Enter The Fellowship

Dear beloved,

Have you ever been fascinated by magicians when you were growing up? My dad used to be so into David Copperfield. His hobby was to figure out how he did the tricks or “illusions” as he called them. He does this by watching the same trick on TV over and over, rewinding, pausing and scrutinizing every frame hoping to see Mr.Copperfield accidentally slip up and reveal his secret.

But have you ever asked yourself, besides the obvious SHOCK/ENTERTAINMENT value of the trick, “What is the desired effect/meaning of showing you that trick?”. You might still say it’s merely for entertainment. But I disagree. It’s really to show you how COOL the magician really is.

You can almost see that smirk on his face as he finishes that trick. That moment between the wow/hush and the applause. The magician is trying to say, “I’m not an ordinary dude. I’m extraordinary.”. Sometimes, he may include a member of the audience and show them they are “extraordinary” too.  “Here, all you have to do is CONCENTRATE and say the words, ‘IMAGENIUS’ and it would have vanished from this hand into your pocket”.

POINT #1 The Meaning behind the Miracle

Just as there is a meaning behind every magic trick, there is a MEANING behind every one of God’s miracles. He doesn’t just show you the miraculous just to WOW you or to entertain you.

If after reading how Jesus fed the 4,000 with 7 loaves of bread and some small fishes, all you could say is, “Wow, cool! Jesus is an extraordinary guy!”, then you have MISSED the meaning of the miracle. The disciples missed it and they didn’t just miss it once, but twice. Do you want to miss it too? I know I don’t. I hate the feeling of being “always the last one to know”. Plus, there is a definite DANGER to not understanding what you see.

Hosea 4:6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.

Those are pretty strong words that God spoke. But they are true nonetheless. Every miracle and everything that we hear and see is an opportunity for us to KNOW God and to believe in Him. That’s why Jesus is constantly asking people to seek for understanding when He says, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”. The only hardware you need to understand is a pair of ears (this does not exempt the deaf) and a humbled and fertile heart.

POINT #2 The Accountability of the Witness

There is a definite accountability attached to what you’ve been shown or what you’ve been privileged to see. Just as there was an accountability upon Adam and Eve when they heard the command from God not to eat from THAT one tree. Just as there was an accountability upon the children of Israel when they were given the 10 commandments. There was an accountability upon those who saw the Red Sea part, the cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, the manna, the quail, the rock pouring out water etc. The accountability is for us to BELIEVE and to UNDERSTAND.

Matthew 11:20-22
Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.

POINT #3 The Heart of the Hearer

I was getting out of the car yesterday during lunchtime when the Lord told me, “There’s a reason why you’ve never seen many miracles. You’re just not prepared. Because if you had seen and yet you disobey, the judgment upon you will be great.”. God withheld certain things from me also to protect me. There needs to be a certain maturity and humility in a person before they can behold a supernatural miracle. God showed Himself to Moses for this very reason. His heart was VERY VERY FERTILE and HUMBLE. Catch it down below:

Number 12:1-8
While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.)
So immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle, all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle. Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say:

“If there were prophets among you,
I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions.
I would speak to them in dreams.
But not with my servant Moses.
Of all my house, he is the one I trust.
I speak to him face to face,
clearly, and not in riddles!
He sees the Lord as he is.
So why were you not afraid
to criticize my servant Moses?”

Mind you, the Lord DOES NOT have favoritism because God is not a respecter of any human being. He did not trust Moses because He loved Moses more. But we will only be shown what we can handle lest we perish for a lack of understanding because of a HARDENED HEART. Remember, the heart can be hardened for any number of things: doubt, fear, familiarity, sin etc. That is why the condition of the SOIL of the heart is so so important.

I’m obviously speaking from Mark 8:1-21 about the feeding of the 4 thousand. If you have not read it, please do. Unlike the feeding of the 5 thousand, this time Jesus initiates it, whereas before, it was the disciples who somewhat “initiated” it when they asked Jesus to send them home because they were hungry. Catch it, they were saying this to a guy who went without food for 40 days then said that Man does not live on bread alone but on the Word of God. If anyone knew what hungry meant, Jesus knew, for He tested it’s “physical limits” and realized it’s “spiritual significance”. Ooooh, that’s deep! That’s a good one, Lord. Praise your Name!

POINT #4 The Heart of the Speaker

It is so important for us to see the significance of the initiation of this miracle. Jesus, even though He understood extreme hunger, was able to emphathize and sympathize with the people. Jesus didn’t just lead them out from and into a far off place not to think about their well being. This is how God is with us. He sympathizes and empathizes. Think about it! These people must have thought to themselves, “We’re 50 miles from home just to hear Jesus speak, what are we going eat when we make our journey back? It doesn’t matter, hearing Jesus is a once in a lifetime thing, let’s wing it!”.

People in full-time ministry should understand this more than anyone. He called them out of their steady secular jobs to work solely based off of people’s financial donations/support. What are they going to do when nobody supports them or they come up short for the monthly mortgage? Would Jesus lead you out into the wilderness to have you die there from hunger? Would God lead the children of Israel from Egypt into the desert to die of thirst and hunger? Did He not faithfully and  lovingly provide for all their needs and put up with their complaints about this and that not tasting good? Even their shoes did not wear out???? My modern state of the art flip-flops wear out. Some of them, the soles are flapping out and it’s only been a year.

POINT #5 The Steward of the Talent

Just as the full-time minister is WOWed by the mysterious check that arrived in the mail, miraculously just in time, I might add; 4 thousand people were WOWed when they were fed with only 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish. It’s also significant to note why Jesus even needed those measly bread and fish to create A LOT of food from them. Why didn’t He just make bread rain down from the sky like it did for Moses and the children of Israel?

This I believe has to do again with the Parable of the Talents. It is the way God chooses to glorify Himself in His Kingdom. He entrusts His servants with a certain amount of talents and He EXPECTS them to USE IT, to MULTIPLY IT, to BEAR FRUIT! Those who are faithful with the FEW will also be faithful with the plenty, He says. And Jesus was being faithful with the few loaves of bread and the few small fishes. Faithfulness with what you’ve been given!

So, they all ate and were full. But they have 7 baskets of food leftover??? Just like the feeding of the 5 thousand, there were 12 baskets leftover??? What is the significance of this? If you want to know, you MUST ask and seek for understanding. Catch it, the disciples forgets to bring bread and couldn’t even understand what Jesus was saying about the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. Jesus was like moving on to the next lesson, but the students still didn’t understand the previous lesson?!!

Jesus, then, repeats the lesson by asking them the questions they should have been asking for themselves. But they couldn’t and they wouldn’t because their hearts were HARDENED AGAIN! God only knows why their hearts were hardened this time. I only can see that they were WOWed but they didn’t seek to know the MEANING of the miracle. Therefore, they didn’t UNDERSTAND, therefore, they didn’t BELIEVE.

If the miracle was about anything at all, it was about God’s faithfulness to us. God’s faithfulness to provide His sheep whom He is leading into pasture. He is the one who will lead us into the still waters and green pastures. He provides for EVERYTHING. Food, drink, shelter, peace, joy, love, purpose…everything. We have NO LACK because of Him. The leftover baskets of food is to show God “overdoing” it for us. He didn’t do JUST ENOUGH. He lavishly gives you more than you expect…more than you deserve. The issue is do we UNDERSTAND this about Him? More importantly, do we BELIEVE that about Him?

If He provided for us 10 times miraculously, but on the 11th time, we are still questioning His faithfulness, what else is there to be said? We baffle God by our lack of faith. It’s baffling to Him. It baffles Him just like it baffles us when we read about the children of Israel rebelling after seeing so many many many miracles!!! Is it not baffling??? I don’t even know any other word to use: bewildered, confounded, confused, at sea, mazed, mixed-up, befuddled, bemused, lost.

It’s like God WOWs us with His amazing miracles and we WOW Him back with our incredible lack of faith. That is not a good thing! Don’t baffle God with your lack of FAITH. It’s not funny to Him. It deeply saddens Him. If my son keeps saying I don’t love him even though I’ve done everything in my power to show him that I do, I would be confused, not to mention sad. Granted, I need to work on being a better father.

POINT #6 Listening to Understand…Believing for TRUE Change

I’ll tell you the truth, the first time I read about Jesus’ response, I didn’t understand either. He ends with, “Don’t you understand yet?” and I’m like “??? Huh???”. Then, I started to ask Him. I started to humble myself and ask Him, “Lord, please forgive my ignorance and lack of faith, explain to me again, please?”. Then, He did. I started by humbling myself. I just put my head down and just said, “Lord…”.

The lesson is not whether God is faithful to you, it is “Do you BELIEVE He is faithful to you?”. Sometimes, you “see” people making the distinction between “listening” and “hearing”. They’ll say something like, “I know you hear but did you really listen?”. What they mean is “Do you understand what your heard?”. UNDERSTANDING is the same as BELIEVING. And understanding needs to manifest into ACTION.

If you have kids, you’ll know what I’m talking about. We tell our kids to do something and when they don’t, we say, “Why don’t you ever LISTEN to me?”. Now, do we actually mean they didn’t LISTEN to us or do we mean, “Why don’t you OBEY my commands?”? Understanding the TRUTH also means BELIEVING TRUTH. If you believe something to be TRUTH, it will permeate your being and define WHO YOU ARE! It will manifest itself into ACTION.

