Sing a Prayer With Your Heart

Every Time I Pray ... God Will Make a Way ... Above All ... He ... Who Has Promised ... In His Time.

Now ... Hum Along in Silence

EVERY TIME I PRAY
(Ng Wah Lok & Voon Yuen Woh)

I will come to You in prayer
I will seek Your face
I will stand within the gap
There will I intercede

For every time I pray
I move the hand of God
My prayer does the things
My hands cannot do
For every time I pray
The mountains are removed
The paths are made straight
And nations turn to you.

I am weak and helpless Lord
You, my strength shall be
Guide me with Your gracious hand
There will my victory be.


GOD WILL MAKE A WAY
(Don Moen)

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way,
He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness,
He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today.

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way,
He will make a way


ABOVE ALL
(Michael W. Smith)

Above all powers above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all


HE
(Richard Mullen)

He can turn the tides
And calm the angry sea.
He alone decides
Who writes a symphony.

He lights ev'ry star
That makes our darkness bright.
He keeps watch all through
Each long and lonely night.

He still finds the time
To hear a child's first prayer.
Saint or sinner call
And always find Him there.

Though it makes him sad
To see the way we live,
He'll always say, "I forgive."

He can grant a wish
Or make a dream come true.
He can paint the clouds
And turn the gray to blue.

He alone knows where
To find the rainbow's end.
He alone can see
What lies beyond the bend.

He can touch a tree
And turn the leaves to gold.
He knows every lie
That you and I have told.


誰曾應許
(曲/詞：盧永亨)

誰曾應許，一生不撇下我；
每段窄路，誰陪我去走過？
誰還領我，於青草恬靜處躺臥，
豐足恩惠比海沙更多﹗

誰曾應許，天天看顧著我；
晝夜眷佑，連頭髮也數過﹗
誰還以愛，驅走心裡懼怕怯懦，
那懼路途捲動著旋渦﹗

因你是我主，我避難所， 我盾牌和詩歌﹗
你是我的高臺，我隨時幫助﹗
來吧﹗用信心，讚頌和高歌，
你永在我心窩﹗ 唯你有永生江河，
除你以外不倚靠別個﹗

我究竟算甚麼？神你竟這般顧念我


IN HIS TIME
(Unknown)

In His time,
He makes all things beautiful
In His time,

He makes all things beautiful
Lord, please show me everyday
That You'll do just what You say

In Your time,
in Your time
You make all things beautiful
In Your time,
In Your time

Forgiveness : The Way to Happiness

The virtue of forgiveness ran through my ears three times in a row over the past weekend:
(1) At a Mandarin Fellowship group sharing on Friday, the leader quoted from a U.S. survey that one of the top three ways to gain happiness is to forgive. Another way is to be altruistic, i.e. having unselfish interest in the welfare of others. I don't quite remember the third way. It has something to do with being religious.

(2) At my Team of Love group sharing on Saturday, the air suddenly smelled apologetic. There were public apology for wrong attitudes, followed by hugs of forgiveness. I could literally 'hear' the release of built-up inner pressure through uttering of the three magic words "I am sorry".

(3) During the Sunday sermon, a visiting preacher quoted from Phil 4:19: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Though the message was mission focused, it dawned on me that as we forgive one another in Christ Jesus, our heavenly Father is glorified AND He will richly meet all our needs, including the healing of our hurt emotion and lifting of low self-esteem.

My take home lesson : there is always healing joy through forgiveness in Christ Jesus.

Vision of Badminton Ministry

I propose this slogan for our upcoming Badminton League as part of our long-term vision to outreach to unbelievers : FAIR, FUN, FRIENDSHIP, and FELLOWSHIP. God will certainly smile if we Christians and unbelievers act and play on the court as a happy FAMILY.

誰曾應許

曲/詞：盧永亨

[ Hear this song on the Web : http://audio.xanga.com/crazycat1101/1a2cb199314/audio.html ]

{括弧內顯示歌詞出自那一聖經章節}
Web Source: http://try.ckefgisc.org/~ccc/W&P/txt/%BD%D6%B4%BF%C0%B3%A8%A5%A4%C8.txt

