Rev Donald McMurray. an American missionary to the Asia Pacific Region, was a 20 years sailor when he first came to Asia. In 1952, he was on board of a ship delivering five fighter planes to the Thai Air force. This was after the Korean War. The ship embarked at Bangkok and Donald and his mates were in the city of Bangkok. They met two English speaking Thai businessmen. Being a young Christian, Donald was eager to share his new faith in Jesus Christ with these two Thai gentlemen. To his great surprise, they told him that they have never heard about Jesus Christ. They have absolutely zero knowledge about the Gospel, Jesus Christ and salvation. All they knew about religion was Buddha and Buddhism. Donald has since then found out that there are spots ( “blind-spots”) in many parts of the world which are o -zones i.e. places which the residents have never heard the name Jesus Christ , much less about salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are zero – zones or o-zones.

Donald was greatly moved by this experience. The Holy Spirit impressed strongly upon his heart to return to Asia and share the Gospel to the people. He did. He spent the next 40 -50 years pastoring and ministering in many nations in the Asia-Pacific Region. His passion is for the o-zones. He is calling Christians, who have a desire to be used by God, to move into o-zones.

Where are the o-zones? Perhaps, they are the Unreached Peoples Groups or Unreached Communities or Unreached Social Groups. Whatever they are and wherever they are, the need for the Gospel to penetrate the darkness in the o-zones is real. Only the bearers and carriers of the Gospel light who can bring transformation to the o-zones.

Two weekends ago, we (my wife, my daughter and I) watched together the video “23 Minutes in Hell” which my daughter has download from Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv8pLUMDVRc). We were impressed with the sincerity which Bill Wiese showed in his sharing. I was equally impressed with his understanding of the scriptures, which he quoted in rapid fire to back up what he had seen. If you have not seen it, you must watch it.

The next day I mentioned this to my colleague who is a pastor’s wife and she said that many people including Christians misunderstand what hell is. They thought that hell is just like earth where life continues on as usually, except that only the bad people or sinners are there. Among non-Christians, it is common to hear they saying that they can continue partying in hell. Perhaps, even more fun partying in hell.

Others refused to accept the Gospel and God’s forgiveness because they are afraid that they may not meet their loved ones again when they die as their loved ones have already died and “gone to hell”. These non-believers of God think that they will be met by a welcoming party (departed loved ones and friends) from hell the moment they die and leave this sorrowful earth.

Bill Wiese said that when he “woke-up” in hell, he was in an isolated cell (prison). There was no welcoming party. Nor did he meet any of his dead loved ones. All he met were two 12 feet tall reptile-skinned demons with claws about one foot long. To his horror, he was tormented by the demons. One of the demons flanked him against the wall with a powerful force; breaking his bones and inflicting great pain in his body. The demon again pierced its claws into Bill’s chest and ripped open his chest! This is no partying fun in hell!

Bill related that he was next taken to see the flames in hell where the souls of men and women were tormented. No one soul is able to talk or meet another as each gasps for the limited supply of air and screams in agony. No partying. No drinking. No smoking. No having fun. No many concubines as promised in one religion.

Hell was very real to Bill Wiese and should be real to everyone; Christian or non-Christian. If we do not believe in hell but land up in hell in the future, then, we are taking a very great risk. Watch the video and tell me what you think.

I was listening to a pastor who was sharing his thoughts on what it means to “love one another”. He said that in his more than 30 years of ministry, he had preached countless sermons on this topic but the members in all the churches he had shepherd did not seem to be affected or changed by what they heard. He said that there are many Christians who know in their heads the commandment to love others but in their daily living, this was never practised. He pensively related that in his personal experiences, the only occasion when obedience to the commandment seemed to have bored fruit was when he personally showed love to some non-believing students living near the parsonage. These students were studying in a college located in a place far away from their residence. Each day, these students had to rely on the unreliable public bus service for transportation. He saw their plight and lent them bicycles and even his own motorbike. As a result, two of the students became Christians; one ultimately became a Church leader. He sighed and finally concluded that no amount of preaching, teaching and talking about loving others matter. It is only actual practical actions of showing love and kindness which we can leave an impactful legacy on others.

I recall an old Chinese missionary couple who were working among the villagers in Ampang, Malaysia They came from China to Malaysia just after the Second World War. There was great poverty and lack of food in the village then. Young children were undernourished and many suffered from poor health. The Church set up a Christian Service Centre which provided charity services as an outreach strategy. The couple went from house to house consoling the non-Christian villagers. They distributed milk powder, rice and other basic essential foodstuff to the needy. They would visit the sick and helpless. They even went to the Old Folks Home weekly to clean those inmates who were bed ridden. Every raining day, they would stand at the Bus Stand to distribute free umbrellas to descending passengers. As a result, they left such a strong Christian testimony and legacy of love among the villagers that they were held in high honour and respect by the unbelievers. Today, the Christian Centre has blossomed into a Church with a few hundred believers. Many, including my family, had benefited from their legacy of love.

