Begin with an end in mind

Have you ever wondered why God wants to give His people vision?

God gave Abraham vision of multitude descendants; this caused him to trust God and followed God wholeheartedly. God gave Joseph the vision of his family members bow down to him; this caused him to persevere during his hardship. God gave Paul the vision to plant churches at Macedonia, this caused him to plant churches in whole Macedonia (which is today Europe). Can you imagine this? What happened if they didn’t receive vision from God?

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.

From the example of all these godly men, we can see that God has a purpose in giving vision to His people. He wants His people to begin with an end in mind. Without vision, God’s people will be wondering around without purpose and without direction. Because of the vision given by God, all these godly man stayed on track of what God had called them. It is necessary for God to give them vision for them to begin with an end in mind. With the vision, they knew where they should channel their energy. With the vision, they persevere, they stayed focus, they have had hope and they didn’t give up.

I thank God for He has give me a vision, this help me to stay focus. I have a dream; one day revival will come to Malacca. Hope Malacca will be functioning as an Antioch to churches. Missionaries and church planters being sent forth from Hope Malacca, if they need to be recharged they can always comeback to their Antioch (Hope Malacca) and move on again, just as what Paul did.

BGR (Boy Girls Relationship)

Today I feel that I want to write something on BGR.

I have been actively serving the Lord for the past 14 years. From my observation over the years in ministries, I noticed that most of the young people who stumbled & backslided in their walk with God were due to BGR. Almost whenever come to this kind of issue, the shepherd (spiritual helper) can not do much.

When someone is intensively involved in BGR, they are so engaged and can not see clearly the fact. Entice the young people into BGR & make them think that the shepherd is against them has been the thousand years old trick that satan used to use. He has been using this trick over & over again, yet still effective. Is he smart or creative? Not at all, the problem is many Christian has been spiritually blinded to believe that his own fellow spiritual helper is trying to destroy his or her BRG.

Is it wrong for 2 Christians who love one another to come together? Not at all. But it is definitely wrong when a Christian involved in BRG with a non-Chirstian. Why is it wrong? Have GOD ever said so? Or it is purely just my own view? The answer is in Nehemiah 13:23-25

"23 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God's name and said: "You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. "

Why Nehemiah did such an extreme thing? Why God prohibited the Israelite from marrying the non-Israelite? Is the race of Israelite more superior? Or in order not to pollute the purity of the descendants that God prohibited them to marry the non-Israelite? Not so, the answer is in

Nehemiah 13:26
26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?"

The one who is spiritually young (or immature) will be easily drawn away by their boy friends or girl friends who do not know God. Worst still is entice them into worshiping foreign gods, who is not god at all.

I'll further talk on this issue in my next post........