誰曾應許，一生不撇下我，
（申31:8上 - 耶和華必在你前面行；他必與你同在，必不撇下你，也不丟棄你。）

每段窄路，誰陪我去走過？
（箴4:12 - 你行走，腳步必不致狹窄；你奔跑，也不致跌倒。）

誰還領我於青草恬靜處躺臥，
（詩23:2 - 他使我躺臥在青草地上，領我在可安歇的水邊。）

豐足恩惠比海沙更多...（詩139:18 - 我若數點，比海沙更多；我睡醒的時候，仍和你同在。）

誰曾應許，天天看顧著我，
（詩33:18 - 耶和華的眼目看顧敬畏他的人和仰望他慈愛的人。）

晝夜眷佑，連頭髮也數過！
（賽27:3 - 我—耶和華是看守葡萄園的；我必時刻澆灌，晝夜看守，免得有人損害。
　太10:30 - 就是你們的頭髮也都被數過了。)

誰還以愛，驅走心裡懼怕怯懦，
（約一4:18上 - 愛裏沒有懼怕；愛既完全，就把懼怕除去。）

哪懼路途捲動著漩渦...
（詩 46:3 - 其中的水雖匉訇翻騰．．．也不害怕。）

因你是我主　我避難所　我盾牌和詩歌
（詩46:1上 - 神是我們的避難所，是我們的力量
　詩28:7上 - 耶和華是我的力量，是我的盾牌；
我心裏倚靠他就得幫助。
　詩118:14 - 耶和華是我的力量，是我的詩歌；
他也成了我的拯救。）

你是我的高臺　我隨時幫助
（詩62:6 - 惟獨他是我的磐石，我的拯救；他是我的高臺，
我必不動搖。
　詩46:1下 - 是我們在患難中隨時的幫助。）
（撒下22:3上 - 我的神，我的磐石，我所投靠的。他是我的盾牌，是拯救我的角，是我的高臺，是我的避難所。）

來吧用信心　讚頌和高歌　你永在我心窩
（詩28:7下 - 所以我心中歡樂，我必用詩歌頌讚他。
詩98:4 - 全地都要向耶和華歡樂；要發起大聲，歡呼歌頌！）

唯你有永生江河　除你以外不倚靠別個
（約4:14下 - 我所賜的水要在他裏頭成為泉源，直湧到永生。
　詩73:25 - 除你以外，在天上我有誰呢？除你以外，
在地上我也沒有所愛慕的。）

我究竟算什麼？神你竟這般顧念我！
（詩8:4 - 便說：人算甚麼，你竟顧念他？
世人算甚麼，你竟眷顧他？）

My First Band Experience

I just got off from my very first band practice of a Praise team - with keyboard, base guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, vocalists, etc. It was an eye-opening experience for me, because I've never played guitar in a band, nor have I jammed music with so many people at the same time.

God created music not only for us to praise Him, but also our own enjoyment and satisfaction. The joy of being able to hear other instruments while playing mine on the guitar is indescribable. You need to be there yourself to feel it. In a word, it is very very 'JEN' (非常'正').

May God be pleased as everyone in the Grand Praise team does his/her best to exalt and praise Him. Amen!

Displaced Person

I remember long time ago I read a novel for my freshman English class titled "Displaced Person". These two words have stuck in my mind for a long time. Recently, I learned from the cover story of "Westways" - AAA magazine - that a person by the name Will Rogers (he was supposedly a famous rich cowboy with an Indian heritage back in the early 1900s) had once said, "I never met a person I didn't like."

These eight words also stuck in my mind as I pondered my new year resolution in 2007. I have been blessed by my CSAF small group this year in that everyone has tried to support one another in love. How I wish that Will Rogers' motto continues to live on among us that no one (whether belivers or unbelievers) will be left displaced or disliked. May we work harder to appreciate one another. In God's eyes, no one is of absolute zero value, and everyone is eternally priceless.

Can Fate Be Changed?

On Dec 23 evening, we were blessed by more than a handful of new unbelievers joining us at our CSAF Christmas Outreach Program. There were many laughters, smiles, hugs, and heart-to-heart talks inspired by our speaker, who raised an interesting question: "Can we really change the fate of our life?" And I'd like to share some of my thoughts.

Before I accepted Christ, I inclined to think that if I worked hard, and did my very best to rise above the average crowd, I would be rewarded with a good life. In other word, I thought my future was in my hands.

After I became a Christian, my value system has changed completely. I believe that God is omniscient; He is wise enough to predestinate my future, and absolutely capable of counting every strain of my hair. He knows my every thoughts and deeds, and He certainly knows in advance exactly how my life will play out. From this perspective, my fate seems "fixed" or "pre-destinated".