That is why Jesus said we shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set us free. It’s like you hearing a lesson from a teacher. Everything is just mumbo jumbo words UNTIL they start to fall into place and make sense. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle being put together to form a picture. That is when you finally understand. And your subsequent ACTIONS must prove that you truly understand.

If your actions contradict the “fact” that you believe, then you have believed something else more than you believed the TRUTH…which means you DO NOT REALLY believe the TRUTH nor understand it. Just like Eve. She was told the TRUTH by God that whoever eats from THAT tree will die and that He has lovingly provided all the other trees for food. But she believed the LIE of the devil more than the TRUTH of God. She believed it more when the devil told her she won’t die from eating that fruit and that God doesn’t really love her and that He’s selfish. That’s why her ACTIONS followed suit to what she REALLY BELIEVED.

POINT #7 To see or not to see clearly…that’s the question!

This is really a revelation to me: If you observe Jesus’ next miracle which is the healing of the blind man (verse 22-26). It was very very baffling for me to see Jesus “seemingly fail” to heal the man completely the first time. But like I said, there’s MEANING in everything. He spits on the man’s eyes and lays his hands on him and asks,

“Can you see anything now?”

Contrast that with Jesus asking the disciples, “Don’t you know or understand even yet?”. The blind man described that he saw trees walking around. He obviously was not born blind because he knew what trees looked like. But his vision was so messed up that the people looked like trees walking but he knows that is NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. Then, his vision was fully restored the second time Jesus laid hands on him.

Is it enough to see trees walking around? Or do you want to see clearly? If you want to see clearly, you don’t rest until you do. There’s something God wants to show us each day and He wants us to ask Him for clarity. There is a lesson to be learnt about God by the circumstances in our lives just as much as there is a SPECIFIC MEANING/MESSAGE behind every miracle. You might be suffering and you’re wondering why? Even Paul understood the MEANING for His thorn in the flesh. Ask God for clarity of sight. Ask Him for understanding. Let him who have ears to hear, listen and understand.

His son,
Yatwei

Dear brothers and sisters,

I believe the most fearsome thing to the Christian is this: DEADNESS. This is the only thing a Christian should fear. You hear it talked about all the time in Christian circles. There are Christian songs written about it. The first one that comes to mind is Matt Redman’s “Heart of Worship”. I was singing it the other day, in personal worship to God.
 
There’s a line in the song that says, “I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it.”. I used to be perplexed by this line and thought it was bad English but it was actually my English that was bad . The line is actually an apology to God for us making the heart into something that is DEAD. The heart is what is meant by “the thing”. This song really talks about worshippers going through THE MOTIONS (which incidentally is another song by Matthew West on the same topic). “Going through the motions” means doing something repetitively thinking it’s profitable or good when all the while, it is dead.
 
The song continues with, “You search much deeper within, through the way things appear. You’re looking into my heart.”. That means God is actually looking past our actions and seeing the ACTUAL motivations behind our actions. You see, although our actions might look good, it can be motivated out of something that is not good within our hearts. This is what Mark 7 talks about when Jesus says that “you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
 
What should serve as a warning to us is what the Pharisees have been doing all this time as mentioned in verse 1-23. They created so many regulations for themselves. But why did they do that in the first place? We need to catch this:
 
Mark 7:8-13
For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
 
They created all the regulations so that they could make provision for SIN. It was all an elaborate trick so they could HARBOR SIN within their hearts. They refused to let God work in their hearts. This is because they treasured their fleshly cravings and lusts. They made up new rules, some of them so convincing, it would seem as though they found a loophole in the perfect LAW of GOD. That’s why Jesus said they “skillfully sidestep”. They made it sound so convincing. But any fool could see something was not quite right.

Jesus even gave an example of how they did this with the law “Honor your father and mother”. Because they were greedy, they made a rule that allowed them to NOT SUPPORT their parents financially. They deceitfully said that they were “stewarding” this portion of money because one day, it will be used to give to God. This “reason” they gave, somehow exempted them from SUPPORTING their parents.

What motivated them to do this? Greed in their hearts. What wicked people they were! Shame on them! But do you think Christians are immune to this kind of behavior? If you think so, you are on dangerous ground. We might not go as far as creating a RULE or TRADITION like the Pharisees did, but ESSENTIALLY, we do the same thing when we RATIONALIZE with God to make provision for our SINFUL BEHAVIOR.

For instance, God tells me not to download music illegally from the Internet because I am breaking the law, “You shall not steal”. But I, on the other hand, want to HARBOR this GREED in my heart and continue to do this wicked deed. So, as a result, I might say to God, “Lord, I’m just downloading it for a while like I’m borrowing from the library. I’ll delete these files when I’m done with them. Therefore, I’m not really stealing but I’m just borrowing.”. Whew! SIDESTEPPED that troublesome law! That was a close one!

We might think it’s all game a when we do this and that it’s okay with God. But God hates it! All it is is us harboring SIN. We’re harboring the criminal within us. God sees through all the fluff right into our hearts and He has his finger on it. If you are a real Christian and you do this, you will feel His heavy hand upon you. You will no peace of mind. Read how David felt in Psalm 38 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2038&version=NLT). God does this because He loves us too much to let us go.

This RATIONALIZATION is actually a barrier between us an God. If we continue to do this, we might think we are still fellowshipping with God. But in actual fact, we’re only talking to His shadow. The saddest thing is, we CONTINUE talking to His shadow, not realizing that our FAITH is now DEAD. It died because of we’re harboring sin in our hearts.

Mark 7:6,7
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’

That’s why God regarded their worship as a farce. It was an empty show. That’s literally what “farce” means. It no longer had any value to the person they were worshipping. I’m amazed that they even continued to do these rituals. If you knew God was not accepting your worship, would you continue doing it? No, I’d get tired. I would see the futility in it because God Himself says it is worthless. And worse of all, God knew they were already far away. Not because He moved, but because they chose to move.

There is just no room for two in our hearts. It’s sin or the Spirit. It’s the devil or God. Every choice to CONTINUE to sin will darken that part of our hearts. God will leave it because we have replaced it with sin. It’s like your wife telling you, “It’s either that girl or me in your heart. If you choose that adulteress, you’ll lose me. There is just no room for two in this marriage.”.

Mark 7:20-23
And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

I don’t want to be defiled. I don’t want to trade what is precious for what is cheap and temporary. I don’t want to live a life of hypocrisy. I don’t want everything I do to be a FARCE. I don’t want it when His holy fire comes to purify my building, everything is burned up because they were all built with wood, hay and stubble.

This is the way God will sanctify us. He will put His finger on places in our hearts and ask us to to forsake things. Sanctification only works if we’re willing to let go of the things we used to treasure in our hearts: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. Sanctification is also God replacing those places in our hearts with His good fruit. But we have to let go as He points at it.

He will sanctify us gradually. It’s like how Jesus would have abolished the Pharisee’s rules ONE by ONE if they had let Him. In the books of Kings or Chronicles, it’s how a good king in Israel would start tearing down the altars, idols and high places. One by one, he would tear them down until Israel is again a place holy, blameless and spotless in the sight of God.

God very appropriately refer to these things being in our HEARTS. Because the whole body is dead if our heart stops. It’s the center of our being. Let us look in our hearts today and if we’re feeling the heavy hand of God on particular areas, we need to repent and forsake them. If we’ve been doing something for so long that we’re now so DEAD in that area of our hearts, we need to bring it before God, repent and ask Him to heal and revive the DEADNESS.

His son,
Yatwei

Dear brethren,

I don’t know how many times I’ve missed a turning or an exit when I’m driving on a highway. Usually, that happens when my mind is just occupied with worries or deep thoughts. It’s pretty amazing how that can happen even when I’ve gone through that route hundreds of times. I would at the very least expect my subconcious mind to direct me to my workplace. You know, sort of like auto-pilot on an airplane.

But, nope, because my mind and my heart are so deeply distracted, I’m able to miss repeated road signs and even the GPS that keeps talking to me. Even as I see the road signs go by or hear the GPS speaking, I never comprehend their meaning. They literally go out the other ear as in my mind never processes the visual and auditory stimuli.

The consequence of this distraction is that I have to keep driving for a few more miles, take the next exit, turn back and hopefully get back on the right exit. I’ve even turned back and while driving, I continued being distracted and missed the exit AGAIN!!!!

Yes, I know you cannot believe how dense a person can get. Although this mistake can seem so harmless, it can cause great many problems. I could be extra stressed out when I’m driving. I could be driving faster and less safer. I could be late for a meeting and appear as unreliable at work. It could ruin my entire day if I let it.

The worst case I’ve ever heard was when a mother left her sleeping baby in the back seat of her car in the middle of summer as she went to work. Because of her deeply distracting thoughts, she forgot to drop her baby off at the daycare center and subsequently forgot that her baby was in the back-seat. The baby died from heat exhaustion when her mother realized her mistake too late. Oh Lord, have mercy!

What I’m trying to say is when we give in to inappropriate THOUGHTs or EMOTIONs at the inappropriate TIME, we can seriously miss MESSAGES/PROMPTINGS, which depending upon their importance can result in DIRE CONSEQUENCES. Spiritually speaking, we can miss the SIGNIFICANCE of SOMETHING that God is trying to show us, HOWEVER AMAZING that THING is that is being shown. This is what I see when I read Mark 6. Please read the chapter from your Bible first.

