Sometimes, people ask, “Why do we teach faith and not the sovereignty of God? When we are sick, why do we keep praying for healing? Why can’t we just accept that God sovereignly wants us to be sick? And if people have serious illnesses, we should be preparing them for death. Their dying (from sickness) is also a sovereign act of God’s power meant for His glory!”

Here is my reply …

In Lk 7, John the Baptist was languishing in prison. He was very discouraged and began to doubt if Jesus was truly the Messiah. He sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was indeed the Saviour. To be perfectly honest, it was quite an offensive question. Jesus then had a conversation in 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 with the two disciples. He gave a gentle word of correction for them to pass on to John the Baptist. However, not for a moment was Jesus angry or condemning. He had to speak the truth, but He did so with a lot of love, care, tact, and sensitivity.

𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆, Jesus had a gentle word of correction for John the Baptist, but 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗹𝘆, he was full of honour for John. He praised John for being a man who was strong in his conviction of God’s Word. He honoured him for his life of self-denial and obedience. He praised him for being so specially appointed and anointed by God to prepare the way for the Messiah. Jesus 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆, but 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗹𝘆.

This is the general rule of thumb in dealing with a difficult relationship situation: W𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰. Jesus was full of honour for His cousin, as imperfect as he may be. Part of maturity in Christlikeness is learning to be loving, forgiving and honouring, just like Jesus is!

Part of growing in Christlikeness is learning to be an honouring person. It is, however, hard to be honouring when we are fed up with people, especially when we find them irritating.

Over the years, I have learned to remove “𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀” and “𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿” from my relationship vocabulary. “Always” and “never” are rarely factual. When you use phrases that include “always” or “never,” you are telling others that they cannot do anything right, and that you don’t believe they can ever change! This will only discourage them and make them feel condemned.

Keep the focus on the present situation, and be specific and factual. Learn to 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻. When we do that, we are using the situation as an opportunity to help someone become smarter and wiser, and to be more effective and efficient the next time. But if we get into personal attacks, the plot is lost, the problem is not solved and our relationship sours.

Jesus carries a strong anointing of God because He carries a spirit of honour. We must do the same! By the grace of God, let’s learn to be honouring towards people around us.

Righteousness (Gr. dikaiosune) is a very major subject in the Bible, and it intersects with the doctrines of justification and sanctification.

In justification, 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗱. He declares us righteous, not guilty, and forgiven. We are no longer condemned to be eternally punished in hell. This right standing before God is through the 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, and is completely ours by faith. His righteousness, which is like a pure, clean robe that is put on us, is now legally ours. God sees us as sinless in Christ.

In sanctification, 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝘄. The Holy Spirit transforms us so that our behaviour reflects God’s nature (His love, His truth, His holiness), and we live a life which is in line with God’s will and His moral law (the Ten Commandments). This moral transformation is the 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁. We actually sin less and less in life.

As a child of God, we need both kinds of righteousness!

For a marriage to be healthy and happy, every couple must take the “multivitamins of love”. They are the 𝟯 𝗔’𝘀–𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. These feed a relationship from day to day, so we need them daily. This 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 between the husband and wife is a really powerful way to affair-proof your relationship.

Righteousness is a gift from God received by grace only, through faith only, in Christ only. Righteousness becomes ours through two means – 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – the former an 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁, the latter a 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.

In our Protestant faith, justification is a 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 or 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. It is the instantaneous legal act of God, in which He forgives our sins and declares us to be righteous in His sight, on account of Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection. This is the event of conversion when a sinner puts his faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross. Justification is a legal declaration, not a moral transformation.

Sanctification is God’s 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of a believer’s whole being, through the work of the Holy Spirit. Every part of the person is changed – his thoughts, values, attitudes, affections, words, behaviour, and actions. The ultimate goal of the Holy Spirit (who dwells in us), is to transform the legally righteous convert into a morally virtuous person.