But thank God for giving us our freedom to choose, which is the key ingredient for true and genuine love. Even though God is a love-sick Father (as evidenced by His 'favoring' the prodigal son and the lost sheep in the Bible), He certainly doesn't want to force us to love Him. He wants us to choose to love Him, and choose to believe in Him.

Can our fate be changed? My answer is both yes and no. I believe our fate cannot be changed in terms of our heritage, identity, race, parents, siblings, and even our upbringing experiences. However, I believe my fate has already been changed right at the moment when I made my decision to trust in Jesus as my personal savior. I am absolutely 100% sure that my fate is now destined for heaven, not hell; and for eternal life, not hopeless perishment.

Climb on the bandwagon before it's too late! The journey to eternity has just begun. "O Lord, I'm amazed at Your love for me. ... What can I say? ... Thank you Lord!"

The Heart of the Ocean vs. the Unfathomable Riches of Christ

The "Titanic" movie featured Kate Winslet as Rose wearing "The Heart of the Ocean" - a huge blue diamond that she SECRETLY kept long after the historic disaster. Towards the end of the movie, you see a glimpse of her life lived out to the fullest, with photos of her flying an airplane, riding a horse, volunteering in community service, etc. That Titanic SECRET propelled her into attempting some "wildest" things she never dreamed of had she not gone through such a life-changing experience. Likewise, the SECRET of the "unfathomable riches of Christ" (Eph 3:8), as revealed through Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, is epically important to Christians today.

It was IMPORTANT to PAUL (3:1-5), because God revealed personally to Paul that Jews and Gentiles are now ONE in Christ as members of the Body, sharing God's grace equally with the Jews.

It was IMPORTANT to the GENTILES (3:6-8), because it reconciled Jews and Gentiles to each other and to God, sharing the riches of Christ (e.g. His grace, His goodness, His wisdom, His mercy, His glory, His blessings, His assurance, His Word, His protection, His love, etc.).

It was IMPORTANT to the ANGELS (3:9-10), because they (both good and evil) too learned from the Church "the manifold wisdom of God". God's new creation, the Church, was something new to them. Though Satan knew from the Old Testament Scriptures that the Messiah would come, when He would come, how He would come, and where He would come, no one understood why He would come, as far as redemption is concerned. Nowhere in the Old Testament would Satan find any prophecies concerning the Church, "the mystery" of Jews and Gentiles united in one Body! God hid this great plan "from the beginning of the world", but now He wants "the mystery" to be known by His Church. This SECRET is now in our hands today.

It should be IMPORTANT to CHRISTIANS TODAY (3:11-13), because we would guard these revealed riches and share them (2 Tim. 2:2). When you understand this truth, it gives you great confidence and faith. This is like being given a new map to the endless spiritual treasures. If we understand our wonderful position in Christ, then we should live up to it - and share the blessing with others.

Apostles vs Disciples

During a CSAF Bible Study in October 2006, a question came up regarding the differences between the meaning of Apostles and Disciples. The following summarizes my research findings:

	Apostles	Disciples
Word Meaning	One who is sent with a commission, i.e. a divinely-appointed representative. In general, apostle refers to a small, inner group of Jesus’ followers, such as the women who stood at Jesus’ cross and discovered the empty tomb. [1]	One who is a follower or a learner. The word is rarely used in the Old Testament. Isaiah used the term disciples to refer to those who are taught or instructed (Isa. 8:16). [2]
Purpose	To give witness of the resurrection (Acts 1:15-22), and therefore had to have seen the risen Christ personally (1 Cor. 9:1-2).	To follow Jesus. The word is sometimes used in a more specific way to indicate the twelve apostles of Jesus (Matt. 10:1; 11:1; 20:17; Luke 9:1).
Presence Today	There are no apostles today in the strictest New Testament sense. These men helped to lay the foundation of the Church – the foundation by the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20), and once the foundation was laid, they were no longer needed.	Yes, as follower of Jesus Christ, all Christians are disciples by definition.
Ministry Implication	God authenticated ministry of apostles with special miracles (Heb. 2:1-4), so we should not demand these same miracles today.	In a broad sense, all Christians have an apostolic ministry. “As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). But Christians today must not claim to be apostles.
Sources: [1] “Be Rich”, by Warren W. Wiersbe, p. 100-101, Victor Books, SP Publications Inc., 1986, [2] Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, p. 302, Thomas Nelson Publisher, 1986.

Striving for Serious Difference

As a member of CSAF, I have been thinking about what are AFer's values over all these years. Can they be friendship, discipleship, membership, or leadership? An important word captures them all - fellowship, from which generates the power of love, sharing, acceptance, and support.