Jesus goes back to His hometown and starts speaking in the synagogue. People were at first, AMAZED by His wisdom. I believe some of them even saw Jesus perform miracles because they didn’t start out questioning the miracles themselves. Make no mistake, they were AMAZED! I have to give credit to my wife as she was the one explained to me the reason for their reaction AFTER THE AMAZEMENT.

The people started RATIONALIZING in their thoughts. They started dismissing all that they’ve seen Jesus do, by falling back on their own knowledge of the familiar. They started doubting everything just because they knew Jesus’ family and his background. As my wife explained it, they fell back into their knowledge of the FAMILIAR instead of moving forward with FAITH.

The hometown folks let their knowledge of the familiar DISTRACT them from receiving what God had in store for them. Did Jesus want to teach them great things about God? Of course. Did Jesus want to perform many healings and miracles among them? You can bet on it!

But they missed the boat when they gave in to INAPPROPRIATE, DOUBTFUL and FAMILIAR thoughts. Much like how I let inappropriate thoughts deafen me to the GPS loudly asking me to turn. Or my wife reminding me multiple times to buy something but I still forgot because I was distracted by inappropriate thoughts. If you read the passage, it says Jesus was AMAZED, in turn, at their lack of faith.

Why was Jesus amazed? Well, I would be amazed too if I saw someone hear something revelationary or awesome explained to them through the Word of God but he/she dismisses it just because the preacher was young or used to be a carpenter. I’d be amazed too if I saw someone witness an OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD miracle with his/her own eyes and is still able to say that it was only a trick.

This is because a revelation or miracle is like a HIGH-VOLTAGE JOLT of electricity to a dead body to resuscitate it. It is like potent smelling salts that you put close to an unconscious person’s nose to wake him. If you’re able to just dismiss it with some stupid thoughts, I’d be amazed too.

This happened again later to the disciples after Jesus fed 5000 HUNGRY people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Believe it or not, I heard from a friend how he heard a preacher try to explain away this miracle by saying the people actually after seeing how much faith the little boy had, started to contribute food they were previously hiding/witholding. Or how these were actually 5 loaves of bread the size of huge tree trunks along with 2 huge whales. These are what I call INAPPROPRIATE and DISTRACTING THOUGHTS.

Back to the text, you don’t see any mention of the disciples being amazed during the feeding of the 5000. But later, when they saw Jesus walking on water, it says they were amazed. But more than that, it says something else:

Mark 6:51,52
Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.

Hmmm…interesting, isn’t it? It says they were totally amazed but the text seems to imply they were not SUPPOSED to be amazed. It also implies that that they wouldn’t have been totally amazed if they had understood the miracle of the feeding of the 5000. Bear in mind, Jesus was not doing that to show off to them. He actually intended to not even appear to them. He wanted to cross over, passing them to the other side and meet them when they got there later.

There was a MESSAGE that God was trying to teach the disciples THROUGH the feeding of the 5000. But it says they “DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE”. In the NASB, it says “they had not gained any insight”. Why? Because their hearts were hardened. Well, how was it hardened? By giving in to INAPPROPRIATE THOUGHTS.

They were most likely offended at Jesus for having compassion and deciding to minister to the people even though He had at first wanted to spend some quiet and restful time with them. Instead of quiet and restful, they had to work and distribute food to 5000 people. They were offended so they hardened their hearts. They did this by giving in to inappropriate thoughts instead of, by FAITH, learning compassion for people from their Master.

They also FAILED to see the provision and care of God for His people. They failed to see God’s love through Jesus. That’s why they were amazed when the wind stopped. They didn’t think God would help them as they STRUGGLED against the waves and were in “serious trouble” (verse 48). They COULDN’T SEE that the God who cared for the 5000 people WOULD ALSO TAKE CARE OF His own disciples. They had no FAITH of the Father’s love because they hardened their heart.

How can you help but be amazed if you saw someone walking on water? However, you must remember these guys were no longer allowed this luxury. Of all the people, they had seen the most miracles because they were walking with Jesus all the while. If I had seen that many miracles, after a while, I would just accept it as fact that nothing is impossible with God.

It’s like “Wow! the Niagara Falls!!! There’s so much water going down a cliff, I’m so amazed!”. Sure, but after seeing it 100 times, it should be “Yep, that’s a big waterfall.”. It should be just natural. It should be just natural for children of God to believe that God who is our Father will MIRACULOUSLY provide FOR ALL OUR NEEDS!

What I’m trying to say is there are signs and messages that God sends us constantly. Wisdom is crying out in the streets, the Proverb says. And we’re like, “Huh, really?”. We miss these signs and we miss these messages because we harden our hearts by giving in to INAPPROPRIATE THOUGHTS. It doesn’t matter what those thoughts are. For the Nazarenes, they were thoughts of the familiar. For the disciples, they were thoughts of offense. But they are all inappropriate. And they served only to DISTRACT us from the MESSAGE that God is sending us.

The mistake would be to downplay this DISTRACTION thinking the consequences would be minimal. But the fact is the consequences COULD BE DIRE. If I did not have faith in God’s providence, I would work in my own strength and as a result, create for myself a whole lot of trouble. Much like what Abraham did when he laid with Hagar and bore Ishmael.

It’s time for us to repent of inappropriate thoughts. To call them out. To take them captive and reject them. It’s time to shake ourselves awake, beloved. I know it sounds corny and redundant but it’s time for us to see the SIGNIFICANCE of THE SIGN

His son,
Yatwei

Dear beloved,

Have you ever wondered why we need to eat? Yeah, I know, so we can grow. But why did God design us so that we need to MANUALLY ingest something in order to grow and survive? He could have just made us grow automatically as in the cells of our body just automatically absorb stuff from the air and build itself up. By the way, that is not impossible. There are cells, viruses and life-forms that just grow automatically provided the suitable environment.

It is also interesting how it’s HUNGER that prompts us to eat. Hunger is the way our body knows when it needs to eat something in order to grow. That part is automatic. Sometimes, I’ll be walking around in the house and I’ll be like a ZOMBIE going straight for the fridge and grabbing something to munch. Nobody even has to tell me to do it. I just automatically reach for that bag of chips. In fact, that’s the first thing I do when I get home. Quite unconsciously, I’ll be looking for food or I’ll be asking my wife if dinner was ready. That’s me: the HUNGER ZOMBIE. Fatness is what prompts me to workout

Through Mark 5, God reveals more and more to us the nature of FAITH. He said that while we are still on this Earth, there are 3 things that are critically important for us to grow:

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

When we get to heaven,  FAITH and HOPE will no longer be needed because we will see God fully and be given full understanding of all that is now HIDDEN in the spirit realm and that are unseen. At that time, we will see the face of LOVE completely as in we will finally see God Himself. In heaven, faith, hope and love is completely fulfilled. But while we are still here on Earth, these three things remain. And they remain INCOMPLETE and UNFULFILLED. What does that mean? That means we still need to GROW them within us.

I also have a feeling we will not be eating in order to survive in Heaven. Yeah, I know we will have a great feast and yes, Jesus did eat fish for breakfast with His disciples after His resurrection. But I don’t believe He NEEDED to eat in order to survive/live. I don’t think Jesus is up in heaven eating some KFC or McDonald’s. Ok, fine, you think He’s a vegetarian. I still I don’t think he’s eating a bowl of salad in heaven. In heaven, God will be our sufficiency in all things. And the feast is more of a feast of communion with Him.

Point #1: SUFFERING stirs up the HUNGER of FAITH.

That’s why God doesn’t spare us from suffering. He uses it to grow our FAITH. When you’re suffering, you will automatically be like me and start to walk around the house and look for something to eat.

Mark 5 starts out with Jesus getting off a boat in Gerasenes across the lake. And if you pay attention, He was only there for a little while. He went there and did just one thing. He went there to set free a man possessed by the devil.

Immediately, I see the love of God and I’m moved to my core. Why? Because who else really cared about this demon-possessed guy. He was despicable, not to mention scary. All people wanted to do was tie him up in shackles so that he won’t bother or harm anybody else. It’s so sad to read about him. He was lonely, unloved and was tormented by 2,000 demons (that’s my estimate considering how many pigs were possessed later).

Although it did say he was demon-possessed, I believe he felt everything that was going on even though it was EXTREMELY DIFFICULT for him to control his own actions. But still, his actions revealed how he was truly feeling. He wandered RESTLESSLY all over the place, cutting himself with sharp stones because he detested himself. He was in the deepest depths of depression and oppression. And everybody had forsaken him except ONE.

At first, I was amazed that this guy actually ran to Jesus instead of running the other direction. If the demons were in complete control, he’d be running the other direction. I really believe that was him and not the demons. He ran there out of FAITH because he believed Jesus could set him free from his bondage and suffering. This is what I call the HUNGER of FAITH. His suffering stirred up his faith to run to Jesus. However, the demons did talk to Jesus through that man. Jesus proceeded to set him free. God is so loving and merciful, He even took pity on the demons themselves recognizing that they were once His servants. He, then,  sent them into the pigs and the pigs drowned.

