Wangsa Ukay Gospel Hall

Organisation of the synopsis Synopsis: Joel The writer Joel (the prophet’s name) means ‘Jehovah is God’. The time of his writings cannot be determined clearly, but it is likely to be in the 9th century BC, during the time of king Jehoash in Judah. Joel’s message was directed to the people in Judah. Key verse Joel 2:13: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. It is most comforting that God is ever gracious and merciful. If you have life today, irrespective of your present state, as long as you are genuine (i.e., your heart and not your garments) in turning to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, your sins will be forgiven  (Rom 3:24-25). Main Theme The main theme of the book is the ‘Day of Jehovah’ which is mentioned 5 times (Chapter 1:15; 2:1.11.31; 3:14). The Day of Jehovah is also referred to as the ‘Day of the Lord’. The great ...

Author's message: Introduction The objective of this series of articles is to introduce to the average reader a succinct understanding of the minor prophets in the Bible. Most Christians only have a faint understanding of the Bible. Although it is true that salvation is not dependent on a complete understanding of the whole Bible, but a complete understanding is definitely helpful in the conduct of our spiritual lives.  Prayerfully, this synopsis will   kindle the readers’ interest to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, who continue to search the scriptures further. Outline of each book The following outlines the organisation of the synopsis of each book in the Bible: 1) The writer There is a short description of the author, the time when it was probably written and its audience or addressees will be reviewed.  2) Key verse In each book review, a key verse in the book will be selected and commented . The selection of the key verse is the choice of the author. For ...

Understanding the subject of worship helps us to pay homage to God. The remark of David in 2 Samuel 24:24 has much to add on to the subject of worship.  “Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing”.  The passage in 2 Samuel 24 has a parallel reading in 1 Chronicles 21. A parallel passage is a record of a similar event made by a different author. The “feeding of the 5000” in the New Testament is recorded in all the four gospels. Parallel passages in the Bible do not contradict each other but are written to complement and give the reader further enlightenment on a subject through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  1) Parallel verses on the account of David’s sin The following are parallel verses on the account of David’s sin : 1 Chronicles 21:1   And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel”.  2 Samuel 24:1      And again t...

General understanding of worship today Oftentimes, the first thing that comes to mind on the subject of worshipping God is attending the Church Sunday service.  Upon entering a church, hallow feelings are invoked and the peaceful church music puts us into a reverential mood. The service normally includes congregational prayers and singing of hymns. In some churches, communion is served but in others, it is only done occasionally.  The worship session may end with a ministry of God’s words by a brother. The manner of worship mentioned here is a good practice for most of us. However, I would like to probe a bit further on this important subject and the best way to study how we worship today is to review what the New Testament teaches. The sacrifice is over The hymn, “No blood no altar now” succinctly teaches us how we worship today. The lyrics are as follow:  No blood, no altar now, The sacrifice is o’er! No flame, no smoke ascends on high, The lamb is slain no more, But ri...

This article has three parts. Part A discusses what worship is before the fall of man and after the fall. Part B covers how we worship God today and the subject of worshipping in ‘spirit’ and in ‘truth’. In Part C, we have a teaching on David’s insight on worship. Part A: What is worship Definition of worship Worship (verb) means action or efforts made to show our respect or love to God. We are worshipping God when we live our lives in accordance with His words, make prayers of thanksgiving, sing praises or just thinking of all His goodness to us.  When it is used as a noun, it means the act of worshipping God. In secular usage, the word worship can be used for anything a person adores, such as idolizing a film star. In this article, “worship” is confined to our respect for God. Worship before the fall: perennial worship Gen 2:15-17 v. 15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.  v. 16: And the LORD God commanded the man, ...

"Christian leaders should openly remind believers to avoid these false prophets whenever they manifest themselves. The continual silence of Christians to speak out against  false prophets gives them the temerity to deceive the simple." The gift of prophecy is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, there has been much confusion over this gift as many people desire to be called “prophets” of God. There are a few passages in the Bible to list out the various gifts of the Holy Spirit. I will list the passages from 1 Corinthians 12:7-12 and 1 Corinthians 12:27-28. The Gift of the Holy Spirt 1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.  1 Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;  1 Corinthians 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;  1 Corinthians 12:10 To another the working ...

This sermon is divided into two sections, Part A and B. It was delivered in Wangsa Ukay Gospel Hall on 13 December 2020 and 3 January 2021. Part A: The Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Jn 4:2-3 The import of acknowledging that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is so important that the Apostle John view this as a cardinal belief. It does not mean that when you agree with this question you are automatically a Christian as there are other matters to believe and follow before one is qualified to be termed a Christian. However, if anyone does not believe in the fact that the Lord Jesus was fully man when He came to earth, that person is definitely not a Christian but is against the truth. When the Lord Jesus was on earth 2020 years ago, he took on the form of man. The following records in the Bible will help us to understand that He was fully man when He was on earth. • Jn 4:6, He can be weary. Unlike God who cannot be tired, man can be weary when we are overworked. • Mark 4:38: He nee...

What seek ye? John 1:35-39 (Part A) This sermon is divided into 2 parts. Part A deals with the question, “What seek ye” and Part B will cover   “Where dwellest thou?” and “Come and See”. In John’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus asked a very important question, “What seek ye?”.   Most of us, especially when we are young, go about seeking things that we thought are worthy and later find that it is quite useless to us. It will be a good lesson to teach our children to consider the question, “What are you seeking?” before they embark on their plans.  I always like the old Chinese slang from a variant of the Hokkien clan that we must not “Te lang see” which is to blindly follow people to destruction. Young kids learn bad things by following their peers like smoking. They just “Te lang see”. The forbidden list goes on to drugs, speaking foul languages or addiction to social media. If both the young and old can question themselves “What seek ye?” before blindly following their p...