The great Love that Jesus has for us

The Bible tells us that Jesus shared a beautiful parable.

It goes like this:

Mat 13:44 Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which when a man has found it, he hides it, and for the joy of it goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

In the past, we were taught that we “must” give up everything so that we can get this “kingdom of heaven”.
We must give it our all. We must try our best and achieve our best if not we will not attain this kingdom of heaven.

This has been wrongly taught!

Really, how many of us can truly say that we had done our best. How many of us have failed in one way or another. I have, and I am sure that everyone has, because we still have an imperfect mind and imperfect attitudes and imperfect habits that we have been carrying all our lives.

The good news is that this parable is NOT about us. It is NOT about you. It is about Jesus. You are not the center of this parable. The center is Jesus. It is Jesus who has found us. It is Jesus who has bought us.

Jesus is the one that places the kingdom of heaven within us. The kingdom of heaven is within you.

Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.


Jesus is the great awesome loving God who gave up His life, His authority, His rights, His privileges, His power, His glory, Himself – so that He can purchase You and Me.

He shed His blood, and gave up His life – as a price – to purchase us.

Oh, how great is His Love. We can never earn His love. We can never repay His love. We can never purchase His love.

God in His great redemption plan pour forth His great Love for us at the sacrifice of His only begotten Son at the cross.

Thank you Lord for your great awesome love for me and for us.

Martin Luther in "The Just shall live by faith alone".

Since I am teaching on the topic of faith and drawing on :

Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Watch this youtube clip especially at 6.00 onwards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-wi0kcLLr0


RC Spoul explained it further and clearer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IapqqQ45Q4w

Marriage Issues in Charisma Assembly

This year, we will be having 4 weddings (hopefully) by church members. One in June, one in July, one in September and one in December.
It is my deepest wish and desire to see happy and enduring marriages. When we look at the marriage statistics of unbelievers in the world, of those who stayed married until death-do-us-part, you wouldn’t want to get married. The American world has a 50% divorce rate! So do not imitate your marriage after Hollywood or celebrities. Their marriages do not last.
So how do we make our marriages last?
That is an excellent question that if couples are sincere to make their marriages last, they should consider what I am going to post here.

One of the most wonderful post that I have read on making marriages last comes from John Piper entitled: “Questions to Ask When Preparing for Marriage”
The post is reposted here for your convenience:


In each of these sections one item could be added that I have not listed, namely, How do you handle and live with differences? How do you decide what can remain differences without jeopardizing the relationship? So as you deal with each subheading, include that in the discussion.
Theology

• What do you believe about...everything?
  
• Perhaps read through the Desiring God Affirmation of Faith to see where each other is on various biblical doctrines.
  
• Discover how you form your views. What is the reasoning-believing process? How do you handle the Bible?

Worship and Devotion

• How important is corporate worship? Other participation in church life?
  
• How important is it to be part of a small accountability/support group?
  
• What is the importance of music in life and worship?
  
• What are your daily personal devotional practices? Prayer, reading, meditation, memorization.
  
• What would our family devotions look like? Who leads out in this?
  
• Are we doing this now in an appropriate way: praying together about our lives and future, reading the Bible together?

Husband and Wife

• What is the meaning of headship and submission in the Bible and in our marriage?
  
• What are expectations about situations where one of you might be alone with someone of the opposite sex?
  
• How are tasks shared in the home: cleaning, cooking, washing dishes, yard work, car upkeep, repairs, shopping for food, and household stuff?
  
• What are the expectations for togetherness?
  
• What is an ideal non-special evening?
  
• How do you understand who and how often sex is initiated?
  
• Who does the checkbook—or are there two?

Children

• If and when, should we have children? Why?
  
• How many?
  
• How far apart?
  
• Would we consider adoption?
  
• What are the standards of behavior?
  
• What are the appropriate ways to discipline them? How many strikes before they’re...whatever?
  
• What are the expectations of time spent with them and when they go to bed?
  
• What signs of affection will you show them?
  
• What about school? Home school? Christian school? Public school?

Lifestyle

• Own a home or not? Why?
  
• What kind of neighborhood? Why?
  
• How many cars? New? Used?
  
• View of money in general. How much to the church?
  
• How do you make money decisions?
  