Just something for you to think about: Don’t you think it’s UNETHICAL to kill 2000 “innocent” pigs that belong to some other people and which constituted their livelihood? By the way, I don’t think 2,000 pigs were cheap even back in the day.

Well, that didn’t seem like a very loving thing to do. It was like Robin Hood stealing from the rich to help the poor. Even though he did it for the good of one party, wasn’t it wrong to make another party suffer for it?

Do you think God is governed by what you think is ethical? Do you think God is confined by the rules/laws that we set for ourselves? I’m not saying we have license to go around doing whatever we want by hurting people or their property. What I’m saying is, “Are you putting God in a box by allowing Him to only speak things that seem right to you?”. 

I’m also not saying that there are no consequences to obeying God. Sometimes obeying God means we will be persecuted or even punished according to the laws of men. But God does first of all asks us to CONSIDER THE COST of following Him. Mull over that one for a bit.

The guy who suffered so much was now well again. Believe me, in the past, he did many evil things that allowed the devil to have a foothold to possess him. He lived a life of self-gratification and ultimately brought himself to a totally oppressed state. Anyone who sins is a SLAVE TO SIN.

He was like Judas Iscariot. Judas started out pretty good but he let sin brew in him. And He continued to satisfy his sinful nature until he started to entertain murderous and traitorous thoughts. Finally, he was possessed by the devil himself. I’ve heard preachers spin a story about how Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver because he thought it would be harmless and that Jesus would escape eventually anyway. I don’t believe that interpretation. I believe Judas truly gave in to his greed. And those who LOVE money hates God. He turned malicious and murderous because he gave in to sin.

The guy who was set free from suffering, essentially, had his FAITH FULFILLED by Jesus. This is because FAITH is like a plant that is thirsting for water. It’s thirsting for the HEALING. It’s thirsting for DELIVERANCE. The watering of this plant is the fulfillment of our faith by God.

The FULFILLMENT of our FAITH can be in the form of a miracle or an answered prayer. But very basically, it is His divine intervention. FAITH is faith in the UNSEEN, in the SPIRITUAL, in God.

After the deliverance, the man just wanted to follow Jesus. He abandoned everything he thought was worth something before his deliverance. This was what the disciples did in order to follow Jesus. He considered his “truth” or his point of view about life before as rubbish. He finally found real TRUTH and he wanted more of it.

However, God had a different purpose for him. Jesus saw fit to send him out to testify and preach God’s goodness. He travelled to 10 towns. You might think nobody would want to hear from a former demon-possessed man but you’d be WRONG. You’d be wrong because people who have sufferred are the people you can identify with the easiest because we all suffer at the same time in different ways. And all of us are looking for HOPE.

The same thing happened later after Jesus got back to the other side of the lake. Fast forward a little bit and Jesus was walking with a crowd to Jairus’s house to heal his daughter. I just find it crazy that the crowd was pressing against him on all sides as He was walking. That is so suffocating. Haven’t they ever heard of personal space? Thank God, Jesus wasn’t claustrophobic. Anyway, catch this:

Mark 5:24-29
Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

POINT #2: FAITH DEMANDS AN AUDIENCE FROM GOD!

God spoke this to me so strongly this morning. And He asked me to tell you about it. This woman had tried EVERYTHING humanly possible to cure herself! I find it so funny how scripture even said, “She suffered a great deal from many doctors…”. You know how doctors are. They’re like, “Hmmm…let me take a guess…from all the signs and symptoms, you seem to be suffering from….mmmm…Tuberculosis. It’s no big deal, just take these pills which will cause you to vomit and have fever but it will surely cure you.”. She then follows the instructions and comes back WORSE! Doctor says, “Well, that obviously was not TB, I think you’re just having pre-menopausal freakyiatis, you need to drink this twice a day. It will give you diarrhea and severe migraine but you’ll be cured for sure.”. She did this for 12 years.

Yes, she was extremely sick (literally) and TIRED at this point. Ironically, THAT IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE! It’s a good place to be from a FAITH perspective. Remember POINT #1: SUFFERING stirs up the HUNGER of FAITH. You would have thought she had lost all hope and was ready to die now. But her FAITH was stronger than ever. Why???

Like I told you yesterday, the heart is ready for the seed because the soil has been tilled/plowed. The heart is humbled. That seed of FAITH was able to grow in the soil that was made fertile THROUGH SUFFERING. Are you following me? Read yesterday’s post again if you don’t.

Did she even have to talk to Jesus or beg Him to heal her like the demon-possessed guy did? Did she have to have Jesus formally interview her and place His hands on her to heal her? No, her heart was so ready. The heart’s soil was so FERTILE. There was nothing that was going to stop her from receiving her healing. Even if she did not get healed that time, you know someone is ready when they are persistent in their FAITH. You know that someone has STRONG FAITH when they keep coming back even after being rejected multiple times.

FAITH DEMANDS AN AUDIENCE FROM GOD!

Come on, tell me that’s not revelation!

It says Jesus felt healing power leave Him. Wow! It was like her FAITH sucked it from Him like some sort of tractor beam. And Jesus didn’t keep walking either. He earnestly looked for her. Why? Simple, because He had something to say to her. He has something to say to US.

Mark 5:32-34 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Did her faith really heal her? No, God healed her. But God’s readiness to heal her was unquestioned and it was such a given that it was not even mentioned. To mention it would be “DUH” statement. The healing HINGED upon her FAITH. That was the only thing that was VARIABLE. In this sense, her FAITH enabled God to heal her.

You might be wondering, “Was God bothered or disturbed by her persistent FAITH?”. No, He was not. FAITH brings Him great JOY and it refreshes the Father in Heaven. Yes, it even blesses Him. That’s why Jesus was so persistent in looking for her. You need to catch how loving Jesus was when He spoke to her. He called her “Daughter”. Like a daddy calls His little girl. It’s like “Ah, finally! This FAITH plant is ready to be watered. It’s been so thirsty for such a long this time. Now’s your time to receive.”. It was His great joy to heal her and build up her FAITH.

Then, people came with the news that Jairus’ daughter was dead. Whoa! Jairus’ faith meter immediately dropped. And those other faithless messengers weren’t helping either. You need to watch out for people who are just constantly airing their faithlessness, pessimism and discouragement. Don’t hang around these people too much. They’re going to get you down and ultimately destroy your FAITH. Notice Jesus’ response:

Mark 5:35, 36
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Jesus was like, “Don’t listen to these people, they know nothing. They only see the natural and not the spiritual. Just believe. See how the woman’s FAITH earlier healed her. Persist in your faith and you shall receive as well.”. Phew! Faithlessness intercepted.

Last thing I want to mention is that not everybody gets to witness miracles. Until today, I’ve never witnessed a radical miracle like a deformed leg growing back or somebody who was dead resurrected. I’ve only HEARD of them happening but I still believe that they did REALLY happen. Trust me, my FAITH is thirsty to see such awesomeness but I’m just not ready yet. Otherwise, God would have shown me. I just chalk it up as a blessing for blessed are those who believe even though they have not seen.

Jesus stopped the crowd and entered Jairus’ house with only Jairus, the mother and 3 of his disciples. Only these were ready to see the miracle. After the healing, He even tells them not to tell anyone what happened.

This is also why much earlier when He was with the crowd, Jesus said she’s not dead and that she was only sleeping. He was testing them to see if they were ready but they just laughed at Him. What difference does it make whether she was dead or not? She might as well be sleeping or resting if God was going to heal her anyway. Death is permanent, sleep is temporary. Lazarus too was sleeping. So, I don’t believe Jesus lied at all. All that happened so that God would be glorified and people’s FAITH would be grown in the correct timing and manner.

You might be suffering today because of physical issues or some sort of crisis. Just remember that your suffering CAN stir up the hunger of your FAITH. Press into God! Press into Him more even as the pain/crisis intensifies. Cry out and let your HOPE breathe with great expectation. Don’t stop hoping. Don’t let anything destroy your FAITH. Press on for your healing or deliverance.

Faith demands an audience from God. It is desperate. It is persistent. It is resilient. Jesus is telling us just like He told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”. The watering of your faith will come at the right time. It’s hunger cry will be answered. Press into Him today.

His son,
Yatwei

Dear brothers and sisters,

After reading Mark 4, I was immediately reminded of the September 11, 2001 tragedy. No one really wants to talk or hear about it. I mean, I don’t. I hear “9/11″ and I just want to quickly change the subject. It’s like somebody offering to watch a tragic movie based on a true story with me. I’m like, “Let’s watch a comedy instead!”. But there are lessons to be learned from such tragedies. It’s the tilling of the heart soil. I’ll explain more on that later.

The first is warnings. Warnings to the government that there might be an imminent terrorist attack. Warnings by analysts and intelligence agencies. Warnings to leave the building after the first plane hit. Warnings to leave the building after the second plane hit. Yeah sure, warnings from doomsayers, conspiracy theorists and the ultra-paranoid. I’m sure they had a field day with that event. But they offered warnings nevertheless. We can’t say we never heard warnings because they seem to come in all the time: before, during and after the tragedy.

Here are some questions for us:
1) What are the consequences of a VALID warning that is NOT heeded?
2) What is the result of a VALID warning that is heeded?
3) What are the consequences of heeding an INVALID warning?
4) Should we even try to validate the warnings?
5) How do we validate the warnings?

