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Christ’s Finished Work: Access

28 September 2021 blogpastor Leave a comment

Access is vital when a shut door, a landslide or an army blocks your way. We want to get to the other side. There is something there that we desperately want. But we cannot and are prevented from doing so because of an obstacle, and because we have zero access. Whether it is a key, a password, an excavator or a bomber aircraft – whatever it is that will open the way or remove the obstacle, we would be willing to pay a tycoon’s ransom to get it.

I know of those who have shut their doors with the keys still in their house. They had to call a professional locksmith to open them and change the locks too. It costs $65 to unlock and another $300 or more to install a new lock. We will pay the price because we want access to the home, and to feel safe. There is no other way. The price simply has to be paid for peace.

Spiritual Access At A Price

If physical access is so important, even more vital is spiritual access. Human access to God was shut because of wrongdoing and wrong being. Sin blocked our access to God and his abundant blessings. Can we ever pay the price for our sins? It is beyond our ability. The penalty for sin is spiritual, physical and eternal death. We cannot pay the price; someone else has to pay for it. Someone sinless.

What we could not do Christ, the sinless one, did for us! “But God demonstrates His love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He paid on our behalf what we could not pay: through His death on the cross. This and only this could give us access to God and His kingdom, to salvation, to eternal life. Good works and philanthropy and religious observance could not give us this access. Only Christ’s substitutionary death. “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18).

In every nation, access to its top leader is almost impossible. You need to be a very important person with a proposal that serves the country’s interests, or a cabinet colleague, or a very close friend to make an appointment. Often you have to wait, or you may be turned down, or given very little time with the head of state. Access to power and influence is rare or costly.

But this is not so if you are in his family – if you are his or her son or daughter or husband or wife. For example, Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Wei Ling, and Lee Hsien Yang had that kind of access to the Prime Minister of Singapore, because he is their father, PM Lee Kuan Yew.

Beauty of Access

Access to God is beautiful and has many advantages. You have Father God’s love and favour. You can draw close and intimate with Him. You have His ears to listen to your prayers. You have His mind to impart wisdom to you. You have His company to comfort and fill you with peace and joy. You have His hand to empower you and give you His authority to do His assignments. All He has is yours. Access is that important. And it came to us who put our faith in Jesus Christ as a sheer gift of grace. Unearned. Undeserved. Christ suffered and died to make this access to the Father forever ours. We have the password: J-E-S-U-S.

This privilege of access must never be taken for granted. Remember the apt lyrics of that classic hymn , “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”:

What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer

Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Access leads us to a beautiful friendship with Almighty God our Heavenly Father, and to have Him is enough.

Prayer

Father in heaven, thank you for sending Jesus to suffer and die on the cross so I can reach you. I can boldly approach you whenever I need your grace and help confident that you delight in hearing my prayers. Amen.

(This is part one of a series: “A to Z of Christ’s Finished Work”).

Reliability of the gospel

25 October 2013 blogpastor 3 Comments

On Thursday, I read in the TODAY free paper that Dr Aseem Malhotra a cardiologist wrote something in a respected medical journal that busts the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease. That is good news if you love the humble coconut that has been falsely given a life sentence for being dangerously laden with saturated fat. We have been warned unceasingly of having coconut oils in our curries, lontong, chendol and nasi lemak. Now that life sentence can be lifted, and we do not have to settle for substitutes like yoghurt or skimmed milk. Probably for a while…. until another study comes along to tell us the opposite. The words and wisdom of men shift with time and situation and place and it can be confusing to live by man’s word. God’s word however never changes, and we can confidently live by the gospel that has once and for all been delivered to us in the New Testament. With the certainty of the unchanging gospel we can live with confidence and peace. And we can be sure that it will result in the good life.

Christian Gospel Mission: tutored in grace for a mission at hand

1 April 2013 blogpastor 7 Comments

The church opposite former Keat Hong Camp

The former Keat Hong Camp was where national servicemen collected their soldier uniforms, caps, socks, belts and boots. As I stood at the worship hall of Christian Gospel Mission and looked out across Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1, I saw a large spacious bare land. Keat Hong Camp had been flattened. In its place, the Housing Development Board will be building thousands of apartment units. The harvest is coming to where the church is.

The Christian Gospel Mission, which first began in Jalan Cheng Hwa in Bukit Panjang, had relocated here, and has remained here for decades now. It is part of a stretch of shop-houses opposite what was once Keat Hong Camp. They are a church, a kindergarten and a student care center. They are Mandarin-speaking but the children of the original church congregation, have grown up and are mostly effectively bi-lingual. They are about 70 members and with a good mix of young and old and middle-aged. They have a new pastor, a former teacher, and he has taken over from his father, Choo Fah Chong. He is pastor Kevin Choo and he preaches the message of radical grace. The church is currently adjusting well as they sit under teachings that bring a new perspective to the outworking of the Christian life.

Grace-based, bi-lingual, interesting service

The unique thing about this church is that besides being “grace-based” and bi-lingual, the church’s Sunday service has an interesting format that my Christian education director would have been proud of. After the singing, the offering and announcements, the church would break into discussion groups after the pastor gave them some directions. The fruit of the discussions of each group would then be shared, and the pastor would teach the word, using and referring to the input as he delivered the message. This is learning that is interesting, engaging, interactive and dynamic.

Teochew muay

Since I was a guest preacher they did the usual traditional order of service. I had an interpreter Joseph, who translated my message for the congregation. I spoke about “God’s Love Tattoo”. One of the sermon illustrations I used was about Teochew muay. It tickled them so much that I heard this Easter service they had that after the service. They have a retired hotel chef, so their Teochew muay must have been plus, plus. I brought along a friend, Euclid, who had been trained for a year in the School of the Supernatural in Bethel. He was a great help during ministry time when we prayed and prophesied over people who came forward with needs.They were friendly and hospitable and after the service, we lunched at a coffee shop nearby: Teochew muay…well almost.

Being equipped for a great mission

I left the place thinking of its potential: the congregation experiencing new beginnings in the gospel of grace; the vast numbers of new families that will have new beginnings in the apartment blocks that will be built within four years. For such a time as this, the congregation is being tutored and equipped in the truths of grace, and I pray the Lord’s word will prosper and bear fruit through their faithful stewardship of the gospel to the new harvest field in front of them.