• Where will you buy clothes: Department store? Thrift store? In between? Why?

Entertainment

• How much money should we spend on entertainment?
  
• How often should we eat out? Where?
  
• What kind of vacations are appropriate and helpful for us?
  
• How many toys? Snowmobile, boat, cabin?
  
• Should we have a television? Where? What is fitting to watch? How much?
  
• What are the criteria for movies and theater? What will our guidelines be for the kids?

Conflict

• What makes you angry?
  
• How do you handle your frustration or anger?
  
• Who should bring up an issue that is bothersome?
  
• What if we disagree both about what should be done, and whether it is serious?
  
• Will we go to bed angry at each other?
  
• What is our view of getting help from friends or counselors?

Work

• Who is the main breadwinner?
  
• Should the wife work outside the home? Before kids? With kids at home? After kids?
  
• What are your views of daycare for children?
  
• What determines where you will locate? Job? Whose job? Church? Family?

Friends

• Is it good to do things with friends but without spouse?
  
• What will you do if one of you really likes to hang out with so and so and the other doesn’t?

Health and Sickness

• Do you have, or have you had any, sicknesses or physical problems that could affect our relationship? (Allergies, cancer, eating disorders, venereal disease, etc.)
  
• Do you believe in divine healing and how would prayer relate to medical attention?
  
• How do you think about exercise and healthy eating?
  
• Do you have any habits that adversely affect health?

Previously posted as "Topics for Conversation When a Man and a Woman Are Considering Marriage."
 

Technorati Tags: marriage guide,John Piper

Charisma Assembly Segamat Medical check up January 29, 2011

This is a video of some of the pictures that was taken during the Charisma Assembly Segamat Medical Check-Up on January 29, 2011.

Please view at your own pace:

Segamat Flood 2011 - Flood relief by Charisma Assembly

The following video is a brief report on the Segamat Flood that happened in February 2011 and what our church did to aid the flood victims.

As you have heard that Segamat went through a massive flood on CNY and many victims lost everything. This flood was worse than the one in 2006. In fact, lives were lost this  time while in 2006, none was lost.

As a christian testimony for Christ, we co-ordinated a flood disaster relief work on the 26th & 27th February 2011.

We organized to distribute rice, milo, towels, biscuits, mee, etc. to help victims in their post-flood. We identified and distributed to 1500 homes. It is a lot of work.

Our budget was RM200,000 for 1500 homes that works out to RM133 per family.

Prior to the distribution:

1. Our church people went door-to-door to most of the flood victims and identified them to be genuine flood victims. In this way, there is no false distribution to non-deserving families, no multiple collection per family.

2.We collected 1500 addresses as data on families:  by ground investigation. There are actually more than 1500 families, about 4000 families were affected, but that would involve a tremendous huge sum of money for relief work, which we didn't have. We have to improvise according to our budget.

3. We targeted and gave relief to Malays, Chinese and Indians who were neighbors to each other regardless of race or religion.

4. We targeted single storey houses first. No bungalows. No semidetach houses. No business premises. No rich families because they do not feel as much loss as compared to the less fortunate ones. Period. Our objective was reaching out to the community with love through flood relief.

5. We channeled them to collect the flood relief goods on the 26th and 27th February 2011.

Please view  the  video for the report:



God bless all the donors, supporters, sponsors, helpers, church members and everyone far and near, who has made this flood relief effort a success.

To God be the glory, great things He has done. !!

Testimony of Francis Yeoh at GoodTV

Be blessed:

Jesus’ Authority Has Been Given To Us

Image via Wikipedia

Matthew 28:18–19
18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore…

By His death on the cross, Jesus righteously restored all that man had lost. That is why, just before He went back to heaven, He said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…” Those words tell us that He has transferred His authority to us. The same authority that He had over the storm, evil spirits, sicknesses, diseases and even death is now ours to use.
....

My friend, the authority which has been restored to us is not just the authority on earth which man had before the fall, but Jesus’ unquestionable and complete authority in heaven and on earth!

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The above passage was taken from Joseph Prince's daily resource email. (http://www.josephprince.org/Resources_Daily_Grace_Inspirations.asp?active=resources)

It is exactly what I shared in church today:

God is in this.