Well, we know what happened to those who didn’t heed any warnings whatsoever. I mean no disrespect to their memory. But those who heeded the warnings early enough escaped with their lives. Therefore, the result of heeding a VALID warning is LIFE in this case. Not only life but a future, opportunities to be married, have children, have grandchildren etc. These two are the most easy questions to answer.

But what if the warning was INVALID and the person heeded it anyway? Well, if the warning was to stay in the tower until the firemen came to rescue them, many have died from heeding it. But what if the warning was to stock up food for Y2K and I heeded it? Well, you just ended up with more canned food in your pantry and maybe a bruised ego but that was about it. Heeding invalid warnings are not a good thing but the consequences vary. God help those who heeded Harold Camping’s warnings Just kidding, they’ll be okay.

That’s 3 down. But just by answering the first 3, we have established that it is CRITICAL that we validate warnings. Therefore, that leaves only one question.

How do we validate the warnings?

That brings us into Mark 4′s text today. Think of the warnings I mentioned previously as the SEED that is mentioned all over the chapter. This SEED is very simply an IMPORTANT message. The heeding of which would either result in LIFE or DEATH. At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus tells the people about the parable of the farmer scattering seeds. The parable basically is a message about messages.

What I find to be very very interesting and extremely ironic is that Jesus tells them the message in the form of a PARABLE knowing that MOST OF THEM WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND. Most of the time, you would want your message to be understood but Jesus tells it in such a way it’s DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. I would say it’s difficult to understand because His very own disciples, the ones who walk and talk with Him constantly, that observe His behavior daily, His own private students DID NOT UNDERSTAND.

And Jesus explains why He does that. It was to fulfill prophecy (Isaiah 6:9-10). The command was at first given to Isaiah, God readied Isaiah to send a message to the people of Israel but it was a very interesting message. It was a message that says the people will hear but they will not understand. And Jesus was doing just that. He was telling them a message that was DIFFICULT to understand to fulfill this prophecy. Bear in mind, it’s DIFFICULT but NOT IMPOSSIBLE! Why do that in the first place? If you read Romans 9 and 10, you would understand. You could also read my commentaries on these 2 chapters.

Ok, I’ll give you the concise answer. It’s because there was a time (a long time) when absolutely INCREDIBLE miracles and fantastically AWESOME messages were given FREELY to Israel by God. God held nothing back in showing them His goodness, kindness and His Word. He even gave them His Law, His presence and His prophets to guide them. But Israel for many, many generations, REJECTED all that God gave them FREELY, through her disobedience. So now, God has decided to make them jealous by giving these awesome gifts FREELY to the Gentiles. He does this in hopes that one day, Israel’s eyes would be opened once more and realize what they have truly lost. God did it to provoke their repentance and turn them back to Him. God wanted this prodigal son to realize, even when he was in that pig pen, how faithful and loving his Father was to him. He is, all the while, the Father who is waiting at home anxiously for this son to come back. And when he comes back, there will be great joy!

I want to repeat myself. God made it DIFFICULT but He didn’t make it IMPOSSIBLE for Israel to receive the message. That’s why Jesus still tells them the message, otherwise, why bother telling them AT ALL? God still wants them to ultimately BELIEVE, for the seed to take root in the fertile soil of their hearts. But many of them are still not ready because their long disobedience has caused their hearts to be HARDENED. Disobedience along with pride and fear HARDENS the heart making it infertile. Infertile soil is not good for seeds to grow.

In fact, God’s personal Word for me today was to till/plow the soil of my heart so that I can hear Him and understand His Words. The tilling and the plowing of your heart’s soil is your own responsibility. You do this by humbling yourself and by forsaking or not clinging to your OWN UNDERSTANDING. Empty yourself. You’ll know that you are “emptied” or “humbled” when you don’t fight back anymore. Or when you stop talking or insisting your own way and just sit quietly to listen. Like a wild horse that has been broken in. That is what humility looks like. That is how you till the soil of your heart. Sometimes, it takes a tragedy to rock us into our senses before we start to humble ourselves before God.

The apostle Paul’s heart (a Jew heart) used to be a hardened rock but God knocked some sense into him and allowed him to fertilize his heart so that he could receive the SEED. But later, he felt God’s heartache when he saw the majority of Israelites, his own people’s hearts were hardened. He went as far as saying he would trade his salvation to ensure that they would receive theirs. That sounds crazy but he was merely expressing God’s heartache and that was the strongest way he could express it.

Nevertheless, the people on the shore heard the message all the same just like the disciples did. What they did with what they heard is what we’re talking about now. During your school days, when you were in class, I’m sure there were times when what the teacher said just went over your head. You just missed what she was saying or you totally didn’t understand. As far as you were concerned, she might as well be speaking greek. But what did you do about it?

I’m also sure you were not the only one who didn’t understand. There were a few others along with you. Bear in mind, all of you heard the same things coming out of the teacher’s mouth. Now, a GOOD STUDENT would approach the teacher after class and ask for clarification. I say “after” because it’s a disruption to do it “during”. Are you that student? Or are you like, “I’m sure I’ll figure it out later myself” or “It’s probably not that important.”.

That’s what the disciples did and it MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE! The very first step you take toward seeking the answer, the very spark of a thought that causes you to wonder, the very moment the prodigal son THINKS BACK. That is the MUSTARD SEED. That is the spark of FAITH. It so very very PRECIOUS! The very act of SEEKING shows FAITH. God can work with that no matter how small. He will not put out that smoldering wick. It’s so extremely scary how that little SPARK, that little MUSTARD SEED, is what LIFE and DEATH balances upon. That’s what made the disciples ask Jesus. That’s what made the 911 survivors consider the warning. Yes, it would be a grave mistake to not VALIDATE the warning. It would be a mistake ignore and not seek the answer to that lingering question.

Also check out this perplexing question Jesus poses to the disciples:

Mark 4:13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?

He was not saying they were dull or stupid. He was not saying that because the ANSWER doesn’t come from one’s intellect. Otherwise, the “smarter” ones who also heard the message at the shore would have understood. If He was saying anything at all, He was addressing their FAITH in hearing from God. You might be wondering, “Were they able to hear from God?”.

My answer is, “Heck yeah!”. Remember Peter? Peter jumped up off the ground and exclaimed Jesus is the Son of God. And Jesus said this was revealed to him by the Father in Heaven. By the way, the very reason I’m able to explain all these things clearly and convincingly to you is BECAUSE I’M HEARING IT FROM GOD. There are no smoke and mirrors and I didn’t defer to Matthew Henry or any other commentary or Study Bible. I’m not knocking those who do defer to them but there is IMMENSE VALUE IN LEARNING TO HEAR FROM GOD. 

That is the reason why I always ask you to read the chapter yourself first and hear from God. Don’t just RELY on other believers like Matthew Henry, preachers, pastors or even myself to hear on your behalf. Ummm….that doesn’t mean stop reading my blog. God might say something through me that you otherwise might have missed for whatever reason. Consider brethren as a sort of backup but learn! Learn how to hear from your Father BY FAITH!

That’s what REVELATION is all about. It’s not from men but from God. And don’t even tell me there’s no such thing as revelation when there’s a whole book named that. He speaks, beloved. Are you listening? Are you listening with ears of FAITH? I ask Him by FAITH and He explains things to me through my thoughts. There’s nothing for me to boast about in myself but everything for me to boast about in my God. He is patient and merciful with us and takes great care in watering the seed of FAITH He plants in us. Glory and praise to our God and Father in Heaven!!!

I quoted from Luke 8:16-18 and that is now repeated in Mark below:

Mark 4:21-25
Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

This time, I want to zero in on “For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.”. At first read, you might be thinking it’s talking about secret sins or dark deeds. But it’s not. He is STILL TALKING ABOUT THE SEED. The message that seems so difficult to understand. There is a light that can illuminate the hidden. There is a decoder that can decrypt the message. That LIGHT is God. That LIGHT is the Holy Spirit. That LIGHT is JESUS. That LIGHT is you and me.

He gave us the ability to understand the hidden so that He can be glorified when the message is made known through us to others. Believe me when I say, the Gospel itself is like a SECRET that is hidden even from people today. Kings cannot understand it. They’ve heard it over and over but rejected it over and over because they cannot see TRUTH in it. In this sense, it was hidden from them. Have you tried explaining the Gospel so clearly to someone and yet they don’t understand or believe? They don’t believe because they simply don’t recognize it as TRUTH. If you truly believe the Gospel that says you are a sinner in need of Jesus, you WILL IMMEDIATELY GET ON YOUR KNEES and accept Him. But many have swept it aside thinking it unimportant as compared to their rich and easy lives.

Then, He says, “The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given-and you will receive even more.”. It’s like hearing someone speak softly as through a door. First, you bend your ear toward that direction, then you press your ear against the door, next you open the door etc. It’s the act of seeking. Seeking until you find. Looking until you see. Hearing until you understand. The opposite  of that would be to walk away and listen to something else or talk to somebody else.

Mark 4:33-34 Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

If you are His disciple, you are His light. You understand many things the others do not because you have a relationship with THE TEACHER. You have the Holy Spirit who teaches and counsels you. Get alone with Jesus just like the disciples did and hear Him explain things to you. He will make it plain to you. He will no longer speak in parables to you. And when you finally understand, you can be a LIGHT unto others: Others who are ignorant and do not hear nor understand.