In various ways, I believe we are all striving to live a difference-making life. Thus, CSAF can be recognized as a place where mature, gifted, and resourceful working-age Christians are striving to make a serious difference in the world around them.

Recently, I read the following famous poem from http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com (Author unknown):

THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD
I dreamed I had an interview with God.
“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.
“If you have the time” I said.
God smiled. “My time is eternity.” “What questions do you have in mind for me?”
“What surprises you most about humankind?”
God answered ... “That they get bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.”
“That they lose their health to make money ... and then lose their money to restore their health.”
“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future.”
"That they live as if they will never die, and die as though they had never lived.”
God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.
And then I asked ... “As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”
“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is let themselves be loved.”
“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”
“To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.”
“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in those they love, and it can take many years to heal them.”
“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.”
“To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply have not yet learned how to express or show their feelings.”
“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.”
“To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”
"Thank you for your time," I said humbly.
"Is there anything else you would like your children to know?"
God smiled and said, “Just know that I am here ... always.”

Yes, God has always been there. He will guide our way. All we need is to keep growing spiritually and continue striving for a life that makes a serious difference.

To Re-brand or Not to Re-brand CSAF

CSAF is not alone in attempting to rebrand itself with a name change, and there can be all kinds of reasons for doing so, and for not doing so. Indeed, many cities around the world have already gone through, or are considering, changes of identity. For instance, Peking was renamed to Beijing, Bangalore to Bengalooru, Saddam City to Sadr City, etc. These cities were wiped from the global map, primarily because such moves are a long-overdue reassertion of local identity, or their society simply needs to forget all negative memories of the past. But an identity change does not necessarily guarantee an overnight transformation unless the underlying values that define their original greatness are properly protected and strengthened.

Since its inception decades ago, CSAF has been "earning" its reputation through an intersection of three distinctive attributes: spiritual maturity, gifted talents, and resourceful freedom. Any time this group of working-age adult Christians are motivated spiritually to labor together in one accord, there will be no limit to its collective impact both inside and outside the church. But any time we wavered in our purpose, vision, and trust in God, CSAF became wanderers in the "wilderness", as we probably are today.

Being conscious of age, an outsider may see the notion of "Adult Fellowship" as a negative factor deterring the younger counterparts from joining in. But the challenge to any fellowship group is idleness, not age. Being an adult fellowship implies our maturity, thoughtfulness, and experience. A youthful adult would say, "I am old enough to worry, but young enough to care less." It's just a matter of perspective.

CSAF should pass on its values, not just a fancy name. And we should give our younger counterparts a better example to follow in the future. It's the quality of our ministry and the vigor of our attitude towards God that really count. In the long run, a name is no more than just a name, but good work will inspire more good work.

Aging is a natural process we all need to face. The secret hinges on how well you age and what kind of legacy you want to leave behind. A good name may help if and only if we can really live up to the ideologies that the name implies. Unless the new identity or name is bestowed from above by God, like Jacob being renamed to Israel, there will not be any magic bullet to effect a face-lift for CSAF. To all who are willing to fellowship with us, we at CSAF would like to say one thing with a warm smile, "Welcome to AF!"

Finally, I was surprised to discover that a simple Abercombie & Fitch (a.k.a. A&F) tee-shirt carries a huge $35 price tag. Apparently, the A&F brand has a trendy reputation among teenagers that allows its products to command a high premium as a symbol for "casual luxury". Likewise, CSAF can be a premium "brand" in the Kingdom of God as a symbol for "serious difference", so long as we remain focused on "branding for God" as opposed to "branding for ourselves".

How Do You Spell Success?

S(imple
U(nexpected
C(oncrete
C(redible
E(motional
S(ignificant
S(tory

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV)

The salvation story is a simple, concrete, and credible truth, emotionally filled with love, totally unexpected from God Almighty, and absolutely significant in human history.

Without a doubt, I consider God's salvation a BIG SUCCESS.