This morning I heard another wonderful testimony from an Iranian pastor who has been trained by the Hasbollah on how the Lord Jesus appeared and spoke audibly him when he was  locked up in Pudu Jail in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1989.

He is now a full-time pastor in a church in Canada  and married a Canadian Chinese. He is on fire for Jesus. He shared that as an Iranian pastor who had been trained by the Hasbollah, he had to be extra careful whenever he mentioned about praying for the church to be on fire ! Some church members may run out off the church thinking of a terrorist attack.

Born into a Muslim family in Iran, he had been trained, since 5 years old to read the Quran and memorize the Quran. His father was a leader among the the Shi’ites. His father told him that when he grows up he must be a leader among the Shi’ites.   By the age of 14, he was able to memorize three-quarter of the Quran. He has always been zealous to serve Allah and he loved Allah. BY 15, he had participatedd in 6 public executions of the infidels.He always took pity on his poor Christian neighbors and tried to convert them to be Muslims. By so doing, he hoped to gain the favour of Allah and at Judgment Day to gain enough merit from Allah to enter Heaven.

At 17 years old, he decided to join the Hasbollah. He was in the army for three and a half years.  He would do anything for Allah; to kill for Allah and to be killed for Allah. After leaving the army he traveled to Pakistan. He acquired 30 passports under different names. In 1989, he made his way to Kuala Lumpur and after staying in China town for about three months he was arrested and put into the Pudu Jail.

He was well respected in prison as he was very knowledgeable about Islam and the Quran. But deep  within him , he felt a great desperation. He was trying to find himself and  God. He prayed 5 times a day and fasted frequently. He cried to Allah and asked Him to reveal Himself to him. He was disappointed when there was no answer from Allah. He was so angry.  He told Allah that he doesn’t believe in Him anymore. Soon after he regretted what he had said and felt guilty. He cried aloud to God and told God that he just wants to know the Truth. A ‘jinn’ (evil spirit)appeared to attack him. He tried quoting the Quran and all the secrets he had learnt to control jinns but it did not work. He was fearful and only the word “Jesus” came to his mind. He cried out “Jesus” and the jinn disappeared. He did not know why he cried out “Jesus”but he was glad the jinn went away.He tried to shut out the name Jesus from his mind but it kept coming back to him. It grew worst by the days.

He recalled prophet Mohammad said that Allah is holy and a muslim (one who serves Allah) must not place anyone or anything in equal with Allah. He felt he had placed himself beside Allah. He began to feel that he is a sinner. He crouched into the corner of his prison cell and kept crying aloud “God forgive me, God forgive me” but deep in his heart he knew that Allah would not forgive him. He pleaded for forgiveness from God for  hours . Suddenly, he felt someone touched him on his shoulders and an audible voice said. “ I have forgiven you. I am the Way, the Truth and the life.” He  fell onto the floor and said, “ but I don’t understand what you mean although they sounded profound. Who are you?” The Voice replied, “ I am Jesus Christ.”

From that day on, he has found the Truth. Where he once would give up all and do all to serve Allah , now he will now do the same for Jesus Christ. Where once he will die for Allah, he now will die for Jesus. However, where once he would kill for Allah, he will not kill for Jesus but bring Peace and Forgiveness to all who need them.

December 26^th 2004. That was the fateful day when the colossal Indonesian Tsunami hit Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and as far as the Maldives. Hundreds of thousands perished and millions were displaced. Non-Christians as well as Christians were affected.  How should Christians react to such a disaster? What must those affected Christians do?

A Sri Lankan pastor recently related their experience in the Tsunami. 44,000 Sri Lankans perished in that Tsunami and 100,000 homes were destroyed. He pensively remarked that it is almost six years since the Tsunami hit Sri Lanka and what have they learnt?

The immediate reaction of the people in the aftermath of  the disaster was grief, despair and hopelessness. As a result, many came to Christ to gain hope and strength. The churches in Sri Lanka flourished. His church planted seven new daughter churches in the last six years. One of the most effective witness of the Christians caught in a natural disaster is to actively show love, care and help to those affected. Many opportunities will be opened for the Christians to share the Gospel.

He related how he led a group of young people from his church to a town which was in total destruction. Debris were everywhere and dead bodies could still be seen here and there. The amount of debris was so massive that they were totally lost on what to do and where to start. The youths came  and asked, “Pastor, what shall we do? There is so much debris and it looks impossible to clear them.” He replied, “ Start from one street and work until it is cleared. Then, move on to the next.”

