St Andrew's Church, Brunei

I remember when I was younger and would go through my mom’s magazines, there was always an advert page dedicated for psychics and their contacts, horoscope readings detailing what all the signs would be facing that month. As I was reading Daniel, I thought to myself that if magazines were a thing back in Babylon, it would’ve sold well. In the ancient world, it was the New York City of style, glamour, beauty and astrology. Like Babylon, our society is fast, affluent and captivated with new-age mysticism. This is why Daniel 2 is so relevant today; it’s an amazing account of how a believer should live in the midst of an idolatrous, sensual culture where it’s being swept by the latest new-age trend. Nebuchadnezzar has a bizarre dream, and he demands that his astrologers not only interpret it but also recount it. And should they fail, it’s “off with their heads”! In response, Daniel shows deep concern, not only for himself and his friends but also for hundreds of others who were at risk. D

In today’s passage, we read about the astonishment of the people who just witnessed Peter healing a beggar crippled since birth. The people who gathered around Peter and John could not believe what they saw. Like people today, they cannot believe that God could bring about a miracle in someone’s life. They would rather believe that somehow Peter and John possess magical powers rather than God. That is a consequence of spiritual blindness for those who does not know God. What did Peter do here? He used this opportunity to preach the Gospel to them. Peter understood that the people surrounding him needed healing as much as the lame beggar. Many do not realise it but their spiritual state has been crippled by sin and by their refusal to worship God. When we are given an opportunity, it is our responsibility to point them towards Jesus. Peter was prepared to share the gospel in that instant. Often some of us are not prepared to share the Gospel when an opportunity presents himself. For exa

They [devoted] themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer... And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved .” Acts 2:42, 47b. We have seen a great number of changes in our culture today and when it comes to being devoted, well, it is called into question. In our current age, our devotion – loyalty, faithfulness, dedication, love, worship – is being drawn in many directions. And if we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that our devotion is likely not to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. At least not entirely.  Why not? Because, devotion is a matter of the heart. We can only be truly devoted to something and someone we truly love. So here lies the dilemma. What is it that you love? In our Bible reading of Acts 2:40-47, we see the birth of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was phenomenal and miraculous. Who could ever imagine such a tremendous growth fro

By the beginning of Acts Chapter 2, we know that Jesus had been crucified, buried and resurrected on the third day after his crucifixion. Then he re-appeared to the disciples and His followers. During this time, He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the gift from God which is the Holy Spirit. After 40 days He was taken up to heaven, leaving His followers who waited faithfully until the Holy Spirit came and annointed them on Pentecost Sunday. They were enabled by the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues. Some people who saw this were amazed, but some people made fun of them and accused them of being drunk. Then the disciple Peter stood up to deliver the first recorded gospel sermon after the resurrection of Christ, recorded in Acts 2:14 – 40. In v29 he refered to King David, who had prophesied about the resurrection of the Messiah who would not die. Peter connected this to Jesus’ resurrection that they had witnessed with their own eyes (v.32) and informed them that Davi

“ Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves  know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and  you, with the help of wicked men,   put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God  raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible  for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:  ‘I saw the Lord always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” Sometimes our greatest ministry occurs when we are forged in the fires of disappointment, pain and suffering. Try to

5 Now There Were Staying In Jerusalem God-Fearing Jews From Every Nation Under Heaven. 6 When They Heard This Sound, A Crowd Came Together In Bewilderment, Because Each One Heard Their Own Language Being Spoken. 7 Utterly Amazed, They Asked: “Aren’t All These Who Are Speaking Galileans? 8 Then How Is It That Each Of Us Hears Them In Our Native Language? 9 Parthians, Medes And Elamites; Residents Of Mesopotamia, Judea And Cappadocia, Pontus And Asia, 10 Phrygia And Pamphylia, Egypt And The Parts Of Libya Near Cyrene; Visitors From Rome 11 (Both Jews And Converts To Judaism); Cretans And Arabs—We Hear Them Declaring The Wonders Of God In Our Own Tongues!” 12 Amazed And Perplexed, They Asked One Another, “What Does This Mean?”13 Some, However, Made Fun Of Them And Said, “They Have Had Too Much Wine.” The promise that the disciples would receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them (Acts 1:8) and that they would be empowered with power from on high (Luke 24:49) it is a promise

