Romans 13: Subjection Does Not Mean Total Obedience —- Part 3

Romans 13: Subjection Does Not Mean Total Obedience —- Part 3

In Part 2, we talked about the purpose of '𝐞𝐱𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐚' and '𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚' ----- to continue God's government and establish His Kingdom on earth.

As believers, the 'exousia' (delegated authority) given to us is meant to fulfill that designated jurisdiction (the Kingdom's government on earth). This is why we have Luke 10:19, Matt 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-18. We have Christ's authority (exousia) to walk in divine protection and crush every form of darkness.

Since we have been assigned with this designated jurisdiction, we are to execute the 'exousia' in every arena that doesn't look like heaven. This is in the Lord's prayer. In other words, the 'ekklesia' (church, called-out ones, believers, Body of Christ) is God's Kingdom governing body on earth.

If you think that Christians are simply meant to focus and govern the churches, you have failed to know Christianity. What you know is simply religion.

How do we reconcile this exousia with Romans 13 on subjection to earthly authorities? It's very simple.

𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭, 𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 FULLY.

1 Peter 2:13-14 - 𝐁𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 for the Lord's sake to 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by Him 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝.

The word 'institution' in the Greek has to do with 'divine order'. In Part 1, I shared that Romans 13:1-2 talks about the idea of governing leadership set in place by God as His ordinance on earth. We are to SUBMIT to that, because it is God's ordinance.

For 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐫. Therefore one must be in subjection, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡 but also 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. - Rom 13:3-5

The passages in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 tell us that the earthly authorities (rulers) are set in place to carry out what is good. They are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. This reveals 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, which is the foundation of God's government (Ps 89:14). We are to do what is good (Gal 6:10; Micah 6:8) - 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, which is in alignment with heavenly government.

However, if the earthly governing authorities are executing what does 𝐍𝐎𝐓 look like in heaven, i.e. contrary to the Kingdom of God, 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 of kings whom we are first called to obey and follow FULLY.

In such scenario, the 'ekklesia', the Church, on whom the Kingdom government is delegated upon our shoulders, should execute the 'exousia' (heaven's delegated authority) with the law of the Kingdom.

This is why Christianity was the central figure to abolish slavery in the States in the 19th century. If they simply follow Romans 13 blindly, this might not have taken place.

The Kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Spirit. The earth should reflect that. Where there is law FOR injustice, abuse, slavery, abortion, homosexual marriage, etc, of which none is in heaven, we do NOT need to be subject to the earthly authorities. For we must obey God, and not men (Acts 5:29). That also means that we must speak up and take action.

Note: Some church leaders say, “I don’t want to be involved in politics and the government. Let me just do my own thing in the church.” That’s not biblical. That’s religion. Religion does not interfere with life on earth. You can be involved in politics without being political. By NOT making any stand, you are already making a stand by not executing your God-given exousia to establish His Kingdom on earth.

As long as what is being executed on earth reflects heaven, we are to be subject to the earthly governing body.

As long as what is being executed on earth does 𝐍𝐎𝐓 reflect heaven, we are to execute 'exousia' as the Kingdom governing body.

In the next part, we will look at the immediate context of Romans 13 as well as 1 Peter 2, and see how Scriptures cannot be broken, because some have taken Romans 13 to the other extreme where they only limit the context to the synagogue leadership between the Jews and the Gentiles.

Romans 13: Subjection Does Not Mean Total Obedience --- Part 2

Romans 13: Subjection Does Not Mean Total Obedience --- Part 2

On the previous post, we have established the foundation of earthly exousia (delegated empowerment for moral authority) set in place as God's ordinance on earth. 

We are to be subject to that "governing authorities" (Rom 13:1-2). While the establishment of leadership is from God, the leaders may not be of God because people have the free will to choose their own leaders.

Why does God tell us to be subject to the earthly exousia? The answer lies in verse 3-5.

For 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐫. Therefore one must be in subjection, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡 but also 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. - Rom 13:3-5

One must read the Bible in context. A text without a context becomes a pretext for a proof text. By reading in context, I do not just mean the context of that chapter or the book itself, i.e. Romans. Because each book falls into the context of a bigger idea, i.e. The New Testament, The New Covenant, the whole Bible, etc.

