it my way whenever I feel like it. And the result was my chequered past.

Initially when I committed my life to Christ and the Church, I really detested having to be accountable as I felt a loss of freedom to do what I wanted to do. Being accountable seemed to create alot of “red tapes” for me to just get something done.

But eventually I discovered how impatient and impulsive I was. And being biblically accountable to God and His appointed leaders, actually helped me to be rational and not reactive in my circumstances.

This helped me practise in trusting God more for His counsel rather than doing what I thought/felt was right but regretting my actions thereafter.

Therefore, I learnt that true freedom wasn’t about being able to do as I please but in fact, true freedom is being able to do what is right even at a wrong time.

Us, we and ourselves

Gradually as I grew closer with God, I realised that my every action actually affected not only those around me, but also God. For instance when I sinned deliberately, God would be grieved or hurt cos I disobeyed. But the beauty was that He still loved me, and not condemned me.

Knowing this truth and experiencing His grace, it compelled me to do what would only please God. It was no longer just about me, I and myself.

The Body inter-connectedNow it was about us, we and ourselves. My motivation is to see God smile. And for Him to wear an even bigger smile is to see His Church united in love, trust and in truth.

As we grow older, I think it gets increasingly more difficult to be accountable. This is because we will inherently think we are matured/wise/smart/experienced enough to handle things ourselves without the counsel of other people or even God. And this is very much linked to our prideful nature.

The accountability factor 

I’ve learnt that being accountable is actually being wise and not foolish.

Not only do we avoid unnecessary trouble that will destroy what we might have built over the years with our momentarily slip-ups, we are also able to be true to ourselves and live a life of integrity without needing to be hiding or ashamed.

Though I am not perfect, I am glad and relieve that I can be truthful about it to God and others whom I trust so that I can be real and be covered of my “blind spots” and areas of weakness.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me- Galatians 2:20

Avoiding the fall from grace

Just take at what we read from the news: a primary school teacher who’s married with children got caught shoplifting; politicians and pastors of churches caught in sex scandals; T T Durai’s fall from glory over the NKF fiasco; corporate leaders caught embezzling.

These are all real life cases from which we can learn and avoid repeating their mistakes in our own lives. Therefore, being accountable pays off.

And more importantly, with the world watching us Christians’ every word and action, it is imperative that we (leaders or followers) live above reproach so that the good news can be spread effectively for Jesus.

My Niece Turns Six!

andrewong2024 1 Comment

I was glad that I could spent some time with my niece, Jacklyn on her 6-year old birthday.

She is the eldest among the grandchildren. 

Me and my princess

In view of my family’s present state, I really appreciate family moments like this where we get to feel like a family.

My prayer is that God’s power and love will increase evidently in spite of the divide within my family through our unique unity as a family of Christ.

They say, “Blood is thicker than water, but the Spirit run deeper than blood” 

I believe.

The Emerging Threats to The Church

andrewong2024 83 Comments

Lately, there has been much controversy over the upcoming movie- The Golden Compass, based on a fantasy novel by Philip Pullman who is a self-declared athesist.

He is well-quoted for his great disdain of God and the Christian faith. In support of his contention, Pullman was quoted in one interview saying: “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.”

The truth always stands

The Golden CompassPersonally, I do not have much comments on either Pullman’s views on God or his movie as everyone is entitled to his/her views just as much we would expect others to respect our Christian views or beliefs.

End of the day, it is not about who’s right or wrong (though we believe in one Truth) but it is about God and winning people over to Him by washing people’s feet and not “bible bashing”, just as Jesus did.

Without a doubt, I am sure all this controversy is generated just to create buzz for the movie in order to hit box office numbers.

In any case, this movie actually works for the Christian faith as it creates opportunity for us to share what is truth to the curious minds.

The real emerging threats

Just when we think that the “enemies” that threathens the Christian faith are from the outside, but in true fact, the real threats are from within.

I have observed that today’s contemporary Church faces two serious “threats” that are emerging and eroding the core foundation of the Christian faith. They are the acceptance of homosexuality as biblically right and the prosperity gospel.