這一生最美的祝福 (The Gift of Knowing You)

Music by Sandy Yu (Lyrics: Mandarin - Jessica Lee, English - Jeff Nelson, Cantonese - Victor Cheung)

[ Hear this song on the Web : http://218.66.219.140/zmzq/05h14.WMA ]

[ Free music download (size = 2.10MB) : http://www.east.casgv.org/CA_east_Media.htm ]

(國語)
在無數的黑夜裡，我用星星畫出你，
你的恩典如晨星，讓我真實的見到你。
在我的歌聲裡，我用音符讚美你，
你的美好是我今生頌揚的。
這一生最美的祝福，就是能認識主耶穌。
這一生最美的祝福，就是能信靠主耶穌。
走在高山深谷，衪會伴我同行，
我知道這是最美的祝福。

When I see the stars at night, how my heart is drawn to You.
And their light shines Your grace on me, how I long to be with You.
I lift my voice in praise, I will love You with my life,
For Your beauty and Your goodness never end.
Nothing compares to knowing You, You are the treasure of my life.
Trusting in Jesus Christ my Lord, my richest blessing in the world.
In the valleys or on high, You are with me all the time.
Thank You Lord, for the gift of knowing You.

(粵語)
在漆黑的天際間，滿天星星光照你，
燃亮每處，在心窩裡面深刻的感覺到。
在歌聲中奏響，讚美歡呼聲響遍，
直到永遠，讓我一生讚頌你。
一生的祝福永在你，最好祝福是主耶穌。
一生要頌揚主恩典，主恩拯救刻骨銘心。
縱使高山深谷，主必同我共行,
我深信一切祝福永在你。

Copyright 2003 Stream of Praise Music

Know Him Better

Part of Paul's important prayer in Eph 1:17 encourages us to know God better. As Christians, we constantly ask ourselves how much more we really know him after a period of say 5, 10, 15, 20 years and beyond. The difference in the knowledge of God between a 20-year-new Christian and a 2-year-new Christian may not be too significant. God is so unfathomable that the minute you thought you know God, another unknown void will pop up in your heart to urge you to desire more of Him. During my Christian walk, I gradually sensed that love and grace are the most precious lessons I've learned about God. Nowhere else is God's love offered so unconditionally. As a new Christian, I learned the head knowledge that grace means receiving something you don't deserve. As I 'ripe' a little more, I learned that God is a love-sick Father; He values the single lost sheep even more than the other 99 sheep that are still safe in His sheepfold. His grace is truly unbounded. As Philip Yancey painted the most vivid picture of grace, "there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less."

The Bible documented a great deal of human history filled with God's love stories. And His love has explosive power when one faithfully tries to fullfill God's promises (like Abraham). If you find yourself a stranger to the power of His love, you are most likely unaware of His great promises written in the Bible. David understood the power of the name of the living Lord Almighty as he faced the formidable 9-feet giant Goliath. He truly believed that the Lord would deliver Goliath over to him. Indeed, God did honor David's faith. That was God's power then, and His power is still at work today. You just need to have faith that can apply God's objective truth into your own subjective blessing. Try to know God's promises well (in the Bible) and you will know Him better (in your life) little by little and day by day.

Water Gives Life

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Gen 1:1-2)" Water is the chemical compound of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom bonded together. So is the bonding of my life growing up in the picturesque sunset view outside the window of my modest home at Wah Fu Estate. Looking back, my life has been forever netted with fond memories punctuated by waters. After I decided to leave Hong Kong to study abroad in the U.S. many years ago, I took my last lonely trip across the Victoria Harbor on the Star Ferry with two empty suitcases in my hands. There were waters around me then. When my departing flight started climbing up from the Kai-Tak Airport, there were waters welling up in my eyes. As I settled down in the new college campus and spent my first Labor Day weekend at the college president's resort home at a beautiful lake in Indiana, I ploughed through the crystal-clear water on water-ski and miraculously completed my first ever loop around the lake without falling. I still remember the water-cooling feeling through my veins. When I finally dipped into the baptismal pool at FCBC's old sanctuary on that beautiful Sunday afternoon, I was floating in the water of eternity - bonding my future with the Creator of heaven and earth. Amen! Life is good within the perfect will of God. Water gives life!

Is Christ the Only Way to God?

Yes. Christ is the only way to God.

Only Jesus claims to be the Son of God. That is the truth. Neither sincerity nor intensity of faith can create truth. Other religions have some emotional aspects which we need to try to overcome.

Christians are not being bigoted and prejudiced or presumptuous when they say that Christ is the only way to God. As Christians we have no other option because Jesus Christ Himself has said this. Although one may choose to believe whatever he wishes, he has no right to redefine Christianity in his own terms. If we're going to be faithful to Jesus Christ we must take our stand on what He said. Quite obviously, if He is God, this is the only answer. We're dealing with truth that has come to us by revelation, through the invasion into human history of God Himself in Jesus Christ.