In other words, if your interpretation for that passage cannot line up with the whole counsel of the Bible (esp the New Covenant), if it is not part of the jigsaw puzzle, then there is a high chance that you need to re-evaluate your interpretation.

In order to understand Romans 13, we not only need to know that Rome was in control at that time (Emperor Nero was in power); we not only need to know that the Jews just came back from exile by Emperor Claudius (Acts 18:2), because the latter feared a potential insurrection due to the disputes between Christians and the Jews.

We not only need to know that Paul was writing the letter to reconcile the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome, but we also need to know the big idea of what 𝐞𝐱𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐚 and 𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚 is in the Kingdom of God.

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 𝐎𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦, 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐭 and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. - Isaiah 9:6-7

The word 'government' here is the word 'rule' and 'dominion'. Sounds familiar? God's original purpose for mankind is to rule and take dominion on earth (Gen 1:26). Since Adam failed to establish God's government (rule and dominion) on earth, Jesus came and brought God's government (Isaiah 9).

Jesus came preaching and demonstrating the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matt 4:23; Matt 12:28). The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Spirit (Rom 14:17). 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧) 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡. In other words, the earth should reflect heaven in every arena. This is why Jesus healed the sick and set the captives free on earth, because there is no sickness and captivity in heaven.

God's original intent for mankind 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐓 change. Jesus came to re-present and demonstrate it, before multiplying His seeds (John 12:24) through His death. 𝐀𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (Rom 5:17) and establish His kingdom on earth (Matt 6:10).

This is why we are called the 'church' or '𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚' (the called-out ones from the world into the Kingdom) to set His government in place and establish His Kingdom. We are to enforce the law of the Kingdom of God in areas where there isn't, instead of hiding inside the four walls building ministry laws that only work within the church ministries, but ineffective in making an impact in the world. If the church is not continuing with His government, it becomes hell on earth. This church-bound mindset can be traced back to the Roman empire under Constantine. It’s called religion. Unfortunately, many are still stuck there with no revelation on the Kingdom of God and it’s purpose.

With this big idea of government (rule and dominion) in mind, we will look at the overall picture of exousia (delegated authority) that God has intended for believers in the next part, before we talk about the earthly exousia in the earthly governing bodies.

Romans 13: Subjection Does Not Mean Total Obedience --- Part 1

Romans 13: Subjection Does Not Mean Total Obedience --- Part 1

Since the s̵c̵a̵m̵d̵e̵m̵i̵c̵ pandemic was provided with a one-world-one-way solution, Romans 13 has become a popular debate among believers. I have been reading and studying on this subject more deeply so that I can understand better how I should respond to the governing bodies.

Let every person be 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 to the governing 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. For there is no 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 except from God, and those that exist have been 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 by God. Therefore whoever resists the 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 resists 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝, and those who resist will incur judgment. - Rom 13:1-2

The word 'subject' in Greek means 'under God's arrangement'. In other words, it is to put oneself under God's arrangement, and in this context, the governing authorities. It is to yield to one's advice, which may or may not necessarily mean total obedience.

The word 'authority' and 'authorities' is the word 'exousia', which means 'delegated empowerment for moral authority' in this context.

The word 'institute' means 'to set in place' and the word 'appointed' means 'God's ordinance'.

It is important to note that the phrase '𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝' is used, instead of 'who God has appointed'. In the Greek, it refers to the exousia (authority), which is God's ordinance.

In other words, while the position of governing authority is set in place by God as His ordinance on earth, the leaders in that governing position are not necessarily chosen by Him. Remember: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞) 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬. Read the book of Kings and you will know that people chose to have their own kings, not God. For the Scriptures cannot be broken. God does not always have His will done when it comes to the appointment of the leader.

Why is knowing this important? It prevents abuse. I have church leaders who told me that the leaders (cellgroup leaders, ministry leaders, etc.) in position are ordained by God and they are the Lord's anointed. That's not biblical. In the New Covenant, only Christ is the Anointed One, and if He is in you, you are anointed as sons and daughters. Anointing is a position of sonship, not leadership.

Yes, God has ordained the idea of leadership. But we must separate leadership from the leaders, because the idea of leadership is of God, but the leaders may not be of God, even if it's a church leader.

