As Christians, God considers us righteous in Christ. It doesn’t mean that we’re sinlessly perfect. In and of ourselves, we are still sinners. But by our faith in Jesus, His righteousness is now imputed (or transferred) into our account. This is the heart of the gospel. The Protestant Reformers used the Latin phrase, 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙪𝙡 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙨 𝙚𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧, which literally means “simultaneously righteous and sinner”. We are both a saint and a sinner at the same time. The good news is that whenever we sin, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). For this reason, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to regularly confess our sins to God, who will freely “𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘀, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Mt 6:12 NLT). 𝗧𝗼 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 – not just repenting once at conversion, but daily, we’re to purify ourselves, just as He is pure (1 Jn 3:3). This is how we grow in holiness – to be holy as He is holy (1 Pet 1:16). This is not being sin-conscious or condemnation-minded. We'd never consider our daily showering as dirt-consciousness. We shower simply because it is necessary hygiene. Similarly, every time we seek God’s forgiveness in prayer, we’re taking a spiritual “shower”, and we’ll always be refreshed, renewed and recharged after that. I’ve learned to use the 𝗧𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 in my daily prayer (Ex 20:3-17; Deut 5:7-21). For sure, the Ten Commandments can’t save us. We’re saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But they are the 10 expressions of God’s personal and eternal morality. So they’re very useful for showing us if and where we’ve sinned. For the next few minutes, I want to invite you to pray them together with me. Praying this kind of prayer regularly will change our lives. I know this for a fact because it has certainly changed mine. 

Someone once said to me, “Love and unity are most important in a church. I don’t care about beliefs”. This really set me thinking. This statement presupposes that having love alone will lead to unity. However, love doesn’t automatically lead to unity, and vice versa. A marriage can be loving, yet have no godly unity because of a difference in belief (2 Cor 6:14). Conversely, the church in Ephesus had (a semblance of) unity but was loveless towards one another (Rev 2:1-7). In short, you can have a form of unity without love, or love without unity.

Love is unconditional. We must love everyone – even our enemies (Mt 5:44). Love is strengthened by unity in beliefs. When we can genuinely agree on our spiritual convictions, our love for one another will greatly increase. On the other hand, 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗛 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲. Just because we love one another, that does not guarantee biblical, Christian unity. If there is serious disagreement in doctrine, the unity among us is superficial and tenuous at best. It is in the place of agreement that there is power (Mt 18:19). This is evident in the Early Church when believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ doctrine, among other things (Acts 2:42). They were of 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 (𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿) and 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 (𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲), resulting in members adopting similar attitudes and engaging in similar actions. Our aim, therefore, must be to grow in love for one another (1 Thess 3:12) and hold fast to sound, common doctrine (Tit 2:1). So, yes, love and unity are most important in a church, but for them to truly exist, 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 our 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀!

Doctrine is a set of beliefs and instructions that the senior leadership and theologians of every church or denomination formulate, based on their best understanding of the Scripture (2 Tim 3:16; cf. Acts 2:42; 15:6-29). Unless they belong to the same denomination or network of churches, the doctrine of one church may not be exactly the same as the doctrine of another church. This is really the reason why there are different denominations in the first place. Although we all read the same Bible, we understand the truths of Scripture differently. While the differences are not about the absolute core essentials (or the first-order doctrines), yet they are significant enough to result in the distinctiveness among different churches and denominations. What we present as truths must be done with special care and wisdom because they will eventually form the worldview through which we govern our lives (1 Tim 4:16). Doctrines are very important for many reasons. In this video, I just want to share with you four of them: 
(1) 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀. 
(2) 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. 
(3) 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆. 
(4) 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀. 