Sanctification is a lifelong process through which we die daily to sin and learn to live more and more for righteousness. This is how we grow in Christlikeness or holiness. To be holy is to be Christlike, and the Protestants call this “growing in grace” (2 Pet 3:18).

Someone asked me a question about the revival we had in the late 1980s, when our church was full of young people. He asked, “Pastor Kong, with so many youths, their different cliques, and their many different opinions, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗹? Were you very fierce and strict, and did you control the young people tightly with an iron fist?” I thought about it, and this was my answer to him.

How do we prevent our love for God (and for people) from becoming cold and mechanical, especially as we serve in our CG and church ministries?

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. It is the foundation and motivation of our devotion, ethics, and ministry (1 Cor 13:1-3). We need to daily remind ourselves of God’s love for us and meditate on it. At the same time, we need to remove any sin that stands in the way of our relationship with God. The more we receive divine forgiveness, the more we experience the love of God.

If we are feeling dry in our souls, we should slow down and re-examine our personal relationship with God. We should take time to 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. Sometimes, we may even need to withdraw from leadership for a season to realign ourselves to the Lord and be renewed in His presence. Even Jesus and His disciples needed moments of rest.

Practically, the way to ensure that our love for others is neither cold nor mechanical is to 𝗯𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 about 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝟮𝟴𝟰” 𝗼𝗳 𝟭 𝗖𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟯. As we act in obedience to Jesus’ commandment (Jn 13:34-35; 2 Jn 4-6) to honour and serve others, often, the loving feelings will soon follow.

Many have asked me questions concerning 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴s and 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴s. Aren’t they mutually exclusive? We can only have one or the other? I have always believed that God is a good God who blesses. At the same time, I also believe that a godly life is a life of suffering.
 
Many Christians can’t handle blessings and sufferings happening at the same time, much like how they struggle with balancing truth and love, faith and the sovereignty of God, or the “already” and “not yet”. They either imagine a life of endless blessings and favour that has no trials, testings or tribulation, or a life of endless sufferings in which there are no supernatural healings, deliverances or provision.
 
As long as we live in this present age, blessings and sufferings will always go together. If we can’t accept this, we will end up embracing either 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 (only blessing, no suffering) or 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝘀𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘁𝘆 (only suffering, no blessing). Both extremes are wrong! In times of blessings, we must not be afraid of hardships; and in times of hardships, we must continually believe God for inner peace, good health, financial breakthroughs, and kingdom revival.

It is not enough to be 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱, we must also be 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱. Without God’s anointing, at best, all we have are mere words and good intentions. We must fervently seek after God’s anointing. I love meditating on Is 11:2 because it teaches us the 7 anointings of the Holy Spirit that are upon Jesus:
 
 (1) The Spirit of the Lord.
 (2) The Spirit of wisdom.
 (3) The Spirit of understanding.
 (4) The Spirit of counsel.
 (5) The Spirit of might.
 (6) The Spirit of knowledge.
 (7) The Spirit of the fear of the Lord.
 
The benefits of these 7 anointings are 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆, 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹, and 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. Without the anointing, our ministry will be dry and dull. There is no demonstration of the Spirit and power (1 Cor 2:4). There is no touch of God in all that we do.
 
To seek after the anointing, we need a genuine spiritual hunger. We need to dig deeper into the Bible concerning what the anointing is. How does it work? How does it flow? How do we become the vessels that can contain it, and more importantly, sustain it? We have to invest time to meditate on the Word, and fervently pray for the anointing.
 
We need to be around anointed people (those who are already moving strongly and regularly in the power of God) – to learn from them, and flow with them. When we are with prophets, we will become prophetic. When we are with evangelists, we will become evangelistic. When we are with those who move in healing and deliverance, signs and wonders will become a normal part of our lives and ministries. Their anointing will rub on us. Ultimately, however, the anointing is a result of God’s grace upon us.
 
May we become anointed Christians who live for Christ and the gospel. May our cell groups (and connect groups) become powerful meetings, and not just social gatherings. Amen!