 This passage is about the Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Lord commanded the Jews to observe it in order to give thanks for the first fruits of their harvest, which pointed to the fuller harvest to come. Now the "first fruits" of the completed spiritual harvest are being brought in with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is for the church of Christ what the pay check is for the laborer, the financial profits are for the businessman, and the harvest is for the farmer. The Holy Spirit was poured out into the church.  “They were all filled by the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance” Acts 2:4. The ability to proclaim the mighty works of God in different languages was a supernatural gift. This work of the Spirit pointed to the spread of the gospel throughout the earth, with each nation hearing the gospel in their native language. It also means that all who believe will be united in their belief in Christ and wi

When my daughter was little, I often held up my fingers, pointer and tall finger in a V and asked her to touch one to make a choice. Little did she know that the choice was mine, but that was just to trick her into believing that she gets what she touches. We live in an age that prides itself in freedom of choice. Amidst the choices we make every day many decisions require much thought, consideration and even turmoil. No matter what the decision-making process, along with the freedom of choice comes responsibility and faith. How does our relationship with Jesus Christ come to bear on our decisions? How are decisions made as His body of believers in His church, under His Lordship? Today’s passage talks about the disciples’ concern for finding someone to serve as an apostle in Judas Iscariot’s place The disciples gathered for prayer felt compelled by the Holy Spirit through God’s written Word to fill the vacancy in order to complete their mission. The “qualification” of this pers

The wordings of today’s devotion, Psalm 133, is also a famous hymn which some of us may have sung in church many years ago and occasionally we do still sing this hymn. This psalm is declaring “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” Would it be more practical to say that in order to have peace & prevent any troubles, people should live apart? Let me share why we should live together in unity. We know that it is not easy to get along with every people. We are all created differently. Our characters, opinions, behaviors, etc, are all different. During discussions over some matters, what others approve, we may disapprove. It is easier, of course, to get along with people whom we love and like because we know and understand them. How then are we to live together in unity as stated in Psalm 133?  In the Bible, we read of siblings not able to get along with each other. Example, Cain & Abel, Jacob & Esau, Joseph and his brothers, etc. Likewise, even

When I was a kid, a frequent question I would ask my parents in the car was “are we there yet?”. When I was still in school, I couldn’t wait till my exams were over and the school holidays could finally begin. Now that I am a working adult, I often catch myself looking at the clock, just looking forward to going home. Since COVID, I wait for the numbers of cases to go down so that we can all go back to our normal routine. It’s quite common to believe that the thing we anticipate will provide the relief we seek. This was no different with the early disciples. Once they recovered from the shock of seeing the resurrected Jesus, they returned to their preconceived agenda: “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). It’s a natural question, as so much of their faith history was centered upon the physical kingdom of Israel. But Jesus was doing much more than restoring the kingdom to Israel, He was establishing his own kingdom. Their faith wasn’t to be established

In today’s passage, we have an unusual account about Jonah being unhappy that the people of Nineveh repented. Instead of rejoicing, Jonah was upset that God forgave the Ninevites. It was not because he did not understand God’s character because in v.2, he says, God is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love and a God who relents from sending calamity. Jonah was upset because he did not want God to exercise his grace on the Ninevites because Jonah considered them unworthy of God’s forgiveness. We should not be too quick to judge Jonah here. Sometimes we can wonder why God doesn’t judge a certain person or group of people when they had done something evil or when a wrong is done to us, we wish God would judge them.   Though these thoughts may be fleeting but it can come to some of us. Jonah wanted them punished by God so badly that he threatened God that he would want God to take away his life.     Are we not fortunate that God does not act according to our concept of

And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them .' -  Jonah 3:4 - 5 Jonah 3 is the greatest crusade meeting that ever took place in the history of mankind. The whole city turned to God and repented of their sins. This took place because of one preacher, who grudgingly preached the words of God. The Ninevites understood their sins and the need for God because someone told them. Subtract Jonah the preacher it would have been judgment. And this is true for today. Without the Gospel very few realise their sins and the darkness they are living in. Without the light they will not see their darkness.   Whether someone be saved has a lot to do with whether they get to hear the word of God. In sharing Christ we often ask the question, "Would she believes?" That is the

In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” We all know the Sunday school story about Jonah who refused to obey God’s command to him to preach to the people in Nineveh. The people of Nineveh were wicked and Jonah was probably too scared or too scornful of the people there, and he ran away instead. He got on a boat to go somewhere else to ‘escape’, but the boat got into a big storm. The sailors on the boat realised that they needed to pray in order to be saved from the storm. Jonah did not realise this himself, he had been sleeping soundly when the sailors woke him up! Eventually, Jonah told the sailors that he had been running away from God. He told them to throw him into the sea to save them all from drowning, so the reluctant but terrified sailors cried out to God and threw Jonah overboard as suggested. It is interesting that after Jonah ran away from God’s command, he encountered a grou