Persecution is normal for the Iranian Church

 

 

As we continue to live in a moderate world where religious tolerance is adhered, let us not forget that Christian persecution is an on-going phenomena in many other parts of the world – especially within some of the Islamic countries.

 

It is not uncommon to hear from reliable news portals that bring up the inhumane treatment of Christians or the severe persecution that transcend basic human interactions. (Like one brother said that “even animals do not treat their own kind like that”.)

 

An example is Al Golchin, an Iranian Christian who was placed under solitary imprisonment in Iran’s most treacherous Evin Prison. Others have been killed, murdered, hunted, raped, dis-membered, hanged or even burned out of religious fervor.

 

Such incidents reminds me of the persecution in the book of Acts, which eventually resulted in a greater glory to our Lord such as the conversion of Paul and the mass evangelism of neighboring countries:

Act 8:1  And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

 

The President of Iran (formerly called Persia), President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad coaxed his government to introduce tough Islamic Laws making it a death penalty if ever any of their Muslim people were to convert out of Islam, practically silencing all forms of evangelism in the country.

Nonetheless, we give thanks to God for brave Iranian ministries that have made tremendous inroads to preaching the gospel either via digital media or personal witnessing. An example is the Persian Ministries International, founded by Rev. Donald Fareed, a former Shi’ite Muslim, who has a God given mission to reach his nation for Christ.

 

Let’s pray for Iran (or Persia):

How do we pray for an Islamic nation?

Below is a version reproduced from www.christiananswers.net

 

1. Every Muslim is someone whom God loves. Unfortunately, some Christians make the mistake of not praying for Muslims because of their own prejudices or fears.
2. Let us begin in prayer by asking God to give us a heart filled with love and compassion towards Muslims.
3. We also need to pray in faith and confidence that God will hear us and will move powerfully in answer to our prayers of love and compassion. (John 14:12-14)
4. Muslims believe in the uniqueness of an all powerful and supreme Allah. Similar to Christians and Jews, Muslims believe that Allah is creative and eternal. Muslims also believe that Allah is unknowable and that it is impossible to ever really know him or have a relationship with him as a personal Savior. According to Islam, Allah holds himself apart from mankind.
5. When praying for Muslims, pray that they will have a full revelation of the true God and His loving character. (Hebrews 8:8-9)
6. The Muslim worldview is strongly influenced by an awareness of the supernatural and the presence of good and evil spirits known as jinn. Jinn are greatly feared and are often thought to be responsible for illnesses and misfortune. Superstitions control many aspects of a Muslim's everyday life and often result in them living in constant fear. This fear reveals a heart cry and desperate need that can only be met in the person and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
7. Pray against the fear that influences many Muslims. (1 John 4:18)
8. Galatians 4:22-25 tells us that Ishmael was born as a result of works resulting in slavery. Islam means submission, and a Muslim understands that he is a servant of Allah. While this is also a Biblical aspect of our relationship with God, it is incomplete. As Christians, through Jesus, we know that we move from being servants to becoming sons and daughters.
9. Never underestimate the work of the Holy Spirit as you pray for Muslims. Allow God to teach you how to pray and to share His heart with you concerning them. Vast numbers of Muslims have come to Christ as a result of supernatural encounters. Many have dreams and visions of Jesus. It is only God who can open blind eyes and soften hearts. Only God can bring true conviction of sin and create new life. (Romans 8:26, John 16:8)

 

Technorati Tags: persecution,Iran,Persia,church

YOUR WORDS DETERMINE WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE

 

 

Today I shared an important principle with the church:

This is a lesson that I learnt:

You can state the FACTS but always counter it with what the WORD says…

Don’t say the opposite by:

Saying what the WORD says, but then counter it with describing your problem…

 

So:

 

SAY THE FACT BUT THEN SAY WHAT THE WORD/BIBLE SAYS…

NOT

SAY THE WORD/BIBLE BUT THEN SAY WHAT THE FACT SAYS…

 

Enjoy what Ps Prince said about this:

http://vimeo.com/15728058

 

Technorati Tags: Words,Joseph Prince,Speaking

The Old Covenant is not written to us but for us.