There are 7 waves of revival in the Book of Acts, and we can identify them by their summary statements (Acts 2:42-47; 6:3-7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:4-5; 19:20; 28:30-31). One constant in all these revivals was the believers’ focus on the 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗢𝗗. The earliest Christians gave themselves to the apostles’ 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘. The spread of God’s Word resulted in the number of disciples greatly multiplying. In spite of the many hardships and crises, wave after wave of revival broke forth. It came to a point in Acts when the writer Luke stops using the word “church” and instead, substitutes it by “word of God”. This is because the Christians were living by the Scripture so much so that the two entities had become synonymous. The Word had become flesh in them. Daily, they were applying their best understanding as the Holy Spirit illuminated the Scripture to them. This is the importance and power of having 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 in the church. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲. As much as possible, biblical truths must not be vague, but wisely and carefully written out and articulated to the members. Only when this is done will the congregation be “strengthened in the faith” and “prevail” in every crisis and difficulty.

Doctrine is a set of beliefs and instructions, that the senior leadership and theologians of every church or denomination formulate, based on their best understanding of the Scripture. In Christian theology, there are 3 levels of doctrines.
 
(1) 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧-𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 are 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 that we must believe in because our salvation hinges on them. A denial of them is to deny Christianity itself. They are 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 which define the core beliefs of the Christian faith. You are not a Christian if you don’t believe them.
 
(2) 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗-𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 are beliefs that Christians may disagree on. This is why there are different churches and denominations. But they are 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 which significantly impact the overall character and ministry style of a church. They form the “𝗗𝗡𝗔” of a congregation. For us in CHC, our doctrine is Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal in essence and emphasis.
 
(3) 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗗-𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 are beliefs that Christians may have disagreement on, but we can still remain in close fellowship within a local church. They are usually 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 or 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 concerning less-clear issues in the Bible, that are not worth dividing a congregation over. We can worship and serve God together in the same church, even if we disagree on them.
 
The ability to correctly discern the differences between core essentials, spiritual convictions, and legitimately disputable matters, will keep a church from compromising on important truths, or having factions resulting from disagreement over peripheral issues. Let us not have factions in our spiritual family. Let’s have a 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, birthed through a real conviction of the truths that the Holy Spirit has illuminated to us from the Bible, according to our best understanding.

As Christians, there are 4 terms which we often hear about, but we may not be too clear about their meanings:

The first is “𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘”, which means “that which is written”. For Christians, the Scripture is synonymous to the Holy Bible – the Word of God.
 
The second is “𝗚𝗢𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗟”, which means “good news”. When it is spelled with a capital “G”, it refers to the 4 Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. When spelled with a small “g”, it refers to the New Testament in its entirety.
 
The third is “𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗬”, which means the “study of God”. Theologians are those whose occupation is to study God.
 
The fourth is “𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘”, which is the 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 (cf. 2 Tim 3:16). This is the reason why there are different churches and denominations because our best understanding of the Bible may vary from each other. While we all agree in the absolute essentials of Scripture, we have different spiritual convictions, and different focus and different emphases on spiritual realities. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 "𝗗𝗡𝗔". Every church’s doctrine is the foundation of its vision and mission – it determines the way we (a) think about God, (b) worship Him, and (c) do church.
 
After 31 years as a church, CHC has been in the season of clarifying our doctrine – so that CHC is not driven by personality and religious trends, but by the eternal truths which we believe the Holy Spirit has illuminated to us from the Holy Scripture, and our best understanding of them.

A Christian is a follower and lover of truth. After all, Jesus is the truth (Jn 14:6). Truth is very important because it determines the outcome of our lives. Truth determines our growth. But the evidence of our spiritual maturity is 𝗡𝗢𝗧 how much truth we know, but 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗛 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 (Eph 4:15). This is the pinnacle of maturity – the climax and highest expression of maturity. This is also how we measure the fullness of Christ in us. When we can be Christlike and speaking the truth in love, we are growing in spiritual maturity.

Jesus says that the way the world will know that we are His disciples is by seeing our loving actions and attitudes. 1 Cor 13:4-7 gives us very clear, observable evidence. Whenever we are having a serious conversation, discussion, or even a debate, do it with as much patience, kindness, humility, politeness, forgiveness, and empathy as we can muster. 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲; always hope for the best in them. Don’t talk down on others. Even if we have all the truth, without love, all our knowledge and facts mean nothing (1 Cor 13:2)!