Proverbs 25:2
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

His son,
Yatwei

Dear brothers and sisters,

Have you ever wondered why all around the world, Christians are being persecuted, hated and condemned by unbelievers/non-believers? Think about it for a second. True Christians show care, love, preach the Good News and never force people to accept what they preach. Doesn’t it blow your mind that they are persecuted for doing that? Why do people hate Christians so much?
 
You might answer, “It’s because Jesus Himself was persecuted, hated and condemned.” Well then, let me press on and ask you why was Jesus persecuted, hated and condemned by people…especially the Pharisees? You might again answer, “Because they’re of the devil and darkness cannot comprehend the light.”. That is a partial answer but that is still unsatisfactory because there were actually people who accepted Jesus’ message. Weren’t their father also the devil beforehand? What really made the difference?
 
Let me throw a picture into your mind to help explain this. I’m sure you’ve seen the 3 monkeys each covering a part of their face. One is covering it’s ears, another it’s eyes and yet another it’s mouth. This picture came from some Japanese Buddhist dude and it symbolizes a philosophy of hearing no evil, seeing no evil and speaking no evil, respectively. Many all over the world have accepted this to be a wise philosophy and they call it the “3 wise monkeys”.
 
There is only one problem to this philosophy, and that is people presume too heavily that they are ALWAYS able to discern what is evil and what is good. One can only do this if their hearts are uncorrupted. If you’re a Christian, you would know that ALL hearts are corrupted by sin. We are all prone to calling evil good and good evil because of our sin nature.
 
Because of this, what most people ACTUALLY do, no matter how hard they try is this: One monkey covers it’s ears, another monkey covers it’s eyes and yet another with it’s mouth wide OPEN. Now, watch and listen carefully They cover their ears as in they filter everything they HEAR based on what they BELIEVE IN THEIR HEARTS to be true/good.  They cover their eyes and filter everything they SEE based on what they BELIEVE IN THEIR HEARTS to be true/good. And they OPEN their mouths to speak whatever that overflows FROM THEIR HEARTS.
 
I hope you see that it all stems FROM THE HEART. And secondly, people close their eyes and ears to the TRUTH because of their hardened hearts. But that doesn’t stop their mouths from speaking, judging and doing all kinds of stuff that their corrupted hearts are directing them to do.

That is the real reason why unbelievers hate Christians. They only hear what they want to hear because they have hardened their hearts. And out of their hearts come a flow of evil and hatred for all that is good because yes, DARKNESS CANNOT COMPREHEND THE LIGHT. In fact, darkness HATES light because even though no one is forcing them to believe, TRUTH itself is somewhat like an ultimatum or a foundation stone. Just like God, TRUTH cannot be moved!

It is only when the Holy Spirit whispers and soften a person’s heart will they begin to slowly lower their hands from their eyes and ears and begin to TRULY LISTEN. You see, God is not afraid of an OPEN MIND! A lot of us Christians are so afraid when unbelievers say stuff like, “We have to keep an open mind.”. I’ve met people who come to me and say stuff like, “Have you read the gospel according to Judas Iscariot?” or “Have you read the gospel according to Mary Magdalene?” or even “Did you see the Davinci’s Code about how Jesus used to have this illicit affair with Mary Magdalene?”. I’ve even heard this, “Did you know Jesus showed up in Tibet and learned from the Buddhist monks?”. I’m like, “Whoa! Get behind me satan!”. 
 
However, it’s okay to keep an open mind as long as your mind is ALSO OPENED TO THE TRUTH as in your HEART IS NOT HARDENED. But I’m sorry to say that is not the case with most people who say, “Let’s keep an open mind”. They hear the truth but they gloss over it and keep looking in the wrong direction. It’s like me looking for my car keys, I look all over the house like a maniac when actually I see it everytime I go over to the dining table but I keep mistaking it for something else.
 
But there are also those who actually have AN OPEN MIND. These people are SINCERELY SEEKING for the answer. They are asking, seeking and knocking like Jesus said. And their ears are open to hear. Some might even set out to disprove the Bible or disprove Jesus. I see people that seriously endeavour to do this as actually SINCERELY seeking. They truly have an OPEN MIND and a SOFTENED HEART.
 
You have no idea how refreshing it is to talk to someone who is SINCERELY SEEKING. They are not always fighting you and bent on airing their own opinions. People like these believe they don’t know it all and can actually learn from other people, even people much YOUNGER than them.

I’ve been to Bible studies where all people cared about doing was air their own opinions. They can’t wait to talk. I’m talking even about myself. I’ve been that person. But the Lord said to me, “Just be quiet and you might learn a thing or two.”. Aren’t we going to Bible studies to learn from our brethren? Or is everybody there to teach everybody else??? When you’re at a Bible study, your main mode should be to LISTEN. Listen to the Holy Spirit and listen to your brethren. If the Lord, compells you to share, then SHARE but do more listening.

That is what I call the ”Pharisee syndrome”, they are all know-it-alls because they regard themselves at the top of their game. The religious teachers are the most hard-hearted because it’s a matter of pride when a person stoops down to receive teaching. In their minds, it’s “How dare you try to teach me?” or “I’m the true teacher, who are you?”.  But all of us know, a good teacher is a teacher that is constantly humble and open to learning. That’s how one improves as a teacher. Pride is therefore not a good trait for a teacher to have.
 
That is what happened all over the place in Mark 3 (Please kindly read from your Bible). You have the Pharisees (v. 1-6), already set out to harm rather than to help. Peoples’ hearts couldn’t be any more hardened than what we saw in the Pharisees. They have closed their eyes and ears. As you read it, you could almost see the surly looking Pharisees snarling at Jesus when He tried to break through to them as it says in there, “But they wouldn’t answer him.”. Notice, Jesus’ emotional response:
 
Mark 3:5,6
He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.

Keeping our eyes on the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you can see them in action again in verse 22 when they accused Jesus of being possessed by Satan to cast out demons. I don’t know about you but it actually blows my mind that Jesus would even attempt to explain the truth to these guys (v 23-30).

You can tell how patient Jesus was in that He takes the time to illustrate His answers. He scatters the seed even though there might not be hope of a crop growing. But, on the other hand, there might be hope, that’s why He does it anyway. His Word never returns to Him void. You really need the discernment and wisdom of God for every situation because you don’t really want to cast pearls before swine. In this case, the teachers of the law had their hearts hardened because of PRIDE and FEAR.

There are actually many levels of heart hardness. Just as there are many levels of FAITH. The Pharisees’ hearts were hardened to the extreme . But you can see a different level of  heart-hardness in Jesus’ own family.

Mark 3:20-21
One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

Mark 3:32-35
There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”
Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

I believe that Jesus’ family were TRUE BELIEVERS for even Jesus’ mother was told that His son was the Messiah because she treasured the things the angels said to her (Luke 2:19). But they themselves have their eyes veiled because their hearts were hardened with doubt. They only see the physical or the natural but they CANNOT SEE THE SPIRITUAL. To see the SPIRITUAL, you need a SOFTENED HEART.

That’s what going to happen whenever God moves in your heart to do something. You listen and obey Him by following through with actions. But the moment you do things that someone doesn’t really understand or agree with, they will oppose you to your face and even call you crazy. These people I’m talking about are from the family of believers. Believers who are somehow disconnected from hearing God, who have their hearts hardened, their eyes and ears closed. If you want to see and hear what God sees and hears, you need to HUMBLE yourself and ask God to speak to you and show you. Otherwise, you’ll just be walking around TALKING with your eyes and ears tightly shut. That’s the picture of a person with a hardened heart.

Luke 8:16-18
“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.
“So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”

A lamp must always give out its light. That is what we are. Children of God are lamps with light. We must continue obeying God even if the rest of the world and our own family think we’re CRAZY! Jesus obviously wasn’t crazy. But it would really really seem like it to the hardened heart who ONLY SEE THINGS IN THE NATURAL. If we were only living in the natural, I wouldn’t blame them. But they are WRONG because there is a spiritual reality and they are blind to it.

Read Mark 3:20-21 above again. I also say I don’t blame them in the natural because who wouldn’t be freaked out when hundreds of people approached Jesus and He just waves his hand and many many people just fall down convulsing and shrieking. As more and more come in, more and more fall down in the same fashion. And they don’t stop coming in. The disciples were busy pulling the “set free” people out of the room so that new people can come in. Bear in mind, nobody has EVER SEEN THIS KIND OF THING  BEFORE! The Pharisees were freaking out and calling Jesus demon-possessed. His family was calling Him crazy.

That’s how so many Evangelicals act when they hear Pentacostals speak in tongues, slain in the Spirit, or some really weird manifestations like gold dust and feathers. A lot of them even call their own brothers and sisters in the faith  demon possessed/influenced??!!! How can you say that of your own family who OBVIOUSLY believe in the same LORD and produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives???!!! How can a bad tree produce good fruit? Are their hearts not hardened because of FEAR and PRIDE?

I will paste the verse below again for you so that you will take it to heart because a hardened heart angers and deeply saddens Jesus.

“So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.” 
 
I’ve written a lot but if you forget everything, remember this, “Humble yourself before Him. Sincerely ask, seek and knock. You can lower your hands from your eyes and ears. Be still and know that He is God. Evil will not overcome you because He is in you and greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Do not be afraid to listen with ears of FAITH.”