The following is copied from Steve McVey's website:

http://gracewalkministries.blogspot.com/2010/10/two-covenants-not-one.html

 I think it is good, so I have reproduced it here:







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For the past three weeks, I've been sharing a three-part series of teachings on the "Sunday Preaching" broadcast called, "Two Covenants, Not One." For many years, I stayed confused when I read the Bible because I didn't understand this simple aspect of understanding the Scripture. The Old and New Covenant are very different from each other in many ways. God told those in the old covenant that a day was going to come when He would make a new covenant with His people and it would not be like the covenant He had made with them through their Fathers. (See Jeremiah 31:31-32) Through Jesus Christ, that day came to us so that now the covenant He has made is totally different - not at all the same. It's new and, according to Hebrews 8:13, the old one is "obsolete." It has passed away. It's gone, expired, finished, over!

This fact is a sticking point in many people's minds. "Isn't the Old Testament God's Word?" they will ask? Of course the Old Testament is as much a part of the Bible as the New Testament, but here's a key that will help us immeasurably when we understand it. The Old Testament was not written to us! It was written for us, but not to us. (See Romans 15:4) There's a big difference. That's why the Apostle Paul cautioned Timothy to take great care to ensure that he would "rightly divide the word of truth" when he taught the Bible. (See 2 Timothy 2:15) All kind of trouble is created in our minds and lives when we don't do that.

First of all, the Law was never even given to the Gentiles. It was given to Israel. Consider these texts:

These are the statutes, the ordinances, and the laws that the Lord gave between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai, by the hand of Moses” (Leviticus 26:46).

He tells His words to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. He did not do so to any nation … (Psalm 147:19-20).

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves. . . (Romans 2:14).

Christians today put themselves in a confusing cycle of condemnation when they try to apply an Old Covenant mentality to understanding the Bible. The New and the Old don’t mix!

Example: Do you believe your heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things? If you do, its' because you've failed to "rightly divide the word." God had Jeremiah tell the people that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9) but in Romans 5:5 Paul said that "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts." Which is true? They both are! It was true when Jeremiah said it to those to whom He spoke in the Old Covenant and Paul's words are true for we who live under the New Covenant! Do you see the confusion that happens when we fail to make the distinction between the covenants? There are many biblical texts like that. When we read the Bible, we need to ask ourselves, "Who is speaking? To whom is he speaking? When is He speaking?" These are basic questions that will settle a lot of confusion in reading the Bible.

Remember this: The new covenant doesn't start at Matthew 1:1. It starts at the death of Jesus. The importance of this fact can't be overstated. Hebrews 9:16 says, " For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it." In other words, a Last Will & Testament means nothing until the person who wrote it dies. That's important even when we read the New Testament pages.

For instance, you'll get yourself into a world of confusion if you try to apply the Sermon on the Mount to yourself. Remember that Jesus hadn't died when He spoke those words. He was talking to them, not you. They were a group of people who thought they could gain righteousness by their moral living so Jesus showed them just how impossible that is. He said things like, "If you lust, gouge your eye out. If you steal, cut your hand off." So here's the question: Do you really believe that's what you're supposed to do? "Of course not!" a critic might respond, "It was obvious He didn't really mean that!" Wait, a minute. If you claim that we're supposed to do everything Jesus said, you can't take that cop-out. The Bible isn't a menu you can choose from.

The fact is that if we don't rightly divide the covenants, we will end up treating the Bible like a buffet where we take the things we like but leave the things we don't like. That's no way to treat the Scripture. Better to respect the Scripture enough to accurately interpret it instead. No, Jesus wasn't telling you to pluck your eye out. He wasn't even talking to you.

One more example: Jesus said that if we don't forgive people who have offended us, then God won't forgive those who don't forgive. (See Matthew 6:14-15) Do you really think that's for you??? Do you honestly believe that it's possible that you've trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, walked with Him, known and loved Him, trusted in His finished work on the cross and now, if it should happen that somebody offends you and you die before you've forgiven them that you won't be forgiven??? Anybody who even slightly uses common sense knows that can't be right!

What's the answer? The answer is that Jesus spoke those words before the cross - before the inauguration of the New Covenant. Notice how everything changed after the cross.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Notice here that we forgive because we have already been forgiven, not so we can get it.

What does Colossians 3:13 teach is our motivation to forgive others? "... bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you."

See how everything changes with the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New?

