Matthew 8-10

• The faith that the leper had on Jesus: calls him Lord rather than Teacher (8:2) and truly says if he will
• V4 - is it because he is humble or he did not want to attract attention? If latter, wasn't he suppose to make these fulfilment obvious to everyone?
• Jesus goes to serve. He did not just sit there waiting for people to come to him to be saved. (v7)
• Centurion humbles himself (v8)
• Centurion acknowledges the authority Jesus has (v9-10)
• Fulfilment of prophecy (v16-17)
• Another issue on faith. Jesus had no doubts but the apostles didn't trust Jesus (v24-26)
• Even demons acknowledge the authority of Jesus over them (v29)

• Jesus shows his ability to forgive sins and explains if he can do the harder, why can't he heal someone? (9:2-6)
• Jesus came to help the needy not righteousness (v10-13)
• Is Jesus saying we can't selectively patch ourselves with bits and pieces of new things (ie our new life with God) we either are completely new or old. (v 16-17)
• Believes and says Yes Lord (v28)

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

-- Matthew 9:37-38

• It is not our work that is done, but God's work through us (10:20)
• No carefree life. Followers of Christ will face persecution (v22)

Isaiah 18-22

• Who is the promised saviour and defender who will deliver the Egyptians? (19:20)
• Egypt and Assyria are both blessed in the midst of the earth (v21-24). Christians are persecuted in Egypt today. How is that blessed? (Another interesting link on Ancient Christian Churches)

Job 7-8

If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you? 21Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be.

-- Job 7:20-21

Is there a struggle in Job's thinking? He seems to be aware that he is perfect with God by asking "If I sin ...", but then asks in v21, what was the transgression that could not be pardoned? How could there be transgression and perfectness? In Romans 3, weren't we told that no one was righteous except Jesus? Where does Job fit in?

Psalms 9-11

• Thanksgiving heart - wholeheartedly. Not forgetting all that God has done. (9:1-2)
• Reminds up that God is just and everlasting (v3-8)
• He provides when we have troubles (v9)
• Where our trust should be placed (v10)
• There are times that we are not happy, but we remember how gracious you are and you are the one that is above everything who may be afflicting pain to us (v13-20)

• God seems so far away when the wicked seem to be unjustly getting what they want. (10:1-2)
• Those who are Self-centred are the wicked ones (v3), or those who reject the existence of God (v4)
• The wicked things that they do (v5-11)
• David trusts that God hears and understands the hearts of those who consequently suffer. (v12-18)

• For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. (11:7)

Joshua 16-20

• There is a consistent theme where land promised to be alloted to the people but somehow could not drive out the Canaanites (16:10, 17:12-13)
• Are the people complaining God is not being just? (v14) people not content with what God has given.

• Levites inherit not land, but priesthood (18:7)

• Cities of refuge. (20:1-6) What is it for? To prevent endless revenge for a mere mistake that had a serious consequence. Rather judgment by aggrieved party through revenge, it is left for congregation (third party) to decide.

Genesis 12

Abram was afraid that the king in Egypt would kill him because his wife Sarai was beautiful (v11-12)
The king took Sarai as wife and terrible diseases was sent on the king and the people of his palace (v17)

Now.. it was Abram who lies, who uses his own way to protect himself, who sends his own wife to another man, and receives many gifts. Abram is the one who sin. Why the king got punished? He does not know Sarai is Abram's wife but thinks she is his sister.
I don't understand, didn't we just read yesterday, that sin is not counted where there is no law? (Romans 5:13)

Genesis 12-15

• God's call on Abram to depart and promise this will be the start of a great nation blessed by God. (12:1-3)
• Abram trusts and departs without question (v4-6)
• God provides land (v7)
• Abram loses faith and forget what God's promised in v3 and resorts to lying to save his own life (v12)
• God still protected (v17)

• God's abundance and first signs of a nation sprouting (13:7-9)
• God's promise to Abram in greater detail (v15-17)

• All these huge battles (14:1-11) and Lot was captured. With God's blessings, all Abram took were 318 men! (v14) Lot was saved plus all possessions recovered. (v16)
• Abram gives one tenth as offering (v20)

• Questions God about the future. He does not know how there will be successors apart from maybe the stewart of the house. (15:2)
• But God promises his heir is not through adoption and reassures that the generations following will be countless (v4-5) He believes (v6)
• What was the vision about (v12-17)

Week 4

Mon 19 May 2008	Genesis 12-15
Tue 20 May 2008	Joshua 16-20
Wed 21 May 2008	Psalms 9-11
Thu 22 May 2008	Job 7-8
Fri 23 May 2008	Isaiah 18-22
Sat 24 May 2008	Matthew 8-10
Sun 25 May 2008	Romans 7-8

Romans 5-6

• Peace with God is a fruit of our faith. It is our faith in Christ Jesus that God's wrath has been 'nullified' (5:1)
• What "character" is Paul referring to? (v4) Why does character lead to hope? Is it God's character (thinking back to Genesis - Man is created in God's image ... )
  
• We are referred to as weak (v6) - cannot do anything for ourselves, and it is Christ who has saved us.
  