His son,
Yatwei

Dear brothers and sisters,

Have you ever yearned for something so badly, you thought you were going to die if you did not have it? I used to but honestly I can’t remember any one specific thing anymore. I used to think like that constantly. I know now that toys and things just don’t really satisfy. Sure, I might run around stores searching for a particular toy in a series I’m collecting but it’s really just for the thrill of the hunt. I know I won’t really die if I don’t get it. There was a time when I thought the pursuit of these things was everything there was to live for.

I’m a geeky fan of Transformers Generation 1 figures (toys) by the way. Big shout out to Transformers! I would scour Target stores even across different states (even in Canada) just looking for a particular toy. When I find it in an aisle, I would look at my wife like a kid and ask, “Honey, can I buy this? I know it’s $30 but I promise to be a good boy. Please…”.

And I have this display hutch that is just full Transformers figures. I have so many that I actually need 3 hutches to display them all. Most of them, I’ve never even transformed or played with. I just put them in there to look at. But after it’s all said and done, after I sit myself down and look at the display case, I would ask, “Yeah, it looks cool and all but was it really worth all my time, effort and money?”

After the thrill of the hunt was gone, what did I end up with that was really precious to my heart? These are but dead and worthless things that don’t truly satisfy my heart. Isn’t that what we’re truly looking for? Something to fill that void with joy and satisfaction? If you were a richer guy, your toys might be other things like cars, houses, or boats. But at the end of the day, it is still the same feeling. When you sail out into the beautiful ocean with your 40-foot yacht and witness the glory of God’s beautiful creation, are you then truly satisfied?

I have pursued pleasure (at a small scale, of course) and I’ve found at the end of the day, what I thought would taste like the sweet water of life was nothing but sand in my mouth. So, I’m not about to waste more time chasing after things like pagans do. I’m not going to live my life hoarding more and more money so that I can have this million dollar house with a collection of supercars.

I’m not going to collect expensive junk and sell it for 50 cents in a garage sale 2 years from now. I’m not going to work out like a crazy man just to look like a Men’s Fitness model or seek after designer clothing so I would look like a celebrity. I just won’t because I know what it’s going to be like at the end of the day. Sand in my mouth. Are you convinced of the same?

I’ve also yearned for SOMEONE so badly that I thought I would die if I didn’t have her. Awww! How sweet! I’m talking about my wife, of course. When we were dating, I thought I was going to die when I didn’t get to see her for one week. I begged like a puppy for her to give me a chance to be her boyfriend. I still remember that day on that park bench. Boy, what a pathetic love fool.

My dad used to tell me that the most wonderful years in life is when you’re in college. Well, I hated college…because I didn’t get to be with my girlfriend. We were LITERALLY half a world apart for 4 years. My wife is the single greatest blessing in my life and the happiest days I spent, I spent it with her. That’s mushy love song material, right there.

But am I thoroughly satisfied now that I have a wife and kids? Do I still feel something is missing? Am I still in pursuit of whatever or whoever? It’s like that U2 song, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”. I used to be perplexed because in the lyrics, he even mentions that he believes that Christ died for his sins but he’s still looking for something. I believe he is right. We are still looking, aren’t we?

Sorry for the long intro but I believe I just set the stage for Mark 2 (Please read, I’m not pasting many scriptures today). Jesus goes back to Capernaum and people are drawn to him like moths to a flame. And no, they were not there just for the healings. They were there also to hear what He has to say. They believed He was here to fill that void in their hearts. They’ve been pursuing to fill this void for years just like us. And now, when Jesus spoke with such clarity and authority about the kingdom of God and proved it with miracles, they were hungry. They crowded all around him. It was so jammed up, it was hopeless to even get a glimpse of Him.

It’s like your favorite celebrity came to town and a million other fans were crowding around him/her. What are you going to do? Usually, I’d rationalize and say, “Ah, what’s the big deal? This too shall pass. It’s another sand in the mouth experience anyway. I’ll just sit at home and relax.”. With a celebrity, that might be true. But with Jesus, not this time, buddy!

The paralyzed man and his friends knew this wasn’t just any other fad or celebrity. In their hearts, they REALLY believed He was the answer to everything. That’s why they were so desperate. I believe it wasn’t only the friends who were desperate, even the paralytic was desperate. He knew full well of his condition, physically and spiritually. In both areas, he was paralyzed. And He was DESPERATE to see Jesus. To him, it was “Either I see Him or I die”. That’s what DESPERATE is all about. You either have HIM or you die trying! It doesn’t matter how many people were crowding around Him, I’m going to find a way!!!

They dug through somebody’s house’s roof???!!! They were risking even being arrested as criminals. You might think that’s normal when you first read it, but that’s pretty darn desperate. Would you break through Tom Cruise’s roof just to see him? They didn’t even care if they were interrupting everything. Think about how annoying that is to be preaching and you keep hearing above you people digging and breaking stuff and sand coming down. I’ll be like, “Are you crazy??? Call security right now! Send in the SWAT team.”.

You know the rest of the story, Jesus commends them for their faith, forgives the man, heals him and he FOUND WHO/WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR!!!

Then, Jesus calls Matthew, the tax collector, to be His disciple. Matthew invites Jesus and everybody who followed him to dinner. And the followers were all “scum” and had bad reputations. They were like the pedophiles, rapists, murderers and the ex-convicts. I mean, I myself, would have asked, “Why???”. Would you sit within 10 feet of a rapist? But they knew they were sick and they knew they needed healing. They were desperate to be healed so they kept following Jesus. Did Jesus reject them like we would have? No, he accepted them, helped them and they FOUND WHO/WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR!!!

Later, everybody was fasting but Jesus and his posse wasn’t. Again, why??? Jesus said his disciples don’t fast because basically He is still with them. But they will fast one day when He’s gone. That brings up a very very important question, “WHY DOES A PERSON FAST?”. The answer: WE FAST TO BE CLOSE TO JESUS! We fast because we are DESPERATE and are LONGING to commune and be with Jesus. We forsake physical food so that we can eat spiritual food. They fast so that they will feel Jesus close in their hearts, to hear from Him clearly. Fasting is BORNED OUT OF DESPERATION to be close to Jesus.

Finally, out of the DESPERATION, you find what you’re looking for and you are finally able to REST. That is what the Sabbath is all about. Isn’t that what we’re also desperate to find: REST?  Jesus in the final part of Mark 2, tells the Pharisees that the Sabbath was made for people. It was God’s gift to His children. It wasn’t just another law to follow. God created the Sabbath for us! And Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is Sabbath itself.

God is the one who created this void within you. God is the one who is making you desperate for Him. But He is also the one who can FULFILL you as well as give you REST.

When you are in Jesus, when you are communing with Jesus, when you are hearing Him speak, you will finally be at REST. And He will not reject you. Compare Mary and Martha. Martha, going crazy doing stuff and never at rest. But Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet, AT REST AND FULFILLED.

Luke 10:41-42
But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Are you thirsty today? Are you feeling unfulfilled? Are you feeling somehow desperate? Are you feeling restless? You need to spend some time seeking out Jesus. Depending on your desperation, you might even need to FAST so you can draw close to Him. Do you believe He’s the answer to everything? He’s not hiding so far that you cannot find Him. He’s just around the corner WAITING for you to find Him. Think of it as God playing hide and seek with you except HE ACTUALLY WANTS YOU TO FIND HIM! The question is:

“HOW DESPERATE ARE YOU TO FIND HIM?”

Luke 11:9
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Acts 17:27-28
“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Jeremiah 29:12-14
In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord…

His son,
Yatwei

Beloved,

WARNING: This is going to be a long one but follow me and you are sure to be BLESSED…because it’s His Word through His Spirit!

Do you remember when you first watched a color TV? Honestly, I was born after the color tv came out but I can imagine what it would have been like since I’ve watched B&W televisions or movies before. It’s kind of strange watching an old B&W movie. After watching it for an extended period, I begin to imagine everything during those days were in black and white. Everybody’s clothes during the 30s were black, white and shades of grey. What I saw kind of colored/mis-colored my imagination of the past. Don’t even talk about silent movies. I think I’ll become mute after watching a Charlie Chaplin movie in one sitting.

Then, when I switch back to the color TV, oh wow! things suddenly came to life. A macaw or a toucan never looked the same. Before, you couldn’t tell a scarlet macaw from a green-wing macaw since everything was just shades of grey. Thank God that He made things in color. The color tv experience made you never want to go back to the B&Ws unless you somehow appreciate the artistic value of it. For me, things were in B&W because there was no other option back then.

That was the way it was before Jesus came. Everything was in black and white. Hopelessness, sickness, oppression and demon-possession were just business as usual. Society just did the best they could to cope with its problems. Lepers were cast aside and isolated for fear of infection. There was great oppression of the poor by the rich. The rich just cared about getting richer. For instance, employers withheld wages from their employees because of greed. Where’s the love, you ask? There wasn’t any. Everything was just shades of grey, not in Technicolor. I’m starting my exposition of the Gospel according to Mark in case you haven’t noticed yet. Today is Mark 1. Read it first if you please.

Man, even demon-possessed people were regular church attendees??!!! That speaks of how dead the synagogue was during those days. I’m not kidding, listen to what the demon said to Jesus when He was preaching in the synagogue:

Mark 1:23,24
Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting, “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One sent from God!”