(1) Homosexuality:

The recent attempts of re-appealing against 377A were clear indications of what the Church can expect in the near future.

If you didn’t follow the news, you may view an Al Jazeera TV news report here>>> 

Already in some parts of the world, same-sex marriages are accepted and made legal. And slowly and surely, homosexuality gaining more entry into the Church.

Some time ago, Tim Flemming published a new bible which adds a new law that embraces homosexuality as biblical. And it is made available for free download.

In Singapore, Free Community Church openly declares its acceptance of homosexuality as shown below:

The FREE COMMUNITY CHURCH affirms that all individuals are persons of sacred worth and created in God’s image. Given the discrimination that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) persons still face in society, our Church affirms that same-sex relationships are consistent with Christian faith and teachings, when lived out in accord with the love commandments of Jesus. Instead, it is discrimination based on sexual orientation and homophobia that are inconsistent with Christian teachings. We welcome all LGBT persons to our family.

Thankfully, this remains marginalised from mainstream Christianity as it is outright clear that homosexuality is unbiblical.

And the biblical stand remains: Hate the sin and love the sinner.

(2) Prosperity Gospel:

Prosperity GospelHowever the same can’t be said of the prosperity gospel as it seeps mainly into our mainstream, which is even more dangerous as it invades the minds and hearts of our majority.

Moreover so, the message is subtle and is packaged in such a rational manner that it is not that easy to detect what is exactly unbiblical.

From my previous entry on this topic, today’s preachers proclaim that poverty is a curse, and that Jesus came to break that curse with support of selected scriptures to convince their audiences.

Firstly, poverty is not a curse. Poverty is the consequence of the hoarding of wealth in the world from the poor. It is NOT a curse.

If we recall Job from the bible, he did not spiral down towards poverty because he was cursed. In fact, he was found to be righteous in the eyes of God and his poverty and poor health were actually tests laid before him. And of cos, Job passed those tests with flying colours.

What about Mother Theresa? Was she cursed? I think not. She chose to be poor, but yet she was equally effective in serving the poor.

Secondly, Jesus did not come to free people from poverty. If He did, He would have been born in a tycoon family and be a rich man’s son. But instead, he was a carpenter. And in one of satan’s temptations, He would have accepted satan’s offer for all the world’s riches and gave it to us if that was really true. But He didn’t.

Jesus came and went to the cross. His purpose was to redeem us from our sins not poverty; that we may have eternal life.

Keep watch, be on our guard

With our government always fixed on economic prosperity with our nation’s GDP, and the ocassional challenge for us to work hard and gain financial security, this message of prosperity taps on our” 5 Cs” culture. And if a preacher comes along and says, “God wants you to be rich,” is quite appealing.

Even most multi-level marketing (MLM) organisations practise this. Their leaders would motivate their team to strike it rich first in order to gain financial freedom. And with that freedom, you can help others with your money by donating to the poor and build schools or hospitals etc…

As most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our nature and not along the lines of God’s nature, therefore we need to be watchful not to follow the drum beat of our culture about the goodness of personal wealth and material prosperity.

Instead, we need to be rooted in His word and advocate a theology of stewardship which puts other people’s necessities before our own luxuries. We also need to simplify our lifestyles and get a clear grasp on God’s priorities including His special concern for the poor and destitute of the world.

Even if we aim to succeed in the marketplace, it should be aligned with a motivation of wanting to be an influence to others for God, and not for worldy wealth.

If our position of influence provides access to wealth, then it is God who blesses us in order that we can be a blessing to others for His kingdom and not for self-indulgence.

Pastors Under Probe for Lavish Lifestyles

andrewong2024 18 Comments

15 November 2007
The Straits Times 

They are accused of spending donations on items like private jets and mansions.

Mr Roberts boarding a plane for New York to appear on the Larry King Live Show last week to answer allegations against him in a lawsuit. His ministry is one of those under investigation. -- PHOTO: APATLANTA – TELEVANGELIST leaders at several mega-churches in the United States have come under scrutiny following accusations that they have used donations illegally to fund opulent lifestyles.