Similarly, the governing authority has been set in place by God as His ordinance on earth, but the leaders may or may not be of God.

With this in mind, you will have a clear foundation on why God wants us to be subjected to the governing authorities (exousia), because it has nothing to do with evil or good rulers. What we are submitting to is the earthly exousia, so that we cannot be led by emotions when we look at the ungodly leaders.

In the next part, we will continue to go deeper.

Son’s First Inspired Sermon

As I was preparing a message this week, J came to me halfway through his Bible writing and said, “Papa, I want to write a worship song (influenced by Awaken Gen) and also a sermon like you.”

He first wrote a worship song in the afternoon and sang it to me. And he got me to sing with him.

Then, as I was out last night, he wrote a sermon (his own mini-version) and started preaching to his mum during bedtime and talked about various Bible stories with her.

Here is his own mini-sermon (page 1 of 2), of which I am very proud of 😬😬😬😘 Jesus!

Surpasses

I taught J how to solve the Rubik’s cube. He took a short period to surpass me.

My best timing is 2:07 min. He did it in 54 seconds.

The disciple is apparently above his teacher. So shall my ceiling be his floor.

Greater works will he do because the son must surpass the father.

Father’s Day Surprise Card

Received a surprised Father’s Day card from my beloved son.

The cover page is 🤣🤣🤣

He went through his Bible and chose two verses on his own to give me 😍😍😍. I’m like Wow!

What a blessed father I am!

Drawn To Worship

My son loves the song “Servant King”.

He sang the bridge very passionately, “I will give my life for the cause of Christ... to love like You loved and serve like You served...”

So I questioned him, “Are you sure you will give your life for the cause of Christ? Don’t just sing without realising the meaning.”

We need to challenge our heart, not just our head. Because we know more than we really know. Me included.

That said... I’m still so proud of him to be drawn to the songs of heaven.

P.S: For the past few days, he has been playing “Sound of Revival” everyday. He repeats this one song for at least one whole hour everyday... The HS works in an interesting way, tugging the heart of the little one.

P.P.S: Homechurching refers to a lifestyle of living church instead of a weekend of attending church.

Photo taken in 2017.

Tithing & Firstfruit

Tithing is not Firstfruit. We must study the Scriptures diligently and in context. Simply search through the Bible using Word Study “Firstfruit” and you will find the answer.

Firstfruit in the Old Testament is a type and shadow of the New ——- the literal substance. Christ is our firstfruit (1 Cor 15:23)!

On tithing... many preachers love to quote Malachi 3.

Malachi 1 sets the context for Malachi 3.

Malachi 1:11-12

For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,

My name shall be great among the Gentiles;

In every place incense shall be offered to My name,

And a pure offering;

For My name shall be great among the nations,”

Says the Lord of hosts.

12 “But you profane it,

In that you say,

‘The table of the Lord is defiled;

And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’

Malachi 1:13-14

13 You also say,

‘Oh, what a weariness!’

And you sneer at it,”

Says the Lord of hosts.

And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick

Thus you bring an offering!

Should I accept this from your hand?”

Says the Lord.

14 “But cursed be the deceiver

Who has in his flock a male,

And takes a vow,

But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished—

For I am a great King,”

Says the Lord of hosts,

“And My name is to be feared among the nations.

Question: Who is God addressing in the audience?

Answer: The priests of Israel!

And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. - Malachi 2:1

In chapter 2, God rebuked the priests, who were the leader of His people, because of their wayward lifestyle.

Malachi 3:1-4

Behold, I send My messenger,

And he will prepare the way before Me.

And the Lord, whom you seek,

Will suddenly come to His temple,

Even the Messenger of the covenant,

In whom you delight.

Behold, He is coming,”

Says the Lord of hosts.

2 “But who can endure the day of His coming?

And who can stand when He appears?

For He is like a refiner’s fire

And like launderers’ soap.

3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;

He will purify the sons of Levi,

And purge them as gold and silver,

That they may offer to the Lord

An offering in righteousness.

Questions:

1) Who is the messenger who prepares the way for the Lord?

Answer: John the Baptizer. See also Matthew 3:1-3 and Matthew 11:10.

2) Who came to the temple of God?

Answer: Jesus.

3) Who purified and rebuked the sons of Levi —— the priests?