• Dying for someone righteous is already something that is very hard to achieve (v7). God's love for us is far greater! While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (v8). Who would possibly die for someone who deserves to die? Only Jesus does it.
  
• Verse 10: (1) Death of Christ brings reconciliation with God; and (2) Resurrection of Christ brings us life (after reconciliation).
  
• Verse 13: Sin was in the world before law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. What is law? Was the first law God's command to Adam not to eat the fruit? Does that mean Sin/Satan existed after God declared the world to be perfect but before he commanded Adam not to eat the fruit? Sin only existed after the command of God.
  
• Although our sins are different to Adam, we were all sinners (v14).
• A comparison between Adam, being the one man that caused sin and punishment, and Jesus, the righteous one that brought salvation and justification. (v15-21)
  

• Baptism: union with Christ, death to sin, and resurrect to a new life (6:3-5). Water is like a burial.
• Unifying with Christ is a decision to end your old sinful life. Compares it with Jesus's crucifixion, our sinful life should be severely nailed to an end! (v6)
• Our freedom from our sin is like Christ's resurrection (v7)
• If death no longer have control over Christ (v9), our sins, after our unification with Christ, should no longer have control over us (v11)
• We are freed from our sinful nature, and are made righteous. (v15-23) So do not do things that are still sinful.
  

Week 3

I have never thought of anything religious when I see a rainbow on the sky other than praising its beauty and the scientific explanation behind it.
But the bible tells us, God has created the world and He was also the creator of the rainbow!! Before you think our God is a romantic God…He tells us that the rainbow is a covenant made between all kinds of living creatures on earth and God that flood will never again be destroying all life on earth. (In genesis, God has flooded the whole earth and wipe out all mankinds and every living creatures except for the family of Noah and some animals)

Another important message from the bible this week was - do not act our righteousness and pray in front of people with the intention that we will be praised. But to do this in secret and wholeheartedly for God. So that your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:4)

reading reading

This week we read 羅馬書 5-6. This section of scripture is spectacular!

The logic and reasoning is clear and striking. It leaves no room for misinterpretation.
羅馬書5-6 States the Christian gospel better and any summary or notes written by man.

I read Matt 5 in chinese. I'm not sure if it's my chinese problem. but that passage doesn't make sense. This passage, from my previous readings, is a very soothing, comforting, joyful passage. REally brings tears of joy to my eyes. 哀慟的人有福了! 因為他們必得安慰。

Matthew reignited a certain passion in me. Jesus' teaching targets the heart and not action. Not killing someone doesn't mean that you are not a murderer. Fix first your heart, otherwise all your entire efforts are just for show.

Isaiah in chinese was more drifty than ever! there are many vocabulary which i needed to recognise. of course i still don't recognise the words. I'm still unsure if it is talking about past or future events and who exactly the audience is.

I would like to meet Joshua. I think if i were not a believer, I would have to give him the title of the Biggest Mass Murderer in History. By the command of God, he single handedly wiped a few human races off the face of this planet. He killed people as if they were dogs or insects. Chasing them down and chopping their heads off. Men Women and Children! Many hk ppl who studied in religious schools would use this image of God as an excuse for their denial of God.

But there is a logical flaw here:
You think God is Cruel. This must be because you believe that God ordered all these peoples to be killed. If you read the accounts, the events that took place Must have been a military Miracle. God Kill all those men women and children in their fortified cities and in their full military strength. All done using a bunch of homeless nomads that had just finished roaming the desert for ages.

If you believe God is Cruel, you must have believed that God killed many innocent people.

If you believe that God is capable of bringing such calamity on people, then you would be very very extremely extremely foolish to reject and rebel against Him.

If you rebel and reject God, it must mean that you don't believe God is capable of bring disaster on you and wiping your shadow off the face of this planet. You must believe that God is incapable of deleting your very existence.

If you think that God is incapable of doing that, then you must think that God could not have killed all those people in Joshua. If God did not do these things, why now do you believe he is Cruel?