Let's get our covenants separated. That simple step will make a world of difference in understanding our Bibles.

If you want to hear the whole teaching, check out www.gracewalkresources.com in a few days. The whole series will be available there. In the meantime, watch the last installment on www.gracewalk.org. It's part three in this series, called "Two Covenants, Not One."

The Word on Righteousness

 

 

Righteousness

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NEW TESTAMENT:

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But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Romans 4:3

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
Romans 4:5–6

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 4:13

For if by the one man’s offence death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:17

So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:21

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21

… that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection…
Philippians 3:8–10

 

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OLD TESTAMENT:

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For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favour You will surround him as with a shield.
Psalm 5:12

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 34:19

Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death. The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish...
Proverbs 10:2–3

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.
Proverbs 10:6–7

The labour of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin.
Proverbs 10:16

The fear of the wicked will come upon him, and the desire of the righteous will be granted.
Proverbs 10:24

The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
Proverbs 10:28

The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not inhabit the earth.
Proverbs 10:30

The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead.
Proverbs 11:8

Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; but the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.
Proverbs 11:21

In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.
Proverbs 12:28

Evil pursues sinners, but to the righteous, good shall be repaid. A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
Proverbs 13:21–22

The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.
Proverbs 13:25

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

 

Technorati Tags: righteousness

The Exchanged Life

Image via Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following is from the Association of Exchanged Life Ministries

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What the "Exchanged Life" is Not

The "Exchanged Life"...

• is not a new teaching.
• is not sinless perfection.
• is not a life of passivity.
• is not a self-help teaching.
• is not an undisciplined life.
• is not a second work of grace.
• is not a counseling technique.
• is not an improved "old man."
• is not in any way deifying man.
• is not instant change in behavior.
• is not a formula for self to imitate Christ.
• is not peace through changed circumstances.
• is not dying to self (wiping out our personality).
• is not a guarantee that circumstances will improve.
• is not overlooking or approving sinful behavior (promoting license).
• is not a guarantee that emotions will line up consistently with truth 

What do we exchange?

What we give up	Reference	What we get in return
Our sin	II Cor. 5:21	Christ's Righteousness
Wrath of God	Rom. 5:1	Peace with God
Condemnation (Hell)	Eph. 2:6,19	Father's House (Heaven)
Death	Gal. 2:20	Life
The Old Man	II Cor. 5:17	The New Man
Law	Rom. 7:4-6	Grace
Our weakness	II Cor. 12:9-10	His Strength
Our Impurity	Heb. 10:21-22	His purity
External morality	Eph. 1:4	Holiness of God
Self strength	Is. 40:31	God's Power
Hopelessness	I Cor. 1:30	Redemption
Tribulation	Eph. 2:14	Peace
Defeat	I Cor. 15:57	Victory
Sorrow	John 15:11	Joy
Despair	Col. 1:27	Hope
Emptiness	Col. 2:9-10	Fullness
Evil	Gal. 5:22	Goodness
Loneliness	I John 4:16	Love
Insensitivity	Gal. 5:22	Kindness
Bitterness	Col. 2:13	Forgiveness
Busyness	Heb. 4:10	Rest
Lack of Discipline	Gal. 5:23	Self-Control
Bondage	John 8:36	Freedom
Darkness	Col. 1:13	Light
Lies	John 8:32	Truth
Poverty	Col. 2:2	Wealth
Insecurity	Eph. 1:6	Total acceptance
Carnal mind	I Cor. 1:6	Spiritual mind
Harshness	Gal. 5:23	Gentleness
Fear of Judgment	I John 4:17	Boldness

*****************************************************

Good teaching;

1 John 1:9

Image via Wikipedia 

The following explanation came from a fb friend, Dawn Rubin.


Btw, I read up the explanation from the Introduction Section of my "Amplified Bible", "Harper Study Bible" and others and they all concur the same. Astonishing! It is in my Bibles.

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1 John 1:9
The Apostle John wrote this pastoral letter to several gentile congregations.


There are 5 chapters in this book.
In the First chapter, John is not addressing believers. 

We know this for several reasons.:

1) John does not address the people in the first chapter the same as he does in the next 4 chapters. 