A Senate committee is investigating leaders from six ministries, including Mr Creflo Dollar, the senior pastor of World Changers Church International, who preaches that God will reward the faithful with material riches.

It is a gospel that has won him a 25,000-strong congregation – and a Rolls Royce, a mansion and a private Gulfstream jet.

In a separate case, Mr Richard Roberts, president of the evangelical Oral Roberts University (ORU), is facing similar accusations of living lavishly on misspent university funds…… (continued)

Read more here>>>

andrewong2024 1 Comment

My Doodling:

Check out this site- Young Foundation and PLEASE listen to the clip! Its a MUST!

Give this 12-year old kid’s testimony on live radio a minute. Those wise words coming from a kid can either cause us adults to be either amazed or ashamed =P 

Pushing My Limits

andrewong2024 16 Comments

Finished RunFulfilled one of my resolutions for 2007 in participating in this year’s Standard Chartered Run on 2 December!

Yeah!!! Cos I hate running and just had to push my limits.

Woke up late that morning and was about to give up, but these words sprung me out from my bed- All Things Are Possible (with Him)!

Completed my 10km run and walk in 1 hour 34 minutes. CMI…

Oh… Did I mention that my legs are still aching from my walk run??? =P 

Next year, my aim is to complete the same run within an hour. And this time, I will surely be training to get prepared for it.

My life-time goal: To run a full marathon at least once.

Some Fun and Amusing Facts

andrewong2024 4 Comments

Enjoy these fun and amusing facts from www.dailyfacts.org:

  1. The concept of Boxing Day, which is on December 26th, was to give boxes of food and clothing to the poor. It is now viewed in some countries as a time to get merchandise from stores at reduced prices.

  2. The company “Sony” was originally called “Totsuken.” They felt the name “Sony” would be easier to pronounce. The name was invented by a cross between the name “sonus” and “sonny.” The name sound and sonic are derived. Sonny was used to represent a young man or boy, which would show a energetic young company.

  3. The colours yellow, red, and orange are used in fast food restaraunts because those are the colours that stimulate hunger.

  4. The colour blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.

  5. The coliseum in Rome was used regularly for about 400 years.

  6. The coconut is the largest seed in the world.

  7. The Coca Cola company offers more than 300 different beverages.

  8. The CN Tower, in Toronto, is the tallest freestanding structure in the world with a height of about 553 metres.

  9. The clown fish has the ability to change its sex. If a breeding female dies, the male fish will change its sex and mate with another male.

  10. The city of Tokyo was originally called Edo.

  11. The city of Seoul has been the capital city of Korea for more than 600 years.

  12. The city of Nottingham in England was the first city to have Braille signs (signs for the blind) in its shopping malls for the blind.

  13. The city of Las Vegas has the most hotel rooms in the world.

  14. The city of Chicago has the only post office in the world where you can drive your car through.

  15. The citric acid found in lemon juice is said to be able to dissolve a pearl

God-incidence

andrewong2024 5 Comments

“God-incidence” is a new word that was coined by someone which I believe refers to a coincidence that had been divinely arranged by God.

I had one encounter of a God-incidence just two days ago.

Re-nacting the scene 

God-cidenceI tried to arrange dinner with my ex-secondary classmate, Pete who is also my neighbour. But he replied that he was not available. So I went home and slept over my dinner.

Upon waking up, it was 10pm!? And I went down to grab my late dinner when I ran into Pete who was on his way back. Ha ha…

I asked him if he wanted to join me, but he declined. And off I went with my search for dinner.

Divinely arranged

Fifteen minutes later, just as I was about to tuck in my meal. Guessed what?

Correct! It was Pete walking by.

This time he joined me and explained that he was looking to buy something, but the shop was closed. Hence, we caught up quite far bit over an hour before we headed back.

The best part was where God was part of our conversation and we discussed some of his theories like Big Bang, Chaos and Complexity (Wah… cheem sia =P) which he believed were more logical than the creation story of Adam and Eve.  

Though a believer in God, he never quite found relevance in Christianity with his personal aquaintences with other Christians. Therefore, I am praying that somehow I can play a part to be a “bridge” for him towards the Christian faith.