Answer: Jesus.

4) Who purified the offering so that it is now offered in righteousness?

Answer: Jesus.

Malachi 3:3 says that Jesus will purify the sons of Levi and refine them. Then the offering (3:4) will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in the former years.

Jesus will not be purifying the sons of Levi in His second coming. This happened in the first coming. It’s pointing to the New Covenant offering in Malachi 3:4.

Malachi 3:8-12

Will a man rob God?

Yet you have robbed Me!

But you say,

‘In what way have we robbed You?’

In tithes and offerings.

9 You are cursed with a curse,

For you have robbed Me,

Even this whole nation.

10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,

That there may be food in My house,

And try Me now in this,”

Says the Lord of hosts,

“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

And pour out for you such blessing

That there will not be room enough to receive it.

11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,

So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,

Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”

Says the Lord of hosts;

12 “And all nations will call you blessed,

For you will be a delightful land,”

Says the Lord of hosts.

Since God was addressing the Levitical priests, the tithes which He referred to is the Levitical tithes —— the Law tithe.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. - Gal 3:13-14

Malachi 3 can no longer be used for believers on tithing. It was meant for Israel —— the Levitical priests. The Old Covenant. The Law. All had been fulfilled by Christ and we have been redeemed from the curse of the Law!

Anyone who preaches, “if you don’t tithe, you will be cursed...” tells us very clearly that he doesn’t know what Christ did on the Cross.

Besides, the true Levitical tithe had three parts:

The first Levitical tithe in Numbers 18 for the priests and the Levites; the second tithe in Deut 12 —— they could eat this tithe on their own!!!; the third tithe for the poor and the widows in Deut 14.

It consists of three tithes. The first two are a tenth.

The third tithe for the poor and the widows is once in every 3 years, so it’s 3.3% per year. Technically speaking, the total Levitical tithing is 22.33%!!

If you really want to tithe, you should follow the Levitical tithing of 23.33%, not just 10%!

Of course, some preachers will argue about Abraham’s tithing (before the Law was given) and Hebrews 7. But all of those passages have to be read in context.

In Abraham’s case, God did not request for any tithe. Abraham himself wanted to give to Melchizedek. In fact, Abraham did not give a tenth from his produce. Technically speaking, he was not fulfilling the law of tithing (since tithing is supposed to be from your produce/harvest). He merely gave a tenth from the enemy’s spoils! For the remaining 90%, he kept nothing (Gen 14:22-24) but gave to the King of Sodom. If we want to follow Abraham’s ‘tithing’, then you should give 100% to God, instead of mere 10%.

Note: In Abraham’s days, it was a common pagan practice/custom to give tithes (in varying percentage) to the pagan kings. Abraham lived in a land filled with pagan kings and it wouldn’t be surprised that he adopted the custom when he gave to Melchizedek and King of Sodom.

Next, we look at Jacob. Jacob was not asked to tithe. He gave a tenth because he himself made a vow to God (Gen 28:20-22). We cannot take a passage or an incident and build a whole doctrine around it!

Last but not least, the passage often quoted by preachers is in Hebrews 7:4-10. We need to understand the context of Hebrews before we can interpret this passage.

The whole book of Hebrews lays a big context —— Jesus is BETTER than the Old Covenant and every other thing. The Hebrew Christians in those days were living in both covenants. They were born again, yet they tried to keep the Law. The Temple had not yet been desecrated by King Nero.

The writer of Hebrews wrote the letter to teach them on the New Covenant and Chapter 7 talks about why Jesus, in the order of Melchizedek, is like Melchizedek priest and that His priesthood is way better than the Levitical priesthood and the patriarchs.

The Levitical priests were greater than the people. That’s why they received tithes from them (Heb 7:5).

The Melchizedek priest was greater than Abraham. That’s why He received Abraham’s tithe.

Hebrews 7:6-7 explains that the Greater blesses the lesser: Melchizedek > Abraham > Levi > People of Israel. That was the sequence.

Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. - Heb 7:9-10

 

Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. - Heb 7:8

Mortal men (the Levitical priests) receive tithes and they obviously died. Melchizedek receives, but lives forever —— pointing to the truth that He is greater than all the patriarchs and all the Levitical priests.