Jesus was actually “interfering” with the “business-as-usual demonic influencing work” they were doing to the rest of the church-goers. Before this, there was no light or holiness whatsoever. Just a bunch “religious” priests covering their deadness with their fancy religious clothes and long beards. They had no idea what they were talking about most of the time. The most they could do was dramatize their tone when they read scripture out loud and offer some religious “suggestions” for good living while pressing people hard to follow rituals. In this regard, Judaism was not different from Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism etc. It was dead and open to demonic influence.

But when Jesus stepped into the scene, suddenly, the television screen lit up with color. They actually use this trick in movies these days. Like the first half of the movie would be in B&W, then something happens and color comes in. Wow, it’s like drinking cool refreshing water after a being thirsty for days. And the people when they heard Jesus preach, IMMEDIATELY noticed the difference. They saw COLOR flood into the scene. They saw bright light in oppressing darkness. In verse 27, after the demon was cast out, it says:

Mark 1:27
Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!”

They were like, “Whoa! That has never happened before.”. I loved how NLT put it, “Amazement gripped the audience”.  Not only did Jesus sound like He knew what He was talking about. He backed it up by ordering the evil spirits around. First of all, I haven’t the faintest idea how you can order an evil spirit around. I can’t even get my own kid to sit quietly for dinner. All I can think of is that Jesus’ voice or the power of the living and creative Word was so incredible that nothing could resist it. It’s like when God said, “Let there be light”. There was no choice but for light to appear.

Then on the same day (??!!), Jesus goes to Peter’s house and heals his mother. They ate together. A few moments later, the whole town (??!!!) stood outside Peter’s house and all the sick and demon-possessed came to be healed. If I was the one who cast out a demon from the synagogue, I’d be taking a month-long vacation. I would first of all be freaked out by the whole experience. Second, I would be playing that tape over and over again in my head and then telling people, “Hey! Did you noticed how when I said ‘Get out!’, I must have been a terror ’cause them devils were screaming like little girls. I showed them who’s boss right there, didn’t I?”.

But Jesus didn’t make any of it a big deal. He just went on to heal people well into the night. If I did that, I’d be so tired, I’d take a year-long sabbatical. I would feel my faith so stretched out, it would be like a steamroller ran over a stick of gum.

And have you ever wondered how Jesus “performed” a healing? I mean, is there a “proper” way to perform a healing or an exorcism? Whenever I prayed for people to be healed, I feel a big need inside me to either use some big religious words or explain my case to God about why this person needs to be healed. And then, just to be safe, throw in a “Lord, if it be your will…”. Do you think Jesus needed to do any of this?

The main reason for today’s writing is to ask us this, “What does it mean for us to be a LIGHT?” or “How do we sustain our LIGHT?”. He says that we are the light of the world and that we will do greater things than even what He did. Read the 2 scriptures below:

John 14:11-13
Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.

Matthew 4:15-17
“In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”
From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

Beloved, the secret is in Mark 1 itself. If I were to put it in a sentence, it would be “Stay clean and abide in His presence”. That is the ONLY WORK you have to do. You don’t need fancy clothes, eloquent and politically correct words (even Moses didn’t), a strong and convincing case, a seminary degree, a shaved head, a celibate life etc. You don’t need any of these. You don’t even need to throw in “Lord, if it be your will…” because you would already know His will. What? Did you say you don’t really know His will? That would explain why you might not be abiding in His presence. To abide in His presence means you are talking to God and He is intimately talking to you. If you are still confused about how to hear from God, please read my previous writing called, “His voice” or click this link to open another window with it (His Voice). Reading this might help you.

In His presence, there is fullness of joy. Not only that, there is peace and rest because He constantly leads me to peaceful streams and renews my strength. Yes, that’s from Psalm 23. You should read it again and see what comfort and rest it brings you. It is a picture of a person who is at rest in the presence of God. I feel sorry for the people who read it right before they die or at the funeral. It’s way too late at that time. David wrote it while he was still living on Earth and when He was in the presence of God.

You should stop right now and read Psalm 84 in it’s entirety. Here’s an excerpt:
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the Lord.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young
at a place near your altar,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!
What joy for those who can live in your house,
always singing your praises.

What exactly do you think Jesus was doing when He was in the desert for 40 days after being baptized in the Holy Spirit? Do you think He was sitting, moping and thinking about food? No, He was in the presence of God just like David described. The Lord’s Word became His food. The Father’s Words was His nourishment. That’s why Jesus said, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’. He was communing and living by hearing God’s voice. We need to be in His presence and hear His Words and His Voice. He will restore us. He will restore our strength.

Mark 1:35-39
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.

Do you think Jesus was like, “Oh, man, it’s 5am already. Ahhhh, I got to get up and talk to God again. Let me hit the snooze button and buy another 15 minutes.”? No, I believe He was thinking, “Now is when I truly get to rest: in His presence. He will restore my strength to go through today. Now is when I tank up.”. And also, during this time, He receives instruction from God about what to do and where to go next. It would have been so easy to think that Jesus’ main ministry was to stay there since there was so much need right where He was. It says, “Everyone is looking for you.”. But He knew His DIRECTION and His INSTRUCTION because He talked to the Father. Do we know our DIRECTION or INSTRUCTION every morning before we start the day?

“Stay clean and abide in His presence”

I talked mostly about abiding in His presence. What do we do to stay clean? Well, starting verse 40, Jesus heals this leper and tells him not to tell anyone. But that didn’t end there, Jesus actually told him to do something else. Read below:

Mark 1:43-44
Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning: “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

Hmmm…you might be wondering why Jesus asked the leper to do that. Go to the priest, be examined and offer sacrifices. I didn’t know until I read the OT scripture. Take a quick read of it in Leviticus 14:2-32. Very basically, physical healing is synonymous with spiritual cleansing. If the priest determines that the individual has been healed, they have to offer a SIN offering and a GUILT offering and do some other stuff to be ceremonially clean. Yes, all this needs to be done AFTER someone has been healed so that all men can see that God Himself is the one that cleansed him.

Leviticus 14:2-7 “The following instructions are for those seeking ceremonial purification from a skin disease. Those who have been healed must be brought to the priest, who will examine them at a place outside the camp. If the priest finds that someone has been healed of a serious skin disease, he will perform a purification ceremony, using two live birds that are ceremonially clean, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn, and a hyssop branch. The priest will order that one bird be slaughtered over a clay pot filled with fresh water. He will take the live bird, the cedar stick, the scarlet yarn, and the hyssop branch, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. The priest will then sprinkle the blood of the dead bird seven times on the person being purified of the skin disease. When the priest has purified the person, he will release the live bird in the open field to fly away.

It’s so cool, if you read Lev. 14:6,7, how even that ritual of killing the bird and setting the other bird free points to Christ’s atonement for our sin. But that’s the exact picture God wants us to see. We are set free because of the atonement. If we again let ourselves fall into sin, we will AGAIN BE ENSLAVED and NOT BE FREE. But the cleansing needs to happen so that we can be set free to do God’s work effectively just like the bird who has been set free.

And hello, Judaist!!! How can you miss the cedar stick, scarlet yarn and hyssop branch???!!! Jesus asked the healed leper to get the priests to do this so that they’ll get their heads ready to receive the real message. So that even as they took the the cedar stick, hyssop branch and scarlett yarn to dip it, they would realize THE MEANING OF IT ALL!!! The cedar stick is the sign of the CROSS of Christ, the hyssop is what was used to let Jesus drink vinegar and the scarlett yarn represents His blood. Jesus wanted the priests to go through the motions again so that after Jesus’ sacrifice, the light bulb will come on for them.

“Stay clean and abide in His presence”

If we are burdened again by sin, then our LIGHT will not be bright. It will be dimmer…and dimmer….and dimmer. Therefore each day, just like Jesus does, we need to go to God and let ourselves be cleansed much like what the leper had to do even AFTER HE WAS HEALED. Yes, I’m fully aware Jesus doesn’t need cleansing Himself but nevertheless He sets an example for us even in water baptism. Think of the healing as when Jesus says to the disciples that they have already taken their bath. And think of the offering as Christ washing our feet, if you will.

I’m also very thankful to God that it wasn’t just a SIN OFFERING but it was also a GUILT OFFERING. He wants to cleanse our conscience and bring peace into our hearts. Otherwise, the guilt of sin will weigh heavy on our hearts and we will be practically paralyzed and ineffective as a Christian.

John 13:8-10
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.”

But now everyday we need to wash our feet through repentance so that we’re not burdened by besetting sin. If we let sin stay in us and continue, it will quench our light and bring decay and death into our hearts. Sin causes our relationship with the Father to be disrupted and therefore we will no longer be abiding in His presence. That’s when we grow tired and lose authority in His Word.

It’s like in Superman II, when Clark Kent has the brilliant idea to give up all his powers just to sleep with Lois Lane. Stupid Superman! I’m thoroughly convince that all of you love my movie references, so I’ll keep doing it. Trust me, during times when I sin, I NEVER feel worthy to go to God, much less hear from Him. Very very sad situation. Avoid at all costs! Repent and abide!

That’s it, beloved. I am convinced that you are blessed by my writing today. I love you and only have this last thing to say:

“Stay clean and abide in His presence”

His son,
Yatwei