Wages At the Top

andrewong2024 1 Comment

Nov 1st 2007
From Economist.com

BERTIE AHERN, Ireland’s taoiseach (prime minister), has good reason to smile. He recently accepted his 26th pay rise in ten years, taking his annual salary to €310,000 ($446,000). He is now better rewarded for leading a country than most of his counterparts, including George Bush.

Nicolas Sarkozy’s pay increase this week of around 140% only bumps France’s president up to $346,000 a year.

Heading a small, rich country is the best bet. Earlier this year, Singapore’s prime minister was awarded a 26% rise to some $2.1m.

Salary at the top

Read the latest related TOC article on Ministerial salaries here>>>

S’pore Inflation Hits 16-Year High

andrewong2024 5 Comments

Last Saturday’s Straits Times headline read: October inflation hits 16-year high of 3.6% . It was definitely loud and clear, and grabbed the attention of many Singaporeans like myself.

The ST reported in that article that DBS Bank’s Irvin Seah “fell over his chair” when the figure was revealed. “This is way beyond market analyst expectations,” he further added. “We knew inflation would go up. We just didn’t know it would come so quickly.”

That was the kind of reaction that the news of the inflation had.

Though the affects of rising costs had been felt for 1-2 months ago, this latest news was a confirmation of the dreadful reality that the average Singaporeans had been living in.

Reasons for inflation

It was mentioned that prevailing oil and food prices contributed to the rise in inflation. China, for instance, reported that prices last month rose the fastest in a decade.

And disturbingly, the 2 per cent hike in the goods and services tax (GST) in July was attributed as another major cause for the already rising prices.

This is definitely not good news, especially for the lower income group. Already the income gap has been widen and with this inflation, life with be more difficult in coping with the high cost of living in Singapore.

The GST hike in question

When Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong first announced his plans to increase the GST prices from 5 percent to 7 percent on 13 November 2006, here was his reason:

Speaking in Malay, Mandarin and English, Mr Lee explained that the hike was necessary to finance the enhanced social safety nets, needed to help the lower income group and he emphasised that the offset package would more than counter the rise in GST.While Singapore’s current model to tackle the widening income gap is sound, Mr Lee said the government would take on two approaches to deal with the new environment – to strengthen the safety nets and tilt the balance in favour of the lower-income groups who do not benefit from the fruits of economic growth.

However, from the recent article by Reuters about Singapore’s economy boom widens income gap and with the figures of the swift-arising inflation presented to us, things do not seem to be happening in favour of the lower income group at this point of time as planned.

In fact, it appears that things are worse off than before- the gap widening more and the lower income struggling even more to survive or keep up.

Uncovering the real deal

PM LeeBut with all honesty, how can a GST hike help the lower income when they are the main group people that would feel the affects?

Even the rich (those that should be the ones heavily taxed) with their busninesses and investments get tax rebates on GST and corporate tax schemes that works to their advantaged. And we all know that legally, there are ways to avoid being tax and keeping/earning more money as owners of businesses.

So the rich gets richer if not remain rich and the poor even poorer.

How can this be for the lower income group?

Therefore at this moment, it looks like it is the lower to middle income (the mass) group that are truly footing the bill for the economic development in Singapore with the high income group continuing reaping the “juiciest” fruits of our economic growth.

This cycle never ends.

What is the real agenda?

But to be fair, the full intented results of the GST hike might not have reached its potential yet. Therefore even with the contradicting predicament, we should still wait and see if PM Lee and his party delivers the goods for the lower income.

My personal view is that the GST hike was not the main agenda to help the lower income group, but an excuse to soften the resistant towards the idea. As it seems the real agenda is uncovered little by little with all the buzz on our economic development.

In short, our raised budget are mainly channelled in footing the massive bills incurred by our investment in R&D, Intergated Resorts, F1 Race and etc…

To this, I question if the lower income group has really benefitted from this developments. Cos I seriously doubt employment/business opportunities would be made primarily available for them. Instead, I forsee that our lower income group will be slogging and begging even more for whatever “scraps” that are left behind.