Jesus, being in the order of Melchizedek, is the Greatest Priest of all, and He is better than all of them. It points to the flaws of the Levitical priesthood and the need for a New Priesthood, Jesus Christ and the New Covenant.

In a nutshell, Hebrews 7 has nothing to do with the context/principle of tithing. The subject is not on tithing. Tithes in this passage is merely an illustration to establish the greatness of the Melchizedek priesthood. Because in Abraham’s days and in that custom, you only tithe to the king who is greater than you.

Word & Worship - Self-Motivation

Writing out Bible verses while listening to worship songs at the same time.

He turned on the songs by himself as he likes Awaken Generation’s worship music 💪💪💪

#homeschooling #homeworkisWordandWorship

Every Child Can Read

Every Child Can Read

Instead of forcing a child to read and/or sending him to costly enrichment class, every child can read if we allow him to lead.

My smart & brilliant wifey saw that J had an interest in some characters. Immediately, she went ahead to get books on them. 😘😘😘

Since the books arrived, J has been reading it without anyone telling him to.

Is he a born reader? By no means!

A child has to be a trained reader, but we need to empower him to be a leader in his reading choices. This is the power of homeschooling.

If we simply rush through the momentum of reading in order to chase after SG mainstream education, you cannot blame the child for not desiring to read.

Sending them for more enrichment classes will produce results, but it won’t produce passion.

#homeschooling #childdrivenlearning

Empower, Not Feed

Empower, Not Feed

There are always some who stretch out their hands, hoping to receive finances from others. Apart from those who are handicapped or can’t work due to valid reasons, we do more harm than good to simply bless them financially.

Not every human-driven blessing is God’s blessing. It’s simply indulging in their sluggish lifestyle, which is ungodly in nature.

If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. - 2 Thes 3:10 (cross-reference Proverbs 20:4)

Instead, refraining from giving actually empowers them to live diligently (read: The Parable of The Prodigal Son) and responsibly. There are part-time jobs out there that most people can do. If non-believers can step out to do it, what more about believers? The name of God should not be abused or used as an excuse.

Our lifestyle is always based on our own choices and decisions (at least in our first world country). If you decide on a certain way of living, you are responsible for that choice.

On side note, if we truly trust God as our Provider, we don’t have to tell others about our needs (Phil 4:19). That’s my conviction and I have both experienced and walked that out.

J’s Own Version Of His Bible

J’s Bible 😍

Out of the blue, J decided to write his own Bible version. Jeshua chapter 1...

That’s hilarious but at the same time, it warms the cockles of my heart. 😊

The Object Lesson Of Faith & Risk

Last evening at about 7pm, we decided to cycle as a family from Yishun to Springleaf. After crossing two junctions, it began to drizzle. The sky was overcast. Many dark clouds had formed in the whole region. A perfect storm was imminent.

For the past few late afternoons/evenings, it was raining cats and dogs. It looked like the same event would take place.

I asked wifey, “What do you think?” She replied, “We are still very near our house. It’s not too late to turn back. So what do you prefer?”

I paused for a moment, thinking how my wife and my son might be totally drenched in the heavy rain if I make the decision to proceed and it really pours. Next, I thought about how my son was watching me living out my faith.

I replied my wifey, “Let’s continue to cycle because it won’t rain where we go.”

Within a short distance (less than 5 min), there was no more drizzling. The sky was still filled with dark clouds everywhere, but it did not rain.

We arrived at Springleaf, had our dinner and cycled back home. It took about 2 hours. Not a single drop of rain fell.

The whole object lesson was on faith and risk. And J got to see faith at work against all odds. #homeschooling

Self-Entitlement

Self-entitlement and gratitude are hostile against each other. One who has a self-entitlement mentality is also one who does not have a heart of thanksgiving.

Many of the young generation, unfortunately, have this kind of mentality, because of parenting and the culture of our society.

We must not give them what they think they deserve, because they deserve the penalty of sin in the first place (if truth is rightly put in place).

When my son has any thought of self-entitlement, I will make sure he gets disciplined by me. Note: Discipline does not equate to spanking.

The moment when you think that you are entitled to someone's blessing, you just step out of Christianity at that point.

Play-Doh

Hand-made play-doh by the little boy...