For example; In chapter 2 he addresses them as "My dear children".
In chapter 3 he addresses them "children of God".
In chapter 4 he addresses them as "Friends & Dear children".
And lastly in chapter 5 vs. 13--he addresses them as "to you who believe in the name of the Son" .
We notice that in the 1st chapter, John doesn't address them at all.

2) Apparently these people did not have fellowship with them...

We know this by the statement John made in verse 3 "we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us."

3) Apparently these people did not have fellowship with the Father...

We know this by the statement John makes in the last part of verse 3, "And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ"...
John makes this statement because THEIR fellowship was not with the Father.

4) In verse 8, John says "If we claim to be without sin"

---well hold on a second!
If we accepted Jesus, we already claimed to be WITH SIN.
WE, as Believers have already acknowledged that we have sin...
This is why we accepted Jesus in the first place.
So apparently John was addressing this to unbelievers who claimed to not have sin.

5) In verse 9, John says "If we confess our sins"

--well hold on!!
As believers, we ALREADY confessed (acknowledged that we have sin)..so we know this is addressed to unbelievers.

6) In verse 9, John says, "he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins"

well hold on!!!
As believers we are ALREADY forgiven for ALL our sins,(Col 2:13)(Mark 3:28)(Heb 10:12,14)(Heb 8:12) (Heb 10:18)...

Why would God have to forgive us all over again when as believers He already promised that ALL our sins are forgiven and He remembers them no more?

7) In verse 9 John says, "and purify us form all unrighteousness"

...well hold ON!!!!
As believers, we are ALREADY Pure and RIGHTEOUS!(2 Cor 5:21) (Rom 10:10) (1 Cor 6:11)--

If we believe 1 John 1:9 is intended for believers, then that would mean that he doesn't forgiven us ALL our sins.

1 John 1:9 was written to unbelievers who did not fellowship with John and did not have fellowship with the Father. 

This group of people did not believe they had sin to begin with...

We know as Christians, we have already confessed(acknowledged) our sin.
We are Already Forgiven and we are already pure and Righteous based on the Finished work of the Cross.

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Comments:

Mark Boyce
John was actually addressing that verse to the Gnostics who had infiltrated that church. They believed that there was no such thing as sin, that they had never sinned, and that Jesus was just a good man with esoteric mystical powers.



Sammy Bilyeu
Gnosticism was perhaps the most dangerous heresy that threatened the early church during the first three centuries. Influenced by such philosophers as Plato, Gnosticism is based on two false premises. First, it espouses a... dualism regarding spirit and matter. Gnostics assert that matter is inherently evil and spirit is good. As a result of this presupposition, Gnostics believe anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only.

Second, Gnostics claim to possess an elevated knowledge, a “higher truth” known only to a certain few. Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis which means “to know.” Gnostics claim to possess a higher knowledge, not from the Bible, but acquired on some mystical higher plain of existence. Gnostics see themselves as a privileged class elevated above everybody else by their higher, deeper knowledge of God.

They also believed that Jesus did not come in the flesh as a human in which John warns against such people who believes that Jesus did not come in the flesh. These are also called anit-christs.

Sammy Bilyeu keep in mind that the pharasee believed in the resurrection and they saw Jesus in the flesh. The "Gnostic" didn't believe in the resurrection or Jesus coming in the flesh.

Mark Boyce
If you have an Amplified Bible, the preface to I John also puts some light on to whom John is referring to in his first letter. 

Mark Boyce
Docetism is also mentioned. It is part of the gnostic doctrine that is fundamental to Gnosticism; that is that Christ's body was not human, but either a phantasm, or of real but only celestial substance, and that therefore his sufferings we...re only seemingly real or true, but not necessarily so. They thought they were the only chosen ones to have this understanding, that we know to be a lie. 

 

An Engineer’s Equation of Grace

 

 

As a trained engineer, the mind tends  to think in terms of formulas and equations and mathematical balance.

 

Stephen Hawkins himself a physicist also tries very hard to explain everything by hypothesis and theories, but I believe he failed miserable in trying to find an equation for God.

We  may be able to discover theories about humankind but to try to put God in a theory is equivalent to putting the “whole ocean in a Coke bottle”.

 

However, an amusing thought today leads to the question “how about putting an equation for Grace”.

 

Grace is when we believe in God, He imputes His Righteousness to us, so that we began to do Righteous Works.

