Category: Refelctions

So you should consider yourselves dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. —– Sin is no longer your master for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

Romans 6:11, 14

Because of Jesus’ victory over sin, we are no longer slaves to it. We have the power and freedom to live a life of righteousness, no longer succumbing to the traps of sin. We have the ability to say NO to a sinful life and to go on and choose righteous living. When we come to accept Jesus in our lives, and believe in His Resurrection, sin no longer has a hold over us.

I remember, a colleague asked me before, that being a Christian my life must be so boring. Because I can no longer drink or party or “have fun”. He thought my life must be dull and boring because I do not go out and “gimik” like the rest of them. I smiled and told him that I have never been happier and never been free. I can choose to drink and party and “have fun” the way they defined it but I choose not to. My happiness lies in other things. My joy is found in activities that glorify my God. I am free to make my choice but I choose the God-glorifying ones.

Sometimes, it is hard to explain – how we can be really free from sin. But it is something that is so heartfelt that I cannot deny the freedom. I can feel it – the freedom of choice – and the joy of knowing I can always make a righteous choice.

For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Sin leads to death. Not the physical one but the spiritual kind. An eternal death that I wouldn’t wish even to the vilest person in our planet. Can you imagine spending your life in perpetuity in darkness? Devoid of light. Devoid of life. Doomed to suffering for all eternity.

Yet God loves us so much He couldn’t bear it for us to go through that – forever separated from Him. So He sent Jesus to die for our sins – taking the punishment we deserve – so He can give us the FREE GIFT of eternal life with Him.

This is the very essence of resurrection. This is the very defining moment of our faith. Our entire faith hinges on this. For we believe, that by sharing in Jesus’ resurrection we will also share eternity with Him. Our destiny is no longer darkness and gloom but light and joy.

Isn’t that wonderful? Isn’t that enough to make your heart sing and anticipate joyful days despite the lockdown?

Today is Resurrection Sunday. The happiest day in my life. For today, more then two thousand years ago, Jesus won the battle over sin. The sin which leads to eternal death; the sin which cripples me with fear; the sin which kills me daily. Jesus, when he died from the cross then rose from the grave has won the battle with sin.

The song above encapsulates how wonderful His sacrifice is and what is means for all of us who believe – and who are called to believe – in Him.

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin may lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.

And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.

Romans 6:6-9

When Jesus died on the cross, he brought our sins with Him. For sin brings death. We will all die in the end – our lives are mortal. But because we are sinners, we will suffer eternal death. Picture it: eternal darkness – a darkness that doesn’t end; suffering and pain left and right. It is enough to make my heart break just picturing it. Jesus suffered that one for us. He became the sacrifice who took away all our sins. He went to hell. He experienced the eternal darkness.

And because He is God, He went back. He rose from the dead. He went back to life. He triumphed over death. He won the battle with eternal death. Why? So we can claim the eternal life He so freely offers those who believe.

It is a profound mystery that baffles me. But a mystery that is so clearly explained over and over in the Bible and so clearly becomes the basis of my faith and the source of my hope. That one day, when I physically die from this earth, I will not experience eternal darkness. But rather experience eternal life with the Savior who loves me so much, He suffered for me.

Who could imagine so great a mercy?
What heart could fathom such boundless grace?
The God of ages stepped down from glory
To wear my sin and bear my shame

The cross has spoken, I am forgiven
The King of kings calls me His own
Beautiful Savior, I’m Yours forever
Jesus Christ, my living hope

Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There’s salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope…

Living Hope

Phil Wickham

Reflections from the Message delivered by Ptr. Cawir Ginting

Every man and woman was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). This doesn’t mean we are God but rather that we have God’s potential inside us.

Knowing the potential within, we must have a vision for our future

A man without vision is a man without a future. A man without a future will always return to his past.

Ptr. Cawir Ginting

Our vision is the picture of our future. In order for this vision to be fulfilled we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the one who’ll guide us to have a blueprint for our lives. He is the one who will give us direction and wisdom on how we can fulfill our vision.

Sometimes our visions seem too long in coming especially if it is big. But as Habakkuk 2:3 says “If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”

We may feel that our vision is slow in coming but actually God has a perfect timing and according to His timing it won’t be delayed.

When God says something it will come to pass.

When man saya something it depends on the situation.

Ptr. Cawir

We can always trust God to fulfill our visions that we have aligned with His will. All we need is to have faith in Him by fixing our eyes on Jesus.

When our focus is on Jesus, then we won’t be swayed by whatever situation we come across because we know that surely our vision will come to pass. Why? Because when Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty for our sins, He also gave us freedom to become children on God – the descendants of Abraham pertained in the Bible to whom God has made an everlasting covenant and promise to prosper and always succeed.

In order to experience growth and increase we must become effecive and productive. This we achieve by following what Peter said in 2 Peter 1:5-8:

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-8 (NLT)

We must make effort to develop our faith by supplementing it with goodness that is readily visible; with knowledge that we acquire through continuous learning; with self-control and disciple; with perseverance and resilience – always bouncing back even when life hits us hard; with holiness; and with brotherly love for one another.