God's law says: the wage of sin is death. We do not determine socially the penalty for violating the law of God; the penalty of eternal hopelessness is inherent in the violation. Thank God, Jesus provides the way out of man's hopelessness - Christ is the only way to God.

For a discussion on "Beyond Blind Faith", read Paul E. Little's article at http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/religions/faith/faith2.html

Difference between Protestanism and Roman Catholicism

Rather than getting in a heated debate on religions and apologetics, perhaps it would do well to remind Protestants that, historically, one of the greatest enemies of Christianity has been false religion. It is the growth of such religion throughout the world that has remained the most serious threat to the health of the Church and will continue to do so far into the 21st century.

Is Roman Catholicism Christian? In a nutshell, it would seem that there are so many ways in which Catholicism is not biblical that it is logically impossible to classify it as a genuine Christian religion. All this is why the obstacles between Catholicism and Evangelicalism are insurmountable, at least until there is fundamental biblical reformation in Rome.

Bottomline, there is a difference between being Catholic and Christian. This article below( http://everystudent.com/forum/difference.html ) stresses that "the real issue isn't what church a person belongs to, but whether the person individually has Jesus Christ living inside of him or her - if they really have a personal relationship with God."

Note that the present day Catholic doctrines may not be the same as the Roman Catholicism from which Martin Luther fought against so vehemently. Catholic church had their own "reformation," which is called Counter-Reformation. We don't know if the pope himself will be saved -- but Billy Graham in one Larry-King-Live interview called the late Pope John Paul II a brother in Christ.

But one thing is sure : without a genuine relationship with God through Jesus, the Bible warns that we will be spiritually dead in eternity.

Difference between Jesus and the Monkey-king

The Monkey-king in Chinese legend came out of nowhere in the physical realm. It was just out of the author's imagination, trying to mystify (or make real) the story of the west-bound quest for the holy scripture of buddhism. Sadly, many Chinese idolize the fictitious Monkey-king as god.

On the other hand, Jesus came out of virgin birth and invaded human history. He is fully human and fully God, yet sinless. His birth is both for all mankind and for God the Father, whose righteousness attribute compels Him to sacrifice His only begotten Son to pay for man's sin.

Afterall, Jesus is the true King of Kings. He physically lived on the planet earth for 33 years.

Blind Faith vs. Christian Faith

Faith is central to the reality of Christian experience. During Church Reformation, Martin Luther drew a line in the sand and said that we are saved by faith. Faith is the key.

Like it or not, faith is a common occurrence to daily life. We eat the food in a restaurant prepared by people we never met - by faith. Perhaps it was blind faith, but we trust the public health authority anyway. Here, we exercise 'reasonable' faith, sometimes even 'blind' faith as we eat from illegal street vendors.

Faith is only as valid as the object (the person or thing) in which it is placed. In other words, your faith in any person can be only as valid as he is trustworthy. Intense belief does not create truth. Faith's validity cannot be increased by intensity. Believing does not make a wish true. That's why Christian cancer patients are also not healed, despite their steadfast faith. Nevertheless, Christians understand that their future is in good hands - God's Hands.

Disbelief may cost you to miss the boat, and the consequence will be irrecoverable. For instance, a beggar disbelieves that he is actually the heir to a billion dollar inheritance (an objective truth). He will die starving and poverty stricken. The objective truth remains, but he misses out on its benefits because he fails to claim them in faith. Where can we discover these treasures? In the Bible - God's very own Words.

In the realm of everyday human experience, we tend to treat facts as facts. Few of us have trouble accepting the concept that belief can't create, and disbelief can't destroy, objective facts. When talking about God, many people are strangely naive. They say, "Oh, I don't believe in God, heaven and hell", as though that settles the question - they thought that by disbelieving they have supposedly wiped God out of existence. No, the objective truth lives on in spite of disbelief. [1]

Faith sees the invisible but it does not see the non-existent. As Hebrews 11:1 explains it, 'Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.' The eyes of faith see something that is real, although invisible. What blind faith or superstition sees is unreal and non-existent. As we learn to discern between unreality and invisible reality, we discover a world of difference between the two. Everyone believes in something. The object of faith, not the intensity of belief or disbelief, will determine faith's validity. Faith placed in something unreal is only superstition. [2]

Christ is the object of Christian's faith. Your leap of faith will be necessary to believe that Jesus is the only Saviour. Through faith alone you can come to Jesus Christ and invite Him into your lives as Lord and Saviour.

Ref.: [1] "How to Give Away Your Faith" by Paul E. Little, IVP 1966, Chapter 8, p.115. [2] ibid, p.116.