 

The Right Formula is:

FAITH => RIGHTEOUSNESS + WORKS

This is Grace.

This is Relationship.

This is God-consciousness.

This is the Gospel.

This  is the New Covenant.

It starts with Faith in God, Believe in Him, Trust in Him, and when we do that, we become the Righteousness of God.

Faith produces the Righteousness of God.

This Righteousness of God inside of us, leads us and guide us and empower us to do Righteous Works (thus God gets the glory and man’s  ego is deflated).

 

The Wrong Formula that is taught in many churches is:

FAITH + WORKS => RIGHTEOUSNESS

This is not Grace.

This is Law – mentality.

This is Religion and not Relationship, because Religion teaches your belief is not enough, and you need to perform works so that God will give you righteousness.

This is NOT the Gospel.

This is  the Old Covenant.

As a result of this teaching the burden of Condemnation and Guilt has ridden the Christian and sucked the abundant life out of him.

 

Another Wrong Formula that swings “grace-huggers” is:

FAITH => RIGHTEOUSNESS – WORKS

This is also not Grace.

This is lawlessness. This is not the Gospel.

This is Rebellion not a Revolution.

Some who hear the message of Grace in part (either purposely or non-purposely) thinks that since they are the righteousness of God, they can do all the sinning they want, and they don’t need to walk rightly. They think that Righteous Works are unnecessary.

This is wrong, and such have given true Grace believers a bad reputation.

 

 

From an Engineer’s viewpoint, how do we overcome the Wrong Formulae?

The answer is go back to the Right Formulae

FAITH => RIGHTEOUSNESS + WORKS

and emphasize on Faith in the Grace of God, Faith in His Finished Works, and build Faith into the Believer.

When Faith is continuously strengthened in the Believer, the Works will follow automatically.

 

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The above is substantiated by the best Engineer of the Bible, the Holy Spirit:

 

Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

 

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

 

Rom 3:28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

 

Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

 

Rom 4:13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

 

Rom 9:30  What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

 

Gal 3:8  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

 

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

 

Gal 2:16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

 

Gal 3:11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

 

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

 

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

 

Jas 2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

 

Jas 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

 

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Steven Wong

(a non-engineer in comparison)

 

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Some of Watchman Nee's writings on Grace in his book: Sit, Walk, Stand.

Image via WikipediaI am rereading some of Watchman Nee's writings: I am totally amazed! He is a Radical Grace Writer.

The following are just some of his words in his book "Sit, Walk, Stand". I bought a copy of this book on 19th June 1980, and i still have not stopped re-reading it.

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Do you think that if you cease trying to please God your good behavior will cease? It is when we seek to do it ourselves that we place ourselves back again under the Law. But the works of the Law, even our best efforts are "dead works", hateful to God because ineffectual.


How can I receive the power of the Spirit for service? Must I labour for it? Must I plead with God for it? Must I afflict my soul by fastings and self-denials to merit it? NEVER! That is not the teaching of Scripture. Paul tells us that it was "according to the riches of His Grace" and that this was "freely bestowed on ...us in the Beloved".


God brings His Son's Finished Work and presents it to us, and then He says to us, "Please sit" (Mandarin: ch'eng tso).


And here is the Gospel: that God has completed the work of redemption, and that we need do nothing whatever to merit it, but can enter by faith directly into the values of His Finished Work.


The Christian life from start to finish is based upon this principle of utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus. There is no limit to the Grace God is willing to bestow upon us. He will give us everything, but we can receive none of it except as we rest in Him.


I received everything not by walking but by sitting down, not by doing but by resting in the Lord.


Christ Experience has now become my spiritual history, and God can speak of me as already having everything "with Him".


But how can I be sure that I am "in Christ"?
I can be sure because the Bible affirms that it is so, and that it was God who put me there.


Our deliverance from sin is based, not on what we can do, nor even on what God is going to do for us, but on what He has already done for us in Christ. When that fact dawns upon us and  we rest back upon it, then we have found the secret of a holy life.


"But what can I do?"
God is waiting till you cease to do. When you cease doing, then God will begin.



 

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Watchman Nee (倪柝聲  pinyin: Ní Tuòshēng;, 1903–1972) was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th Century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China.