Jesus teaches us that when we need to have a serious conversation with anyone, we should do so with the person 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 and 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 (Mt 18:15). If need be, widen the circle to 1 to 2 others. Only when the issue cannot be resolved should we bring it to the attention of the church leadership (v16-17). The goal of sharing the truth is not to win arguments, but to win people. Loving people means thinking very carefully about 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 we say 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 we say it, or before we 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 or 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 it. Especially if what we are saying or texting may sting, then we need to be even more careful and prayerful, to ensure that we are moved by genuine love and not by our own ego, pride or frustration.

The Bible says that we must learn how to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). In a serious discussion, it is not just 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 you say that is important, but 𝗛𝗢𝗪 you say it – meaning that your attitude, disposition, motive, tone, and choice of words, are just as important as the content of your words. You can say something aggressively or graciously. You can say it with a pinch of self-righteousness or with genuine humility. Whether it is sharing the truth of the gospel, discussing a theological doctrine, addressing a wrong (or even a sin), we must all learn to be as loving as we can in the way we speak.

The 4 Ps we need to have (before engaging in a serious conversation) are: a 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡, the 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗙, clear 𝗣𝗨𝗥𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘, and we must be 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗗 for the truth.

In any discussion that is uncomfortable, remember the “𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲” or “𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵”. You start with the positive, then get to the “filling” (which is the main issue of the conversation), and you end with the positive again. Always seek to speak the truth, but do it with as much love of God as you can muster in your heart. It is by your love that the world will know you are Jesus’ disciple.

There is a huge difference between liking and loving someone.

𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 means seeing the 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 of a person and being attracted to him or her. For example, I like the way you look and talk. I like your style and mannerism. I like being around you. It is always easy to be drawn and attracted to the people we like.

On the other hand, 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 means seeing the 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 of a person and still wanting to serve, benefit, and bless him or her. God’s agape love is totally unconditional. Jesus commands us to love those we dislike, or even detest! We are to pray for them, forgive them, and even bless (or speak well of) them. This is never easy, and without the power of the Holy Spirit, it is virtually impossible! Love, however, is the hallmark of the Christian life – it is the clearest evidence that Jesus Christ is living in our hearts. God is love, and the greatest thing in life is love!

In this episode, Dr A.R. Bernard joins me as we talk about the creativity of God. For 600 years, the world’s economy rested on the whaling industry. Whale oil or blubber was the main source of energy for lighting and heating homes. By the mid-1800s, more than 10,000 whales were killed in the North Atlantic, causing a worldwide shortage in whale products. During the same time, experts also predicted that coal supply would be used up by the year 1900, which would signal the end of the industrial revolution. The whole world was gripped with fear: Would this be the end of human civilisation? Then on 27 Aug 1859, Colonel Edwin Drake drilled the world’s first oil well in Pennsylvania, USA, and the petroleum age was started. Because man is made in the image of God, whenever society goes through a crisis, we creatively come up with new ideas and solve problems. Since 1750, world population has increased 8 times, while gross world product has grown exponentially by more than 1,750 times! Each year, there are more products being invented than ever before. In 1960, almost half of all workers in the U.S. were involved in the manufacturing industry. By 1980, 80% of American workers were retrenched because of better technology. What happened to all the manufacturing workers who lost their jobs? Most of them moved over into the food service industry, and the restaurant business increased tenfold! God is our Creator and Redeemer. As Spirit-filled believers in Christ, we are created to overcome, and be inspired by His unlimited creativity and redemptive purpose. Although we are going through this COVID-19 pandemic, we mustn’t let fear grip our hearts. We must remember that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. We must allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with new dreams and visions, and open our hearts to innovative ideas and doors of opportunity that He will show us.