At one of the streets was a Buddhist monastery. The Christian youths came to the monastery and started clearing the rubble. The abbot of the monastery was very surprise to see the youths clearing the rubble. He  approached the youths and asked who has sent them and why were they helping to clear the rubbles. The youths told him that they were from the church and were happy to clear the rubble for the monastery. The abbot was moved by such actions and remarked that he had never known that Christians could show such love and help. He asked for the pastor’s telephone number and immediately made a call to the pastor. He told the pastor his appreciation and said that in the future should the pastor need any help or a place for a meeting, he would be glad to make his monastery available for the pastor to use. The pastor has since then became a friend to the abbot and had used the monastery for some meetings.  Indeed actions speak louder than words.  “The light shines in the  darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

I was listening to a presentation by a Christian brother who is involved in Bible Engagement ministry and was surprise to hear that according to a recent survey they have conducted among regular Church attending believers in a number of Evangelical churches in Singapore, less than 25% of the Christians read the Bible daily. The Bible Engagement ministry aims to help Christians to read and understand the Bible daily and gain more Biblical knowledge.

He said that 25% seems to be the standard among all the churches in the world. This is despite the fact that most Christians know the importance of God’s Word in their lives. This is despite that they agree the importance of  Joshua 1:8 “ This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous,and then you shall have good success” and is God’s formula  for the  believers to have success in their lives. This is also despite the Lord’s admonishment to us, as a defence against the devil, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”( Matt 4:1). This is also despite many of us knowing and proclaiming Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man … but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.” Why are we not reading and meditating on God’s Word daily?

There are a few startling reasons which might have caused Christians to neglect reading the Bible.

The first is that Christians are pursuing more secular knowledge than spiritual knowledge. This is due to the importance which the modern society has placed on education and knowledge as enabling a person to have an “upper hand” to his competitions. The easy access to information through the internet and the drive towards work excellence churn an unending pursuit to anyone who has a desire to succeed. It is really like a tiger chasing its tail. In being so caught up with such pursuit for secular knowledge, the Christian hardly have time to settle down his racing mind to read and mediate on what God has to say.

The second reason is that of “no time” mentality. The daily busyness in the secular job; the overtime, the bringing of work home, the unreleasing warp of thinking of ways to solve issues at work, the meetings and the reports plus the demands of caring for the home, give the Christian the impression that he or she just does not have the time to read the Bible.

Next, the rush to work and the time wasted in traveling to and fro for work ; whether driving, caught in traffic jams or traveling by light rail or bus, these are exhausting to the Christians.

Then there is the need to spend time with the family especially with the children. Commitments to extended family members, relatives and friends also eat up our limited hours like  a pac man.

Church meetings also eat up our time. We convince ourselves that serving God or attending Christian meetings are acceptable substitutes for our devotion time with God. Afterall,  we have gone to Church meetings to praise and worship God , pray and listen to His Word. Is this truthful?

Imagine spending one hour talking personally with one’s father versus coming to a family gathering and hardly spoke 5 words to one’s father. They are hardly the same thing. Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:2 and many other verses talk about one spending time on a personal basis with God and His Word.

In Bible Engagement, Christians are encouraged to listen to God’s Word if they don’t have the time to be set aside to read God’s Word. Audio Bible, audio Devotional messages and audio Biblical lessons can be played in the car, ipod, handphone, ipad, laptops and many other electronic gadgets to enable a Christian to be exposed to God’s Word daily. It is like making “dead” time to “live” time in time management. Make use of your inactive time e.g. while traveling to actively listen to God’s Word.

We believe that God’s Word is alive and active and listening or reading God’s Word daily brings transformation to our lives. We have to make a choice. We need to choose between being in the 75% of non- Bible reading or 25% Bible reading Christians.

THE HOLY SPIRIT AT END-TIME

a. The spiritual warfare in heaven and on earth
b. The end time Biblical prophecies
c. The preparation of the Church by the Holy Spirit as a Bride for the returning Christ. more…

THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

a. The anointing of the Holy Spirit teachings.

b. Ministerial anointing by God

c. Transference of anointing

d. Corporate Anointing in a meeting

g. Peddling of prayer items and “anointed” cloth and handkerchiefs. more…

THE OPERATION OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN THE CHURCH

a. Guidelines in the Operation of Spiritual gifts in Church

b. Purpose of the operation of spiritual gifts in the church

c. Level of grace

d. Level of faith

e. Ministries in the body of Christ

f. Correcting errors more…

THE OPERATION OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN A PERSON

a. The Holy Spirit as our Teacher

b. Supported by the Word

c. Praying in the Spirit in intercession

d. Self prophecies

e. Revelations in the self study and meditation (musing) of God’s Word.

f. Personal ministry to others more…