City Harvest Church or City Harvest Inc?

Image via Wikipedia

They are back in the news....for the wrong reasons as usual.

City Harvest Church announced recently that they have purchased a stake in Suntec City for S$310 million.

The church was recently asked by the Commissioner of Charities about this business venture.

City Harvest did not create a separate business entity for the purchase.

There are concerns regarding this arrangement because the church's income as a registered charity is non-taxable.

It seems like there is a loop hole whereby one can strive towards one's own ambitions by building a business empire using tax free money. By their teaching of tithing, they get regular and steady income streams which are tax free.

As the church's collection are registered as charity and thus tax free, shouldn't the money be used for helping the poor and needy?

Well, in the case of some so called mega churches, it seems like this is the best way to enrich themselves and thus the need to turn the church into a business enterprise........with returns to justify more money to be paid to it's leaders.

Certainly, these people need to reflect on themselves and people who goes to such churches, stop giving yourself excuses and no it's not God's grace that made the leader's rich...it's you and your money.

This brings to mind the story just before Jesus started His ministry and was lead into fasting and prayer for 40 days in the desert. Jesus was tempted when shown all the riches and kingdom He would receive in return for worshipping the devil....

Well Jesus made His choice......how about you?

God save Me! - Miracle at works

Enjoy this video.

Church seeks to expel bible college from premises

A very sad piece of news indeed....read the full story HERE.

Whatever has happened to Christ's teaching?

Is this what sola scriptura is about?

A light and messengers of Christ to the world .

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Jesus did not reach out to the people with words but with deeds. It only through our deeds, we know that we have faith in Christ.

Through our deeds, then we are a light to the world and messengers of Christ. Good deeds comes as a result of a total conversion in the heart....to one that is always of love, charity and compassion.

Yes, salvation is by faith but faith that has deeds for “if good deeds do not go with it (faith), it is quite dead”.

Does our Church preach to us about God's love, charity and compassion? I know almost all Churches claimed to do so but does you Church practice what she preaches?

Does your Church do her part in reaching out to the poor and needy by caring for them in terms of providing education, providing shelter (nursing homes, homes) and medical care such as hospitals and hospice?

Because "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me." (MT25:40)

Does your Church lead by example to love God and your neighbour which is the commandments of Jesus ?

Are you living your life as a light and messenger of Christ to the world ?

Are you following Jesus's instructions to go out and spread God’s love by caring and loving people around you as as God loved you ?

God Bless.

What does the Gospels says....??

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What is Jesus really teaching and doing in the 4 Gospels?

Perhaps Paul provided the best summary in 1 Corinthians - Chapter 13:13 when he said “As it is, these remain: faith, hope and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.”

As Jesus Himself said (in MT 22:37-40): “'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.”

Jesus reaches out to everyone (including the tax collectors and prostitutes) especially the poor and needy regardless if they believed in Him. He help and cure them because of his Love for them. Many are converted because they felt loved by Jesus and followed Him.

So, if a Christian is someone who subscribed his faith to “the life and teachings of Jesus”, then Christians must live his life based the 2 commandments for: "Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love." - 1Jn 4:8.

As Christians, we place great importance in God’s Word and keep His commandments close to our hearts. However, words amount to nothing if we do not live by them or if we do not follow God’s will in our daily living. It is easy to profess what we believe in, yet our actions are not always in line with our profession.

Jesus did not reach out to the people with words but with deeds. Through our deeds, then we are a light to the world and messengers of Christ.

Only through our deeds, we know that we have faith in Christ. As James said in James Chapter 2:
17. In the same way faith, if good deeds do not go with it, is quite dead
18. It is by my deeds that I will show you my faith
22. So you can see that his faith was working together with his deeds; his faith became perfect by what he did.
24. You see now that it is by deeds, and not only by believing, that someone is justified.

We are called to remain devoted and faithful to God’s Word in our lives. The Last Judgment account in Mt 25 reminds us that it is our actual deeds of love that matter, not mere words.
In MT 7:21-27 , Jesus also warned us that not all who call “Lord…Lord…” will enter into Heaven. It is not lips service that He wants. He said a true disciple are those who hear the words and act on it. Not those who hear but do nothing.

Why would one who believed in Him and not follow His commandments?

What is Christianity?

Image via Wikipedia

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity), Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament. The Christian faith is essentially faith in Jesus as the Christ (or Messiah), the Son of God, the Saviour, the manifestation of God to humankind (Immanuel), and God (Yahweh or the “Lord”) himself.

A simpler version according to Macmillian English dictionary explained as the religion based on the ideas of Jesus Christ. Its followers worship in a church.

And Christians are adherents of the Christian faith (according to Wikipedia) and someone whose religion is Christianity (according to Macmillian English dictionary).

If above is agreed upon, then what is “the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament”?

Shall talk about that in the next post.

Beautiful Churches

It has been a while since I updated this blogs...sorry. I'll be back soon.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of beautiful churches....